Review: The One That I Want by Jennifer Echols

The One That I Want by Jennifer Echols

Publication Date: February 7, 2012
Page Count: 259
Format: Paperback
Published by: Simon Pulse
Source: Bought

Synopsis From Goodreads:

Gemma can’t believe her luck when the star football player starts flirting with her. Max is totally swoon-worthy, and even gets her quirky sense of humor. So when he asks out her so-called best friend Addison, Gemma’s heartbroken.

Then Addison pressures Gemma to join the date with one of Max’s friends. But the more time they all spend together, the harder Gemma falls for Max. She can’t help thinking that Max likes her back—it’s just too bad he’s already dating Addison. How can Gemma get the guy she wants without going after her best friend’s boyfriend?

The One That I Want is super cute! It's full of drama and young teen angst, but still fun and lighthearted enough to be a quick and satisfying read.

The protagonist, Gemma, was very easy to like. After years of being overweight, she resolved to do something about it. I admired her determination to show the world the person she was on the inside. She spent years being insecure and playing second fiddle to her longtime friend Addison. After losing weight, Gemma gained confidence not only in her appearance, but in all aspects of her life. In discovering her own self-worth, Gemma was able to achieve the goals she set for herself and really shine.

As for Max - I don't know how to take him. He was adorable and really sweet. But he was a bit fickle (almost like a girl) and ran hot and cold with Gemma. He was completely confused over what to do with his 'like' of Gemma as he got to know her better. He was pretty straight forward, and voiced his opinions and thoughts honestly on every subject (except Gemma!) His lack of a filter also caused him a ton of troubles, especially when it came to girls.

Gemma's love/hate relationship with her BFF/worst enemy Addison was hard to read about. It took a lot of patience on my part not to reach into the book and slap Addison. However, with a few pointed words from Max, Gemma was finally able to do something about her messed up friendship with Addison. I was so happy when Gemma finally felt secure and worthy enough that she didn't have to limit her friendships to only Addison.

It was a bit frustrating at times, knowing that Gemma and Max liked each other, but neither one had enough confidence to voice their true feelings. They had a really nice connection as friends, and they had such wonderful moments when it was just the two of them that it made me want something more for them.

Even though this is not my all time favorite Jennifer Echols book, I thought it was really charming and fun and definitely worth reading. The writing is great, of course, and the characters are diverse and interesting. Echols always manages to write characters that you feel compelled to root for. The story was a bit predictable at times, but it had cute moments that I really enjoyed. The One That I Want is a clean read that is fun and light and left me feeling quite happy.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars