Maurene Goo

The women in Cassia's family possess a certain kind of magic. They're able to literally look into someone's past life - by reading their face - and find their fated. In modern times this translates into them owning a match-making business called One & Only. Cassia has put her heart and soul into the belief of love. But, Cassia has been waiting on her fated match ever since her grandmother read her face and found out his name. That was ten years ago, and nearing her 40th birthday, Cassia is show more starting to question. That's why accepts a date with younger "go where the wind takes me" Ellis. Normally, the twelve year age gap would be a hard no for Cassia, but there's just something about Ellis. That is, until her fated - Daniel - shows up. Quick to follow her fated path, Cassia breaks up with Ellis and begins her future with Daniel. However, she can't seem to get Ellis out of her mind, and continually running into him doesn't help matters either. When family secrets come to the surface, Cassia begins to question everything she thought she believed about love.

This book was such a major surprise for me. I've been an avid romance/women's fiction reader for years so it's not often that a book delightfully surprises me as much as One & Only did. It takes such a poignant look at love and fate. I mean how often do we think about meeting "the one" or how many paranormal romance books have we read with "fated mates"? And whether or not we're talking about how cringey some of these things might be when we examine them with a magnifying glass, there's still some part of us that may look at these things with rose colored glasses.

I like how this story doesn't necessarily dissuade anyone from love and romance, but forces the question of not letting the omnipotent fate dictate your path in life. It asks the question if tying oneself to a certainty is more constraining or freeing. I think maybe the best part is that it doesn't give an across the board answer, it give the answer that is best for Cassia.

For me personally, the dynamic between Cassia and Ellis just clicked. I think this is helped by the fact that they continue to run into each other even after Cassia breaks up with Ellis to pursue things with Daniel. Daniel, for his part, is good for Cassia. They have a lot of the same interests, and are attracted to one another. As much as there were some decisions of Cassia's that I didn't like, I still couldn't fault her for them. She was as open and forthright with everyone involved as much as possible. More, I wanted her to actually listen to herself and trust in herself more than a prediction.

There were many times throughout the reading of the book where I could not tell you which way things would go. It's rare that a book keeps be on the edge of my seat in that way right up until the decision is made.

The book was also very well balanced in that even though it's a romance and romantic, it also deals with grief and family and friendship. I finished this book and don't have an ounce of unresolved feelings. I was satisfied with where everything left off.

This is one of my first five star reads of the year! Let's keep it up! show less

Desi Lee is perfect at everything. She has a 4.25 GPA, is captain of the soccer team, student body president, and she's right on track to go to Stanford pre-med next year. (Just like her mom, who died when Desi was 6.) But when it comes to boys, she's a flailure (that's flirting+failure). After completely embarrassing herself in front of the gorgeous new guy at school she spends all weekend wallowing in her dad's favorite Korean Drama shows, and suddenly it hits her ... what Desi needs is a show more plan. If she comes up with a plan (using K-Dramas as her guide), and follows all the steps, Desi can be perfect at romance, just like everything else ... Right?

This was very cute and I mostly didn't have any problems with it. The things that Desi does are very stupid, but she and everyone else mostly realize that. Both of the romantic characters have lots of character growth. I liked the tiny bit of a twist that Luca's mom mostly sucks and he fully admits it but still likes her better anyway. The author does a great job of telling you that romances have a formula, and then sticking to the formula while also making you forget that there is a formula. Desi's friends are great fun. Definitely recommended if you like teen romance. show less

Title: One & Only
Author: Maurene Goo
Publisher: Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Five
Review:
"One & Only" by Maurene Goo

My Insight:

"One & Only" is a delightful read that masterfully weaves together an enchanting tapestry of elements: magic, the allure of fate, intricate family drama, poignant choices, heartbreak, a fabulous best friend, a quirky, cursed cockatoo, and moments of sizzling chemistry that will keep you eagerly turning the pages. Prepare yourself for an show more emotional odyssey that invites you to ponder the nature of destiny and whether you are truly fated for a particular path or can carve your own. The coming-of-age narrative is both thought-provoking and compelling, elevated by a sprinkle of magical realism that resonates long after the final page is turned. show less

I had only a passing familiarity with Silk until I read a reprint of the first chapter of this book in Marvel's Voices: Identity. Since it was one of the better parts of that anthology, I thought I'd give her whole book a try, and I was not disappointed.

YA author Maurene Goo makes a strong comics debut with a light and energetic superhero story featuring a young Korean American woman with the same power set as Spider-Man as she was bitten by the same spider that enabled Peter Parker to do show more whatever a spider can.

Cindy Moon is a reporter who works under J. Jonah Jameson at an online news hub called "Threats and Menaces." Her first story gets her pulled into a street gang war that is being won by a cat demon with ties to a Japanese tech company. Moon is likable and the story introduces everyone well enough that I did not feel lost for not having read her previous solo books, but I will probably give them a try now even though Goo does not write them.

FOR REFERENCE:

Originally published in magazine form as Silk (2021) #1-5. show less