Reviews with content warning for Violence - The One

It was a very quick and easy read, and at times it was fun. But I found it unbearably predictable and I don’t appreciate the overly dramatic cliff hangers at the end of every chapter (and with each chapter only being 1-4 pages long, that’s an exhausting number of cliff hangers).

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jodie_mathers's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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amiegold's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I was pleasantly surprised by the emphasis on science in this science fiction. I found myself questioning: What is love? Is it chemical? Social? Psychological? A case study of several different genetically matched couples plays out the complexities of this question in a shocking, yet human way. It made me feel all the different emotions.

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hehashcraft's review

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

3.0

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sandysmith's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A brilliant unique concept, where a scientist discovers a gene in your DNA, where you can be matched to your prefect partner, the one you are genetically made for, so a perfect person for you. It's a dystopia read with psychological thriller thrown in. As a result it's really hard to say a specific genre. Told from 5 different points of view, Christopher, Ellie, Nick, Mandy, and Jade, with short, engaging chapters, each one leaving a cliff hanger. I was hooked, and the book was so hard to put down. Twisty and unpredictable. I love books that make you think, and this will stay with me. I have a book hangover. Overall, it was a dark, interesting, compelling ride of a book. The author is fast becoming one of my favourites. Excellent stuff.

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bookswithbethx's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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sarjmorg's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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astoriareader's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

SYNOPSIS

People can take a “Match Your DNA” test to discover their perfect partners. Scientists have discovered a gene that each person shares with only one other person, their soulmate.
Your Match can be any age, gender, race, and sexuality. They can live anywhere, so they may end up down the road or on the other side of the world. They can be married, single, divorced, engaged, etc.
We follow five people discovering their Match.
For ease, I am going to summarize characters below.

CHARACTERS

Mandy, a divorcee in her late 30s, matches with Richard. When looking him up, she discovers that he’s recently died. She befriends his mom & his sister.
Christopher, a serial killer, matches with Amy, a police officer.
Jade, who is stuck in a dead-end job & living with her parents, matches with Kevin, who lives across the world in Australia.
Nick, who is engaged to Sally & considers himself heterosexual, matches with a man named Alex.
Ellie, who is a billionaire, matches with an ordinary man named Tim.

MY THOUGHTS

Ahhhh! I loved this book. The premise was extremely unique, and it was a compelling read.
I would characterize this book as a mix of science fiction & suspense/thriller.
It is a long book (around 500 pages), but all chapters are short. I ended up finishing it quickly. I started it Monday night, and I finished it on Tuesday night.
It is told from alternating POV chapters of the 5 different people exploring whether their Match is their soulmate. At first, it was hard to keep it straight, but after a few rounds of the POVs, it was easy to follow. I also think it was a solid choice to incorporate different stories with such a unique premise.
This is my first read by John Marrs, but I keep seeing him mentioned & recommended by others. I can’t wait to read more of his books.
I’ve seen some comparisons of the book with a Black Mirror episode, and that’s so spot on.
I loved how Marrs took time to flush out some of the negative societal & large scale impacts of a system like Match Your DNA.
The execution of the plot is fantastic, and all the twists & turns are wrapped up neatly. Very satisfying ending.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️extremely unique premise. science fiction mixed with suspense/thriller. execution of plot was perfect. multiple POVs. short chapters. loved this one. highly recommend!

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