Relationship Status: It’s complicated

Match Your DNA has revolutionised the dating game, taking the guess work out of finding your one true love. Backed by science, a simple DNA test will give you the details of your perfect match (once you pay the £9.99 fee, of course).

“What if love at first sight actually exists?”

Millions have removed the complications of finding the love of their lives via Match Your DNA and now it’s time for Mandy, Christopher, Jade, Nick and Ellie to meet their matches. Their lives are about to change in unexpected ways, though not all for the good, because this is a John Marrs book after all.

Each of the five newly matched protagonists have alternating chapters dedicated to their not quite smooth sailing, lovey-dovey happily ever afters. Two of their matches also get a chapter each, so there are seven perspectives.

While I can sometimes get overwhelmed with multiple perspectives, getting muddled with who’s who and which storyline I’m currently following, I had no trouble keeping up with the current status of each match. This was one seriously compulsive read, with cliffhangers at the end of most chapters. While I was always sorry to leave each character because I needed to know what would happen next, I was also eager to get to the next character so I could find out what lay, potentially in tatters, at the bottom of their cliff.

“‘Don’t worry, the only skeletons in my closet belong to the mice.’”

There were plenty of twisty bits in each of the stories. I anticipated most of the reveals but it was satisfaction, not disappointment, that met me when it turned out I was right.

One thing kept nagging at me throughout the story but I don’t know enough about genetics to know if it was my imagination getting the better of me or if I was actually onto something. My understanding of the Match Your DNA science is that a single gene, which only you and your match have in common in the entire world, is what makes it work.

So my theory is that this could only really work for one generation because if two people with a single gene had children, then that specific gene would likely be replicated in them, being a dominant gene. Since the only two people in the world who have this gene are already matched, then their kids wouldn’t be able to be matched with anyone. I’m not sure I’ve explained my thought process well enough for anyone outside of my head to understand what I’m going on about, but my brain hurts now so I’ll leave it at that.

I want to ramble about the individual storylines but can’t because spoilers. But never fear: I have a plan to prevent an unintentional spoiler explosion. I’ve given this book to my mother, letting her know it needs to be her next read. I figure it’s a win-win … She gets to read her first John Marrs book and will naturally then proceed to devour the rest of his books, most of which I’ve conveniently already purchased for her. I get someone to talk spoilers with.

“What could possibly go wrong?”

P.S. The Match Your DNA website doesn’t exist. I had to check, not that I would have signed up or anything.