Becky's Great Book Reviews One & Only by Maurene Goo

This bit of confection is worth picking up right away: One & Only by Maurene Goo is a delightful piece of magical realism that is perfect for summer escapism.

Cassius Park is from a family that has a secret and it's a good one. All the women in her relations have a gift: they can read people's faces to see into their past lives to predict who their soulmate is. This art of Korean matchmaking has been handed down for centuries and they brought it to Los Angelos in the 1970's.

Their power is "inexplicable yet reliable". So when Cass gets the name (Daniel Nam) that she is fated to match with, she's feeling impatient to find him by the time she reaches her fortieth birthday: ten years of waiting! This is inconvenient when she meets Ellis (cue meetcute scene here) and falls for him.

When she finally does find Daniel, Cass is torn. Daniel is perfectly perfect in every way and sparks fly. Then why is she so drawn to Ellis who is NOT her fated? Cass has to make the tortuous decision between the two men.

Formulaic? Yes. However, Goo's clever writing and delightful characters sweep you away and it's impossible to not get caught up in the love and romance. I admit I struggled with the age difference between two of the characters, but that might be a me problem. I was fully bought-in three quarters through the novel.

This funny, sweet romantic comedy was easy to read and wildly entertaining. I give One & Only four stars out of five.