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leonelle's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Blood, Infidelity, Chronic illness, Cancer, and Grief
cady_sass's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
What a spectacular, brilliantly creative piece of writing. I couldn’t put it down and fell asleep reading it after keeping myself up way too late on a work night, that good. There are a multitude of storylines for varying characters and relationships, all centering around the universal “truth” that, in this world, there is one perfect match for everyone on earth and it’s genetically determined. Just send in a DNA sample and await your results. Simple, right? Far, far from it. Absolutely riveting, I will be thinking about this one for a long time.
Edited to add: this is sci-fi, and the science written here is obviously not sound. If you’ll be bothered by the scientific inaccuracies of the central element here then skip this, otherwise have fun pretending it’s real :)
Edited to add: this is sci-fi, and the science written here is obviously not sound. If you’ll be bothered by the scientific inaccuracies of the central element here then skip this, otherwise have fun pretending it’s real :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Blood, Death, Grief, Terminal illness, Cancer, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Body horror, Cursing, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Infidelity, Homophobia, Abortion, Infertility, Miscarriage, Car accident, Biphobia, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Vomit, Medical content, and Medical trauma
booksbytheglass's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
I took my time with this one because I was torn between wanting this story to last forever and NEEDING to find out what happens to all of these characters!! I ended up reading it over five days which was the perfect amount of time to absorb and digest 👌🏼
first of all, I read this book after watching the show - and let me tell you firmly, the book is MILES better than the show could ever be (I mean, are we surprised though)
and I’m among the few that severely enjoyed the show!!
I was absolutely obsessed with the five narrators taking their journey by matching their DNA with their soulmate 😮💨 like how to perfectly blend five completely different characters and stories and somehow make all of their relationships seem similar? so priceless 🫡
and of course, in pure john marrs thriller fashion, everyone had a dark and twisty secret that led to an even darker and twistier plot twist 😳 they all had me seriously gasping from page to page I need oxygen
I will say that if I had read this first, I would definitely have hated the show because these storylines are just SO GOOD not to pass up. I seriously will be thinking about them all for a very long time - but especially nick 🥹🥹🥹
just do yourself a favor and read this classic! it’s certain to have something for everyone!
rating: 5 stars
wine pairing: bordeaux red blend
first of all, I read this book after watching the show - and let me tell you firmly, the book is MILES better than the show could ever be (I mean, are we surprised though)
and I’m among the few that severely enjoyed the show!!
I was absolutely obsessed with the five narrators taking their journey by matching their DNA with their soulmate 😮💨 like how to perfectly blend five completely different characters and stories and somehow make all of their relationships seem similar? so priceless 🫡
and of course, in pure john marrs thriller fashion, everyone had a dark and twisty secret that led to an even darker and twistier plot twist 😳 they all had me seriously gasping from page to page I need oxygen
I will say that if I had read this first, I would definitely have hated the show because these storylines are just SO GOOD not to pass up. I seriously will be thinking about them all for a very long time - but especially nick 🥹🥹🥹
just do yourself a favor and read this classic! it’s certain to have something for everyone!
rating: 5 stars
wine pairing: bordeaux red blend
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Infidelity
Moderate: Infertility
the_one_krissy's review against another edition
dark
tense
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
3.5
Whew, that was some ride.
The premise of this thriller was quite intriguing. What if "the one" really exists for everyone and could be found with a DNA test? Happily ever afters for everyone, right? Right?!
As it turns out, that's not quite what happens in this book. Five people find their match, but none of them are exactly the kind of once-in-a-lifetime love story they expect. I won't spoil the plot, because the twists and turns of these relationships are what keeps the story interesting, but let's just say that people have secrets and DNA testing can't account for every kind of situation that life may dump on you.
Another interesting aspect of this book was the unpleasant and inevitable fallout of this kind of biological match-making for people whose relationships and marriages have been formed in the goodie oldie way of actually getting to know each other and making life decisions based on that. In this book, the more common DNA testing becomes, the worse non-tested people are stigmatised and considered second-class citizens. It's pretty much expected that if you get tested and a match pops up, you should go for them even if you're already in a steady relationship or married. Leave your wife/husband for your match - obviously it wasn't meant to be and you can only find true love and happiness with the one who is meant for you.
If you really start to think about it, this book will seriously give you the creeps. It was a very dynamic and fast-paced story with multiple equally engaging points of view, and I blazed through it in just a couple of days. I wasn't a fan of some of the endings for all the characters, and thought one of them in particular was a cheap cop-out, but this was a fun enough read all the same.
The premise of this thriller was quite intriguing. What if "the one" really exists for everyone and could be found with a DNA test? Happily ever afters for everyone, right? Right?!
As it turns out, that's not quite what happens in this book. Five people find their match, but none of them are exactly the kind of once-in-a-lifetime love story they expect. I won't spoil the plot, because the twists and turns of these relationships are what keeps the story interesting, but let's just say that people have secrets and DNA testing can't account for every kind of situation that life may dump on you.
Another interesting aspect of this book was the unpleasant and inevitable fallout of this kind of biological match-making for people whose relationships and marriages have been formed in the goodie oldie way of actually getting to know each other and making life decisions based on that. In this book, the more common DNA testing becomes, the worse non-tested people are stigmatised and considered second-class citizens. It's pretty much expected that if you get tested and a match pops up, you should go for them even if you're already in a steady relationship or married. Leave your wife/husband for your match - obviously it wasn't meant to be and you can only find true love and happiness with the one who is meant for you.
If you really start to think about it, this book will seriously give you the creeps. It was a very dynamic and fast-paced story with multiple equally engaging points of view, and I blazed through it in just a couple of days. I wasn't a fan of some of the endings for all the characters, and thought one of them in particular was a cheap cop-out, but this was a fun enough read all the same.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Stalking, Murder, Infidelity, Violence, Kidnapping, and Terminal illness
skbgfd's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Misogyny
Moderate: Kidnapping and Child abuse
Minor: Miscarriage and Infidelity
bookishdreamer61's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Chronic illness, Violence, Terminal illness, Murder, and Cancer
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Infertility, and Gore
Minor: Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, and Homophobia
franklola's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Stalking, Blood, Gaslighting, Body horror, Death, Gore, Mental illness, and Violence
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Infertility, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Alcohol, Death of parent, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
vereadsbooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Rating ★★★★☆
“If you’ve got the opportunity to love someone as much as they love you, then grab it with both hands and hold on to it for dear life.”
This is my third book on my journey to read 5 books to see if I can trust gabby tastes. A simple DNA test is all it takes. Just a quick mouth swab and soon you’ll be matched with your perfect partner the one you are genetically made for.
That’s the promise made by Match Your DNA. A decade ago, the company announced that they had found the gene that pairs each of us with our soul mate. Since then, millions of people around the world have been matched. But the discovery has its downsides: test results have led to the breakup of countless relationships and upended the traditional ideas of dating, romance and love.
Now five very different people have received the notification that they’ve been “Matched.” They’re each about to meet their one true love. But “happily ever after” isn’t guaranteed for everyone. Because even soul mates have secrets. And some are more shocking than others…
“We have roughly 100 trillion cells in our bodies and inside each of them are two metres of DNA – if you unravelled them all, they’d stretch to the sun and back a hundred times.”
Sometimes a book catches my attention because it has a good concept. But it isn't well executed. That was my fear with this book. However, John Marrs manages to execute this concept very well.
The book seems like a collection of short stories surrounding the same theme: What if a DNA test could tell you who your soulmate is?
“It’s that feeling you don’t get when you’re around anyone else, like nobody in the world matters when you’re in their company. Like you and them are this one, solitary...thing... And no matter what crap the world throws at you, you can get through it because you have them on your side.”
The book intersperses 5 points of view that show us how this DNA test affects the lives of each of the characters, generating different and unique stories that explore all the what if...
“What if it turns out our DNA doesn’t Match?” “Then we’ll be mindful that maybe we’ll need to put more effort into our relationship. Like John Lennon said, ‘All You Need Is Love.’” “Yes, but he also said, ‘I Am The Walrus,’ so let’s not hold too much credence to his pearls of wisdom.”
The One explores the negative side of science and technology applied to relationships in the best Black Mirror style. If you have any experience with this tv show, you will know that the endings are not exactly happy.
Some points of view caught me from the beginning, and others gained strength towards the end. But each story left me thinking about how science and technology affect our way of interacting and relating.
“Maybe when you took it back to basics, that’s what love really was: just being there for someone when the sun rises and sets.”
An engaging psychological thriller with short chapters that favor reading fluency and brings to the table discussions about technology, love, relationships, and especially one of the moral dilemmas of science: Is it okay to play God?
Can I trust gabby tastes on thrillers?
Rock Paper Scissors ★★★☆☆
The Silent Patient ★★★★ ½
The One ★★★★☆
“If you’ve got the opportunity to love someone as much as they love you, then grab it with both hands and hold on to it for dear life.”
This is my third book on my journey to read 5 books to see if I can trust gabby tastes. A simple DNA test is all it takes. Just a quick mouth swab and soon you’ll be matched with your perfect partner the one you are genetically made for.
That’s the promise made by Match Your DNA. A decade ago, the company announced that they had found the gene that pairs each of us with our soul mate. Since then, millions of people around the world have been matched. But the discovery has its downsides: test results have led to the breakup of countless relationships and upended the traditional ideas of dating, romance and love.
Now five very different people have received the notification that they’ve been “Matched.” They’re each about to meet their one true love. But “happily ever after” isn’t guaranteed for everyone. Because even soul mates have secrets. And some are more shocking than others…
“We have roughly 100 trillion cells in our bodies and inside each of them are two metres of DNA – if you unravelled them all, they’d stretch to the sun and back a hundred times.”
Sometimes a book catches my attention because it has a good concept. But it isn't well executed. That was my fear with this book. However, John Marrs manages to execute this concept very well.
The book seems like a collection of short stories surrounding the same theme: What if a DNA test could tell you who your soulmate is?
“It’s that feeling you don’t get when you’re around anyone else, like nobody in the world matters when you’re in their company. Like you and them are this one, solitary...thing... And no matter what crap the world throws at you, you can get through it because you have them on your side.”
The book intersperses 5 points of view that show us how this DNA test affects the lives of each of the characters, generating different and unique stories that explore all the what if...
“What if it turns out our DNA doesn’t Match?” “Then we’ll be mindful that maybe we’ll need to put more effort into our relationship. Like John Lennon said, ‘All You Need Is Love.’” “Yes, but he also said, ‘I Am The Walrus,’ so let’s not hold too much credence to his pearls of wisdom.”
The One explores the negative side of science and technology applied to relationships in the best Black Mirror style. If you have any experience with this tv show, you will know that the endings are not exactly happy.
Some points of view caught me from the beginning, and others gained strength towards the end. But each story left me thinking about how science and technology affect our way of interacting and relating.
“Maybe when you took it back to basics, that’s what love really was: just being there for someone when the sun rises and sets.”
An engaging psychological thriller with short chapters that favor reading fluency and brings to the table discussions about technology, love, relationships, and especially one of the moral dilemmas of science: Is it okay to play God?
Can I trust gabby tastes on thrillers?
Rock Paper Scissors ★★★☆☆
The Silent Patient ★★★★ ½
The One ★★★★☆
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Infertility, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Stalking, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Murder, Blood, Gaslighting, Cancer, Toxic relationship, and Violence
kkm88's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Gore, Murder, and Blood
Moderate: Abortion, Grief, Outing, Pregnancy, Cancer, Terminal illness, and Infidelity
Minor: Alcoholism, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, and Rape
greatestheights's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
3.75 stars for me. This was an interesting and fast-paced read, and I enjoyed multiple story lines (some quite a bit more than others). I almost wish that, rather than focusing on so many couples, the author had stuck with just two or three of them. It was hard to get attached to any of the characters, although I know this was obviously a plot-driven book. It felt very much like a long Black Mirror episode, and I'll definitely be interested to watch the Netflix show.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Gore, Blood, Gaslighting, Fire/Fire injury, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Infidelity, Medical content, Miscarriage, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Pedophilia