Blog Tour ~ The One by John Marrs

Jaffareadstoo is delighted to be hosting today's stop on The One Blog Tour

Ebury Publishing

What's it all about ..

How far would you go to find THE ONE?

One simple mouth swab is all it takes.

One tiny DNA test to find your perfect partner - the one you're genetically made for.

A decade after scientists discover everyone has a gene they share with just one person, millions have taken the test, desperate to find true love.

Now, five more people take the test. But even soul mates have secrets. And some are more shocking - and deadlier - than others...

My thoughts about it...

Imagine if the search for your soul mate was as easy as providing a DNA sample and then just sitting back and waiting until your perfect genetic match was found.

In this cleverly written novel, five people are genetically matched with their perfect partner and whilst on the surface nothing can go wrong, after all these are perfect matches, aren’t they? Well, pretty soon it becomes obvious that all is not going to be as easy as is first suggested. Each character has a very different journey to travel towards a perfect DNA match up and their individual route to true love is messy, complicated and filled with a whole heap of trouble.

This book is unlike anything I've read in a long time. For a start the short and snappy character vignettes really draw you into the concept of DNA match making and as each of the characters are so different you can’t help but be completely taken in by their stories. Each chapter ends on a real cliff hanger so that you find that you are eagerly looking ahead to see what happens next.

I'm deliberately being vague as this really is one of those stories that you should read without being told what to expect. However, what I will say is that the author's skill at conjuring a really good story shines through with every well written word. The idea is original, quirky, thought provoking, dangerously compelling and oh so clever, it made me smile with glee. I love stories that make me think, stories that never take the reader for granted, stories that make you sit up straight in your chair, stories that make turning each page an absolute delight and which keep you reading, reading, reading long after you should be tucked up and asleep.

The One is one such story. Read it.

And after reading the book would you take the test ???

Best Read with..a pot of low fat piri piri hummus and a chicken cup-a-soup 

About the Author

John Marrs is a freelance journalist based in London, England, who has spent the last 20 years interviewing celebrities from the world of television, film and music for national newspapers and magazines.

He has written for publications including The Guardian's Guide and Guardian Online; OK! Magazine; Total Film; Empire; Q; GT; The Independent; Star; Reveal; Company; Daily Star and News of the World's Sunday Magazine.’

Follow on Twitter @johnmarrs1

My thanks to the author and to Stephenie at Ebury Press for the invitation to be a part of this tour.

Tour runs until the 16th February so do visit the other stops for more exciting stuff about #TheOne.

Just for fun you can try to find your character match by clicking here

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Review ~ The Good Neighbour by Beth Miller..

Ebury Publishing
10 September

Be careful what you let in...

When the neighbours from hell move out, Minette and her husband, Abe are delighted when new neighbours, single mum Cath, and her two children move into the house next door. Very soon, Cath and Minette become friends and start to share confidences, well, Minette is probably far more confiding than she should be, but Cath is so good at listening, and Minette is a little bit lonely and even as she loves Abe and baby daughter Tilly, she's a just a little bit bored and craves excitement.

What then follows is a cleverly constructed novel which is told in three very different voices. Cath, the beleaguered mum of Davey and Lola, seems to have boundless energy, but sometimes there’s a sense that she’s struggling to cope. However, there’s no doubt that she is fiercely protective of her children, particularly her disabled son, Davey, and she guards all their privacy with something close to obsession. Minette, we learn very quickly is a little bit frustrated and craves excitement but at what cost to her own little family? And, then there's Davey an enigmatic eight year old who is wise beyond his years ,and who has a stoicism which is commendable.

It’s a carefully manipulated story about the minutiae of family life with lots of convoluted features and a good many surprises, and I think that the author does a good job in bringing all the multi layers of the story together. There’s lots to take in and some fairly interesting clues, which, as the story moves on starts to make sense. I won’t reveal more as that would spoil things as this is one of those stories which is better revealed layer by tantalising layer. But what I will say is,  that, regardless of how well we think we know someone, life has an uncanny knack of throwing a few spanners in the works, so that we never truly know what secrets are hidden behind closed doors.

It’s a good second novel and well worth a read if you like family dramas with a bit of a twist.

You can read an extract from The Good Neighbour here.

About the Author

My thanks to the author and Ebury Publishing for my review copy of this book.