The One by John Marrs

*spoiler-free*

The One is centred around a Match Your DNA test where all you need to do is take a quick mouth swab, and soon you’ll be matched with your perfect partner – the one you’re genetically made for. The company that made this announcement 10 years ago have matched millions of people with ‘the one’, but it has also led to the breakup of countless previously secure relationships, and shattered 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 as simple as it seems.

I am a big fan of John Marrs’ books, with Keep It In The Family, The Minders and The Passengers being my favourites so far. The One keeps to Marrs’ classic style of different perspectives each chapter, which keeps the pace up. Sometimes I found it tricky to keep track of all the characters initially, but you do settle into the different stories. My favourite stories were Nick’s and Christopher’s, and I liked how each story brought a new perspective on people who had been affected by their genetic match.

There were plenty of twists and turns throughout the book, which was needed as I was finding some of the stories to be a little predictable. When you know every story has a character with a hidden agenda or secret, you’re always suspicious and on the lookout for a potential twist; however, I did think that the reveals in Ellie’s story were particularly good. I also liked how there was a good mix of shock factor, but also some happy endings and links to some characters that feature in other Marrs’ books.

Overall, I really enjoyed The One and found that the interesting premise was pulled off. It was very Black Mirror, and so if you like dark sci-fi shows/books, you’ll love this one. I also picked up the anniversary edition of the book, which had bonus chapters included. These were so fun to read as I revisited some of the favourite characters and got some of my questions answered, as well as having some new questions appear. Marrs is a very reliable author for me, and I’m looking forward to getting around to another one soon.

4/5 stars