Notes from the Shelf

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A Novel about Fate, Love, and Choosing the Unexpected

One & Only by Maurene Goo
Genre: Romance
Pages: 368
Rating:  ★★★★★
Buy: bookshop.org

This post contains spoilers.

Book Blurb

She’s seen 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, the 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.

Afraid of ending up like her mom, Cassia asked to be told her fated—ten years ago. Now she’s days from turning forty and she still hasn’t found him.

Enter Ellis. He’s twenty-eight, indecently handsome, and not destined to be the love of her life. But destiny has more than one curveball ready, and her surprising connection with Ellis might be the key that unlocks finding her fated—and reveals a family secret that will make her question everything she’s ever her family, her belief in love, and truth itself.

Cassia will have to decide if she’ll follow her fate … or make her own.

My Thoughts

I don’t often love stories built around a love triangle, but One & Only by Maurene Goo completely won me over. Normally, the trope can feel predictable or frustrating, but this book approaches it from a much deeper emotional angle: what happens when you have to choose between the love that makes sense and the love that simply feels right?

At the heart of the story is a fascinating conflict between logic and feeling. One option represents stability, compatibility, and the kind of relationship that checks all the boxes. The other is the wild card: the one that might not make sense on paper but sparks something undeniable. It’s the kind of dilemma that many people can relate to, even outside the context of a magical story about fate and past lives.

What makes the book so compelling is the exploration of the idea of destiny versus personal choice. Just because someone is labeled your “fated” partner doesn’t automatically mean they are the one who truly fits your heart in this lifetime. The story gently questions whether fate is something that must be followed or something that can be challenged.

The emotional payoff at the end was especially sweet. Learning that Ellis loved her from afar in a past life since she was already married to Daniel adds an extra layer of bittersweet devotion to the story. In that lifetime, he never had the chance to be with her. But in this life, he finally does.

That moment reframes the entire story and adds depth to the idea of destiny. It raises a thought-provoking question: what if fate isn’t perfectly balanced? What if someone is destined for you, but you’re not necessarily destined for them? Or maybe fate shifts across lifetimes, giving different people their chance at love.

What I appreciated most about One & Only is how it blends romance with deeper questions about timing, destiny, and emotional truth. Instead of presenting fate as something rigid, the story suggests that love can be complicated, even across lifetimes.

The love triangle works because both options feel meaningful. One represents what life should look like, while the other represents what the heart wants. Watching the main character navigate that tension makes the story feel authentic rather than melodramatic.

Maurene Goo also writes with a warmth and charm that makes the emotional moments land without feeling overly heavy. The story remains hopeful, romantic, and thoughtful all at once.

Final Thoughts

One & Only by Maurene Goo is a heartfelt romantic story that explores the tension between destiny and choice. Even readers who typically avoid love triangles may find themselves surprised by how compelling and emotionally satisfying this one is.

By weaving past lives, fate, and romance together, Goo creates a story that asks a simple but powerful question: Is love something written in the stars, or something we choose?

If you enjoy romantic stories that mix fate, reincarnation, and emotional depth, One & Only is definitely worth picking up.

If you’re interested in checking out ‘One & Only’ by Maurene Goo, consider purchasing it through Bookshop.org. Supporting this link helps sustain independent bookstores and keeps this blog thriving.

Check out other Romance reviews:
An Academic Affair by Jodi McAlister
Improbably Yours by Kerry Ann King
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

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