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sbojo32's review against another edition
4.0
I know this book has gotten mixed reviews, but I really enjoyed it! The concept is different than anything else I had read before and I was fascinated.
Ursula is 35 and single. She knows she's quirky, but she just wants someone to love her like she is. Sure, she has abandonment issue and she likes to take care of people. She sometimes loses herself in the process. When she's at the spa (in a weird women-only facility called the Stake), a woman hears her talking about her dating woes. She offers her a card for The Arc. The Arc is a dating service, only much more in-depth than your stereotypical Match.com. With The Arc, you pay 50k (if you're male) and $40,500 (if you're female) to spend a week at their facility, where you are subjected to personality tests, meditation sessions and more. They gather information and match you with someone.
Ursula goes for it and is matched with Rafael. The pair have instant chemistry. They believe in The Arc's success story and success rate (100 percent success!) and when they start dating everything is perfect. Is it too perfect? What happens when there is a conflict? The pair is obligated to do check-ins with The Arc. At one of these after about four months, The Arc reveals something to them that changes everything.
I enjoyed this whole story. How it started, how it came together, and what it says about relationships. I think that it is interesting to see how the power of suggestion comes into play in life as well. There are feminist themes throughout but it wasn't in-your-face. Overall, this was really well done.
Ursula is 35 and single. She knows she's quirky, but she just wants someone to love her like she is. Sure, she has abandonment issue and she likes to take care of people. She sometimes loses herself in the process. When she's at the spa (in a weird women-only facility called the Stake), a woman hears her talking about her dating woes. She offers her a card for The Arc. The Arc is a dating service, only much more in-depth than your stereotypical Match.com. With The Arc, you pay 50k (if you're male) and $40,500 (if you're female) to spend a week at their facility, where you are subjected to personality tests, meditation sessions and more. They gather information and match you with someone.
Ursula goes for it and is matched with Rafael. The pair have instant chemistry. They believe in The Arc's success story and success rate (100 percent success!) and when they start dating everything is perfect. Is it too perfect? What happens when there is a conflict? The pair is obligated to do check-ins with The Arc. At one of these after about four months, The Arc reveals something to them that changes everything.
I enjoyed this whole story. How it started, how it came together, and what it says about relationships. I think that it is interesting to see how the power of suggestion comes into play in life as well. There are feminist themes throughout but it wasn't in-your-face. Overall, this was really well done.
aubsbooks's review against another edition
2.0
The Arc started slow and (for me at least) ended just as slowly. I debated between 2 and 3 stars, but when it came down to it, I had to go with 2, because I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book to anyone else. I think some people will LOVE it, but it's a bit misleading to be promoted as perfect for people who love TJR, Sally Rooney, etc... But if it sounds interesting to you, I wouldn't stop you from trying it out!
I'll start with the positives, though. Because there were some!
-The concept is interesting, no matter how many times it's been done.
-Their struggle did seem very real, and I enjoyed how the book ended.
-The Stake, the over-the-top feminist health club made me laugh every time they spent time there.
-Specifically, when Ursula asked "But do I want to be like Gwyneth Paltrow, or do I want to be the OPPOSITE of Gwyneth Paltrow??" and her friend replied "That is the question of our time." I felt that.
What I didn't love:
-Rafael and Ursula are both kind of weird an insufferable, a couple you would HATE if you knew them in person.
-Their weird pet names for each other were so cringey, and their arguments were mind-numbing.
-It was so slow. You probably could have gotten rid of at least a quarter of it without losing anything.
-I didn't really care about her career storyline? I didn't really need a lecture on the inequality of venture capitalist culture, and I got like...three.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc (also, a little confusing because at first I thought this book was going to be about advanced reader copies, but oh well.) in exchange for my honest review.
I'll start with the positives, though. Because there were some!
-The concept is interesting, no matter how many times it's been done.
-Their struggle did seem very real, and I enjoyed how the book ended.
-The Stake, the over-the-top feminist health club made me laugh every time they spent time there.
-Specifically, when Ursula asked "But do I want to be like Gwyneth Paltrow, or do I want to be the OPPOSITE of Gwyneth Paltrow??" and her friend replied "That is the question of our time." I felt that.
What I didn't love:
-Rafael and Ursula are both kind of weird an insufferable, a couple you would HATE if you knew them in person.
-Their weird pet names for each other were so cringey, and their arguments were mind-numbing.
-It was so slow. You probably could have gotten rid of at least a quarter of it without losing anything.
-I didn't really care about her career storyline? I didn't really need a lecture on the inequality of venture capitalist culture, and I got like...three.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc (also, a little confusing because at first I thought this book was going to be about advanced reader copies, but oh well.) in exchange for my honest review.
chimreaders's review against another edition
unfortunately i have decided to dnf this book. i just don’t believe the writing was for me. the concept and idea was intriguing, but the execution wasn’t paced well for me.
the beginning was a little boring, but i understood that it was character introductions so i continued reading. then once the characters got together i felt it was insta-love, and yes i know this book is about two people meeting through a dating app, but i’ve read books similar and they don’t say i love you as soon as this couple did. and i’m not saying that’s a bad thing, i just feel it’s unrealistic and not for me. but while they were together i was interested, until around 60% where i started to get bored and read other books. now this book is 350 pages and i left like it was never going to end.
overall, i do believe that one day i will come back to finish the book, because it honestly did interest me but for now, i will dnf it at 64% and leave it.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
the beginning was a little boring, but i understood that it was character introductions so i continued reading. then once the characters got together i felt it was insta-love, and yes i know this book is about two people meeting through a dating app, but i’ve read books similar and they don’t say i love you as soon as this couple did. and i’m not saying that’s a bad thing, i just feel it’s unrealistic and not for me. but while they were together i was interested, until around 60% where i started to get bored and read other books. now this book is 350 pages and i left like it was never going to end.
overall, i do believe that one day i will come back to finish the book, because it honestly did interest me but for now, i will dnf it at 64% and leave it.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
kirstyreviewsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
The Arc by Tory Henwood Hoen
I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and W.F. Howes Ltd and I am leaving this review voluntarily
35-year-old Ursula Byrne, VP of Strategic Audacity at a branding agency in Manhattan, is successful, witty, whip-smart, and single. She's tried all the dating apps, and let's just say: she's underwhelmed by her options. You'd think that by now someone would have come up with something more bespoke; a way for users to be more tailored about who and what they want in a life partner--how hard could that be?
Enter The Arc: a highly secretive, super-sophisticated matchmaking service that uses a complex series of emotional, psychological and physiological assessments to architect partnerships that will go the distance. The price tag is high, the promise ambitious--a level of lifelong compatibility that would otherwise be unattainable. In other words, The Arc will find your ideal mate.
I have seen many mixed reviews for this book and I can see both sides of the argument but for me it wasn't bad. I don't want to give away too much information because I feel that some of the enjoyment from this book came from learning about The Arc. The characters are all likeable and it was quite fun to be an outsider looking in on their dilemmas.
Overall an interesting read and a nice debut novel from the author.
Rating 4/5
I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and W.F. Howes Ltd and I am leaving this review voluntarily
35-year-old Ursula Byrne, VP of Strategic Audacity at a branding agency in Manhattan, is successful, witty, whip-smart, and single. She's tried all the dating apps, and let's just say: she's underwhelmed by her options. You'd think that by now someone would have come up with something more bespoke; a way for users to be more tailored about who and what they want in a life partner--how hard could that be?
Enter The Arc: a highly secretive, super-sophisticated matchmaking service that uses a complex series of emotional, psychological and physiological assessments to architect partnerships that will go the distance. The price tag is high, the promise ambitious--a level of lifelong compatibility that would otherwise be unattainable. In other words, The Arc will find your ideal mate.
I have seen many mixed reviews for this book and I can see both sides of the argument but for me it wasn't bad. I don't want to give away too much information because I feel that some of the enjoyment from this book came from learning about The Arc. The characters are all likeable and it was quite fun to be an outsider looking in on their dilemmas.
Overall an interesting read and a nice debut novel from the author.
Rating 4/5
kaitlynvella's review against another edition
5.0
One of those books that I read in one day because I simply could not put it down. I can't wait to read more from Tory Henwood Hoen.
carolineabeachum's review against another edition
4.0
This one had been on my TBR for a while and it was really good!
carinaost's review against another edition
5.0
This is the love story I’ve been wanting to read for so long, I’m so glad it exists.
cmangles_'s review against another edition
3.0
This started out really strong. The idea of The Arc was a fresh and exciting take on dating and for the first 35% of the novel I thought this would be a really unique romance fiction story that I was very excited to read.
It offered a take on dating culture and relationships that I personally haven't come across yet in any other novel, whilst mixing the idea of science and emotions to find your one perfect match in the world for a one-off fee of $50,000 (or $45,000 for women due to the gender pay gap).
However, it quickly lost pace and instead of being the unique romance fic I thought it would be, it became an overall pushy and monologue-y social commentary on women in the workplace, fourth-wave feminism, and the whole "power to the woman" theme - which is fine, but not at all what it's advertised to be nor what I expected.
Because of this, the second half of the novel is all over the place and doesn't seem to know what it wants to be;
- The dialogue when she meets her match is cringe and I'm not sure if it's satire because they're meant to be the "perfect" match" or not,
- There's a major plot hole in that how can you know you've met your perfect match if only the rich can afford the $50,000 fee? Again, if this is satire then it's not obvious,
- The second half of the book isn't really about the relationship. It's more about her career crisis and how she wants to be more empowering, fight for women and investment in the workplace whilst she does absolutely nothing to make it happen other than say her female assistant needs a pay rise and go to a weird feminist cult club where they have shakra massages and do yoga and meditate to rid themselves of toxic energy. Like WTF?! This almost feels like it takes the piss out of women's rights and how people view feminists.
Overall, I think this book tries to do too much. It would have been much better had it chosen a path it wanted to pursue and stuck to it and did it well.
It offered a take on dating culture and relationships that I personally haven't come across yet in any other novel, whilst mixing the idea of science and emotions to find your one perfect match in the world for a one-off fee of $50,000 (or $45,000 for women due to the gender pay gap).
However, it quickly lost pace and instead of being the unique romance fic I thought it would be, it became an overall pushy and monologue-y social commentary on women in the workplace, fourth-wave feminism, and the whole "power to the woman" theme - which is fine, but not at all what it's advertised to be nor what I expected.
Because of this, the second half of the novel is all over the place and doesn't seem to know what it wants to be;
- The dialogue when she meets her match is cringe and I'm not sure if it's satire because they're meant to be the "perfect" match" or not,
- There's a major plot hole in that how can you know you've met your perfect match if only the rich can afford the $50,000 fee? Again, if this is satire then it's not obvious,
- The second half of the book isn't really about the relationship. It's more about her career crisis and how she wants to be more empowering, fight for women and investment in the workplace whilst she does absolutely nothing to make it happen other than say her female assistant needs a pay rise and go to a weird feminist cult club where they have shakra massages and do yoga and meditate to rid themselves of toxic energy. Like WTF?! This almost feels like it takes the piss out of women's rights and how people view feminists.
Overall, I think this book tries to do too much. It would have been much better had it chosen a path it wanted to pursue and stuck to it and did it well.
trisha_thomas's review against another edition
3.0
Wow, this one was not what I expected. It had an interesting premise - this perfect dating app with 100% success rate of picking your perfect partner. If you've been bouncing around on dating apps, then this sounds really good! But I found the characters funny but odd. I never seemed to figure out what they were going to do next - the MC, the friends, anyone. The banter was witty and I liked the twists to keep the plot moving. I thought there were a few eye-rolling moments but for the most part, this one was highly entertaining!
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.