APRIL 18, 2023
A razor-sharp and seductively hypnotic debut novel about the very fantasy of falling in love.
Emily is not particularly interested in dating. She simply wants to change her life after being fired from her dead-end job. So when she is recruited for the popular reality dating show The One, it doesn’t take much thought for her to sign up; it’s not as if she’d actually fall in love. But upon her arrival on set, it becomes clear her producer, Miranda, will do nearly anything to make sure Emily gets engaged by the end of the season, even if it means breaking Emily’s trust. The pressure builds as Emily navigates her connection with the lead and a growing relationship with another contestant. As the arc of the season begins to slot into place, both Emily and Miranda are forced to decide what they want—and what they are willing to do to get it.
A brilliant send-up of our cultural mythology around romance, The One examines how people can confuse wanting to be looked at—to be singled out and desired—with desire itself.
PRAISE
One of:
Harper’s Bazaar’s Best Queer Reads of 2023
Elle‘s 65 of the Best and Most Anticipated Books of 2023
E! News‘ 15 LGBTQ+ Books to Read During Pride
New York Post‘s Required Reading Picks
The Millions‘ Most Anticipated Books of 2023
BookBub‘s Must-Read Books of Spring
Scary Mommy’s New Summer Reads
“Incisive and insightful, Argy’s debut novel [is] a thoughtful meditation on female competition, love and beauty as currency, and the many other threads underpinning America’s obsession with reality television.” –Harper’s Bazaar
“Argy does an admirable job of describing the flimsy cheapness of everything that surrounds the contestants…[She] has a keen and often funny eye for detail [and] evokes the fetid coziness-meets-eroticism of female friendship with aplomb. Her prose is absorbing.” –The New York Times Book Review
“[A] fast-paced and literary debut novel…The One manages to be entertaining in its examination of behind-the-scenes, and searing and true in its send-up of love.” –Salon
“If you’ve ever found yourself wishing The Bachelor franchise was more (or even a little bit!) gay, this is the novel for you. A parody and love letter to our culture’s obsession with reality TV and romance.” –E! News
“A clever spin on the reality TV romance craze.” –Elle
“A debut that packs almost as much drama as Scandoval.” –Rolling Stone
“Brimming with criticism of our current socio-political climate…The One makes an extremely well-rounded argument against how society treats its own people as a commodity.” –Chicago Review of Books
“Julia Argy’s debut novel reminds us that identity is hard to grapple with when it has to be declared online.” –Electric Literature
“[A] must read for fellow reality TV enthusiasts…Get ready to dive into a book universe that mirrors the captivating allure of reality shows.” –Feminist Book Club