I really enjoyed The Ones We're Meant to Find.

The book tells the story of two sisters:
Celia aka Cee is stuck on a deserted island without any memories, except that she has a sister, Kasey.
Kasey lives in an eco-city and is trying to find her missing sister.

The characters were interesting and I liked both of them, the writing style was captivating.

I had no idea what was going on throughout most of the book, which was a good thing in this case. It kept me invested in the story.

Overall a great book that I definitely recommend!

Cee has been trying to find a way off an abandoned island for 3 years. With the help of the robot U-Me, she's been building a boat from spare parts and harvesting as much taro as she thinks she'll need to survive the journey. Cee knows that her sister Kay must be worried about her, and she refuses to give up trying to find her.

Kay knows her sister Cee can't be dead. Even when her boat is discovered empty, Kay knows that Cee must be out there somewhere. As her search uncovers more mystery than she bargained for, Kay must decide to what degree she will risk everything to discover the truth.

I wanted this book to be an amazing sci-fi mystery that will appeal to a variety of readers. Unfortunately, it was just too confusing to follow. Many of my readers will give up before getting far enough to understand exactly what is happening.

I loved Joan He's other book, and I was only slightly disappointed in this one, because I thought I would love it as well. I loved all the characters and the very different settings of the two perspectives but some of the sci-fi elements felt forced to me. I still overall had a great time reading this! Joan He is definitely an auto-buy author for me.

This is the first Science Fiction book I’ve read in a long time and my my I enjoyed it.

Cee wakes up on an island with no memories and no idea how she got there, only remembering one thing - her sister who she’s trying to return too. Elsewhere, Kasey lives in an eco city, built to defend humans from climate change and the ruins of the world inflicted by the human race.

I didn’t read the blurb of this book, which may have helped me understand the plot sooner, but nevertheless after a few science-y terms I soon realised we were in a dystopian future!

Lots of plot twists and an ending that honestly didn’t even feel like an ending left me feeling uncomfortable but in a good way. This book makes you realise how our future could turn out and it’s a scary thought.

Many thanks to #BooksForward #NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for giving me advance access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

A wonderfully crafted, cerebral story! I was very impressed with the originality of the story and the high level of philosophy integrated into what is, on the surface, a story of two very different sisters.
I am still reeling from this book, left pondering the nature of humanity, and whether it is worth preserving.

Have you ever read something so beautiful that it broke your heart?? The Ones We’re Meant to Find was so profound and captivating!!! What a thrill to read.

DNF at 80%. I don't often DNF books, but when I do, it's usually due to the writing. I was very intrigued by the premise of the book—I consider myself something of a SciFi aficionado with a preference toward futuristic dystopian worlds, so this sounded perfect for me. Unfortunately, I didn't love the writing style, and that's a very important part of a novel. While others may consider it beautiful and poetic, I consider it obnoxious purple prose. A story like this, one with extensive tech and multiple POVs as well as a wild (and admittedly interesting) plot twist really needs to be written in a style that's quick and snappy and clear. There's a time and place for poetic, even in a thrilling sci-fi. Just not on every single page. It made the story feel bogged down and confusing. I quickly lost interest and ended up looking up the ending. And honestly, knowing the ending, I'm perfectly fine with my decision to DNF.

I liked the ideas in this book and particularly Cee's story, but a lot of it went over my head in terms of the tech. I also struggled to understand the world, and perhaps at a different time this would have been the book for me, but for all the parts I liked, there were as many parts that I couldn't follow or that dragged for me.
What I did understand was Cee and Kay's relationship, and how important they were to each other.

I feel so torn because I know so many people have loved this one and I really wanted to, but it might just be case of not the right book at the right time for me!

I’m usually not a fan of sci-fi or futuristic type books but this one drew me in from the first sentence! It was so easy to get into and the writing was brilliant i highly recommend!

The Ones We're Meant to Find is a fast-paced, futuristic YA dystopian story telling the story of two sisters in a world brought to destruction by climate change. Cee woke up on a deserted island three years ago with no memories except that she has a sister. Kasey is a prodigy living on an eco-city floating above Earth grieving the loss of her sister. The story is full of twists and well-developed characters. The sister relationship is complex and well-written. The world-building is fantastic and realistic with the destruction of the earth due to climate change! The novel is science fiction, yet maintains relevance in a clever way. Highly recommended!

A beautiful unique Sci-fi Mystery in the YA Genre. Okay so not gonna lie, this cover is hands down the most stunning cover I've EVER seen. And the story is one of my absolute favorite Scifi books I've ever read!

TL;DR: Ambiguous ending and uneven worldbuilding aside, The Ones We're Meant to Find delivers a BIG plot twist and an engaging, original exploration of what it means to be human against the backdrop of changing climate and technological capabilities. My rating: 3.5/5 stars.

The Ones We're Meant to Find is a YA sci-fi mystery set in a future dystopia where Earth is heavily polluted and the world’s eco-elite live in floating cities in the sky. Residents of these eco-cities spend much of their time in VR. Eligibility for residency, social status, and standard of living is determined by a ranking system based on intergenerational environmental impact of an individual (sorry descendants of Big Oil).

Socially awkward STEM prodigy (Kasey) and daughter of eco-city 1 percenter is reeling from the recent disappearance of her older sister “it girl” (Celia). Prone to secret boating joy rides, Celia is presumed dead at sea. However, Kasey can’t shake the feeling that there’s more to it than that.

Cut to a deserted island where Celia is stranded with no memories beside one--she has a sister who she must get back to. Little else of the story can be divulged without giving mega spoilers, but rest-assured there are some big twists reminiscent of a Black Mirror episode.

This book was genuinely fun to read. It kept me engaged and curious to uncover more about this world and its characters. That said, I’m returning to write this review about 6 weeks after reading and this was not a story that made a lasting impression on me. The ending was confusing, even after re-reading it a couple times. I remember Celia that had a big, humanity-defining decision to make at the end, but I really couldn’t tell you now what she decided.

While I found the initial worldbuilding of the eco-cities really interesting, later on in the book the more macro worldbuilding beyond the eco-cities (and the political maneuvering that takes place between Kasey and a character with diverging views on humanity and its future) was less readily comprehensible. Ultimately, I think this book was trying to do too much and didn’t allocate word count where it was most needed. For example, a lot of time was spent on the budding romance between Celia and a mysterious fellow amnesiac boy who pops up on her island. For a book ostensibly focused on a sister relationship with a very ambitious plot twist to pull off, the Celia/Hero detracted more than it added.

Thematically, He’s exploration of what it means to be human amid changing climate and technological capabilities is compelling and timely. Minor issues aside, this is undoubtedly a fun, original, and thought-provoking read, especially for YA readers.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for giving me advance access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

In a future world where polar icecaps have melted and much of the landmass has sunk beneath the oceans, humanity is shrinking as it faces loss of habitat and continual natural disasters. Some people have created a land in the clouds, but not all have been able to live there. One solution to the coming apocalypse is to have all of humanity go into stasis below the ocean for 1,000 years and thus giving earth a chance to renew and become sustainable again.

Cee and Kay are sisters. Cee is worldly and adventurous while Kay is smart and industrious. The sisters have been separated and both seek to be reunited. Cee is on an island by herself and has been there for three years. Kay is living in the cloud land, planning the survival of humanity and of the earth itself. Both meet young men who appear willing to help them, but readers will wonder are they really who they seem to be?

Each of the girls are consumed by her sister’s absence. There’s also the mystery concerning the island and why Cee is stranded there plus the unknown intentions of the two young men. These situations combine to make the story alluring. The characters are complicated and difficult to pin down, adding further intrigue. Meanwhile, the eco situation is haunting and dire, a glimpse into a future of dwindling habitable land. Joan He has created a complex plot that slowly unfolds to a satisfying conclusion.

It's not every day you find a book like The Ones We’re Meant to Find; I've never read anything quite like it before. That being said, I think the best way to describe it would be We Were Liars crossed with 2014–16ish dystopia. The dystopian elements felt subtle, but definitely present and well written.

Told in haunting dual perspective that traverse time and space, we’re introduced to two sisters who couldn’t be more different. Kasey is a STEM genius who feels distanced from the world. Cee is trapped on an island and has a singular mission: find her sister. Both characters were compelling and it was interesting to follow them on their separate journeys through past and present. Hero and Actinium added so much to the book as well, in particular their interactions with the sisters were never straightforward, a complexity that continued throughout, especially after the twist was revealed.

I love the exploration of themes in this book, from the impact humanity has made on the earth to questions about the morality of bots. Memory, too, was such an interesting aspect of the novel, and in particular its role in the ending, which I found super effective and intriguing. This is a book that draws you in and waits until you’re fully immersed before making you think about the issues that are equally relevant in fiction and reality.

The Ones We’re Meant to Find is a book best read without knowing too much before going in, but I will say that I do kinda wish I’d read the full Goodreads synopsis before starting, simply because then I would’ve been able to settle in faster. Regardless, the atmosphere is set up beautifully and retained the whole way through, a calming flow much like the ocean that is central to the novel. This is such a thoughtful and poetic book, and I recommend it from my heart.

The Ones We're Meant to Find is a YA science fiction book about the bond between two sisters and the effect climate change has upon the earth, and whether humanity deserves redemption from all the harm they've caused. Joan He creates a lush and vivid world, thought provoking and emotionally riveting, with the reader left wanting more at the end.

Cee has been stranded on an abandoned island for three years, with no recollection of how she got there or any memories from her past, other than she has a sister, Kay, somewhere out there across the ocean. She desperately wants to find her sister and nothing will stop her, not even if she has to build a thousand boats.

Somewhere else, Kasey Mizuhara lives in an eco-city with clean air, water, food, and shelter, built for humans who protected the earth, The residents must spend a third of their time in stasis pods, holo-ing to meetings or parties to further reduce their carbon footprint to maintain their rank and spot within the eco-city. Kasey doesn't mind the pods but her sister Casey, a social butterfly, loved to explore, even visiting the sea far below. Now, three months after Casey took a boat out to sea and never returned, Kasey seeks answers by following Casey's last known whereabouts, discovering more than she bargained for,

I liked the concept and idea for the book. It was a slow burn that was very slow paced in the beginning because of the author needing to lay out the world and rules of the eco-city the sisters live in. It took me a little bit to understand some of the different technology and terms the author created but I started to catch on. The themes of love, loss, betrayal, and discovery weave in and out of each other, asking the reader to go along and see how far one would do for your family, or for your fellow human being. Human morals come into play throughout the book, such as how much and how far are you willing to go to put your family first above all others or how much do you set them aside for the greater good of all humanity. It's a question of people know what the moral thing is but do they have to do it if they don't want to in a given situation. An endless debate that never seems to find an end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Roaring Brook Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I would love to start this review with sweeping words about the story, but to be honest – I don’t know whether this will convey the emotions that are swirling through me. I am still absolutely in awe about the work Joan He put into this and the amazing outcome of it. She is an amazing writer (I’ve also read and loved her debut Descendant of the Crane, which you should definitely read, but even more so if you are into historical fiction) and once again completely blew me away with The Ones We’re Meant to Find.

I need to point out again that Joan’s writing style is exquisite. She can transform scientific information into easily understandable, but still amazingly beautiful sentences. More than that, she is a genius when it comes to complex twists while maintaining a heart-wrenching story about the love of two sisters. You can easily see the love between the siblings from their two points of views. Each of them shows her love in a different, but credible way. Something I’d love to see more of in novels as an older sister myself. I felt that connection between the main characters and knew that I’d make most of their decisions myself if faced with the circumstances.

Which is fantastic, since the main characters Cee and Kasey couldn’t be more different from each other. They are fully fleshed-out characters with different goals and understandings of life. Still, I could easily connect with both sisters, understanding their emotions and wishes – mostly those about their sister, but also their view on the world.

A world that could very well be our own in some years, if everything goes downward. I loved to see this dystopian / sci/fi setting of the book. At the point of the story, Earth is almost completely inhabitable with only a few territories still on the ground, while citizens with a higher rank in the hierarchy live in eco-cities floating in the sky. Even with advanced sciences and technology, humanity was not able to salvage their planet.

The whole setting of the book is both eerily melancholic and at other turns almost whimsical. Throughout the main part of the book, I was not sure what to expect – in the absolutely best way possible. There were so many twists and turns – at the beginning more subtle, almost non-noticeable until it focused on bigger reveals toward the end of the book. And let me tell you – I was not expecting how the story ended. And the ending broke me – it was so beautiful, but breaking my heart at the same time. I am pretty sure that I shed a few tears during reading. Joan He is a master when it comes to twisting your emotions into so many directions, that you’re not sure what exactly you’re feeling. And she does this from the very first page until you close the book. And even after finishing, you will still think about the story in the most unexpected moments.

Trigger warnings: terminal illness, suicide, violence (including choking), death, death of parent (off page), vomiting, large scale natural disasters and mass casualties, some gore

Two sisters search for one another. One trapped in an abandoned island, the other in a city built to withstand the world falling apart.

I don’t usually read sci-fi, so it was a lot different from what I usually read, but I really enjoyed it.
I was confused a lot, but in a good way. There were lots of twists and turns. Anytime I thought I had things figured out, I was wrong. I was nowhere near close to guessing what was really happening. The writing was very well done. It held my attention and kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. It was a fantastic story, especially if you like a mixture of sci-fi and mystery. The characters were writing fantastically. Joan He was able to showcase the complexity of the relationships and human nature in general.

Even if you don’t typically enjoy sci-fi, I would give this book a chance! This was a fantastic piece of work, and I will definitely be reading more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

First off, I want to say that this cover is absolutely gorgeous! Now, onto the story. I hate to admit it, but I won't be finishing this book, at least not anytime soon. I'm 10 chapters in and I still can't bring myself to find a connection that makes me want to keep reading. I guess it's just not my type. The story is fine, and will probably end up being a decent read, but I just cannot get into it. Its too slow. The flipping back and forth isn't bad in-and-of itself, but it switches the timeline back and forth too. It's just too much and not enough at the same time for me. I do want to say that I am a chaotic reader and a mood reader so don't let my opinion discourage you from giving it a try!

Long story short, The Ones We’re Meant to Find kept me thinking while reading the book and even after I’ve closed the pages because this review was a struggle to write. I have a lot of conflicting thoughts about the novel that I’m not even sure I can even put into words properly.

Joan He’s sophomore novel is filled with unpredictable twists and turns that kept me on my toes from the first page when we first meet Cee and Kasey all the way to the very end. I was constantly guessing and probably had enough theories to feed me for an entire week, but this comes as no surprise since her debut novel Descendant of the Crane kept me guessing just as much.

I adored Cee and Kasey as the protagonists of the story and loved how Joan He wrote this in alternating viewpoints rather than from one or the other. They’re complete polar opposites, with Cee having a sociable and friendly personality and always wanting an adventure while Kasey comes across as someone “cold, emotionless, and buried in data*” but is really someone who struggles with emotions and unpredictable scenarios. I loved their bond (although not the greatest, who says sibling relationships aren’t messy?) and their common goal of finding each other in their own ways.

*I feel this to my core, though.

The Ones We’re Meant to Find is set in a futuristic world where climate change has affected the population enough that major storms are the norm, and those privileged enough can afford to live away from those storms. I liked how Joan He explores climate change and touches upon the privileges some of the characters have. Although I was sometimes confused with the world, enough information is constantly provided without feeling overwhelmed.

However, this was a bit of a struggle, with the pacing not picking up until after the halfway point, although I was engaged and invested in finding out what would happen to Cee and Kasey – enough that I didn’t want to shelve the book. I think I got used to the pacing enough that when things began to pick up, the rest of the book felt a little rushed for me. But much like Descendant of the Crane, there is much to be desired from Joan He’s latest novel. The ending is very open, with questions that are left unanswered and depending on your reading preferences, unsatisfactory. For me, it was the latter, because while I don’t mind open endings, The Ones We’re Meant to Find felt open enough that I felt the ending backfired and there are too many questions that are left unanswered.

While my biggest quip with The Ones We’re Meant to Find is the pacing and ending, there are a lot of things that I did enjoy overall. If you’re looking for a novel exploring climate change and touching privilege with a strong sibling bond and Asian protagonists, and don’t mind an open ending, this may be up your alley. But if your biggest pet peeve is not having all your questions answered, you might want to look elsewhere.

To be honest, I expected this story to be about a lesbian relationship based on the cover and the description. I quickly realized that the characters were sisters (well,.. sort of, if you've read it you get what I mean). Once I got that clear, I really enjoyed this book. The world was unique and the characters were interesting. It was one of those books where you can tell something weird is going on but you really can't be sure what. It was super weird but I enjoyed this book and liked the questionable ending