The world is spiraling out of control, with a select number of people living in cities that stretch into the sky, safe from the ground and pollutants that plague the people who still live there. Getting into the cities is very hard, even as natural disasters kill millions of people on the ground. The leaders and other high ranking people are trying to come up with a solution while many people in the cities continue to live out their lives in holo, conserving energy by pursuing life in a virtual world. Kasey is searching for her sister, Celia, who went missing three months ago. As she delves deeper into the mystery surrounding her disappearance, she discovers how little she knew her sister and just how not-present she is in her own life. Celia, meanwhile, is stranded on an island, her only company, an information bot and her own disjointed memories.

I wish there had been more emphasis placed on the world building. It was sometimes hard to follow just what the world around Kasey looked like. Celia was easy: her world was a house on an abandoned island, something I’m familiar with. Kasey’s world was entirely too foreign and futuristic for me to easily imagine. I found myself confused as to whether or not she was in holo or in real life, events passing in a flash since Kasey was too focused on finding Celia, anyway. It hardly seemed to matter whether it was happening in “real” life or not. I liked the way Kasey could adjust her mood with her implant, and how the implant could sense a decline in mood and suggest treatment. Well, I thought it was interesting this was possible. It adjusted Kasey’s mood so that she seemed very unfeeling and it was difficult to connect with her as a character.

The relationship between Kasey and Actinium is also hard to pin down. Kasey is searching for her sister and comes across Actinium, who seems to know something of her disappearance. Act is in it for his own purposes and learns about Celia alongside Kasey. They don’t spend much time together on page but know each other more intimately later, with the quick passage of time forging relationships we only get to see the result of. It made it difficult to really resonate with the characters, when they develop offscreen.

I enjoyed the mystery bits, learning what actually happened to Celia, as well as the deepening understanding between the two sisters as Kasey traced her sister’s thoughts and actions through time. Their relationship was the primary story, everything else secondary, and the story telling suffered a bit because of it. There were several other mysteries, like what crime did Kasey commit? Why does Actinium have a hacked identifier? What was going to happen to the eco-cities and the people on the ground?

I enjoyed the writing style, particularly the bits told from Celia’s point of view. The cover is also very beautiful. I was happy to receive a copy of this book! It was an anticipated read and while it disappointed in some ways, I think it came out well in the end, even though I didn’t particularly like the ending. The twist is pretty satisfying. I like having an explanation for the many questions that bogged down my reading experience from the middle through to the twist. I definitely wanted more closure than I got.

A wonderful story between two sisters and a terrifying future. This book was incredibly well-written. The wolrdbuilding was so complex and the characters were so intriguing! This sci-fi novel was reminiscent of Black Mirror and one of the things I mostly enjoyed was coming up with theories to the ending.
The first few chapters were a little slow for me, as we're trying to get to know the characters, the world, and understand what's going on, but it did pick up and kept me on the edge of my seat.

This is a beautifully written sci fi thriller about the unshakeable bond between sisters. I liked the twists in the story and was surprised at nearly every turn. I also appreciated how the author used our current society (threatened by climate change and cursed by widespread selfishness) to extrapolate a world that seems like a plausible future. At times, the plot was a bit confusing to me, but by patiently reading more, things usually were clarified. I expected this to be just another YA dystopian book, but it differentiated itself with its sophisticated exploration of what causes such a society to exist and how best to survive in a crumbling world.

This is one of the most brilliantly crafted novels I have ever read. The sisterly bond, the conversations about climate change, humanity's impact on the earth, it was all absolute perfection. The prose is stunning, if a little dense at times.

I will admit that I was confused for a large percentage of the book but the "big reveal" made my jaw literally drop.

I found the ending to be a bit lackluster as I was expecting another big plot twist based on the Goodreads synopsis, but I think it actually was the perfect ending to the book.

The Ones We're Meant to Find is a twisty tale that will keep you guessing as to exactly what is happening as you keep turning the pages.

BOOK REPORT for The Ones We're Meant to Find by Joan He

Cover Story: Bizarre Beauty
BFF Charms: Yay, Caution
Swoonworthy Scale: 7
Talky Talk: Dreamy Dystopia
Bonus Factor: Sisters
Anti-Bonus Factor: Humanity
Relationship Status: Hung Over

Cover Story: Bizarre Beauty
At first glance, this cover, and the girls on it, is simply lovely. The painting-like quality of the art, the softness of their hair, and the expressions on their faces: all beautiful. But then you realize that the heads are just kind of floating in the sea? Are there bodies attached? Are they giants, or are the waves small? Thinking about this one too hard leaves me unsettled. But it's still really, really pretty.

The Deal:
For three years, Cee's been trying to get home to her sister, Kay. The island she's been living on, alone, since being lost at sea provides enough of what she needs to survive, but the urge to leave and find Kay grows stronger with the day.

On another sort of island—a city in the sky meant to serve as humanity's new home after they've basically destroyed the planet—Kacey misses her sister Celia, who went missing at sea three months prior. Although most have given up on finding Celia, Kacey decides to try ant retrace Celia's last moments to figure out what happened.

BFF Charms: Yay, Caution
Cee is a sweet, determined, headstrong young woman with a plan. And I really like that about her. She doesn't remember much of her past, and what she does remember doesn't always match the person she is in the present, but together all of the parts combine to make someone who would very much be worthy of a BFF charm … if you could manage to come between her and her quest to find Kay.

Kacey, on the other hand, would be a tough nut to crack. She's … different … and not always in a way that makes me feel safe. Her brain works differently than others, and she occasionally veered awful close to psychopath territory with her lack of emotions and general disregard for societal norms. But she's undeniably smart and likely the only person who can get the job (of saving the world) done, so I would certainly try to be her friend, if for purely self-preservation purposes.

Swoonworthy Scale: 7
Cee's extremely surprised when a body washes up on shore. And even more so when the boy, which belongs to a boy, tries to kill her. But when he wakes the next morning and doesn't remember anything, Cee begins to warm to him because of her own experiences. And when you're the only two people around, it's easy to get swept up in feelings, even if there's an underlying mistrust to the whole situation.

Talky Talk: Dreamy Dystopia
It took me a while to fully grasp what was going on in The Ones We're Meant to Find, but the confusion surrounding Cee's story and how it connected to Kacey's didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book. In fact, it heightened the intrigue of the reading experience and made me pay more attention to what I was reading. (Pandemic brain is real!)

He's writing is at times sparse, forcing the reader to fill in details for themselves, but at others lush, letting the reader get swept up in the flow of the pages, which works really well for a story divided into two very different POVs. It's a little frightening, to be honest, at how well He captured Kacey's atypical (and slightly terrifying) personality but also was able to write the super relatable Cee. Kudos to her! (I don't want to get on her bad side!)

Bonus Factor: Sisters
Both Cee and Kacey's connection to their sisters, the lengths to which they'd go for them, was really lovely to read. As an only child, it's hard for me to fully grasp what it means to have blood siblings, but The Ones We're Meant to Find gave me really strong insight into one such relationship.

Anti-Bonus Factor: Humanity
Every time I read a cli-fi novel (climate fiction, or books that deal with climate change and the environment) I am shamed by the lengths humanity will go to not change their ways in the slightest even if it would make everything better and only involve a little inconvenience. (Myself included. I know I can do better, and the Earth 100% deserves that.)

Relationship Status: Hung Over
You were not at all what I was expecting of you, Book, and you took me places I'm not sure I wanted to go. But I quickly got caught up in your story, and even when I got uncomfortable, I kept reading because I had to know where things ended up. You're going to stick with me for a long time to come!

I am so sad to say that I did not like this book at all and stopped reading it at about 30% in. I couldn't get into the story, writing, or characters and I found myself bored. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book though. The cover is absolutely stunning!

☁ PAINSTAKINGLY BEAUTIFUL INSIDE AND OUT ☁

Ever since the cover dropped for this book, it pulled me in right away. The art alone was extremely amazing that I wanted the book on my hands at the moment.

Today, moments after reading this book, I am out of words and I was extremely blown away by the story I experienced. First off, The Ones We're Meant to Find came in with something beautiful and mesmerizing. Though it took a little time for the story to build up, something about it still enticed me to keep on turning the pages.

Overall, the book has a unique impact - from its worldbuilding to its characters to the way the plot went, it came with satisfying surprises that just kept you on your toes. I love the essence of a mystery and the romance subplots were definitely plus points for my love-loving heart.

Admittedly, my brain cells got lost sometimes, but the delivery in its entirety is 5-star worthy in my opinion. Plus points for the way it told a beautiful sibling story, the environmental discourse it touched on, and the sci-fi futuristic technology.

☁ FINAL THOUGHTS & RECOMMENDATIONS ☁

This book was my first one by Joan He and I loved it to bits. It might a slow-burning story, but the moment it picks up will keep you reading and reading. The plot twists are worth the wait, so if you're in the mood for something with this formula, this one is definitely a book to pick!

This book took me a long time to read, but I enjoyed it so much nonetheless. It was a beautiful story of tragedies and sisterhood told in a landscape of sisterhood and desperation.

Both of our main characters, Cee and Kasey love their sister so so much. It’s heartbreaking to see just how far their affections drive them. They’re an endless well of care and hope.

My only qualm is the world building. I wish I had maybe read it slower or the world building was less intense, because much of Kasey’s perspective was lost in the info dumps. There seemed to be too much to catch up on, and up until the last few chapters I was still learning about this dystopia. I didn’t have a proper understanding of how the world worked, so if you’re looking for a new dystopia to submerge yourself in, maybe this isn’t the one for you. But if you’re looking for a heartfelt love letter to sisterhood and the lengths humans will go to survive for each other, then please please pick this one up.

There is no limit to the way sisters love and trust each other- ferociously and recklessly, devoid of all logic. And there is no limit to the lengths people will go to stay alive- it’s something that defies any earthly law.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC of this book! I had a wonderful time reviewing it.

The love and complete heartache that I feel towards The Ones We’re Meant to Find was so unexpected that I’m still shocked.

I was sent a eARC from Fierce Reads along with a group of various advanced readers copies, and when I saw this book on the list of books I was sent, I wasn’t sure how to feel since I never read dystopians and books set in the future with all kinds of different high tech but THIS BOOK, you guys.. I can’t get over it.

The Ones We’re Meant to Find has the most haunting storyline I’ve read so far, I can’t stop thinking about it! The writing style was simply beautiful and the twists and turns had me every time. I truly didn’t guess where this story was going to take me and it had me reeling by the end and left me wanting more (in a good way).

This was easily a 4.5-5 star read for me and the only reason I find myself wavering between the two is because I enjoyed Cee’s chapters a bit more then Kasey’s. Cee was much more relatable and watching her trying to survive was mesmerizing compared to Kasey’s more monotoned closed off kind of personality. Kasey’s chapters were also much more technical then Cee’s so her chapters always felt longer to me. But both point of views were equally as important and needed.

If you’re looking for a different kind of read that was written so thoroughly, so beautifully and fully of twistys, I highly recommend The Ones We’re Meant to Find.. plus look at it’s beautiful cover! Do be aware, there are definitely trigger warnings for this book!

If you’re looking for a deeply atmospheric book that has serious Studio Ghibli vibes, then you’re going to want to drop everything and read The Ones We’re Meant to Find. It’s a stunning masterpiece that not only showcases Joan He’s incredible writing versatility, but this new world she’s created will be one that readers won’t soon forget. In a word, it’s incredible. It will render you to tears as you learn the story of these two young women and they’ll sear themselves into your very being, and you’ll question everything you know about them and their world until the very end. If you’re looking for a story about just how far the bonds of sisterhood go, as well as moral and ethical dilemmas regarding the environment, you’re going to want to add this to your TBR!

This story begins with Cee, who’s been trapped on an island for three years without a clue as to how she arrived or memories of her previous life. All she knows is that somewhere across the sea she has a sister named Kay, and she’ll do whatever she can to get back to her. Meanwhile, 16-year-old Kasey Mizuhara spends her time in isolation in the eco-city she calls home. These cities loom over the world protecting the people who endeavoured to protect the planet and now need protection from it. The earth has become almost completely inhospitable with rising ecological disasters as a result of climate change. People in the cities are required to spend some of their time in stasis pods, which is perfect for Kasey who prefers her introverted life. However, it’s awful for her sister Celia, who much prefers the world outside. No one could have predicted that her sister would take a boat out to sea and never return. It’s been three months since then and logic tells Kasey that Celia is likely gone. But something has her retracing her steps, and while her sister was full of secrets, Kasey also has one of her own.

There’s a lot to unpack in this book, and I think the best way to start is with the characters. We begin the book from Cee’s perspective, which creates a distortion because of the holes in her memory. She’s alone but surviving, and attempting to get off of the island she’s marooned on. As the story continues you find out more of her personality through her interactions with her environment. She’s tenacious and determined to get back to her sister, and there’s an inevitable spark of confidence that she oozes even when the odds are against her. Kasey is the complete opposite. She’s muted and logical, you could even say she’s calculating and a little aloof. Where Cee is easy to connect with as a reader, it’s harder to relate to Kasey, but there’s something compelling about her observations of life around her. One thing is certain though, she cares deeply for her sister Celia, and it drives a lot of her actions and decisions.

Now, let’s talk about the world that Joan He has created in this book because as I mentioned at the start of this review, it’s incredible. There are two “worlds”, the island where Cee is marooned and the eco-city where Kasey lives. This is where the sci-fi elements come to life in the book, but not in a way that is overwhelming or confusing to the reader. I love the way that He has set up the eco-city, because while it’s intended to be this helpful thing that could help save the “good” citizens from the consequences of climate change, it also highlights a moral dilemma. People that live in the cities are ranked and your admittance to them is based on the actions of your past and present. It definitely gives you quite a few things to think about. Then there’s also the fact that people in the eco-cities spend a good chunk of their time in pods in order to reduce their carbon footprints (meaning a lot of their recreational activities happen in VR, basically).

If you’re looking for a book that doesn’t have a heavy focus on romantic relationships, you’re going to enjoy this book a lot. However, I have to say my favourite aspect of this book is the depth of the bonds between sisters. Kasey and Cee are both determined to protect their sibling, no matter the cost or detriment to themselves. As the story moves, you’ll realise that both of them have secrets that might affect how they see their sister, and readers will wonder just what it might take to ruin or fix the relationship forever.

Everything about this story is fascinating and I honestly couldn’t put it down. I finished it in one sitting, and I have no doubt that others will do the same. I’m not the biggest fan of sci-fi elements in books, but this was expertly done. I’m excited to see what He might write next, because she’s proven her writing style is versatile, and any story she writes will be just as compelling as the one that came before it.

This book is damn fantastic. From the characters and the setting to the plot itself with its overarching messages. And the emotions. The Ones We're Meant to Find is an immediate favourite and something I highly recommend to all readers.

The Ones We're Meant to Find is a science-fiction novel about two sisters in a dystopian society that has been ravaged by pollution. Cee has been living on an abandoned island, with very few memories but certain that she needs to find her sister Kay. Kasey is a scientist with a missing sister, living her life in a world that is very literally falling apart.

The depiction of sisters and family is the absolute highlight in this book. I adored how the intensity and complexity of familial love between siblings that are incredibly different and not close in a traditional sense are depicted. Even with a character that is self-admitedly extremely closed off, the intricate emotions surrounding this story are raw and incredibly portrayed.

The setting, as well, was fantastic. It was science fiction and dystopian with all the things readers love - end of the world vibes, cute robots, cities in the sky - but not a single ounce of it bordered on cheesy or stereotypical.

And then the way this story is weaved. Joan He broke my heart and kept me absolutely invested in these characters until the very last page. It had twists that I did not see coming but also felt incredibly natural and perfectly inserted into the storyline.

This YA sci-fi novel deals with climate change, environmental action, and pollution--and it's one of the most provocative novels I've read all year!

In alternating POVs, this novel follows two girls: Cee, who woke up on an abandoned island alone three years ago with no memories of who she is, except the knowledge that she has a sister named Kay and desperately needs to find her; and Kasey, who lives in an eco-city built to protect people from the planet they've destroyed. Kasey's sister Celia disappeared at sea three months ago, and Kasey needs to know the truth about Celia's final days.

The Ones We're Meant to Find is emotional, raw, and shocking. It's a stark, poignant story about climate change, the planet, sisterhood, agency, and what it means to exist and be a part of the world. This novel was so different from what I expected, but totally pulled me in; I know this is the kind of book that I will be thinking about for a long time.

Joan He is one of my favorite YA writers - she has such fascinating concepts and is able to craft truly magnificent worlds out of them. Her style is so enjoyable and in this book especially I loved her commentary on the climate crisis. I'm also a sucker for good sibling relationships, and the sisterhood aspect here was so great to read. Reading this book was a privilege and I'm extra excited for my pre-order to come in now!

In a book that features both main characters on the cover, and switches back and forth from first to third person, it’d be prudent to prepare yourself for a character driven piece, and yes, Joan gives us two strong, sympathetic characters; there can be no doubt about that. But what stuck with me was her grasp of technology, more to the point, future tech, and how the kind of footprint you or your family leaves determines your status. And this status, should it reach a certain marker, earns you a ticket to paradise, or in this case, a handful of eco-cities floating just above the earth’s surface, callously in view of the troglodytes down below. It’s sort of a highly conceptualized, ecology-based form of social stratification.

Once in these eco-cities, you have access to mental interfaces that are used to control/limit physical interaction. This is footprint management/reduction on steroids, but with the planet’s bloated populace hanging by a thread and not likely to survive another disaster; some tough love is needed. You should put that in your pocket for later by the way.

Seems to me Joan is suggesting that the planet would be pragmatically better off without humans at all, and on that point, we are of one mind. As a species, we’re treating Earth with a reckless abandon at an unstainable rate, regardless of how insignificant we are in the comings and goings of the stars. In short, people are the disease, and when you are your own worst enemy, well, let’s just say happiness is no longer a fish you can catch. And in this case, that’s quite literal as eating fish may kill you, another delightful by-product of the books self-destructive motif.

To read the full review, please follow the link below!

https://www.cinelinx.com/off-beat/the-ones-were-meant-to-find-book-review-blog-tour/

THIS BOOK. It blew my mind with the twists and turns. I don't want to say too much because honestly it makes for a much better, fast-paced read.

However...I did make the mistake of not reading the synopsis of this book lol. It was totally a cover pick (I mean look at that cover), and I think I vaguely knew it was about two sisters. Besides that there was a lot of hype and people screaming about this book that made me want to request it.

Going in, I was completely shocked this book was sci-fi. I was not expecting it at all, which is totally my fault. I'm very bad when it comes to reading synopses because I don't want to get spoiled, so I tend to skim very fast and only retain a few words, or I read the first paragraph and if it hooks me, I ignore the rest. I did the latter in this situation, and boy was I surprised when things got technical.

I'll admit, I'm not a huge fan of sci-fi. I find it hard to get into the story because a lot of the tech is confusing and difficult to imagine, and it also makes it harder for me to picture the characters in the setting. That's the only reason I've rated this 3 stars instead of 4. It's just not the genre I generally gravitate towards, but plot-wise it was incredible and kind of mind-blowing.

Still highly recommend this if you're looking for a book that'll keep you on your toes, and has a beautiful, realistic relationship between two sisters.

The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He, unfolds via two points of view. Cee, in the present and Kasey, sometime in the past. Cee, a colorblind amnesiac has spent the last three years trying to escape an island of which she is the sole inhabitant save the company of a simple bot. She’s driven by an unyielding desire to be reunited with her sister. Kasey, living in an eco-city is coping with the passing of her sister Celia, presumed lost at sea. The novel explores the consequences of our actions, globally via the effects of climate change and personally, as Kasey unravels the series of events that drove Celia to the sea. With classic elements of sci-fi and thriller this will satisfy fans of both. Highly recommend!

This book follows a girl name Cee who has been trapped on an abandoned island for three years and has no memories of her prior life besides knowing she has a sister named Kay who she needs to find. That’s pretty much the basic summary without giving away the plot.

This book was interesting and definitely has a Black Mirror sort of feel to it. I love Black Mirror, so I was into it! Certain things happen that you know aren’t right/don’t make sense, but I just kind of rolled with it until the twist was revealed and WOW, I didn’t see it coming! After the big reveal, the pieces start to come together, and I was eager to learn the backstory.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced e-ARC

Two sisters, a futuristic world, and a mystery that haunts them both. Celia and Kasey are sisters, Celia- a fun extrovert who mysteriously disappears one day, and Kasey- a more detached introvert who is obsessed with science and trying to find where her sister went. They both live in eco-city, a place floating above earth that is meant to be a sanctuary for people. Cee wakes up one day on the shores of an abandoned island with barely any memories and a little robot to keep her company until a mysterious boy shows up and tries to kill her, i.e. meet Hero. He also has no memories and blacks out when he tries to kill her. Kasey is trying to solve the mystery of what happened to her sister and where she went, all the while a mysterious boy named Actinium shows up and seems to be the missing piece to finding where her sister went. Throw in a whole lot of future tech, eco-planet stuff, and a big mystery with a little bit of romance and this is what you get. The overall story is interesting and the world setting is definitely unique. I found myself getting confused at some parts but in the end it made sense, sort of haha. Overall, a interesting read and great for anyone who is interested in a futuristic mystery.

*Thanks Netgalley and Text Publishing for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Reading The Ones We’re Meant to Find felt like putting together a 3-D crystal puzzle without knowing what the completed puzzle is supposed to be or look like. Even when I managed to get adjacent pieces of the mystery together, I still wasn’t sure what I was looking at until about 50 percent of the way through the story, where suddenly the pieces are all coming together.

You have two storylines told by two narrators, Cee/Celia and Kasey, and there’s an obvious connection between the two threads, but there are also many mysteries and gaps that make it hard to figure out how exactly they connect at first.

Kasey’s character is a tech wiz and part of a political committee responsible for managing the climate crisis, making her the perfect empirically-driven narrator to explore the physical and social architecture of her world, where many people live in soaring eco-cities encasing them in a protective bubble against the destructive forces of a Nature out of equilibrium. Cee’s perspective, by contrast, is more poetic, the artist to Kasey’s scientist. She relies more on passion and impulsive emotion to drive herself. Her life is one of physical isolation from other people as she is stranded on an island without her memories to guide her. Nature is what surrounds her, inescapable, powerful, and as unsettling as it is magnetic.

Between Celia and Kasey, I definitely saw more of myself in Kasey, being introverted, awkward, and having a rough time dealing with other people even while strongly committed to making the world better for everyone. But both sisters have secrets and insecurities and flaws. The story explores their sense of loneliness and the critical choices they make when the stakes become impossibly high. Even though they seem like polar opposites and envy each other’s strengths, they share an unabiding love for each other at their core that keeps them linked together.

The futuristic worldbuilding for this story is incredibly textured and detailed. It’s obvious the author put a lot of thought into the scientific and political implications of survival in a precarious society approaching environmental apocalypse. Beyond its aesthetic value, it also serves as a vehicle for the story’s meditation on humanity, both individual and collective. Even as the story probes the darkness and selfishness of humankind and the temptation of a eco-fascist mentality, it also offers hope and altruism and belief in human goodness to balance things out. It doesn’t provide a neat resolution per se, but it offers some catharsis and space to believe, and that’s the beauty of it.