One & Only by Maurene Goo: My Book Review

Check out my book review of One & Only by Maurene Goo to see what I think of this must-read, new romance!

*Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

One & Only Summary:

She knows what her happily ever after looks like. And it’s not him.

Cassia Park believes in soul mates. Fated love stories. It’s her family business, after all—for centuries, from Korea to Los Angeles, Park women have peered into clients’ past lives to find their one true love, their fated. This magical secret is why One & Only Matchmaking has a 100% guarantee…for everyone but Cassia.

For ten years, Cass has been searching for her fated, a man named Daniel Nam. But he’s still nowhere to be found.

And so, on the eve of her 40th birthday, Cass decides to do something for herself. She impulsively has a fling with Ellis. He’s twenty-eight, indecently handsome, and not destined to be the love of her life. But she’s surprised by their connection and their fling feels like something more—up to the moment he introduces her to his boss…Daniel Nam.

As she battles between fate and chance, head and heart, a family secret is revealed that will make her question everything she’s ever known. Cassia will have to decide if she’ll follow her fate…or make her own.

One & Only: My Review

Maurene Goo totally swept me up in this romance filled with a magical family gift, a torturous love triangle, and a really cool heroine that I was rooting to make the right choice.

I one-clicked this book so fast after reading the book summary because I was instantly hooked by the premise of this story.  A secret matchmaking ability that dives into people’s past lives? Super cool. An older heroine for the story? Yes, please! A love triangle that is hella awkward given the two guys are coworkers and friends? Oh, yes!

But what hooked me from the very first chapter was Goo’s incredible writing. I LOVE books that you just know are going to be so good from the quality of the writing that’s evident from the very first page. This was my first book by Goo and I cannot wait to read more!

This book absolutely hinges on the insane chemistry between Cassia and Ellis. They had one weekend together, and I was shipping them so hard. But what about Daniel – her fated love? Goo wrote him just as perfectly in that you can see Cass being happy with him and yet his differences from Ellis maybe make you question him, maybe root for him?

It’s a great love triangle romance when you can truly see the heroine loving both men, but I can see how readers who don’t like this trope might not like how some things go down along the way. Me, I was all in on the ride.

Not only did I love both men, but I loved Cassia. Goo writes an “older” heroine who just turns 40, which I LOVED and made her sexy and smart and fun! Her friendship with Mar is what everyone wants in their life and I liked the dynamic with her family, the business, and her backstory with her parents.

My #1 pick for her was evident from the start because I loved everything about his interaction with Cass from the moment they met. The epilogue tied things in really nicely too in a unique way.

I highly recommend this book and cannot wait to see what Goo writes next!

*I received an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

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