One of the Boys by Jayne Cowie is a mystery/thriller novel that is set up in a science fiction dystopian world. In this world violence and crime is at a minimum when male children can be tested at birth to determine if they may turn into a criminal with violent tendencies.

Antonia and Bea are sisters who are living completely different lives from one another all thanks to the genetic testing of their sons. At birth Antonia had her son tested for the M gene and was lucky enough that her son came back with a negative test leaving every opportunity open to him in life.

Then on the other hand there is Bea who also had a son born but refused to get her son tested knowing that if there is a positive result her son’s life would be set on a course she wouldn’t be able to stop. Even without having a positive test though the untested are treated just as poorly leaving Bea and her family to scrape by.

One of the Boys is actually the second book I’ve read by Jayne Cowie and I’ve really enjoyed them both. I do believe that the thrilling side to the story is more prominent and definitely keeps the pages turning. However, I also really appreciate when a dystopian world is clear in the world building and the author certainly came up with a thought provoking world in which her characters live. I couldn’t help but become engaged in the story wondering how it would all turn out and now look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

⭐⭐/5

• speculative suspense
• flat characters
• multiple POV/timelines

It's a unique premise based on an ethical/moral question. This one was definitely a slow burn for me and I found myself struggling to focus on it. In the end, it didn't really pay off for me.

🗣️ Thank you to @netgalley and Berkley for the opportunity to read and review this book via gifted eARC! All opinions are honest and my own.

Two sisters, Antonia and Bea, are also mothers of sons. There is a test to check for the violence gene, and the sisters disagree on the test. One believes it’s an important test and should be used. The other believes children shouldn’t have their lives determined based on a single test result.

One of the Boys is told using the points of view of both Antonia and Bea. This gives both sides of the story for the gene test. As the boys get older, schools start to require testing, and it’s more accepted that everyone does it. One mother is all for the testing, but the other is completely against the testing. Both mothers want to protect their children.

An intriguing and unique thriller. Recommended for readers who enjoy a dystopian spin on their domestic thrillers.

As a boy mother I have to say that this book was sensational! I was hooked from page one and felt like I was really able to put myself in the place of these mothers and what they would do in this situation. If you could test your son for the violence gene would you? What a question and what a loaded book exploring all the pros and cons in it's own way. As a mother this will tear at your insides and you will not be able to stop turning the pages. I will definitely read more by this author!

This was an absolute mind blowing read. It had me sat on the edge of the seat throughout my entire read. The plot is twisty and very provocative.

What an interesting premise! I really enjoyed this and thought it played out well and was very realistic. I could see this happening in real life, especially how folks would be treated if there was a ‘violent’ gene determined and some were tested and proven to have it. I mean, it would not be hugs all around for sure. I read this pretty quickly as the pacing was fast and my attention was held the entire time. The audio was perfect for a book such as this, and I have definitely been thinking about it long after I finished.

I have not read this author before and will definitely be keeping an eye out for what she writes next. Thank you to Berkeley and PRH Audio for the copies to review.

This was such a thought-provoking book. I found the world in this book to be fascinating and horrendous and like I said it really made me think. I look forward to reading what this author writes next.

The “nature versus nurture” debate has been going on since the days of Cain and Abel. What’s more responsible for personality: upbringing or genetics? Lately, the balance has tilted more toward the genetics side of things. As more genes are identified that link to certain personality traits and quirks, how close are we to these tests becoming a routine part of an infant’s first medical screening? Or even a prenatal diagnosis?



Author Jayne Cowie takes these questions and marries them to traditional domestic suspense tropes in her sophomore release, One of the Boys. The result is a sometimes uneven but always engaging look not only at the “nature versus nurture” question, but also issues of parenting styles, wealth and class, shortcomings in the healthcare system, and what it means to be a good mother.

Antonia and Bea are sisters, but their lives couldn’t be more different. Older sister Antonia married a doctor; unmarried Bea gave birth to her son in a bathroom because the NHS midwife wouldn’t believe her claim of labor. But both women have brought up their sons in a world changed by the discovery of a gene, M, that predicts male violence. Married to the doctor who found the gene and made a fortune, Antonia’s son Jack is M negative, and it’s made all the difference in his life. But Bea opted not to test her son Simon, and society has treated him as positive by default. As the years pass, life gets harder and harder for the M positive and untested boys, as discrimination against them becomes legal in the name of keeping women safe. When things finally come to a head when Simon is 18, Bea turns to Antonia for support. But putting Simon and Jack together could be disastrous for both cousins.

Described as a feminist author, Cowie creates worlds that are anti-The Handmaid’s Tale. The narrative insistence that society hates boys and men and bends over backward to create a world safe for women (these themes are prevalent in her debut, Curfew) are almost comic to read in a country outlawing abortion and moving on to get rid of no-fault divorce. (In her defense, Cowie lives in the U.K., so she might not be living daily with this irony.) Still, I found the pacing in One of the Boys to be gripping, and the dilemma Cowie creates—how far should a mother go to protect her child—to be universal. And she delivers the twists and timing that a reader expects from the genre.

A supporting character, Zara, perfectly encapsulates the impact of this discovery. Her husband is one of the co-discoverers of the gene, and he leaves Zara when their son Malcolm tests positive. Other parents want nothing to do with Malcolm—his outbursts, even as a child, are truly scary—and Zara becomes impoverished trying to treat Malcolm on her own. The drugs that treat the gene cause side effects which lead the boys not to take them; withdrawing from the drug causes surges in violence. Completely isolated from society, M positive boys—and eventually men—are sent to “farms” to perform hard labor, as manual work and nature are supposed to keep them calm. These scenes with Malcolm reminded me of the struggles faced by parents who have children with autism—the isolation, the marital issues, the lack of support for adult children—and felt very real.

The characters didn’t work as well for me as the plot and pacing did. While Bea and Simon are sympathetic, Antonia comes across as entitled and out of touch in the beginning, and unbelievable at the end. The men in the story are stereotypical. Still, a reader doesn’t pick up a book like this for deeply nuanced and thoughtful characterizations, so these aspects didn’t really bother me. Two twists at the end had me scratching my head, though. And while eventually there was talk of adult men getting tested for the gene, prenatal testing isn’t mentioned at all, which would have added a very compelling and ironic dimension to the plot.

Domestic suspense is a popular genre, and I applaud One of the Boys for marrying it with science fiction tropes. “How far should a mother go to protect her child” is one of those universal literary questions that appear in works across centuries. The more complicated version of this question recognizes that sometimes it’s not the child that needs protection, but everyone else.

Thanks to Berkley for the book in exchange for an honest review.

One of the Boys was a mixed bag for me. On one hand, the part of me that enjoys an original and thrilling page-turner found much to appreciate. But, on the other hand, my inner overthinker had a few reservations.

The book's premise is intriguing and thought-provoking, complete with well-executed but not surprising twists and turns that keep the story engaging. The suspense drove the story forward, and I eagerly flipped through the pages, searching for answers. However, there was one significant hurdle I had trouble overcoming – the believability factor.

My analytical side struggled to fully immerse in the story because I found it hard to buy into testing boys for a gene that might make them violent. It raises profound questions about choice, knowledge, and ethics, but I couldn't convince myself to engage with them because it felt over the top and too much. The treatment of the boys with and without the gene added an intriguing layer to the story, but even that stretched my ability to suspend disbelief.

One of the Boys had a promising premise, but it ultimately pushed the boundaries too far for me to invest in the narrative entirely.

As the mom of a boy, I find One of the Boys to be an interesting take on violence in men, but it's also so much more than that. It's about choices and their consequences and the what-ifs. I've seen some other reviews saying the plot twists are predictable and that takes away from their opinion of the book, but I don't agree. I don't think Jayne Cowie was trying for "gotcha" thriller moments. I think she was trying to make the reader think about actions and consequences, and I think she completely, totally succeeded. I loved this book!

I’ve been living the girl mom life for the last decade, but I’m only 2 months in to my boy mom era. Given that, I haven’t had much time to fully contemplate what it means to raise a son in this current world. I know that I’d do anything in my power to keep him safe, healthy and happy - exactly like I would my girls. One of the Boys goes on to question exactly how far would you go to protect your children?

In One of the Boys, scientists discover a gene that can potentially predict violent behavior in men from birth. Cliff Notes version - All violent male offenders have the M gene, but not all M+ boys turn out to be violent. In this future, boys are offered the test at birth, and as time goes on more and more aspects of their lives are impacted by their status. Doors open for those without the gene, and those with the gene - and those untested why can’t prove otherwise - are met with roadblocks and lack of access to equal resources. Schools, jobs, benefits.
The story centers around 2 sisters with similarly aged sons, 1 negative for the gene and 1 untested. The story also follows another boy in their circle who tests positive for the gene.

There is SO much to talk about from this one - I would love to read it with a group,

Nature vs. Nurture - and how do they impact each other? What makes a good mother? Is it fair to label babies as good or bad based on a single measure? Can/should society do the same? Are any of those issues black and white, or shades of gray? How many shades of gray are there? What measures would you take to protect your child?Where’s the line drawn for what you would do to “protect” your child? Would you get your baby tested for something like this?

I’m still working out what makes a mother a “good” mother - and I’m not sure I’ve worked out what I’d do as any of the mothers in this story. Definitely worth the read.

This story explores what a dystopian future would look like if we could test our sons for a violence gene. How far can a mother’s love go to protect her son? This book was addictive and had me questioning my ethics, morals, and the decisions I would make for my future children.

I had the opportunity to interview Jayne for the Feminist Book Club podcast and I have included it in the link.

Jayne Cowie’s One of the Boys is a genre-bending novel that marks itself as one of the most unique books I’ve read this year. Cowie’s imaginings can boast itself as part thriller, part domestic drama, and part dystopian.

While reading the synopsis of One of the Boys, I was positive that I would naturally have my boys tested for the gene for a predisposition to violence if I could. It’s no secret that historically and statistically, men as a whole are more violent than women. If I could protect others by having them tested, why wouldn’t I? After all, I was one of the women who did all genetic testing when pregnant just so I could be prepared.

Oh, but Cowie doesn’t let us off easy. By a quarter of the way through the novel, I wasn’t so sure. By half way through the novel, I was convinced that I wouldn’t do the test. By the end, I was once again teetering towards testing, but not certain by any means. There are consequences to labeling someone and there’s also consequences to not taking responsibility.

We see some really excellently written character-building here. There were points that I loved and hated both Bea and Antonia. We are taken through waves of understanding and layers are revealed. The characters contain multitudes and this is only amplified by the stress of this dystopian world.

There’s some major revelations that I saw coming almost immediately, simply because they would make sense in the scope of where the story was headed. Yet even knowing where the story was going, I was riveted. The tension built throughout the book and I couldn’t wait to pick it back up again. It was anxiety-inducing not knowing how these characters were going to end up, if justice would be served or not.

Jayne Cowie ties up this novel nicely but she doesn’t let her characters off the hook. Boys will not “just be boys” in her world, and I love her for it. I think one of the ways she shows her expertise in writing is the fact that she takes us through all mindsets. She put me in shoes that I never thought would fit, so to speak. One of the Boys is thought-provoking, chilling, and a very humbling experience.

Thanks to the team at Berkley for setting this up and sending me an early e-galley for review. An author interview will be available on FanFiAddict.com

What I loved and what sets this world apart is the emergence of the M+ and M- gene, which can potentially signify a male's predisposition towards aggression. What a fantastic premise and discussion - would be great for a bookclub. As a result, society becomes divided between the M+ "have-nots" and the privileged M- individuals.

This book presents a unique concept that struck me as both fascinating and unnerving. Its exploration of how a discovery like the M gene could shape society is thought-provoking, and the story kept me engaged despite the lack of a clear-cut summary. The character development of Antonia, Bea, and their sons is well-done, and their experiences in a society where the M+ are ostracized is both heartbreaking and infuriating. Overall, ONE OF THE BOYS is a compelling read that left me with much to ponder.

This feel short for me. We were to focused on this one family, who story line was predictable and the twist I saw from the start. It was such an interesting concept for the world and brought up a lot of good conversation about how we just people and how the world treats them. But we only got this family and very little outside of them. Even with the sisters being on opposite ends of the world's spectrum I didn't really get to feel the weight of being positive or negative.

ONE OF THE BOYS is a powerful domestic drama about "nature vs nurture" and it's impact on society. Although I had suspicions about the "big twist" early on, I still enjoyed this one up to the last page!

Thank you to #netgalley for my #arc

#OneoftheBoys

Thank you Netgalley & Berkley for an eARC of One of the Boys by Jayne Cowie! This was my first read by this author, and now I'm looking forward to reading her entire backlist.

I really enjoy books that can be described as somewhat dystopian, speculative thrillers. The premise of this book really interested me from the getgo - If you could test your son for a gene that predicts violence, would you? Two sisters have differing opinions on this - Antonia had her son tested as a newborn to make sure he didn't possess the M gene. Bea, on the other hand, doesn't want to know.

Both sisters will go to great lengths to protect their children, but which one of them is hiding a monster? I predicted a piece of the ending, but not all of it! Great twists throughout, and I thoroughly enjoyed the multiple POVs. This one really gets you wondering what you'd do in both Antonia and Bea's situations - And just how much of someone's destiny in life is down to nature vs. nurture?

The concept got my attention: if there were a test that could let you know if your son was violent (M plus gene), would you have him take it? It’s a really thought provoking question. This book follows two sisters, both with sons, who take a different view on the answer to that question. One does not test her son. The other tests her son and works with her husband to help M positive boys keep their violence in check. I read 50 percent of this book, but then put it aside. The writing and characters did not work for me.

Book Review: One of the Boys ✨

Star: ✨✨✨✨✨
Released: July 11th!
Publisher: @berkleypub

⁉️: In the novel, the main character who is a single mother rejects the rest of the son if he has the gene, which can make for a powerful read - about gene, violence, and inheritance. Would you ever test your child for a violent gene?

The novel was a dystopic imagination of what it would mean like if children were assumed to have the M gene. If they were M-negative, they are accepted by the society for being accepted by the people in the community. However, if the child was M-positive, they are rejected by the society and look like they need to have a treatment.

This novel reminded me of the educational systems that I grew up in. While in India, STEM is glorified often, and if you do humanities or literature, it is often viewed as “less than” unless you are a doctor or engineer. But, even having a PhD in English/women’s rights/human rights is also not taken seriously, even though your scholarship is worthy and makes a difference in the world. Likewise, in Singapore, there are various stages that begin since a child is in 4th grade, when they are stream lined into four years (express) or five years (normal). In 6th grade, I had PSLE exams which determined the secondary school would end in, and then in 8th just before I left for the US. I was given bio-chem and accounting (based on my classes and grades) rather than English literature. I do think education does make a great difference in terms of how children are excepted, and the question of violence isn’t only relegated to boys. But, the question of nurture vs nature, women can also be perpetrators and even serial killers (such as Eileen Wournos).

This novel, therefore, thought provoking and speaks to how the “violent” M gene is at the center of the novel. While Bea refuses to test her child, her sister is very much involved in the belief in the clinic owned by her husband and her, which creates the tension in the novel! These genes are not related to violence, but genes come into question when it comes to issues that are often reminded a taboo, especially in conservative societies that still see homesexuality, for example, as a tabooed issue sadly.

Thank you @letstalkbookspromo, @berkleypub, and @cowiejayne for the gifted e-arc!

#BerkleyWritesStrongWomen #BerkleyPub #PenguinRandomHouse #JayneCowie #OneofTheBoys

Whoa, this is a major what if. Would you test your child for “violent” M gene? Two sisters with children of their own couldn’t differ more on this opinion. Their decisions have dire consequences. I went into this one totally blind and think you should too!
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Huge thank you to @berkleypub @berittalksbooks @prhaudio thephdivabooks @dg_reads and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review