"And I think we have even less choice over the ones we’re meant to find."

This book had me shouting at it, I was so confused! Partly because the technical stuff had me scratching my brain to figure it out but in the end it was because Joan He has a way with story telling that always leaves you guessing, just when you think you've worked out what's going on, bam! Twist! My head was spinning in circles and I loved it. It certainly kept me wanting more and in the end I powered through about 2 thirds of the book in a few hours!

I don't know if there is an intended sequel to this book, part of me really needs to know what happened after but part of me what's to leave it to my imagination and what I think could have happened. What I do know is I will definitely be rereading this in the future, I know there's plenty I will have missed!

And can we just discuss how this is one of the most beautiful covers I have ever seen in my life! Credit To Aykut Aydoğdu for this truly stunning piece of art!

In the beginning I was very confused about what exactly was going on, but I was very quickly intrigued about the plot. I did struggle a little bit with some of the science-y stuff, but that is probably due to the fact that English is not my native language. Overall I really liked the plot and the characters, and I’m very excited to read more of Joan He’s work!

This book was really well constructed and kept me guessing from the start. We follow two sisters; Cee has woken up on an island with no memory of how she got there and with a burning desire to find her sister; Kasey has always struggled to find her place in the world and retreats into herself. The narrative goes in some incredibly unexpected and fascinating directions. There were so many points where I was congratulating myself for knowing exactly what was happening only for another twist to come out of left field. I was completely engaged throughout and really felt for both girls. The writing is fantastic and Joan He has skillfully created two characters who have such different voices that never become entangled. The world created here is unique and frightening in many ways, but it feels completely believable. The plot was fantastic and my only criticism is that I felt the ending was a little bit anticlimactic. Overall though, this is an excellent book and I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in climate change and its ramifications.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I had very high expectations for 'The Ones We're Meant to Find'. The synopsis promised a brilliant book, with an intriguing storyline, and with that gorgeous cover it was love at first sight. Plus the premises! "One of the most twisty, surprising, engaging page-turner YAs you’ll read this year—'We Were Liars' meets 'Black Mirror', with a dash of Studio Ghibli." Really... this was 100% my cup of tea. In the end, however, my feelings about this book are somewhat mixed.

Let's start with the positive aspects. First of all the writing style. Wonderful, well articulated, refined. This is my first time reading anything by Joan He (although 'Descendant of the Crane' has been on my wish list for a while), but I certainly found her a capable and very promising author . The world she created here is beautiful and complex, with the chapters alternating between two different settings: on one hand we have Cee's POV on the abandoned island where she has been trapped for three years, surrounded only by the ocean; on the other hand we have a pure sci-fi atmosphere in the eco-city where Kasey lives. While the former is relatively simpler and easier to understand, I struggled to grasp all the terminologies used in Kasey's world and fully frame this complex setting.

“When I dream of her, it’s in vibrant color, unlike the gradients of gray of my monochrome days. But everything is hazy when I wake. The details merge. The colors fade.”

I enjoyed the introspection on human emotions that accompanies us throughout the book, with a focus on the sense of loneliness and the different ways that everyone adopts to overcome the loss of a loved one (here masterfully treated in two distinct ways: literally, for Kasey , and for the distance and impotence to reunite, for Cee). A lot of attention is paid to robots and artificial intelligences, their feelings and their ability to make autonomous decisions, but I avoid going into too much detail to keep the review spoiler-free.

“Logic ended where love began.”

The reasons that prevent me from giving a higher rating to this book are mainly three. First, I couldn't fully empathize with one of theprotagonists, Kasey. I found her chapters to be rather flat compared to Cee's, and I realize it's a deliberate aspect due to her character being more apathetic and rational by nature, but I can't say I appreciated this narrative choice one hundred percent.

The second main reason is the fact that I got lost several times in the first half of the book. The sci-fi setting, intriguing as it is, is too full of unfamiliar elements that I haven't been able to fully understand. I would have appreciated perhaps a glossary at the beginning of the book, to familiarize myself with the terms used throughout the story.

Lastly, the ending. In part it hurt me, in part it confused me. It's not that I'm not a fan of open endings, but maybe it's a little too open here. I don't know, I was expecting something more.

To conclude, my rating would be more inclined to a 3.5 star, but I would like to round it to 4 because all things considered 'The Ones We're Meant to Find' is a good book, with a fascinating plot, and a brilliant writing style.

(Thank you to NetGalley and Text Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!)

The Ones We're Meant to Find - Joan He

Paperback Release Date: 24th June

Thank you so much to @netgalley for supplying me with an arc of this wonderful book.

'But dread poisons my thoughts anyway.'

There is no doubt that this cover is one of the most beautiful I have seen all year (art done by @aykutmaykut) - I am in love.

As a YA Sci-Fi I had no idea what to expect from this book, I am left in awe after finishing this page-turner.

Sisters, Celia and Kacey are further apart than ever; One has been trapped on an abandoned island for the past three years whilst the other is a STEM prodigy working on a way to save humanity from the ever-worsening environmental crises happening on Earth.

Celia's mission - Find Kasey

Kasey's mission - Save Earth

The character development of the two protagonists had me immersed into their deepest thoughts and emotions. I was so impressed by the world building, plot twists, writing style and deeper storyline of this book.

Tackling a very important subject of climate change this book had me thinking about the future our Earth will come to have, the damage done from generations of selfishness. I was particularly taken by the decisions the characters had to make.

I am shocked, emotional and left wanting to read more from He after the ending! Wow! Definitely running off the buy the hardcover of this now, byee!

I really thought I could force myself to finish this. But at 72% I quit. I couldn't do it anymore. I was lost, confused and bored. I zoned out after just over half way and couldn't find my way back.

The beginning did intrigue me. I had questions. What was going on and why. I soon found myself more interested in Cee's parts than Kasey. Their story felt bigger and more interesting with the element of survival on an island seemingly alone with a bot.
While Kasey parts bored me. I found myself zoning out.

The pacing/writing didnt work for me. It was way too slow. I struggled to want to pick it up.

The world building didnt feel there. I was confused what was going on. Nothing felt explained or built on enough.

The overall idea of the book sounded great. But it didn't work here for me.

“cee awoke on an abandoned island three years ago. With no idea of how she was marooned, she only has a rickety house, an old android, and a single memory: she has a sister, and cee needs to find her.

STEM prodigy kasey wants escape from the science and home she once trusted. the eco- city, Earth's last unpolluted place, is meant to be sanctuary for those commited to planetary protection, but it's populated by people willing to do anything for refuge, even lie. Now, she'll have to decide if she's ready to use science to help humanity, even though it failed the people who mattered most.”

i’m really sad that i didn’t love this one & i have to say i was a little underwhelmed. the cover SUCKED me in but it just didn’t live up to my expectations :(

i did enjoy cee’s perspective within the novel - the whole survival/ abandoned island trope was fun and i found her character particularly interesting. however i just didn’t click with kasey’s character at all.

i also found the world building a little bit vague and for that reason i was never fully immersed in the story.

nevertheless, i think this novel has a very important underlying theme about climate change and how all of us play a part in this. the novel is a dystopian fiction but i could honestly see us going down this root if we don’t get out sh*t together.

thankyou to netgalley for approving me for this e-arc!

Unfortunately, this book missed the mark for me. From the beginning I was very confused. I am not an avid sci-fi reader so I thought that was the issue. It definitely became less confusing as I read on but the story became more and more convoluted. There were so many elements introduced that it was overwhelming and the story would have been better off with sticking to one or two storylines instead of having so many that seemed to go nowhere.

I can definitely see why others love this book and I would still recommend it to those who are interested, Sadly it was just not for me.

3.5 stars - I want to start off this review by saying I think this is a book that I will definitely need to reread in the future. It might be a mix of formatting and my mind being *no thoughts* this month, but I really could not get into the first half of this book. I was very, very confused by the different perspectives/time lines? There is a lot of shifting moments in the book that I wasn't quite understanding, but the format of the arc on Kindle made it insanely difficult to visualize. I'm really disappointed because I know this is a book I would really love physically or even audibly. The second half of the book was an ABSOLUTE page turner though! Once I got to that part, I absolutely could not put this down and I was flying through the (e)pages. Once we hit that portion of the novel, we saw discussions of climate change, capitalism, classism, scientific advancement - it was so engaging! Not to mention, the characters' sisterly relationship towards one another and the power that that can have over the other (I won't say more). My opinion is really split between adoring the second half and being really confused in the first. This is definitely a book I plan to reread.

“And I think we have even less choice over the ones we’re meant to find.”

Another masterpiece from Joan He Such an interesting take in post-apocalyptic earth where people couldn't inhabit our lovely planet anymore and have to create some sort of eco-cities filled with artificial intelligence. Beside the heart wrenching story about two sisters that got separated because the cruel fate of the universe, this book is a great critic to environmental and class problem. I think all of sci-fi geeks out there should get their hands on The Ones We're Meant to Find and read it as soon as possible. And personally, I think this book should be a mandatory read for school and discussed in book clubs.

I did not expect this book to hurt this badly. Experimental and ambitious feels like an understatement with this one, a sci-fi novel following two sisters as they try to reconnect and find each other sounds like a fun premise, but it offers so much more. <i>The Ones We're Meant to Find</i> is a gut-wrenching and unique exploration of sisterhood, grief, climate change, privilege, etc., etc, that manages to intersect these themes with ease. (and this is coming from someone who’s kind of allergic to scientific theory/jargon)

There are some real twists and turns that keep you intrigued as the author slowly reveals more about the world-building and how it folds into each character. You never know where the story is going to take you as a reader, and paired with the writing that is so entrancing and beautiful that it sweeps you along the journey of these sisters.

There is this constant push and pull with the characters, especially with Cee’s story that is kinda reminiscent of the waves she’s so drawn to, but it never feels repetitive and overdone. It slowly builds and each time you learn more about her or the mysterious boy who ends up on the island, the author also captures her spirit so well; the characters never feel inauthentic or fake (folks who’ve finished the book hah I know). Kasey’s journey with her dilemma, her love for science and her sister were so interesting and heartbreaking to read, absolutely love her character. Kasey’s point of view being written in the third person (unlike Celia’s) is another added layer that distinguishes the two povs and adds to their character as well which was a nice touch. The two sisters’ dynamic is definitely one of the strengths of the book, it really delivered.

<b> I wake on my feet, wind tangled in my hair. The sand is cold beneath my arches and the tide is rising, white foam and gray water frothing around my ankles before fizzing through my toes.

<i>My bare toes</i></b>

The writing in this book omg !!! One of the prettiest (yet somehow simple) introductions I’ll remember reading. The author does such a great job of creating this dreamlike atmosphere with the stunning imagery and almost poetic style of writing that it feels like you’re reading a story written in verse at times. Just gorgeous writing all around. Also for a book with such heavy topics and world-building, it really breezes past, once I picked it up again after a mini-slump I couldn’t put it down, highly recommend it.

<i>thank you to netgalley for providing a digital arc to review</i>

Actual Rating: 2.5 Stars

The Ones We're Meant to Find was one of my most anticipated novels especially with that beautiful cover this book has. Sadly, I didn't enjoy this novel despite its synopsis about two girls-sisters separated for years and a book that deals with the horrors about climate change. I still haven't read Descendant of the Crane so this has been my very first novel by Joan He.

I feel like this is a moment of, 'it's not you, it's me.' because I wanted to love it a lot. How could I not with a soft cover that featured two Asian girls on the cover? But I will forever be sad that this story didn't work for me.

This book is EXTREMELY SLOW. The beginning is confusing, and there were multiple times in the book where I had to put it down because it wasn't working for me. The beginning is so slow and confusing that it takes a while to adjust and the big mystery behind Cee is revealed past 55% of the book, making it hard to get to.

While the first part of the book was slow, I really liked the second half and is probably the portion. It delves into the effects of climate change, the selfishness of human nature and robots which was really cool. It was probably a highlight for me for the whole entire book.

I liked Cee and Kacey. They weren't my favorite characters, but I love how fleshed out they were. Cee, being trapped on an island for 3 years with no memories and only a name, trying to get off an island until the big reveal is happen. Kasey is a STEM person and trying to get a control on the climate change along with finding her sister..

I'm really curious in what Joan He writes as I will be reading more of her work, even though this book didn't work for me.

dnf @ page 20

Wasn't grabbing me at all. I think I had different expectations for what this actually was about and didn't end up being my thing.

The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He immidiately caught my eye, not just for its stunning cover, but because of He’s debut Decendants of the Crane which was a whirlwind of beautiful prose and a twisting tale.

TOWMTF is no different.
The writing is beautiful, tender yet cutting, and the premise of the book promised me a sibling relationship far out of this world.

The far distant future of the novel kept me captivated, however I am sad to say this story did not quite match what I imagined it to be.

Though I overall very much enjoyed the book, the pacing of the story was slightly off for me and so it felt a little like a chore to finish.
I cannot however quite pinpoint why this wasn’t a smashing hit for me, as I did love the characters and the twisiting ending I only half saw coming.

So overall this still deserves to be raved about even if that raving will not be done by me.

Thanks to Netgalley for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review :)

First of all, I have to mention the fact that Descendant of the Crane by Joan He is one of my all time favourite books and I was so excited when I heard about this book. I already knew I will enjoy it.

First thing that impressed me was the science fiction approach. It deals with one of my favourite ideas: futuristic Earth with new technology and natural disasters. I am still thinking about all the interestings aspects mentioned: floating cities, interesting AI, medical advances. I have always loved reading about these in fiction. This book offers a lot - the world is beautifully imagined and I will be discussing it with anyone and everyone.

Secondly, I expected some great twists and turns (thinking of Descendant of the Crane) - I was not disappointed. I love them! The way they are presentes and positioned in the story makes everything so entertaining and interesting.

Thirdly, the characters! I was surprised to read the story from 2 sisters' points of view. I enjoyed how different, but still similar they were. The story is all about them: Cee and Kay. Cee has been trapped on an abandoned island for three years without any recollection of how she arrived, or memories from her life prior. All she knows is that somewhere out there, beyond the horizon, she has a sister named Kay, and it’s up to Cee to cross the ocean and find her. This part of the story fascinated me - the memory loss, the whole recollection moments and THE TWISTS!!!!! OMG!!!! On the other hand you have Kay: Kasey Mizuhara lives in an eco-city built for people who protected the planet―and now need protecting from it. This is the part of the story with the most world building - you get to learn so much about these cities, the technology and the AI. Kasey is living and breathing science! She has such an intersting personality and you get to see how much she evolves by the end. You start with her three months since Celia’s disappearance, and Kasey has given up hope. Logic says that her sister must be dead. But nevertheless, she decides to retrace Celia’s last steps.

It is no surprise that I love this book. It fascinates me and I cannot recommend it enough! Again, I am even more convinced that I will read everything this author writes next!!!

Anyone like Black Mirror? If you do, this is for you!


Brilliant. That's all I can say about the story.

It's unique, smart and beautifully written. Oh, and completely unexpected.

I'm amazed at the complexity of this book. Of its world-building, story and characters. Despite being confused at the beginning (actually, throughout most of the book), everything came together at the end!

This book began as a story about two separated sisters and ended with something so much more significant.

I loved the concept of this futuristic society with the world dying at a rapid pace. Normal life is impossible and I was hooked from page one, it’s like this book was keeping me on the edge at all times.

One thing I remember is the plot twists. You’d think the big plot twist was already revealed, but this book still manages to surprise you. I was *shook* so many times while reading this.

A big thing I want to talk about is the characters. They are so realistic and I fell in love with all of them. Cee is… well, she's Cee. But it's Kasey’s character that intrigued me more. Her logical mind, her love for science and her personality overall. With the job of saving the planet on her shoulders, I couldn’t help but admire the way she was portrayed.

Also, the writing. Cee’s chapters were written in first person, which allowed me to easily sympathize with her. Whereas Kasey’s chapters were written in third person, it felt much more… distant, which matched with her character more. At first, I was a bit confused, but I ended up really loving this! It was easy to separate their voices and tones and I think that was pretty smart.

The only thing that kept me from giving this book 5 stars is that I was just a little bit confused throughout most of it. It didn’t keep me from enjoying it. Most stuff was very well explained, so I didn’t mind.

Overall, I would love to re-read this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in a very well written sci-fi!

Awe-inspiring science-fantasy at it's very best! Very rarely does a SFF book pack so much of an emotional punch. A beautiful tale of sisterhood set amongst brilliant world building!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of The Ones We're Meant to Find in exchange for an honest review!

I'm going to be honest with y'all, I requested this book based on the cover, hype, author & "We Were Liars meets Black Mirror, with a dash of Studio Ghibli." I'm so glad that, in usual Becca fashion, I didn't read a synopsis because I had a blast not knowing what the heck I was reading.

Joan He's writing is beyond impressive. We love to see it. & I will officially now be picking up everything she writes. There are some unexpected plot twists, a bit of heartbreak (still not over it) & honestly just a wild experience; it does really feel like an episode of Black Mirror.

I will agree with other reviewers that the pacing is a bit slow, however, I do feel like the last quarter makes up for it. I also have to say that I didn't necessarily vibe with Kay's chapters & I much preferred being stranded on the island with Celia!

I was super hyped for this book thanks to some of my friends reading it recently and loving it, but I went in without knowing a lot about it. I heard the twists were fantastic, so I purposely avoided rereading the synopsis right before starting. In the end, I think this was a good choice!

The build up of this book is absolutely fantastic. Right from the beginning you see the threads that will come together later, though you're not sure yet how. There's enough of these hints at more coming to keep you fully invested, and I found it really difficult to slow my reading down to match my book club schedule (in the end, I still finished a week early). This is the perfect book to read in one sitting. Hopefully soon I can reread it all in one shot, though I still loved it a lot, reading it spread out.

In general, I haven't read that much environmental sci-fi because it reminds me so much of the disaster we're currently living out (and it breaks my hurt just as much as it fills me with anger to think about). However, I have read a few that either just touched on the subject or dealt with it in more depth, and this has got to be one of the better ones. I love how well environmental issues are weaved into the plot and characters, and how it still feels like contemporary issues are being discussed even though the book seems to take place a bit farther in the future. I also loved the discussions of humanity in combination with the environment, and how it analyzed human greed and sacrifice, and the imbalance that exists within society regarding those two terms. It is never the ones who pay that get rewarded, and the ones that forcefully take never pay.

I can't discuss the plot too much without giving the twist away (and trust me, it's best to go in knowing as little as possible!), but I love how it was delivered to us in alternating point of views, and how all the themes of this book came perfectly together in the actual plot of the story. It's a story that involves sisterhood, family, loss and grief and how this shapes the living, humanity as a whole, ethics, the environment, and so much more. In some books, it might almost feel like too much, but Joan He was able to masterfully weave all these elements together into a cohesive story. It didn't feel like certain side-plots/discussions detracted from others, but rather they all built together to a strong story.

I seriously loved this so much, and I'll definitely be picking up Joan He's other book soon too!

Everyone told me this book was weird, and yet I was still surprised at how weird it was. This is by no means a criticism though, because it was also VERY good. Without wanting to spoil the book for anyone, I absolutely adore main characters like Cee.

If you like sci-fi dystopians but make them melancholical, this is the perfect book for you. I know I'll be rereading this!