A review by mgdoherty
The Ones We're Meant to Find by Joan He

emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

If you enjoy shows like Russian Doll, Lost, or Black Mirror, this book is for you!  

The Ones We’re Meant to Find centers on Kasey, genius daughter of a philanthropist whose older sister Celia is presumed dead at sea, and Cee, stuck on an abandoned island knowing only her name and that she needs to get back to her younger sister. Neither Kasey nor Cee understands their role in their larger world, but as they each unravel the mysteries in their lives, they both find they have a bigger role to play in their world. 

I love how attentive Joan He is to how Cee and Kasey speak, even inside their own heads. You can learn so much about them just from the writing style. Cee is very unattached to her surroundings, and the only thing she really loves is U-me, the bot who’s the only other person on the island, and Hubert, her ticket out of there. She disavows M.M.’s house and things; none of this is hers, and all of her island life is temporary. 

Kasey is detached from her surroundings, at least superficially; she doesn’t relate to other people the same way most people do. I’m pretty sure she’s meant to be neurodivergent, even though Kasey says she investigated her own brain and found nothing notable. I love Kasey’s emotional journey; she loves Celia so much, even if that love looks different from how it does for other people. She definitely feels things; we see how her terror for Celia leaks into her mind even when she’s trying to reject her own muted emotions. And as someone who is alexithymic, meaning I experience a disconnect between emotions and my conscious self, I loved Kasey’s growing determination to live her life even if she’s different. 

The prose is so good, I would sell my soul for it! 

Re: perspective, I understand why Cee’s chapters were in first person because that made me experience everything WITH her, but I don’t understand (yet) why Kasey’s chapter were in third person. I think it made it too “easy” for Kasey to hide things from the reader, and it would’ve been interesting to be inside Kasey’s mind just like we were in Cee’s and to feel Kasey thinking around certain subjects but never explicitly saying them. 

Cee was obviously always pre-disposed to love the world around her, when she felt secure enough to let herself, but the degree to which she is so empathetic and so full of love still blew me away. I adore Cee. 

Structure-wise, this feels like two books in one. The first half is about the characters and introducing mysteries, then there is a big shift, and  the second half is about fixing problems of all kinds, and it gets very plot twist-y and action-y. Personally, I vibed more with the quiet mysteries and tenderness of the first half, and the second half was a bit too much of a tone shift, but I think which half you prefer will depend on the kind of reader you are. If you love action and more traditional action-y sci-fi, you’ll enjoy the second half a lot! 

I didn’t really like the end. It’s written beautifully, just like the rest, but it feels unresolved, like the real ending happened off-page. And it hinges on something that I don’t think was explained clearly earlier in the book, so I’m also confused why we got this particular ending. Spoiler-y details hidden below:

So the final pages imply that Cee is going to die for plot reasons, and she goes willingly to her death, and her reasons are very emotional and moving. But because her death will be Kasey’s fault, it feels really strange that we never even got to read Cee confronting Kasey about this. Cee deserved to say to Kasey, “I have a right to exist, and I shouldn’t have to die for someone else’s principles.” Especially after the whole book literally argued that Cee is a person with emotions and self-awareness with the right to live and exist! She died off-page, and we never find out if she got the satisfaction of telling her creator, “I’m asserting my personhood by choosing to die so that humanity can live. Even though you were wrong to do this to me.” It just feels wrong that Cee died like that, and for reasons that actually weren’t explained very well in the book – I don’t understand the Ester laws about the bots! They never get explained! If Cee was going to die for vague plot reasons, it would’ve felt more respectful to her character to at least let her have the final word.


Overall, I really enjoyed the book, but I think we could’ve had a stronger emotional resolution. Regardless, I’d love to read more from Joan He! She’s clearly a fantastic writer. 

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