unfortunately i have decided to dnf this book. i just don’t believe the writing was for me. the concept and idea was intriguing, but the execution wasn’t paced well for me.

the beginning was a little boring, but i understood that it was character introductions so i continued reading. then once the characters got together i felt it was insta-love, and yes i know this book is about two people meeting through a dating app, but i’ve read books similar and they don’t say i love you as soon as this couple did. and i’m not saying that’s a bad thing, i just feel it’s unrealistic and not for me. but while they were together i was interested, until around 60% where i started to get bored and read other books. now this book is 350 pages and i left like it was never going to end.

overall, i do believe that one day i will come back to finish the book, because it honestly did interest me but for now, i will dnf it at 64% and leave it.

I love this book! The plot kept me engaged and I liked the ending of the story. It really tied it all together. The characters were completely likable and it felt like a story that was ripped from the headlines. I want to go to The Arc!

4.5, rounded up because I think the overall number (currently 3.7) is too low.
The Arc is an unexpected delight, combining romance, satire, and the slightest touch of sci-fi. Henwood Hoen’s wry sense of humor made me laugh out loud several times, while also prompting pseudo-philosophical dives into what it means to be in love, in a partnership, where to draw the lines between love and career and logic, between self sufficiency and unity. It’s rare that a book resonates on so many levels, where you feel as if the author hijacked your own brain, putting to words so many of the thoughts and feelings you’ve had. And at the same time, there are wonderfully escapist moments, like when the central couple is falling in the kind of passionate, all-consuming love for which we all desperately yearn. So often these love-at-first-date scenes feel so contrived, but here, it’s authentic. I disappeared into their story, as if it were my own.
Now, none of that is to say the book is perfect or that it will be universally relatable. This feels very much like a millennial story, with its Manic Pixie Dream Girl-Turned-Woman at the center of the narrative. Comparison-wise, I’m not sure it will be highbrow/literary/boring enough to appeal to those who love Sally Rooney, and it doesn’t fall in with TJR’s most popular books, Seven Husbands or Daisy Jones, though I’d say it’s in the same wheelhouse as some of her earlier stuff, like One True Loves and Forever, Interrupted. I do hope that this book finds its audience and gets some good placement on recommendations lists, as it’s worthy of praise (despite its lack of pretentiousness) and I look forward to following this author’s work in the future.

3 stars
I took a ton of notes while reading this, but honestly, most of them were subjective and I don't want to drag a book simply because it wasn't my taste, so I'll keep this brief. To start, I just don't think I was the target demographic for this book. I was more drawn in by the title and list of authors the writing style was similar to than the actual premise. Because I was never super into the actual premise, the whole plot felt very slow and predictable. Additionally, the writing style, although it had aspects that I loved, felt very millennial. Lastly, I found the characters too quirky for my liking. I like weird characters, but their quirks were too eccentric to feel realistic. Overall though, this book did have some sweet romantic moments and messages about living life on your terms. It's a good book, just not for me.

The story intrigued me, the Taylor Jenkins Reid comparrison drew me in. However, that's where it stopped. I found the story long and drawn out. The whole feminist club was just too much for me. There are far too many details in this book, I don't need to know everything the characters feels. I can it, I'm.not much for inner dialog. I simply just lost interest. Sorry, can't love them. Right?

Can love be boiled down to a science? The Arc thinks so and so far has achieved a 100% success rate.

Ursula and Rafael are thrilled to be matched and smoothly transition into a happy duo, but after one disagreement it’s revealed there is just a single area in which they’re not a perfect match.

Can their relationship survive without a guarantee of success?

There are a lot of surprises in this one! I loved the twists and turns and that final jaw dropped.

I wouldn’t call this one just a romance, maybe a sci-fi romance?

An interesting twist on modern dating. All the facets were covered in an exciting but different way that kept things interesting.

the premise was so interesting and the relationship was really cute but ursula was hard to get attached to tbh and it ruined my experience with the book.

How far would you go for love? Would you pay 40,500 to meet the love of your life? This question is posed to Ursula in The Arc by Tory Henwood Hoen. Ursula had a non traditional childhood where she played alone and took care of herself for hours at a time from a young age. While this has turned her into a very self sufficient and successful Brooklynite, she’d like someone to come home to other than her cat.

This book felt a little alternate reality and I loved it! I was surprised and intrigued the entire time and it has left me thinking unlike most fiction. This one reminded me of The Farm by Joanne Ramos.

I didn't get the Taylor Jenkins Reid vibe here but that isn't a bad thing; interesting book premise and likeable characters. I'm always very wary of reading anything that even hints it falls in the romance category but this was interesting and worth the read.

The Arc was an interesting read. On the one hand, I loved the hyper-feminist world the heroine, Ursula, lives in. I'm obsessed with her club, The Stake, where you can take showers to Prince songs and then scream into a designated crying cube. Sign me up. On the other hand, Ursula's relationship issues were so glaringly obvious that I wanted her to go into therapy, not find love.

This is another story about having science find your perfect match, but it was written in such a way that kept my attention. I'm glad I pushed through some of the wordy descriptions living in Ursula's head to find the happy ending I knew we'd get.

What an interesting and unique premise this book was. The ARC is an app that promises to find you your perfect love match, in fact they guarantee it. What could go wrong...right? Ursula decides to give it a go and eventually ends up meeting Rafael. At first they seem perfect for each other, but then of course the newness and the novelty wears off and they begin to question if they really are meant to be together.

I really loved these characters, flaws and all. They were very realistic and I was cheering them on to stay together, they had such a romantically sweet relationship...even if Ursula did get on my nerves at times. I especially loved the dual points of view because it gave me a chance to get to know these characters as people.

This book begs the question...
is it science, hard work, kismet or just dumb luck that make people perfect for each other?

I think it's all of the above.

I'll start by saying I really really enjoyed this book. I loved Ursula and Issas friendship so much and thought the whole idea of the Stake was both hilarious and probable that it actually exists haha. I loved the writing and thought it was an easy fast read. Rafael was great and I loved how much he truly cared for Ursula and played into her little weird tendencies. The ARC was also a cool concept. I didn't really read much of the synopsis prior to reading the book but I feel like it almost gave away too much. The little "twist" near the end was really nice too, it showed how even though this may have been a fabricated relationship it was still real.

I'd recommend this book for others to read!

Thank you netgalley, St. Martins Press and Tory Henwood Hoen for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

The Arc reminded me of Christina Lauren's latest, Soulmate Equation. Unfortunately, I didn't love it quite as much as I loved that book, but I still enjoyed this one and the central relationship at the center!

Ursula and Rafael were incredibly interesting characters with an easy dynamic to fall into and be enraptured in. I really enjoyed the well flowing plot and would definitely recommend this to fans of light romance!

This book was certainly interesting and entertaining! A super fun premise - Ursula signs up for The Arc under a promise to find her soulmate. And, not surprisingly, The Arc delivers. Of course it's not as simple as they lead you to believe and there are some twists and turns in the relationship. Quite a quick read and very interesting!

Ursula Byrne has a history of proactively ending her struggling romantic relationships. Now she is ready to try anything to find the kind of love she's looking for. And for $40,500, the Arc promises her exactly that, a scientifically chosen partner that will be perfectly mesh with her personality. And they do, but is a "perfect match" really so perfect? And will she still manage to torpedo it?

Ursula and her best friend, Issa, hang out at The Stake; a feminist wellness club. This is a place where they can reflect on their lives and what is important. Ursula claims she is romantically retired. After four long term boyfriends she is giving up until she is given a card for the ARC. The ARC is a relationship architect dating service designed to match you with the perfect partner. It is an intense process, takes a week, and costs Ursula $40,000. She meets Rafael and he seems perfect but is that because the ARC deems them the perfect couple? It is not long before she begins to doubt herself. I thought the thought processes a couple goes through as they look at their relationship was realistic. The characters were true to life, a bit eccentric, but people you would like to know. I enjoyed the book.

The plot intrigued me, however the pacing and level of detail was out of balance for me. I was getting bored with the irrelevant detail of Ursula’s daily life continuing almost a quarter into the story before she signs up for The Arc. Her stay and the ways in which she changed during her assessment were the most interesting parts of the story, my high point. After Ursula and Rafael are matched and have their first date, the unrelenting perfection of their relationship across multiple detailed dates went on too long for me. When an area of tension finally breaks the monotony, I was put off by the detailed analysis of how each felt as they careened through their first disagreement. Since I don’t want to give away the rest of the story, my summary comment is that this story is overwritten and too much in its main character's heads. Don't tell me how they feel when in most instances we are already being shown how they feel through their words and their actions. All the analysis of their thinking kept Ursula and Rafael from being a real couple to me, and I lost interest in the outcome of their relationship long before the story was over.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for access to an advanced copy.
#StMartinsPress #NetGalley #TheArc

I actually really enjoyed this book! I was immediately sucked in by the premise and I love all the dark and sarcastic undertone. Overall, I really loved The Arc, it was a really great read.