This book started off promising, but I found it difficult to relate to the characters. It also felt so far fetched and uncomfortable. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there was something about the storyline that didn’t sit well with me.

That being said - the premise is interesting and the book itself is well written. I wonder if I am simply not the target audience for this particular story.

I received an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are mine alone.

There were so many wonderful surprises in this one!

The unique premise and implications about how far the characters would go to find love is certainly compelling and makes for an exciting, fast-paced reading experience.

I'm sorry.  I really wanted to like this one.  The cover was bright and eye-catching.  The description sounded like it would be a fun read.  But it was just TOO MUCH.  So over the top.  So trying too hard.  I couldn't bear to get past the first 50 pages.  Sorry, maybe next time.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Ursula has a successful career, great friendships and a mostly great life. But at 35 she is feeling her biological clock ticking. She's exhausted all the dating apps, blind dates and other ways to meet men. Then she hears about The Arc. For the fee of $40,500 she would be put through a in depth process where The Arc guaranteed they would find her perfect match. She just has to spend a week in their offices, answering questions, being thoroughly examined health wise. There would also be daily sessions of meditations and she would be completely cut off from the outside.

She receives the notice of her match, Rafael Banks and they arrange to meet for their first date. They have immediate attraction and chemistry. They dive head first into a relationship and everything seems perfect. About 4 months later they have their first disagreement. Shortly after that they have a check in at The Arc. After describing their disagreement the Arc tells them, they made a mistake and they weren't a perfect match after all. Ursula and Rafe refuse to believe them and leave while committing to each other to forget what the Arc said and live happily ever after. Until they don't.

This book took me through a lot of emotions. Hope, happiness, loss, confusion. It will make you think about what it means to find love in this day and age. I thought it would be a rom com, but it is so much more. There is humor, but it doesn't fall into that category. I would call it Women's fiction. "Love can be scary, especially for people who have been burned." I think love is scary whether or not you've been burned, but if you've been burned you tend to have trust issues which are even harder to overcome.

I did enjoy this book. It was well told and engaging. It makes you realize other people have trouble with the voice in their heads too.

A new matchmaking service that uses a very thorough process to guarantee finding your perfect match. All for the small price of 50,000. While Ursula has gotten used to the idea of being alone, she cannot pass up the chance to give the ARC a chance.... 😻❤️🍦

This book has an interesting premise, reminding me greatly of The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren. While there are some sweet moments, there were definitely some cringey moments as well. I appreciated Ursula's sense of humor though. Overall, I enjoyed this one. ⭐⭐⭐

Thank you @stmartinspress for my gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was worried when I read the synopsis for "The Arc" that it would remind me too much of last year's hit "The Soulmate Equation" by Christina Lauren. This was NOT "The Soulmate Equation," and I appreciate the differences between the two books. "The Arc" is a literary romance, and less of a rom-com.

Ursula is 35 years old, and she decides to drop $40k for a dating service that promises that she will find the love of her life through them, and that 18 months in, the relationship will be successful.
I think some of the fun takeaway from this is--- if $40k could guarantee you the perfect relationship, the one MEANT for you... would you do it?

This was a fun read, different from the romance novels I generally read. I recommend it for readers who want to read a romance without spice- this is a great story about two people who have to face their insecurities to make a relationship work.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-arc copy of this book. I'm a little late on this review (publication was close to Valentine's Day this year), but a good romance book can be read at any time of year, right? :)

Fast-paced with a fun premise and a fantastic ending, The Arc is one of those books you need to talk about after you've finished. The characters were flawed but it made them seem so real and the writing is just sublime. I can't wait to read whatever Hoen writes next!

The Arc was fascinating read! As someone who is currently dating, I could relate to the characters (minus being able to afford the fee for the matchmaking services) and would certainly be curious if someone could guarantee my match. I loved that this book was a romance with thriller elements. It was addicting and I couldn’t wait to find out how it ended. What a perfect book for the beach or pool this summer!

Thank you to Tory Henwood Hoen, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is an interesting take in the recent influx of STEM- related matchmaking books to hit the market in recent years. While I’m not positive it was the author’s intent, the story had a tongue-in-cheek quality about it. From Ursula’s job as “VP of Strategic Audacity” to her super feminist fitness club, it seemed to me like a satire of what life is like for a sector of the country. Ursula (the female lead) is quirky and pretty weird, which lends itself well to the caricature-type nature of the story. This is definitely not your standard rom-com!

This was a clever concept that kept me in constant suspense as I waited for the other shoe to drop. However, the unnecessary amount of detail took me out of the main plot. It could have been edited down.

The ARC was a DNF for me. I wasn't able to connect with the characters or the story. I may come back to it at a different time.

“The Arc” reminds you of what modern dating is today and its difficulties. I enjoyed the frank discussions and concerns of a 30 something year old woman and found myself rather interested. However, there were a couple of weird parts of the book (random chanting, etc) that downgraded it a bit for me. 3.5 stars down to 3 stars. Solid, but slightly off kilter book. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The idea of a slightly dystopian dating service was an interesting premise, but at heart this is a novel of relationships and expectations. Truly well written and thought provoking. I look forward to reading more from this author!

BOOK REVIEW: The Arc by Tory Henwood Hoen
Publication Date: February 8

⭐️⭐️⭐️️

CONNECT WITH THIS BOOK | T.I.M.E. SIMPLE LIVING TIP
Love costs... ✨😎✨

T.I.M.E. Book Review: Fascinating concept of exploring a "guaranteed" experience to find your ultimate true love match though at a price... $40k - $50k, yikes! What price would you pay to "jump the dating line" right to your perfect match? Oh, well... It looks like love just may be too expensive for me!... ✨😎✨

Pages: 344
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Sub-Genre: Online Dating Romance
Time Period: Present Day
Location: New York City

IF YOU LIKE THIS BOOK THEN TRY…
Book: The Dating Dare by Jayci Lee
Movie: Love, Guaranteed (Netflix)

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All my reviews can be seen at This Is My Everybody | Simple Living | Denise Wilbanks at www.thisismyeverybody.com

♡ Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

I was overwhelmed that someone would pay the amount mentioned in this story to find love. The idea of this app and the science behind the match seemed far fetched until you are swept up in the romance between Ursula and Rafael. Ursula and her friend Issa will keep you laughing when they are at The Stake. Watch out for ending twist.

I liked this one! It’s a… satirical romance? Lots of side-eyeing at corporate/marketing/investing culture, and a good central conflict with a predictable, but still good, ending. The characters were a bit grating (it felt like the author was trying too hard with the jokes & making them quirky) but I’m looking forward to seeing what comes next from this author.

This wasn’t for me unfortunately! I wanted to love it but things fell a bit flat. I was intrigued by the premise but couldn’t quite connect.

This is Match.com for wealthy entitled people who are over dating and want to meet their forever partners, because who doesn’t have the cost of a luxury car laying around to do so? The real question is, no matter how many professionals are involved and assessments are made, even if the compatibility is right on paper, can they predict true love and chemistry? I didn’t love the main female characters. It felt they were more concerned with status and meeting someone of “their ilk, up to their standards” than actual real love. The concept was really fun and thought provoking and the writing was held me, but it wasn’t an easy book for me to finish.

A clever, immensely enjoyable, unconventional romance, The Arc is at once a sharp satire of New York city in the late 2010s and an open-hearted exploration of how to find love amongst the tangle of technology we find ourselves in. It's razor-sharp satire, but with a very human, vulnerable heart. I immensely enjoyed this book—when i finished I was almost mad this was Hoen's debut because i couldn't just pick up her next one.

Ursula has had it with modern dating in NYC when she's slipped a card for The Arc: a service that (for an exorbitant price tag) will provide the opportunity to meet the person with whom you'll have the greatest chance at lifelong happiness.

This book was fascinating to me. As someone who met her spouse before online dating was mainstream, and before smart phone were invented, I could not look away from this glimpse into modern dating and matchmaking. I enjoyed how the personalities of Ursula and Rafael were fleshed out - both the positive and the deeply unflattering. I had the opportunity to listen to and ALC and the excellent narration heightened the experience.