The Arc

A Novel

By: Tory Henwood Hoen

Narrated by: Mary Elizabeth Kelly

Length: 12 hrs

Publisher's Summary

"This debut novel from Hoen, a Brown University graduate who’s worked both in the branding world and as a journalist, treads the usual romance-novel ground in a fresh way. She’s helped by a strong reading from Mary Elizabeth Kelly, equally adept as Ursula, Rafael and the stern Dr. Vidal, who runs The Arc."–The Providence Journal

"Narrator Mary Elizabeth Kelly's range is superb in this thought-provoking rom-com about finding one's soulmate."–AudioFile Magazine

For fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid, Sally Rooney, and Rebecca Serle, Tory Henwood Hoen's The Arc is a smart, high concept love story that asks: is it possible to optimize our most intimate relationships?

LOVE, DISRUPTED

Thirty-five-year-old Ursula Byrne, VP of Strategic Audacity at a branding agency in Manhattan, is successful, witty, whip-smart, and single. She’s tried all the dating apps, and let’s just say: she’s underwhelmed by her options. You’d think that by now someone would have come up with something more bespoke; a way for users to be more tailored about who and what they want in a life partner–how hard could that be?

Enter The Arc: a highly secretive, super-sophisticated matchmaking service that uses a complex series of emotional, psychological and physiological assessments to architect partnerships that will go the distance. The price tag is high, the promise ambitious–a level of lifelong compatibility that would otherwise be unattainable. In other words, The Arc will find your ideal mate.

Ursula is paired with forty-two-year-old lawyer Rafael Banks. From moment one, this feels like the electric, lasting love they’ve each been seeking their whole adult lives. But as their relationship unfolds in unanticipated ways, the two begin to realize that true love is never a sure thing. And the arc of a relationship is never predictable...even when it's fully optimized. 

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press.

©2022 Tory Henwood Hoen (P)2022 Macmillan Audio

Fresh and Compelling

The author took a different look not only at dating in the digital world, but how people can rise above the dissonance and really examine themselves and how they relate to others.

It was such a pleasurable read and I look forward to more from this author.

Uncreative, slow paced

I get where this was trying to go but it was just didn’t grab me. It felt so tired and I was shocked to see I had made it to chapter 15 with so little happening in the story. A lot of the writing choices felt cliche or unoriginal.

Lovely Read

A wonderful book! Never a dull moment. It falls perfectly into a rare book gap: not too heavy or depressing but not fluff. It somehow manages to be both fun and enjoyable and also thought provoking

Relationship angst

You know that friend who wants to talk about her relationship angst 24/7? This is that. Twelve hours of it.

Good not Great

To be clear, this is not a story about a futuristic dating service. This is a story about a 35-year-old female navigating all parts of her life, including love, her career, and her overall happiness….the dating service is just one part of her journey.

It’s well-written with great character development, but the plot itself is a little flat/repetitive at times. The main character is both flawed and perfect, which can be annoying. That said, it’s a unique storyline if you’re looking for something that’s not ‘more of the same’.