Read With Jenna's February 2026 pick arrives just in time for Valentine's Day.
"'One & Only' by Maurene Goo is the perfect book for February. Not only is February the month of love, and this is a romance, but it's also one of the shortest months of the year — and this book flies," Jenna Bush Hager said. "You'll open it and you'll read it in one sitting."
In "One & Only," out Feb. 3, Cassia Park is a matchmaker who works for her family’s thriving Los Angeles business. The Park women have a secret: They can find a person’s fated based on their past lives.
"She believes in soulmates because it's her family business. She comes from a long line of women who can predict people's fated soulmate. Cassia knows who her soulmate is, and yet he can't be found," Jenna said.
"This is a book about fate versus free will, love and commitment, mother and daughters. It has a great love triangle. It's about writing our own story," she added
With "One & Only," Goo, a YA novelist, makes her adult debut. Speaking to TODAY, Goo said she's been seeking out books that make her happy. So, she decided to write one.
"All I knew was I really want to write something with romance at its core. I want it to be joyful and fun," she said.
Goo started to think about what else she wanted in a book: A protagonist in her 40s, a family element. But what was the story?
"I was sitting there thinking, I was like, 'Just stop thinking so hard. Just let the idea come to you.' And it came to me!" she says.
Enter: the "sprinkle of magic" that sets the story apart.
"I was thinking of a magic specific to Korean culture — matchmaking. They have have all these practices going back generations and generations," Goo said.
In the novel, the Park women can actually look into the past and see people’s soulmates. So while the book's protagonist knows who her own fated is, the man — Daniel Nam — can't be found. While she awaits her destiny, she ends up meeting an unexpected match in a younger man. Then she meets her new boyfriend's boss: Daniel. (Gasp!)
While reading, Goo said she hopes people really interrogate what they believe about soulmates.
"What if I had a soulmate and I knew it. What would I do about that? Would I believe it?" she said. "What actually is important in a love story?"