The One

Have you ever wondered whether love is predestined, written in the stars—or could it be encoded in your DNA? I just finished ‘The One’ by John Marrs, I was swept into a world where science and fate collide, reshaping everything we thought we knew about soulmates. From the very first chapter, Marrs grips the reader with an irresistible premise: what if a simple test could reveal your one true match? The idea is so tantalizing, so modern, yet so unnervingly plausible that I found myself thinking, "Would I take the test?" (Spoiler: After reading this, I’m not so sure I would!) The story plunges into the lives of several characters, each hoping the test will change their lives for the better. Some are desperate for love, some skeptical, and some have secrets that could shatter everything. What I loved most was how the narrative danced between hope and dread - one moment you’re rooting for a couple to find happiness, the next you’re gasping at a twist that flips their world upside down. Each character’s journey feels deeply personal. Marrs masterfully builds suspense, using short, punchy chapters to keep the story surging forward. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, the plot would take another sharp turn - betrayal, obsession, heartbreak, even murder. Yes, murder! This isn’t just a love story; it’s a thriller with teeth. As much as I was gripped by the plot, I kept asking myself big questions: Is love destiny - or data? If science could guarantee a soulmate, would you risk everything for it? And what would you do if your match isn’t what you expected? Marrs delivers a chilling, exhilarating ride through the minefield of future romance, raising the stakes with every chapter. His ending is both shocking and satisfying, leaving me reeling and desperate to talk about it with someone. If you love stories that keep you guessing, make you feel deeply, and force you to confront the messiness of love, ‘The One’ is your next must-read. So, are you ready to discover if your perfect match is out there or if some secrets are best left hidden? Take a deep breath, dive in, and prepare to have your heart (and mind) twisted in ways you never expected.

I really enjoyed this story. Interesting and unlike any other I read. I liked the way the chapters were laid out, each about one of the characters stories. I felt like some of it was rushed, could have used a little more of their story. Easy read. One of those books I want to keep picking up to see how the next character story progresses.

I liked this book. I was recommended it from the Dear Sugars podcast. I thought the idea behind it was fascinating. In some respects, I had always wondered if there was something like the gene discovered in the book existed. So this spurred me into reading the book. I just found a lot of it kind of... Stereotypical, I guess. Also, Spoilers from here on. Like when Jade went to see Kevin I felt like I had already guessed what would happen-- and then, surprise, I was right. What I found worse was, Jade chose to stay with the person who lied to her despite her character being opposite to that. I just don't like love conquers all as a resolution-- it seems forced and untrue and extremely dangerous. The stories where love is hard and difficult and forgiveness is hard feel more fulfilling to me. All Jade's story and some of Mandy's (I think that was her name) story were like this. In Alex and Nick's story, I was much more satisfied with the outcome because they struggled, but like even still I thought the idea of two until then straight men becoming gay in like three chapters was silly. The focus on more than one character is inevitably the downfall of this book. Some ideas need more than a brief glance, others don't need as much insight as they seemed to get in a chapter. There's a serial killer that gets this buildup that's huge and yet, his death is so blasé and his story is generic. He's sort of like Dexter, except he falls in love. And this book is about love, so that's fine, but it kind of felt like in one chapter, he found his Match amusing and then suddenly he loved her. I was surprised by the turnaround. I don't find him very different from other psychopathic serial killers in novels, so... I don't really know why he rubbed me so wrong. It needed more to be deeply investigated, but I don't even know if this would have been interesting. I thought most if the other stories were interesting, with Ellie's being the outlier. Her story was basically a fairy tale until this the guy revealed himself and I was totally enraptured by that. I really didn't like that it ended the way it did, but, it is what it is. I would have enjoyed learning more about her, though. There were plenty of characters who were just flat out unlikable, but not in a good villain way. I mean characters who existed solely as an awful human being in an unrealistic way. I thought, for instance, Richard's mother and sister we're flat out insane, but worse, that his Match went to his "funeral" and never asked a single question to his friends about who he was. She just accepted his mother and sister's opinions as facts. What person does that? Tim was similar but at least he made up a life and Ellie looked into it and it checked out. All in all, I don't hate this book but I don't love it, and it's good, but it's not eye opening it amazing. It's a book I'd probably never revisit but I could recommend it to someone. It's alright.

one of my favorite novels.

One of the best books I have read this year ! Loved it and did not want it to end as I wanted to fallow the main characters for even longer. Now I will be waiting for the next John Marrs book.

Loved this book, it was fast paced and kept you wanting to read the next chapter. Each chapter was by a different character, spanning five characters, so it alternated, but at the end of each characters chapter, there was always a mini-cliffhanger so you would have to wait for five chapters to find out what was going on. There was a bit of everything romance, horror, suspense drama. It was brilliant. I didn’t see all of the twists coming, and once the twists and unravelling started near the end, it didn’t stop it just kept hitting you bam bam bam! And then the end…. I just sat and stared at the last page for ages grinding my teeth! Update March 2021 So, I needed to reread this after just watching the programme that was just released. I first read this in 2018, and my memory is awful as I could hardly remember any of the characters or details. All I remembered was the concept, ending and Christopher (who I kept thinking was called Charlie!) I was really excited about the series as I had loved this book when I read it, and I recommend it to everyone that loves reading! However, once I started watching it, none of the characters seemed familiar, nor the storyline. I thought maybe this was just my memory, but when I started telling my husband about it, he confirmed it is nothing like the book. I wasn’t going mad! The main concept is there, and I’d say Rebecca and Ellie have a lot of similar traits. However, the main storyline and all the other characters bare no resemblance to the book. I am so glad I watched the programme though, and if you try not to compare it to the book, it is a very enjoyable show. It was also the catalyst for me to reread the book, so I could write a proper review to jog my memory in the future. The book is just as gripping the second time around. I found myself staying awake until 2 am once again so that I could devour it. This was exactly how I had been the first time. So, we follow five characters, Mandy, Christopher, Jade, Nick and Ellie. Each gets a chapter, and once we reach the end of all characters, we start with the first again. Many of the chapters have mini cliffhangers meaning you have to read four more before finding out what was going on. The chapters are really small, which makes it easy for you to really rush through this book. Mandy is excited to have met her match, Richard. She wants to settle down, get married and have babies. She is extremely jealous of her siblings that have found this already with their matches. However, not everything is at it seems when she finds out some tragic news about her match. Christopher is a fantastic character. So complex, and his story could be incorporated into the series. I was actually surprised it wasn’t. I was expecting his gruesome acts to be the main focus. His match, Amy, a police officer, may be represented in the programme as Kate, but she has a completely different path to Amy. Jade lives a quiet and mundane life. She is in a bit of a rut and needs some adventure in her life. Her match lives on the other side of the world in Australia. She has to make a big leap of faith to meet him, but once again, everything is not how it should be when she does. Nick is in love with his fiancé Sally and is looking forward to getting married in a few months until Sally suggests finding out if they are the perfect match. Nick’s like gets turned upside down in a way he could never have imagined. Finally, Ellie meets her match after years of there not being one for her. She has a deep secret that she only shares once she feels comfortable. However, her world is about to be turned on its head when she is betrayed. Like I have said, her aloofness and harshness are very similar to Rebecca’s on the show, but her story is very different. I can never understand why producers change so much about a book when turning it into a show or movie. This one literally only has the main concept of finding one’s match via DNA as the constant. Everything else is different. So if you have read the book and want to watch the show, I’d say do it but don’t expect to recognise the characters. Watch it as something completely separate from this book. Once again, this book was utterly fantastic, and it holds on firm to the five stars I awarded it back in 2018.

WOW....I was blown away with this stellar book! First off, 10 GOLD STARS minimum for this one! Such an interesting cast of characters, with their individual DNA matches! All their stories were very well developed and completed for the reader, by the end. Great chapter length. The possibility of that science aspect, made me fly thru those chapters. The ending...well done John! There was one couple in particular, that the 'thriller' aspect was especially intriguing for me! I am collecting his entire library, every one of his books has delivered that solid WOW factor for me!

原題が"The One"ですが、訳すと「運命の人」という感じでしょうか…？！ 遺伝的に自分にぴったりの異性、運命の人に出会うことのできるサービスが全世界の男女の最適の異性を教えてくれるようになった世界。そのサービスがもたらす悲劇、惨劇、喜劇をオムニバス形式にした小説。 登場人物があまりにも多いので、一部ついていくのが大変でしたが、シリアルキラーに恋をした女性警察官の話がおもしろかったです。