Oh man, reading this book was exhausting — in a good way. After every single chapter, there was a plot twist of some sort; in other words, I audibly gasped every five pages. At first, I didn't like that Marrs constantly rotated between 5 people's POV, but it started to become intoxicating. Even though it was overwhelming in the beginning, it allowed for constant twists and turns, married with constant refreshes of characters. While the main drawback of rotating through characters is decreased character development, I thought that the constant twists addressed this concern fairly well. If a plot twist happens every 5 pages, character development obviously runs its course faster. Consequently, the story also moved much faster, which kept me on my toes. Honestly, I loved this sudden change of pace and would love for authors to copy this book's layout. One gripe I had with this book was its ending, which I will discuss later in the review. Nonetheless, if you're looking for a thriller, this one will not disappoint!
Summary: Match Your DNA, a multibillion-dollar corporation, discovered a gene that could match people based on a preconceived genetic link. Thus, if you find a partner on this platform, you're guaranteed to be their soulmate. At least, that's the promise that you're given. As a result of this moneymaking scheme, people have torn apart families, deserted dating apps, and even murdered each other. In this book, we look at this through the lens of five people, who have been matched based on this platform. But it turns out, your match might not be what you're expecting, and even soulmates can be murderous lunatics. But still, in theory, it should help more people than not, right? Well, that's what you'll find out later in this book.
WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS!
This book was honestly one of the craziest books I have ever read because it has gotten so bold so quickly, playing on worst-case scenarios for relationships. From serial killers to cancer, these characters never catch a break, which sometimes annoyed me. The plot development was almost always the same for everyone: build up their relationships to euphoric levels, then crash them back to earth. But alas, I can never fault the book for that, because as it turns out, these worst-case scenarios always make for the best plot twists, and reading this book honestly felt like I was hooked on heroin (I wouldn't know though, I swear). I blazed through the pages, always looking toward what happened next, and it never disappointed me. The only characters who deserve a good ending are Amy, Mandy, Jade, and Nick, because they're the only genuine people in the book. The sad part is — Mandy's ending was left much to be desired for. Like I know this isn't a stupid Disney movie where you can bring someone back to life by holding their hand, but still, she went through a lot. Anyways, the author has made a lot of bold choices throughout the book (which I sometimes don't agree with), but I can't deny the fact that it has contributed a net positive to this book. Who could have foresaw Amy murdering Chris or Sally dying with the baby? That's right, nobody!
I was amazed at how derailed everyone's lives were in the ending. I'm a sucker for happy Hallmark cards-esque endings, and this one hurts the soul. That's why I removed a point off the rating. If you think that's not fair, well too bad :). I really wanted Marrs to put in at least one character who had happy results with this program, but alas once you commit 5 characters to this shitshow, you really have to go all the way. Anyways, I 100% would recommend this book to everyone, but I can see how this could be a hit or miss with some people. The endings, while crazy, were still depressing and a commentary on the absolute worst relationships ever.
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