If you loved Joan He's previous book, this will definitely be one for you. A compelling sci-fi story that keeps you guessing throughout.

I really enjoyed how fresh this book felt. It had lyrical writing, an innovative style, and compelling mystery. The questions and alternating POVs made me really keep turning virtual pages.

I especially appreciated the type of sci-fi included here. Joan He provides an interesting view of where the world is heading, and what moral questions people might face in a climate-destroyed world.

YA needs more books like this, and I hope Joan He gets to write them!

The Ones We’re Meant to Find is a book that I devoured within a couple of hours. I looked up after 50 minutes to find I’d read almost two thirds of the book. And yet. I wasn’t entirely engaged with it. I don’t have a whole lot to say about it. There were twists and turns aplenty, but I think what happened was that I was too fixated on guessing those to get fully involved in the story itself.

Which is entirely a me-problem, I realise. If you enjoyed Descendant of the Crane, then you are definitely going to love this one. If you haven’t read Descendant of the Crane, I still predict you’ll enjoy this one. For me though?

I probably could have seen this coming.

I think my issue wasn’t the plot — I was plenty engaged with it, and didn’t want to put the book down because I had to know what happened. I think the problem I had was I didn’t feel much about anything in it. (This is likely also a me-problem. In fact, most of anything in this review will be so. Stop reading here and go about your day, I would say.) Maybe this was because I was trying to guess too much, maybe I was reading too quickly. Whatever the reason, I didn’t get to be involved enough to love this book.

But I would still highly recommend reading this book! I am easily going to be in a minority regarding this one, I think. So if the premise intrigues you (as well it should), then make sure you get to this one as soon as you can.

This was a quick and fun read. I especially enjoyed the duel POVs, the settings of both the island and the eco-city, and the sci-fi elements. It felt immersive and the twists definitely kept me turning the pages.

2.5 stars

I have so many feelings about this book. this novel is equal parts beautiful, as it is confusing. It took me quite a while to get through it, because of how complicated and advanced it is. it is sci-fi, after all.

it'd be unusual for me not to start with the characters. it is so much easier to get lost in a book, when the characters are interesting, and captivating. I didn't feel like the two sisters the story revolves around were special, in any way. while I did feel some connection to Celia, I couldn't feel any compassion, or empathy, for Kasey, until the very end. I preferred Cee, because she was easier to understand.

characters aside, I found Cee's plot-line to be much more compelling, and interesting, than her sister's. I absolutely loved Hero and his relationship with Celia, up until a certain point, when it started feeling empty, and forced.

like I'd already mentioned, this book was very complicated. it demanded my whole attention, to be able to keep up with the plot, and, yet, it still left me with so many questions. maybe it wasn’t meant for readers like me, who prefer simple, easy to read works, but I still feel like a lot more could have been clarified, by going more in depth. especially on the more important points in the story, like the plot-twists, or the ending.

that being said, I still think this book was beautiful. From Joan He’s ability to create a beautiful, eerie atmosphere of surroundings, to the sole relationship between Celia and Kasey, it was all stunning. the beauty of The Ones We’re Meant to Find is probably why, in the end, I’d decided to give it the rating that I did, and not less. I’m completely certain this book does have an audience, that’ll be completely awed by it, but, unfortunately, that’s not me.

if you like complex, intricately woven stories that leave you mystified, I feel like you definitely could enjoy this!

4.5/5

I was stunned by the beautiful portrayal of human corruption and selfishness in this science fiction YA as we get to explore two dynamics, opposite in every way.

As we explore this futuristic world we are introduced to two sisters living in a world where the environmental crisis has escalated.

The story is told through short critical moments in Kasey and Celia’s lives, jumping from past to present. Kasey’s point of view is in second person, while Celia’s is told in first person.

While the story is enthralling and has the reader on their toes, the world building is a little difficult to understand at first. I did have to reread a few parts several times to try and comprehend the world building, but it doesn’t take away from the story itself. It ends off at an interesting moment. At a point you know what has happened, but you are still left wondering as it isn’t wrapped up in a neat and tidy bow. But I wouldn’t have expected anything different from Cee or Kasey’s story.

Through the discovery of love, loss, truths and lie we just might stumble upon the ones we’re meant to find.

Favourite: I can’t share my exact favourite part without spoiling it, but their was a huge plot twist that I did not see coming and it was both shocking and devastating. I get the same emotions the character did, my heart is still healing.

Least favourite: I usually find books to be too long, but in this case it’s the complete opposite. I feel like it may have benefited the story to have the book be a bit longer. I would have liked to see more moments between Kasey and Actinium.

This book is everything I love about dystopian fiction.
The worldbuilding, the eco-cities, the futuristic technology, it was all so greatly written. I loved all the science behind the book, the Intraface, the holo-ing, the statis pod, the bots, the floating cities. Some parts reminded me a little of the series Uglies which is my all time favourite dystopian/sci-fi series.
On top of that the characters were marvellous. The dual POVs between Cee and Kasey added so much to the story, and the switch between first and third person was so interesting. I instantly loved Cee, she felt so true, so real, so full of emotions, and I just love emotional characters. It took me some time to warm up to Kasey, who's the polar opposite of Cee, all about facts and data, not so much about emotions and feelings, but she was driven, goal oriented, and I liked that.
Characters and world-building are what makes a great book for me, and these aspects were amazing in TOWMTF but on top of that there was also a wonderful plot! So many twists, so many surprises! I knew this book was full of twists so I tried guessing some of them, I was often on the right track but I could never guess the whole extent of the twist! And some of them I had absolutely not anticipated at all! It was fantastic!

This book is about family, about sisters, about morals and the grey areas between right and wrong, about the environment and saving the world, about being true to yourself.

What can I say except that the vibes in this book were absolutely phenomenal and go very well with the stunning cover.

The Ones We're Meant to Find is a YA dystopian that is unlike anything I've ever read. We follow two perspectives: Cee who mysteriously found herself on a deserted island 3 years prior and is determined to find her sister, and Kasey, a citizen of an eco-city trying to help the world cope with the devastating effects of climate change.

What I loved:
- Cee's storyline. Absolutely everything about it. The pacing, the setting, the characters on the island (U-me has my whole heart), her finding out about her past, everything. Someone transport me to a desert island where I live off taro and vibe amongst robots.
- Seeing all the pieces of the story fall together was just so cool and so damn satisfying. Joan He does an incredible job at giving you bits of information at just the right times so that you are never confused while still maintaining a hint of mystery that keeps you turning the pages.
- The worldbuilding was just so cool and very well done so as to not be confusing at all
- The characters were so easy to get attached to yet also flawed and nuanced in the best ways possible. I loved the exploration of sisterhood and seeing Kasey and Cee grapple with difficult decisions they were faced with.

A few things I struggled with:
- The pacing in Kasey's storyline felt a little off to me and I wasn't as interested in her parts of the story as I was with Cee's, especially towards the end of the book.
- I wasn't fully invested in the romances? But that might just be a me problem and I am also glad that the story wasn't too romance-centred so... Is that really even a negative thing?

I started The Ones We’re Meant to Find only knowing that it deals with two sisters and they’re trying to find each other (and that its cover is a work of art.) That was basically it. So the first 20% of this book were very confusing to me as I hadn’t realised it was sci-fi. But once I got the hang of it all - I was hooked.

This book can be defined in two words: smart and surprising. I never knew what the plot was going to be or what the author was trying to achieve but once I got to the the last part of the book, it all started making sense and man, I did not expect any of it. But I really, really liked it and I know already that it’s not going to be a book or plot for everyone but I loved it and I think a lot can be discussed and taken from it.

The ending was probably the one thing I was a bit disappointed by. It’s almost an open ending while not fully being one and that left me unsatiated. I would have like a little bit more but I do understand the chosen ending.

This was the first book I read from Joan He and was truly mesmerised by the world-building and her way of writing. I was very drawn in by the synopsis and beautiful cover and had to read it!

I must admit that at the beginning I wasn't that drawn in the story, but as soon as chapters went on, oh boy! It's a gripping sci-fi novel set in a dystopian world were part of the population lives in eco-cities in the sky and the rest of the population lives in the world we know, which is tormented by continuous natural disasters.

This story is about two sisters: Cee, who woke up on the shore of a deserted island and lived alone with the only thought of getting back to her sister and Kasey, a stem prodigy who wants to escape the technology and the eco-city that let her down with the disappearance of her sister.

It's a gripping page-turner, where finally the bond between the two sisters reveals lies and secrets that they both hid from each other to save hurt. The world-building and prose were exquisite and will surely check out Joan He previous works.

The premise had me from the beginning, and there were many elements that matched my taste in reading.
However - the plot twist (or the big reveal) came at around the 60% point, and it held no punch for me. For most of the second half of the book I wished it went by faster, and even though the writing style is very nice, I felt it was much longer than I would've liked.

3.5 stars/5.

The Ones We’re Meant to Find is a sci-fi novel set in a futuristic world where sisters Kasey and Celia are focused only on each other. Told in alternating perspectives, Celia is stranded on an island, trying to find her way back to civilisation and her sister, while Kasey is drifting in the absence of her sister and answers as to what happened. As the story unfolds, we come to realise this is not a story about two sisters, but simply just the story of two of many people living in a crumbling world.

The comparisons to We Were Liars and Black Mirror were well-founded, as this story was very complex and so were my feelings about it. I would say that the first two-thirds of the book was sluggish, confused, and disconnected. Joan He is such a talented writer, creating a sense of eeriness and unnaturalness in both perspectives, given that the sisters seem so out of touch with each other but not knowing the reason why. It IS a mystery, so of course there should be some element of confusion, but the kind of experience The Ones We're Meant to Find elicited resulted from too many questions and not enough crumbs being given to keep the reader engaged and active. I think the disjointed, slow narration, with some redundant scenes bogging down the plotline, undermined any revelations that occurred and the overall impact of the story, leaving the reading feeling quite dissatisfied.

Despite this, the last third of the book is completely enticing and unforgettable. Despite my boredom and pessimism about the outcome of the book, I was drawn into the revelations. While I did find a few aspects of the big reveal to be obvious, I thought the reasoning and storytelling behind it so intricate and compelling. It was incredible to see how everything fell into place and for the themes of environmentalism, human innovation in dire times, existentialism, capitalism and privilege (especially one where technology is so closely involved in defining identity and control, and ensuring safety).

The novel is set in such an interesting setting, with the eco-cities, ranking of people based on the sum of their ancestors' environmental impact, living in cyberspace to save resources, and terrestrial territories persisting with our current way of living despite the pressing environmental degradation, and while they were established well enough for the reader to understand how things worked, it also seemed disorientating at times and I saw it as a loss that we didn't see as much emotional interaction with this world, or into the lived experience. I also think that the bond between Celia and Kasey could have been developed further, as we know of their need to protect each other but we don't see much of their bond "in action", particularly in the period of time in their childhood where they reconciled after an event occurred, which was said to have solidified their relationship.

Overall, I enjoyed how this small story between sisters fit into this larger history and context, and thought that while the ending was worth the significant chunk of the novel that was slower, the momentum of the novel could have been kept at a pace that ensured the full impact of the story and its protagonists was delivered.

True to its promises, The Ones We’re Meant to Find is indeed twisty and surprising, and the themes explored in this book are one of the most confronting and alarming that I have read in recent memory. The comparisons to Black Mirror are accurate. While I liked The Ones We’re Meant to Find well enough and I feel that others should give this book a read, my thoughts about The Ones We’re Meant to Find are multi-faceted and complex.

The first half of this book centers on a compelling mystery, so this book is entirely spoiler-free. In addition, that’s how I’d also like to structure this book review: the first half versus the second half.

The first half – slow, sluggish, and oversaturated

I was excited going into this book. Being a fan of Black Mirror, I was immediately compelled and fascinated by the promised twisty story. Told in alternating narratives between the two sisters, we are immediately presented with a fascinating mystery: Cee is lost at sea and despite her every attempt to escape and return to her sister, she struggles to escape, damned to a repetitive routine of fighting for her survival. Pair that with Kasey’s narrative, where the central force of her story is that she refuses to believe that her sister is dead. I started asking questions – which I love to do while reading – and I was engaged. Indeed, The Ones We’re Meant to Find is cerebral and atmospheric; there’s an unsettling sense of eeriness pervasive in both perspectives, in the way that both sisters feel very out of sync with each other, leading to the ever-present question of why.

Regrettably, the first half of The Ones We’re Meant to Find is incredibly slow – and slow to its detriment. There is a delicate balance between offering morsels by way of building anticipation versus feeling a dull ache of dissatisfaction because the crumbs are not enough. Unfortunately, I sat in the latter camp. Atmospheric, yes, cerebral, yes, but the sluggish pace of the story muted the impact of the story and mystery’s developments.

I thought long and hard about why the story feels like it moves at a lethargic pace, despite the fact that ‘things were happening’. And I think it’s this: there is a lot of ‘padding’ in the storytelling. In other words, there were a lot of redundant moments in the story, that, rather than add something intriguing or meaningful, felt like they were filling in the moments between clues and reveals of the mystery. Though this ‘padding’ comprises mostly of worldbuilding and character development, they ultimately felt inconsequential and bloated in vague details. Rather than being kept on my toes, I felt bogged down by the overwhelming details in the story. The bittersweet thing for me is that He is a great writer and I got the sense that she could have articulated and conveyed all the things that were explicitly stated or recounted in more subtle ways. As a consequence, reveals and clues didn’t feel revelatory and triumphant; they felt overdue and late, lost in a sea of words of no real consequence to the overarching story.

I was feeling bored and pessimistic about how the story could change my mind. And then, at 57% of the story, the biggest ‘reveal’ happens – a reveal so big that it changes the course of the story and, unexpectedly, my opinion of the book.

The second half – where the story takes off, and its flight is thrilling and spectacular

57% is late in a book for things to get interesting, I know. (Though 57% isn’t ‘half’ per se, I’m loosely defining the ‘second half’ to mean the events in the story following a huge revelation and turning point in the story.) Nonetheless, whether you enjoy the second half of the book will depend on whether you feel invested in the story and what would happen. I was invested! Putting aside the criticisms I had of the story’s worldbuilding, which I feel was still an issue across the entirety of the book, I genuinely loved the second half and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I’ll have to be vague, because I don’t want to spoil what the reveal is, but it’s at the second half where I feel like everything that was alluded to started to come together beautifully. The characters immediately become more engaging as we learn how the reveal shapes their development and actions for the remainder of the book. The story takes off, moving at a brilliant momentum, and it is marvellous and thrilling to see how the story takes on this tone that feels desperately hopeful yet pessimistic. The blurry, vague questions alluded in the first half that never really hit felt concrete and impactful. Things fall together, and I was utterly transfixed from the second half to the very last page. (One may argue that the beginning of the book was deliberately slow in order for the second half to be the rollercoaster that it was. I still stand by that the pacing was too slow, and did not work for me.)

I enjoy books with strong themes, which is why I think The Ones We’re Meant to Find was ultimately an enjoyable read for me. The second half of the book was brilliantly thematic and I really enjoyed the ways in which the story explored environmentalism, late-stage capitalism, existentialism, and even an unexpected exploration of human nature in the context of brave hope and fatalistic misanthropy. The future envisioned in The Ones We’re Meant to Find is a terrifying one – a place where technology is tied to control and identity, surveillance is inherent and privacy is a scarce privilege. There are also some deeply personal themes too, such as the potency of love, and reconciling decisions and feelings of love against logic, and also the intimate bond of two sisters, where a sister is defined by her other. (There’s more, but sharing that will be a spoiler, so you will have to read it to find out!)

Though my feelings towards The Ones We’re Meant to Find are mixed, split down the middle, I do feel that this is a book that people can enjoy as a whole. The slow pace may work for you, but it just did not work for me. While the slow pace and oversaturated padding of the first half impeded my enjoyment significantly at first, the second half takes off with plenty of character action, thematic developments, and a compelling conflict of morals. Despite my mixed feelings towards The Ones We’re Meant to Find, the book is nonetheless a showcase of He’s writing prowess; I’m looking forward to reading whatever she writes in the future.

I had no idea what to expect going into this book, and even while reading it I wasn’t always sure how I felt about it.

The first word that comes to mind when describing it is “confusing.” The combination of the mysterious plot, the futuristic setting, the vague writing style, and characters that often felt distant from me as a reader came together in a perfect storm of “wait, what is going on?” I could always get the general gist of things, but the details were often foggy, and while I enjoy being held in suspense as a reader, I don’t like feeling confused.

First of all, every aspect of the plot had some sort of mystery to it. How did Celia get on the island? How did she lose her memories? Why can’t she see color? Why is Kasey so unfeeling? What is the felony Kasey committed? Who is Act and what is his relationship to Celia? And more as the plot continues. If I’d had fewer questions, or if the answers to some of them had come earlier on in the story, I would have had firmer footing and been able to focus on the most important questions.

The sci-fi setting didn’t help matters. I love science fiction – seriously, it’s probably my favorite genre – but it can be confusing to get to know an unfamiliar, futuristic world. On top of all the other confusion, it was too much. And although many of the concepts Joan He introduced were unique and interesting – the eco-cities, ranking people based on their ancestral environmental impact, experiencing things virtually to save resources – none of these concepts were explored as thoroughly as I would prefer, so once again, I was left with questions.

The protagonists, sisters Celia and Kasey, were promising characters, and there were moments or even entire chapters where I strongly connected with them, but I never felt like I truly knew or understood them. I was surprised that I especially had trouble connecting with Kasey. She seemed like exactly my type of character: a socially awkward STEM prodigy who feels different from everyone else around her. But she felt so distant and unfeeling, which I know was partially intentional but also partially resulted from a lack of in-depth exploration of Kasey’s thoughts and feelings or development that explained her actions.

I had more insight into Celia and ended up relating to her more, even though, because of her amnesia, her personality and motivations weren’t always clear. In terms of side characters, Act might as well have been a black box for all I understood his motivations. Paradoxically, despite knowing nothing about him for most of the book, Hero came across as more accessible and less inscrutable; I could at least guess at why he did what he did. And surprisingly enough, though I was disappointed to discover both romances in this book were straight, the romance was actually pretty well-written.

This is a three-star read for me because everything that I liked about it also had some part that I disliked. The plot was full of unexpected twists and turns, but that meant I spent the first half of the book with nothing but questions. One of the protagonists was well-written and grew on me as the story progressed, while the other seemed promising at first but never felt real to me. The world of the story was so interesting and unique, but I never got to learn about it in as much detail as I wanted.

4/5 stars.

First off, I have to comment on the beautiful cover for this book. As soon as I saw it I immediately needed it, and then reading the blurb I was so excited to read a dystopian novel for the first time in years.

The Ones We’re Meant to Find is a sci-fi dystopian novel set in a futuristic world about sisters Kasey and Cee who are trying to find each other again. The novel is told in alternating perspectives, about Cee who is stranded on an island and trying get to her sister Kasey, and Kasey who is struggling to keep afloat following her sister's disappearance and trying to find out what happened to her. The book is about sisterhood but also the futuristic world they live in, which is slowly crumbling.

The world isn't one completely foreign and obscure to this one; unfortunately, a lot of the aspects in the novel are ones I can imagine happening in real life a hundred or so years from now. The novel is set in a world that's been severely damaged by human waste, who've taken advantage of the Earth's resources so much so that now people are driven to live in small 'eco-cities' in which they have to spend 1/3 of their time in holograms to reduce emissions, and that's only if their ranks are high enough. If not, they live in other areas where the air is polluted, resources are scarce, and they're strongly effected by natural disasters. It's tough to read, especially when there's already so much going on in present day here, but worth it to ride it out till the end.

I liked both sisters, but I really enjoyed Kasey's chapters the most. I loved the worldbuilding in her chapters, since most chapters were set in the eco-city she lived in and she was surrounded by technology that I struggled to understand. It was confusing at first, and took me a while to get to grips with, but once I did it became easier to become immersed into the world. I loved thinking of theories in the novel, a lot of them being wrong but the ones that were right ended up hurting so much.

Overall, the novel was touching and gut-wrenching, and perfect for sci-fi fans who also enjoy reading about familial relationships

I've been wanting to read this book since I saw it on multiple lists at the beginning of the year for books to be on the lookout for in 2021. For one thing, the cover is absolutely stunning and the description (<i>We Were Liars</i> meets <I>Black Mirror</i<??) made me even more intrigued. That's why I was so excited when NetGalley and the publisher gave me the opportunity to read and review an arc in exchange for an honest review.

The story is told from alternating perspectives, Cee, who has woken up on an abandoned island with no memories other than one: that she has a sister and she needs to find her. Kasey is living on a version of Earth that is crumbling. The safe places to live on the dying planet are shrinking and Kasey might be the only person who can save everyone.

To really say much more might be a spoiler and the journey of discovery with this book is half of the enjoyment. This book had me constantly thinking...of what was going to happen (and so many of my theories were WRONG) but also about free will and about what makes us human. When I realized that so much of this book happens due to humans being humans and the disasters that follow I was a little nervous... it has been hard for me to read dystopian-type stuff while under lockdown from a pandemic. However, while I was nervous and excited to see what would happen I found the book enough of a thought-provoking escape to be an enjoyable read.

Above all this book made me think about the love of sisters and how despite all the science and logic in the world some things are just stronger than that.

There are some CWs here including violence, death, death of a loved one, suicide, drowning, natural disasters and terminal illness.

The Ones We’re Meant to Find tells the story of Cee and Kasey, two sisters who become separated from one another. Cee on a deserted island with no memory of how she got there and only remembers one thing - she has a sister. And Kasey who lives in an eco city, the last inhabited unpolluted place and humankind’s one chance of survival. This is a beautiful story about survival and the incredible connection we have with other people. It included many difficult topics including suicide, violence and terminal illness and handled them brilliantly.

The world building was incredible. I felt fully immersed in the different and fascinating environment. The concept of the eco city was interesting, and I enjoyed reading about how it came into existence. With both sisters being in different places, I loved the contrast. Cee on an island and Kasey in the eco city, and it allowed me to see the differences and learn about each environment without any need for massive info dumping. It was a wonderful blend of dystopian with sci-fi aspects.

The characters all felt so real, and because there weren’t a ton of them, I connected with them on a better level. This story didn’t need lots of characters to be special, and the author really brought them to life.

I was fully invested in finding out how Cee ended up on the island, and although I had a few theories, I couldn’t guess the truth (which was more mind blowing than I could have imagined!) The plot often slowed down in parts but it was still interesting and didn’t lose my interest.

The writing was stunning. The author really climbed inside the character’s heads so much that they felt like real three-dimensional people. Both Cee’s and Kasey’s POV’s were unique, and they felt like two separate people.

One big issue I had was I didn’t always know what was going on. Although I loved both POV’s it could get quite confusing as to follow the storyline and what was going on. Especially towards the end, I had to flick back and forth to understand what had happened. However, overall this m was a beautiful yet heart wrenching novel with enough elements to keep me engaged and excited to keep turning the pages. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book to read and review.

I was pleasantly surprised by The Ones We're Meant To Find. It is a futuristic/dystopian novel with both a lonely, deserted island and a high tech city in the sky.

Cecilia has been missing for several years and assumed dead by most. She has been on a deserted island with only a bot to keep her company and a strong urge that she must find her sister. Kasey, a scientist and Cecilia's sister, lives in the high tech city in the sky and is on a quest to find out what really happened to her sister.

The Earth has became so toxic and polluted to humans, that living in the sky is now the best logical option for human survival. However, only certain people are allowed in this city and people are subjected to numbers based on their worthiness that can be displayed above their heads at any time. People in this city are also subjected to several rules and regulations that takes away their freedom and faced with the dilemma of living a longer/healthier/logical life or living a life of emotional freedom. Cecilia always desired that life of freedom and emotions, while Kasey was all about the logical science side of things.

The novel goes deeper than I expected and has plot twists that have you questioning what it really means to be free or to be human and how far is too far to save humanity. Although the novel does have a great deal to do with science and has lots of technical details, it also has beautiful prose and a great writing style that brings it to life. The writing style also brings out the personality of each sister, more technical and scientific when you are with Kasey and more lyrical and emotional when you are with Cecilia.

I also really enjoyed the atmosphere of the book. You could feel the more futuristic sterile environment of the sky city, the toxic desolation of earth and the beauty and loneliness of the island. I also felt the weird dreamlike state of the island that went along with the par of one of the twists.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Ones We're Meant To Find and would highly recommend it to friends.

I was immediately spellbound when i picked up The Ones We're Meant to find. Joan He draws you into her world where you can't help but root for these two sisters to find each other. As the story progressed and you find out is really happening in the world outside. I was speechless and completely surprised. The story definitely reflects whats happening in the real world with the condition of our oceans and what the consequences might be if we don't act now. Her writing is superb as always and The characters are so 3 dimensional. you feel that you could walk up to them on the street and strike up a conversation with them.

Full review has been posted to Blog "Read with Tessa" -

The Ones We’re Meant to Find is a YA sci-fi novel following the stories and bond between two sisters – Celia, surviving on a desolate island with limited memories and one mission only: to find her sister; and Kesey, surviving in a destroyed environment presented with the decision wether to use her knowledge to help save humanity, responsible for Earth’s destruction and whom have continuously failed her and her loved ones.

I jumped into this book knowing only what is vaguely stated in the synopsis hinting at a science-fiction component, yet this story exceeded all my expectations taking the science-fiction component and making into something novel and unique. It is my belief that it’s best to know as little detail as possible before picking this one up, thus I will be as vague as possible while giving my detailed opinion of this new book by author Joan He.

Joan He builds the surrounding background to this story perfectly, giving us a detailed description that allows to obtain a clear picture of the world – without extending chapters of information to reach this feet. Within a couple of pages the world is set out for the reader and, although Earth is in a devastated state, the description becomes slightly unsettling as it depicts a future that seems truly possible: Earth has been made uninhabitable due to mankind’s pollution and global warming. Within this setting, technology has advanced extensively, creating novel ways to combat the aforementioned disruption.

Via the characters, the author explores the power of human bonds, mainly between sisters, specifically how far an individual is willing to go for a loved one, the sacrifices one makes to survive, while also covering topics of love and humanity. As technology had advanced in this world, we are also presented with themes and conversations of the benefits and dangers of artificial intelligence – What makes us human? Who determines what is right and what is wrong?

The dual point of view of the protagonists, Celia and Kasey, are perfectly woven together with twists-and-turns throughout the novel, creating an atmospheric, unpredictable and perfectly-paced story. A curious authorial choice made was to write the individual points of views in different perspectives, first and third person respectively. Although as a reader you become accustomed to it very early-on, it did initially throw-off my reading experience. However, I am also able to understand how this sets and fits the “mood” of the storyline.

Overall, The Ones We’re Meant to Find is an enjoyable read, covering important topics and relevant discussions for all readers, regardless of age. This read leaves you wanting more, yet ends perfectly and in-line with the atmosphere of the story. I encourage anyone drawn-in by the synopsis to pick this novel up, everyone will find something of value within its pages.

Trigger Warnings: terminal illness, suicide, violence (including chocking), death, death of parent (off page), vomiting, large scale natural disasters and mass casualties, some gore.

Disclaimer: Thank you to Text Publishing for providing me an e-ARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review