The Arc

Ursula Byrne has achieved professional success but hasn’t been able to make a long-term relationship work. While lamenting the state of her love life, she’s approached by a representative of The Arc, a service that promises to match people with their soulmates. Soon Ursula is matched with Rafael Banks and becomes convinced that he’s the one. But it seems that The Arc has made a mistake in pairing them: their relationship might work—or it might explode in a life-shattering breakup. Skilled narrator Mary Elizabeth Kelly effectively handles the tension of Hoen’s story and easily voices characters of all genders with several accents. She also captures the attitudes of the novel’s characters: Ursula’s disdain for the tech bros she encounters, Rafael’s excitability, and the brisk, cold efficiency of The Arc’s employees.