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The Soulmate Project
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Expected 16 Jun 26200 pages, Library Binding
Expected publication June 16, 2026
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Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
ARC Review: The Soulmate Project by Anna Lindwasser.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book.
I read The Soulmate Project in less than an hour, which speaks to how quick and accessible it is. The verse-style format is unlike anything I’ve read before—it’s refreshing, fast-paced, and gives the story a unique rhythm that kept me turning the pages.
The central concept is what initially drew me in: the idea of AI determining your true soulmate instead of allowing love to develop organically. It’s a really interesting and timely premise, especially with how much technology already influences modern relationships. I loved the exploration of whether love can be engineered or predicted, and what it means for something as unpredictable as human connection to be placed in the hands of an algorithm.
However, while the idea is strong, the execution felt like it lacked depth. The characters, in particular, didn’t feel fully developed, which made it difficult to truly connect with them or feel invested in their journeys. Delphine is a strong willed, determined character who isn't afraid to break the rules and I would have loved to have seen her character explored in more detail.
I couldn’t help but feel that this story would have benefitted from being told in a longer format. With more space, the relationships and emotional stakes—especially between Del and Jasper—could have been explored in greater detail. The twist involving the characters had potential, but it didn’t land as powerfully as it could have, and I think a different approach or more build-up would have made a stronger impact.
Overall, a unique and fast read with an interesting premise, but one that left me wanting more in terms of depth and character development.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book.
I read The Soulmate Project in less than an hour, which speaks to how quick and accessible it is. The verse-style format is unlike anything I’ve read before—it’s refreshing, fast-paced, and gives the story a unique rhythm that kept me turning the pages.
The central concept is what initially drew me in: the idea of AI determining your true soulmate instead of allowing love to develop organically. It’s a really interesting and timely premise, especially with how much technology already influences modern relationships. I loved the exploration of whether love can be engineered or predicted, and what it means for something as unpredictable as human connection to be placed in the hands of an algorithm.
However, while the idea is strong, the execution felt like it lacked depth. The characters, in particular, didn’t feel fully developed, which made it difficult to truly connect with them or feel invested in their journeys. Delphine is a strong willed, determined character who isn't afraid to break the rules and I would have loved to have seen her character explored in more detail.
I couldn’t help but feel that this story would have benefitted from being told in a longer format. With more space, the relationships and emotional stakes—especially between Del and Jasper—could have been explored in greater detail. The twist involving the characters had potential, but it didn’t land as powerfully as it could have, and I think a different approach or more build-up would have made a stronger impact.
Overall, a unique and fast read with an interesting premise, but one that left me wanting more in terms of depth and character development.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley, Rosen Publishing Group, West 44 Books, and Anna Lindwasser for the opportunity to read The Soulmate Project in exchange for an honest review.
The Soulmate Project is a HiLo novel-in-verse with a poetic style that tells the story in a less-is-more type of way. I enjoyed the craft, and the dialogue was one of the key factors developing characterization in this work.
Imagine a world where you are required to fill out a match profile so that an artificial intelligence can pair you with your soul mate. This is the person you must spend the rest of your life with, even if you had a significant other prior to the soul mate ceremony. If one does not comply or gets caught fornicating with someone who is not their registered pair, they are sent to jail.
This is the world eighteen-year-old Delphine lives in. From her first-person perspective, the reader is offered a story in a near-future setting (or even slightly dystopian, based on the control element). Del and her boyfriend do their best to fill out their profiles in a way that will bring them to be each other's perfect matches, so the soul mate algorithm will pair them together. But alas, they are not meant to be. As they each try to maintain their relationship, they are required to get to know their soulmate's at a camp, at risk of jail time.
As one might expect, this could easily turn into a rebellion. How can a computer have any notion of what two human beings should be together. There is so much about individuality and taking away from one's choice of love that make this novel a frightening possibility that may be encountered in the future. Can you imagine it? Not having free choice to love? Love is one of the driving forces of what it means to be human!
An enjoyable and too-spooky novel in it's technology and near-future elements. I highly recommend for teen readers or even an older audience who still wonders if their soul mate is out there somewhere...
The Soulmate Project is a HiLo novel-in-verse with a poetic style that tells the story in a less-is-more type of way. I enjoyed the craft, and the dialogue was one of the key factors developing characterization in this work.
Imagine a world where you are required to fill out a match profile so that an artificial intelligence can pair you with your soul mate. This is the person you must spend the rest of your life with, even if you had a significant other prior to the soul mate ceremony. If one does not comply or gets caught fornicating with someone who is not their registered pair, they are sent to jail.
This is the world eighteen-year-old Delphine lives in. From her first-person perspective, the reader is offered a story in a near-future setting (or even slightly dystopian, based on the control element). Del and her boyfriend do their best to fill out their profiles in a way that will bring them to be each other's perfect matches, so the soul mate algorithm will pair them together. But alas, they are not meant to be. As they each try to maintain their relationship, they are required to get to know their soulmate's at a camp, at risk of jail time.
As one might expect, this could easily turn into a rebellion. How can a computer have any notion of what two human beings should be together. There is so much about individuality and taking away from one's choice of love that make this novel a frightening possibility that may be encountered in the future. Can you imagine it? Not having free choice to love? Love is one of the driving forces of what it means to be human!
An enjoyable and too-spooky novel in it's technology and near-future elements. I highly recommend for teen readers or even an older audience who still wonders if their soul mate is out there somewhere...
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
•ARC 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝘄•
[The Soulmate Project]
🔥 Release Date: [Jun 01 2026] 🔥
Thank you to Rosen Publishing Group, Anna Lindwasser, and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
★★★☆☆
The Soulmate Project was a different reading experience for me in the best way. This was my first YA verse novel, and I ended up really enjoying the format. It’s quick, emotional, and easy to fall into, and the story pulled me in early and made it easy to stay with the story.
Delphine, the main character, does come across as a bit immature for seventeen at times, which occasionally pulled me out of the moment. That said, it also fits the heightened, high pressure world she’s navigating, so it made sense within the context of the story.
Where it lost a bit of momentum was in the final chapters. Like some other readers have mentioned, the ending feels a little rushed and not as fully developed as the rest of the book. I would’ve liked more time to sit with the characters and the choices they were making.
Even so, I’m glad I picked this up. The concept is interesting, the verse format works really well, and I’d definitely read more from Anna Lindwasser.
[The Soulmate Project]
🔥 Release Date: [Jun 01 2026] 🔥
Thank you to Rosen Publishing Group, Anna Lindwasser, and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
★★★☆☆
The Soulmate Project was a different reading experience for me in the best way. This was my first YA verse novel, and I ended up really enjoying the format. It’s quick, emotional, and easy to fall into, and the story pulled me in early and made it easy to stay with the story.
Delphine, the main character, does come across as a bit immature for seventeen at times, which occasionally pulled me out of the moment. That said, it also fits the heightened, high pressure world she’s navigating, so it made sense within the context of the story.
Where it lost a bit of momentum was in the final chapters. Like some other readers have mentioned, the ending feels a little rushed and not as fully developed as the rest of the book. I would’ve liked more time to sit with the characters and the choices they were making.
Even so, I’m glad I picked this up. The concept is interesting, the verse format works really well, and I’d definitely read more from Anna Lindwasser.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Review of Advanced Reader Copy received from NetGalley. Thank you to Rosen Publishing Group, Anna Lindwasser, and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to review an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Soulmate Project by Anna Lindwasser had a concept really sold me: an AI that decides your soulmate for you. However for me, it never quite dug deep enough. The emotions felt a little distant, like I was observing the story instead of being pulled into it. The characters, especially Delphine, had so much potential, but I wanted more from them. I also think the story might have benefited from being longer. Everything felt a bit rushed and because of that, the emotional impact didn’t hit as strongly as it could have. There were moments that should have felt bigger, but they passed too quickly to fully land.
The Soulmate Project by Anna Lindwasser had a concept really sold me: an AI that decides your soulmate for you. However for me, it never quite dug deep enough. The emotions felt a little distant, like I was observing the story instead of being pulled into it. The characters, especially Delphine, had so much potential, but I wanted more from them. I also think the story might have benefited from being longer. Everything felt a bit rushed and because of that, the emotional impact didn’t hit as strongly as it could have. There were moments that should have felt bigger, but they passed too quickly to fully land.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you NetGalley for the ebook arc. While the synopsis was intriguing the story itself wasn’t well plotted. Everyone has to fill out an application to find their soulmate those that try to be with people they love that’s not their assigned soulmate get tossed into jail, but when you turn 18 you get matched up an sent to a 6 week camp to learn to be with your true soulmate.
del wants to be with her long time boyfriend but when the system doesn’t match them she plans to make her match hate her, but instead her boyfriend falls in love with her soulmate match, an the decide to find the system from within.
The book is also written in verse layout and to me made it annoying to read on the kindle cause you have to skip every other page.
del wants to be with her long time boyfriend but when the system doesn’t match them she plans to make her match hate her, but instead her boyfriend falls in love with her soulmate match, an the decide to find the system from within.
The book is also written in verse layout and to me made it annoying to read on the kindle cause you have to skip every other page.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.
The description and synopsis was very intriguing to me, and that is part of the reason why I requested for an ARC. However, the book itself fell a bit flat for me. The plot and synopsis was not very intricately structured, and needed improvements through some further reviews and reflection into the book. I also think that could've been more aspects of this concept and system that could've been explored in further depth. Considering the format of the book, which is written in verse, it could have done this in different sections and verses. The language was straightforward and not difficult to comprehend. Overall it was a very fast read and didn't take me long to finish it.
The description and synopsis was very intriguing to me, and that is part of the reason why I requested for an ARC. However, the book itself fell a bit flat for me. The plot and synopsis was not very intricately structured, and needed improvements through some further reviews and reflection into the book. I also think that could've been more aspects of this concept and system that could've been explored in further depth. Considering the format of the book, which is written in verse, it could have done this in different sections and verses. The language was straightforward and not difficult to comprehend. Overall it was a very fast read and didn't take me long to finish it.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
the premise of the book sounded very interesting, somehow like the one from John Marrs, but not quite… the “written at a lower, accessible reading level”, just means it was written like poetry and short block of text, but not really in an interesting manner…
since its written like poetry, there’s no real connection with characters and the story gets weird, the main character wants to beat the system, her “boyfriend” doesn’t really like her, and her destined boyfriend gets a liking to another person, I wont enter in details, but this book, definitely wasn’t for me.. its a very short read, but it really dragged in my hands…
Thank you Netgalley and Rosen publishing Group, for the free ARC and this is my honest opinion.
since its written like poetry, there’s no real connection with characters and the story gets weird, the main character wants to beat the system, her “boyfriend” doesn’t really like her, and her destined boyfriend gets a liking to another person, I wont enter in details, but this book, definitely wasn’t for me.. its a very short read, but it really dragged in my hands…
Thank you Netgalley and Rosen publishing Group, for the free ARC and this is my honest opinion.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I was really excited to read The Soulmate Project because the story sounded like something unique and easy to read.
However, this one didn’t fully work for me. The pacing felt very fast, which made it difficult to connect with the characters and their relationships. Some moments that could have had more emotional impact felt rushed, and I found myself wanting more depth to fully understand the characters.
That said, I think readers who prefer quick, fast-moving stories might enjoy this more than I did, especially if they’re looking for something easy to get through in a short amount of time.
Overall, while I appreciated the ideas behind the story, it just wasn’t the right fit for me
Thanks to NetGalley and Rosen Publishing for the ARC
However, this one didn’t fully work for me. The pacing felt very fast, which made it difficult to connect with the characters and their relationships. Some moments that could have had more emotional impact felt rushed, and I found myself wanting more depth to fully understand the characters.
That said, I think readers who prefer quick, fast-moving stories might enjoy this more than I did, especially if they’re looking for something easy to get through in a short amount of time.
Overall, while I appreciated the ideas behind the story, it just wasn’t the right fit for me
Thanks to NetGalley and Rosen Publishing for the ARC
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I've never read a novel written in verse before and it was interesting. However, I felt like there was a lot of detail lacking and the dialogue felt overly dramatic for me. I understand the protagonist is 18 years old, but she could've been more fleshed out than Girl Who Wants to Break the System for Love. I might just not be the target demographic of this, though I liked the initial premise of something like the Soulmate Project and wanting to break it because you want to choose your own path rather than relying on an algorithm. This story had something to say and I appreciate that, so that's why I'm giving it 2 stars. Maybe if this was more fleshed out I would've enjoyed it more.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book.
Whilst the synopsis sounded great, and the idea of being written in verse intrigued me, unfortunately this book was not for me.
The verse format is unique, and in itself not bad. But I felt like it did a disservice to the potential that the plotline had. Being so disjointed and abrupt it lent itself more to a literary thought piece, rather than a YA Dystopian Romance plot.
The storyline itself had such potential, but unfortunately was not well developed with next to no world building or context, no character development and no real story arc.
Unfortunately not a book for me and not one I would recommend.
Whilst the synopsis sounded great, and the idea of being written in verse intrigued me, unfortunately this book was not for me.
The verse format is unique, and in itself not bad. But I felt like it did a disservice to the potential that the plotline had. Being so disjointed and abrupt it lent itself more to a literary thought piece, rather than a YA Dystopian Romance plot.
The storyline itself had such potential, but unfortunately was not well developed with next to no world building or context, no character development and no real story arc.
Unfortunately not a book for me and not one I would recommend.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to Rosen Publishing Group, Anna Lindwasser, and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to review this ARC.
One star is for the premise. I think the concept has so much potential. The execution feels lacking. There’s almost no depth to the characters, so the impact of the twists are lacking. For me, the writing fell flat.
Also the formatting was brutal to read on my kindle. The words were formatted like poetry, which did not fit the storyline. Also, every other page was a photo, which made it annoying to read the book as well.
Thank you for this opportunity, but I would suggest some more work on the book before releasing this.
One star is for the premise. I think the concept has so much potential. The execution feels lacking. There’s almost no depth to the characters, so the impact of the twists are lacking. For me, the writing fell flat.
Also the formatting was brutal to read on my kindle. The words were formatted like poetry, which did not fit the storyline. Also, every other page was a photo, which made it annoying to read the book as well.
Thank you for this opportunity, but I would suggest some more work on the book before releasing this.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to Netgalley & West44 books for the ARC. This is a quick little read with a message of the downside of AI & true love. With the story being so short, I feel like the character development is lacking. We are quickly introduced to characters and don’t learn much about them. I did think it was interesting that the book is laid out like poetry even though it doesn’t rhyme. It made reading quick and easy, and it’s a unique take. I think this book deals with relevant topics and issues with us growing up with AI, algorithms, and dating apps and the impact they have and could have on our societies. Leaves you to think about something.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The concept for this book was so fun, I was so excited to read it! I didn’t notice when I requested the book that it would be in verse format, so this was a surprise to me. I will say, the book felt more like a plot board or a very rough draft in this format. I was wishing for more details, and a more fully flushed out story. The concept was good, and the read wasn’t awful. But it was so short, I was able to read it in under 2 hours. I felt like the main character was far too much, and the whole thing could have been fully flushed out a little more.
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April 7, 2026I requested this book because the synopsis sounded interesting. At 18, everyone fills out an application to be matched with their soul mate. It worked for Del's parents and many other couples she knows. However, there are definitely problems. So Del and her boyfriend decide to fill out their applications as similarly as possible so they will be matched. This doesn't work. So Del starts to try and change the system from the inside. The problem was the story really needed to be more fleshed out.
I received an advanced copy from Netgalley in return for an honest review.
I received an advanced copy from Netgalley in return for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book; this is my honest review.
I really enjoyed the premise of this book. I loved the characters and how their thoughts and feelings were shown in an empathetic and logical way. I loved the message behind this story.
I personally found the verse layout distracting, but I understand that it is helpful and necessary for those that need it. I think this would make a GREAT graphic novel!
Overall, this was an easy, quick YA read with an interesting and enjoyable plot
I really enjoyed the premise of this book. I loved the characters and how their thoughts and feelings were shown in an empathetic and logical way. I loved the message behind this story.
I personally found the verse layout distracting, but I understand that it is helpful and necessary for those that need it. I think this would make a GREAT graphic novel!
Overall, this was an easy, quick YA read with an interesting and enjoyable plot
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you so much to West 44 Books/ Rosen Publishing and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.
I loved the dystopian world, the concept of how the world has changed to make a robot read information about people and pair them up, seeing they have found their soulmates. I really liked the concept of it and how utterly flawed the whole system actually was.
I honestly wasn’t much of a fan of our protagonist Del, she wasn’t a nice character, I just found her rude and utterly irritating the whole way through. She didn’t actually care about Tobias at all, she just wanted him to be hers and prove the system was flawed. Then she was able to use him as an example to fix the mistakes the robot made in pairing them up. I really wasn’t invested with most of the characters, but I did like Phoebe out of all of them, she was adorable, bubbly and still so innocent.
I really liked the dystopian setting, the forced love and the reality of who they did truly love, how many mistakes the robots made. It was amazing how highly realistic the system was with the robots being given power over everyone’s lives.
I loved the dystopian world, the concept of how the world has changed to make a robot read information about people and pair them up, seeing they have found their soulmates. I really liked the concept of it and how utterly flawed the whole system actually was.
I honestly wasn’t much of a fan of our protagonist Del, she wasn’t a nice character, I just found her rude and utterly irritating the whole way through. She didn’t actually care about Tobias at all, she just wanted him to be hers and prove the system was flawed. Then she was able to use him as an example to fix the mistakes the robot made in pairing them up. I really wasn’t invested with most of the characters, but I did like Phoebe out of all of them, she was adorable, bubbly and still so innocent.
I really liked the dystopian setting, the forced love and the reality of who they did truly love, how many mistakes the robots made. It was amazing how highly realistic the system was with the robots being given power over everyone’s lives.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Nope, not for me. The book sounded really interesting but it really fell flat for me. The MFC was annoying for an 18 year old. She felt entitled and immature. The characters were under-developed and it felt like there was no plot or substance to the story. I know the writing style is a little different, so maybe some will like it but overall I did not enjoy this read. Thanks to NetGalley and Rosen Publishing for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
*Review of an arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
I picked up this book because of the summary; I found the concept of AI choosing soulmates intriguing. It is as an incredibly quick read because of the verse format.
The overall concept was great, but the execution just wasn’t it. There wasn’t much character development or information/details.
It’s also a very short novel. The conclusion feels rushed, abrupt, and the book felt unfinished when I got to the last page.
I picked up this book because of the summary; I found the concept of AI choosing soulmates intriguing. It is as an incredibly quick read because of the verse format.
The overall concept was great, but the execution just wasn’t it. There wasn’t much character development or information/details.
It’s also a very short novel. The conclusion feels rushed, abrupt, and the book felt unfinished when I got to the last page.
April 18, 2026
* Thank you NetGalley for an ARC copy.
1⭐️. I had to DNF this about half way through. This isn’t really a book. It’s more like a poorly done broken up short story. It reminds me a little of those pay by chapters pieces.
I was intrigued by the base idea of the book. I think someone could make it a great story. It’s set in the future where everyone must fill out a survey and the government picks your Soul Mate.
1⭐️. I had to DNF this about half way through. This isn’t really a book. It’s more like a poorly done broken up short story. It reminds me a little of those pay by chapters pieces.
I was intrigued by the base idea of the book. I think someone could make it a great story. It’s set in the future where everyone must fill out a survey and the government picks your Soul Mate.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I really struggled with this. I've never had a book presented in verse that wasn't poems.
It reads as more of a short book that is formatted Into a smaller column. This may be my inexperience in this style.
The premise of the story is good, but feels rushed and incomplete.
It reads as more of a short book that is formatted Into a smaller column. This may be my inexperience in this style.
The premise of the story is good, but feels rushed and incomplete.
Review of advance copy received from Author
The concept is compelling and well executed! I enjoyed Delphine’s character, and I feel like more people would if she was a guy. Sigh, sexism.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I received a free E-ARC of this story via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
A quick and interesting read! I will always be up for reading a new take on the concept of different systems being used to assign soulmates.
This read almost like a YA verse version of The One by John Marrs, and I really enjoyed exploring this concept through a different lens!
Also, as a queer person, I like that it's very queer-normative - there was no "this matches each girl with a boy blah blah blah" it had nuance and being queer was just another option a person could tick without there being drama surrounding it specifically! I would absolutely read more from this author :)
P.s. as a verse author myself I understand sometimes these types of stories are somewhat constrained by strict word counts etc. and I think the author put together a great story in so few pages :)
A quick and interesting read! I will always be up for reading a new take on the concept of different systems being used to assign soulmates.
This read almost like a YA verse version of The One by John Marrs, and I really enjoyed exploring this concept through a different lens!
Also, as a queer person, I like that it's very queer-normative - there was no "this matches each girl with a boy blah blah blah" it had nuance and being queer was just another option a person could tick without there being drama surrounding it specifically! I would absolutely read more from this author :)
P.s. as a verse author myself I understand sometimes these types of stories are somewhat constrained by strict word counts etc. and I think the author put together a great story in so few pages :)
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