Whether you are Bachelor Nation or loathe reality shows, this novel does an incredible work of showing women being manufactured to appease. Also, women know what they need. The insecurities of the contestants from Emily's point of view are stunning to read. There are no subtle details, no matter how small the moment may be. Sam, Dylan, Miranda, and Wyatt are just some of the characters who gain an arc over the story's course. The story also touches upon love, gossip, and faith which provides great social commentary. I had deep nods of agreement. I appreciate the sensuality between the characters. The ending brings the story together fully. I was reminded of the show "Diary" on MTV or "Behind the Music" on VH1 which gave a behind-the-scenes look into performance to gain an audience.

DNF at 35%
This just wasn't the book for me. As a reality tv fan I thought it would be something I'd like but it just didn't click with me.

Not for me unfortunately; I'm not sure what genre this would most fit in and I think it's a bit of a hard sell to genre readers. I believe we will pass on this.

This book moved really slow for me and it fizzled out around 60%. It picked up once the layers were peeled back a bit and some surprising twists happened after that but something that is probably best for die hard Bachelor fans.

The good news is that if you like The Bachelor, you will love this book. It's almost like a "behind the scenes" peek into the show, though it's called "The One" here. The bad news is that I didn't really enjoy this book. I'm not a Bachelor fan. I didn't feel like the characters were fully fleshed out, and the ending left me hanging too much. However, I do think this book will find its audience, but for me, an older reader, it didn't work as well.

I absolutely loved this book. I felt consumed by the story and the language, even though I don't have much of an attachment to The Bachelor franchise.

While it is absolutely perfect for fans of UnREAL and romantic reality tv, I also think it's perfect for anyone who's ever wanted to fall in love or valued themselves based off of others' love for them. It is such a sparkling debut and I legitimately cannot wait to read more from Julia Argy,

Thanks to Putnam and NetGalley for this ARC!

CW: gun violence, outing

If you like The Bachelor you will probably like this story. We get to follow Emily as she becomes a
Contestant in a dating reality show. We get a look at the behind the scenes also. This book is a fast read and was just ok for me.thank you netgalley for letting me read this

A lot is going on in The One. I was drawn in by the promise of a behind-the-scenes look at a reality dating show from the perspective of a contestant (Emily) and a producer (Miranda). The One delivered on that by shining a bright light on reality shows' scripted/manipulative nature. For me, The One was less successful in other areas. I never connected to any of the characters; I didn't feel like I got to know much beyond the surface about them. The chapters focused on Miranda's personal life were distracting and didn't add to the story. I was also a little disappointed by the ending; I was hoping for a little more resolution. Overall, this quick read highlighting the importance of knowing yourself may be of interest to those with a skeptical view of reality tv.

Interesting concept. I found it easy to read, and it certainly piqued my interest. At first it seemed destined to be a typical rom-com, but by the half-way point it was clearly heading in a different direction. I can't say that I loved it, but it was a good read that I rounded up from a 3.5 to a 4. If you have an interest in reality TV shows, but are skeptical about how things sometimes turn out, this will be right up your alley.
I thank Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title.

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

I’m a big fan of The Bachelor, so I was really intrigued by the description of this book. I found the plot to be good, and I liked the behind the scenes bits, even though they make you dislike the producers more. Unfortunately, the rest of the story really missed the mark for me. Emily was really boring and I just didn’t have it in me to care about how the story turned out for her. There were also bits that I think were completely unnecessary to the story and were just awful to read, like the manifest from the incel who did the mass shooting in Boston. Completely unrelated to the story and just made me upset.

I also don’t like when stories bring up Christianity, especially when it’s about how she was raised so religious and her parents didn’t approve of gay people. It ends up making some sense for the story but if I had known that there would be multiple parts in the book where Emily would talk/think about her super religious upbringing I would have probably passed on reading it. In recent years, The Bachelor has become more centered on people who are Christian and then make it a big part of who they are, and this book felt like it was trying to emulate that but it’s not something that appeals to me.

Overall, wouldn’t recommend. I don’t think this is a book that my friends would enjoy, but if you aren’t bothered by what I’ve listed above then this could be for you!!

The premise to this novel sounded perfect for me, but unfortunately I didn't connect with the characters, and the writing style wasn't compelling enough for me to keep going.

I really liked the premise of the book but was disappointed in the lack of depth of the main character.

Emily is 24 years old and had been working as an Administrative Assistant since graduation from college. After two years on the job she is fired, it seems for good reason because it didn't seem like she did much. She figures "why not?"

There were a few interesting characters in the book but I never rooted for Emily because she didn't seem to have a clue as to who she was. Maybe it's a sign of the times that a 24 year old can be so clueless about herself but as a mature woman, I just couldn't bring myself to care much for her.

It was a quick read and I did enjoy the behind the scenes parts of the book where you see how much these "reality" shows are actually coerced by the producers. Speaking of producers, Miranda was probably my favorite character, her having to deal with the politics of the show along with sexism and ageism, made her very interesting.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This was so good. I quickly read this and wished for more when it was over.
I just reviewed The One by Julia Argy. #TheOne #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

I've been on a reality show book kick recently, which was a pro and a con for this book. Its definitely in the middle of the road for me. Not the best, not the worst. Great first effort by the author.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for providing an eARC for my honest review.

The Bachelor but Better!

Fans of the Bachelor or any other reality dating TV show will fall for The One. Not only does the author write a fantastic love story narrative between the contestants but more importantly, The One showcases the dating series’ behind the scenes; the drama and production manipulation will never have you looking at a reality series the same!

Although Dylan is The One and the novel revolves around his dating experience with each contestant, the author slowly builds a more insightful storyline with Emily, the show’s front runner and potential fan favorite, and Miranda, a relentless producer. These woman seemingly have nothing in common; however, their juxtaposition is expertly written and unfolds as filming The One ends in an explosive finale like no season before!

Overall, I really liked this book. The writing reminded me of Curtis Sittenfeld in the best way, and I was so sucked into the book that I read nearly the whole thing in one day.

The only thing I didn't like was the ending--it didn't really feel like an HEA and wasn't satisfying for me. I'll put more details below but beware for some spoilers about the ending.

Spoilers in this paragraph! Okay so I'm fine with ambiguous endings, or endings where they haven't figured everything out yet. But they didn't even see each other? The last time we saw Sam she was still at The One being sent home and upset. I want just even a *sentence* of them being together at the end, not Emily just asleep in her car. That's not the happy ending you sign up for with a romance. I can fill in the blanks, sure, but I need a *crumb* first. I just keep thinking about how unsatisfying that ending was and how after all that buildup I really needed *something* there at the end to make it worth it. Super frustrating because if there was literally even one line (like, she gets to Sam and Sam looks remotely happy to see her, even if it ends right then with neither of them saying anything), I would be raving about how much I love this book. And instead most of my review is about my one problem with it.

Okay. That out of my system, I really did love this book besides for that one thing about it. I'd recommend it to romance fans for sure, and I look forward to reading more of Argy's work in the future. Thank you to Netgalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the chance to read and review this ARC.

7/10

Are there a lot of books being released lately about reality shows and true love or am I just happening to grab them to read?

I got an advanced copy of Julia Argy’s debut novel, The One, which follows Emily who gets plucked off the street to be a contestant in a The Bachelor type reality show. (See the last book I reviewed, The True Love Experiment) which is about a show like The Bachelorette)

Anyhoo, Emily is 24 years old, just got fired from her job and is trying to figure out who she is. The story follows her journey through the reality show and her evolving relationships with the other contestants, the producers and the Bachelor, Dylan.

This is a good debut novel from a new young writer. If you like stories of young women trying to discover who they are, this book is for you.

There are a few things I got hung up on though. First, the story line wasn’t new or interesting. Reality shows are produced to build a story line and show the most exciting parts. This book focused on the conversations that happen between those moments.

I felt it needed an additional hook to make me care (again, see the True Love Experiment).

Secondly, and this is the more important point, Julia isn’t very descriptive on her writing. Especially around emotions. Reality shows like this have big emotions but in this book everybody seemed pretty flat. Because of this, I kind of didn’t care about any of the characters. I wasn’t emotionally invested in any of them.

That said, Julia is definitely a good writer and I hope she digs a little deeper into her emotions with the next book she pens.

#netgalley #theone

I'm...confused. Either this book went right over my head, or it was just not executed well because I really don't understand who this book is for or what it was trying to say. I don't watch The Bachelor or any other dating shows, and this book wasn't for me. But I doubt any fans of the series or dating reality shows will enjoy this one, either. From the blurb I thought the tone was going to be satirical, with a tongue-in-cheek, wink-wink vibe, tackling some of the big issues behind reality TV shows like The Bachelor, while still being entertaining, in a darkly funny way. Reader, that was not the vibe. Issues of performance, expectations of women in romance/society at large, the commodification of love for entertainment, etc, etc, were barely delved into. The writing style didn't really work for me, and I didn't care about a single character, or what happened to any of them. Perhaps this would have worked better at a multi-POV, really diving into several characters (including the "Bachelor" himself) and their motivations for being on the show. Just focusing on Emily (and a bit on her handler) was a slog, and the religious guilt aspect of her narrative wasn't something I particularly cared to read, especially in this context. Not for me, unfortunately.

Oh wow! The One caught me by surprise. I finished reading the book late last night and have been ruminating on my thoughts all day. Between a very. hectic beginning to our assessment window, at work, I found my mind wandering to Julia Argy's book. I walked into this expecting a light romcom, but it was far more layered than I anticipated. I would go as far as to say that some of it is quite dark.

Emily decides to join the of The One, because she's been let go from work and has nothing else to do. From the beginning, she takes the experience as it comes. She enjoys the all expenses paid travel, but doesn't particularly love the close quarters, late night filming, and incessant visits from her handler, Miranda. However, as the show progresses, Emily realizes she enjoys the camaraderie of being surrounded by other women. Although they are vying for the same guy, there is a lot of time for the women to bond, despite the intense filming schedule.

I used to be a fan of the bachelor and books like this always intrigue me, because I want to know what it's like being the one produced by a show. The book highlights some of the darkest corners of reality tv, while pairing it with a lot of fun scenes. Mental health is addressed quite frequently, as well as family upbringings, and familial obligations and expectations to the norm. There are elements of religion also explored in this book.

This book boils down to, who are you and what are you willing to do to live your most authentic life? At what cost?

I read this one very closely to reading Not Here To Stay Friends (YA Novel) and wow are these different and what a welcomed change of pace!

Emily is freshly fired from her office admin job and is approached on the street by a casting agent for The One (it's like The Bachelor, but with more travel. And instead of roses, contestants received necklaces). She has nothing better to do, so accepts the offer even though she has not even seen one episode.

She is coached by Miranda, the woman who approached her on the show, on how to win Dylan's heart. Apparently she was clearly cast as the front runner and is dubbed The Wife amongst production staff. At first, Emily goes along with everything since she was trained to obey authority, be polite. And she really wants to fall in love because she's never been in love before. But being surrounded by the other contestants unleashes something new in her.

Though I enjoyed this book, I really wanted it to go a bit deeper into social commentary regarding gender politics, religion, and race. And that could be fun and twisty with the background of a reality dating show (though it has been done well, see Season 1 of UnReal).

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC for my honest review.