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A review by peneloperea
The Arc by Tory Henwood Hoen
2.0
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing the arc of The Arc by Tory Henwood Hoen in exchange for my honest review.
The Arc could be described as a rom-com for people who don’t like rom-coms. It is a love story for the modern age of dating apps and independent women who need to control every aspect of their lives. I mean, I honestly thought this was my kind of love story.
We meet Ursula Byrne, whose job title is literally VP of Strategic Audacity, at a feminist health club in Manhattan. After being introduced to the Club, it took a lot to keep reading, but I pushed forward. Ursula is a fiercely independent 35-year-old woman who’s had terrible luck when it comes to dating. While at the ridiculous Club, she is handed a card for The Arc, a new-age matching-making service for people willing to spend a lot of money to meet their ultimate match.
Ursula decided to give this Arc a try. After a week-long lock-in, she walks away feeling great but questioning if it will work. She is matched with Rafael. They are perfect for each other in every way, or so they thought.
I had such a tough time reading this book. I never connected with Ursula. I found the way she treats people to be rude and disingenuous. Her frustration with her job is entirely understandable, yet she won’t do anything to fix it. Then we met Rafael, and I wanted to like him. I wanted to like them together, but I found myself rolling my eyes. Rolling my eyes a couple of times is fine, but when I took a week off from the book and returned to more eye-rolling, I knew it was time to move on. I raced through the end of the book, hoping something would happen to change my mind. In the end, I didn’t connect with The Arc at all. I know plenty of people will love these characters and their story, but I’m not one of them.
The Arc could be described as a rom-com for people who don’t like rom-coms. It is a love story for the modern age of dating apps and independent women who need to control every aspect of their lives. I mean, I honestly thought this was my kind of love story.
We meet Ursula Byrne, whose job title is literally VP of Strategic Audacity, at a feminist health club in Manhattan. After being introduced to the Club, it took a lot to keep reading, but I pushed forward. Ursula is a fiercely independent 35-year-old woman who’s had terrible luck when it comes to dating. While at the ridiculous Club, she is handed a card for The Arc, a new-age matching-making service for people willing to spend a lot of money to meet their ultimate match.
Ursula decided to give this Arc a try. After a week-long lock-in, she walks away feeling great but questioning if it will work. She is matched with Rafael. They are perfect for each other in every way, or so they thought.
I had such a tough time reading this book. I never connected with Ursula. I found the way she treats people to be rude and disingenuous. Her frustration with her job is entirely understandable, yet she won’t do anything to fix it. Then we met Rafael, and I wanted to like him. I wanted to like them together, but I found myself rolling my eyes. Rolling my eyes a couple of times is fine, but when I took a week off from the book and returned to more eye-rolling, I knew it was time to move on. I raced through the end of the book, hoping something would happen to change my mind. In the end, I didn’t connect with The Arc at all. I know plenty of people will love these characters and their story, but I’m not one of them.