While the romance is undoubtedly important (I mean just look at the title) what made me love this book was the world building (incidentally, people who read more science fiction than I do, is it still world building or is that a fantasy term?). This post apocalyptic commune of clones was so well put together and simultaneously perfect and terrifying. With only a few tweaks this could have been a truly horrifying novel. For my sensitive self I’m glad it went down the more romantic route but there are some chilling elements.

I thought the way that this book played with ideas of humanity, perfection and things within and beyond our genes was clever and also very simple. You don’t need a degree in microbiology to appreciate the notions explored here but you might need to look into some ethical thinking afterwards to wrap your head around it.

Another great part of this book was the character development, Althea 310 at the start of the book feels very flat, as she should as one of the clones, by the end she’s a believable three dimensional character and, most importantly, you can see how she got there rather than it being a sudden and nonsensical change.

Another thing I gained from this book was another word to add to my list of ‘Words YA novels have used instead of just saying sex’ in this case ‘pairing’. Still not as funny as ‘yoking’ but nice to lengthen the list.

If you’re into light science fiction and a little romance this is definitely a book for you. It tackles some interesting themes, equally if you wanted to explore these issues in a classroom setting I think this could be a great book for libraries, English and Ethics lessons.

My rating: 5/5 stars

Your One and Only publishes on the 6th of February so preorder if you don’t want to wait!

By the way, I received a digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I loved the book! Review to be posted soon!

This book is interesting enough, but the "Pairing Ceremony" and other instances of sex will likely mean that middle school collections won't carry it. Since the plot depends on genetics and reproduction, it'll probably have to be marketed to high schoolers, but it reads like a middle school book.

What does it mean to be different? To be the only one of your kind?

What does it mean to be the same? What if you were the same but you felt different?

What is acceptance?

Jack is the only human living among clones. Clones who see themselves as being the normal ones and Jack as being an anomaly. He is erratic. He has his own thoughts and does not resemble anyone else. He experiences emotions and acts on them. The majority of the clones treat him with animosity; while there is one clone, Althea-310, who is very curious about him. She has many sisters who look exactly like her yet she feels different. She not only feels different on the inside, she was also born with a birth defect - she has a scar which also makes her physically different from the other clones. She is fascinated with him. Could they have something in common?

Humans once lived and thrived but they slowly died off due to a plague. A group of scientists decided to make 9 sets of clones designed to resemble (and be named after) each scientist tasked with creating them. The clones live for quite some time and then decide to "create" a human out of DNA. Perhaps another book will explore their reasons for doing so but I imagine that they were curious about the long lost humans and what they were like. Jack is the human they have created. Jack is raised as a "human" with books and music. He is permitted to call the clone who raised him "Mother" and to some degree she cares for him.

Jack is the ultimate outsider. He is observing the clones as they are observing them. He lives in a world where the clones resemble each other. They do not have their own names but are known by a name and a number to identify which one they are. Jack is an individual. He is one of a kind and this is both threatening and intriguing.

The clones have their own way of life which is both interesting and odd to Jack. They have customs and rituals "pairing" which seem uncaring and cold to Jack. But there is one clone, Althea-310, who has been nice to him. He is drawn to her. Perhaps they feel a sense of commonality to each other. What happens when you step outside of the box? When you challenge the status quo? When you act as an individual and not as a group member?

This book is about identity, acceptance, and what it means to be human (and also what it mean to not be human). There is a strong science fiction feel to this book. At times I thought the clones were acting like the Borg. The clones could communicate, sense and learn from each other without speaking. As I mentioned earlier, they are happy to exist as a group and do as expected. To act as an individual would be dangerous and could lead to the end of their life.

What happens when a clone and a human fall in love? This was a very unique and interesting book. I like how Jack and Althea-310 show growth. They both take chances for the other. They both learn to accept their differences while forming a relationship.

As I mentioned, I found this book to be interesting and intriguing. It is always refreshing to read a book that is unique and does not feel like a carbon copy of other works. The ending left it so that there could be other books to follow. If there are more books, I will definitely be reading them.

I received a copy of this book form Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

5 stars! Surprising, fascinating, touching. I loved this book! A love story wrapped in a futuristic tale of a world where humans have brought about their own destruction, and in their attempt to save themselves they've created something new and supposedly "better." But, the story asks, what has been lost along the way, and what will it take to get that lost humanity back? This is the kind of book that makes you stay up too late because you have to read "just one more page." Great characters, great story, a lot of fun.

Jack is the only human left (or so he thinks) in a world populated by manufactured clones. He is an experiment, an oddity. And yet he has a special relationship with one clone, who is like a father to him, and he is strangely drawn to another Althea. This dystopian story has strong ethical themes running through it and is certainly very thought provoking. I wanted to read more about Jack and Althea and I hope there will be a second book to enjoy.

Your One & Only is a beautiful and at times heartbreaking story of acceptance and of love in a world that has lost its touch with what it means to be human. The book presents a welcoming new take on clones in a science fiction world that seems living and breathing due to Adrianne Finlay’s writing which enwraps the whole story in a prose that is thrilling and full of emotion.

Far away in the future humanity has died killed by a plague, and now the world is populated by clones. Nine types of clones built to resemble the nine humans who took in their hands the project of building modified copies of themselves that will be immune to the disease that is without cure. Homo factus, the self-made man. With humans dead, the clones live in a sort of Eden. A walled community built to protect them from what lies in the jungle.

As far as appearance goes, the clones resemble humans but in a perfected way. They are immune to all diseases, birth defects hardly ever occur to them and anything that would make them in any way apart from one another needs to be fixed. If their appearance is still somewhat human, their way of thinking is something else entirely. They communicate through a sort of hive mind and they are extremely rational and logical. They lack the human touch that makes us appreciate life, art and that makes us feel and fall in love.

In an experiment whose purpose is unknown, the clones decide to create a human from old DNA material, and that human is Jack. Jack is an alien in a world he can’t understand, not after the clones raised him to think as a human, giving him access to books, music and other materials from the 21st century.

The story is told from the point of view of Jack and Althea-310. Althea is a clone who since her birth has been different as she was born with a birth defect. From birth she has tried to conceal her distinctiveness so that she could blend in with her sisters and not draw unnecessary attention. All of that fails the moment that Jack is presented for the first time to the clones and she is the only one that smiles to him, while the other clones are repulsed by his presence.

The book presents Jack’s and Althea’s struggles of being accepted for who they are, in a society in which individualism is not only forbidden, but can also get you killed. As Jack explores the new world, so does the reader. It is easy to connect with him as as he provides the only contact with humanity as we know it, the other clones are just as alien to the reader as they are to Jack. The society the clones live in is fascinating but hard to understand, with rituals that seem barbaric and uncaring to a human.

From their first interaction with Jack, the clones treat him with disdain, mocking his passion for music and reading, activities that have been hardwired out of their brains. Just as the clone world seems alien to Jack, so does he seem irregular to them. Throughout the book Jack seeks acceptance but what he gets instead is more contempt. It is Althea who tries to connect with him, and the prospect of love between a human and a clone will forever change the world they live in as the mystery of how the clones were created will slowly unravel.

Your One & Only is a book to watch out for. From the addicting story that had me turn page after page, to the well-thought world building, the compelling characters and the writing that was infused with intensity and emotion, this is a book that will have readers engulfed in its pages.

I love a good dystopian YA novel, and this one didn't disappoint. 'Your One & Only' is set in the not-so-distant future, when humans have become extinct. Before dying out, scientists created a community of clones to try to ensure that all of humanity wasn't lost. However the clones have become less and less human, and are on the verge of dying out. The one human in the clone colony, Jack, is an outcast, but one clone finds herself drawn to him.

'Your One & Only' is chock full of adventure and romance. The storyline is pretty believable, and I think it would have a lot of appeal with a YA audience. I will recommend this for our library.

So disappointed that this is not available as a mobile file, so though I am auto approved I cannot read and review this one. Really wanted to read this one, is there any possibility of it being available in mobi in the future?