It’s actually very convenient that this book has such a sea-theme, because it makes it easier for me to use a metaphor. This book is truly like going swimming in the sea: everything is calm and you’re enjoying yourself. You start to trust its consistency and turn around to look at the shore, only for the salty water to swallow you whole.

Well, at least that’s how it felt like for me.

Listen, I try not to be dramatic and stuff, but let’s face it…Joan He came up with one of the best plot twists ever. I could never have seen that coming because it’s just so unique and twisty and just shocking. I wish I’d recorded my face when I realised what was happening because it was probably really, really funny (to look back at, the moment itself consisted of so much pain)!

“We are as real as we believe ourselves to be.”
Joan He, The Ones We’re Meant To Find (quoted from an advanced copy)

But despite the twists being truly amazing, this book has so much to bring! Joan He’s writing really transported me into the story. Her prose is as good as people say it is and I overall really enjoyed her style. It was especially remarkable for me how she managed to write from two perspectives that felt so different from each other. The two sisters had really authentic and different voices!

Cee’s story was the main focus, of course, and I really loved her journey. It was so immersive and really had that wow-factor. I can’t say much about the romance because I don’t want to make the wow-factor any less for anyone, but it was so good! I just feel like everything about this book was so unique, too!

Also, while writing this review I noticed a big Easter egg Joan He that kinda predicted the plot twist and may I just say that I’m shocked all over again?! It’s really hard to write down some coherent thoughts because all my brain is saying is WHA—I will never get over this.

“The thing about stars,” says Hero, voice soft, “is most of them appear close together, but not many actually are. None are meant to pass each other in orbit.”
Joan He, The Ones We’re Meant To Find (quoted from an advanced copy)

So, in other words, what’s today’s conclusion? Joan He is an absolute genius storyteller and I’m a messy reader. I really hope more people will pick this up so they can scream, too! For my fellow science faction newbies: don’t let that put you off because I literally never read scifi, yet this was so intriguing! This book (and Joan He as an author) are not to be missed!

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review! This did not affect my opinions in any way.

World building
First off, this book’s imagery was so vivid that I found myself sinking into that deep blue ocean in my dreams. Luckily I don’t sleepwalk the way Cee does and my nighttime wanderings were more cinematic than alarming. The world building was fantastic, with new details being introduced in a very intentional way, compelling the reader to keep reading to find out more.

I simultaneously enjoyed and was terrified by the setting, which is a frightening look into what could very well become reality in the not-so-distant future if we humans don’t make major changes to our lifestyle and start taking better care of the environment.

Pacing
The pacing started off on the slower side as we’re being introduced to the world and getting to know Kasey and Cee, but once I hit the halfway point, it picked up in a BIG way and I did not want to put this book down! The ending felt lightning fast, which was exciting and extremely compelling, but the conclusion felt a bit too abrupt for my liking. Although I enjoyed that it was slightly open-ended, I wish there had been more time to catch my breath and absorb the story in those final chapters.

Characters
The sibling bond between Kasey and Cee was compelling, believable and extremely well-developed. I appreciated that while their relationship was such a prominent and driving force, there was always fresh information that kept the introspective moments from feeling too repetitive. I enjoyed the alternating viewpoints and the characters’ distinct personalities and voices, which meant I never had difficulty remembering which character’s point of view I was reading.

The Twist
I did actually predict two big parts of the twist pretty early on, but the way it was crafted and interwoven into every part of the story was incredible and perfectly executed. I will say that there were some twisty theories I had that did not end up happening, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Final Thoughts
Going into this book, I expected to enjoy it, but I did not expect to get completely immersed in the story and become as emotionally invested in the characters as I did. The Ones We’re Meant to Find is a fantastic book that made me feel SO MANY FEELINGS and is still occupying space in my mind long after reading the last page. I think I might need to do a separate discussion post with spoilers because I have so many thoughts!

My Rating: 4.5 stars (rounded up to 5)

Thank you to Xpresso Tours, Netgalley, and the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. This has not affected my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

This book was so good! I liked it even more than I thought I would! I literally couldn't put it down. I stayed up way too late reading this. It is about two sisters that were separated and are trying to find their way back to each other. There is also some romance. It hooks you right from the start with Cee on an island and she can't remember how she got there; with her sister Kasey is trying to find her. I loved the sister relationship in this. It was super intriguing. The whole concept of the story was unique and compelling. I ended up liking Cee's chapters better than Kasey's. I found Kasey's confusing sometimes with all the sciency things. But the storyline was so compelling it wasn't that big of a deal.. It is set in the future and it is sci-fi. Kasey lives in a floating tear drop shaped city while Cee is stuck on an island. In the future most people use pods so they like telecommunicate/holograph to locations to decrease their carbon footprint. Cee hated this and always wanted to experience life in person while Kasey thought it was the best way to save the planet for future generations. Anyway I'm not going to say much more cause I don't want to get spoilery and you should just read it. Casue seriously oh my gosh its good.

Holy. Joules. The Ones We're Meant to Find (TOWMTF) has, hands-down, the most convoluted plot I've ever read. For lack of an easier way to say it, it's completely f****d up and I LOVE IT. Told through two narrators, Kasey and Cee, the interwoven aspects of their stories weave back and forth, revealing a little bit at a time. When the plots converge in a way that let's you see just how they're connected, it just...it just hits hard. It's near impossible to even describe the story in a way that won't be biased and won't reveal all the things I loved about it and led to it feeling as f*****d up as it did.

TOWMTF explores the truth of what it means to be human while simultaneously exploring how it's ultimately human error that the world is nearing the point of no return. A touch of science fiction, a touch of realism, and a touch of philosophy make this an engaging read, almost unable to be labeled. I imagine this one will have a hard time staying on shelves in schools as students try to problem solve the novel and discover the ending. Just know, no matter how close you think you are to getting it right, you'll be miles behind Joan He's master storytelling.

While I'm sure other reviews will confidently tackle a plot summary, know that this book is best digested without knowing much as it will surprise you consistently at every turn.

4 stars

the ones we're meant to find is a book that definitely snuck up on me. it began at a pace that felt nearly stagnant, something that wasn't at all what i had in mind for a sci-fi mystery thriller of all things. for several chapters, i was almost tempted to drop this, unable to match what i knew about this book so far with the glowing reviews i saw coming from every direction, my initial intrigue starting to soften into boredom (hence the -1 star). but, after sticking around to witness the last half of this book, i can say that all those reviews are absolutely deserved. because joan he ended up completely blowing me away in a way i thought was no longer possible.

in the ones we're meant to find, joan he has created a complex, stunning, and incredibly touching story about unconditional love and humanity that, despite the futuristic elements, still hits brutally close to home in how it portrays the dynamic between sisters cee and kasey, as well as how they both eventually learn to take control of their lives and circumstances. cee and kasey's relationship was one of my favorite things about this book; every time they refer to each other makes it more and more clear just how much they care for each other. i loved how connected they are even throughout their separation, and how devoted cee is to finding kasey, to the point that she would choose her over herself, over and over. i also loved how kasey unconditionally cares for cee even though she doesn't really know how to show it on the outside; it reminded me of my own relationship with my family in a way that was genuinely heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time.

at the same time, though cee and kasey's relationship was what drove this book as a whole, cee and kasey are both wonderful to read about as individual characters. they're definitely very different people, but i think that's what makes their perspectives both so interesting to read about, especially when you begin to see how their stories intersect. i have to say i was more invested in cee, perhaps because her first-person pov made her seem more personal, but kasey and her determination to find a solution and find out what happened to cee also have a special place in my heart. i also really liked hero and actinium, and how hero and cee were connected to actinium and kasey in ways i never could have imagined in a million years. seriously, i'm still processing some of those plot twists.

speaking of twists, every single one that showed up in this book is insanely unpredictable. they all feel like they come out of nowhere and yet, looking back on the rest of the story, they somehow make perfect sense without seeming nonsensical or overly dramatic. i actually have no words for how talented joan he is at revealing things throughout the story; everything unfolds in one revelation after the other, and suddenly you have answers to questions you never even knew you had. it's a one-of-a-kind experience i can only recall having with a couple of other books, and all i want is to go back and read this book from the start for the first time just to experience the initial shock of those reveals again.

though i haven't read joan he's debut novel, i'll definitely be picking it up soon after this if it's even half as good. i cannot believe a book i thought i'd give three stars to at the beginning ended up being something so brilliant and extraordinary, and i'll be thinking about the ones we're meant to find for a very, very long time (mostly because i'm going to be recovering from the reading slump finishing this book just put me in). to anyone who has never heard of this book, pick it up when you can - trust me, it's most definitely worth your time. to everyone starting this in the coming days, all i can say is good luck. you'll need it.

thanks to the publisher and kelsey for giving me access to the earc!

The One’s We’re Meant to find is a YA climate fiction, sci fi novel tackles issues of climate change and environmental preservation in a whole new way.

The story unfolds in two alternating perspective. The first POV is that of Cee, trapped on an island and completely alone, all she knows is that she has to get off the island to find her sister Kay. In another world, high above the earth in one of eight eco-cities, Kasey is determined to understand what happened to Celia, who sailed away and never returned.

At the center of this novel. How exactly did Cee end up on the island and what will Kasey’s investigation unearth. I found Cee’s devotion to her singular goal intriguing and as she grows throughout the novel and found her changing motivations compelling. Kasey’s wrestling with her lack of feeling towards certain tragedies in her life also resonated with me. As someone who doesn’t always feel things as intensely as other people, I felt seen.

One of the two primary themes I found incredibly prescient was the idea that everyone in the world was required to conduct business, school and recreation virtually through a stasis pod. It was super interesting to see the eco cities, their structure and the classical, racism and poverty that perpetuated, even in a future hypothetical where humans have become hyper conscious of environmental conservation and their carbon footprints.

The other theme I found incredibly thought provoking wasp the idea of ethics behind artificial intelligence development and if a machine can be sentient. Ever since reading books by authors likes John Marts and found this discussion the morality of artificial intelligence super interesting. Who has the right to govern the morality of technological advances like self driving vehicles? I was not expecting this idea to come into play in the novel but I was presently surprised and think The Ones We’re Meant to Find contributed cogently to the ongoing discussion.

At this point, I have to admit to liking the second half of the novel way more than the first half I felt like the first half kind of dragged as we were introduced to the world, along with the science and technology behind it all. That’s not to say I dislike the book. In fact, because of the second half, I ultimately gave this one 4🌟. It was not at all what I expected and I mean it in the best possible way.

I would recommend this standalone to fans of Neal Shusterman’s Arc of Scythe trilogy and Scott Reintgen’s Nyxia triad.

The Ones We're Meant to Find is a beautifully written sci-fi story about two sisters battling climate change and questioning humanity. It's a thought-provoking narrative about sisterhood and has some shocking plot twists to blow the readers away.
I loved how the plot was so unique and different to anything I've ever read, adding a beautifully fresh narrative to everything. In the beginning, the pacing of the story was quite slow and the author took her time setting everything up. But around halfway things pick up with shocking revelations that kept me on my toes, turning the pages a mile a minute. I love the themes that the author wove into the story but I wasn't a huge fan of the open ending. All that being said, I would recommend this for sure, especially if you don't mind open endnigs :)

This book defies summarizing, so I'll keep it brief.

"The Ones We're Meant to Find" takes place in what could very well be a potential reality for humanity in the near future. This book follows Kasey who is trying to find her lost sister, and that sister, Celia who is stranded on an unknown island somewhere. As Cee battles against nature to return to the life she lost, Kasey battles against society's expectations of her and the pending doom of humanity. By the time you're finished this book, you'll think of this summary and realize it almost has nothing to do with the book at all. It's just that twisty.

I'm a huge nerd for speculative fiction, although lately it's been a lot harder to consume this genre what with the world being a literal dumpster fire and all. But this wasn't too difficult for me since it felt so futuristic and distant with the scientific advancements. Sure, this could definitely happen one day, but (hopefully) not when I'm alive! I did struggle with the world building of this future society, mostly with the technological pieces at the beginning. There was a lot of info dumping and quick changes between points of view, and I felt like I didn't have a grasp on Kasey's situation and experience until much later in the book. In contrast, Cee's character was instantaneously relatable (in retrospect, definitely an intentional move by He -- I bumped up my rating to a 4 after thinking about this some more). But some of the descriptions of the science and tech felt...impossible. Fiction, yes, I know, but it still made it hard to suspend disbelief occasionally. My only other qualm was with the ending which was left possibly ambiguous? I'm not exactly sure what happened there, and I'm not willing to read between the lines to make any inferences. The last few scenes were incredibly rushed, and I wish He had taken more time to flesh those out more.

The prose is fantastic and easy to follow (besides the setting details at times). The plot line was incredibly engaging mostly because I found much of it confusing and wanted to figure out what was going on! I think the strongest part of this novel, however, are the themes the author tackles and how thought provoking the narrative is with its clear bias. I would be excited to have a group of students read this for a lit circle to discuss some of these topics! If you're a lover of sci-fi/speculative fiction like me, but also love a mystery or thriller, you'll definitely like this one!

Sci fi abd adventure and sisters and THAT COVER. I think the 16+ crowd will enjoy this dystopian and disturbing tale.

The Ones We're Meant To Find is an incredible, wholly different book that is brilliant and emotional. This book truly takes you on a wild adventure that you will never forget!

Upon finishing it, I had a million different thoughts running through my mind, I quite honestly still do. It's because this book is THAT kind of a book! You will be left wondering all the things and wanting to re-read it ASAP! The best way I can describe this book is like Inception but in book form and so much better! Joan's writing is so unique and brilliant, her books are always unlike anything I've ever read!

More Joan He books, it's what we all deserve! I would recommend this one to everyone!

This review is a difficult one to write, because I did not enjoy this one as much as I had hoped.
I will say that I remain a fan of Joan He's writing. I loved her first book and the writing itself is still as strong and poignant as I remember it being in DOTC. This sci-fi novel was a tall order and the fact that He pulled it off at all is a testament to her power. To be clear, I didn't hate TOWMK. There were a lot of things I really enjoyed: He's writing, the pure emotion that permeates every single page of this book, the yearning between the sisters for each other and the dystopian atmosphere that He pulls off. I really enjoyed Cee's storyline in particular, and watching her persistently trying to find her sister when she wakes up on a deserted island with no memories. The main twist in regards to Cee is also really good when you finally understand it, but that was a big part of my issue. This book is so confusing to those of us who are not scientifically minded. I felt SO incredibly lost, especially in Kasey's parts, when the book gets bogged down by the details and scientific-speak that I had no clue what was going on in it. That isn't a reflection on the author, but it was so dense it left me feeling really confused for large portions of the book. Also, the timelines are super confusing and for me it hampered the story's flow. I know that is part of an overall writing strategy to build up to certain twists, but not being able to have a concrete timeline messed with me. I felt so confused so much that this is the main reason this is not a 4 or 5 star read for me.
I think people who are fans and can comprehend dense sci-fi language will really enjoy this book. I'm just not one of those people. Still, I remain a big fan of Joan He and look forward to reading more of her books in the future.

"Because it was possible to love someone without fully understanding them. Possible to love parts of them, and not their whole."

Two sisters. Kay and Cee. Night and Day. Land and Sea. Logic and Emotions. The juxtaposition in their characterisation as well as the situations they were placed into were brilliant. but more so, these characters were beautiful. the self-realisation and journey rooted in finding purpose, coupled with their precipice-fragile and vulnerable relationship with each other, this book was such an experience. The side characters I felt were unpredictable and injected their own flavours of morality and purpose into the lives of these 2 sisters, making it flow so seamlessly.


"But science was infinite. Science knew no revenge. No emotion."

But The Ones We’re Meant to Find was not just a simple, sweet story about sisters and their love for each other. It goes so much deeper, particularly in the second half of the book where it becomes intrinsically thematic yet managing to maintain its resonance. Before I skim the surface of those themes, another area I would like to mention was the complexity of the world-building because. oh. my. goodness. Joan He envisions this futuristic world, so marvellous in its technological exploits, and yet the fissures running through it so clear. It’s honestly a scary future Joan has in mind, one where technology is all-consuming, to the extent of being part of people, part of their identity, but resulting in privacy and self-control being things of the past.

"The dominos had been set centuries ago. One quake, and they all fell. The people had brought this upon themselves."

And what’s more is the environmental status of the world at that time. Megaquakes, all the natural disasters you can imagine… people are even ranked based on their carbon footprint, having to live within safe domed cities. and through Kasey in particular, a salient message of the consequences of climate change as well as the simple yet meaningful question of whose responsibility it is rings through.


"We’re nothing as timeless as stars in orbit. More like two grains of sand before the tide rushes in. Here, then not. Human."

This is a work of science fiction, one may say that it is inevitable that the theme of bots vs humans would surface. Just like the other elements, The Ones We’re Meant to Find did it wonderfully. I think after merely a few twists and turns, it left me in an existential crisis no joke. We’re forced to confront the uncomfortable truth about bots, how uncannily like humans they can be, what roles they play in influencing the world. We’re faced memories and emotions, aspects we deem special to humans, manipulated in such unthinkable ways. the countless paradoxes on this topic included, as well as the exploration on the complexity of well… humanity, were incredibly thoughtful and resonated.

“Celia had loved the sea. Loved the whitecaps that foamed like milk, the waltz of sunlight atop the peaks. Kasey did not. The sea was a trillion strands of hair, infinitely tangled on the surface and infinitely dense beneath. It distorted time: Minutes passed like hours and hours passed like minutes out there. It distorted space, made the horizon seem within reach."

Okay I think it’s now time for me to perhaps shake off the reverent mood and rant about Joan He’s incredible writing style and plot skills?! From the quotes I’m certain you can appreciate the lyrical prose that I just want to take into my hands and stroke tenderly argh. There were also some curious stylistic choices such as Cee’s chapters in first person and Kay’s in third person, and yet the switch between the two helped pace the story and build up the drama and momentum so well.

Something else that was mastered was the foreshadowing, every twist had me half screaming internally and half smacking my head at my naivety but truly, it was riveting and I 100% loved the ride.


"And I think that we have less choice over the ones we’re meant to find."

Melancholic, due to the intangible yet perceptible heaviness of the air with the depth of the topics explored. But also moving with its grace and sensitivity. The Ones We’re Meant to Find was incredibly written and will certainly resonate with you. ❤

I read this book as part of the blog tour hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours. Special thanks to NetGalley and Roaring Brook Press for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review. 5 stars

I’m truly at a loss for words as to how to describe the magnificence and beauty of this book. This was quite simply a masterpiece and proves what an incredible talent Joan He is. The brilliance of He’s imagination and ability to beautifully craft such a gripping climate science-fiction mystery with raw and realistically flawed characters is astounding. I became so invested in this story that it hurt (and yes, I did cry). Not only would I highly recommend this, even to those who struggle with sci-fi, but I’d also recommend going into it knowing as little as possible—rest assured the slowly unfurling story full of tension, mystery and heartache is so very worth it!

I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this since I finished it and my mind is still churning with the jaw-dropping twists and turns and the way He brilliantly weaves together so many elements of this story. I don’t know how else to say it, but no element in this book was wasteful as He managed to bring everything back around. I’m sure you can tell by now but I’m struggling to formulate coherent thoughts because my mind is just blown away! 🤯 I do feel like there’s not much that can be said without spoiling it but I’ll do my best to share my thoughts!

This story unfolds at a leisurely pace—there’s absolutely no rush in the telling and it allows you to completely immerse yourself in this vivid futuristic world. He paints a richly mysterious atmosphere that slowly and completely sucks you in. The world-building is quite extensive and I was pleasantly surprised by the futuristic science and technology in this. I tend to get easily overwhelmed when sci-fi gets overly descriptive about technical science but that didn’t happen here as He’s enchanting writing makes it easy to understand and picture. The mystery of Celia’s disappearance had me constantly questioning everything and everyone and it’s safe to say that I was hanging onto the edge of my seat in nervous anticipation and shock the whole way through!

I don’t read a lot of climate fiction so this was another unique element that added even more layers to the story. I have to say that it was unsettling only because it wasn’t hard to imagine a world where humans face the consequences of our past (current) actions at such a magnitude as its described in this book. In this future, the earth is literally killing humans and we only have ourselves to blame. 🤷🏻‍♀️

TOWMTF is told from two POVs and has a bit of a convoluted timeline. Thankfully, I was able to easily grasp the difference but that’s something to keep in mind if you’re confused—things will eventually clear up and when it all clicks into place the ‘a-ha!’ moment will feel so good! Even without the alternating first-person and third-person views to distinguish chapters, Celia and Kasey have such distinctive personalities and voices that it’s easy to picture them individually come to life. Both sisters are realistically flawed and relatable to some extent and though are wildly different from each other the love and devotion they have for one another is unquestionable. Oh, my heart. MY HEART! Joan He has absolutely wrecked it with the connections in this story! 😭 While I related to Celia’s chapters more, I highly appreciated Kasey’s character. She’s not your typical YA female lead and while I didn’t come to “love” her, this story would not be what it is without her being who she is, and I loved how she was unapologetically so.

Overall, the blurb definitely doesn't lie when it says that this is one of the most twisty, surprising, engaging page-turners that you will read. This book defied any expectations that I might've had and it stunned me with every page I turned until the very bitter end. I wasn't ready for the emotional journey this took me on but my gosh is it worth it! There's nothing else for me to say except do yourself a favour and pick up this book and prepare to have your mind blown and your heart in pieces!

The thing that got me first about this book was the cover. It’s stunning and arresting and, having finished the book, is absolutely perfect. It tells you everything and yet somehow still nothing.

The Ones We’re Meant to Find tells the story of two sisters, Cee and Kasey, separated by the sea. It’s told in dual perspectives which I found to be a brilliant touch. There really is no other way to do this book. Cee’s chapters focus on her trying to survive on a deserted island, plotting her eventual attempt to leave on a homemade raft. Cee’s entire driving force is to find her sister who she hears calling for her in dreams. Kasey’s chapters focus on what life is like for everyone left in the world, which has become inhospitable except for levitated eco-cities spread around the globe.

This book is wild. I found myself gasping at the end of each chapter over what felt like nonstop plot twists. A good book is one that changes how you perceive what’s happening and a great book is one that has you questioning your footing from the start. I kept finding myself thinking, “Okay, just one more so I know what happens with the other sister.”

I felt that Cee’s chapters were more interesting than Kasey’s, but that could very well be because I don’t gravitate that hard towards sci fi and the survival stuff with Cee really grabbed my attention. I liked that Joan He drops us right into the world but there were some passages in Kasey’s chapters that I had to reread a few times because I felt like I was missing things. To be totally honest, I still feel like that having finished the book.

I bet this would read spectacularly on a reread. It’s definitely heartbreaking and beautiful.

4 stars.

Joan He's second novel is an incredible science fiction tale of sisterhood, love, and the ramifications of climate change.

Cee, who has been alone for three years on an island, only knows she has a sister named Kay. Kasey Mizuhara is looking for her sister. Meanwhile, the impacts of climate change continue to impact the residents of the levitating eco-cities.

Although I'm only halfway through the book, Joan He is definitely crafting a stunning tale of the power of sibling love and how humans must take the impacts of climate change seriously. I really like the worldbuilding and it's unlike any science fiction I've read before. This novel is also in a different genre than Descendant of the Crane, and Joan He is able to transition flawlessly to this new genre. I would definitely recommend this as I it's one of my top 10 books of 2021. I look forward to seeing what Joan He writes in the future.

With the immense amount of hype this book was receiving pre-publication, I will admit, I was a bit nervous going into it. But in the end, I ended up binging this book in two days. TWO. DAYS.

“The Ones We’re Meant to Find” is the dystopian novel I didn’t know I was missing. In a world where science is everything and provides so much to the ones living in e-cities, you can easily fall in love with the world-building Joan He expertly crafted and detailed throughout the book. I will admit though, I was spellbound by the island more than the e-cities, surprisingly enough.

Cee is a complex character. She’s determined to find a way off of the island she’s been stuck on for the past three years, and just when she figures out a way and a plan, something holds her back. It was easy to empathize with and understand her character and her emotions, thoughts and feelings. You wanted to mourn with her at each foiled attempt of escape, and you rooted for her each time she started again.

However, while Kasey is also complex, she’s an interesting and infuriating character too. Personally, I didn’t like her at all–and I say this with good meaning. The author wrote her character in a way that made you dislike her, but you can also understand her opinions and thought processes by analyzing the story behind her decisions.

I’ve spent the last two months in school studying dystopia and the effects they’d have on society, and I have to say that Joan He has not failed to prove a point in this book: living in a futuristic dystopia has its benefits, but there are so many negatives that can and/or will outweigh any of the good bits. With the ease in which the society was bit and shattered in “The Ones We’re Meant to Find,” it’s so clear and mind-numbing to see the impact of each decision someone in a higher power makes for “the good” of everyone. And with that, we also see its domino effects those same decisions can have on the people directly affected by them.

I really enjoyed this book, even more so than I originally thought I would. My only dislike of it was that the beginning wasn’t a very strong hook as I’d have preferred, and in other parts of the book, I did feel like it dragged a bit. But overlooking those things, I really am happy and so grateful to have had the opportunity to read and share about this book.

For that, I rate this book 4 stars. This was my first book from Joan He, and I think it’s safe to say I’m desperate for more from her. I highly suggest picking this book up if you’re a fan of complex and detailed sci-fi with a mysterious twist woven in.

After reading and enjoying Joan He's debut, I had to check this one out even though sci-fi is not my go-to genre. This one is emotionally impacting onto of the twisty-twists that I was expecting.

This stunningly crafted climate disaster dystopian novel is going to stay with me for a while. Two sisters, one lost and trapped on a deserted island with only a robot and what little remains of her memories and the other trying to figure out what happened to her in a floating city above the sea, struggle to come to terms with their present. What happened to Celia? And what lengths will Kay go to to ensure nothing like it ever happens to anyone else? Questions about humanity, culpability, privilege, and environmental stewardship are at the center of this story, and He handles them all with the care and subjectivity they deserve. Tightly plotted, full of twists and intrigue, and just a beautiful and thought-provoking story. I'm going to be thinking about this book for a long time.

This story is told by two POV, Cee and Kasey who are sisters. One sister, Cee is stranded in desert island where she woke up there for the last three years and doesn’t know how she ended up on the island. The other sister Kasey is in a city called “eco city” and is floating city. Cee is trying her best to find her sister and be united with her again.

The last month was not a good reading month and this was third book that read and was able to finished. The story started out slow and a little confusing at first and then when continue to read through the book it really started to speed up the pace. Joan He did a great job at the worldbuilding and going from writing fantasy to sci-fi. This was a very heart wreching and unpredictable story. I am glad that I decided to keep reading it to the end and was surprised how much I enjoy it.

If you love Joan He’s Descendant of the Crane, you would love her new adventure into sci-fi genre and will love this book. I would definitely recommend it.

“Some secrets were best left at sea, between sisters.”

When I started reading The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He, I was reminded of early 2010s. The wide-eyed wonder of getting to know a futuristic world, with all its glamorous technology in contrast to people trying to survive on the outskirts—these are some of the most common themes in YA dystopia a decade ago. I grew up with these stories, from Marie Lu’s Legend and Veronica Rossi’s Under the Never Sky to Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies and Lauren Oliver’s Delirium.

While TOWMTF is reminiscent of these stories, reading it today made dystopia feel so fresh and new again.

A story about climate change, individual decisions and how their effects can change many people’s lives, TOWMTF is ultimately Kacey and Cee’s journey toward finding each other.

Just typing that made me teary-eyed because…reasons.

This book is beautifully-written and so tender. I think you can feel it from the cover alone, how beautiful and melancholy it looks at the same time. Joan’s writing is exactly like that. And because the words are so beautifully rendered, you won’t see the gut-punching twists coming your way.

There were times I got a little lost, especially at the beginning, but once it started to come together, there’s nothing but breathless anticipation for what will happen to these characters next.

Speaking of characters, I loved Cee and Kacey so much. These two, beautiful, broken sisters who love each other so much their love can literally save the world.

Cee’s determination to get back to Kacey despite years of fruitless attempts immediately endeared her to me. But it was Kacey—smart, stoic, silent—whom I found relating to more. I saw so much of myself in her and her decisions and feelings. I feel like the inner workings of my brain have been laid out for all to see when I was reading her chapters.

I honestly don’t think my review can do this book justice. It’s better to go into this without knowing much about it, anyway. The only thing you need to know is that this is one of the best books you’ll read this year.