The one that I want

(Review originally posted at Fictionally Inclined.)

3.5 STARSThis is my first time doing a review where I actually took notes – beyond a random word here or there scribbled on a Post It – during the reading! It was quite fun; I think I'll be making a habit of it. I always try making mental notes, but that tends to fail me miserably. But then again, I can't make a note of every single thing that strikes my fancy while reading. I'm going to need to find a sort of balance. I think it should become fairly easy with a little practice, though.Let me preface review off by saying this: I feel like I'm committing YA sacrilege or something, but I don't love Jennifer Echols. I like her books; I really, really do. But try as I might, I just can't love them. All three of her books I've read so far are good, but they consistently fall short of my expectations. This was the case again with The One That I Want. It was cute, and I love how her main characters are always so unique. She has great quotes and a fantastic way of getting inside the characters' heads and really letting us feel their issues. They have all the right elements, but for some reason or another, her books just don't quite do it for me. Regardless, though, The One That I Want was a good read. Let's talk specifics (also: I get to break out some quotes! *dances).

Gemma (the MC). Gemma was an interesting character, though a little dramatic and overly sensitive. But I really felt for her a lot of the time with numerous issues because I had dealt with the exact same thing. The weight loss thing specifically. Gemma lost 48 pounds in the course of her weight loss journey, not all of which is cataloged in the book. I could relate a lot to her with things she discussed regarding her weight loss: her problems, the weirdness of people addressing it, etc. But also there were things like this:

❝The problem with pretending to be extroverted was that once I started, there was no telling what would come out of my mouth.❞

❝”Can I wait with you until your mom comes?”
YES. “You don't have to,” I said.❞

❝It was better that I didn't know too much about Max. The less I knew, the less I needed to forget.❞

❝He looked adorable when he did this, and I wanted to kick myself for thinking so.❞

actually

❝”Don't you want some of my fries, Gemma?” Addison pointed to her plate. “Or the rest of my milkshake? Gosh, I can't finish it all, but I'll bet you could.”❞

❝When you look at her, what you're really seeing is the girl you became friends with in the first place...❞

❝”I don't tell Addison no.”
“Why not?”
Because she's all I have.❞

❝If you don't have a goal, Gemma, you will never reach it.❞

is

won't

idea

Ooh ooh ooh, honey...