A scientist in the potato industry is assigned to travel outside of the US to investigate if an condition found in the children of a family is related to the potatoes his company created. The destination country is in the middle of a revolution, so that adds a bit of chaos to the mix. I would love to give some more information, but I feel like any other information I give outside of would ruin the book for you because part of the fun of this book is that there are tons of unexpected discoveries. It’s kind of like a mystery.

One of the things I liked the most was how the main characters evolved throughout the book. Nothing seemed forced, but that their evolution was genuine and from a place of learning & new experiences and perspectives. I feel like seeing character evolution when characters don’t have a super rich backstory can be tough sometimes, but what the author did well was being out the personality traits of the characters. We didn’t get a ton of backstory, but it wasn’t about that. It was about the personality.


I also really enjoyed the weird nods throughout like the name of the plane, address, things like that 🥔

I would like to thank NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Tyler McMahon for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC!

I have to say that as an Idahoan by birth, I fully endorse this book! I found One Potato to be a charming book, with elements of a rom-com, an environmental novel. and a little bit of a farcical romp in the tradition of John Kennedy Toole or David Foster Wallace. I rather enjoyed the trip, and would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys those types of books.

I might have requested this ARC primarily because of its cover. I didn't know what to expect from the story itself.
What I got was a little bit of a lot of things: political and social commentary, GMO debate from both sides, relationships galore (family, friends, enemies, colleagues, romantic, community), tenderness, lots of humor, a little mystery, intrigue, action, war, and suspense.

When the story opens, Eddie is working in his corporate lab on a French fry vending machine. The president of the company demands that he go manage the company's crisis in South America purportedly because he speaks Spanish. Eddie doesn't realize until departure that a journalist/blogger, Raven, is accompanying him. Through the course of the story, we meet a big cast of characters, each contributing something to the adventure.

The book was a nonstop comedy of errors—never dull. I greatly enjoyed the ride.

Thank you, NetGalley and Dreamscape Media, for the audio ARC of the book—even after publication day of April 12—in exchange for an honest review.

I can’t lie, it was the cover for One Potato that first caught my attention. Just look at it, can you seriously say that doesn’t make you do a double take? Then I read the blurb and my interest was piqued. And once I saw the narrator was Gary Tiedemann I was all in.

I enjoyed the heck of this book. The crazy thing? I’m not sure what genre this book to place this book in. There is most definitely humor (I found myself laughing out loud as I began listening to the first chapters…in a hospital waiting room no less….definitely got some odd looks from those around me) but there an adventure here dealing with serious issues such as third world exploitation, political upheaval, agricultural biogenetics, and there is even a touch of romance. The book seriously has something for everyone. I have to say I never expected a book about potatoes to be so darn entertaining. I was hooked from start to finish.

Thanks so much to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to listen and review an audio ARC of One Potato.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R32LD151ODI0IR/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

I really, really enjoyed this audio book! When I first requested it I wasn't sure what to expect. It ran the gamut of emotions and I so enjoyed the plot. The characters of Eddie and Raven and the others were well developed. I will definitely check out anything else the author has written! Thanks so much to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for allowing me to listen and give an honest review an audio ARC of One Potato.

3.5

This was a fun listen! Eddie is sent to a small South American country to investigate a human anomaly that is supposedly caused by his company’s potatoes. An entire family of children are walking on their hands and feet, bear crawl style. This is not only alarming to the family but could tarnish the company’s name as well. Moralez’s only job is to get down there, find the root cause of this issue (and like it BETTER not be the potatoes), and leave. That is until the country’s revolution, and befriending a journalist muddy his goals. Eddie has to make a decision and pick a side—all in the name of taters.

One Potato is probably the most unique concept for a novel I’ve stumbled upon as of late. The plot points drew me in immediately because of this. I loved how deep the story got and how intertwined things were as information was revealed to the reader. I would’ve never predicted some of the revelations throughout. Raven was a fun character and I loved her development and commitment to the truth. Eddie’s dedication to the afflicted children was chivalrous, especially when the revolution got extremely dicey and dangerous. The potato makes its way through this book from beginning to end, and I loved viewing Eddie’s growth through the lens of a potato and how he now viewed mass food corporations. I went into this looking for a light-hearted goofy read and instead became invested in the revolution of this fictitious country. I felt some of the aspects were unnecessary but overall, I’d recommend this for a seriously unique read!

To quickly sum up this novel:

1. Potatoes
2. Revolution
3 A wild ride
4. Finding love
5. Finding yourself

Who would have thought a book about a potato researcher wing thrown into a South American civil war would be so darn entertaining.

The characters are likable and their journey is just outrageous but they prevail overall.

Highly recommend this novel if you need something not to heavy but still packs a good punch.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Certain parts had me laughing out loud and I found that the book continued to catch me by surprise, which was fun!

The stakes were high enough to grab my attention but the humor cut through it, resulting in a book that I happily binged and appreciated the ending of.

One note though is that there was one chapter ("Doña ana let") that I was unable to listen to because it just wouldn't play, no matter how many times I restarted the app. I'm not sure if this is a problem with the netgalley app or with the file itself, but just a heads up regardless!

Potatoes, genetically engineered perfect fries, in a vending machine, seriously?? I’M IN!!

A great audiobook! Funny. Dark. Sarcastic. Genetically engineered potatoes? Well .. YESSS! I need to know where this could possibly be going!!

Three children who walk on all fours. WHY?! A trip to South America. A potato lawsuit. A mystery, A potato conspiracy, A revolution. A childhood rivalry. A potato empire! A blogger & an awkward R&D scientist. A sweet funny story about choices. Biotech and new food or old school farmed variety.

A fun palate cleanser! Adding this to my book wishlist! Loved it! Silly good fun with heart.

The MC’s name is Eddie.

I loved this story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Eddie Morales works in R&D for a potato company in Idaho, and he’s trying to perfect a vending machine that preps and cooks French fries for maximum convenience. That is, until he’s asked to go check out a developing situation in South America, where their genetically modified potatoes are being blamed for a bizarre medical crisis. From there, he’s thrown into the revolution that the small nation of Puerto Malogrado has been brewing.

Listen, you can’t put a Mr Potato Head situation on a cover and expect me to just walk on by. I both love and hate this cover, but it’s definitely striking 😂

I expected this to become anti-GMO propaganda from the first moments - by the end, I didn’t get those vibes entirely, and I’m glad because I hate the non-GMO project style of things. I was glad to still see biodiversity showcased, as that’s what keeps farming sustainable.

Being caught in the revolution was interesting, but I found that I wasn’t really rooting for any of the characters. I did enjoy the on the ground journalism in the revolution angle.

Overall, I expected a bit more of an eccentric outcome, but it turned out to be a pretty believable outcome of a potato empire bent on making money. Strange, but I’m not mad about it.