TW/CW: stalking, infant in danger, kidnapping, infidelity
I listened to the audiobook and would highly recommend it. It is narrated by 5 narrators - Clare Corbett, Vicki Hall, Simon Bubb, Jot Davies, and Sophie Aldred. Since the chapters in this book are pretty short, we are really rotating quickly through the characters and having a different narrator for each really helped me keep them all straight. There are a ton of names flying around this book and since I'm not great with names the voices were key. I would recommend the audiobook if you're a reader who may have similar struggles with so many character POVs.
I absolutely loved the characters and how we're following so many different types of love stories in this book. We have the engaged couple who is questioning their bond, the workaholic woman who has convinced herself she doesn't need a relationship, cross continent long distance relationship, and a romance after divorce. I found all of the characters compelling and enjoyed following their different paths. I didn't find that I had one favorite character, but rather, my interest was piqued at different times in the story with different characters. Since we are following 5 characters, we didn't get a whole lot of time to get to know their backstories or past relationship history. It felt very much like the reader was plopped into the middle of the story right when they would get their email telling them they had a match. I didn't personally mind this because we saw a good amount of character growth while they were in the relationship and we would get little tidbits of information throughout the story. There were some side characters, but most of them played a very small roll in the story and weren't developed much. This story was really focused on our 5 main characters and their DNA matches.
I really enjoyed the science that Marrs used in this book. I'm not a DNA expert, so maybe it was completely impossible, but I found the way the soulmate gene was explained very believable. It was easy to understand and was explained simply enough that I think it would be really accessible for readers. I also enjoyed how the science aspect didn't come in until later in the book. We were able to see the sociological and interpersonal outcomes of this first and I think this allowed the reader to already have a vague framework of the technology. Then, when we get the science info-dump, it was really just filling in the spaces in the framework we already had. I also think Marrs did a good job of having one character ask all the questions that the reader might be asking as well. I'd consider this pretty light on the sci-fi scale since the only science-y stuff is really the DNA matching but everything else in the world is the same. It is really just like 23 And Me but instead of being matched with distant cousins, you're matched with your soulmate.
As an avid romance reader, I was a bit surprised at just how much romance is in this book. The first half really felt more like a contemporary romance rather than a sci-fi/thriller. We get the somewhat awkward first dates, the best friends begging for all the dirty details, the wondering if the other person is feeling what you're feeling. It is really great. We do get some interesting reveals early on in regards to the identities of some of our characters, but for the most part these are all pretty straight forward budding relationships. There is one particular couple that goes through an entire typical romance arc and I absolutely loved it. However, since this isn't a romance book, there are some darker plot points brewing beneath the surface.
The more thrilling aspects of the book take a while to get going and I could see some readers finding the pacing a bit slow. The first half is entirely set up of these relationships and seeing them grow. We get to know these characters better and see them blossom in their relationships. But, after the halfway mark, we start to see the cracks in some of these characters and the bodies soon start dropping. By the end, I was honestly surprised at just how many people died in this book - some in natural ways, others very unnatural. I think listening to the audiobook really helped with the pacing because it was more engaging to listen to all these different narrators go through these chapters. I think if I had been reading it with just my eyes, I could see how some of these plot lines would be a bit boring at the beginning and I would be tempted to skim them. However, as mentioned before, I think each plot line traded off their exciting moments so we do have some plot lines that were more exciting early on and others that only picked up toward the end. There is one particular character who I think exists partially to let the reader know that this isn't some general contemporary romance book, that this will get messy and darker eventually. The last 15% ish of the book had some fantastic reveals that had me gasping in surprise.
Overall, this was a fantastic read. Super page-turning fun plot, great characters, and good balance with the science-y stuff. I would recommend the audiobook for anyone interested as, again, it has a different narrator for each main character.
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