I'm writing this review with tears streaming down my face. I am completely in shock and questioning my entire existence at the same time.

I don't think I've ever read a book quite like this -- it's sci-fi that delves into the topics of climate change, morality, humanity, and privilege, and it's a book that makes you look inwards at your impact on the world. You vs the world. You vs the people you care about. I love how at its heart, this book tells the stories of two sisters and emphasizes the connection between the two as well as their evolving relationship. Joan He's writing style is simply beautiful -- it's so captivating and lyrical, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I loved the split POVs and it was so interesting to me how everything came back full circle. I think Cee is a fascinating character because she's gritty, determined, and would travel to the end of the earth for her sister; she's also multi-dimensional and not at all perfect, and I relate to her a lot. I also loved hearing Kay's story with her development, and I think she's a character that many can relate to in situations such as how she deals with grief and how she handles social situations. Actinium is a fascinating character as well, and I think I have a soft spot in my heart for Hero because he reminds me of Archer from "The Reader" by Traci Chee. Hero and Archer have similar backstories (especially with their names), and they're lovers, not fighters, even though the world meant for them to be fighters. They both also have that boyish quality to them, and I just want to give both of them a hug because they deserve better.

Let's not forget the plot twists because those had me speechless. I didn't see any of them coming, which meant that this book went in a completely different direction than I thought it would (which is a good thing!). I definitely screamed at my computer in shock.

The only reasons this book isn't a full 5-star read for me are that I wasn't quite engaged with some of the intermediary plot points and I was confused about the worldbuilding/the situation both sisters were in (specifically, time-wise but there's a reason for that) for the first 20% of the book. Addressing the latter point, however, it was very satisfying when the timelines finally shifted into place and everything clicked together.

I would 100% recommend this book! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

THE ONES WE'RE MEANT TO FIND...it is a hard thing to categorize, as it was very slow in the beginning, sped up halfway through and hooks your attention, and then slows down at the 3/4 point again...Is this a great concept? Yes. Is it a fun read? Yes. I just wish that the tempo would be consistent.

Does the humans deserve to be saved?
Two sisters so different who love and care for each other. Kasey, the scientist. She's a very specific person that tries to be a part of the people. She doesn't manage well the feelings, but she doesn't really need them. She has science, her only path in her life.
Celia, the sweet, cute and lovely Celia. She's beloved, she's funny and she loves so much Kasey.
The book starts with Celia on the dessert island only with a bit as her company. She had spent three years on that island and her only wish is to find her sister, Kasey.
On the other hand, we have Kasey who's trying to find her sister. She's the little one. On her path she will find Actonium who will be with her in this intriguing journey.
The book hooks you since the first page. At first, I couldn't understand what was happening. The story develops so good. The pacing isn't slow, the plots are brilliant. The book keeps you in suspense and reveals the mysteries as you're reading the book. Also, it's very well written. I loved it.
It's true that I have empathized more with Celia, but at the end I have understood why Kasey was like that, and I get to love her.
The story makes us think about the salvation of the humankind. Humans polluted the Earth, its air, its seas and oceans. People had built eco-cities, places free of pollution, but it isn't enough. So here the question: does humans deserve to be saved?
Great book, thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this story.

“we are as real as we believe ourselves to be.”

i received this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

first of all, can we talk about how gorgeous this cover is? it’s possibly one of my favourite covers ever.

i went into this book not knowing what to expect. i’ve always been a fan of artificial intelligence/sci-fi but this is possibly the first book i’ve read regarding these topics... and it was phenomenal!

i’m such a fan of novels with multiple perspectives. both narrators, cee and kasey had so much depth, and i felt so protective of kasey as i saw a lot of my own characteristics in her. i loved the pace of this book, and the twist was so cleverly constructed that it had me reeling. but, overall, my favourite aspect of “the ones were meant to find” has to be the settings. the island was described so vividly that i could almost feel the salty sea air whipping my cheeks, and the eco-cities were unlike anything i’ve come across before.

the only reason i couldn’t give it 5 stars was just how complex the wording was at times. it stopped the otherwise gorgeous flow of the book, and simpler wording would have been enough. despite this, with sisterly love at its epicentre, this novel is so unique and beautifully crafted, and i’m eagerly awaiting the official release date for other’s to experience it with me.

★★☆☆☆ 2/5

i don’t think this book was bad necessarily, but it was just way too busy and confusing for me.

(arc provided by netgallery and Roaring Brook. all thoughts and opinions are my own)

3.5*

The Ones We're Meant To Find is the sort of book you want to devour all in one sitting. I found myself flying through this book, wanting to learn more about Cee, Kasey, and their relationship. I really enjoyed Cee's POV the most she's a fun character, and I admired her determination to find her sister and her will to survive.


The world-building was sort of hard to grasp for me at first, maybe because it's been a while since I've read dystopian/sci-fi books, but once you get halfway through the book, it becomes easier to understand.


Overall, I enjoyed the sisters relationships, the side characters, and the twists and turns.

4 stars *may change
> "Throughout the course of civilization, humans had looked to the heavens for answers. In stars, they found maps. In suns, they found gods. In the sky beyond the sky, they thought they'd find a second home."
This was a nice little surprise.
I've never read Joan He's works before, but this book has me convinced that I really ought to immediately. I'm not one to pay attention to writing styles much—it's either well-written or not—but I've been told this was quite beautiful. Having seen it myself first hand, I really do think it's lovely. He's writing is almost poetic and lyrical in a sense while drawing on metaphors and imagery to fit the scene. It was very easy to get through, despite the fact that I usually have quite a bit of trouble reading physical books.
There is, er, one thing that dragged this book down, and I'd like to get it out of the way quickly. I know absolutely nothing about science and technology. In fact, I have absolutely no interest in anything related to science and technology. I think both of them are very dull, and I sometimes spaced out entirely in certain sections when it was paragraphs of scientific terms and words being used. I mean, I understood them (sort of. not really.) if I paid close attention and re-read it, but that's not something I really want to be doing. That being said, I don't think it took away from the overall reading experience. To be fair, I don't read book descriptions. The fact that it was going to have so much sciency stuff could have well been in it and I'm just being a bit of a knob about it. Alright, back to what's good.
I really like how the dual perspective works. The way that Joan He carried it out with the change in the tense and...other details...was noticeable enough for me to be like "Oh, this is probably important," but not to the point where I was very aware of what would happen later. I think the story is executed like that overall. Everything is well within your grasp to reach if you wish to do so.
Speaking of wishing, God I really wish the official artist for this book keeps making more of those little illustrations because WOW I was just thinking of them the whole time and it made the experience way more atmospheric and real. The island Cee is in feels so alive it really was like I was seeing it. Cee in general has to be my favorite character. Something about her and her struggles was very easy to resonate with. her relationships with the people around her are very...interesting. As it goes, her and he-who-shall-not-be-named really carried such a big part in this book. I just loved seeing them interact in every way possible and...yeah.
Really great book that I binged in a day. Not sure about that rating—split between that and 4.5.

I was taken by surprise at how much I adored this. It has a brilliantly twisty plot, btu also characters I felt really invested in and cared about. I was occassionally confused by the ages of the sisters, which would drag me out of the story somewhat - they definitely read as older, especially in the first third of the book. However, I had been in a bit of a reading slump, and this propelled me out of it - I ploughed through it in under 24 hours. The Ones We're Meant to Find was quite moving at times, and I found the worldbuilding mesmerising. This was the first Joan He I'd read, and now I immediately want to read more.
4.5 rounded up to 5.

Embedded with extraordinary tech and emotional tang, The Ones We're Meant To Find is equal parts an enthralling turn of events tailing earth's ecological end-times, a tactful take on ethics, and a thinly-veiled exploration of the threats we can expect from environmental tragedy. With privileged sections of the population locked away in lifted pseudo-utopian structures, the story plots the parallel plights of two sisters of lofty status - one liable to love and lost at sea, the other staunchly loyal to logic and looking for her sibling - as they sift through lies, tough out their lots and tentatively lock horns with high-ranking transgressions, and in the process puncture the legitimacy of the strongholds of Promethean promises of this last-resort lifestyle. Thronged with three-dimensionality - from its terrifying topicality to its testy heroines - and lavish with its headlong twists and turns, The Ones We're Meant To Find is a thrilling tale of tempestuous heart-searching and hard-hitting family ties and a thought-provoking testament to the fallibility and foibles of a humankind troubled by hopelessness and hubris, the trappings of tiering and limiting the terms for humanity and whether our future is touched up to transform the horizons of what it means to be human at all.

“the world will be watching. everyone will know you didn't help”

i received this arc from netgalley, but this has not influenced my opinion at all~

lets talk about what this book has:

-def insta love
-predictable plot
-confusing pov
-middle grade writing style
-all the cliche tropes

so all in all, not my favorite book.

i think i was mostly excited for this book due to the title and due to the cover. i saw the cover and absolutely fell in love with it. i do not know why i thought i would love this book, its tagged for fans of we were liars, which i hated. but i liked the concept so much that I wanted to give it a try.

but reading it was a bit disappointing. don't get me wrong, the concept was super interesting and i was ready to read this, but damn, i frankly didn't understand anything.

no character stuck to me, the two main characters were pretty bland and frankly, were very boring to read about. i feel they could have been developed more than it was. the side characters were only there to advance the plot and had no real life, which was super sad. t

the pacing made me kind of mad, so much happened yet nothing happened because it was written so weirdly, i don't even know how to describe it.

the plot twist was…. part of the plot, but definitely not a plot twist. i knew it was going to happen around 100 pages in, it was seemingly just predictable.

its being rated a three star because I did enjoy some writing and I also enjoyed the two bots that lived with cee, they were very precious.

I think JH's jump from fantasy to sci-fi is a real success. With her signature beautiful prose, JH has created an elevated ‘Lifelike’ and ‘Warcross,’ bringing new dimensions to the genre.

I will say I preferred Cee's chapters over Kay's - I think I'm more interested in survival stories than cli-sci - but both sisters are worth reading about and I love how their two POVs connect. I was definitely more engaged in the characters than the plot.

And this very well could be due to the eARC - the formatting was quite messy and made following key details in the story a challenge. I honestly still don't know what half this story is about. So I will be interested in picking up a physical copy when it's released and seeing if that changes my understanding.

But I feel confident in saying this book is a definite dark horse for 2021.

“Past or present tense irrelevant, since all environmental damage is permanent within our life spans.” #JoanHe #TheOnesWeAreMeantToFind

My rating: 5/5 GR: 4,47 /5

Genre: #YA #Dystopia #SciFi #Mystery #Thriller

Excellent! Brilliant! Fantastic book! I’m familiar with authors another book “Descendant of a Crane”, and honestly it didn’t impress me (just wasn’t my cup of tea). Therefore, I didn’t have high expectations from her new creation! But I was so, so wrong! So, wrong... This is my years best #fantasy read so far! And I’m not a fan of Sci-Fi... But this book just had so many important and great things about it... I could totally imagine something similar happening in the future.

Right, let’s stop mumbling and start writing about why this book is so great...

First of all, good Sci-Fi/Fantasy that are discussing global issues are so cool, yet so rare. Main topic of this book is... Environmental issues, humans have pretty much destroyed the planet and now it’s impossible to live on Earth. That’s why Eco-cities in the skies have been created. People are living under specific laws and being controlled. Of course, not everyone is allowed to live "clean" life.

It’s the story about two sisters Kasey and Cee, they have a special bond between them. Another topic that author is delivering here is dependency on others and learning self-care through this unique bond... The lost each other under mysterious circumstances, are they meant to find each other?

After the half of the book, I was like Whaaaat? How did that happen?!?! (And I’m not easily impressed)! Great story line and completely unexpected turns....

I would recommend this book to everyone, fantasy lovers/non lovers, it’s the book where everyone can find something for themselves... I didn’t understand few moments in the book, but that’s not an issue.

People might say that this topic has been used so many times, artificial intellect, dystopian survivals, there is nothing unique about it. I would totally argue with this point! Joan He has created a masterpiece! I have so much love for this book!

Thank you @TextPublishing and @Netgalley for e-Arc!

This book gripped me from the first page to the very last. No spoilers of course,but there are not enough positive things that I can say about this book: it's captivating from the first page with intricate worldbuilding and fascinating characters.
The twists and reveals will keep you guessing and gasping until the very end, and then have you craving more of this story.
This book was amazing and beautiful and I think everyone should read it.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hello yes this book totally blew my mind -- I actually read it a couple months ago but I am STILL thinking about it. I don't have a sister, but the relationship that's portrayed in the book made me absolutely feel like I do. Well written apocalyptic climate fiction always freaks me out, and this one haunts me (and I mean that in the best way). Also -- the twists? Good lord. EVERYONE GO READ IT NOW!

An absolutely genius story from Joan He, The Ones We’re Meant to Find is a triumph. Heartbreaking, hopeful, and searing in its portrayal of climate change and the morality of the human heart.

Easily one of the best books I’ve ever read, and one that will stick with me for a very long time.

Wow. This book really made me feel a lot of things at once. I saw this being pitched as Black Mirror and I have to agree, it had concepts that reminded me of the series. The Ones We’re Meant to Find is an emotional Sci-Fi standalone set in a dystopian world where siblings Cee and Kasey are separated from each other.

Let me start by saying how attached I am to the siblings. Four chapters in and I already feel for Cee and Kasey. Both of them are longing to be with the other one and that has struck me warmly. Relationship regarding siblings is always the subplot in most fiction, hence, reading this book wherein their relationship is where it revolves is refreshing. Kacey and Cee are polar opposites but nonetheless, they are equally interesting. In both their povs, I can clearly see their differences: where Cee is outgoing, Kacey is reclusive; where Cee lives on an island, Kasey lives in modernity.

Grasping the concept of the world was difficult, the process of understanding these concepts was equally amusing—since it’s been a while that I read Sci-Fi and this book awoke my love for it—and frustrating. Imagining such an intricate world has never been this easy and hard at the same time.

Moving on to the writing, I’m actually addicted to it. There are lyrical paragraphs that I would gladly commit to memory. Also, the humor added in this story!! I’m so glad there was a lot because I am living for them. Initially, I thought this is going to be told in a dull and grim narrative but the subtle humor made reading this enjoyable. I appreciated that these were included, they felt like a break after paragraphs of heavy monologues.

I lessened one star to my rating since there were parts that felt underwhelming to me. The plot twists surprised me but some were predictable. The build-up for something big, only to have the entirety of what happened next skipped annoyed me. I guess I wanted more of the in-between on those parts.

Overall, a thrilling emotional ride with plot twists that will hit you at the most unexpected time. Lovers of sea, siblings, interesting side characters, and Sci-Fi will surely enjoy this.

dnf @ 44%

this was just too confusing that i couldn't fully immerse myself into the story and i had no idea what was happening most of the time. i haven't read a lot of sci-fi and from the few that i have read, i did not like them. i still wanted to give this a try because the cover was stunning. sadly, the concept wasn't interesting enough to me. the writing style was so confusing and i found that the author loves writing in fragments which i absolutely abhor!! this book definitely suffers from pacing problems like every other ya sff book wherein a lot is happening but essentially, nothing is happening. the characters were not compelling enough for me and had no distinguishing characteristics from every other ya protagonist.