Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'

The One by John Marrs

11 reviews

opplecopter's review against another edition

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

Imagine if finding your most compatible partner was as simple as mailing off a saliva sample and getting the results emailed to you. Dating would be unnecessary. Going through the awkward phases of getting to know someone or stumbling over your words would be cast aside completely. You wouldn’t have to worry about second guessing anything because on a genetic level, you would have the person who is best suited for you. No other person could ever connect or love you as deeply as your Match could. Not only would this person be your Match, but they would be “the one.” The only other person in the entire world that is perfect for you. Sounds crazy but also kind of intriguing, right? 

Let me start off by saying this whole concept is creepy in itself because I can completely see this, along with the absolute chaos that ensues, being a possibility in the future. This is a modern day Twilight Zone tale or I suppose Black Mirror would be a better fitting comparison. We’ve got some psychological thriller/suspense with a dash of sci-fi thrown in. The story follows five people who have been “Matched.” Mandy, a divorcée who just wants to find love after heartbreak, Jade, who is angry and disappointed in her life as a whole, Nick, a man who is planning a wedding with his fiancée, Ellie, a woman of wealth and power, and Christopher, who is a serial killer (not a spoiler, you find this out immediately when he is introduced). 

We cycle back and forth between the lives of each of these people, so if you prefer a book with one straightforward storyline and don’t like jumping around, then you probably won’t enjoy this. The chapters are numerous, but very short since each one focuses on one of the five people. Personally, I enjoy the short chapters, some of which are only 2-3 pages, because it helps me remember everything still going on with the other characters. I feel like if they were longer, I would’ve been constantly flipping back to reread so I could keep up. I will be honest and say a couple of the storylines started out boring while a couple seemed to grab my attention much sooner (like Christopher’s), but they all deepen and get better as you go on. Starting off, we get to know their lives and backgrounds before we watch their worlds get shaken up and flipped upside down. There were so many layers, twists, lies, secrets, and betrayals. The ending was so unexpected and changed the entire atmosphere of the book and made you question everything. 

I’ve been looking for another 5 star for months, and every time I thought I found one, I was disappointed. I have zero complaints on this one.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Torture, Murder, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Sexual content, Alcohol, Medical content, and Cursing

Minor: Pedophilia, Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Abortion, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, and Suicide attempt

kaylee14's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Pregnancy, Death, Terminal illness, Fire/Fire injury, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Abortion, and Murder

Minor: Pedophilia

leebeeloves's review

challenging dark mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Infertility, Gore, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical trauma, Medical content, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, and Torture

Moderate: Bullying, Dementia, Rape, Violence, Fatphobia, Infertility, Child death, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Cancer, Body shaming, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual content

ohkaereads's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

3.5

This book was a four-star read up until around the 300-ish page mark. While it kept its momentum, the story got a bit convoluted and melodramatic. The One is a relatively contemplative and surely fascinating read as well as strong enough to carry the weight of all its characters and their five different storylines (I stray away from saying povs because we get a pov from two ‘matches’ at two points in the book) but its thrilling nature outweighs its literary lure. It lacks satisfying characterization, balanced unrest and rest, and inoffensive narration. While the book is immersive and the stories anchor in a tinge of reality, the characters never fully develop as people but rather stay characters who just serve to further the plot.
Those are my difficulties with the book. I felt it had potential and like the mcs with their ‘matches’, I wanted to like the book more than I actually did.  I, personally, love books with a message and while this novel had one, it never delivered said message gracefully. It was an enjoyable ride but not a remarkable one. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Cancer, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Medical content, Stalking, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Grief, and Misogyny

Moderate: Gaslighting, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Infertility, Ableism, Blood, Cursing, Sexism, Kidnapping, Vomit, and Alcohol

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Suicidal thoughts

elviolet's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Sexual harassment, Blood, Violence, Pregnancy, and Death

Moderate: Kidnapping and Miscarriage

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Death of parent, and Abortion

kkm88's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, Gore, Murder, and Blood

Moderate: Abortion, Grief, Outing, Pregnancy, Cancer, Terminal illness, and Infidelity

Minor: Alcoholism, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, and Rape

decembermagpie's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Terminal illness, Blood, Death, Murder, Gore, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Stalking, Child death, and Miscarriage

Moderate: Cancer, Outing, Car accident, Infertility, Medical content, Vomit, Alcohol, Death of parent, Grief, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Pedophilia

Minor: Sexual content

jessicohen15's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

Loved this quick read! Once you catch onto the five different plot lines that don’t really intersect and keep them straight in your head - it took me 1/3 the way through to get a good rhythm - it’s an exciting page-turner until the end.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Biphobia, Death, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Abortion, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Infidelity, Miscarriage, and Murder

atlas_shruggs's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

 Another decidedly OK book for this year. The plot was decent, I'll give it that, and some of the characters were pretty interesting. The Novum was cool, with the whole DNA Matching, but I just didn't feel particularly invested in any of the characters and their stories. In the beginning I found Christopher's chapters to be the most entertaining, but during the end I was looking forward to Nick's chapters more than anything. I kind of felt like this book was just five books all mashed together, since they didn't really overlap at all, and some of them felt way too different from the other ones. If you made me read one of Jade's chapters and then one of Christopher's and told me they were from the same book, I would think you were lying. I'm not sure if this is because I'm not used to reading adult thrillers, but I had to make an index of the characters and their main plot points so I wouldn't get too confused.
Over all I think I just didn't really mesh with the writing style, so it was pretty average for me.
Also like, all the trigger warnings for this book, jesus. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Murder, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Animal cruelty, Cancer, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Medical content, Miscarriage, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Emotional abuse, and Gore

Moderate: Infidelity, Homophobia, and Panic attacks/disorders

ducklingh's review against another edition

dark reflective 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

3.5

I'm not usually into thrillers, but it did keep my attention well. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Torture

Minor: Abandonment, Abortion, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Gore

One of the main POVs is a psychopathic serial killer who preys on young, single women that live alone and kills them via strangulation. An unrelated main character (not a POV) has terminal cancer

which he does end up succumbing to in the book