This is a story about the people meant to find us.

I really enjoyed this, and was surprised by what a deeply emotional read it was. I felt really positively about all of the characters, and could feel the anxious distress when it didn't seem like it was going to come together. I think the one thing that prevented it from being a 5 star read for me, was the lack of world building- I sometimes got stuck attempting to figure out the various elements to a point that was distracting from the content.

Thank you so much Netgalley & Roaring Brook for this e-Arc!

The Ones We’re Meant to Find was one my most anticipated reads of the year and it did not disappoint. To say that this book was sad is such an understatement. It was heart-wrenching, devastating, and I cannot stop thinking about it. The writing was beautiful, and it really added to the strange atmosphere of the sci-fi world so easily similar to our own. My favorite part of the plot was the survival aspect of Celia being stranded on an island. I love survival stories and this one delivered in a lot of ways. Celia’s chapters were definitely my favorite. I wasn’t expecting to fall for the romance as well though, but I really loved it. it was sweet and a little strange, but that’s what is so charming about this book.

This book is about what it means to be human, how we're never alone, no matter how lonely we feel. it’s about those we care for the most deeply; those we love, and the ones we’re meant to find. I connected with that message so deeply, and I think this will be a book I revisit often.

Overall, if you love strange, inexplicable books, the The Ones We’re Meant to Find if right up your alley!

[5 Stars]

I expected to really enjoy this book, but I didn't expect to love it as much as I did. I absolutely adored Kasey (+ Cee too), the commentary on global warming + morals of humanity, the incredible twists that kept me engaged, and all the complex sisterly love. As someone who is not often a fan of YA, The One's We're Meant to Find is a gem.
Please read this.

The Ones We're Meant To Find was a gorgeously written, thoughtful read navigating a complicated sisterly relationship in a world ravaged by climate change. It's one of those books that begins slightly confusingly and ends in your heart torn out. It's honestly such a beautiful read.


Cee is trapped on an island surrounded by the ocean as far as she can see. She can't remember anything of her previous life, other than that she has a sister, who she's desperate to find. Kasey lives in a floating eco-city in a world ravaged by climate change. She's struggling to cope with her sister's disappearance, she was lost at sea, and Kasey has given up hope.

This book is packed full of twists and turns that left my mouth hanging open in shock. It honestly felt like a soft, gentle ocean that hid dark, dangerous waves. I wouldn't describe this as a fast-paced read, though the twists would lend themselves to people who enjoy thrillers for their reveals. Once I reached a certain point, no spoilers here, I was hooked and couldn't put the book down.

I particularly enjoy books that depict complicated sibling relationships. I have a strange relationship with my siblings and to see those complex feelings written into a book is fantastic. The sisters have their difficulties; there's a great love between them, but also tension. They've had moments in their lives where they barely speak and moments where they can't be without each other. It was brilliant to read.

I'm a huge fan of books that tackle climate change, and so I loved the world Joan He had created. Kasey lives in an eco-city, safe above the earth and protected from the ecological disasters that ravage the world below. Other people aren't so lucky. Each person is ranked on how they've impacted the world. If your family were oil barons, good luck trying to access an eco-city. The world seemed to individualise the impacts of climate change. It has dystopian elements, and you quickly find out that it's not necessarily the best system.

I do wish that it had inspected more strongly how privileged people outsource their environmentally damaging actions. Generally, I enjoyed Kasey as a character, and especially how she seems to be coded as neurodivergent. However, there is one character that I thought she treated incredibly unfairly. This character mentions the idea that the system wrongly categorises privileged people as more environmentally conscious, but it seems like an off-hand comment. I wish Kasey had paid more attention to that point when she was attempting to tackle issues regarding the ecological disaster.

Overall, this was a fantastic read that I know is going to touch the hearts of a lot of people, I'm so glad to have picked it up.

The Ones We’re Meant to Find is a book that completely blew me away with it’s unique story, and punches to the heart at times. I loved it and was so completely engrossed when reading.

We have two stories that are told by two POV, that of Kay and Cee. These sisters are like night and day but have such a strong connection to one another. Something that is completely unbreakable no matter the circumstances.

Cee has been trapped on an island for three years. Finding ways to survive and hopefully find her sister someday. She has no memory of her past but as the days pass, she starts to find bits and pieces of herself.

Kay is dealing with the loss of her sister as 3 months have passed since her disappearance. Where Cee was outgoing, the life of the party and an extrovert. Kay on the other hand is introverted and happy to be with as little human contact as possible. She finds it difficult to express or feel emotions.

We see these girls through the memories of one another as well as through their own stories. Until finally everything comes to a head. I don’t want to reveal too much because the plot is very much in the Scifi thriller kind of category and I don’t want to accidentally give any spoilers.

This deals a lot of what happens when the Earth is finally taking its last breaths because of the damage that has been caused to it. So there is a lot of questions about our responsibility to that.

I was so completely submerged in The Ones We’re Meant to Find and thought a lot about it after reading. I love a book that makes me think. Such a great read.

The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He
Since I am unable to just screenshot my semi-coherent 3am twitter rant upon reaching a particular twist at about the 60% mark, I now have to attempt a spoiler free actually coherent review. Ummmm….so…
Joan He has already been known for ‘The Descendent of the Crane’ and the kind of plot twists that make sane human beings act in strange ways. In moving into a sci-fi, dystopian future ravaged by climate change, He has given herself even more scope to torture and torment her readers. In two separate storylines, Kasey and Cee are living and surviving in very different ways.
Cee has been alone on a deserted island fighting to survive. Lost and with no memory, she spends her days scrounging through scraps, trying to build a boat. She may not remember anything, but she remembers that she has a sister that she needs to find. With nothing but a little robot and a small plot of taro plants, and he stubbornness, she promises her sister that she will find a way. And then one day a strange, half-drowned boy appears in the waters around her. Can he help her escape? Or will he be a distraction, or even a danger….
Kasey lives in a carefully run floating city designed to minimise environmental damage and maximise the possibility of human survival. In Kasey’s world people spend a large percentage of their days within a shared virtual reality while their bodies are maintained by medical pods. Eating glorious foods, having adventures and parties and anything else that you could think of only within this electronic world means that minimal living spaces, and scientifically balanced protein supplements isn’t that much of a sacrifice. And if it means that humanity may survive a little longer, isn’t it worth it? However, space on these floating cities, away from earthquakes and dangerous radiation is only for the worthy. All residents are given a numbered score that shows their privilege and worth 24/7 to all. Anyone who is guilty of environmental damage is not welcome. But what about anyone who is the descendent of someone guilty? Did your great, great grandmother work for the wrong company? Yeah, no, so sorry, but you’re out of luck. Only the lucky few, the privileged, the worthy get to stay.
However there are some who aren’t quite content with life as it is. Like Kasey’s sister Celia who needed to see real sunshine, who wanted to swim in real oceans, who disappeared three months ago and hasn’t been seen since…..
I don’t want to say too much about this book for fear of spoiling the surprises for the reader, but it is at one time heartbreaking, horrifying, and yet somehow hopeful. Showing how privilege, responsibility, vulnerability, and sacrifice are tied up together, and thrusting an entirely possible future at the reader while calling for change and action. It is a clever book, filled with clever young women, and cleverly scares while it entertains. It is a slow moving book, with a lot of subtlety. I sometimes had to go back and reread some important parts. This won't appeal to some people, but its something that I quite enjoy.
Extra kudos for the beautiful cover with two lovely young Asian women front and centre. At a time where people of Asian descent are being targeted, He’s decision to feature Asian main characters feels like an act of strength and pride. And a bit of a middle finger to the more troll-like of the population. So, well done.
4/5 3am shrieks for me

"None of us live without consequence. Our personal preferences are not truly personal. One person's needs will deny another's. Our privileges can harm ourselves and others."

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to NetGalley and Text Publishing for an advanced copy of The Ones We're Meant to Find in exchange for an honest review!

The Ones We're Meant to Find follows the lives and memories of sisters Celia or Cee and Kay.

Celia, the oldest and far more popular sister, has gone missing from their future/dystopian cities in the sky, where citizens often live more in their holo-lives than their actual bodies. Her sister Kay, the analytical genius who is being monitored by the government for some ominous past mistake, would love nothing more than to find the sister she loves. How far is she willing to go to get her sister back ?
Meanwhile, Cee finds herself on a remote island, color-blind and only barely getting her memories back. Is she willing to risk her own life to get back to Kay?

I will start my thoughts out by disclaiming two things: 1.) I do not enjoy most sci-fi/dystopian books. 2.) I actively avoid any content that involves terminal illness. (I was not prepared going in, so please know that this book has plenty of mentions of terminal illness, death, the world ending, etc.) Despite both of these things, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book and would give it 4.5 stars !

The chapters/sections were usually very short, but I loved how fast-paced it felt, and how I never wanted to put it down. Cee and Kay's voices were both so easy to tell apart, even if you hadn't read the chapter titles. Celia/Cee and Hero were by far my favorite characters, but although I couldn't relate to Kay and Actinium, I found their personalities well fleshed out and unique. The contrast of a deserted island and a bustling eco-city in the sky was brilliant as well! This was unlike anything I have ever read before. It is listed on Goodreads as a YA Sci-Fi/Fantasy, but I definitely found it to have some psychological thriller vibes to it as well.

There is a bit of romance, but that is not the sole focus of this book. I would recommend this to readers who enjoy exploring bonds between sisters, morally grey characters grappling with terrible decisions, and dystopian societies!

My most anticipated release of the year and, boy, was I right being so excited about it! I really loved it and had a great time reading it, which hasn't happened to me with a YA book in a while!

This book follows sisters, Kay and Cee, living in an eco-city in the (propably and unfortunately) not so far-away future, after Earth has turned into an uninhabitable place for humans due to climate change, rise in temperatures, ice melting and floods, extinctions of species and therefore disruption of the ecosystem, pollution and pretty much all the natural disasters we know we're very close to facing today (yes, this book is a wild ride for people with climate anxiety, myself included). However, Cee didn't stay there for long since she somehow ended up on a desert island with no memories of her past life apart from the fact that she has a sister, Kay, whom she needs to get back to.

Where do I even begin? The worldbuilding was flawless and I loved how we got to find out more about it as the book progressed, since through every chapter we unraveled even more about the functions of the eco-city and how it's ruled, the state of the planet and the extent of damage done to it, the level technology has reached. Most of it did a great job freaking me out, since it showed how technological and virtual-living centric life had to get due to the environmental crisis, how different classes had different privileges in surviving the effects of said crisis (pretty much like real life already) and how disconnected that new reality made humans. I thought it was very well-done and it really blew my mind. Definitely a world-building Black Mirror fans will love!

I also loved the character development and the dynamic in the relationship between the two sisters. Although they show much care and love for each other - each in her own way, even when that way seems unlikely sometimes - they couldn't be more different when it comes to their personalities, the way they see life and the priorities they have. I feel like that does a very realistic job in portraying the two opposite kinds of people when it comes to how they judge the expanse of technology and its applications on life contrary to how those applications take way from the human experience, the connection to nature and, generally, the natural feeling life was made to have.
Kay is all in for technology to be used in every way possible in order to maintain humanity alive no matter how that contradicts nature and can sometimes become immoral. Cee, on the other hand, doesn't get the excitement that surrounds technological progress and focuses more on how it limits the human heart. She wants to swim in the real sea instead of visiting it virtually from her stasis pod. She prefers living close to nature and having people in flesh around her rather than surviving in limited mode.
I think they really represent the two major opinions you'll hear in the growing real-life conversation about such topics and I found that very well-done and easy to relate to.

Also, I really loved the direction the author went with this concept! It could've gone much simpler but Joan He really gave it all and presented a masterful story full of twists and turns that I really wasn't expecting and I found myself gasping and having to stop while reading to take in the plot twists. Exceptional execution! Truly mindblowing!

Don't even get me started on the writing! Gorgeous! Really masterful with lots of quotes that I absolutely loved and beautiful descriptions of nature that enhanced the already great job this book did in giving a great environmental message while also being a super enjoyable and lovely story to read!

Really loved it and can't wait for the next thing the author comes up with in the future!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He, heart-breaking as it was at times! It was a beautifully written novel with a dynamic story I felt I hadn’t seen too often done before and certainly not like this. It kept me guessing right until the end, every twist delivered masterfully until the story was pieced together like patchwork in a way that I could see all the parts that led up to each new reveal whilst never finding it predictable.

Celia and Kasey Mizuhara are sisters separated by skies and seas. Cee has been stranded on a deserted island for so long she can barely remember life before, but she knows she needs to find her sister Kasey no matter what. Each lonely day is spent planning her escape and building a boat to carry her home. In a city in the sky, one of Earth’s eco-cities where you are sorted by rank and your family history scrutinised for any hint of ancestry who caused damage to the planet, sixteen year old STEM prodigy Kasey has all but given up on ever finding her sister. Logic says she must be dead. With natural disasters on the rise she’s got a lot on her plate to figure out a way to save the last of humanity. But despite that she still can’t give up on the unanswered mystery of Celia’s disappearance so she decides to re-trace her sisters steps. Her sister was full of secrets, but Kasey has a secret of her own and her investigation could unravel more than she bargained for.

I’d actually had my eye on this book since the cover was first revealed. I know we’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover but I had a good feeling about this one the moment I saw it. Major props to the artist behind this stunning cover. There’s a certain whimsy feeling to it that I found translated to the text, despite this being at its cored a science fiction/dystopian story, the way it was told had a very whimsical feel that carried you along the story as if being gently carried by waves lapping at the shore. He’s characters are each fascinatingly complex in their own right. Cee and Kasey are no exception and their development and overarching relationship with each other is the book’s very foundation. Forget about the climate change danger, the dystopian society, the politics and everything else going on, this is a story at its very core about two sisters, a story about love. My absolute favourite quote in the whole book is ‘Logic ends where love began’ and it could not sum up this story better. That’s not to say the other aspects of the book weren’t important or well done, on the most part they were. I especially enjoyed the concept of the world He has created, it was the kind of near future dystopian society that is frightening because it feels not outside of the realms of possibility. Because of this it was a really engaging, realistic feeling world though at times there was a slight disconnect between Cee and Kasey’s primary ‘worlds’ (the island and the city) to the point where they didn’t feel like they existed in the same time. Although, and no spoilers, it could be argued that is entirely the point.

The only thing stopping this from being a 5 star read for me is that there is a significant plot twist reveal about 60% in that changes the entire course of the plot that I felt came almost too soon due to how significant it was. It could of very easily been the end of the book and I would have been more than satisfied, though heartbroken. I feel that the effect of this became a little diluted as it was taken further, though I didn’t dislike the ending of the novel.

The Ones We’re Meant to Find is a truly remarkable read that I highly recommend to any that enjoy tragically beautiful stories about humanity, about love against a backdrop of Black Mirror levels of dystopia.

Such an interesting story, with just the right amount of scI-fi that I like. Starts slow but picks up massively around the half way point when the story starts to become clearer. For anyone confused Joan He has posted a timeline for the story on Goodreads that helps things make more sense. The story of two sisters who are separated, with one trying desperately to get back to the other is compelling. Some have complained about the ending not being tidy, I think it fitted the story perfectly.

This book is one of the most beautiful things I’ve read. He’s writing style is evocative, filled with lyrical prose that perfectly fits into the scenes that she writes. Her characters are brilliant, vibrant, and I loved exploring their stories. The world was excellently crafted, and drawn out to the perfect extent. But most of all, what I think makes THE ONES WE’RE MEANT TO FIND such a breathtaking novel, is that at the heart of the story, is a tale about two sisters and what it means to be human.

Both Cee’s and Kasey’s point of views are engaging, and I love how the switch between first and third person allowed for a differentiation between the tales of both sisters. Their characters are vividly drawn out, and they felt like real people to me as I read. The choices they make, the futures they try to walk forward to, all felt so human, and I love that He didn’t shy away from the dark, brutal choices that we sometimes have to make. Both Cee and Kasey don’t always do what’s right, don’t even know what is right, and it added dimension to their characters, a way for them to feel just like the reader: flawed. After a plot twist near the end that left me stunned, I love how He made you grapple with the question of what does it mean to be human, and does everyone—or everything—should I say, deserve to be treated like one.

Her world is breathtaking, and seeing two sides of it—the island with Cee and the eco-city with Kasey—was wonderful, drawing out this dystopian Earth to the perfect extent. Seeing how humans could survive in an world ravaged by climate change was horrific yet beautiful, and it’s evident from the writing the level of research and effort He put in to make this world so drawn out. The biggest part of the world for me was the way that the humans lived in it, and the question of whether this style of living was, well, really living. As Kasey says near the end, do we have to make a choice to life or our own freedom, and, is there even any distinction between the two at all? The prose that this story was written in gave me chills, and when coupled with the characters and world, left me breathless.

The themes presented in this novel were also beautiful, often heartbreaking at times, and I loved just how human and real and flawed everything about this tale felt. It grappled with so many parts of the human condition, from grief to love, what it means to let go and what it means to cling on, no matter what. The last 50% of this story went by in a blur, and I was left hollow by the ending, which connected the two stories in a way I didn’t expect. Despite everything else, from the commentary on the environment and the ocean, and what human lifestyle may look like in the future, this truly was just a tale about humanity, and how far we as humans will go to learn about ourselves, and save those we love.

All in all, THE ONES WE’RE MEANT TO FIND was a lyrical, beautiful story that I cant recommend enough. I’m eager to go and find this one in the store, now that I’ve read it as an e-ARC!

woah. okay, i went into this book thinking it would be one thing and it was something else completely and i am SCREAMING. things went off at a rough start first. it might have been a me thing, but dystopian/scifi isn't really my area, so i was a whole lot confused. i felt like the world building intro could have been better. the pacing at the beginning was quite off for me too, and i really thought about puting it down. i'm glad i didn't though, because by the middle mark it became one hell of a ride. i enjoyed all of the twists that came about and thought they were all very well done. out of the two povs, i enjoyed cee's a lot more, which is why i'm pretty disappointed at how open her ending was sort of?? like what she did was implied but i wanted to know more about what happened!! and the epilogue didn't really feel like an epilogue to be honest i am lowkey not satisfied with the ending because i have so many questions left unanswered. i also felt like some of the characters were left underdeveloped, especially in kasey's circle. i liked all of the themes joan he was going with like elitism and conservation and how she portrayed it in the book it was done in a unique way in my opinion, and even with its faults i really did enjoy reading this book and would definitely recommend.

For three years, Cee has been living on an island with only a robot for company. Cee can’t remember how she got to the island or her life before her arrival there, but one thing Cee does know is that she has a sister called Kay. Cee is desperate to find her way back to Kay and dreams of the day they will be back together.
Kasey Mizuhara is a resident of one of the eco-cities that float above an Earth that is racked by natural disasters caused by climate change. To reduce their environmental footprint the residents are encouraged to use stasis pods to travel via hologram instead of in person. Kasey is an introvert and struggles to connect with other people. Kasey’s sister, Celia, is the complete opposite to her, being an extrovert and popular. The last thing anyone expected was for Celia to disappear in a boating accident.
Three months after the accident, Kasey is certain her sister must be dead, but then discovers that Celia had been keeping secrets from her.

The premise for The Ones We’re Meant to Find really intrigued me and the gorgeous cover definitely drew me towards the book as well.
Cee and Kasey were both interesting protagonists who were similar in some ways, but also very different. There were times when I liked and related to them both, but I don’t feel that connected to either Kasey or Cee as much as I could have.
The plot was interesting and held my attention. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, so it did keep me on my toes in that regard, but I wasn’t gripped by what happened.
I liked the climate change aspect of the book and the sci-fi/fantasy elements. I thought the idea of eco-cities was interesting and are something I can imagine happening in real life.
I enjoyed the themes of family and identity, and found them thought-provoking, as were the climate change-caused natural disasters.
I liked the writing style and found it easy to follow. I would definitely read another book by the author.
While I didn’t enjoy this as much as I hoped I would, I still found it to be an enjoyable, unique read.

Overall, this was an enjoyable, unique read.

Thank you so much, NetGalley and Text Publishing, for the chance to read and review this book!

Three years ago Cee found herself on an abandoned island, with no memory of how she got there. Now, eighteen years old, she lives with an ageing android and the memory that she has a sister and she has to find her. On an eco-city floating above Earth, destroyed by natural disasters, Kasey is Cee's lost sister and she's mourning her, convinced Cee is dead. In a city supposed to be a sanctuary, nothing is what it seems and its inhabitants are willing to do anything for refuge and she doesn't know if she's ready to use a technology to help Earth or not, since it failed her sister. Both Cee and Kasey are convinced they know the truth about one other or their world, but they are so wrong about everything.

I fell in love with Joan He's writing style since Descendant of the Crane and her new book is absolutely brilliant. Set in a futuristic and intriguing world, lush and imaginative, very different from the setting of her first book, the story is very original and full of twists.
This thriller is intriguing, haunting and I loved the story and the profound connection between two sister searching for one other. It's moving, compelling and I loved everything about it. It's the kind of book that will steal your breath away, unputdownable because the reader needs to know what will happen next and characters and world that will stay with you even after you finish reading it.

First things first, lemme just say that I absolutely adore the layout and delivery of this book, I thought it was extremely unique and something I’d never seen done before, and really added to the overall feel of the book. We’re told the story in two perspectives; Cee’s and Kasey’s! Now what I really loved was that Cee’s chapters were written in first person, present tense, with tallies marking the chapter number, whilst Kasey’s chapters were written in third person, past tense, with actual numbers to label the chapters. I thought it was a really unique way to separate the two narratives, and made it easy for me to know who we were with, and what part of the story we were following. I also think it added to the personalities of the characters and suited their overall vibe. It felt so natural too that it took me approximately seven chapters to even notice that it was happening!!

The writing is absolutely gorgeous; it’s so descriptive and immersive whilst still flowing perfectly. It allowed me to envision everything that was happening, and get a good picture in my head of the world, and how it had decayed. This was a very interesting and thought provoking book on the way that humanity is sure to end up, and the prevention we could take now to stop things from ever getting that bad. I really liked the characters, especially Kasey. They all felt very well rounded and all had their own distinct goals and ways of thinking about situations. I also absolutely adored the plot twist!!! All in all, a good read!!!

The Ones We’re Meant to Find is a wonderful science-fiction which breaks past the idea of what science fiction should be. It’s suspenseful, it’s thrilling and, simply put, it’s addicting. Readers are left longing for more answers as they dive deeper and deeper through the book, and will find themselves not being satisfied until they finish. It’s a story about love, loss and separation, and questions just how far you will go to find your family. I think this book is a hit, and I highly recommend it to people, even if you aren’t a science fiction fan. It’s a book that I can’t fully put into words why it’s as brilliant as I say it is, it’s just something you need to read yourself. The Ones We’re Meant to Find is young adult science fiction at its best.

The Ones We’re Meant to Find follows two sisters in a post-apocalyptic, dystopian world on the brink of collapse from all the consequences of human pollution and global warming.

Cee’s spent three years on a deserted island with barely any memories of her past, with only a burning desire to find her sister. And Kaysey’s been adrift since Celia disappeared three months earlier on a boating accident. I adored Cee, and though at first, it was a bit hard to relate to Kaysey in the end my heart was aching for her.

If you’ve noticed the little difference in time, that is the big mystery in this plot, the thing that keeps you wondering throughout most of the book and eager to read more. Frankly, though, it also made the book very confusing for me and I really disliked that.

But one of the best things about The Ones We’re Meant To Find is how it beautifully and expertly handles the complexity of human emotions. Kaysey, for instance, struggled with how different she felt from everyone else around her and wondered constantly why she did not feel things the same way, why she didn’t feel grief over her sister’s disappearance. But all throughout the book, we see her searching for all the clues, everything she could possibly find to learn more about her sister, and her thoughts revolve around Celia. So, it’s clear she feels it, the grief, the love, she just doesn’t quite realize it.

It mentions a myriad of interesting and poignant themes, with the strongest focus being on the environment and the consequences of human actions. Life is a right, freedom to live is a privilege of the rich, and the privilege of one hurts another.

And the writing style is just beautiful! “We’re nothing as timeless as stars into orbit. Move like two grains of sand before the tide rushes in. Here, then not. Human.” / “Logic ended where love began.”

Overall, The Ones We’re Meant to Find is not one of my new favorites, but still, I really enjoyed the complexity of emotions, the passionate, very-human characters, and the beautiful writing of Joan He.

Content Warning: terminal illness, suicide, violence (including choking), death, death of a parent (off-page), vomiting, large-scale natural disasters, and mass casualties, some gore.

It's been a while since a book has rendered me speechless and left a lasting impression on my heart. The Ones We're Meant to Find was a touching, heartbreaking, earth-shattering story about the special bond you share with your sister and finding who you truly are amidst the chaos in the world.

In the beginning, we are introduced to Cee who found herself woke up on an abandoned island, separated from her sister. And Kasey, a STEM prodigy currently trying to escape her home which is the last unpolluted place on Earth—the eco-city. Told from both characters' perspectives, their stories interweave seamlessly to reveal they are sisters.

Cee's journey trying to reunite with her beloved sister intrigued me from the start. Her spirit and positivity balanced the struggle she had to go through. It was interesting to see her story unfolding as we get to know more about her. Cee was a survivor, her determination mixed with the vulnerable side tugged at my heart. I couldn't help but like her.

While Kasey was like a different side of a coin from Cee. She was composed whereas Cee's fire never seems to cease. Furthermore, her skill and talent in science truly amazed me. Though it made her chapters a bit more technical which I have to read twice to grasp her ideas better, it was still addicting. Kasey was a genius and a brave person. The way she trusted her sister implicitly showed how much she loved Cee.

For the first half of the book, nothing major happened. It might seem a bit slow for some readers but let me tell you, it is worth it. The build-up gave us the details needed to explain the world where Earth is no longer habitable. As I keep reading, I found myself pause a couple of times to think. There is this one quote that makes me feel like I got punched in the face.

That quote woke me from the bliss of ignorance. I think it is easy to dive into matters in which we can see the damage it causes as soon as it happened. It is easy to turn a blind eye to problems that are slowly but surely killing us. So it is easy to forget the fact that our Earth is dying, our home is suffering.

Not just to climate change but the quote can also be applied to other issues. We have seen injustice being done by those with privileges. We have seen people suffer over the needs or preferences of others. Maybe this is the reason why Actinium said: “People are the disease, Mizuhara.” But hey, it is not too late to make the world a better place for all of us.

Anyway, I'll go back two paragraphs, to the first half of the book. Surprisingly, I didn't mind the slow-paced because it also delivered a nice, strong background for the characters. Therefore, they felt solid and has such in-depths characterization. Besides the way Joan He crafted and wove the words is fascinating. As soon as I grasped the what, who, where, when, why, and how, I could not put it down!

When I get to the second half of the book, around 55%, I'm sure I lost it. I should've known TOWMTF is not your regular YA sci-fi book. If it's written by Joan He then not only it will be good but also it will strip you of everything you know and believe. Well, maybe not that extreme but it ripped my heart and shred my soul into pieces then throw them into the sea. I mean, is it legal to write THAT kind of plot twist?

Overall, The Ones We're Meant to Find has become one of my favorite read in 2021. A soul-stirring, evocative, and thought-provoking story of sisterhood, life, sacrifice, and humanity. Reading TOWMTF was like riding a free ride of an emotional roller coaster: I didn't sign up for so much pain yet I loved it anyway. This book is perfect for you who are looking for a remarkable and engaging standalone sci-fi mystery that would not leave your mind for days.

The beginning really confused me, and it took a couple of chapters to figure out what was going on. But that turned into a good thing because the plot played out the reader being thrown into the middle of the story. We learn along with Cee what is happening, while at the same time following a different timeline. I love the aspect of not even knowing the second timeline happens so much before the first. Another thing I really liked about the layout was how the chapter numbers related to which character we were following. Cee used tallies to mark her days spent on the island, so that's how her chapters were labeled. Normally in multi-perspective books, I get a bit lost and confused and the characters start to blend together. This makes it difficult to put down the book and then be able to pick it back up, and therefore want to read it in the first place. But just the numbering of the chapters alone allowed me to easily remember who we were following. The world the story follows reminds me a lot of the world of Warcross created by Marie Lu. I liked that one because of the clearer description of the world, but the vague context given here was also something I liked. Both stories were done very well, and I love the complexity of the world. I got a little annoyed when there was romance involved, as the reason I've been reading recently was to escape my own relationship problems, but it is a personal and time-based preference.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read and review this book.

This was a twisty sci-fi read. I'm not a huge fan of sci-fi but I really enjoyed this one.

Cee has been stuck on a island for three years trying to get back to her sister Kay. She is doing everything she can just to survive and scavenging whatever parts she can find to build a boat. I loved Cee's character and the relationship she forms with a bot named U-Me.

Kay is living a far different life but like Cee's, hers is also isolated. The eco-city she resides in is experiencing numerous natural disasters and the people must spend much of their time in stasis pods doing everything virtually.

For Kay, this lifestyle suits her but for Cee who preferred life outside it is uunbearable. In fact so miserable for her that she took a boat one day and never returned.

Kay assumes Cee dead 3 months later but still decides to retrace Cee's last steps and finds her sister was full of secrets. Kay has a secret as well.

I loved the way the story was told from both sister's points iv view and how they connected. I found the writing beautiful.