Romance continues to be the bestselling genre in fiction, ranging from Victorian-era stories about Lords and Ladies to contemporary tracts featuring multiracial and gender-fluid protagonists. But every romance asks the same question: What does it take to get to happily-ever-after? Over the years, the answers have varied dramatically.

In her debut novel The Arc, author Tory Henwood Hoen merges the worlds of dating apps, New Age culture, and 23andMe-type testing into a matchmaking service that is guaranteed (although not monetarily) to find someone their perfect match. Costing only $40,500 for women and $50,000 for men (the difference is to account for the wage gap), The Arc’s proprietary methods will finally deliver that Prince Charming or Cinderella. Does the promise of perfection make the relationship easier or harder?

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This book is absolutely fantastic. Set in a slightly heightened version of the modern world. it tells the story fo two people who meet through a very unorthodox and sophisticated (and expensive) dating service. Not an app, but a highly curated and researched service which requires the absolute commitment of the people who sign up, and $50,000. Each person has one match. That's it. But with a self proclaimed 100% success rate, what could possibly go wrong?

A romantic comedy with the slightest bit of absurdity and science fiction thrown in, I devoured this book. Highly recommend.

A matchmaking service guarantees they'll find your soulmate for the (incredibly high) cost of $50,000.

I really enjoyed THE ARC by Tory Henwood Hoen and would enthusiastically recommend this title for fans of Black Mirror and/or romantic comedies. While I thought the cover and pitch read more as science fiction, this literary fiction title is very well-written, engaging, relatable, and really funny.

The Arc by Tory Henwood Hoen is about a new high-tech matchmaking service that matches Ursula and Rafael. This service is extremely thorough--it tests the emotional, psychological, and physiological aspects of all of its clients. Ursula and Rafael seem very happy together, until they find out that the dating service may have made a mistake. Can they make it together even though they may not technically be compatible? This story was a little crazy at times, but I found it to be fascinating. And the ending was very well done. I would definitely recommend this book if you want a different spin on the dating app/romance story. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

I was expecting a romance and The Arc gave me something else! The Arc blends some of the more eye roll-y parts of tech — “VP of strategic Audacity,” Tech bro founders being obnoxious as hell, the whole idea of The Arc a center that finds you your absolute perfect match without fail for the low price of $50,000 ($40,500 for women because of the gender pay gap) screams tech pseudo-cult!! But I kinda love satirical call out of some of the more cringe aspects of tech “girl-boss” energy the books atmosphere provides.

What really shines about the story is how despite all the frills, Ursula & Rafael’s relationship rings surprisingly true for me. I felt the cringy ways they were obsessed with each other…well cringy but not untrue. The ways they were both uniquely bad at communication tugged at my heart strings a bit, especially when these miscommunications or inability to expose the more vulnerable parts of themselves cause conflict for them.
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I can’t decide if I love or hate the ending, leaning towards hate but it’s was deliciously devious!

When I saw this title I thought it had something to do with a book Arc, but instead it is about an
interesting premise to match making.
Cute, quirky rom-com of a read. Bonus star for the main character being a Cat & book club lover and a Long Island mention.
Debut novel from this Author and will definitely be on the lookout for more.
Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martins press and the Author, Tory Henwood Hoen for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting story for sure. I wasn't quite sure what to expect but I really enjoyed the writing, the characters and the element of humour throughout. Glad I picked this up.

One of the most unique romances I've read, with a sharp and entertaining premise anchored by interesting characters. Satirical, though-provoking, and ultimately very charming.

Ursula Byrne is a busy executive who wants a better way to meet her soul mate. Dating apps are terrible and don't work for her. Meet The Arc. An expensive but supposedly better way to meet quality people. Will it work and is it worth the expense?

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH! If I did a top whatever books of 2022 this would be on it! I connected with this story so much on so many levels. Ursula’s story and situation resonated with me down to my core. I recall a part where Ursula is describing how she feels and what happens to her in a relationship and I felt like the author reached into my soul and pulled out how I felt without my brain even being aware that THAT was exactly how I felt. I love the unconventional way that Ursula and Rafael got together, and it is definitely not something I would be ballsy enough to do (or have the finances for lol.)

I finished this book a couple of weeks ago (prior to release date) and waited to write my review because I wanted to be able to describe better how much I loved it, but I’m still struggling with finding the right words.

I cannot wait to reread this book and hope you will consider picking it up and giving it a try!

Ursula Byrne, the VP of Strategic Audacity for a branding agency in NYC, is 35 and single; she’s tried all the dating apps, but they’ve been a disaster. When a woman tells her about The Arc, a secretive agency that promises to find you your ideal match by going much more in depth than any other dating agency. Ursula is paired with Rafael Banks, a 42-year-old lawyer. The connection between them is deep and immediate, but as their relationship progresses, they discover that even a promised love is not without bumps or fights.

Do people like Ursula and her friends really exist? She is a piece of work, although at least she realizes in the end how she is sabotaging her own life. This book is very pretentious, although you can definitely feel the connection between Ursula and Rafael. I think this will be hit or miss depending on whether people like the tone of the book. If you would like a book satirizing feminism, rich people, etc., check this one out. Otherwise, I suggest giving it a pass. If you’re looking for a romance novel, please note that this is not your typical romance.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book.

I have been trying to read this book for 3 days and I can’t get passed 20%. I can’t connect with it, it feels unnecessarily pretentious and I just can’t try to force it on my self anymore. My apologies.

DNF at 20%

This is an intriguing concept but doesn't hold the interest of the reader. There are some interesting things to say about genre fiction and plotting in general. The audience for this book but be off the target.

The Arc definitely wasn't like anything I've read before. A book where they charge a crazy amount of money and put the people through insane testing to determine compatibility with others. I was sold by its inventiveness. I enjoyed Ursula's personality right off the bat. When she's finally matched with Rafael, I found his character to be completely perfect for her. And that's where I'm going to stop. I won't give away any of the plot twists for the book. Let's just say it isn't as cut and dry as it sounds. It's clever, inventive and timely. But these two characters matching with the help of this dating agency is just part of the story. There's much more to it.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed it and the opinions contained within are my own.

I wanted to love the ARC, an interesting premise with a mature, career-driven MC, Ursula. Ursula takes a chance on a comprehensive approach to finding her perfect match, taking a chance on an expensive service known as the ARC.

However, after a couple tries to get into the book, I finally stopped at 28%. I found it a bit slow and maybe too much emphasis on Manhattan wealth. I wish I could have pushed through and wish that she met her match earlier (at 28%, we still haven’t met the other MC). There was really great potiential for this novel, but I just wanted something to happen earlier to keep me engaged.

How much would you pay to be matched up with your perfect person? $100? $1000? $10000? Well for the bargain price of $40-$50K, The ARC could be perfect for you.

This is a well written story of Ursula and Rafael being paired together through The ARC. The story has the right amount of twists and turns to keep the story going and a good pace. I enjoyed the satire in the writing and really want to advocate for a local The Stake!

A drawback I found is that this story wasn’t overly original. Between The Soulmate Equation and The Love Hypothesis

4 stars

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

As I started this story, I was convinced it wasn't going to be for me. I'm not one to easily buy into scream therapy, aligning chakras, and a lot of the hippy dippy stuff that seems to be the in thing with the younger generations. After all, I'm old...so I just grumpily yelled at the kids to get off my lawn and plowed on...and I actually really enjoyed myself. A romance is a romance, regardless of the details, and this one was well done and gave me warm squishies...maybe that was just my chakras finally realigning!!!

Interesting And Controversial Story. This is one of those stories that is off-beat enough that it really defies normal conventions in most every way except the obvious: ultimately, it checks every single box to be a romance novel even according to the strictest definitions I am aware of. Now, it turns out to be a very angsty romance novel filled with some unique characters and twists and turns that few romance novels are prepared to attempt, but ultimately it *is* a romance novel. And while I debated internally of 4 vs 5 stars due to pretty heavy handed feminist preaching, one scene in the back of the book redeemed it just enough that I feel comfortable not deducting a star over it - though I won't detail which scene here. It will be obvious to most readers once they get there. :) Still, a lot of the quirks that other reviewers commonly panned this book over - The Stake women's club, the cocktus cactus-styled vibrator, even the quick banter ala Gilmore Girls (my own connection, I didn't see others panning that one) - were things that stood out as interesting and funny enough to keep me interested. Then there is the billionaire our female lead gets tangled up with, who always struck me more as Mike from Madam Secretary but who one character portrays as Gordon Gecko. Absolutely read the other reviews, as this book truly won't be for everyone. But if you like *late* late night offbeat comedy... maybe give this one a chance. If that type of story isn't your thing... yeah, you may not like this one. Very much recommended.

An out of the ordinary romance with flawed characters and great ideas (The Stake!) The plot was a fulfilling example of adult life in NYC and the quirky characters carried it along well. Hoen has great energy and a flowing vibe which is felt throughout the entire story. This was an enjoyable read!

There were a lot of things I enjoyed about The Arc; the female friendships, the character backstories, and the spot on description of dating in your 30's. I thought all of the angst surrounded Ursula's career could have been truncated. But overall a decent read.