I was approved for this on NetGalley months and months ago, and for some reason kept putting it off. With the publication date looming, I thought I’d better get onto it, and when I did, it turned out to be a compelling read.

Jack is a human in a world of clones. The clones are suspicious of him because his behaviour doesn’t fall in line with theirs, and he doesn’t understand their ceremonies. Althea-310 can’t help feeling different from her sisters and drawn to Jack. As their world starts to fall apart, they find hope in each other.

This is definite soft sci-fi, and while some of the “science” did make me raise my eyebrows a little, I found the story was engaging enough that I was willing to handwave the world-building that didn’t seem exactly right. It did take me a few chapters to get my head around exactly how the communities of clones had come to be and how they lived and reproduced, but I did get there in the end.

I felt for Jack, who was raised in virtual isolation and disliked by the closest things he had to peers. But I was more interested in Althea. I liked seeing her progression from one of the clones to individual and how she questioned what was happening to her.

It did bother me that the clones isolated Jack in part because he had a tendency towards violence, but they couldn’t recognise that many of their own also had these same tendencies. The clones were supposed to be perfect, and Jack was different. I couldn’t work out whether that was supposed to be their cognitive dissonance, or a case of the world-building/story not quite working the way the author wanted it to.

I wouldn’t say the romance is gradual, but it did feel like it unfolded at a good pace. In terms of content, apart from some kissing, there is the clones’ monthly Pairing Ceremony. Though Pairings are never really described explicitly, the clones do discuss how they are taught what each of the other clones likes, and how to pleasure them. I did like this exploration of a completely new culture’s attitude towards sex.

There were a few occasions where the pacing felt a bit off, including at the end (during and after the climax). There were also a couple of scenes where dialogue went around in circles a bit.

I can’t say sci-fi romance is a sub-genre I’ve read much of, but if this is an example of it, then I feel like I should broaden my horizons.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publishers for a free copy of this book in exchange for a review

Seventeen year old Jack is the only human in a city populated by nine sets of ten identical clones, four sets of males, five sets of female, created every ten years that lives for one hundred years. Jack's introduction into this city disrupts the society they built and exposes the imperfections they have been trying to do away with over the centuries.. Even from the earliest pages of this novel there are signs that the Utopian society that was built from the disaster which wiped out humanity 300 years before isn't so perfect. It is those very splinters and the mystery surrounding the irregularities of that society which drives this novel forward. Is it worthwhile to drive away humanity's imperfections? That's the question that Your One & Only asks. Jack and the various clones he interacts with are bland characters. Of course that is partially by design since they were programmed to behave in very specific ways, to perform distinct rituals, and to interact with each other in a specific manner. Adding Jack to that equation puts a monkey wrench in centuries of conditioning. The basic premise is sound and there are quite a few ideas that this novel explores but a subplot which emerges late in the novel adds some action and intrigue to the novel in order to keep the attention of the audience. Readers learn more about the secrets behind the clones as the novel moves along. Although most of the loose ends are tied up, the ending does set up a sequel that could take things in a different direction. There is enough action, romance, and intrigue that keeps the interest of readers enough for them to ponder the weighty questions posed by this novel.

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Adrianne Finlay’s debut novel, Your One and Only! This is such a fun and capturing science fiction (with hints of romance!) read that I totally loved reading and would definitely recommend you go and preorder! But, if you’re not fully convinced on my word alone, keep on reading!

I’ve got so many fun things planned out for this post, but I think it’s best to give you some insight about what Your One and Only is actually about before we get to the fun parts!

Jack, the main protagonist, is the only human among a sea of clones–grown from old human DNA that was saved after humanity went extinct from the slow plague. The clones run the world in three small colonies now, and despite them “carrying on human existence,” they’ve grown apart from the original humans, “perfecting” their genes and moving away from humanity’s flaws.

While Jack longs for acceptance, Althea-310 struggles with how she feels like she’s different from her sisters. She’s fascinated by Jack–and that sets her apart. As their connection grows stronger, so does the threat to their lives from both the clones and a mysterious outside force.

4.5 stars

This book was so enjoyable to read! I sped through it really quickly and almost wish there was more for me to dig into.

Although it may seem like romance-centric, I found that this wasn’t really the focus of the plot–there was so much more happening in the story.

The characters were all very interesting to me–Jack and Althea were very different, but the same underlying theme of “outsider” ran true between them.

Jack obviously strongly feels that all-permeating loneliness of being the only human on Earth, and his isolation from the other clones really helps shape his personality. Although I couldn’t really connect much with him (or any of the characters because of this sci-fi world), I really liked reading about him. He’s got a lot of layers in his character that make him so distinct.

Althea-310 (not to be mixed up with the other Altheas) was also enjoyable to read about. I did, however, find it a little odd that for a clone, she had so much independent thought, even at the beginning. I kind of wished there was a little more internal struggle on her part from going from full-blown clone-iness to more independent. She was still an interesting character as she does deal with the isolation from her sisters and the curiosity that causes her to make possibly unwise decisions.

For Jack and Althea together–I wasn’t the hugest fan. But it’s true that I say that for almost every romance in a YA book I read. The romance worked well as a plot device–spurring action and change–but I didn’t really feel the chemistry between them.

But all the subplots and plot and layers in the story really made up for this. Finlay did such a great job in building the world up–at first it seemed like it’d be a good ol’ dystopian romance, but then things just kept adding up.

I can’t spoil all of them, you’ll have to read them for yourself when Your One and Only comes out on February 6th, but there are a lot of important subplots that build as the story goes on (such as things involving the death of humanity, things involving what’s happening to the clones, things involving that mysterious outside force). There are so many of these little mysteries in the story and it just contributed to making the plot really, really good.

This book was paced super well, and like I said before, I totally sped through it. The ending in the last 50 pages got so intense, but it wasn’t unwarranted as if all the action was happening then. It felt more like a buildup and things just got more and more until it was climax time and things were burning and people were running and there was so much action.

I did hope for a little more discussion on humanity in general and what it means to truly be human, which was something I felt could have been expanded more. Honestly, I felt a lot of this book could have been expanded more, but I think Finlay made a good decision in keeping it to be a standalone because it’d end up being awkward with secondary books that weren’t exactly relevant to the first. There could have been more content to make this a little longer, but there wasn’t enough for a second book, in my opinion.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this novel! I would definitely recommend for anyone who enjoys romance in unique settings, or for someone who wants to read an interesting dystopian with a lot of layered mystery elements!

Thank you to Netgalley, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and the Fantastic Flying Book Club for providing me with a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review!

The links will go live on February 5th at 8am EST for the blog tour (with a creative post included) and will also be shared on Twitter.

I loved this book. I read a preview on Bookish First and was so excited when I got an ARC on NetGalley! I could not put this book down. It takes place 300 years in the future. The human species has gone extinct from a plague, and a new version of genetically modified human clones inhabits the earth. This story is more than just what people would be like if we only existed as "perfected" copies of humans. It is about how we treat those we feel are different, how we fear what we do not understand, how the way we treat others is often a reflection of how we feel about ourselves, and how people who are treated unjustly are likely to respond. I loved the main characters in this story, and seeing how the developed and learned from each other.

Your One & Only by Adrianne Finlay is a young adult science fiction fantasy read that has a side of romance to it. The story is told by alternating the point of view between the two main characters in the book Althea-310, a clone, and Jack, a human created by the clones.

The story is set in a city known as Vispera that has been the home to a group of clones for 300 years since the end of human life due to a plague. Before the humans died out they perfected the ability to produce clones in hopes that some small part of them would live on.

The clones have existed for the past 300 years by creating a new generation of themselves every ten years. Each generation consists of 9 different types of clones with ten of each type. Their names come from those that created them with a number denoting their generation and number of that model, for example Althea-310 comes from the 31st generation and is 0 out of her 10 sisters.

Jack was created by the clones in an attempt to bring back human life but he doesn’t fit into the world that they inhabit. A set of clones have raised him to be as human as possible but this makes him an outsider to the clones of his age but unlike the other clones Althea-310 finds herself curious about the human boy.

Your One & Only was a story that started off with a slow build as the author set the tone of the world in which the story takes place. The further I read into the book though the more I fell in love with her world building and creativity with this book. This one certainly seemed like an unique idea to have this world of clones existing for so long and how a human would fit in with their customs and traditions.

The further you get in this story the deeper it takes you becoming one that is full of action as the plot progresses. I was a tad concerned in the beginning that it might be a little confusing with the characters sharing such similar names but it was easy to understand as you get to know the few main clones that are featured in the story it was no different memorizing the number after the name than remembering completely different names for characters.

By the time I was finished with this one I actually kind of hoped that the author might consider continuing the story on as a series to see what happens next in this futuristic society. When finished I’d rate this book at 4.5 stars but I would also warn future readers that this one should be for the older teens as there are sexual situations incorporated into the story.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

If you’re looking for a unique YA Dystopian story with excellent execution, skillful writing, and great characters, look no further than Your One & Only. What seems like would be a typical YA Sci-Fi novel, rife with tropes and romance-heavy, Your One & Only actually focuses on plot and character growth, with the romance riding shotgun, much to my pleasant surprise.

The concept is so intriguing and refreshing that it was not hard to get into the book. The plot was fast-paced and had a lot going on that it was difficult for me to stop turning the pages. Adrianne Finlay did a great job with the world-building and the scientific aspects of the story. The characters she created were well-written, compelling, and believable. I especially loved Jack and reading from his POV. His loneliness and struggles were portrayed in a heartbreakingly real way, and I easily sympathized with his character. I felt particularly horrible for him after the “prank” with the Nylas. I really enjoyed watching the way the relationship between Jack and Althea-310 unfolded and developed over time.

There was just one tiny issued that bothered me, and it’s more just me being nitpicky, but I was a little disappointed that there was no romantic love scene between Jack and Althea. Considering how much time was spent in the book talking about and mentioning Pairing, I was really surprised a scene wasn’t included to contrast both Jack’s and Althea’s previous experiences (Althea having only participated in Pairings, Jack’s misconception and deception with the Nylas) with feelings of love and desire of being with each other. It seems like a missed opportunity to showcase an important parallel for the characters.

As a standalone, the book wraps up nicely with a slight open ending that allows the reader to feel content, but also creates the question of whether more may follow. (Adrianne Finlay, if you are reading this review, I wouldn’t mind a sequel. I’m just saying…) I was approved for this title months ago, and I’m kicking myself that I didn’t read it sooner. Your One & Only is a fascinating concept with skillful writing, compelling characters, and a great story. I highly recommend this book and I think other readers will become as enraptured by the story and characters as I was.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read something a little different. A sci-fi love story was not top of my list of books to enjoy...but this was a refreshing change. Like the clones, there were one or two elements I'd like to have tweaked but, on the whole, this was an interesting take on a pretty common theme.

For 300 years, the Homo factus species have survived in a post apocalyptic world dominated by the Snow Plague. There is a new generation of Homo factus every 10 years, using 9 different sets of DNA to make 10 copies of each sibling. Althea-310 is different than her 9 sisters, by carrying a small scar on her hand. No one wants to be different, especially when your other sisters are perfect, but when she meets Jack, the only human in the compound brought back to life through genetics, to fix their slowly eradicating DNA, Althea can't help but sympathize and want to be friends with Jack. But when Jack is exiled from the community due to his imperfections, and all the town's crimes are blamed on him, Althea goes against her sisters and her community to try to prove his innocence, but is trusting a human really worth it?

Your One & Only was definitely an interesting read. The world that Adrianne Finlay created was so creative, but also a possible reality to humans one day, which was really relatable.

The main characters in this story are Althea-310 and Jack, as the book is read in both of their points of view. Although I really liked both characters, there wasn't anything about them that really made me love them. I couldn't really relate to them, and while they were interesting in their own way, I grew a tad bored of reading in their points of view.

The world-building in this story was phenomenal. Not only did I love the world that Adrienne created, but I also loved how she explained it. We got the area of the location (Costa Rica), which is fantastic on its own, but then the way that Adrienne explained the climate and the scenery, you could picture it so clearly. It honestly made me want to take a trip to Costa Rica myself. The other wonderful thing was that we got a lot of the history and background knowledge on how this city came to be, who built the buildings and why the town functions in the way they do. It was really well explained!

The plot of the story was a little bit slow at first, there were lots of introductions to different characters and how the town and the people in it function on a day to day basis. I want to say that around 35-40% is when the book finally picks up, and theres enough action to keep you entertained and not put the book down.

Overall, I loved the idea of this story and how it turned out. If I liked the characters in this book I could have definitely enjoyed it a lot more. I still highly recommend this book to all fans of post-apocalyptic books as well as dystopian novels, and any YA reader with a scientific background that wants an easy and light read.

Your One and Only is a compelling YA science-fiction novel that tackles the complexity of love, compassion, community, genetic engineering, and what it means to be human.

Althea-310 is one of ten Althea sisters from the 310 generation, one of nine homo factus models that make up their community. When the leaders of the community reveal that they have created a human from genetic remains, Althea-310 is shocked by how unlike one of her brothers and sisters he is. Jack has been raised alone outside of the clone community, raised as a human, and so it is not only his face and build that differs so greatly from the nine models. The clones are unwilling to trust Jack but Althea-310 is strangely drawn to the outsider.

This sci-fi, set far into the future of a world that has degraded and broken and then slowly rebuilt, looks far more at humanity and what it means to be human than at the science that has led the clones to where they are. As such, this book is about love and emotions, belonging, and understanding. Despite that, the world building is well constructed and well thought out. The clones’ world has evolved from human society, but, much like the clones themselves, has been altered over the years, refined, and has lost something of its humanity. Sex is used as one example of how many remnants of human society have been changed into rituals, without spontaneity or emotion.

Despite most of the characters in this book sharing one of nine names, there were, surprisingly, a number of distinct characters who become important and memorable parts of the story. Although, I’ll admit that it did get a little confusing. I really couldn’t distinguish between Nyla-313 and Nyla-314 (I think the former is Althea-310’s friend), and Althea’s sisters blurred into one similar mass. But through this, it is hard not to capture the overall effect and message - that difference and individually is what makes us unique and human, and is what the clones have lost through their continual genetic modifications.

The romance doesn’t develops until the latter half of the book, and rightly so, as Althea has much to learn before her views about difference and ‘the human’ change enough for her to truly get to know Jack. While the romance does play an important part in the story, it is certainly not the focus. Instead, the story is more about Althea and other characters coming to understand and value individuality, and for Jack to understand the clones’ society and his role within it.

As yet, I have not heard anything about this book being the first in a series. It works perfectly as a standalone, but I would welcome further books. There is more that can be discovered, greater change to be enacted, a different future to be lived out. If there is to be a second book, I will eagerly join with these characters again as they forge for themselves a new and more accepting society.

The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Net Galley for the free ARC. Jack is the only human in a world of clones. He is different and does not fit in. The clones were created after humanity was killed off by a slow plague and they are perfect - disease resistant, no defects. But are they really the answer?

My apologies, I cannot access this book in its protected PDF format. Prior to requesting, it was not clear that this was the only format you offered for review. Best of luck.

The world building was phenomenal. Not many authors are so thorough and vivid in their undertaking but with Finlay the hard work really shows. I never really gave clones much thought before but Finlay turned me on to a whole new sub-genre of sci-fi.

The world as we know it has ceased to exist. Human life has been extinguished by a plague, but ten scientists found a way to live on, sort of.

Meanwhile, in a small utopian society far, far way . . .

At the beginning of the novel, we are introduced to Vispera, a society populated by clones for the past 300 years. Nine types of clones. Ten of each model. All with the same name.

The Altheas are the historians; the Carsons are the engineers; the Hassans are the ecologists; the Ingas are the artists; the Kates are the mathematicians; the Meis are the theologians; the Nylas are the scientists; the Samuels are the doctors, nurses, and caretakers; and the Viktors are the hulking, brooding philosophers.

And then there's Jack, organic, flawed, and the only human.

I was almost giddy with excitement after the first few pages. A combination of The Giver meets Divergent meets Gattaca with the Battle Star Galactica clone saga thrown in for good measure. I struggled to keep the characters straight considering that except for Jack, they all had the same name plus a number - Althea 310, Althea 311, etc. Even Battle Star Galactica gave the clones different names and identities to help the viewers keep them straight. I'm sure that was the author's intent - to illustrate the dysfunction of the clone business - but it was really distracting as a reader. In fact, I felt nothing for any of the characters, including Jack.

The "pairing" ceremonies were just bizarre. Maybe I missed something, but I didn't see how sets of clones "pairing" with each other all the time furthered the plot... at all. All of that could have been left out of the story and not changed the outcome.

Some of the subplots seemed forced and contrived - Jack vs. Carson-312 conflict; Jack & Althea-310 love interest - while others made absolutely no sense - Nyla/Jack storyline at the beginning (more "pairing" for no apparent reason). Some of the content ("pairing") is geared towards much older teens, but the story reads like a middle grade book. Even the ending was disappointing. Way too much telling, as though the author ran out of time and had to quickly wrap things up.

The best part of the novel was near the end when Althea-310 finds the Original Althea's journal. I would like to have seen that story and the failed attempts for a 10th clone developed more.

Apparently I am falling back into my dystopian phase.

To be fair, I saw the word clones and hit request. I think the whole premise of clones is pretty fascinating, so I definitely wasn’t going to miss the chance to read a YA story about them.

Our story begins in a classroom where Althea-310 is sitting with her sisters (all nine of them… all clones) and the rest of her generation of clones. It’s been 300 years since the last of the humans died out, leaving only 9 “clone types” left. So imagine their surprise (and terror) when in walks a human- a boy named Jack. They are instantly fearful of him because unlike the clones, Jack can’t commune with them (sharing feelings/emotions telepathically) and after a disastrous encounter with the Carsons, Jack is deemed dangerous and is secluded away from the clone children.

Finlay does an excellent job with world building and giving us history and background without info dumping. I’m generally a little lost when it comes to the whole generational thing but Finlay breaks it down easily enough- every 10 years, 10 clones are made. There are 9 prototypes (4 males, 5 females) so there are 90 clones per generation. As the story progresses, we get a better feel of the clones and their governing systems.

It was really interesting to see how when the clones tried to remove the “undesirable” parts of humanity (anger, sadness, illnesses), they actually lost their entire humanity. Even though they are able to commune with each other, it’s an ability that provides no privacy. It’s also a controlling method. Several times in the story, Althea-310 talks about her sisters overwhelming her with calm so that her own true emotions are tamped down.

There’s also a Binding ceremony… and that was probably the most horrifying thing about this story. If a clone sibling was thought to be “fracturing” (that is, feeling their own emotions or being able to block their siblings from pushing down their emotions), the remaining nine siblings could decided to have the “fractured” sibling euthanized. This was supposed to be a gift to the fractured sibling- a respite from their affliction and a chance for the siblings to bond without them. While reading, you realize that the clones don’t ever feel sadness. Not when someone dies, not when they’re deciding to murder their sibling.

Jack, however, is completely human. We find out later exactly why he was born and raised the way he is, but Jack is dangerous to the community because he represents all the parts of humanity the clones have tried to stomp out in themselves. He’s a little reckless and passionate and he has a great need for love. When Jack realizes he’s nothing more than an experiment, he tries to escape only to be caught and accused of something he knows he couldn’t possible have done.

Which makes him wonder… are there other humans?

While this book is INCREDIBLY heterocentric, I still really enjoyed it. There were a few little twists that I weren’t expecting… but really made this an enjoyable read.

If you’re into clones, dystopians, and scrappy humans fighting back… this is probably the one for you.

I really liked the concept of this book. So much so that I was drawn in despite my initial eye roll when reading the synopsis that made it clear this was obviously going to be a romance. Of course there is the forbidden romance between Althea and Jack, but there is a good sci fi world and story as well.

Vispera sounds like a great place to live where things are peaceful and orderly. I've read enough to know that it can't possibly be as perfect as it seems, but despite the initial problems with Jack's introduction to society, it still seemed pretty nice there. The problems with this perfect world were revealed quite slowly throughout the book which is not a criticism at all. In fact, I enjoyed the pace all the way until the end. (More on that later.) There is a nice balance between showing us the day to day life of Vispera and the action sequences that keep the story moving. I also liked the pace of Jack and Althea's growing romance which was not insta-love but rather a realistic getting-to-know-you relationship.

As I mentioned, the book lost my admiration quite a bit at the end where the pace suddenly sped up considerably. It was much more of a narration of "Then they went here. Then this happened. Then some of them left. Then she saw this thing." So much happened in those last couple of chapters but it was all just explained rather than being part of the storytelling. I also had issues with Sam's final days and his sudden love of Jack which I hadn't felt at all before. Sam needed to step it up a lot sooner in Jack's life!! But despite those two criticisms, this was enjoyable and unique.

Also, great cover art!

This was a beautiful story about acceptance, fitting in and what it means to be human. The story was slow at points which made it a bit difficult to read. I thought it showed a brilliant example of personality differences between various clones. Althea, Carson, Sam and Inga were all undeniably different to their clone batches and it was beautiful. I particularly found the idea of fracturing, which was when a clone separated themselves from their batch and became more separate. It was just a beautiful book, I really enjoyed it.

I’m hoping for a sequel, because that ending...

I enjoyed reading this book, and I hope that there's a sequel as I'd love to see how their journey continues as there's so much opportunity to write left and so much more story to tell. The book flowed really well, although I don't usually like books that change perspectives during the book, I think it worked well going between Jack and the Althea.
When I chose this book on NetGalley, I first thought that romance was going be a big aspect of the book, but it's more about character and world building than romance, maybe in a sequel we will get a bit more romance. I liked that it wasn't too romance heavy, it was a perfect balance.

I really enjoyed the love story between the Jack, the only human left and his falling in love with a clone girl. I will definitely recommend it to fellow sci-fi lovers.

This book was a start - stop - start again - stop again - eventually finish for me.

This Sci-Fi story is set in a world where humans have been extinct for a good 300 years. In this world of cloned GMO-humans the only non-GMO human is different. He's not the only one though. Even seemingly identical clones are different too, or aren't they?

What I liked: the world-building, the idea of cloned generations based on only nine people.

What bugged me: the pairing - in a world of clones, why dedicate such a large amount of the book to sex. Pairing/sex is unnecessary.

Althea-310 is one of many Althea clones who work together in a world where there are nine models with each a distinct purpose. The Altheas are historians while other models are doctors, ecologists, engineers etc. Their tidy existence gets a surprise visit from a strange being called Jack who looks like he was not artificially created and is the only one of its kind. Slow-moving story with too many characters make this story hard to get into. It's too bad since the plot has such potential.