Holy cow! I really enjoyed The Arc by Tory Henwood Hoen. Thanks NetGalley for the arc.

I binged this story. I only paused for deep breaths in concern for what may happen- but then curiosity got the best of me. Absolutely 4.5 stars!

Dating in the modern age is….challenging to say the least. It’s bizarre when you hear people meet organically. Everyone meets online or through dating apps. The issue with those is that it’s easy to disappear and it’s easy to constantly think something else “better” is out there. If one little thing is off people think they can do better, or that maybe it’s a sign.

Ursula is at her wits end with dating apps and takes a dive into The Arc. This is a service where they dive into every aspect of you and your life to figure out who you are. It costs $40-$50K and a week of your life. They then claim they will find someone absolutely perfect for you. (There was a Netflix show with this same premise but not nearly as good as this book.)

After paying and doing her therapies- Ursula is matched with Rafael. Their chemistry is instant. It’s almost unbelievable and too good to be true. They have one disagreement and the Arc claims there was a blip in the data. They claim that Ursula and Rafael aren’t perfectly compatible. They offer refunds, therapeutic breakup and new matches. But the couple is determined to prove them wrong. After all they are in love!

But this “blip in the data” quickly becomes a black cloud for their relationship. It’s too much to fight against. Every tiny issue has them second guessing things. It becomes too hard to fight against the inevitable. But was their love real? Is the Arc really the “end all be all”?

This book gave me so much to think about. It intrigued me and kept me in suspense. I loved Ursula and Rafael together and couldn’t bear the thought of a breakup for these (fictional) characters. But I totally understood the pressure that cracked them. Being told you will fail is very hard to fight through. Such a cool modern dating story with traditional values weaved in!

I loved this audio book! The narrator kept me completely engrossed. It was really well done and the accents for the Arc employees really added such an element for me. Well done!

How much would you pay for a guaranteed perfect partner? The Arc has matchmaking down to a science; their exorbitant fees promise the ideal life partner.

Ursula is 35 and feels like her time is running out. When she hears about The Arc, she wonders if this is her last ditch effort. Why not? After several intensive questionnaires and observations, Ursula is matched with Rafael, a 42-year-old lawyer. The pair hits it off immediately and quickly fall in love.

The two navigate this miracle relationship and can't believe the magic The Arc worked for them. Soon though, the honeymoon phase is over and they question how effective this service actually was. Is The Arc's method foolproof? Will their relationship last?

While a matchmaking concept has been done before, The Arc went about it in a rather unique fashion. My main problem is that the author introduces so many side characters and side stories, it gets difficult to keep everything straight and differentiate what is truly relevant. One of our main characters, Ursula, can be pretty insufferable at times (looking at you, Brandy speech scene), but all in all, I was content with this novel. I would recommend to any reader of contemporary romance.

A must-read for fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid's honest & insightful writing, The Arc perfectly captures how it feels to find what you believe is lasting love - and then try to keep it in your life.

MV Rating: 7.5/10 love is real, love is pain, love is A LOT.
- Rafael & Ursula have tried everything to find love, but there's always something missing. Enter "The Arc"- a high end matchmaking service that guarantees you find your life partner.
- All seems well until a bombshell realization cracks their perfect love bubble. Can they put things aside, and rely on their budding love?
- Ursula and Rafa both have a lot to figure out outside of their relationship too, and it's a painful thing to be finding love and also yourself all at once.
-Some situations in this book reminds me of that one Camp Rock song we all know (or just me? OK).... WHAT ABOUT LOVE??
-The writing is so real & relatable - you will see yourself in some of the conversations, both internal and external. Sometimes the chaos of love is what makes it so special, and I felt that here.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for the ARC access!

The Arc is a story about Ursula and Rafael who join a secretive matchmaking service called the Arc, which promises lifelong matchmaking with the “perfect partner.” Although intoxicating love for each other blossoms immediately, they are soon provided with news that challenges everything….

The best way to describe The Arc is a combination of “The One,” “Nine Perfect Strangers” and a Taylor Jenkins Reid romance. At times Ursula and Rafael’s romance was a bit cheesy, but I suppose that that’s the point when experiencing blissful and almost “perfect” love. Overall, I enjoyed this one, and Mary Elizabeth Kelly was great in her debut as a narrator!

Thank you to NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for my advanced copy! Expected pub date: 2/8/22

Tory Henwood Hoen's “The Arc” is easy and entertaining listening. It raises questions about dating services, love, soulmates, heartbreak and the expectations a high powered woman has to fill within New York’s working environment. Hoen is a satirist and her characters are well-drawn and memorable. I found the pacing a little slow and the ending rushed. Mary Elizabeth Kelly, the narrator, was superb.

A huge thank you to @NetGalley, @macmillan.audio and @stmartinspress for this audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martins Press, and Macmillan Audio for the advance copy of this book. I got this in audiobook format and I enjoyed the narration I think she was great.
I very much enjoyed the book. I have read and watched similar premises before (The Soulmate Equation, The One, Black Mirror/Hang the DJ) but that didn’t make me enjoy this any less. There was a moment where I was thinking it might veer off from romance into thriller territory but it didn’t. After the first road bump it became pretty clear where the rest of the book was going, at least to me.
I liked Ursula a lot. She was a realistic character and no too quirky that it felt tropey or anything. Rafael was a little less interesting but I liked him as well. There were lots of funny moments. The romance and the relationship service are very much the plot of this book. It’s not a steamy romance by any means it’s definitely closed door. Which for this book is definitely a good thing, the story didn’t need sex scenes, that’s not the point.
This book will be released on 2/8/22. If the premise sounds like something you would be into, I’d definitely recommend adding this to your TBR and checking it out once it comes out.