Review: The One That I Want by Jennifer Echols

SUMMARY FROM GOODREADS:

Matchmaking gets mixed up in this all-original eBook addition to The Romantic Comedies series!
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?

MY TAKE:
This isn't as poignant as, say, the better Sarah Dessen novels, but if you're looking for a light, summer read, this might just be the book for you.

In The One That I Want, Gemma sees Max across the field and thinks he might be into her. However, her friend Addison decides she wants Max for herself and stakes her claim. To complicate matters, Max's friend Carter becomes Gemma's date even though he really likes Addison.

From the blurb, I thought this would be a heart-wrenching story. Normally, I would be against anyone stealing anyone's significant other. However, in this story, that term doesn't really apply. Also, if Gemma had grown a backbone earlier, this would have been a much, much shorter story.

Addison is Gemma's best friend in name only. In reality, she's a self-serving, attention-craving, toxic person. She is Regina George, minus the Mean Girls happy ending. This made it so very easy for me to not want her to be with Max.

As for the other characters, I liked Gemma and Max. Max seemed like a cool guy, and I think had he been real, we would have been friends. Gemma was a fun girl too. She still has low self-esteem, though, which can be tough to watch, especially when Addison was being terrible to her.

I got some Sarah Dessen's Keeping the Moon vibes from this book, mainly because of Gemma's weight loss, her hair color, and her complicated relationship with her mother. Some of Gemma's thoughts also seemed like something Colie would think. However, this isn't a derivative work. This is more of a romance book, with the personal transformation being a secondary focus. If you liked Keeping the Moon, though, you might enjoy this one too.

THE GOOD:

1. Max seems like a cool guy.
2. You'll learn a lot about majorettes and football.
3. It emphasizes how even your close friends can be bullies and you shouldn't keep them around if treat you like that. 

THE BAD:

1. I don't think it was a particularly memorable book.

READ IT IF:

1. You are or dream of becoming a majorette.
2. You have lost a significant amount of weight but still have low self-esteem.
3. You have a toxic friend. 

RATING:


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