The Name On Your Wrist

by Helen Hiorns

It’s the first thing they teach you when you start school. But they don’t need to; your parents tell you when you’re first learning how to say your name. It’s drummed into you whilst you’re taking your first stumbling steps. It’s your lullaby. From the moment it first appears, you don’t tell anyone the name on your wrist.In Corin's world, your carpinomen - the name of your soul mate, marked indelibly on your wrist from the age of two or three - is everything. It's your most preciously guarded secret; a piece of knowledge that can give another person ultimate power over you. People spend years, even decades, searching for the one they're supposed to be with.But what if you never find that person? Or you do, but you just don't love them? What if you fall for someone else - someone other than the name on your wrist? And what if - like Corin - the last thing in the world you want is to be found?The gripping debut novel from the winner of the inaugural Sony Young Movellist Award.

Genres: Young Adult, Dystopia, Romance, Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction

272 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 15, 2013

About the author

Helen Hiorns is twenty and is studying Philosophy at Sheffield University. She has been writing online for about six years, and was backpacking around Europe with friends when she found out her debut novel The Name on Your Wrist had been selected as the winner of the first Sony Young Movellist of the Year Award.

Reviews

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to Random House Childrens Publishers UK, and Netgalley.)
19-year-old Corin lives in a society where everyone has a name on the skin on the inside of their forearm. This name is the name of their soul-mate, and they must find this person and marry them. The name must always be kept covered though, and you’re not supposed to show it or discuss it with anyone.

Corin still hasn’t found her soul-mate, but she’s not really bothered by this it seems, whilst her sister is constantly being admitted to the psych ward over an incident to do with her soul-mate’s name.

Then a boy called Colton starts to show an interest in Corin, and they become friends.
Is Colton the name on Corin’s wrist? What happened to her sister? And will Corin ever find where she belongs?


This was an okay story, but there were loads of plot holes, and I got bored, which was really disappointing cause I was really looking forward to this book!

Corin was a character that was difficult to really connect with. She dated boys with a certain name to fool people into thinking that that was the name on her wrist. She claimed not to have a problem with the whole ‘soul-mate’ thing, and was really shocked when she learned that two people who she knew who were married weren’t really soul mates, but then at other times totally disparaged the whole thing. I really wished that even if she couldn’t tell anyone, the reader could have had more of a clue as to her direction, as she was so hot and cold that just started to annoy me.

The storyline in this sounded good on paper, but in practice I just didn’t buy it. Girls always gossip and chat, and talk about who they like and who they think they’re going to marry etc., and it seemed totally unbelievable that people wouldn’t share the name on their wrist with their best friend, or their sister or someone! I mean I would have totally told my best friend, without a shadow of a doubt, so I found this quite difficult to swallow.

Then there were other issues, for example, if you only date people called ‘Dan’, then it would be pretty obvious that that was the name on your wrist. In practice I don’t think you’d be able to keep it quiet for long. Then there was the marriage issue, why make it illegal to marry someone who isn’t your soul-mate, yet not make people show the names on their wrists when they get married? Wouldn’t that be an easy way to police people marrying illegally? Why do you still wear your name guard after you’re married? Wouldn’t it be better to just show the name when you’re obviously married to the person?

And there were more little things like this that just left big plot holes in my opinion. Including a database that listed how many people there were with each name, and how long it would take to find a soul-mate – wouldn’t they just use this to find each other? So much easier! And why do the names only have a first name? Wouldn’t a full name have been a lot easier? Why doesn’t the government aid you in your search if you’re only allowed to marry your soul mate? Why should you assume that your soul mate lives in the same place as you, or is the same age as you, or speaks the same language as you, or is even heterosexual?

Then there was the ending – I’m still not 100% sure exactly what happened, but by that point I was seriously annoyed and bored, and I do know that I didn’t like it. Corin basically took the easy way out, and annoyed me to no end. I really wasn’t impressed, and it totally cemented how much I didn’t enjoy this book.
Overall; too many plot holes, and annoying in places.
4.5 out of 10.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine that your soul mate, your carpinomen , knew who you were and vice versa. Helen Hiorns has created a world were this is possible, each person has a name on their wrist of their soul mate, it is only known to them and remains covered at all times.
Corin is the protagonist in The Name on Your Wrist, as far as everyone is concerned her carpinomen is Thomas, or a variation of the name. Colton is a fellow pupil that attends some of Corin's classes. I didn't initially like him, putting him in the group of jocks, or self obsessed people, but when he helps Corin I did begin to change my mind about him, but the more he is in Corin's life the more I saw a different side to him, and I quickly began to warm towards him.

Corin doesn't have an easy life, her sister Jacinta isn't exactly stable and is constantly being rushed into hospital, because of this they don't move her up in school, which then affects Corin who is unable to move up and be a higher level than her older sister. Her Mum also packed up their home after her Father's death, and move the three of them to a different house. Both of these incidents are something that Corin hasn't fully recovered from or forgiven.

The first thing that drew me in about The Name on Your Wrist was the idea behind having someone's name on your wrist, knowing that there is someone out there for you, someone destined to be with you, but that also comes with consequences, if you date a few people knowing they aren't your carpinomen then you look bad to others and will be looked down upon.

The Name on Your Wrist was an intriguing book that constantly kept me on my toes, just when I thought I had figured Corin out something else is thrown into the situation that had me rethinking my ideas. When I got towards the final pages of the book I was shocked, shocked by the name on her wrist, shocked by the name on his wrist, and shocked by the name on Jacinta's wrist. When Jacinta's story is actually explained my heart broke for her, she tried to be there for Corin in her own way that just didn't work for Corin. She wanted to protect her from what she went through but she just went the wrong way about it and then Corin ended up being mixed up in it. The ending of The Name on Your Wrist has me wanting more and I hope there will be a sequel at some point to see what comes from these revelations.

[Anna (Enchanted by YA) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a rare treasure when you find a book with such a unique concept that it captures your interest immediately and doesn’t let go. Until the conclusion that is… but I’ll get to that later.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: dystopias are hit or miss for me. I’m still making my mind up about this book in general, but I can’t doubt that the world was beautifully created. Everything that you needed was well explained, in order to look at its consequences for the characters. That’s also where this book is different from others – while dystopias like The Hunger Games and Divergent are written in trilogies allowing time for an oppressed protagonist to “change the world”, The Name on Your Wrist is a standalone where it’s only the main character’s outlook on her world which changes.

Corin is a cynic through and through, with good reason as we learn through the novel; the girl’s been through a lot! Her voice was fresh and interesting with plenty of character and hilarious witty comebacks (I’m one of those people who love to read them, even though I suck at retorts myself and only think of something clever hours after the conversation when my brain is hyperactive before going to sleep…)

She manages to raise questions that didn’t just reflect to her life but made me think about our world right now, and it’s one of those great reads that makes you question everything; even when you've turned the last page. Should humanity have a choice? The immediate answer is yes, but there’s always an exception and this book explores that.

The Name on Your Wrist had one downfall: the ending. It simply didn’t work for me. The revelation made sense, but in a way it still didn’t… Okay I’m not explaining clearly. It was like when you give your money at the checkout but the change doesn’t look enough so you hand it back, they double recount and everything’s there but you’re still not happy. Basically it fell short and for that it lost a star in my rating.

Overall though, a very enjoyable read that’s worth checking out for the enjoyment factor alone.



Posted on: http://enchantedbyya.blogspot.co.uk/

[K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trigger warnings: suicide, self-harm, mental health, car accident, death of a parent.

Look, I'm not going to lie: I picked this one up solely because it's basically a soulmate fan fic. And I'm trash for a good soulmate fic.

However, this turned out to be more dystopian story than anything. Basically, at some point in childhood, a name is tattooed on your wrist. It's taboo to show the name to anyone, but it's common knowledge that it's the name of your soulmate. Once you're of age, you can start looking for your soulmate.

Corin is incredibly cynical about all of this. She's dated a string of boys simply because it's frowned upon to do so. She spends hours cultivating relationships online just to get hold of forbidden books and movies. And she has very little motivation in life.

I liked the last 20ish pages more than I liked the other 250 pages of the book. The ending was surprising and gave a whole new level of depth to the world. The rest of the story, however, was...kind of disjointed. There's insufficient worldbuilding. There are plenty of holes in the story, as well as some moderately icky stuff about how it's totally acceptable for LGBTQIA+ people to acknowledge that they're LGBTQIA+ and have a platonic soulmate relationship with a member of the opposite sex, but it's hella taboo to have a sexual soulmate relationship with someone of the same sex. Which, WTF??

So yeah. The ending was pretty surprising. The rest of it was...too romance-heavy and occasionally dull. So basically, it's a 2.5 star book with a bonus half star for the ending.

[Alix Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

I met Helen last year at the Sony Young Movellist award ceremony (because she won!), and we were lucky enough to bump into each other while she was having some very swishy meetings and I was at work experience at Movellas HQ. I couldn't wait to get my teeth into her book but somehow I never got around to reading it until this week, and I was so glad that I finally got around to it.... I think this is going to be my top read through 2014!

The blurb immediately fascinated me. Ever since I was younger and was surrounded my Disney movies where the princess had one true love and was destined to marry him- I have been interested in the idea of soul mates and fate. One thing that Helen's book did was separate the romance from the idea of a 'soul mate'. I had always failed to see the negative side to the whole fiasco; one that involved suicide, heartbreak and government intervention to the highest degree. There was an inescapable sense of helplessness throughout the story as I realised that Corin knew how her future was going to turn out, and had long ago accepted that there was nothing she could do to change it. Whenever I read dystopian fiction, there is always a sense of dread lingering in the pit of my stomach as I come to experience a world in which society seems to be going backwards. The oppressive government has returned. Individual freedom has been snatched away. There are dangers lurking in almost every decision you make in life... decisions that can make or break you; in Corin's case, the decision she has to make in 'The Name on Your Wrist' is most likely to break her.

Helen makes it abundantly clear in the book that the idea of soul mates isn't what is usually presented in romantic literature, but something much darker. Corin is a complex character, someone who I had mixed feelings about in the beginning, but grew to love her because of her witty mind, courageous nature and her hope for something better. The unique thing about Corin is that she sees an alternative, at least that was what I had gathered from the book. By setting out on a mission to deceive the world around her (telling everyone that the name of her carpinomen is Thomas) Corin is breaking away from the encouraged image of a teenage girl, and therefore fighting the inevitability of her future that hangs over her like an omen. Corin's rebellion suggests to the reader a small beacon of hope, which carries on for the entirety of the book.

Helen carefully crafts characters so that the way they react with the protagonist makes for an entirely riveting read. Right from the beginning, when we are introduced to the third Tom, I knew that the characters I would be introduced to throughout the story would reveal to me the reason why Helen is such a successful writer. By avoiding the classic mistake of YA fiction, uselessly inventing characters to make the story more interesting, Helen used the strength of her protagonist to bounce off her other characters, and reinforce the excellence of her story. Hidden within a dystopian, Helen also infuses many other issues and important questions into the book. Suicide, depression, self-harm and questioning of identity come into play continuously, not only elevating the novel itself but making it current for teenage readers and adults alike.

The ending, although unbearably cruel for an addictive reader for myself (as it ended on too big a cliffhanger!) was perfect in it's own way and really drew together the main point of the story that Helen was trying to bring out. Sometimes, it's not about who you think you love, or rebelling against the system just because. Family loyalty, and your own identity is often the way to start to put things right.

I have been given confirmation from Helen that she is working on a sequel, so hopefully we won't be kept in suspense for long!

[Zoë Marriott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was sent a link to an eGalley widget to this book, saw that it was about soulmates, and downloaded it assuming that it would be a nice, sweet story about forever teenage love. I probably *wouldn't* have downloaded it if I'd realised that it's nothing of the sort - that, in fact, it's one of the bleakest and most uncompromising Dystopian novels I've ever come across - but that would have been my loss. I'm glad I read it, even if it did leave me wanting to curl up under a blankie with a cup of hot chocolate and have a good cry.

This is a really remarkable debut from a very talented writer. I've never come across a PoV character quite like this, or a narrative voice that struck me in quite the same way. The writer walks a razor-edge between prose that truly does read like the self-obsessed, angsty journal rantings of an emotionally broken teenage girl, and prose which has the emotional clarity and power required to carry a full-length book. The main character, Corin, is one of the least immediately 'likeable' and therefore perhaps *most* realistic female characters I've read in ages, calling up definite echoes of Cat Clarke's unforgettable Grace in her debut Entangled. She's strong and yet feeble, angry yet vulnerable, and she's got everything and everyone all figured out right from the start, while simultaneously managing to be wrong about all the most important things.

I love the ideas in this book. It creates a Dystopian future which rather than seeming outlandish and shocking feels shockingly plausible to the point of being bland. A future in which people in power really do seek to keep everyone safe - by making them comfortable, appealing to their laziness and desire to fit in, and making all their choices for them. Each plot and subplot is there to challenge our idealisation of romantic love as the only love that really matters, presenting a world where everyone has a soulmate, where everyone knows the name of the true love whom they will eventually find - and it's a complete nightmare.

This book's only real weakness is its ending. There's a brilliant twist, but sadly the way it's unveiled and the main character's reaction to it rather works against the messages that we've absorbed from the story up to that point. It needed further unpacking and resolving to make it as strong as it should have been. But regardless, I really admired the author of this book for making so many daring choices, and for managing to surprise me. Recommended.

[Abi · Rating 2 out of 5]

(I received a copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.)

This was a good read, but had a few plot holes and lacked explanations.

Keeping the name on your wrist to yourself is the biggest secret you will have.
This is why i found it difficult to understand why you'd get branded with a name at the age of three.
Surely, if it's meant to be top secret, you wouldn't get your name until you're old enough to fully understand how big of a deal it is.

Corin's opinions about soul mates kept on changing, which was really annoying.
One minute, she'd think that the soul mate thing didn't really work. Though, the next minute, she'd be utterly shocked that someone she knew, knew someone who went against it, and chose their own partner.

The whole marriage aspect in the book got me stumped. Not knowing if that's YOUR Tom (Or whatever name it may be) before you get married is stupid. They say that having a match, has better odds of a marriage working out than choosing your own partner. How is that true, when you could be marrying the wrong person entirely, just because they have the same name?
The marriage would defiantly have more of a chance in working out, if they found out they're getting married to the right person, before the vows were exchanged.
Either that, or the names could include the last names too.
Would make it a lot more easier, and would include a lot less heartbreak.

I wanted more of an explanation for the "Two child max" thing.
While it's not a hard concept to grasp (It's obvious they can't have more than two kids), i just wanted to know what would happen if they had more.
If they had one child, but then had twins, what would happen? Would they need to put one into care, or abort one while it was in the womb?

The ending was quite confusing, and rushed.

Overall, the plot was good, but lack of explanations slightly ruined it.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Random House Children's Publishers UK and Helen Hiorns*

The name on your wrist is set in England in a future where the name of your soul mate is tattooed on your wrist.

I liked Corin the main character despite her aggressive personality. She was flawed and self-destructive, a result of her father's death.

The characters and setting were all very well developed and believable. The storyline was never dull and there were a couple of twists that I didn't see coming.

This is a fantastic book that everyone should read.

[DubaiReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

A clever concept.

This book started out with a great concept, the idea that a name secretly appears on your wrist at the age of about 3 years, and this is the person you are destined to spend your life with, your soul-mate. So what happens if you can't find that person or, when you find them, there's no connection?

Corin, however, is not happy with this, she wants to choose for herself, or even to choose not to have a life partner at all. She works her way through several lads named Thomas, or derivations thereof, and then takes a liking to Colton. By this time it is assumed by all that the name on her wrist is Thomas, so by going out with Colton, she basically labels herself a slut.
Her family life is hard, she lost her father when she was young and is at constant loggerheads with her older sister. The mother is very much a background character.

Unfortunately for me, the voice of the main character, was extremely irritating. She was constantly angry and self destructive - goodness knows why any of the Thomases, or Colton gave her the time of day. Her conversation was painful to read, there was simply no lull in her aggression.
The concept of having your 'carpinomen', or life partner, marked on your wrist, hidden under a wrist guard, seemed to cause a few logistical problems that weren't quite flushed out - the large number of some names and lack of others made for a strangely lopsided distribution, and if you were searching for a Thomas, you wouldn't know which Thomas might have your name on his wrist.

The author is still in her teens and this alone is an amazing achievement, but I'd have liked Corin to have showed a bit more maturity, some character traits that I could actually like. Maybe this type of behaviour is something that other teens can relate to more easily and if that is the case then this book is probably more suited to that age group and doesn't work so well as a cross-over novel.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once an avid reader, in recent years I have fallen out of the loop with up and coming authors, instead preferring to stick to my favourite authors - until now that is.

Sitting down after a particularly tiring shift at work, I wanted nothing more than to read for half an hour then sleep. However, once I had started this book, I could not put it down. And roughly three hours later (with no breaks - not even toilet breaks!) I have finished it and am thirsty for more.

The Name Upon Your Wrist is fresh and new, whilst giving the reader an almost nostalgic feel for the characters, almost as though they are an old friend or a cousin one has lost touch with. For that is clearly Hiorn's strong point, she writes in such a way that the reader feels as though they are not merely a spectator, instead that they are part of the book, living and breathing with the characters.

Initially the protagonist, Corin seems nothing more than a moody teenage girl trying to rebel against everything life throws at her. However, as the novel progresses, many layers of her character are cleverly revealed making the reader root for her to make the right decision regarding her carpinomen. Alongside the character progression, the plot twists are near enough impossible to guess, a rarity in books these days.

The questions regarding morality and love that this novel raises have definitely got me thinking and after all, isn't that the sign of a good book? One that leaves you thinking about it for days, if not weeks, after. And The Name On Your Wrist will certainly do that.

If I were to describe this book in one sentence, it would be this:

Thought-provoking, intelligent and most importantly, an absolute pleasure to read.

[Luna's Little Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love books that still have me thinking about them days after I’ve finished. The Name On Your Wrist is an impressive debut and I for one can’t wait to see what Helen Hiorns comes up with next.

The name of your soul mate appears on your wrist, this person is destined for you – but Corin doesn’t want to find her soul mate. The story of her older sister, Jacinta, didn’t end well and after the death of Corin’s father, her mother is condemned to be alone.

Having dated boy’s with the name “Thomas” (or variations thereof) everyone assumes that is the name on Corin’s wrist, something Corin is quite happy to let them. I wouldn’t call Corin lovable but I really liked her as a narrator and cared about her and her family.

There are many things about The Name On Your Wrist that impressed me but the fact that I couldn’t predict where the story was going to go was the best. There are surprises in store for the reader, which makes this book just even better.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

'The Name on Your Wrist' is centred around Corin, a young girl who feels trapped into the constraints of a society which seeks to control pretty much every aspect of people's lives, but most importantly - who they love. How can you be destined to be with someone solely based on their name? This book tackles some difficult issues like first loves, rebellion and even domestic violence. I really enjoyed this new concept, especially the heartbreaking ending.

[Steph Hayward-bailey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started off well and the idea of having your soulmate name on your wrist intrigued me but the ending lacked a lot and I nearly gave up before the end.

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted on Once Upon a Bookcase.

When I first heard about The Name on Your Wrist by Helen Hiorns, it sounded like a really intriguing story, but I had no idea just how brilliant it was going to be!

Corin lives in a world where around the age of two or three, a name appears on everyone's wrists, the name of their carpinomen - the person they would have an anima-vinculum, a soul bond. In short, the name on your wrist was your soul mate, and at a certain point in the future, in your late teens/early 20s, you went on a search to find them. However, Corin is against this whole soul mates thing. Why can't she choose who she wants to be with? Why should she have her whole future mapped out in front of her, without a choice, just because of the name on her wrist? And what happens if she starts making decisions for herself?

The Name on Your Wrist is an incredible debut! It's so unbelievably clever, and so well thought out! But it doesn't get overly complicated. There was an answer to every question I had, a quite detailed answer - this a full and realised world, and it's quite obvious that Hiorns has one hell of an imagination. I got completely lost in this story of Corin, who has had quite a few knocks in her life - the death of her father, her mother acting like nothing happened, her sister's mental breakdown, humanity proving her right over and over, being let down over and over. Corin is so cynical of pretty much everything and beyond pessimistic, it's almost like she doesn't know how to be positive. But she's also quite strong, with quite the backbone, meeting all judgements head on with sarcasm and insults of her own. But then she starts getting to know Colton, a boy at the Education Centre, and things change slightly for her.

But this is not a love story, despite capinomen and anima-vinculum, despite Colton. This is anything but. The Name on Your Wrist is actually quite a tragic story in the end. Dystopia generally comes in trilogies or series, with the first book setting up the world, and having the main character start to see the cracks and wanting things to change, before that change starts in the following books. The Name on Your Wrist is a stand alone. There is no follow up book, and its 261 pages. This is not a story of the oppressed fighting back. This is a snapshot of life in a world without choice, a snapshot where Corin discovers the truth, a snapshot of her realising that this is just life.

The main focus of the book is, should humanity have a choice? In Corin's world, the government decides where everyone lives and what career they will have. No-one has more than two children, and wealth is distributed evenly. And, of course, you end up with your soul mate. Of course, I'm sure you, as I did, answer the question with of course humanity should have a choice. But when put up against the state of the world now, where we do have choice, and it throws up all kinds of questions. There are quite a few opinions expressed by Corin in this book, and it seems like they could be Hiorns own opinions. This could be wrong, they could just simply be Corin's - about humanity and how we treat the world - but, either way, they don't come across as preachy. Considering the world Corin lives in, and considering the world, the opinions shared are just really thought-provoking. What is better? Some parts of this dystopia world are thought to better, even by Corin herself... but would they be? It's really, really clever how much this book gets you thinking about the world now, while scaring you with this awful-seeming future. Perhaps we're living in dystopia?


There's one part of this book that I thought was very well done. Hiorns has obviously thought things through when it comes to world building. As I said, all my questions have been answered. One question was, if everyone has a carpinomen on their wrist, what about gay people? This is not an LGBTQ novel, but this question is answered too. Gay people can have soul mates of the opposite gender, an asexual anima-vinculum, and live a very close but platonic life together, and sometimes, people have soul mates of the same gender. Well, what if you have a same-sex anima-vinaculum but you are not gay? This is touched on too. It's awesome to have this kind of area looked at, and also to have a dytopia based on relationships where same-sex relationships are a non-issue (well, just as long as you stick to the name on your wrist - but that is an issue with the world they live in).

The Name on Your Wrist is UKYA, but it doesn't feel like it. I've touched on this in reviews before, that UKYA tends to have a feel to it, a certain kind of style. Although The Name on Your Wrist is most definitely a British book, with our wonderful vocabulary, it feels like an American novel. This works for me, because I tend not to really enjoy the "otherness" that I feel when reading some UKYA. So I'm really quite happy about that.

The Name on Your Wrist is an amazing novel, and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for whatever Hiorns releases next!

Thank you to Corgi Children's Books for the review copy.

[Nat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it made me cry the first time i read it but i didnt cry this time still a good book though, theres a lot of good points made on the problems in life especially towards the end

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can you imagine a world where everyone is born with a soul mate? A world where when you reach about three years old a name will appear on your wrist, your carpinomen, a name that you must keep hidden from everyone - even your family - the name of the person who you are meant to spend the rest of your life with? It isn't forbidden for you to date or marry someone who isn't your soul mate but it is frowned upon and you will quickly earn yourself a reputation if you are seen dating people with different names. Everyone is supposed to make finding their soul mate their main focus in life and you really, really aren't supposed to fall in love with someone whose name isn't on your wrist. Corin lives in such a world but she has seen exactly what love did to her mother and her sister and she is determined not to go down that same path. She wants something different for herself and she has no intention of looking for her soul mate but what if love finds her when she least expects it?

The Name on Your Wrist is Helen Hiorns' debut novel and was the winner of the first Sony Young Movellist Award. The story has a very unique concept so I can see why it stood out amongst other entries and I found it an enjoyable read. I had high expectations for this story when I picked it up, the idea of people having their soul mate's names written on their wrists was a really interesting one and I couldn't wait to find out how this phenomenon came about. Although I enjoyed the story I did find myself a little disappointed that we didn't get more background information about the world and how it came about. It takes a long time before you get any kind of explanation and when you do it feels a bit rushed and was glossed over too quickly. I just wanted more information about it all.

I liked Corin and felt bad for everything she has gone through since her father's death, her mother pushed her grief to one side, moved the family to a new town and tries to pretend nothing has changed while her sister has been in and out of hospital since suffering from a breakdown. Corin is left on her own to deal with everything and she doesn't really have anyone to turn to for help. As much as I felt sorry for Corin I found her difficult to connect with, she was supposed to be 19 but most of the time she acted as though she was much younger, I'd have found her character more believable if she was supposed to be 16. I understand that she was quite sheltered because of the world she lived in but it was one of those things that bugged me. I just found a lot of her actions were quite selfish and I hated the way she deliberately set out to hurt people whether she felt they deserved it or not. She could also be quite judgemental even though she complained about other people judging her family when they didn't have the full facts.

I did really like Colton though and I liked the person Corin became as she became friends with him. She didn't really have anyone she was close to before he came into her life and the way he got her to open up to him showed her in a completely different light. I felt more sympathetic towards her because of the discoveries Colton helped us make and I though they were really cute together. I have to say I wasn't a fan of the ending though, Helen Hiorns certainly managed to throw a few twists in there, some I saw coming and some that I didn't, but everything seemed to wrap up just a bit too tidily and it was all a little convenient. This author is definitely one to watch out for though, the sheer amount of imagination that has gone into building her world and the fact that she manages to introduce readers to it quite smoothly and without huge info dumps shows skill and I think she'll just get better at plotting and creating believable characters with each book she writes. Overall I'd say that The Name on Your Wrist is a unique debut and certainly worth checking out if you want to see a different take on the soul mates plot line.

[Keely · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review might have a few spoilers, but if you want it in a nutshell, it's amazing. You should buy it because you won't regret it.

The premise instantly drew me in, it was something entirely original, something I'd never seen before and that's when I knew I had to have it and read it straight away; I swallowed this book whole in one night. It was captivating, gripping and I couldn't stop reading, I was emerged in the story and I needed to know what the future had install for these characters.

At first, I wasn't sure what to think of Corin because she wasn't very likable but had something about her that drew me in. She felt real from the first page. She is neither good or bad. She lies somewhere in the murky grey area and characters like this are my favourite to read about. It's interesting to see why they do certain actions. I like it when characters aren't perfect because that doesn't make for a realistic novel; Corin is realistic. I've met a lot of Corin's in my life. People with a need for self destruction and no one can stop them. By the end of the novel, I loved her. She can be cruel, but I'm sure we've all been guilty of that in the past; whether it happened in childhood or adulthood.
I loved Colton at the start, but after what happened in near the ending, I am now not sure what to think of him, because I wanted him to love her for her, not because he had it in his head that whoever name was on his wrist was his perfect match. I don't know whether I like him at all anymore. I don't know, this book has tugged on my emotions and has left me confused.

Jacinta was one of the most interesting characters; her reveal on the last few pages left me stunned. I need to know more about her. Her relationship with Corin was so interesting, deep down, I think they have a lot of love for each other and have trapped themselves in vicious cycle where all they try to do is hurt the other one and don't know how to get out of it. I'm hoping there is more development in their relationship in the sequel because I found their relationship fascinating. I hope it gets better for them, but I know this story isn't going to end with them riding in the sunset, (it's not that kind of book) but I'm hoping they come to understand each other and be civil. Both of them need each other more than they realise.

The world that the author has created is a very interesting one; I found some parts quite realistic; like the deciding futures for everyone, the way that everyone has to be monitored, books that have been destroyed because they make people think and the control of the media could actually happen. The adding of the soul mate on the wrist was also an interesting addition. I loved the way it played out on later in the story.

In all, I loved this book. It is my favourite book that I have read so far. I will now be stalking the author for a sequel because I need to know more; the cliffhanger ending almost killed me. I loved the fact that it wasn't all fairytales and things were far from perfect; things had happened to these characters and it had messed them up entirely. That's real life. These things happen. I want to see a somewhat happy ending for the characters because I'm a sucker for things like that and I care about the characters, but I'm not sure it's now possible because of what happened at the end, I am so excited to see how it all plays out and I will be sticking around to see how it all ends. I am now a firm fangirl of the author; whatever book she publishes, I will buy it without question. It only took one book for her to get added to that very small list of authors that I do that for, but it is thoroughly deserved and I think that shows how amazing this book actually is. I connected with the characters on so many levels, not enough books have that ability to do so. As I was reading this, it was easy to see why Helen won the competition.

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

WARNING: CONTAINS LOTS OF CUSS WORDS

Nine months! It took me nine months to finish this book! So many times I wanted to give up, but my curiosity got the better of me, and I just needed to know how it would end. I needed to know the names they had on their wrists. I so badly wanted to be happy by the time I finished this, but no! I think I would've preferred not finishing it at all actually, because I hated how it ended!

At first I was excited by this book, because I've read so many short stories that had plot's that were similar to this one. Stories where they had their soulmates names or the first words they'll soulmate will say to them etc... sketched onto their skin. Those stories were sweet and beautiful, and I always loved the moment they found out they were each others soulmates! The difference with those stories and this book is that in those stories it was natural. They were born with them or they just appeared when they reached a certain age. In this book it become obvious pretty soon that it wasn't going to be at all like those stories. I know it's my fault for having such high expectations. I know I shouldn't have automatically assumed it would be like the others, but I did. I know other people can go into this book and enjoy it, but after I read those other stories I just couldn't.

The lead character in this book Corin is a cynic. She knows there's more to the names. She doesn't believe they are truly the person you are meant to be with. So she spends most of her time getting information from other cynic's who give her stuff like people killing themselves out of protest, because of things like not liking their soulmates or having fell in love with the wrong person. That right there shows you right off that this isn't going to be a happy story. One of the things that kept me reading though is that I wanted so badly for her to realize that she was wrong! I wanted her to find her soulmate and fall in love! I wanted her to find out that the names do mean something! Now if that happens or not I'm not going to spoil it in this review, but even if it did happen there was just too much depressing things in this story for me to enjoy it!

I'm not going to go into details about this book. I'm just going to say it depressed me and was hard to read, and there were just too many issues that really weren't ever answered. For example there's thousands of people with the same name. So how the hell are you supposed to know which one is the right one? Also you're not supposed to tell anybody what the name on your wrist is. Meaning that you can find someone with the name that's on your wrist, but you still have no way in knowing that they have your name on their wrist. Also are we supposed to believe that only one couple in the world have matching names? Anyway Corin wasn't very likable and I'm a sarcastic person myself, but Corin most of the time just came off like a bitch. Who repeatedly purposely ruined peoples lives over her own beliefs. Colton (her love interest) was likable, but not even he could make me like this book, and at the end my heart broke for him, and truthfully that can be because I do find out he's stuck with her forever. So don't take that as me telling you he's her soulmate or not.

Also the end was just so fucked up, rushed and confusing that I can't even grasp my true feelings for it at the moment, but it depressed me and pissed me off, and it's left really open ended. Really are we just supposed to believe everything Jacinta tells her at the end is going to happen? Oh and Jacinta oh god don't get me started on poor Jacinta, because when we find out the truth about her it broke my heart.

Overall I really didn't like this book and am so let down that it wasn't what I expected, and I hated that it all turned out so fucked up by the end! Ugh! sorry for my language, but yeah maybe you'll enjoy it, but I didn't.

[Michelle (Fluttering Butterflies) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Find this and other YA reviews on my book blog Fluttering Butterflies

I was very intrigued to read The Name on Your Wrist by Helen Hiorns after it was selected to be the first winner of the Sony Young Movellas award. Helen Hiorns is only 19 years old and a university student at Sheffield! I'm very impressed and in awe that so many young people are as creative and dedicated enough to have completed a novel and to have entered such a competition. So, well done Helen!

The Name on Your Wrist was certainly an interesting and original concept. It tells the story of this world in which everyone will have the name of their soul mate, or carpinomen, written on their wrists. This carpinomen is a big secret, you're not supposed to reveal your name to anyone. This guarded knowledge is power and people search their entire lives to find their soul mate.

I think the thing that I found the most enjoyable about The Name On Your Wrist is the exploration of what happens when things go wrong in this area? Placing so much emphasis on happiness and fulfillment on another person can leave one open to unhappiness - for those people who never find their carpinomen, for those people who have found their soul mates but don't feel as strongly about them as they believe the should. Questions are definitely raised here about having a choice in who to love and about the consequences that go along with falling in love with someone who is not your carpinonem.

I was very surprised by this book. Especially because for me at least, the tone of this book felt a little bit bleak in parts and as much as Corin, the main character, tries to cut herself off from other people, I was expecting myself to feel detached from the story as well. And while I was never fully engaged in Corin's story everything about the book and all of the questions that are raised managed to crawl under my skin. Even days after reading The Name On Your Wrist I would suddenly recall some aspect of it and the impact of this story stayed with me for far longer than I expected.

This is a very strong and thought-provoking debut. I will definitely look out for more from Helen Hiorns and I eagerly await news of whether or not the Sony Young Movellas award will become a regular thing. I sure hope so!

[H.L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the debut novel from the winner of the inaugural Sony Young Movellist Award – and boy can you see why it won!
The story is set in an undefined future where society is tempered by some unusual rules. In particular is the rule that you must never reveal the name on your wrist. The Carpinomen appears a few years after birth and signifies the name of your soul mate. We uncover the nature of this new world through the eyes of Corin: A young woman who wants nothing more than to escape the life that is set out before her. She has no desire to find her carpinomen and rebels against the norm… only to discover that no-one is who she thinks they are, nothing is as it seems and her future - despite her inability to make good decisions for herself – really does lie in her own hands and in the decisions she makes.


This was a thoroughly enjoyable read. The plot was interesting, witty, emotionally wrenching and thrilling to say the least. The unusual concept and world created by the author were engaging throughout and as a reader I found myself stabbing guesses as to the nature of what was really going on. Hiorn’s teased the reader with an array of, seemingly separate, thrilling intrigues and then wove them subtly into the nature of the character and her personal conflict. A very adept and creative work.
My own personal criticism - and I do mean personal as this would not bother the majority of readers and so shouldn’t put anyone off – was that it was at times too conversational. There were moments when the idioms did not trip off the page fluidly for me. A small bug-bear but one that stopped me giving it a five star rating.

This is an outstanding story and one that I personally hope has a future in a sequel or spin off – the questions I am left with beg another book from Ms. Hiorns. A highly recommended read.

*I received a copy of this text in return for and honest review

[Big Book Little Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caroline for www.bigbookittlebook.com
Copy provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was introduced to The Name On Your Wrist at a bloggers event over the summer. Learning about the conception of the book, via the Sony Young Movellist Award, and hearing the synopsis, I was very keen to get my hands on a copy. Despite not being able to fit the book in to my reading schedule earlier, I was still so excited to get my teeth in to this book that I decide to go against my original plan for Netgalley November and read it first.

I absolutely loved the premise of this book, which was executed well, but for me the book dragged a little around the explanation element of the world building. I found myself disappointed that it wasn’t as original as I had first anticipated, and I recognised similar elements form other dystopians I have enjoyed.

As a protagonist, Corin was unusual for me in that I didn’t warm to her until a significant way in to the book. She came across as superior and know it all in her cynicism of her word and her distain for others who didn’t share that cynicism. Despite being initially unlikeable her story was no less compelling. I loved how Colton looks beyond Corin’s sharp edges and spiky corners, exposing the lonely, hurt and much more likeable girl within.

What made this book for me was the ending. It was breath-catchingly original, brave and thought provoking. Unusually for me, I didn’t see any of it coming. It’s the kind of ending which throws all of your carefully built assumptions on their head and has you wanting to flip the book over and immediately re-read it so that you can process how this new perspective impacts your interpretation of events and actions within the story.

Verdict: I look forward to the authors future work.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this ebook when it first came available on the son ereader shop and fell in love with it. Its been an obsession of mine to read a ton of modern dystopian books as of late and this one definitely didn't disappoint.

I have a love/hate relationship when it comes to the main character and I love that, because you don't necessarily have to love the main character in order to love the book, the writing, or the fleshed out characters. Corin is the teenager that everyone can relate to in some way or another and even though you may not be comaptible with her in every way you can see her thought process clearly and you can respect her as a person. When you think of an inanimate thing coming to life - Corin would be the character that would shock you when you have to pull yourself away and return to the real world and realise she's not there with you, and you're not part of her world. A little bit heartbreaking if I'm honest.

I particularly loved the end of the first chapter that revealed a mystery and there were never bits that were boring. The book was generally fast-paced and steady and tons of plot twists that came out of nowhere that you wouldn't expect. While the premise all seems a bit Uglies-esque there are very few similarities once you reach the end and find out where Helen's left the characters.

Colton and Jacinta were two very interesting characters that brought a soul into the world that Helen created - they were outside of the norm as they showed different facets to the perfect world on the surface. There are so many other characters and sub-plots left to be uncovered as of yet and I honestly cannot wait to see what this beautiful person has next to come. ♥

[Katey Lovell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect from this one. It sounded part romance, part dystopia, part fantasy, part futuristic sci fi...almost as if it was a book with a split personality which didn't know which genre it wanted to be.


However, I was totally wrong to try and judge it. The Name on Your Wrist is one of the most truly original books I have ever read. Set in the future, where life is lived within a strict set of rules, the major development within the human race is that everybody has a name permanently inscribed on their wrist. It is hidden beneath a wrist guard and must remain a secret. The name on your wrist (carpinomen) is that of your soul mate, the person you must search for in order to find love and happiness.


Corin doesn't want to be found. She is cynical about love, about life, about society. She's an angry teenager and hates the restrictions she is bound by. Can she find a way to live happily within the expectations of her family and community?


Honestly, I was blown away by this book. Marketed for the YA audience, there is definitely enough meat to it to appeal to a wider market and I really hope adults will read this book too as it has so much to offer. There aren't enough books out there which are 100% original, but The Name on Your Wrist most certainly is. It is also written in a way which draws the reader in, I honestly struggled to put it down as once I started it I could think of little else! The only downfall for me was that the ending seemed a bit rushed, although there is the possibility of a follow up, which may (or may not) have been in Helen Hiorns' mind.


I just wish the YA genre had been so vibrant when I was the target audience. This generation are totally spoilt with excellent reads!

[Esther · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
As always, I will try and keep this review brief.

Reasons I liked this book:
- Great, imaginative plot that had me fully engaged throughout the entire story. All in all, a very interesting read. The plot was also realistic, even though it is obviously fiction, and did not come across as too fantasy-like.
-CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. I could actually see the change in character, and the main characters grew emotionally. At the end of the novel, when Corin realises she made the wrong choice, i genuinely felt regret and empathised with her. This twist at the end allowed me to learn about her character a lot more as it showed that her choices are mostly incorrect and rash, even though, whilst the story was in her POV I agreed with Corin's point of view, and believed her choices were correct. I was also allowed into the mind of Jacinta, and learnt more about her, emotionally, in a few sentences than I had in the rest of the novel.
-Also, it was well written. Dialogue felt realistic, and no over used clichéd phrases. Although it was also a romance novel, the romance aspect was not allowed to take over the reins of the story, which I admired.

Reasons I didn't give this book 5 stars:
-I felt no oomph. Although it was interesting, I wasn't gripped.
-The ending was sudden, and feels like there was a chapter missing. Came across as incomplete instead of a cliffhanger/ suspenseful.
-Was a great book, but there are many great books, and this one didn't stand out that much.

Altogether, I would recommend this book, as it was an enjoyable read.

[Anjuma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this book, it's really good and it totally captivated me but I didn't get satisfied with the ending (although most of the time I never am satisfied with the endings!). It's what you would expect to be an amazing story full of mystery. This book had gotten the Sony Young Movellist Of The Year and was chosen by Malorie Blackman.

Corin lives in the future where every child is born with a carpinomen- the name of your anima-vinculum(your soul mate in Latin) was written on your wrist forever and it moulds you - it is everything for you. People spend years and years searching for their love but sometimes you can never find them, sometimes you fall in love with someone else - this is Corin's story...

“People are unpredictable and predictable at the same time: it seems that whenever you want someone to surprise you they remain themselves, and those who were actually OK screw themselves over some way or another. People make stupid decisions on a regular basis but, worse, have stupid reasons for those decisions-because people are broken then forced together again in ways that they were probably never intended to be.”

It is a book for fans of rebellious female protagonists and I hope you enjoy it just as much me.

[Tammi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel had me hooked within the first few pages and I wasn't able to put it down until the early hours of the morning. Not many books have made me not want to sleep until I had read everything.
The storyline is extremely original, a girl living in a time where your soul mate/other half is determined for you and written on your wrist where the only one allowed to see it is you, where it is illegal to be without certain electronic items and your life is basically chosen for you, an idea that could one day be a possibility of the future. The main character Corin was unlike any other main character I had read about before, she was so strong, with an I don't care attitude, who seemed closed off to others that you couldn't help but want to know the reason why?
The writing of this novel was phenomenal, the authors way with words helped paint the amazing story she had written in your head and it was easy to imagine everything happening as though you were there living through it all with Corin.
I am so glad that I brought this book, and a massive congratulations to Helen for winning the Movella competition, to which I can see she was rightly crowned.

[Kels B · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first started this book I found myself having to re-read parts (and pages!!) as I found it quite hard to understand the language used but once I got it I LOVED IT. I want more Helen Hiorns if this is what I get.

So when you are about 3/4 you get a name on your wrist that is your 'sole mate' that you do not show to anyone...DO NOT SHOW ANYONE NOT EVEN YOUR MUM OR DAD (...and your bestest best friend).

A person with the name that is on your wrist will have yours on theirs and you are meant to go and search for them, don't worry though they will at least be in the same country as you.

If you are with someone that is not on your wrist leads to people not liking you and acting like you eat babies for dinner, also if you have a child with said person they will not have a happy life....apparently.

The book follows Corin who does not like following the rules, her sister Jacinta who spends a lot of time in a psych ward and Colton who I quite like and has many secrets (along with the others).

I will also quickly mention that I liked the ending!!

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the future Corin lives in, everything is decided for her - including who she'll spend her life with. Each person has a name written on their wrist, their carpinomen, the name of their soulmate. It's every person's biggest secret, never to be shared with another unless theirs is the name you carry around with you. The search for one's soulmate is one of the most important parts of one's life. But Corin doesn't want to search, and she most certainly doesn't want to be found. Fed up with having all choices made for her, she wants to make her own.

I picked this up pretty much at random from the library and expected more of a sugary teenage romance thing than bleak, oppressive dystopia - but considering that I enjoy the latter much more than the former, this was a positive surprise. I found the story gripping and had no problem finishing it in one go. The ending was a little abrupt IMO and left a number of unanswered questions. Any chance of a sequel?

[Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Name On Your Wrist is a fantastic debut novel from the winner of The Sony Young Movellist competition. Set in the future were everyone has their soulmate's name printed on their wrist, Helen Hiorns has managed to create a world so different and yet so similar to the world we live in today. The main character Corin is feisty, daring and unpredictable leaving the reader unable to predict the direction that the story will take. The ending is brilliant and leaves itself open for a sequel or/and alternative endings. Helen Hiorns' writing style is simple yet eloquent and philosophical. The Name On Everyone's Lips at the moment is Helen Hiorns!

[Hannah Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was one hell of a book!!

The concept of having your soul mates name on your wrist intrigued me from the start, but the twists and turns were not what I expected. I was half expecting it to be a bit soppy and overly sentimental, but it was gritty and messy and thoroughly entertaining.

My only complaint... it ended to soon!! Would love to have seen what happened next, what Corin decision really meant - but I suppose it leaves room for a sequel!? Here's hoping!