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dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The One follows 5 characters and their experiences with the company called "Match Your DNA". This company is like a cross between 23andMe and Tinder: it takes a DNA sample your provide and tells you who your soulmate is. This book is a fast-paced thriller full of plot-twists, sure it hook anyone in. The chapters are short and has tiny bits of humor sprinkled in, which helps alleviate some of the darker tones.
I rated it 4.5/5 stars. The only gripe I have with this book is the constant cliffhangers. The book is 103 chapters and I would say all but 5 end on a "wait, then what?!" before switching character perspectives. While this was definitely useful in the beginning for keeping me sucked in throughout my reading slump, it became repetitive around the 60% mark (thank you, kindle) and I began to roll my eyes. However, the stories of each character are so intriguing that I pushed through.
Who I would recommend this to: honestly, anyone. Unless you dislike thrillers, I can't see why someone would not enjoy this. I ESPECIALLY recommend this for any reader who is in the middle of a reading slump, this book yoinked me out of it. I finished it in 3 days, which is unheard of for me.
!!SPOILERS!!
Trigger warnings for this book: I marked this as spoilers because some consider it that. Please read them. The cancer one, especially. The author was not loose with this .
Book-specific spoilers below:
All that being said, it's still a great book. I LOVED how the character plotlines intertwined at the end, but hated how Mandy's and Ellie's stories aren't really finished. Like, yeah, Richard moved and Ellie was put on trial. But does that imply Richard woke up? Is Ellie guilty or not? Honestly, I have a few friends who HATE unresolved endings, and I'm really going to warn them about this book before recommending it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Terminal illness, Murder
Moderate: Miscarriage
Minor: Kidnapping, Stalking
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Murder, Classism
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Torture, Kidnapping, Murder
dark
emotional
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Chronic illness, Mental illness, Kidnapping
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Stalking
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Murder, Pregnancy
Moderate: Sexism, Kidnapping, Stalking
Minor: Fatphobia
dark
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder
Moderate: Terminal illness
Minor: Miscarriage
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
John Marrs never misses! I think this was a little longer than necessary and one trope I wasn’t a game of. But still overall excellent sci-fi thriller!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Minor: Miscarriage
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage, Abortion, Murder
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
No
This was out of my typical genre, so I’m sure that influenced my rating a bit. It was certainly an interesting read and I really appreciated the twist and turns. However, the format of the story, following 5 different people, just didn’t give a connection to the characters that I generally aim for. Honestly, I didn’t care about them and if I spaced out in the middle of their chapter, I didn’t care to go back for anything minor.
The chapters are short and typically end on mini cliffhangers so it did help this to be an easy one day read.
The chapters are short and typically end on mini cliffhangers so it did help this to be an easy one day read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Murder