Book Review: The One by Kiera Cass (Book 3)

 

Book Review: The One by Kiera Cass (Book 3 of The Selection series)

by The Book Pup on December 12, 2025

Blurb for the book (on Goodreads):

The time has come for one winner to be crowned.

When she was chosen to compete in the Selection, America never dreamed she would find herself anywhere close to the crown—or to Prince Maxon's heart. But as the end of the competition approaches, and the threats outside the palace walls grow more vicious, America realizes just how much she stands to lose—and how hard she'll have to fight for the future she wants.

My Summary:

The Selection is finally coming to an end, and America Singer must make her choice. After two books of indecision, love triangles, and royal drama, it's time for her to decide not just who she loves, but what kind of future she wants.

With rebel attacks intensifying and the competition down to its final contestants, America must navigate palace politics, her complicated feelings, and the very real danger threatening everyone she cares about. The crown is within reach, but is it what she really wants?

Perfect for readers who've been following this journey and need closure on America's story (and that never-ending love triangle).

My Review

After the frustration of The Elite, I went into The One cautiously optimistic. And you know what? Cass actually stuck the landing! 😎🥳

First, the good news: America FINALLY makes a decision! After two and a half books of waffling between Maxon and Aspen like a indecisive pancake, our girl actually commits to a choice. Character growth! We love to see it.

The stakes are  high in this book, with the rebel attacks becoming more frequent and dangerous. The political intrigue is more exciting, and we finally get some answers about what's really going on in Illea. Cass does a solid job of wrapping up the major plot threads and giving us a satisfying ending to America's journey.

The romance resolution was sweet (once it finally happened), and I appreciated seeing America grow into someone more confident and decisive. She's come a long way from the girl who entered the Selection, and that character development felt earned.

Minor spoiler: I'm sooo glad Aspen moved on, and even happier at who he chose to be with (but I can't reveal that, cause that's too much spoilers!).

Now, let's talk about my issues, and do I have thoughts.

The last few chapters felt like Cass was playing a game of "how many characters can I almost kill in rapid succession?" I'm not going to spoil who, but let me just say that I was getting whiplash from all the near-death experiences. It started feeling less like organic plot development and more like a checklist: ✓ Life-threatening injury #1, ✓ Life-threatening injury #2, ✓ Dramatic near-death scene #3...

My other major complaint: I kept looking at how many pages were left and thinking "wait, how is she going to resolve ALL of this in time?" There were still significant plot twists to unravel, character arcs to complete, and decisions to make, but the page count was dwindling fast. The ending felt slightly rushed because of this, like Cass was racing against her own word count to tie up loose ends.

BUT, and this is important, despite these issues, I still really enjoyed this conclusion. It's a good ending to the trilogy. America gets her character growth, the romance resolves satisfyingly, and the major questions get answered. It's not perfect, but it's more than solid, and after the mess that was The Elite, I'll take it with love!

If you've made it through the first two books, you owe it to yourself to finish the series. Just maybe prepare yourself for the "let's almost kill everyone" final act and the slightly rushed pacing.

4/5 pawprints 🐾🐾🐾🐾

You can find the book on Goodreads here!

Who I think this book is for: Fans who've invested in the series, readers who love royal romance with some made-up politics, and anyone who's been desperately waiting for America to JUST PICK SOMEONE ALREADY.

Reading order reminder: Don't skip the first two books, this won't make sense as a standalone!

Cheers, and happy reading!

The Book Pup

P.S. you can find my review for The Elite (book 2) here!!

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