beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition

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challenging hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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foreverinastory's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I'm a little sad this isn't sapphic bc that cover gives me girls in love vibes, but I did enjoy this. BUT WTF was that ending!?

I don't really know how to summarize this book. It's about sisters. It's about humanity. It's about the climate disaster that will eventually befall Earth. It's all these things and more. The ending and how everything tied together had me shocked and questioning. The ending is more of an open ended one and I am still unsure how I feel about it, but I don't think anything different would've worked here.

The Ones We're Meant to Find follows Cee and Kay/Kasey. Cee is trapped on a deserted island and trying to figure out a way off of it so she can find her sister. Kasey is grieving her sister, Celia, and her disappearance/death. When Kasey finds Celia's chip (basically stores all your info and memories), she is determined to understand what happened to her sister.

Cee's POV felt a lot like watching someone playing Sim's Castaway. It was very easy to get bored and I wasn't really invested in her POV until about halfway through. Kasey on the other hand was fascinating from the beginning. There were so many things going on and I kept wanting to know more. Kasey is a genius and there was something she did in the past she wasn't allowed to remember. But in her pursuit of her sister, she finds them again and with them the possible solution to the climate crisis.

There isn't any clear cut villain to me in this story. There are humans who've made bad decisions, and ones that made the best decision they could given the circumstances. I really liked how this whole book operates in the gray area of right and wrong. The overlying mystery of what the fuck was exactly happening kept my interest and helped with Cee's POV being slower at first.

The only thing I wish was different was that there were no queer characters. Kasey really struck me as someone on the Aspec, but none of that is canon so I am sad. Also look at that cover!!! Does that not scream sapphic vibes!? Because it does to me.

Rep: Asian coded female MCs, one MC seems autistic coded but I am not certain.

CWs: Abandonment, confinement, death, presumed death of sister, grief, attempted murder, racism, sexual content, suicide/suicide attempt--character is immortal, terminal illness--poisoning, toxic friendship, violence.
 

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escapinginpaper's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I have mixed feelings about this one. I wanted to like it, but it was difficult to read.

This is a very futuristic world, where the Earth is ravaged from climate change, making the backdrop for two sisters with a close bond – one of whom is stuck on a desert island, and the other is trying to cope with the the idea her sister is missing, presumed dead. There is a really killer twist at around the 60% mark – I enjoyed that. I had difficulty with the writing style, mostly. Throughout it I kept finding myself thinking "what the heck is going on???" and had to read several passages multiple times to fully understand. A lot of the plot is revealed as you go – very little is "told" to you, you have to glean as you read. 

Overall I'm glad I read it. Despite being difficult, it was interesting and had a very Black Mirror vibe – in fact I think it would translate over really well to film.

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mandkips's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0


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caidyn's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Admittedly, I didn't pay as close attention to this as I should have. I really will have to reread it, but this is a hauntingly beautiful story. I so enjoyed it.

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celia_haz's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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betweentheshelves's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

So this is one of those books where you're dropped into this new world without much context and you get the details the further you get into the story. Let me just say that this works extremely well for this story, particularly for the driving mystery between the two sisters. 

I desperately want someone I know to finish this book because I want to discuss it with someone! Much of this dystopian world that He has created is based on climate change and the fact that humanity is to blame for the destruction of the planet. This could have gotten too heavy handed, but I think it blended well with Kasey and Cee's own storylines. It's because of the state of the world that they're in the situation they're in, and while you think you might know what's going on, you probably don't. Or, you at least don't know the whole story.

Fair warning, this book might also break your heart. That ending! I'll definitely be thinking about this book for a long time, and it's also a book that would benefit from a re-read because I'm sure there's stuff I missed. I didn't want to put this book down the further I got into it because I needed to know what was going to happen next. 

I know this book is hit or miss for some people, but it was definitely a hit for me. Now I just need to find someone else to read it and discuss! Maybe I'll suggest it at my next book club. 

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starccato's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25


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caseythereader's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Thanks to Books Forward PR for the free advance copy of this book. 

- THE ONES WE'RE MEANT TO FIND is a beautiful, big sci-fi story about family and humanity that went places I didn't expect and took turns I didn't see coming.
- I can't discuss too many details without giving things away, but it's one of those books where when the perspective switches you're both not ready to leave the character you're with and excited to get back to the other one. Cee and Kay are both so compelling in diametrically opposed ways.
- The author wrote such an incredible sense of unease into every page, and yet I could not stop reading.
- Basically, I need everyone to read this and to report back to me when things get twisty. 

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erinsbookshelves's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0


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