"One & Only" by Maurene Goo surprised me in the best way

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	Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more A swoony, grown-up, and utterly charming romance I loved "One & Only" by Maurene Goo surprised me in the best way Alisha Ramos Feb 27 ∙ Preview   READ IN APP   Happy weekend! I’ve got a few announcements today. First, our March book club pick is Lost Lambs by Madeleine Cash, a buzzy debut novel about a dysfunctional family. Thanks to everyone who voted last week, you’re in for a good one. I just started the book last night and had to be practically peeled away. Purchase on: Bookshop.org | Libro.fm You can join our book discussion in a few ways: Online: A post with a discussion thread will go up at the end of March. This will be open to paid subscribers. Since I’ll be on leave, the thread will be pre-scheduled. In person: If you’d like to meet other readers in person, you can join our Geneva/BFF chat (it’s free to join) and post a message in the book club meetups channel. You can also ask to meet up in our Substack subscriber chat (you have to be a paid sub to start a thread). On that note, I’m extending my 20% off subscription promo for the next 72 hours, so it’s a perfect time to join in — and, importantly, help me buy so many diapers. There won’t be another offer until mid-summer: Get 20% off for 1 year As a reminder, my maternity leave begins next Friday (!!), and Elise Hu will be stepping in as my interim editor. Downtime will be in your inbox once a week, and we have a strong lineup of newsletters and exciting guests ready for you. Lastly, thanks to everyone checking in on how I’m feeling - I’m feeling pretty good…and very ready for this baby to arrive. And no, the nursery is still not done, but I’m feeling very zen about it. Second time around vibes? —Alisha P.S. A recent reader chat thread I loved: Paris travel recs. And I’m looking for the best nonstick pan recs for frying eggs, please. Downtime Reads This week I read… One & Only by Maurene Goo. I listened to this on audio as a palate cleanser after reading a dark thriller (which I reviewed last week). It delivered completely on the heartwarming vibes I was looking for and went above and beyond. It surprised me in telling a love story in a unique way that didn’t feel too formulaic or slumpy, one of my usual complaints with romance books I’ve tried in the past. The novel’s protagonist is Cassia Park, who comes from a long line of matchmakers. Cass and her Korean-American matriarchal family run a matchmaking agency in LA called One & Only with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. The source of their confidence? They have a centuries-old family secret, of course: they can see into a person’s past and find their “fated,” the one they are meant to be with. Don’t let this magical realism bit throw you off. It was woven beautifully into the story without feeling jarring, cheesy, or like a desperate plot device. One & Only is a love triangle story: Cass, who’s just about to turn forty, is torn between a younger, 28-year-old man she has a sexy fling with named Ellis, and a more grown, “appropriate for her age” man with movie-star looks named Daniel, who is, surprise surprise, her fated and the one she’s been searching for most of her adult life. To make matters more complex, Daniel is…Ellis’s boss. Who will she choose? Aside from the propulsive-by-nature love triangle plot, there were plenty of other elements to love about One & Only. First, Cassia is a fully formed, mature, adult woman. She doesn’t lack an ounce of confidence. She isn’t a prototypical messy romance protagonist; she has her shit together. She lives in a beautiful home and wears chic clothes. She is probably a VIP consigner with TheRealReal. She handles celebrity clientele with ease. She would likely be profiled in Goop as a “brand muse,” or something, if she weren’t so humble. Hear me out: Charles Melton as Ellis and Daniel Dae Kim as Daniel. Netflix, please get on this, stat. Every good romance novel needs other relationship threads to build on, so it’s not so one-note, and One & Only delivered in this regard, too. Cass’s loving, strong connections with the women in her family, who also help run the matchmaking agency, are a big part of the plot. The dialogue between the Park women often made me laugh out loud: "I almost rammed into one of those damned robot cars," Sunny says in greeting. Their conversations are fun character-building moments rather than fillers. On a personal note, I loved the extremely “that’s so Korean of them” bits in the book, I could relate to. For instance, “face reading,” which the Park women practice as their matchmaking ritual, is a real ancient Korean practice, though now it’s considered more of a superstition than a revered practice. I remember being told at age eight that the shape of my nose and mouth meant I was destined to enjoy “a great fortune.” (Still waiting for that fortune.) There are other details too, like the food and the alabaster-inlaid furniture… just little bits that felt like fun Easter eggs and served as a good reminder for me to read more books by Korean-American authors. Overall, this is a complex, hopeful, beautifully written book that will surprise even the romance genre skeptic. It explores love, fate, duty, and grief in elegant fashion. It stars two hunky male characters. It definitely made me want to book a flight back to LA immediately for some delicious bbq in K-Town and a stroll around the Huntington Gardens. Overall, it’s the perfect light read to pick up on the cusp of spring. Let me know if you’ve read it or plan to read it! Leave a comment Related links: Author Maurene Goo’s Substack post “Main Character Energy” is a fun companion read. In it, she invites writers to recreate Cassia’s outfits, highlighting the book’s realistic fashion, which I loved and this post emphasizes. The Mauxdown Main Character Energy The best part of writing my first adult novel was that I got to dream up a wardrobe for a fully grown woman with an aspirational shopping budget. It was so fun. And friends, I have not spent the last few years here on fashion Substack to not tap into this great resource to help me hype my book… Read more a month ago · 48 likes · 35 comments · Maurene Goo The Idea of You by Robinne Lee. A companion recommendation for this contemporary romance genre classic that features similar elements: a more mature woman, a hunky younger guy, and a glamorous LA setting. Next I’m reading… Brawler by Lauren Groff. And I’m in the middle of Heartburn by Nora Ephron. Thus far, it can only be described as “rollicking.” New on my TBR list… A shocker, but I didn’t add any new reads to my list this week! If you’d like to see my most anticipated February and March releases, you can see my full list here: The Books We All Need to Read in 2026 Alisha Ramos · Jan 22 Read full story Six Fun Things It’s currently fool’s spring, and that small concession alone is enough for me to begin thinking about light, happy spring tones in the form of smaller additions to my wardrobe. Think: a scarf that can complete the outfit, a shiny pair of pale blue earrings, a perfect baby pink tee, and satin ballet flats in—what else?—butter yellow. In One & Only, Cassia sports an heirloom jade bracelet, and it made me want this pretty jade ring from Etsy. I want this necklace, but I may go the DIY route with a blue silk cord from Etsy, paired with a golden charm. Bonus Recs Each week, I include bonus links and bits for my paid subscribers under the paywall... Keep reading with a 7-day free trial Subscribe to Downtime to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives. Start trial A subscription gets you: A weekly newsletter, plus everything under the paywall Subscriber-only posts and bonus recommendations You can leave comments, start threads in our subscriber chat, and access the full archives   Like Comment Restack   © 2026 Alisha Ramos 548 Market Street PMB 72296, San Francisco, CA 94104 Unsubscribe