The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He
Two sisters. An unputdownable story.
Cee woke up on the shores of an abandoned island three years ago with no idea how she got there. Now eighteen, she lives in a shack with an ageing android, and a single memory: she has a sister, and she has to escape to find her.
From the safety of the eco-city floating above Earth, now decimated by natural disasters, sixteen-year-old Kasey mourns Cee whom she’s sure is dead. She too wants to escape: the eco-city is meant to be a sanctuary for people who want to save the planet, but its inhabitants are willing to do anything for refuge, even lie. Is Kasey ready to use technology to help Earth, even though it failed her sister?
Cee and Kasey think that what they know about each other and their world is true. Both are wrong. If you loved We Were Liars or Black Mirror, you’ll love The Ones We’re Meant to Find, a clever, inspirational thriller.
Published 4 May 2021| Publisher: Text Publishing | RRP: AUD$19.99
Buy it at: Dymocks | Booktopia | A&R | Abbey’s | QBD
My Blurb (3 / 5 stars)
My main reason in picking up this book is the POC author and I thought the premise of the story, of 2 sisters trying to reach each other, is interesting. However, the novel is really not what I expected which could be a really good thing but it wasn’t, this time, not for me anyway.
Firstly, I just found the book really confusing. It took me a long time to come to some sort of understanding of the apocalyptic nature of the time. Then, the flashing back and forth between time (before & after separation) also threw me on a loop. It just made me feel that I’m not clever enough to understand the novel.
So, when twists came about, I just wasn’t that surprised but it did help my brain to click and I started to be able to untangle some of my confusion. It just took a really long time to get there. And then the ending was just to vaguely open for my liking; I really feel there should be more of a closure especially after all the effort of untangling the mess in my head.
While I understand there’s some really important message in this novel, the story or structure of this story is really not one for me.
Thank you Text Publishing via Netgalley for the e-copy of this book in exchange of my honest thoughts
About the author
Joan He was born and raised in Philadelphia but still will, on occasion, lose her way. At a young age, she received classical instruction in oil painting before discovering that storytelling was her favorite form of expression. She studied Psychology and East Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Pennsylvania and currently writes from a desk overlooking the Delaware River. Descendant of the Crane is her debut young adult fantasy.
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