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The One Review: Back-of-Book Description
Now on Netflix!
The USA Today bestseller
A Wall Street Journal Best Science Fiction Book of 2018
“Just try to put this gripping thriller down once you pick it up.” —AARP
“A shock on every other page.” —Wall Street Journal
How far would you go to find The One?
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’re 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…
A word-of-mouth hit in the United Kingdom, The One is a fascinating novel that shows how even the simplest discoveries can have complicated consequences.
The One Review: My Thoughts
This book was chosen in an online book club I am in for July 2022. I don’t always read the books they choose (though I have been a lot lately), but this one seemed really interesting to me; like it would be a mix of science fiction, romance, and suspense.
Well, I was right. It was definitely a mix of all those things. Maybe a touch more romance than I expected.
It touches on topics of relationships, dating, loss, parenting, and just generally figuring yourself out in a hectic world. Oh and murder. There are murder scenes described, so… you’ve been warned.
It is British, and I think it’s kind of fun as an American to read things in their dialect and imagine them speaking in their accents. It also kind of kept in my mind that the characters might have different customs, out outlooks than myself.
In any case! It was a pretty fun read. There were a lot of main characters – five different ones! Mandy, Christopher, Jade, Nick, and Ellie. And each chapter rotates through them, devoting that space to just them and their “match” or lack thereof.
At first, I felt like five was a lot of main characters to keep track of, especially when you tie in their partners and supporting characters. But once I got into the book it was no problem. I liked that it switched from person to person – this made it easy to find a stopping point when I needed to. It was also really neat that there was a switch between a female POV and a male POV. I don’t think you see that very often, so hats off to the author.
The characters all felt fully fleshed out, for the most part. There were some supporting people who were kind of flat and confusing in their motives…but all the main ones seemed whole and mostly relatable.
The dialogue was great as was the setting description. Most of the story took place in British cities, but one part was in Australia. That change of pace was cool.
The story was really intriguing and I definitely got hooked and wanted to know what was going to happen next. But the actual writing itself was a little…lackluster for me. I didn’t really mark that many quotes.
Favorite Quotes from The One:
“…when it came to her own participation, time had a habit of getting away from her, despite her best intentions.”
“Thirty. A number that represents a myriad of inoffensive and mildly important things to different people. A figure that serves as a numeric milestone when it comes to ones age, the speed limit in a pedestrian zone, the atomic number of zinc, the number of tracks on the Beatles’ White Album, the age Jesus was baptized and the number of upright boulders standing in Stonehenge.”
“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.”
“Sometimes, the grass is not greener on the other side, and we should stay in the field where we belong.”
“Maybe when you took it back to the basics, that’s what love really was: just being there for someone when the sun rises and sets.”
“At some point, people have to take responsibility for their own actions.”
The One Review: In Conclusion
This was a pretty good book. It definitely held my attention and I was excited to see what was going to happen, but I can’t say it was one of my favorites. The writing was only ok and some things seemed a little cheesy… so I’m thinking 3.75 stars for The One.
The overall premise was super interesting, that alone is enough for people to check it out and discuss what they would do given the opportunity. I’d also recommend it to people who like a sci-fi-based romance and some suspense.
Personally, I would read more from this author, if I saw one of his on a shelf. But I’m not sure I will intentionally seek them out.
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