There were definitely moments and passages of this book that I enjoyed. I liked the writing style and the short chapters for impact.
However, the overwhelming feeling I experienced while reading The Ones We're Meant to Find was confusion. I didn't understand the sci-fi/dystopian world for the majority of the book because a lot of it was left unexplained. This confusion left me feeling detached from the characters and the story. I think the world is very interesting and I really would be appreciated more explanation of it.
I definitely feel that this book would be perfect for others but it wasn't really my cup of tea. I will still be recommending it as an interesting dystopian that really makes you think.

I cannot emphasise enough how much I think people ought to pick this book up. Feeling stagnant in your reading? Feeling like nothing gets you excited or emotional any more? BUCKLE UP.

Ok, maybe I'm being a tad dramatic, but this book catapulted me out of my reading slump with just how intriguing the plot was and how gorgeous the writing and the setting were.

I was dubious after the first chapter, was this going to be another story that sets up a mystery only to have it kind of sit there before ultimately fizzling out? Was I going to be disappointed by another 'it was merely a dream and also kind of a metaphor' ending?

Obviously, I cannot spoil the ending for you but suffice to say that this book did what I have been wanting books like this to do for years. It set up a mystery - in fact it set up multiple mysteries - and then slowly and carefully revealed more and more information to the point where I was sat with my nose an inch away from my Kindle desperate to confirm my suspicions and also certain that that confirmation would in fact make me cry.

One of the things I really loved about the setting in particular is that Joan He writes about a world in environmental crisis without the book feeling cheesy or cliché. I was burned by a YA series that started off with a cool concept and inexplicably became about going to the arctic and it felt preachy and very 'hello fellow kids'. In this instance we have a story that *is* about those issues but in a far more subtle way but that almost makes *more* impact as a result.

I thought that overall this book was stunningly written and devastating for me emotionally - which is definitely a reason for you to order yourself a copy *immediately*.

This was phenomenal.

I think I've found one of my favorite authors. I am in awe of Joan He's prose. She's truly one of the best authors I've come across in a long time.

This is a dual perceptive book between two sisters and the way He weaves their points of view together is magical. Not to mention, she does this while switching from first-person point of view to third person which I thought was incredibly clever. Both sister's voices were distinct and I was never once confused.

Now, I haven't read dystopian in a long while but this was just so refreshing. I loved the atmosphere and found the world so interesting. It's a world after the effects of climate change and global warming have sunk in and it's honestly kinda terrifying because you can see this happening in the future.

The characters- Cee and Kasey... I loved them both equally. I could see myself in both of them. Kasey's analytical brain and Cee's strength- I never once found myself wanting to go back to the other's point of view because they are both so wonderful.

It has been a long time since I've been engrossed by a book THIS much. At about the halfway mark, I couldn't physically put the book down, it was just that good.

So why not five stars? Alright. The ending. I can't say much because of spoilers but I just did not like how sudden it was. At all. It was like someone tore out the last few pages of the book. Just so abrupt. I think this was meant to be an open-ended ending but I am just- not a fan of those.

All in all, this was absolutely incredible and you need this on your shelves!!

the ones we’re meant to find was, without a doubt, one of my most anticipated releases of 2021. for many reasons:
- that absolutely stunning cover (hats off to cover artist aykut aydoğdu!!)
- the utterly intriguing premise—which features a post-climate-change dystopia
- ownvoices storytelling
- the fact that it’s joan he’s sophomore novel (i LOVED her debut, descendant of the crane)

unfortunately, this novel ended up being a total let-down for me. :(

i think i would rate this somewhere between 2-3 stars. the foremost reason is that i had trouble connecting to the characters, especially the sisters at the helm of this story. i’ve been going back on forth on why this might be the case, and i think it comes down to 1) the inexplicable chemistry (or lack thereof) that forms between readers and characters, and 2) the fact that the book doesn’t really include fleshed-out side characters who would provide engaging, conflicting, complicating, interesting foil and fodder for the sisters to become more intimate and relatable to me.

i found it very strange that the cast of characters was so limited. we never get to know any of kasey and celia’s friends, for instance—and meridian, kasey’s friend in the eco-city, hardly counts: she was a friend in name only. i felt that this did a massive disservice to the book’s innovative world-building; without a fully fleshed-out cast of characters to inhabit it, this story lacked heft, emotional and otherwise.

it was frustrating to me that the only major side characters we get to know are actinium and hero, who both turn out to be (white or white-coded) love interests for the sisters. i did not find either romance compelling, and was disappointed at how predictable these romance arcs were; to me, the lack of other (interesting, relevant) characters in the story only reinforced the heteronormative idea that when guys and girls are thrown together on a page, they’ll end up romantically involved. personally i would’ve read the story as less trite (and more interesting) if actinium and/or hero ended up being friends, supporters, enemies of kasey and cee.

moreover, i found the plot confusing at several points because the characters’ motivations were just so darn opaque to me. i couldn’t feel the thorny, intense emotions that should accompany celia and kasey’s respective ethical, existential dilemmas—because i didn’t even understand the dilemma in the first place. apart from a desire to fiercely love and protect the other sister, i didn’t understand what decisions they were trying to choose between. in this sense, i think the novel was a little too coy in its descriptions, so as to be unclear about what was going on.

BOTTOM LINE: i feel let down. :( nevertheless, this remains one of the most gorgeous covers of any 2021 release i have seen. AND i love joan he's brain—the premise of this story, the backbone of its climate justice-infused world-building, was so interesting. whatever she puts out, i shall read!

I loved this book so much, it's probably going to end up being my favourite of the year!
I started reading it almost 2 months ago but I was a bit confused with the first few chapters so didn't continue. I wish I had, because I picked it back up this month and fell in love! I was intrigued just after the 5th or 6th chapter and couldn't stop after that. The Ones We're Meant to Find is about a girl named Cee who has been on an abandoned island for 3 years without knowing why, but what she does know is that she needs to find her sister, Kasey. However, the book turns to be much more than just that, it has many amazing twists to keep you intrigued, break your heart but also make it feel full and make you stare at the wall. I loved the all the emotions in it. The story is told from both the sisters' points of view and I loved that! I especially enjoyed Cee's POV, which might be because some of the science talked about in Kay's confused me. (just a me issue!)
This book is also said to have a dash of Studio Ghibli, with which I completely agree, I listened to music from Ghibli movies while reading and thought The Name of Life from Spirited Away fit the story very well!
I already want to reread TOWMTF and can't wait till I get a physical copy and also see that beautiful cover in person. I know it will be a read I'll always be thinking and screaming about. I'm very interested in and can't wait to read Joan He's debut, Descendant of the Crane and any of her new works as well, as I loved the writing style! Thank you for making me feel sad and blowing my mind!

[screams into the void] THIS BOOK IS MAGNIFICENT.

The Ones We’re Meant to Find is a sci-fi standalone that follows two sisters, Celia and Kasey. Cee, the oldest, has been trapped in a desert island for the past three years, and she doesn’t remember anything – where she came from, how she got there, who she is – but she remembers having a sister, Kay. And Cee needs to find her.

The youngest, Kasey, is a science prodigy living in an eco-city, a new form of habitation design by her own parents to shelter and protect the human race from the climate changes threatening society – caused by this same society. In these eco-cities, citizens are expected to spend more than half of their time in stasis pods, circulating by holograms, to reduce their environmental footprints. Very antissocial, Kasey is fine with this lifestyle, but the same can’t be said about her sister Celia, the very opposite of Kasey, who dreamed of swimming in the sea and bathing under the scalding sun. However, no one would have expected Celia to, one day, rent a boat and disappear in the sea.

Three months after Celia’s disappearance, logic tells Kasey that Celia must be dead. However, after public pressure becomes too much, Kasey starts to trace her sister’s last steps so she can find her closure, while, at the same time, she watches as her society falls into despair trying to clean the environment, as megaquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis keep getting worse, threatening their lifestyle and the outcasted and poor population – who, of course, didn’t manage to get into the safety of the eco-cities.

To try to describe this book is very hard. I could say it’s a social commentary on human intervention in Earth, and how all the shit we do is going to bite us in the ass later. It’s about that. I could also say it’s a commentary on human behavior and its many layers, and how selfishness and selflessness can coexist in a single action. It’s also about that. I can say it’s a close and real look on a relationship between sisters, the protectiveness and the jealousy, and how they can drift apart at times but still manage to reconnect when it’s most needed. How they can fail to see when the person they love the most is hurting. It’s about that, too. It’s about missing someone, and also finding yourself in that loss.

The author’s prose is fantastic. Celia and Kasey’s voices are so different and unique, and I absolutely adored the little details, how Celia’s chapter numbers are marked like a survivor marks its days, while Kasey’s are blunt numbers. I got thrown off at first when I saw the different verb tenses in the POVs (Kasey’s are third person past tense and Celia’s, first person present tense), but it makes so much sense to the characters and the plot; after all, Kasey is the logical sister, objective and detached, while Celia puts her heart into everything. While a bit confusing at the beginning, because of all the science terms and dystopian-like tech, the worldbuilding was easy to dive into, not in a info dumpy way, majorly because Kasey is so close to its foundation and maintenance. The plot, and all its surprises? Chef’s kiss. My brain kept making theories while I was reading, and it was so fun to find out I was completely wrong about certain things and a bit right about others. It’s important to say that there is romance in the book (and I loved it), but it’s not the main thing.

What stands out to me the most, however, are the characters. To start, I really loved the side characters, how they brought up different sides of Celia and Kasey and new questions that they weren’t ready to face, but also how they shined on their own. Now, Kasey and Celia are fantastic protagonists. Each one of them is trying to survive their own struggles, in their own way. And it’s beautiful and heartbreaking to see how they rotate in each other’s orbit, thinking more of the other and less of themselves. How Celia is the one person that can make Kasey act unlike herself, and vice-versa. At some point of the novel, Kasey says that logic ends where love starts. She’s not wrong.

There’s not much else to say about it without giving away anything, but this book is truly incredible. I don’t read much sci-fi, but oh dear if I knew this book would take my breath away like this, I would have dived into the genre much sooner. I strongly recommend picking up this book.

This book is really good, and I mean, really, really good folks. The book follows Cee, a girl who awoke on an abandoned island with no idea of how she got there. The only things she has on this island is a house that is falling apart, and an old android and one singular memory: That Cee has a sister, and she needs to find her. It also follows Kasey, a STEM prodigy, who lives in The Metropolis, the last place on Earth that remains unpolluted. The Metropolis is meant to be a sanctuary for those that are committed to planetary protection, but it is filled with people willing to do anything for refuge from the elements outside. Now Kasey must decide if she's ready to use science to save humanity, even those who failed Earth.

The plot was unexpected and a breath of fresh air. I have not read much light sci-fi as I typically prefer space operas and harder sci-fi, but this one was very good. The pacing in the beginning was slow, but it really built up and sped up after the 25% point. It was unpredictable and left me screaming "What the fuuu" every 50 pages or so.

The worldbuilding and the way the world felt so real and believable made the story that much more enjoyable. The characters touched the world, not the other way around, and the bonds of sisterhood propelled the novel to the unexpected ending. There were twists and moments of intrigue that left me breathless and the mystery of it all left me wanting more and more. I just could not put this book down. It was easy to sit and read over 100 pages in one sitting because I just needed to know what Cee and Kasey were going to do next.

The novel also touched on the ever present and long lasting effects of climate change on our world and I think Joan He did a really great job weaving this very real and very hard-hitting issue into a story about sisters overcoming all to reunite. Climate change is something that we hear a lot about today. We hear plenty about the effects and what humans may have to go through in the next few decades, and this book is no different. It shows humanity on the brink of destruction and what they'll do to ensure their continued existence.

This book told the story of two sisters in a very near-future timeline that felt real and hard-hitting while also feeling fantastical. I don't want to give too much about the plot away, because if I do, it might give away some twists that had me sobbing and open mouthed, but what I will say is I loved the characters. They were flawed but so colorful and real, with their own unique voices.

Another thing that left me speechless, were the ever present bonds of sisterhood and the way that the characters would go to the ends of the earth to find each other. The writing was vivid and fresh, and Joan He does not spoon feed you anything. She presents the world and it's problems and lets you come to your own conclusions from there. The world and the issues the characters face in TOWMTF are real and complex are are their solutions.

I will say no more, because this book is one that you want to go into with very little prior knowledge. It's the way I went into it, and it's the way I recommend you go into it. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone and plan on getting myself a finished copy on release day!

More like 4.5 stars.

The link for my blog is a post in Portuguese. My link for my bookstagram is actually a shorter and an English version of my Portuguese review. Below, you can read what I said on my bookstagram:

Thank you for the eARC, Text Publishing and NetGalley. My opinion is, nevertheless, genuine.

Tomorrow is the release date of The Ones We're Meant to Find, by Joan He, so I thought I could post here a shorter version of my Portuguese review that is on my blog since this afternoon. This post here will be in English, of course.

This YA Sci-fi novel is about two sisters, Cee and Kasey, who are separated by the sea and want to find one another. Cee is alone in an island for 3 years. She only has an android and one memory: she has a sister and she needs to find her.

Kasey lives in an eco-city, which is supposed to be a safe place due to the fact that there are many natural disasters going on because of climate change. But Kasey is grieving and people aren't helping the planet and their own situation at all. Will she be able to use her acknowledge in technology and science to help the planet, even though her sister didn't get help?

They both believe they know each other well and that their world is real. Well, both are wrong.

This is a very well written story. I love how there were some poetic passages throughout the story. They made the book even more beautiful.

The way themes like the environment, climate change, science, technology, and humankind were explored? Well done as well. It really makes you think a lot about what we are doing to our planet, our home, to other human beings, and even to ourselves. It makes us question a lot, too. For example, if you had all this acknowledge regarding science and technology, but you had your own motives too, would you help humankind or follow your motives? Also, what makes us really human? What can we do to save our planet?

The characters are the best part of the whole book. They are so complex and they are the ones who help us explore these themes. Don't think all these thoughts and feelings are simply given to the reader. No. As we follow our characters' steps, we are making our own road regarding understanding and exploring these issues.

A really great dystopia YA book
4.5 stars! Out tomorrow, May 4th!

I wanted to love this so much, and though I did enjoy it, I found that my time reading this felt very confusing. I was very intrigued by the plot and the characters, but found myself getting frustrated along the way, as everything felt distant and far away from me. Perhaps this is a me-thing, as I may have been trying to puzzle things together too much instead of just experiencing the story as it is. I kept having to go back and reread because I wasn't sure if it was me, or if it was the book. I kept asking myself, over and over, "What is going on?". This can be normal to an extent, but it kept me from enjoying the story more.

I wanted to try and put the pieces of the puzzle together, as the plot is so interesting and mysterious. So many twists and turns. I also wanted to try and understand the sisters more (especially Kasey, who I feel we didn't explore as much as I would have liked), understand why they are the way they are, and how they ended up where they are. To me, they felt a bit like 2D, stereotypical YA sisters and I wanted more. I had so, so many questions about them, what was happening to them, and what was going on with the world around them. And as the plot continued, I only had more and more questions, and ultimately felt more and more frustrated with the lack of detail. It felt like a disconnect. I wanted to be more engrossed than I ultimately was, and there's a good chance that this is a me-thing and not a book thing since I seem to be in the minority of reviewers!

I'm giving this 3 out of 5 stars because I found this to be quite beautiful and intriguing. I absolutely love how creative and deep it is. However, I never got to learn about the characters or their world in the detail that I wanted to and was left feeling confused.

This is one of the best mysteries I've read for quite some time. The characters are so well written and fleshed out, with plenty of development and surprises up their sleeves. I cannot do justice to He's writing, which is so evocative and tantalising, constantly keeping you hooked into her amazing world and gripping tale. This is a book with incredible twists and leaves a scar on your mind and your heart forever more.

Content warnings: terminal illness, suicide, violence, death, death of parent (off page), vomiting, large scale natural disasters and mass casualties

The Ones We're Meant to Find centres around two sisters, Cee (Celia) and Kasey (Kay). Cee is the older sister, it's mentioned a lot that she's far more of a 'people person' than Kay who is basically an awkward genius. One thing that threw me off is that I should have connected to Kay more on the awkward side, but I found it extremely hard to relate to her. Her chapters were very scientifically focused but with the mystery of her sister's disappearance thrown in, and she barely shows any emotion throughout. 

Having said that... Joan's overall world building is spectacular. The whole concept of people living in cities in the sky and the emphasis on human error making it such is a statement in itself. I think even if this hadn't had the sister story woven through it would have been a brilliant story. 

Cee though, she's a survivor. Her parts of the story were my favourites and seeing her fight and fight to get to her sister was great. For the most part she's alone on an island with just an automaton called U-Me to speak to, and it really does hurt your heart a little to read how she's so alone. Eventually, another washes up on the shore being a guy who eventually goes by the name of Hero, and it's so lovely to see Cee have someone finally. 

Kay spends the majority of the book unravelling mysteries as she tries to find out what happened to Cee, whilst also trying to set the wheels in motion to save humanity. As I've mentioned, it was harder to read her chapters due to the overall lack of emotion she shows but then, it's pretty understandable as she's dealing with having lost her sister.

There's a character who is essentially the villain of the story too. I won't give anything away about them at all though aside from the fact that I didn't see it coming? At all...

It's hard to actually write my full thoughts on this without giving too much away, after the half way point we get a LOT of revelations and answers. In some ways it makes it slightly more confusing, but at the very end everything just kind of pieces itself together? 

Finally, I must say I've seen a lot of people who adored this book. I just think overall it wasn't the book for me.

The Ones We’re meant to find is a sci-fi dystopian which is full of twists and surprises and is rightfully compared to Black Mirror as reading it gives you those exact vibes and creeps. This book is told in alternating narratives of two sisters, one who is stranded on an island trying to get back to her sister and the other sister is tasked to save humanity.

The Plot and Story

The story of the book follows two sisters- Cee and Kasey. Cee is the one who finds herself stranded on an island with no recollection of her memories. The only thing she remembers is her sister Kasey and that she must find her way to her. Kasey is a STEM prodigy who resides in one of Earth’s eco-city and who may be able to help humanity from impending doom. This book revolves around a mystery while also discussing the themes of capitalism, climate change and sisterhood.

The story was intriguing to say the least. It always keeps you interested enough to read what’s going to happen next. I loved how all these themes were woven into the story and it was done so well that it left me highly impressed. The twists and reveals were top-notch. They leave you with a sense of awe with how it all comes together.

The second half of the book was better than the first half for me. The first half was kind of sluggish in pace in the sense that it felt dragged in parts. I really wished it was a little fast paced to keep up with the tone and atmosphere of the book. This kind of hindered my experience in the start but the second half the book more than made up for the book.

As I mentioned before, the second half was absolutely thrilling. After crossing the first half, I finished in just a few hours. It all comes together and it was done so so well. It was executed brilliantly and it made this a truly enjoyable book for me. Though slow paced books don’t always work for me, this one did due to the characters and the second half.

The Characters

Both the main characters Cee and Kasey were intriguing. I loved reading about them. There was some mystery around both the characters and there was a certain sense of innocence in both the characters which made them compelling. The side characters were also good and overall the characters kept you engaged. I don’t want to say more in case of spoilers but I loved the characters!

The World Building and Themes

The world building was good as it presented a terrifying future of the earth where there are eco cities and the less privileged do not get to experience that. I loved the various themes Joan He has talked about it in the book. She has touched upon capitalism, climate change and environmentalism along with discussions of humanity’s greed and selfishness and morals. It talks about how institutions fail to protect and provide resources and how its almost always the less privileged who are worst affected by this.

There are a lot of thought-provoking questions and themes and I truly enjoyed this so much because a dystopian sci-fi which discusses the evils of capitalism while also touching on topics such as human morality and behavior. I may seem divided in my opinion of the book but I did end up loving it a lot.

Overall, The Ones we’re meant to find was an enjoyable read and although the first half was just okay the second half was amazing and left me impressed. If you’re a fan of or searching for a dystopian sci-fi with Black Mirror vibes and mysterious atmosphere with compelling characters which discusses hard hitting themes and climate change, then you MUST pick up The Ones We’re meant to find. The first part is admittedly slow but if you can, pushing through is absolutely worth it and will definitely make it a good read.

The Ones We're Meant to Find is a strange dystopia/sci-fi set in the future where the inhabitants are suffering from the effects of climate change. First, accept that you won't understand anything in the first half of the book, but the intense confusion will be worth it when the narrative starts coming together. The contrast between the two different perspectives were jarring at first and I didn't care about Kasey's world, but after I got to know the situation and the characters better I became more invested in both POVs. There are so many twists and turns and a sense of mystery throughout, but the highlights of the book for me were the characters and the focus on the strong sibling bond even when the sisters aren't together. What more could you want than an intriguing plot and compelling characters?

My Rating: 3.5
The Ones We’re Meant to Find is staggering, compulsive, and beyond imagination. It’s a futuristic novel that focuses on current issues set in a world where humans are on the verge of extinction. There were many projects that were undertaken to protect planets and can you imagine “sky bound immigration?” Yes, people lived in skies, defying gravity and trying to reduce further natural disasters by adopting to live virtually in this book. It was nice to read about how science played it’s role in the book. I highly recommend this book to those who love YA Sci-Fi.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this eARC

Thank you netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review!

I am a bit disappointed, thinking I would love this, but there were things about this that made it impossible to love.

Firtsly, the perspective changes prevented the story to flow smoothly at times and frustated me as I liked to continue from the perspective of Cee. The survival part was more interesting and the parts of Kasey were confusing but also a bit boring. The first part of the book overall wasn't the most exciting because of its slow pace, but reading about confusing science stuff from a stoic character was hard in the beginning. However, the contrast between the sisters, and the characterisation of Kasey were refreshing, as Kasey is not likeable but can still be relatable. Still, I found the characters to be a bit flat and the relationship between the sisters not fully explored, which effected in me not caring intensely about them. Also, this book has an instalove, which braught the opportunity to more character complexity to the story, but I don't like instalove, as it feels unbelievable to me.
The worldbuilding and it being about the world being poluted and damaged was really interesting, and this is one of the best aspects of this book. Personally I would have liked to have a more clear worldbuilding, with more information. Yet, it was intruiging, but quite scary, to see what could happen to the earth. Subsequently, the themes of climate change and capitalism added an important message to the story that I liked.

An unique story, with an interesting plot with some good twists, but sadly the writing and characters made me detached from it. There could have been more details added to make this a book more liked by me. Nevertheless, I think this is a refreshment to the ya fantasy genre, and I hope to have some better luck next times with Joan He's creativity.

A very enjoyable book! If you are a science fiction fan, looking for a book with plot twists and sisters’ bonds, then you should definitely pick up The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He, you won’t be disappointed.

Read the full review at our blog (link attached)

We would like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing us a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

It's not every day you find a book like The Ones We’re Meant to Find; I've never read anything quite like it before. That being said, I think the best way to describe it would be We Were Liars crossed with 2014–16ish dystopia. The dystopian elements felt subtle, but definitely present and well written.

Told in haunting dual perspective that traverse time and space, we’re introduced to two sisters who couldn’t be more different. Kasey is a STEM genius who feels distanced from the world. Cee is trapped on an island and has a singular mission: find her sister. Both characters were compelling and it was interesting to follow them on their separate journeys through past and present. Hero and Actinium added so much to the book as well, in particular their interactions with the sisters were never straightforward, a complexity that continued throughout, especially after the twist was revealed.

I love the exploration of themes in this book, from the impact humanity has made on the earth to questions about the morality of bots. Memory, too, was such an interesting aspect of the novel, and in particular its role in the ending, which I found super effective and intriguing. This is a book that draws you in and waits until you’re fully immersed before making you think about the issues that are equally relevant in fiction and reality.

The Ones We’re Meant to Find is a book best read without knowing too much before going in, but I will say that I do kinda wish I’d read the full Goodreads synopsis before starting, simply because then I would’ve been able to settle in faster. Regardless, the atmosphere is set up beautifully and retained the whole way through, a calming flow much like the ocean that is central to the novel. This is such a thoughtful and poetic book, and I recommend it from my heart.

I received a free e-ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[This will be posted in my blog on 3 May 2021]

*Actual star rating 4.5*

The Ones We're Meant to Find is Joan He's second novel, and even though it is a completely different genre, I loved it as much as her first novel, Descendant of the Crane, because of the similarities. Joan He has this modus operandi that works so perfectly for me as a reader, and is probably going to make me a lifelong fan.

First, she presents the reader with a mystery. A tantalising question, and a quest. In TOWMTF we're given two, one for each main character. Kasey's sister, Celia, has disappeared under mysterious circumstances, and she is driven to find out what happened to her. For Cee, who woke up on a deserted island, the mystery is what happened to her memory, and her quest is to find her sister, Kay.

Next, the author lures you in with her seductive writing. It's so fluid and easy to read, that you blink and an hour has gone by. She has this ability to make the atmosphere so evocative. Not only does the reader have a sense of what the characters are experiencing - the loss, the desperation, the anger - but she also makes the spaces they inhabit exude emotion - the loneliness of the island, the claustrophobia and complacence of the eco-city, the vast unendingness of the sea. The pacing of the first half is quite slow, and that may put some readers off initially, but it is very much setting everything up so the novel can take flight in the second half.

Joan He places the reader in a world that is so detailed, yet expansive. You get the feeling that you are not only right there in the room with the characters, but also that you are part of a much greater world. To put it bluntly, this novel had two of my least favourite settings - a deserted island and the open ocean - and it didn't matter. I still couldn't get enough.

I also really enjoyed the eco-city setting, and the ways society has had to change in order to survive. In this case, those who live in eco-cities live in very small quarters, and spend up to a third of their day in virtual reality pods, or holos, where they can interact with other people. We also get a peek at what is happening in the wider world, in those places where people are at the mercy of the planet we have destroyed.

The Ones We're Meant to Find was also thematically strong, weaving questions for the reader to ponder throughout the novel. It explores the impact of pollution and climate change on the world and its inhabitants, as well as the impact capitalism as a driver of environmentally destructive practices. It asks ‘who is responsible, and who deserves to survive?’ We are unable to look away from the plight of climate refugees, those who are affected most by economic and environmental choices made by those with greater privilege than themselves. It is an indictment against letting governments and corporations make decisions based on profit, and against our rejection of personal responsibility, and our apathy. It is also about love and sisterhood, and the choices we make. Choices that affect us as individuals, that affect those we love, and choices that affect the world we live in.

I thought the plot was interesting, and provided a very strong foundation for Cee and Kasey's emotional growth throughout the novel. There were a bunch of twists, which is what I love about He's stories. My only issue was that I didn't feel like some of them were foreshadowed enough (or at all, in one case.) I find immense satisfaction in picking up those breadcrumbs and following the trail, so that left me a little bereft. However, there was so much to love that I’m really not that upset.

Finally, the quality that makes He’s books shine is her ability to make you feel connected to the characters, even if they aren't the most likeable people. I felt connection to Cee because she's easy to like, and she's got emotional intelligence, but also felt connection to Kasey, even though she is a bit prickly and anti-social. This is the joy of reading a book by Joan He. The characters are so real, so multi-dimensional, that you can relate to them. He used an interesting technique, having Cee's narrative in first person perspective, while Kasey's chapter were in third person. As I continued through the book I started thinking how incredibly clever it was to do that way, but alas, I cannot say much more than that without venturing into spoiler territory.

These are the things that drew me into Joan's first book, and why I will almost certainly read every book she writes after this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and Roaring Brook Press! I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

When two sisters are separated for unknown reasons, they are determined to find their way back in this sci-fi thriller that will have your head spinning at the plot twists and an ending that will stay with you long after you have finished. If you read anything this year make it this one!

Sad to say I didn't really enjoy The Ones We're Meant to Find, which had been high on my spring releases list. I ultimately really struggled through it and took a long break from it after about a third. The plot and characters only got interesting to me more than halfway through, but even then the plot and world-building was confusing and the characters underdeveloped - it was hard to follow the world and its science/tech, as well as what the characters were doing or wanted, which wasn't helped by the choppy writing style. Some elements of the plot twists were very intriguing and promising - a great foundation for a story - but never felt followed through or satisfying. I was just interested enough to keep going to figure out what was going on with Cee, but it never got there for me.