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A review by emilyrainsford
The One by John Marrs
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
3.75
If you could get a simple DNA test to tell you the one person in the world who was your perfect romantic match ("the One") - would you do it?
What if they were a lot older or younger than you? Or a different gender than you expected? Or dead? Or... a serial killer?? Or or or...
The premise of this one is super interesting, but I must admit, the execution is a bit different than I was expecting.
For starters, despite the cover, it's not a thriller, and I'd barely call it a suspense. It's more of a speculative fiction/drama imo.
We follow five characters and their journey with being "Matched" using a new DNA romantic matching system that has taken the world by storm. The book mainly just explores this idea via the various characters and all the consequences it has for their lives and the lives of those around them.
The chapters are short and alternate between the five characters. This makes it quite easy to read, and after a slower start, it did become harder to put down as it went on. I definitely did get invested in the various storylines.
One of the main characters is a serial killer who is a literal psychopath. I found his storyline the hardest to stomach as we see his murders graphically but through his eyes of detachment.
I saw one reviewer complain that all the female characters are portrayed as unstable and making terrible decisions, but honestly ~same~ so I didn't really notice it lol.
There are some decent twists at the end and most of the stories get a fairly satisfying ending, but I admit I finished it feeling like there was just something... missing. I think the cover just makes it seem more *thrilling* than it was, there were shocking events but no real sense of urgency and it all felt a bit detached.
I was definitely entertained, and I thought the concept was interesting to explore. I think it's good to go in with the right expectations with this one. I would try more from the author.
What if they were a lot older or younger than you? Or a different gender than you expected? Or dead? Or... a serial killer?? Or or or...
The premise of this one is super interesting, but I must admit, the execution is a bit different than I was expecting.
For starters, despite the cover, it's not a thriller, and I'd barely call it a suspense. It's more of a speculative fiction/drama imo.
We follow five characters and their journey with being "Matched" using a new DNA romantic matching system that has taken the world by storm. The book mainly just explores this idea via the various characters and all the consequences it has for their lives and the lives of those around them.
The chapters are short and alternate between the five characters. This makes it quite easy to read, and after a slower start, it did become harder to put down as it went on. I definitely did get invested in the various storylines.
One of the main characters is a serial killer who is a literal psychopath. I found his storyline the hardest to stomach as we see his murders graphically but through his eyes of detachment.
I saw one reviewer complain that all the female characters are portrayed as unstable and making terrible decisions, but honestly ~same~ so I didn't really notice it lol.
There are some decent twists at the end and most of the stories get a fairly satisfying ending, but I admit I finished it feeling like there was just something... missing. I think the cover just makes it seem more *thrilling* than it was, there were shocking events but no real sense of urgency and it all felt a bit detached.
I was definitely entertained, and I thought the concept was interesting to explore. I think it's good to go in with the right expectations with this one. I would try more from the author.