Suzanne Redfearn’s The Wonder of One is the kind of book that makes you care about a character almost immediately. Vivien Kendall got under my skin and stayed there. She’s a character I’ll remember for a long time, and that’s when I know I’ve read a really good book!
Born with a large birthmark on her face, Vivien grows up in a world that can be unbelievably cruel to anyone who looks different. But The Wonder of One isn’t just a story about cruelty. It’s about resilience, found family, friendship, competition, prejudice, and the people who love us enough to help shape who we become.
5/5 Stars ★★★★★
Click to read the summary or to buy it on Amazon!
From the publisher: “From the #1 Amazon bestselling author of In an Instant comes an inspirational coming-of-age story about one extraordinary girl’s determination to chase a dream.“
Genre: Coming-of-Age, Women’s Fiction
Pages: 381
Publication Date: September 15, 2026
My Thoughts on The Wonder of One:
⛸️ Growing Up With Vivien
One of my favorite things about The Wonder of One was that it was truly a coming-of-age story, but not one confined to a small period of Vivien Kendall’s life. We get to follow her through the decades, seeing how the experiences of her younger years continue to shape the woman she becomes.
Vivien was such an easy character for me to care about. She is born with a large birthmark covering part of her face, and because of it, she experiences an incredible amount of cruelty and prejudice. So many people have a hard time seeing beyond her birthmark to the person she actually is.
That part of the story broke my heart. But it was also probably my favorite part of the book.
Vivien could have allowed the way people treated her to define her. Instead, those experiences helped make her stronger, more compassionate, and more determined. I loved watching her become the person she was meant to be despite all the people who tried to make her feel like she was somehow less.
As for the bully in the story? I wanted to punch him!
❤️ The Family You Find
This book is very much about found family. Vivien may experience plenty of cruelty, but she also has people in her life who show up for her, love her, and give her a place to belong.
I loved those relationships.
The characters surrounding Vivien were one of the strongest parts of the story for me because they reminded me that family isn’t always about who you’re related to. Sometimes it’s about the people who choose you and never stop!
🧊 The Competitive World of Figure Skating
I also really enjoyed the figure skating story line. I found the competitive side of figure skating fascinating, especially as Vivien tried to find her place in a world where appearance and perfection mattered so much. I love books with a sports element, so the fact that figure skating was such an important part of the story made me very happy.
🔎 A Little Mystery Makes Everything Better
As if Vivien’s story weren’t interesting enough on its own, Redfearn adds a murder mystery. That gave the book an entirely different kind of tension and kept me wondering how everything would eventually connect.
I thought the mystery blended really well with the coming-of-age portion of the story rather than feeling like two completely different books mashed together. The mystery and dual timelines also helped keep the pacing strong throughout the book.
🎧 Read It or Listen to It?
I did both! I read about half of The Wonder of One and listened to the other half, and the audio was extremely well done.
I love being able to switch back and forth between a physical or digital book and the audiobook when the narration works, and this was definitely one where it did.
If you’re an audiobook reader, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend listening to this one. If you have Kindle Unlimited, the audiobook is included.
🎀 What About the Ending?
The ending was incredibly well done. Everything came together at exactly the right time, and all of the loose ends were tied up without the conclusion feeling rushed or too perfectly packaged.
I especially appreciated the timing of the reveals. Redfearn didn’t give things away too early, but she also didn’t drag everything out simply for the sake of keeping the reader guessing. By the time I reached the final pages, I felt like Vivien’s story had been given the ending it deserved.
📝 Extra Credit Reading
If you loved The Wonder of One like I did, add these three books to your extra-credit reading list:
- Catch the Sun by Jennifer Hartmann | Buy on Amazon
- Read my full review here
- Why? If you loved watching Vivien grow up and become the person she was meant to be, Catch the Sun is another emotional coming-of-age story with characters you become completely invested in.
- The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston | Buy on Amazon
- Read my full review here
- Why? If the found-family aspect of The Wonder of One was one of your favorite parts, this is another story about the people who come into our lives, choose to love us, and eventually become family.
- Liberty Street by Heather Marshall | Buy on Amazon
- Read my full review here
- Why? If you liked the dual timelines and mystery woven through Vivien’s story, Liberty Street combines both while exploring how prejudice and society’s expectations can shape a woman’s life.
Disclosure: Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and Suzanne Redfearn for my advance copy of this book. This is my honest opinion.
Click to learn more about Suzanne Redfearn!
Let’s Chat:
Have you ever read a book where you became so attached to the main character that you felt personally offended when someone treated them badly?
Because apparently I was ready to climb right into The Wonder of One and deal with Vivien’s bully myself. 😂
Let me know in the comments!
