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A review by lillimoore
The Arc by Tory Henwood Hoen
5.0
35-year-old Ursula Byrne has, like many of us, exhausted the dating opportunities available to her. She's tried a slew of dating apps, has a full resumé of failed relationships, and is starting to fear that despite her shining, charming, unique personality, there may not be a suitable match for her out there after all. After throwing up on a first date (I did this too on my first date with my current partner! I knew right away Ursula was a character I would never forget!), she hungover-edly laments to her best friend Issa while they are enjoying a meet-up at their ultra-feminist, ultra-trendy club The Stake that she fears she will never find her perfect match. Talk about being in the right place at the right time, because in that moment, she is overheard by a woman in the same sauna as the two friends and learns from her about The Arc, a super-secretive matchmaking service that turns its clients inside out in the process of getting to know them to make a superior match, one that is meant to withstand all time, all for the low low cost of $50,000 for men and $40,500 for women. To count for the gender wage gap, of course. This is an elite service we're talking about here.
When Ursula meets her match, 42-year-old lawyer Rafael Banks, she can't believe just how right The Arc got it. She's never felt this way for anyone, and neither has he. They love each other for all their little quirks. The chemistry is strong and instantaneous. The connection is unfathomable. This service really knows what they're doing! Unless of course, they don't. But for $40,500 they certainly do. Right?
I don't want to summarize any more than that because I want some of the surprises of the book to remain for anyone reading this review, but I will just say, HOLY COW, this book blew me away. It was absolutely brilliant. I love all of the characters so much. Ursula is a girl after my own heart. Yes, she is quirky, and I could see some people being annoyed with her seemingly manic-pixie qualities, but when you get to know her on a deeper level, there is so much more than that to love. When the book was delving into her family background and psychology, I couldn't believe how similar her family history is to my own. The characters in this book are all so carefully and thoughtfully constructed and real—not just the two main characters involved in the central romance, but also the friends and side characters that appear throughout. Rafael is also a great character and I just haven't yet read a romance that made so much SENSE to me. I love their relationship. I love how they overcame their obstacles. The last 10 minutes or so of the book had me just crying with love for these two people and with hope for my own love life. Never have I read a romance where I so fully felt I knew and understood the characters. They are so complex and vivid and we are offered so many minor details about them that bring them to life.
Yes, this is a romance, but it is so, so, so much more than that. It is some of the most biting, wittiest social commentary of this moment in society and culture that I have read in contemporary literature. Everything from the over-the-top descriptions of The Stake to the end goal of The Arc to the commentary on tech bros in the industry was spot-on and hilarious. I loved the self-aware, satirical tone of this book, and I loved that it didn't take away from the meaningful romance at the center of it all. I loved what it had to say about relationships and compatibility. I loved the carefully constructed conversations between friends and lovers in this book that reveal so much about the characters and provide a serious opportunity for the reader to reflect on themselves and the relationships in their own lives. The dialogue in this book is so clever. Not just the dialogue, but the setting, the descriptions of individuals, interactions, all of it. SO CLEVER! And I especially loved that twist at the very end. Conflict truly is a part of all our relationship arcs and it makes us stronger.
This book was sharp as hell and really made me think. I absolutely loved it. If you loved Nina Hill, Eleanor Oliphant, or are a fan of Holly Bourne's work, you will love this. It's definitely not for everyone, but for the right reader, this will make a big impact, and there is a lot of fun to be had along the way! An easy 5 stars from me!
When Ursula meets her match, 42-year-old lawyer Rafael Banks, she can't believe just how right The Arc got it. She's never felt this way for anyone, and neither has he. They love each other for all their little quirks. The chemistry is strong and instantaneous. The connection is unfathomable. This service really knows what they're doing! Unless of course, they don't. But for $40,500 they certainly do. Right?
I don't want to summarize any more than that because I want some of the surprises of the book to remain for anyone reading this review, but I will just say, HOLY COW, this book blew me away. It was absolutely brilliant. I love all of the characters so much. Ursula is a girl after my own heart. Yes, she is quirky, and I could see some people being annoyed with her seemingly manic-pixie qualities, but when you get to know her on a deeper level, there is so much more than that to love. When the book was delving into her family background and psychology, I couldn't believe how similar her family history is to my own. The characters in this book are all so carefully and thoughtfully constructed and real—not just the two main characters involved in the central romance, but also the friends and side characters that appear throughout. Rafael is also a great character and I just haven't yet read a romance that made so much SENSE to me. I love their relationship. I love how they overcame their obstacles. The last 10 minutes or so of the book had me just crying with love for these two people and with hope for my own love life. Never have I read a romance where I so fully felt I knew and understood the characters. They are so complex and vivid and we are offered so many minor details about them that bring them to life.
Yes, this is a romance, but it is so, so, so much more than that. It is some of the most biting, wittiest social commentary of this moment in society and culture that I have read in contemporary literature. Everything from the over-the-top descriptions of The Stake to the end goal of The Arc to the commentary on tech bros in the industry was spot-on and hilarious. I loved the self-aware, satirical tone of this book, and I loved that it didn't take away from the meaningful romance at the center of it all. I loved what it had to say about relationships and compatibility. I loved the carefully constructed conversations between friends and lovers in this book that reveal so much about the characters and provide a serious opportunity for the reader to reflect on themselves and the relationships in their own lives. The dialogue in this book is so clever. Not just the dialogue, but the setting, the descriptions of individuals, interactions, all of it. SO CLEVER! And I especially loved that twist at the very end. Conflict truly is a part of all our relationship arcs and it makes us stronger.
This book was sharp as hell and really made me think. I absolutely loved it. If you loved Nina Hill, Eleanor Oliphant, or are a fan of Holly Bourne's work, you will love this. It's definitely not for everyone, but for the right reader, this will make a big impact, and there is a lot of fun to be had along the way! An easy 5 stars from me!