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dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Finding 'The One' to spend your life with is a bit of a gamble, isn't it?
What if someone added some science to the 'process' and told you that it's all in the genes? By running a simple DNA test, you could be matched with your soulmate. No speed dating. No frequenting hangout places in search of The One. No speculation about whether your current partner is the one you're meant to be with.
By that logic, this should be a sappy, sweet story where everyone lives happily ever after. But apparently, that's not what John Marrs does. (This is my first John Marrs book and I discovered the author only because I got a book from my Secret Santa)
Instead, what he has done is created a unique blend of a story that has elements of science fiction, a dash of romance, and well... a fast-paced, heart in your mouth kind of thriller.
What you end up with is an absolute page-turner.
With 5 different protagonists with only a DNA test in common, the story follows their (mis)adventures with being matched. Initially, I struggled with the multiple PoVs, but after 30-40 pages, I got a good handle on who's who and what's happening with them.
There are some interesting twists (and a couple of predictable ones) but this is definitely a pacy, thrilling ride.
In addition, given all the hype about AI and technology, this book also serves as a bit of a cautionary tale, with a slight warning. Sometimes, the grass isn’t greener on the other side and we should stay in the field where we belong
So, are you still looking for The One?
P.S. I've started with The Good Samaritan by the same author, which has yet another shocking premise.
--------------------------------
I write about books, cats, and life in general at https://www.instagram.com/waywordideas/, in case you're interested. :)
What if someone added some science to the 'process' and told you that it's all in the genes? By running a simple DNA test, you could be matched with your soulmate. No speed dating. No frequenting hangout places in search of The One. No speculation about whether your current partner is the one you're meant to be with.
By that logic, this should be a sappy, sweet story where everyone lives happily ever after. But apparently, that's not what John Marrs does. (This is my first John Marrs book and I discovered the author only because I got a book from my Secret Santa)
Instead, what he has done is created a unique blend of a story that has elements of science fiction, a dash of romance, and well... a fast-paced, heart in your mouth kind of thriller.
What you end up with is an absolute page-turner.
With 5 different protagonists with only a DNA test in common, the story follows their (mis)adventures with being matched. Initially, I struggled with the multiple PoVs, but after 30-40 pages, I got a good handle on who's who and what's happening with them.
There are some interesting twists (and a couple of predictable ones) but this is definitely a pacy, thrilling ride.
In addition, given all the hype about AI and technology, this book also serves as a bit of a cautionary tale, with a slight warning. Sometimes, the grass isn’t greener on the other side and we should stay in the field where we belong
So, are you still looking for The One?
P.S. I've started with The Good Samaritan by the same author, which has yet another shocking premise.
--------------------------------
I write about books, cats, and life in general at https://www.instagram.com/waywordideas/, in case you're interested. :)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Murder
Too dark for me right now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Miscarriage, Violence, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Loved it! Just like The Marriage Act, The One brings a unique concept to the thriller genre. What would you do if a program could match you with your supposed “genetic soul-mate”? Through the eyes of five characters, we witness the kind of impact this matching system has. Each one had their own twists and turns, and with any multi-POV book, I was expecting all of them to collide in the end. Sadly, these five characters remained in separate storylines, but this book was still very enjoyable!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, Murder
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was a fun book but also provocative. In my day job, I deal a lot with what's in this book - digital ethics, cyber crime, data integrity, data privacy, among other things. So this book had an extra layer of interest for me, but I think most people would find all these topics fascinating to ponder.
The book was wedged against something everyone wants in life - true love. We are programmed to believe in it and yearn for it and chase it since we are little with fairytales (though they are way toooooo sexist for my comfort). I think most people would be glad to pay a fee for a guaranteed answer. I might. Actually, I probably would - assuming it would be affordable. But that's why I don't think it would ever be true or work even if it was - because aside from all the consequences explored in this book, I am also sure capitalist greed would completely drive the market and would either make it unaffordable and/or some form of corruption would occur and this book would be prescient. The science could be flawless, but humanity would get in our own way. We always do.
The book was wedged against something everyone wants in life - true love. We are programmed to believe in it and yearn for it and chase it since we are little with fairytales (though they are way toooooo sexist for my comfort). I think most people would be glad to pay a fee for a guaranteed answer. I might. Actually, I probably would - assuming it would be affordable. But that's why I don't think it would ever be true or work even if it was - because aside from all the consequences explored in this book, I am also sure capitalist greed would completely drive the market and would either make it unaffordable and/or some form of corruption would occur and this book would be prescient. The science could be flawless, but humanity would get in our own way. We always do.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Cancer, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Wow!! I didn’t want this book to be over! Each of the 5 story lines were phenomenal! Made me ask myself a lot of good questions - would I have submitted my DNA to find my match? As a Christian how would I feel about this scientific discovery? Was I happy with how each story ended? I could have kept reading about these characters! First book by John Marrs and I really liked it! Will be reading more for sure!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Violence