Scan barcode
annastarlight's review
4.0
3.5 Stars
One & Only is the first New Adult romance book I've read, written by one of my favourite writers Diana Peterfreund under a pen name.
Tess is ambitious and driven, but because she is the daughter of an important man's mistress she can't be anywhere near him, his family, or near his alma mater. But when she meets old flame Dylan again, it's hard not to break the rules.
Three cheers for good guys in romances! This is a recurring theme for books written by Ms Peterfreund, but they seem so sparse in the romance genre. I personally love books that feature a guy that wants to do the right thing, that doesn't play mind games, that's honest. Really, I'm sick of all those men seducing women by pushing her in a corner, by forcing her into uncomfortable situations and by being an overall ass. Dylan is a great guy, even though he falls in love with someone else while he still has a girlfriend. He is human and has his faults, but he doesn't like to lie or deceive. That's the kind of guy I can root for.
The focus of this book is quite college-heavy. There is a lot of talk of Tess working on projects and trying to navigate the college social system. For me this all feels very familiar - I'm a college student myself, and haven't really made any "friends for life" in there either. The book is quite science-focussed, since Tess spends a lot of time thinking about her project, which might put some people off the story. Of course, there is also plenty of smooching to make up for that.
One & Only is a very realistic book about being in your early twenties and navigating love, friendships and school. Another layer is added by Tess's relationship with her father and the half-sister that doesn't even know that she exists. The beginning of the story is a bit rocky. There is a LOT of telling and near to no showing. After a few pages this gets better and the narrative gets flowing. Tess is a realistic girl, but we spend a lot of time in her head and her adherence to the "rules", although making sense, annoyed me sometimes. Would recommend it to romance readers around their twenties.
One & Only is the first New Adult romance book I've read, written by one of my favourite writers Diana Peterfreund under a pen name.
Tess is ambitious and driven, but because she is the daughter of an important man's mistress she can't be anywhere near him, his family, or near his alma mater. But when she meets old flame Dylan again, it's hard not to break the rules.
Three cheers for good guys in romances! This is a recurring theme for books written by Ms Peterfreund, but they seem so sparse in the romance genre. I personally love books that feature a guy that wants to do the right thing, that doesn't play mind games, that's honest. Really, I'm sick of all those men seducing women by pushing her in a corner, by forcing her into uncomfortable situations and by being an overall ass. Dylan is a great guy, even though he falls in love with someone else while he still has a girlfriend. He is human and has his faults, but he doesn't like to lie or deceive. That's the kind of guy I can root for.
The focus of this book is quite college-heavy. There is a lot of talk of Tess working on projects and trying to navigate the college social system. For me this all feels very familiar - I'm a college student myself, and haven't really made any "friends for life" in there either. The book is quite science-focussed, since Tess spends a lot of time thinking about her project, which might put some people off the story. Of course, there is also plenty of smooching to make up for that.
One & Only is a very realistic book about being in your early twenties and navigating love, friendships and school. Another layer is added by Tess's relationship with her father and the half-sister that doesn't even know that she exists. The beginning of the story is a bit rocky. There is a LOT of telling and near to no showing. After a few pages this gets better and the narrative gets flowing. Tess is a realistic girl, but we spend a lot of time in her head and her adherence to the "rules", although making sense, annoyed me sometimes. Would recommend it to romance readers around their twenties.
abookwanderer's review
4.0
A good book to get lost in, when you just want to enjoy what you're reading and not think about it too much.
theresidentbookworm's review
4.0
After I finished One & Only, I was almost in shock. I thought to myself, “This is a genuinely good NA romance novel. How is this even possible?” I have gotten used to these being okay or bad, but One & Only actually works as a romantic, engaging story. I couldn’t figure it out until I got to the end of my Kindle edition and saw that Viv Daniels is a pen name for Diana Peterfreund, an author I like who writes good YA fiction. That’s why One & Only is so good; its author knows how to write a compelling story with romance without losing either elements.
You may ask why One & Only is so good (or why I think it is so good), and so I will give you a quick list of reasons why.
1. The premise itself is interesting. Tess McMann is the daughter of a wealthy man and his mistress, and her whole life revolves around secrets. She is not allowed to interact with her father in public or even know her half-sister Hannah. This is not only compelling, but it also helps inform Tess as a character and why she reacts to situations the way she does.
2. Tess is not a trope. There is never a moment where she does not feel like a real girl. She is not a shy, undeniably good, virginal freshman. She is a young woman with experience who has made mistakes and works tirelessly to achieve her goals. She worries about hurting people and does not always know what to do. Also, she is a woman in STEM (which, yay!) and geeky without falling into any of the stereotypes surrounding that.
3. Dylan also does not fit into any romance novel tropes. He is just a goodhearted, beautiful boy. Dylan is honest, geeky, and also makes mistakes. There is never a moment where I thought, “Nope, this isn’t a guy I would date.” Every guy in NA romance should be more like Dylan because he is perfect.
4. I believe every moment of Tess and Dylan’s relationship. They have history and chemistry, and those things are hard to resist. I also appreciated how they handled Dylan being in a relationship with Hannah. Instead of having an insane amount of drama, Tess and Dylan communicated and made their feelings known to each other. Even the misunderstandings they do have do not feel trope-y. They just feel like how people react to certain situations.
5. Even the side-characters are developed characters with their own problems. Even though not much time is spent with them, Sylvia and her sister are given their own problems and purpose outside of Tess’s life. Tess’s parents have similarly complicated backgrounds, and even Hannah is more complex than most NA novels would allow her to be.
Overall, One & Only is a really good new adult romance novel. If you like this genre but have trouble enjoying it sometimes, One & Only is for you. Recommended!
You may ask why One & Only is so good (or why I think it is so good), and so I will give you a quick list of reasons why.
1. The premise itself is interesting. Tess McMann is the daughter of a wealthy man and his mistress, and her whole life revolves around secrets. She is not allowed to interact with her father in public or even know her half-sister Hannah. This is not only compelling, but it also helps inform Tess as a character and why she reacts to situations the way she does.
2. Tess is not a trope. There is never a moment where she does not feel like a real girl. She is not a shy, undeniably good, virginal freshman. She is a young woman with experience who has made mistakes and works tirelessly to achieve her goals. She worries about hurting people and does not always know what to do. Also, she is a woman in STEM (which, yay!) and geeky without falling into any of the stereotypes surrounding that.
3. Dylan also does not fit into any romance novel tropes. He is just a goodhearted, beautiful boy. Dylan is honest, geeky, and also makes mistakes. There is never a moment where I thought, “Nope, this isn’t a guy I would date.” Every guy in NA romance should be more like Dylan because he is perfect.
4. I believe every moment of Tess and Dylan’s relationship. They have history and chemistry, and those things are hard to resist. I also appreciated how they handled Dylan being in a relationship with Hannah. Instead of having an insane amount of drama, Tess and Dylan communicated and made their feelings known to each other. Even the misunderstandings they do have do not feel trope-y. They just feel like how people react to certain situations.
5. Even the side-characters are developed characters with their own problems. Even though not much time is spent with them, Sylvia and her sister are given their own problems and purpose outside of Tess’s life. Tess’s parents have similarly complicated backgrounds, and even Hannah is more complex than most NA novels would allow her to be.
Overall, One & Only is a really good new adult romance novel. If you like this genre but have trouble enjoying it sometimes, One & Only is for you. Recommended!
arielleira123's review
5.0
I loved everything about this book! I really felt for the heroine, and completely understood her pain.
sakura's review
3.0
I actually rather enjoyed this one, but it threw me off because of the girlfriend thing, since it is a major pet peeve of mine, even though I really liked Dylan and of course Tess. She was a great heroine to read about!
More...