One & Only by Maurene Goo
on February 3, 2026
Genres: Fiction / Magical Realism, Fiction / Romance / Contemporary
Pages: 368
Format: Hardcover
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The premise of One & Only by Maurene Goo immediately caught my attention. A matchmaking business built on discovering clients’ soul mates through glimpses of their past lives? That kind of magical realism mixed with romance is hard to resist.
Cassia Park grew up surrounded by love stories. For generations, the women in her family have run One & Only Matchmaking, using their supernatural ability to see into clients’ past lives and identify their “fated” partner. Their success rate is flawless—except when it comes to Cassia herself. Ten years ago, afraid she might end up alone like her mother, Cassia asked to be told the identity of her own fated match. Now, on the verge of turning forty, she still hasn’t found him.
Then she meets Ellis—who is definitely not her destined partner. Knowing from the start that Ellis isn’t her fated match adds an interesting layer of tension to the story. There’s this constant sense of anticipation about what that means for their connection and how things could possibly work out, which kept me curious about where the story would go.
I really liked the premise of this story, and overall it was a sweet read. The magical elements and focus on fate actually reminded me a bit of an Ashley Poston book, with that same blend of romance and light magical realism woven into the story.
Ellis was easily one of my favorite parts of the book. His character felt warm, genuine, and just the kind of romantic lead you want to root for. From the beginning it almost felt inevitable that he would win readers over. And then there’s Daniel—how can you not like him too? Ohh…the tension!
Cassia, on the other hand, is a little more complicated. She definitely stirs up quite a bit of chaos throughout the story, but I still found myself rooting for her. Despite some of her decisions, it’s clear how devoted she is to the matchmaking company and the legacy behind it, which made it easier to understand her motivations.
While I enjoyed the overall story, I did feel like I was missing a stronger emotional connection for most of the book. The moments that really stood out to me were the scenes where I didn’t even know if I should be rooting for that particular pairing. This ended up being a light read that worked as a palate cleanser for me after a heavier book, and I appreciated the ease of it.
In the end, this was a solid read for me. I enjoyed the concept, the sweetness of the romance, and Ellis as a character, even if the emotional impact didn’t quite hit as strongly as I hoped. I’d rate this one around 3.5 stars—a good, enjoyable story, just not one that completely swept me away.
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