This was a brilliant book - I can't remember where I have ever been so engrossed and so disturbed at the same time while reading a novel.
The idea of meeting your perfect love match through the use of DNA is a fascinating concept, and the various issues were explored so well. I loved the different characters and their differing experiences. I couldn't imagine how it would end - but the ending was great and completely apt. I was thinking about this for ages after finishing it. Love it. Highly recommended.
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn't put this book down! It was such a thought provoking book and I loved how there were so many different stories that we could follow, with many different scenario's of what could happen to the various relationships. It was well written and easy to follow considering we were following 5 different couples! I would 100% recommend this book for anyone to read, thank you for the chance to read and review.

What an absolute gem of a book. It is impossible for me not to give it 5 stars.

When starting this I had braised myself for a dark read. This is not something I normally get drawn too, as Im quite sensitive of sensitive topics so to say. But the blurb and the cover on NetGalley.. I just couldn't let it go. I am so glad I got approved for this as it is now firmly in place on my favorites and 5 star shelf.

It is about all these sensitive topics such as abuse and meanness, but it is also equal amounts of hope and love. The beautifully written text manages to cast light on everything, and I couldn't put it down.

The book has a few heroes who's life we are following for a short time, as they come together in the middle of nowhere in rural America. I especially love the young pregnant Sadie Blue and Birdie the medicine woman in the woods. Beautiful women.

Wow! This book is different to anything out there and got me hooked from the start. loved all the characters a great summer read.

An entertaining, easy read though not a literary masterpiece. How far would you go to find your perfect match? A contemporary topic as so many dating sites promise you to find love that lasts. What if Mr Right or Mrs Right are out there in the wide world just waiting to hear from you - would you be tempted to participate in genetic matching? Well in the book 5 people took the DNA test to find their soul mates but do we really need a DNA test to know the answer. I hope not or else what hope is there for the rest of us. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read it. Strangely compelling.

I loved The One from page one! I engaged with each character and so wanted each one to have their own happy ending. John Marrs writes with humour and empathy for each of his characters, which makes them likeable, no matter how dislikeable they should be! I have recommended this book to many friends, and if you enjoyed this I would recommend you read his other two books as well.

In this day and age, with all our alleged open-mindedness and all the progress the world is supposed to have made, celibacy still sounds like a curse word sometimes. I don’t feel I’m living in the middle age. Still, the first question I get from people following the usual greetings after some time not having seen each other is “So, are you dating someone?” I believe a relationship status doesn’t define a person and I am proud to be able to live without feeling the need to find someone to make me whole. I am whole by myself, I’m not some cheese!

But relationships are important. Loneliness is heavy and at times difficult to carry. This is why I was appealed by The One. Who doesn’t dream of their charming prince or princess? Of the right shoulder to cry on, the hand to hold when you’re slipping down that freaking cliff you thought it’d be fun to climb, the hand that offers you the remote control so you can decide what to watch on Netflix?

The synopsis of The One is both attracting and scary. You see, like oil and water, I don’t believe hearts and science match. Except for a transplant of course. But when it comes to feelings, emotions, those things cannot be counted, laid out on spreadsheets, analyzed (except by $100 the-hour psychologists). My strong conviction that it could never work made me press the request button and it took me a while, but I finally got matched with the book by my Kindle and calendar. I had a date!

And one date was enough for me to devour the story. Because there’s something we all share at some point in our lives: loneliness. And there’s one thing we wish for: happiness. No matter what it means to you, this book explores the vulnerable side of us that makes us pray we don’t end up and old lady with a hundred cats that will eat her alive when she dies in her armchair. So why not take a chance on something that promises you to give you what you need, without the hassle of having to find it yourself?

Despite flickering from one narration to the other, the story never feels confusing. Each character has their reasons for looking for their match on the website, each character has a unique voice and personality that makes it easy to differentiate them. I really appreciated the different situations the protagonists were put in. Young Jade, bored in life and looking for a sparkle, Christopher’s curiosity, Ellie’s situation, Mandy being stuck as the divorcee and feeling like the best is never gonna happen to her, Nick’s perfect life. Everyone felt sincere and some events resonated in me because we all have that friend/family member/colleague and we all have heard heart stories. But the author took his little puppets and brought them to the extreme of their quest. Never in a far-fetched way. I loved how smooth and easy the flow kept going, the feelings grew, the tension ratcheted up, and life changed, for better or for worse.

My curiosity was fully satisfied and none of the narrations bored me. Of course, we all have our favorites, and I adored guarded and cold Ellie. I know what it’s like to put your work first and let the rest go. No one said it was easy to find a balance and not realize ten years later that you’ve built the highest walls around you! You’ll find true extremes in here, but they feel right and perfect to fully understand the consequences of such technological and scientific advance.

I felt for every character, which usually never happens, I love having favorites. But here, I was not concerned about the “hows” the system worked, but about the “whys” it chose people the way it did and why those people chose to put so much trust in something as cold as a computer regarding what makes us humans: our feelings.

Now for the controversial DNA part of this story… John Marrs convinced me for a while. I remember thinking “What if science can help?” because so many people deserve to find their other half. The romantic part of me was still skeptical. There’s nothing romantic in being matched with someone you don’t know just because of genes. I believe in chance encounters and butterflies in the stomach without the need of a website to tell you what to feel for whom. This is where I was reminded just how powerful the mind is. Tell people they are perfect for each other because science says it, and they’ll believe it. The placebo effect. Rings a bell? I doubt I would have take the test, but I loved how what started with an experiment ended up changing how people imagined true love to be, how they blindly relied on DNA to magically create the perfect couples. Yes, I believe in chemistry, in the alchemy souls can find if they are lucky enough to open their heart, but I’ll stay on my position and leave science out of it!!! As you can see, The One gave me a lot to think about, and my brain was working flat out while juggling my own thoughts and the events unfolding before my eyes.

Because the book doesn’t spare you on action… I’m not talking about the frantic police chases I’m used to. I refer to how life keeps you busy, how opportunities and choices fill your head and make you reassess your life, your decisions, all that makes you who you are. How an email can rattle your thoughts and your life. At times, I was surprised by a character’s decision, I was taken aback by what was happening, I was shocked and left wondering what spurred everyone to act the way they did, and the beauty of this book is that it really offers a wide range of situations you can follow and explore. Life is not easy, and a site that was supposed to help make it easier makes it messier instead!

It was fantastic to follow every narration going up and down, throwing surprises at the reader and leaving the characters deal with them. Every story had something special, something you can connect with, something to make you feel. The One is disturbing in the way it showed me just how craving for partnership can do to people, how a scary invention can change the way the world has been working forever. Nature takes care of the mix and match. But what if the human hand can get this power, too? Would you trust it? The stories and thinking behind The One goes deeper than one might think at first, and it truly made me reconsider love under different angles.

Overall, The One is a scary and disturbing story of what progress can turn our lives into, a disturbing and gripping tale feeding on one of humankind’s oldest fear: loneliness.

A Page-Turner of a Book!

THE ONE is a psychological, thrilling drama with great personality, a science fiction edge to the plot that feels scarily real, and a unique quality that I so appreciated. Twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat while the narrative toggled between five different scenarios, each affected in some way by the discovery of a gene matching test in this fictional world.

The author presents an engaging story told in the third person narrative with a plethora of characters who each play their role brilliantly, showcasing the good and bad in a world that has the reading power to provoke thoughts of, what if gene matching was actually a reality? How would it affect you? What would it mean to your existing relationships? Could it help you find a partner? What if that person lived on the other side of the world? What if evil people got involved? The exploration of this premise is absolutely fascinating with endless possibilities providing a thrilling quality to the story arc all superbly depicted through the five contrasting scenarios. I found myself completely invested in the individual stories and literally on the edge of my seat during certain moments.

In terms of the characters although the characterisation felt authentic, I can’t say I hugely warmed to any of them but, on a personal level, I find this is often the case when I read thrillers. Indeed, this story is perhaps more plot driven than anything and I certainly didn’t need to love the characters to enjoy this page turner of a novel. The afore mentioned did not detract from my investment and sheer addiction to the story. Overall a fascinating insightful read with an ending that was unexpected but totally believable within the context of this dramatic psychological thriller.

An original and highly addictive story. Very believable.

ARC received from: Netgalley

Rating: ★★★★★

One-Sentence Summary: Love Actually meets Criminal Minds

Review: Man, I could not put this book down! It sucked me into the lives of these 5 people whose lives are changed utterly and completely once they use a unique app to contact their One True Love (with advances in science and technology, it's not too much like science fiction to make the Disney dream plausible).

Mandy, Christopher, Jade, Nick and Ellie's lives are all engaging characters and it is fascinating to watch how finding out their love match completely turns their lives on their head in such different ways.

I could guess how their storylines would end for some of them and for others it was a real surprise. I don't want to give anything away so avoiding spoilers I would say that Jade's vignette was my favourite, Ellie's the most interesting and Nick's (not Christopher's as you might imagine) the most bizarre.

Marrs doesn't shy away from addressing the moral issues and negative side of finding your perfect love and this made it all the more interesting. Whilst the basic plot of DNA being able to tell you who your soul mate is, is not too farfetched, the twists and turmoil that the lives of these characters take is a bit OTT (think EastEnders on speed) but enjoyable all the same.

Next step: hunt down more John Marrs books to read.

Found this book an interesting concept and really enjoyed seeing all the different lives and how they were affected by this one thing. A tad confusing to begin with to remember what happened in each story, but the not all the endings were happy, which makes for an interesting read.

An interesting take on the obsession with dating apps and finding your 'perfect match', this book takes it a step further. A quick mouth swab is all it takes for a new service to check who your DNA match is with the discovery of a new gene.

I loved the variety of characters in this story, they each had a very different story to tell but it flowed seemlessly between them. The chapters are short and the story didn't drag at any point. It was tough having to put the book down!

Gripping read from the start. Real page turner! Highly recommended

At first I found the book hard to get into as I wasn't sure about the DNA match system and the many characters, Then it all clicked and I looked forward to reading the different sections to see how all the people were getting on in their own journey. I think it would have been a great book just with one or two matches then another book with another two. This book was completely different to anything I have ever read, it explored a lot of interesting stories and plots. Really loved reading this book and very sad it is over, maybe another book with other characters or even if someone else found the DNA match and developed it???

Previously published as A Thousand Small Explosions

Absolutely superb! How the hell did you even come up with this Mr Marrs? And the fact that it was on my NetGalley wishlist, and you granted me my wish! You're my FairyGodfather!

What we have here is five different stories combining into one delicious chomp-a-thon. Five characters each experiencing the roller coaster ride of their life because they've been matched with The One. That person who is supposed to be made for them. Hearts and flowers eh? Um, nope.

I cannot even begin to tell you how much I enjoyed this! It was chocablock full of cliffhangers. Nearly every short chapter ended like I was left precariously dangling over the edge. Leaving me no choice but to take off from the last woah there! from one of the other four POV 's.

It was enormously entertaining, there was touching moments, humorous moments and absolutely no effing way, what the..... moments!

This is, without a shadow of a doubt going on my Favourite Books of 2017 shelf.

It was destined to get 5 stars from me from about chapter 5. IT WAS THAT GOOD

Read it. I recommend this to everybody.

I'd like to thank the author, John Marrs (aka FairyGodfather), the publisher, Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review. The pleasure was all mine!

Loved this book with all the different characters wished it was a lot longer. Would read this author again and gladly recommend it to anyone.

I really enjoyed this! I think partly because the idea seems so tantalizingly close in these days of DNA testing. The idea was highly original and engaging. Highly recommended!

The One

I'm a little late to the party with reading this book. I had it on my TBR pile when it was A Thousand Small Explosions but hadn't managed to get to it. I hang my head in shame as it's an absolutely brilliant read that I recommend picking up quicker than I did!

The subject matter is fantastically original...in an age of internet dating and tinder comes The One and a premise that there is someone out there in the big wide world who you are matched with by your DNA, just one person. The One follows five different characters in their quest to find their 'match'. I admit at first it took me a while to get my head round who was who, but once I did, I became completely addicted to the story and engrossed in each each person's individual journey.

Quite simply I can't recommend this book enough, five big shiny stars from me!

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher.

A unique and enthralling thriller!

When I picked up 'The One' by John Marrs I was instantly drawn into a unique and enthralling thriller.

It goes several steps further than the conventional online dating. Would you like the opportunity to find your perfect love partner through the intervention of science? I won't explain any further, as I'd like you to discover for yourself. Will it be a failsafe method or not? Is your one and only love match out there for you?

Well, the chapters alternate between five characters and I found each tale very riveting. It was the type of thriller where I couldn't wait to read the next chapter. Believe me, all sorts of bizarre events happen, even though you may consider some events as far-fetched. However only you can decide for yourself.

This is the first book I've read by John Marrs, so I shall look out for this imaginative author again.

By Galadriel.

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of this book to review.

Really enjoyed this book. It makes you think. Would you take the test?

A DNA test has been created, which can find your "match" the one person you are destined to be with forever. This book see's 5 different peoples experiences of using the test.It is seen from the points of Ellie, Nick, Christopher, Mandy and Jade, all completely different and all have different experiences. None of the characters stories interlink which I thought was a refreshing change, it's like 5 completely different stories (well, except for one who links them all but still..!)

Each chapter ends on a cliffhanger and then you are taken to another persons story who also ends on a cliffhanger making you want to know what happens next to each person but you need to read through the other 4 people's story first!

It is really well written, even the use of slang and colloquialisms from Sunderland and Australia (I'm a North East girl myself!). It's like a thriller, love story and gritty drama all in one!