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thepetitepunk's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars
It's times like this where I question whether I was bored while reading this book and therefore did not comprehend much of it, or if I am just not very smart.
The Ones We're Meant to Find is a mysterious sci-fi that will keep you guessing. Many times, this is a captivating literary technique that pulls the reader in and encourages them ask questions, make predictions, and continue reading until everything is revealed. However, for this book, I personally felt like I only had three brain cells and none of them were working to understand the plot. The writing style was not bad at all, but I felt confused throughout the entire, oh, almost 400 pages? This was partly because the beginning was a bit too slow and vague that I started to space out and was really just glancing over the words without actually reading them. This also was due to the alternating point of views. I am usually never a big fan of multiple POVs, but once in awhile it does work--many of my favorites feature multiple POVs. That was not the case here. I read The Ones We're Meant to Find as a buddy read with a friend and had to embarrassingly ask her for confirmation that this book was in fact written in two different perspectives...mind you, I asked with only 100 pages left of the book. I also found the timeline quite confusing. I'm still unsure if the two POVs were supposed to take place at different times (and again, this is because I kept getting bored/confused and spacing out, so maybe that was clear somewhere in the text, but I probably accidentally skimmed over it).
I am usually not this harsh in my reviews but I was so excited for this book :( Perhaps this would be a better fit for readers who don't mind slow books and who already have an appreciation for the sci-fi/dystopian genre.
✧ ✧ ✧
≪reading 31 books for 31 days of july≫
╰┈➤ 1. the ones we're meant to find by joan he
It's times like this where I question whether I was bored while reading this book and therefore did not comprehend much of it, or if I am just not very smart.
The Ones We're Meant to Find is a mysterious sci-fi that will keep you guessing. Many times, this is a captivating literary technique that pulls the reader in and encourages them ask questions, make predictions, and continue reading until everything is revealed. However, for this book, I personally felt like I only had three brain cells and none of them were working to understand the plot. The writing style was not bad at all, but I felt confused throughout the entire, oh, almost 400 pages? This was partly because the beginning was a bit too slow and vague that I started to space out and was really just glancing over the words without actually reading them. This also was due to the alternating point of views. I am usually never a big fan of multiple POVs, but once in awhile it does work--many of my favorites feature multiple POVs. That was not the case here. I read The Ones We're Meant to Find as a buddy read with a friend and had to embarrassingly ask her for confirmation that this book was in fact written in two different perspectives...mind you, I asked with only 100 pages left of the book. I also found the timeline quite confusing. I'm still unsure if the two POVs were supposed to take place at different times (and again, this is because I kept getting bored/confused and spacing out, so maybe that was clear somewhere in the text, but I probably accidentally skimmed over it).
I am usually not this harsh in my reviews but I was so excited for this book :( Perhaps this would be a better fit for readers who don't mind slow books and who already have an appreciation for the sci-fi/dystopian genre.
✧ ✧ ✧
≪reading 31 books for 31 days of july≫
╰┈➤ 1. the ones we're meant to find by joan he
jess_mango's review against another edition
4.0
This is the first book that I've read by Joan He and I am impressed! This YA tale alternates perspectives between Cee and Kasey. Cee has been trapped on an island by herself for 3 years. She has no idea how she got there and the only thing she can remember about her previous life is that she had a sister. Meanwhile, Kasey lives in an ec0-city, a place meant to protect its citizens from natural disasters and extreme weather that are a result of human's abusing the planet. Kasey is a science wiz and is desperate to find her missing sister.
This was quite the ride. There were so may loops and twists that it was like being on a coaster. The book pretty much gripped me from the start because I wanted to see what was going to happen next. I preferred the portions of the book narrated by Cee but both parts were strong. The writing was both lovely and gripping. JH did a great job establishing distinctive personalities for her characters and the world building was fantastic. This is a good book for fans of books with lots of WTF moments.
What to listen to while reading...
Oh, What a World by Kacey Musgrave
Alone by Miso
Breezeblocks by alt-J
ocean eyes by Billie Eilish
Missing Piece by Vance Joy
Somebody Else by The 1975
Ghost by Halsey
Modern Loneliness by Lauv
Saw You in a Dream by The Japanese House
thank you to the publisher for the review copy!
This was quite the ride. There were so may loops and twists that it was like being on a coaster. The book pretty much gripped me from the start because I wanted to see what was going to happen next. I preferred the portions of the book narrated by Cee but both parts were strong. The writing was both lovely and gripping. JH did a great job establishing distinctive personalities for her characters and the world building was fantastic. This is a good book for fans of books with lots of WTF moments.
What to listen to while reading...
Oh, What a World by Kacey Musgrave
Alone by Miso
Breezeblocks by alt-J
ocean eyes by Billie Eilish
Missing Piece by Vance Joy
Somebody Else by The 1975
Ghost by Halsey
Modern Loneliness by Lauv
Saw You in a Dream by The Japanese House
thank you to the publisher for the review copy!
readinginmtl's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
paleontologa's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
4.0
ktroney's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
tatyanavogt's review against another edition
5.0
I know a lot of people didn't like this, but I really enjoyed it. I would say it has its problems but I was invested the whole time and I liked the twists that it had because it went in a direction that I was like "Oh it would be cool if it did something like..." and It did.
This is a sci-fi set in a world that humans have pretty much destroyed and is on the brink of inhabitability (is that an actual word!? its about to be inhabitable is what I'm trying to say). We're focused on two sisters and two time lines, one is the sister in the city dealing with the aftermath of her sisters disappearance and the severity of the state of the world, and the other takes place on an island where our girl has lost her memory but knows that she just needs to get back to her sister.
I really enjoyed it.
This is a sci-fi set in a world that humans have pretty much destroyed and is on the brink of inhabitability (is that an actual word!? its about to be inhabitable is what I'm trying to say). We're focused on two sisters and two time lines, one is the sister in the city dealing with the aftermath of her sisters disappearance and the severity of the state of the world, and the other takes place on an island where our girl has lost her memory but knows that she just needs to get back to her sister.
I really enjoyed it.