The Soulmate Equation

Dr. River Peña is the founder of GeneticAlly (the company behind matchmaking service DNADuo) and Jess’s love interest. River is in his mid-thirties and described as handsome. At the start of the book, Jess and Fizzy refer to him as “Americano” (7)—it being his regular order at the coffee shop Twiggs. Although Jess initially finds him “sullen,” “moody,” and “antisocial” (8-9), she continually physically reacts to him. Once they begin dating as a result of their match, Jess’s opinion begins to change. She comes to see him as “kind and thoughtful” (231) after he goes out of his way to do right by Juno and share his past (i.e., his bond with his late grandmother, his Abuela), realizing she had mistaken his shyness for meanness. River turns out to be the perfect partner for Jess, a Diamond Match despite their real score being slightly lower than they were led to believe.

Felicity Chen is Jess’s 34-year-old best friend, a charismatic romance novelist who often leads Jess to disaster despite her good intentions. Being around Fizzy makes Jess “feel simultaneously alive and dull” (24). Fizzy comforts Jess and helps her take care of Juno—despite dealing with her own heartbreak in the latter half of the book. As a supportive friend, she encourages Jess to pursue a love life, especially after River enters the picture. Fizzy also benefits from the situation, as it provides her with material for her novels.

Juno Davis is Jess’s seven-year-old daughter, whom she places above all else. She is affectionate, enthusiastic, and intuitive—as proven by her observations of and questions about Jess and River’s blossoming romance. Juno herself quickly takes to River as the two bond over their love of science. River asks Jess if he can formally adopt Juno shortly before she herself asks River to be her father—a proposal he gladly accepts.

Ronald and Joanne Davis are Jess’s grandparents, who helped raise her when her own mother proved unreliable due to drug addiction. They live in a bungalow behind Jess’s apartment building—which they also own—and often help her take care of Juno. Jess has a loving relationship with the pair, describing them as “the best people I’ve ever known” (197). While she relies on both Pops and Nana Jo, she views the former as the “strongest, steadiest person she knew” (207). Jess’s grandparents support everything she does and encourage her relationship with River from the start.

Jamie Davis is Jess’s absentee mother. Jess finds that her mother’s beauty has been dulled by a “lifetime of bad habits,” and looks back at her past behavior with resentment—this behavior including sporadically showing up to major life events while “reeking of cigarettes or marijuana” (78). She would also embarrass Jess by showing up to events with friends and being obnoxious. Jamie still occasionally appears in Jess’s life, but only to ask for money. Jess knows her mother will always pick drugs over family and constantly strives to be a better mother to Juno—sometimes to the point of obsession.

David Morris and Brandon Butkis are two central employees at GeneticAlly. David is the company’s CEO and head of research as well as the inventor of DNADuo (alongside River); he is described as an archetypal scientist. Brandon Butkis is the company’s head of marketing. David and Brandon are the main culprits behind Jess and River’s manipulated match data. Although River considers them trusted friends, they ultimately betray him to make GeneticAlly look better prior to its official launch.

Johan and Dotty Fuchs are GeneticAlly’s first ever Diamond Match—whose scores provide the groundwork for Jess and River’s manipulated score of 98. They are octogenarians who have been happily married for 63 years. With their score of 93, the couple shows Jess that soulmates do exist and GeneticAlly can provide the numbers to prove it.