SECRETS. SIBLING LOYALTY. SECOND CHANCES.

Set against the vibrant backdrop of Brooklyn, Lorraine Zago Rosenthal masterfully explores the complexities of family dynamics and the intricacies of forgiveness. In a narrative where secrets surface and relationships are tested, she illustrates how sometimes, worlds must shatter before they can be authentically reconstructed, revealing the resilience of the human spirit.

Intro
Lorraine Zago Rosenthal returns to the contemporary young adult scene with The Only One, a grounded, deeply emotional, and bittersweet coming-of-age story. For readers who loved the raw vulnerability of her debut Other Words for Love and the complex social dynamics of New Money, this novel bridges those worlds perfectly. Set against a vivid New York backdrop, THE ONLY ONE provides a masterclass in how family friction, secrets, and first loves shape who we are when our world unexpectedly shatters.

The Hook
Seventeen-year-old Eden Russo is the fragile bridge keeping her family from imploding. But when a mysterious family friend with a criminal past returns to her Brooklyn neighborhood, the unstable peace cracks wide open, unearthing secrets that threaten to break her bonds forever.

Elevator Pitch
The story follows Italian American teen Eden Russo as she navigates her final year before college while trapped in the crossfire of a bitter, lifelong feud between her restaurant-owner father and her law-student older brother. When her best friend falls for Shea Dwyer—a troubled young man just released from prison—Eden's efforts to protect everyone she loves unlock a chain reaction of painful rifts, shocking family revelations, and an unexpected path toward true love.

Setting
A richly textured, atmospheric Brooklyn, New York. The story breathes life into the neighborhood through the sensory warmth of Marty’s popular local Italian restaurant contrasted against the cold, rigid realities of legal ambitions and the lingering shadow of past trauma.

Vibe
Emotional, authentic, and bittersweet. It blends the cozy, high-stakes comfort of tight-knit neighborhood drama with the heavy, lingering angst of unresolved family grief.

Genre
Contemporary Young Adult / Realistic Fiction / Family Drama.

Themes
~The Burden of Sibling and Filial Loyalty: Being caught in the middle of people who love you but hate each other.
~The Repercussions of Hidden Truths: How keeping secrets to "protect" family ultimately destroys trust.
~Grief and Absence: The invisible, persistent shadow cast by a mother who died too soon.
~Redemption vs. Reputation: Society's hesitation to allow someone with a troubled past to truly start over.

Standout Characters
~Eden Russo: The empathetic, practical protagonist desperate to keep her family whole while trying to claim her own future.
~Libby King: Eden’s feisty, short-tempered best friend who comes from a fractured home and becomes fiercely infatuated with a newcomer.
~Shea Dwyer: The alluring, enigmatic newcomer with a car-theft record whose presence acts as the catalyst for the family's underlying tension.
~Marty Russo: Eden's devoted, hardworking father and restaurant owner, whose fierce protectiveness borders on a stubborn refusal to let go of old grudges.
~Drew Russo: Eden's fiercely protective, law-aspiring older half-brother, whose deep-seated resentment toward Marty creates a permanent battlefield.

Author Writing Standout
Rosenthal's greatest strength lies in her ability to create authentic dialogue and portray realistic family dynamics. She captures the complex and messy rhythm of a fractured household without outrageous plot twists. Instead, she allows the tension to build naturally through conversations that feel entirely genuine. Her work reflects the intricate relationships within a deeply loving, albeit complicated, family.

Takeaway
You cannot sacrifice your own peace to act as a lifelong mediator for the people around you; sometimes, worlds have to break before they can be rebuilt on honest foundations.

Title Significance
The Only One underscores Eden’s isolating role as the solitary anchor connecting her father and brother. It also represents her personal journey to finding that unique, singular person with whom she can finally share her unvarnished truths.

Metaphors
~The mother’s necklace is a fragile, beautiful piece of the past that Eden holds onto, symbolizing both her deep longing for a mother she barely knew and the heavy weight of family history. Just as the necklace represents a beautiful memory tangled up in painful warnings, Eden’s family is bound by a deep love that is constantly choked by unspoken truths and old grudges.

~The family restaurant. It is a place built on the warmth of feeding others and fostering community, yet behind the kitchen doors, the people running it are emotionally starving for peace and reconciliation.

Why You Should Read
If you crave a story where family dynamics are just as crucial, messy, and high-stakes as the love interest, this is a must-add to your bookshelf.

My Thoughts
Having read all of Lorraine Zago Rosenthal’s novels, The Only One feels like her most mature and grounded contemporary work yet. The tension between Marty and Drew is so sharp you can practically feel it radiating off the page, making Eden’s exhaustion completely relatable. Shea’s introduction injects a perfect blend of mystery and romantic tension that keeps the pages turning effortlessly. A beautiful, character-driven story where the author skillfully balances heavy family fracture with a soaring, hopeful romance that reminds us why Lorraine Zago Rosenthal remains a trusted master of contemporary fiction.

Verdict 5/5 Stars #CoverLove
"THE ONLY ONE is a beautiful, bittersweet, character-driven story where the author masterfully balances heavy family fracture with a soaring, hopeful romance— reminding us why Lorraine Zago Rosenthal remains a trusted master of contemporary fiction!”

Recs or read alikes
~Always and Forever by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal
(Her recent release; excellent if you want to transition from her YA to her women's fiction, featuring similar themes of bitter generational conflict, New York family secrets, and hidden romantic feelings).

~Charmed by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal
(Her women's fiction novel exploring childhood scars from a contentious family fracture, secrets long hidden, and a lingering Brooklyn-based yearning).

~Other Words for Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal
(Her debut YA novel; perfect for readers who loved the raw New York teen experience, first heartbreak, and navigating changing social worlds).

~Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen
(For a protagonist navigating the overwhelming shadow of family friction, a sibling's mistakes, and finding her own voice).

If you have not read her work, Lorraine Zago Rosenthal (a fan and long time favorite author having read all her books & the honor of interviewing her), is highly recommended. She elevates the same realistic and highly grounded stories as authors Joyce Maynard, Emily Giffin, Rebecca Serle, or Julie Buxbaum, where characters deal with everyday anxieties. Rosenthal, who holds a background in psychology, similarly prioritizes deeply flawed, emotionally complex characters navigating family dynamics and social transitions reflected in her novels.

#LitLiftMiniAuthorChats
Stay tuned for a fun #LitLiftMiniAuthorChat ride (my blog/website/newsletter) with Lorraine as we welcome back to the lift on pub day, Nov 10 where we go behind the scenes of the book & talented author. Do not miss it.

Special thanks to Tribeca Press and the author for sharing an advance reading copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: Nov 10, 2026
Nov Featured #LitLiftMiniAuthorChat

I enjoyed everything about this novel: the honest portrayal of the characters, the depth and complexity of their relationships, and the realistic way they all interact. The tension between Marty and Drew is palpable, and I really felt for Eden when that tension explodes. She is caught between two people she loves and who both love her. The author does a great job of expressing Eden’s longing for the mother she never knew. Drew fiercely wants to protect Eden, and when he notices her attraction to Shea, he confronts her with warnings about the tragic path their mother’s life took during her own teenage years. But Eden slowly learns that there is more to Shea than her brother knows.

The Only One features strong writing, a believable and relatable story, surprising twists, cinematic imagery, and a perfect, poignant ending. Favorite line: “I would trade every gift I’ve been given to bring her back."

My thanks to Tribeca Press for the advance copy through NetGalley.

Eden’s journey ripped me apart emotionally and glued me back together. I have a special place in my heart for YA novels that give equal attention to adults and teens, and The Only One does just that. The adult characters aren’t hidden in the shadows, they’re as fleshed out and relatable as the adolescents, who aren’t depicted as stereotypical teenagers partying all the time. Eden, Libby, and the rest of the cast cope with issues that deeply resonated with me. This story is addicting and so beautifully bittersweet.

Eden Russo might seem to have a blessed life. Her father, Marty, owns a thriving Italian restaurant in Brooklyn, they live together in a recently renovated house, and she drives a Mercedes that Marty gifted her for her last birthday. Eden’s older brother, Drew, is handsome and intelligent, has recently graduated from law school, and is dating the beautiful Brooke Langford.

Everything looks perfect. But looks can be deceiving.

This family has dealt with years of heartache and loss stemming from the untimely death of Marty’s wife, Dawn. She is Eden and Drew’s mother, but they do not share a father. Drew’s father used to be as handsome as his son, yet he has always been “hollow” inside. For most of Drew’s life, his father has been in prison, and he has never met him. Drew is strong, stoic, and hyper-focused on independently raising himself toward the upper class by hard work and academic achievement. He fiercely protects Eden and pushes her to succeed, while Marty is lenient. He’s a loving father, and he does his best to compensate for the loss of Eden’s mother. Eden is often caught up in the friction between her father and brother, who have reasons to resent each other.

Eden’s best friend, Libnah King, has her own broken family. Her father cut himself off from his wife and children, leaving them to struggle to survive in their small apartment. Libby’s mother, Krystal, works several jobs and adds to her income by selling tarot readings. Libby’s older brother, Wade, turned to crime in his teens, leading to a two-year prison stint with his good friend, Shea Dwyer. Libby pines for Shea, telling Eden that he “actually pays attention to me.” Libby wants Eden to help her get Shea a job at Marty’s restaurant, but Eden is hesitant. Over time, she learns that Shea has his own unfortunate history and secrets.

The characters in this book deliver remarkable realism and emotion, but the plot is just as deep and gripping. There is a love story here, and so much more.

Although Eden and Libby are teenagers who deal with high school, peers, and dating, their home lives are far more serious, touched by death, abandonment, incarceration, and painful family strife. Every character is nuanced, and even characters who seem hardened are shown to be bruised souls. Dawn’s presence is in memories, but she still comes to life as who she once was, a carefree, creative young girl who liked art and Nirvana, who lived in a house with pink roses in the front yard, unaware that she would become the tragic catalyst that led her family to “an endless trail of grief.”

For those who love complex, realistic, contemporary novels with a protagonist on the brink of adulthood who endures a painful journey but makes it to the other side, The Only One is a must-read.

(I have also read Lorraine Zago Rosenthal's novel, Always and Forever. Due to how much I enjoyed that story, I had high hopes for her latest, and I was not disappointed. Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy!)

🌟My rating: 5/5 stars

❤️My review: Eden Russo is a 17-year-old who has a loving bond with her widowed father, Marty, and her older brother, Drew. Marty and Drew have a strained relationship, and Eden referees the tension between them that leads back to the death of Eden’s mother, Dawn. Eden also has a close bond with her best friend, Libnah (Libby) King, who also lives in a single-parent household and has her own struggles, including a brother who has recently been released from prison. Libby’s brother, Wade, served time for car theft along with his closest friend, Shea Dwyer. He and Wade are polar opposites, and Libby has long carried a torch for Shea. Their return to Brooklyn and other life-shattering events touch everyone—especially Eden as she faces the brink of adulthood.

The Only One is an emotional and heartfelt coming-of-age novel that is well told. The young characters navigate serious issues, and the adults are depicted as sympathetically as the adolescents. Eden is an endearing, empathetic protagonist, and all of the characters feel real and are so memorable. The story hooked me from the first page, surprised me with unexpected twists, and delivered a heartfelt ending. I highly recommend this book!

📖 My gratitude to NetGalley and Tribeca
Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.