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A review by doodlebeanz
The One by John Marrs
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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 loved this book. it was SO worth the wait. I had heard about this book a long time ago and it was never available at my local library, so when I finally got libby and hoopla, I put it on hold back in June... it JUST arrived via Libby 3 days ago and I wasted no time on starting it. I was so worried, since I have not been the biggest fan of John Marrs (what lies between us gave me severe mental health issues/anxiety and the vacation was just all around boring and long), so I was going into this with high hopes but low expectations if that makes sense. but boy was I wrong. this book DELIVERED.
Like the vacation, it follows a bunch of different characters throughout an 18-month period, but unlike the vacation, these people are not all somehow intrinsically linked. they're all strangers who just happened to use the same website and the story is just explaining their stories/experiences, which I liked a lot more. in the vacation, I was constantly trying to figure out the links and connections and it took away from the reading/story, but in the one, I figured it out pretty quickly that they're not connected and I was able to just enjoy the ride. Also unlike the vacation, these stories didn't drag out unnecessarily. There was always *something* going on. it wasn't always super dramatic, but there was something happening... no chapters felt like filler, imo. obviously in any book that is over 300 pages, it did feel a bit sluggish sometimes, but I definitely did not have reading fatigue with this one like I did with the vacation.
the writing and the stories and the characters were all SO GOOD! I fell head over heels in love with Nick and Alex and their story. There were no characters I hated and no storyline that bored me or made me want to skip the chapter entirely. I also liked that the book went in the same order throughout! It started with Mandy and went through all the characters before returning to Mandy and following that pattern again. I always knew who to expect next and it kept me more interested in their stories, somehow.
The only storyline that I felt was a bit off the vibes for me by the end was Christopher/Amy. They really took a turn and I thought it was going to go one way...sociopathic serial killer meets his perfect match who is also secretly a sociopathic killer and they kill #30 together but it didn't. It went a much different way and I just did not like it. Seemed too easy. Seemed to nicely tied up with a bow. Just not interesting or fun or any of that. Should've gone the way I said 😅
I can't really say much without spoiling and I suggest everyone go into this book completely and totally blind. I actually thought the premise of this book was different book (The Family Experiement by John Marrs) so when I realized it was a website for DNA love matches, I was like OHH and then just kept reading and it was so exciting!
Also, if you're a person who needs to feel totally planted in reality to enjoy a book, then this book is not for you. The science surrounding Match Your DNA and the 'matches' is totally crazy and out of this world and they talk about it in other terms (i.e., how people react to their matches) and it's just kind of insane and out there so you gotta go into it with that mindset!
Like the vacation, it follows a bunch of different characters throughout an 18-month period, but unlike the vacation, these people are not all somehow intrinsically linked. they're all strangers who just happened to use the same website and the story is just explaining their stories/experiences, which I liked a lot more. in the vacation, I was constantly trying to figure out the links and connections and it took away from the reading/story, but in the one, I figured it out pretty quickly that they're not connected and I was able to just enjoy the ride. Also unlike the vacation, these stories didn't drag out unnecessarily. There was always *something* going on. it wasn't always super dramatic, but there was something happening... no chapters felt like filler, imo. obviously in any book that is over 300 pages, it did feel a bit sluggish sometimes, but I definitely did not have reading fatigue with this one like I did with the vacation.
the writing and the stories and the characters were all SO GOOD! I fell head over heels in love with Nick and Alex and their story. There were no characters I hated and no storyline that bored me or made me want to skip the chapter entirely. I also liked that the book went in the same order throughout! It started with Mandy and went through all the characters before returning to Mandy and following that pattern again. I always knew who to expect next and it kept me more interested in their stories, somehow.
The only storyline that I felt was a bit off the vibes for me by the end was Christopher/Amy. They really took a turn and I thought it was going to go one way...
I can't really say much without spoiling and I suggest everyone go into this book completely and totally blind. I actually thought the premise of this book was different book (The Family Experiement by John Marrs) so when I realized it was a website for DNA love matches, I was like OHH and then just kept reading and it was so exciting!
Also, if you're a person who needs to feel totally planted in reality to enjoy a book, then this book is not for you. The science surrounding Match Your DNA and the 'matches' is totally crazy and out of this world and they talk about it in other terms (i.e., how people react to their matches) and it's just kind of insane and out there so you gotta go into it with that mindset!