Do I have to write a coherent review here? Or can I just insert a bajillion lines of screaming? Because AHHHHHHHHHHH! *clears throat.* AHHHHHHHHHH!

I've always said that my favorite element of a book, no matter the genre or age category, is YEARNING. And friends, Joan He has written the embodiment of yearning in THE ONES WE'RE MEANT TO FIND. You know that intangible feeling of loss and calm that comes from staring at the ocean, the ache and the pull and the loneliness? How you feel small and alive at the same time? Yeah. That's this book. It's a beautifully written exploration of sisterhood, as well as a fascinating, prophetic glimpse into a future wrecked by climate change. While Cee tries to puzzle out why she's alone on an island without any memories - except those involving her sister - that very same sister, Kasey, is struggling with the reality of living in an 'eco-city' in the sky, where your rank is determined by the environmental clout of your ancestors.

It's difficult to put a label on this book, but 'sci-fi thriller' probably gets closest. And in the vein of all great thrillers, there is a brilliant twist nestled in this one - so I won't go too in-depth into the plot, in case I accidentally give something away. All I will say is that Joan He is a master of small, heartfelt emotions and gigantic, impossible questions. This is the kind of book I need to keep on hand whenever anyone criticizes young adult literature for being derivative. It's just ... *clenches fists* ... AHHHH!!!

TL;DR: Please purchase this book. For yourself, for your school, for your library, for your bookish friends/family. Purchase this book and come scream with me. 5/5.

This was a wild ride and one of the most unique stories I've read in a long time.

The book follows two perspectives: Cee, who is stranded on an island and trying to fight her way back to her sister, and Kacey, who lives in an eco-city as humanity tries to save the earth from destructive climate change.

While the story starts with a slow build, the last half was so intense that I couldn't put the book down. The twists kept coming, and every time I thought I knew what would happen, the author threw something new at us. I don't want to spoil anything, but I definitely recommend this book to people looking for a twisty YA sci-fi!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

No doubt, this book is now one of my favourite all time reads.

Read the first sentence of the summary again, because that’s exactly what this book is — twisty and page-turning. Reading it was one hell of an experience, my mind is still reeling from that ending.

At its heart, this book is about sisterhood. We have the outgoing Cee, stuck on an abandoned island and Kasey the science girl, trying to decide if she’ll save the world she struggles to understand. Both of them connected by their will to find each other.

These sisters who now have my heart, drew me in from the beginning chapters with their contrasts and dynamics. Joan He’s storytelling power is truly a marvel, for the small details in their narratives and the metaphors she wove into their thoughts and dialogues wrecked me. I kept questioning how/if they would finally unite — the answer was delivered in a completely different way than what I expected.

While people who’ve read this debate over which sister they like more, I found parts of myself in both Cee and Kasey—which, I think, is the main reason why I was so invested in their story. Cee’s emotions and Kasey’s logic felt personal to me.

But The Ones We’re Meant to Find is also so much more. It’s a story of the meaning of humanity, of love, of the bonds we have and the bonds we develop. It’s about what we are willing to do to survive. Unknowingly it compels us to think of the impact our actions, intentional or not, have on our surroundings. With its take on environmental changes and privilege, awfully relevant to current times, the book is also thought-provoking.

Another aspect I really enjoyed was the worldbuilding. It took a while to grasp the techy terms but a couple chapters in I was able to visualise it well. The eco-city, the bots, the island, the sea; all combined by Joan to create the perfect sci-fi backdrop for the emotions and twists to follow. Can we appreciate how creative Joan got with the ranks? The atmosphere truly read like a Studio Ghibli film. And as someone who adores nature imageries, it was a delight to read the parts set on the island.

The twists!!! They were so cleverly woven into the plot that I was glued to the pages, eager to know more. I definitely paused reading to stare into the void at some point. There were times when a plot twist clicked and immediately went “ohhhh” after connecting it to an event that happened previously. Each of the characters made their decisions because of their own experiences or because of who they’ve become. And it made sense, why the characters did what they did which only made the revelations more effective. Also, A+ for foreshadowing (Joan how dare you).

The Ones We’re Meant to Find has climbed up to being one of my all time favourite books. If you want to read (and totally SHOULD) a book that blends sci-fi and dystopian elements along with an engaging prose and characters that are likely to stay with you, this should be on your immediate TBR.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I was blown away by how good this book is.

First off, the world itself is absolutely fascinating. The earth has been polluted so badly that it's no longer suitable for living. Natural disasters have caused people to migrate to eco-cities in the skies, where most of their time are spent in a virtual world within a pod to cut down on their carbon footprints. Only those with a high enough rank--based on how much they did to protect the earth--are allowed to live in these cities. Those people whose families were the worst offenders have to stay on earth and suffer the consequences. This setup smacks of poetic justice, and I was here for it.

The story follows two different POVs. On one hand we have Cee, who is stuck on an island. She doesn't remember much about her life, but she knows she has a sister, Kay, and she knows she needs to get back to her. On the other hand we have Kasey, living in an eco-city. Her sister disappeared three months ago, but while the authorities have given up hope, Kasey still thinks she can find her somehow. The author did an amazing job sprinkling both POVs with hints so that I was constantly trying to figure out how they connected. Sometimes I thought I had it figured out, but then Kasey or Cee would reveal something that would throw a rock at my nicely thought out and wrapped up notions of where this would go. I was completely engrossed in the story. The excellent writing definitely helped, as did the characters. I found it easy to care about what happened to them, which isn't always the case and can negatively impact a book for me.

I can honestly say I didn't prefer one of the characters over the other. Both storylines were compelling in their own way. Cee's parts felt more quiet and peaceful, despite the events that happen to her. Maybe it has something to do with her being alone on an island (except for the robot, which was a great addition and I want one for myself).

Highly recommend this book if you're in the mood for a mystery with science fiction elements.

Sadly, this was a bit of a letdown. I was so so excited to read it, and I was simply in love with the cover. But the actual book.... eh, not so much.

Okay, so first things first. I thought the plot was incredible. It was very well thought-out, had enough twists and turns to keep you on your toes, and a wonderful - and terrifying - futuristic setting. All comparisons to Black Mirror are 100% right; this could have easily been one of the episodes of the series. The plot, and the possibilities it allowed for, were definitely the strongest aspect of the book.

I think my main problem with this, was the writing itself. I just couldn't get into it. I thought it was a bit too monotone, and while, every now and then, it had a phrase so beautifully written it could have come straight out of a poem, the majority of it just fell a bit flat. It may just work wonderfully for some people, but it didn't do the trick for me. As a result, I couldn't really care for the characters that much either, as the writing style rendered them a bit flat as well. Especially in terms of morals, I was just left a bit confused. I get that this was probably the author's intention, but I just couldn't get behind most things said, done, or attempted by the characters. I understand the whole "desperate times call for desperate measures", but still.

I will say however that, as the book went on, both the characters and the writing itself improved a fair bit, but it still left me feeling unsatisfied, probably because of my really high expectations.

It is, by no means, a bad book. I just thought it was going to be great, but it turned out to be just fine. I think it just tried to do too much in very few pages, and if it was just, say 70 pages longer, both the character and world-building would have massively benefitted. I do think, however, that this would make an excellent movie.

** An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review. **

“ The ocean does not come poisoned.
People poisoned it.”
A beautiful and painful read, where you will experience love, sadness, wrath.. You will think about the way you treat the world, in if you are truly living the fullest your life... Literally you will feel everything while you get into the story.

Well, what is this book about?
Two sisters...
Cee, three years ago she wake up in a deserted island with no memories and just the company of a bot named U-me. After a week Cee finally get a memory back, and is that she have a sister and she needs to find her.

Kasey, lives in the safety of a skydome, the earth is slowly dying after all the damage humans caused, so the people dedicated to protect the planet got the chance to live in this “floating islands”. Her sister been missing for years and most of the people around her already accepted that Cee is dead. But Kasey can’t believe it yet.
***********************************************
You will get the sisters POV, and is something I loved. The way how hard they work to find each other. There’s also some romance but in my opinion was not even needed. What traps you is the way each sister sees the world. The way one believes in freedom, in how we live once and we have the right to choose what do, where we go or even how we leave the world behind. While the other try’s to avoid what was about to come, run form death, get a solution for everything.

The unexpected twist got me screaming... once you get into that part cancel your plans, there’s no way to stop yourself from reading the rest of the book.

My favorite character was Cee, I can say she became my new comfort character, even after she discovers her real identity the way she stills fighting for herself and how she want to live... she give me so much courage.

And something I want to remark is the way Joan writes, the way she gave the reader two POV that felt so different one from another but also getting such a great connection . She have a beautiful and warm way to express emotions that you will get attach to story easily. I’m already pre-ordering my own copy and I’m definitely recommending this.
Read it, is really worth it!

Wow.
Wow is the one word that comes to mind when I think about this book and my experience with it.
This is my first Joan He novel and it made me immediately order her debut and vow to read anything she ever writes. It's that good.
I went into "The Ones We're Meant to Find" with basically no expectations at all. The blurp sounded intriguing and the cover is simply gorgeous, and those are honestly the only reasons I need to want a book. And then, well, then He proceeded to blow me away.

"The Ones We're Meant to Find" is a dystopic science fiction novel that takes place on Earth in a future marked by climate change. Humanity has kept destroying our planet. While a large percentage of humanity still lives in various territories on Earth, a smaller percentage is allowed to live in eco-cities in the sky, living most of their lives in holographic form in order to save what's left of the planet. This is where Kasey, one of our two protagonists live. Cee on the other hand, the second protagonist, wakes up on a deserted island without any memory of who she is and how she came to be here. This is really all I want to say about the plot, the rest of it has to be experienced.

This is a painful novel, a deeply emotional journey that asks important questions while still offering an exciting plot full of twists and unexpected turns. It is never, not once, boring. The world building is spectacular, sucking you in from the very first page, making the world come to life. It's gut wrenching at times, especially when it really shows what humanity did to this beautiful planet. The writing is simply spectacular and the plot so well constructed that I'd genuinely call it a small literary masterpiece. The characters are intriguing, deeply complex and caused me to shed a tear or two more than once. He's choice to use different perspectives to tell the story and stylistically differentiate them as well - Cee's story is told in first person, Kasey's in third person - provides even more layers to an already layered story with layered characters. The sister relationship is incredible and still makes me emotional just thinking about it, and the romance was cute, too, and never too much of a focus of the plot.

This is a more than solid 4,5 stars for me, with my only very minor complaint being that the beginning is a little confusing, but I gladly round it up to 5 stars because it leaves a lasting impression. I won't forget this book and my time with it.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Ones We're Meant to Find boggled my mind - in a good way! I was constantly second guessing myself and the characters within this. In it, you will meet two sisters Celia and Kasey. Both had some very exciting adventures and big decisions to make.

After meeting them, my brain couldn't wrap around what kind of timelines they were in. It was pretty obvious from the start that something happened to one of them. I just didn't know what that one thing was until the big reveal moment. I did have a guess or two but was not close whatsoever.

Both were equally entertaining and intriguing to me. I also really love and adore U-ME and would secretly want one for myself. Okay, it's not a secret because I definitely want one. I also really liked how this book mentioned so many different topics and didn't really gloss over anything. Getting so much detail definitely drew me in a bit more because I just wanted to know what these two were up to and what actually went down.

It's safe to say that the ending blew my mind. It was such a good book and I'm very happy that I got the chance to read it.

This is my honest review of the ARC I received by NetGalley.

"Because it was possible to love someone without fully understanding them. Possible to love parts of them and not their whole."


What an amazing journey that was! A totally refreshing tale of love and loss wrapped in gripping writing and compelling worldbuilding! It's one of those books that clearly pave the way to great YA lit and more specifically, to fascinating eco-literature. The primary focus is on two sisters trying to find each other and not on any romance interests which makes perfect sense--not all YA books have to be about a boy meeting a girl!

I particularly enjoyed the way the sea was always there, listening to what the heroes' wanted and needed and providing the solutions. Even after the destruction of Earth by humans, the sea seemed like the only source of life (and death.) I'll pre-order this book so as to support Joan He's attempt to create this kind of exciting and multimodal storytelling--despite the heavy worldbuilding that was explained fully in bits and parts and sometimes frustrated me, I admired the author's skills in creating subtext that hooks the reader and meaningful connections between all heroes.

This is definitely a book that needs rereading to truly savor all the work the writer pulled through to deliver this gem. Because it's possible to love a book without fully understanding it. This is the magic in Joan He's new novel: it explains what's just necessary and like one of her heroines, the reader is asked to make the necessary connections and guess what happens when nothing is said.

*thank you to netgalley for a free e-arc of this book in exchange for a review*

I have a LOT of feelings about this book. Joan He has knocked it out of the park again.

Joan He is 100% an auto-buy author for me. I thought it after Descendant of the Crane. This book only reaffirms this.

The crafting of the voices of both points of view is stunning. There is never any doubt whose point of view you're reading, and the depths of the protagonists is just beautiful.

I've highlighted so many quotes in this book, because the prose is just brilliant. Some lines are just so perfectly formed I had to take a moment to fully appreciate them.

This is one of my top 5 books of the year so far, without a doubt. A beautifully written and brilliantly told story. So, so good!

This is a fascinating, twisty feat of a novel that does not remotely end where I thought it would, particularly given the vibe of the cover. I love that this is a firmly sci-fi/cli-fi near-apocalyptic novel with an assertedly naturalistic/low-fi cover, and the dissonance that created for me, as a reader, very much suited the novel itself. The way the novel splits its time and chapters between the two sisters' experiences and points of view (one first-person, one limited-third) was a bit difficult to get into for the first couple of chapters, but after that it was actually a great plot propulsion device to keep pivoting between the two, as every ending was a form of a cliffhanger. Thematically, the way this novel dealt with technology, family, neurodivergence/neurodiversity, love, and justice/punishment were fascinating in ways that were deeper than some YA novels choose to tread. I loved it.

With two pov and two separate timelines, Joan He embarks you in a story which questions humanity, ecology and technology. My favorite part of this story is actually how the author uses the two separate timelines. At first you kind of wonder where this is going because you can't really see the link between the two of them but when it hits you and you fully understand where this is going and how it works, you'll be mindblown by it. And this is what happened to me. The moment when I hit the plot twist was the moment where I thought "wow this story is really well crafted."
The Ones We're Meant to Find is about choices and their consequences. More specifically about human choices regarding ecology -- how their action destroy Earth and even if they know that, they can't put away their selfishness to move forward and make the right choice.

Though, if I were to be completely honest, I believe you need to be fully immersed in the story to understand everything. Unfortunately it wasn't the case for me but I'm putting that on the fact that English isn't my first language and I had to read some parts of the story several times to make sure I understood everything perfectly.

Unfortunately, I couldn't really connect with the story or the characters and I couldn't make it past 20%. Maybe if I'd pushed through, I really could have liked it, but the slow beginning wasn't what I needed right now.

The Ones We're Meant to Find isn't your average sci-fi story - granted, there are sci-fi elements here and there, and definitely a dystopian feeling to it, but I found this book to be a hybrid of sorts. I was intrigued from the first page, and couldn't understand where Joan He was leading me. Blindly following the story, I couldn't stop turning the pages because I wanted to understand, I wanted my questions answered. What I knew however, what I was sure of, was the love between the two Mizuhara sisters: deep, emotional and enduring love.
This is a touching and mysterious story about sisterhood, self discovery, mixed with sci-fi and dystopia. I highly recommend you see for yourself - but I found this melange to be delightful to read !

Thank you to NetGalley and Text Publishing for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Ones We're Meant to Find is a gorgeous story about sisterhood, mystery and discovery. We have the outgoing Cee, stuck on an abandoned island and Kasey the science girl, trying to decide if she’ll save the world she struggles to understand. Both of them connected by their will to find each other.

The dialogues were amazing and I cannot recommend this book enough!

Thank you to NetGalley and Text Publishing for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger warnings: gore, suicide, violence, mass death

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.

The two sisters were entirely different characters - and I did like how He had Kasey’s chapters from third person and Cee’s from first. I’ll admit to feeling some disconnect with Kasey’s chapters and that is probably because I was in Cee’s head, whereas I was a bystander in Kasey’s story. Cee’s flights from the island and the subsequent actions and feelings were interesting - probably the thing that kept me mostly engaged in the first half of the book. Kasey being more of a recluse in the world seemed to translate in the writing. I almost felt she was a step back and I couldn’t get a full and proper read on her. Despite that, I felt both sisters were interesting characters and I was interested in knowing their stories.

Reading this story, there is a very strong Black Mirror vibe. Set in the future, we see how humans are coping with the effects of climate change and the impact we’ve had on the planet. It’s an interesting take that had me engaged and interested to see how this version of the future played out, how things had become different over time, and what new technology had come to fruition. I do feel that the bombshell happened a bit too early, as there was a build up to it that perhaps could have been fleshed out more with information we see after the bombshell has hit. But, despite this, the story was certainly interesting, keeping me gripped to know what happened next. I want to know what happened after that ending too! That cliffhanger was not something I was impressed with!

Overall, The Ones We’re Meant to Find is a brilliant story of wishing to be found and carving your own path.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you again to NetGalley and Text Publishing for an advanced copy of this book. Review will be live on my blog on 03/05.

The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He has left me wordless, but I’m going to try to tell you what I know.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Two sisters, separated by the ocean between them.
The Ones We’re Meant to Find is the kind of book you read at least twice. You finish the book first, mostly all in one go if you’re anything like me and can’t put it down. You sit down and take a deep breath and then text your friend, torn between telling them to read it and telling them everything about it. You pour over the pages connecting all of the dots that led you to the final chapters.
You think about Celia, who had to survive an island with no memory, only trying to get back to her sister.
And Kasey, who had to survive the politically charged dystopia her sister could never quite fit into.
You think you’ve found one of the most interesting stories you’ve ever read. You could be right.

There is nothing I can say about this book except to read it. Devour it. Revel in shipwreck meets sci-fi tale of two sisters just trying to shrink the ocean between them.

The Ones We’re Meant to Find is being published on May 4th.

*I would like to thank NetGalley, Roaring Brook, and Joan He for access to the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of The Ones We're Meant to Find in exchange for an honest review.

This is such a mind twisting sci-fi. I love how you never quite know what's going on as a reader until the final twist. I don't want to say a lot because I don't want to spoil but I will say that while I was absolutely obsessed with Cee's POV and it definitely made the read worth it, Kacey's was a little lackluster in comparison. While I do like that her perspective was included and think it was interictal to the story, I don't think it needed to be given as much page time as it was.

Other than that, this was a wonderful sci-fi.

I need a little time to process this and write a proper review but overall I loved this book. The world building was incredibly well done, and I'm not surprised about that given the previous books that I've read by this author. I feel gutted after finishing this book and it is definitely one of my favorites of this year. The choice to make one of the sister's (Cee) perspectives done in first person, while the second sister's (Kasey) is done in second person is something that takes a little bit to get used to. It also makes it a little harder to understand her, which is something also due to her personality. I definitely felt as though I related to and sympathized more with Cee while reading this book. I adored this book and the plot twists definitely kept me on edge the entire time that I was reading this book.

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this one. I kept being confused whenever something alien to me was introduced and not explained since page 1 (U-Me, Hubert, SILVERTONGUE, Meridian, etc.) and I felt I was stuck onward - trying to *get* what it was first before going back to the story. The characters weren't likable to me either and, while their ways of talking and *feeling* was perfect to always know who was talking, they felt like opposite extremes that I did not enjoy, sadly. Though again, this is just how I felt, maybe I wasn't in the right mind to read it and may try re-reading it in the future-