The One That I Want

Jan 02, 2012 ♥Rachel♥ rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle

Gemma Van Cleve has just auditioned to be a Majorette at the prodding of her "so-called" best friend, Addison. Gemma has been preparing for this tryout by practicing, and by losing thirty pounds in the last five months. Gemma doesn't feel confident that she'll make it on the team because only the popular make the majorette squad, but she aces the tryout, much to her surprise, and lands on the team. While training at majorette camp she spots a football player, Max staring her way throughout the p...more Gemma Van Cleve has just auditioned to be a Majorette at the prodding of her "so-called" best friend, Addison. Gemma has been preparing for this tryout by practicing, and by losing thirty pounds in the last five months. Gemma doesn't feel confident that she'll make it on the team because only the popular make the majorette squad, but she aces the tryout, much to her surprise, and lands on the team. While training at majorette camp she spots a football player, Max staring her way throughout the practice. She can't believe he's paying attention to her because he's gorgeous, but he keeps staring in her direction. When practice is over, Addison convinces her to go with her and talk to Max with her. Of course, Addison assumes Max was staring at her, not Gemma and somehow he becomes Addison's pursuit. They end up going to a restaurant after practice with Max and his friend, Carter and somehow Gemma is paired up with Carter, and Addison is paired up with Max.

Normally, I would stay away from this type of scenario in a book because it sounds frustrating, but I've loved anything I've read of Jennifer Echols so I gave this a go. Max is supposed to be paired with Addison, but throughout the book the connection between Gemma and him is obvious. They connect as friends and more. Normally you'd feel bad this was happening when Max is supposed to be the best-friends boyfriend but trust me, Addison is no best-friend! When you get to the bottom of this story, then you'll really don't feel bad, at all! Addison is horrible, most of the book I wanted to choke her! Such a self-centered, shallow, cruel girl! She is queen of the backhanded compliment, and outright insult. You find out that Gemma is friends with her because she feels she has no one else. Her weight made her self esteem non-existent. However, this starts to change when she makes a new friend, and starts to excel on the majorette squad. Max also helps with these changes by challenging her thinking. Gemma on the other hand helps Max with his issues too, they're both good for each other.

Although, this story was not my favorite of Echols, I still would recommend it. It was an easy and cute read, one you could get through in a sitting. I look forward to the next Jennifer Echols book!
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Jan 28, 2012 Melannie :) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: most-anticipated, completely-contemp-challenge-2012, read-2012

review to come

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Dec 14, 2011 Tammara added it

Gemma is a girl on a quest to find herself. She's managed to be the girl everyone else wants her to be or thinks she is - for years, she's been BFFs with Addison, the poorest excuse for a friend ever, because their mothers were friends and it seemed expected. It's not like anyone else was stepping up to the plate... except maybe Robert, who Gemma's been crushing on for years.

Then Gemma tries out to be a majorette. She knows she's got the routine down. She will nail it. And then she'll flip off t...more Gemma is a girl on a quest to find herself. She's managed to be the girl everyone else wants her to be or thinks she is - for years, she's been BFFs with Addison, the poorest excuse for a friend ever, because their mothers were friends and it seemed expected. It's not like anyone else was stepping up to the plate... except maybe Robert, who Gemma's been crushing on for years.

Then Gemma tries out to be a majorette. She knows she's got the routine down. She will nail it. And then she'll flip off the whole audience and walk off the stage. Because Gemma's a little "heavy" (though she's lost some weight recently), and that doesn't generally translate to majorette.

Three things trip up her plan: (1) Robert shows his a-hole colors by giving her a sympathy card with a scribbled note berating her for caving to social pressure. (My first thought: Robert is a boy who's been shoved into one too many lockers by one too many football players...and he's taking it out on his friend? Small, dude.) I dismissed Robert. (2) She makes a new friend, Delilah - stereotypical-seeming tiny perky baton-twirling person - right before her tryout. But Delilah is sweet and encouraging...unlike Gemma's faux BFF, Addison. (3) Gemma kicks ASS onstage. She kicks everyone's ass, the crowd goes wild, and Gemma finds herself a serious contender for something she clearly wants.

At Majorette Camp, it's time for her to dump Addison and buddy up to Delilah, right? Wrong. Old habits die hard. And when two boys attending Football Camp at the other end of the stadium saunter over to introduce themselves, Gemma lets Addison prance off with the boy who's been staring at her all day (a first for Gemma), the one that she wants, Max. (At this point I really wanted to choke one of them, and I wasn't sure which one!)

Gemma and leftover boy, Carter, make a half-hearted go of things as the four of them begin to meet up and go out. It's clear from the get-go that the wrong people are matched, but Addison certainly seems to want to make things work pretty badly - with the boy her BFF is clearly pining for. (Again with the desire to choke someone.)

The pervasive question throughout: Is Gemma ever going to put her foot down and say what she wants? (The other question: Am I going to figure out how to reach into my Kindle and snatch somebody bald-headed *cough* Addison *cough cough* for being such a selfish grade-A beeotch??)(less)

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Dec 11, 2011 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Maggie & Noelle

Shelves: autobuy, awesome-brain-candy, disco-chicken, contemporary-ya, preordered, dec-2011, fun-reads, music

I'm convinced the writer of the book description never read this book. The book description just makes it sound like a generic teen book with no substance and there's actually a lot going on in this one, especially with the realistic love hate relationship between Gemma and her best friend.

Super cute, vintage Jen Echols read. I had hoped it'd be more of a romcom like Major Crush, but it was still a fun, satisfying read that I finished in one evening. I enjoyed this more than her other 2011 relea...more

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Dec 08, 2011 khungkhing rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

"The One That I Want" is a second book of Jennifer Echols that I read; I think I like it (at least more than "Forget You") ... I guess.

I have to say that from the beginning of the book is so boring. I wanted to stop several times but it's getting better when Gemma meets Max. But it's also annoying. I don't know what's the matter with those two and I don't want to try to figure it out. However, the thing that happens between Gemma and Max keeps the story going. It makes me smile and roll my eyes....more

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Feb 19, 2012 Bethany rated it 2 of 5 stars

The One That I want was a cute quick read. Not one of my favorite books by Jennifer Echols but still good. The characters in the books didn’t treat their friends very well, and I think that kind of turned me off to the book some.

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Feb 29, 2012 Shawn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, signed-copies, excited-to-read, from-the-author, favorite-authors, 2012-reads

Gemma was always the "bigger girl" and the butt to her friends jokes. But when she makes the decision to finally do something about it so that she can fit into her majorette uniform, she discovers that life is no less complicated when you're skinny. In fact, when she meets Max things become more complicated than she could ever imagine. And not just because he's her school's rival team's kicker. Addison, her best friend (if that's what you could call her) has her eyes on Max too and complicated d...more

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Apr 07, 2012 Alona rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, e-book, chick-lit, 2011

I love the cover of this book! It reminded me of Heartstrings. And knowing I'm high with mushy madness (a.k.a drama-emotera mode) I didn't let this one pass.

I enjoy reading YA contemporaries with sports and school as its milieu. Although I get sick of it at times, it would always be part of my top reads. The One That I Want by Jennifer Echols is one of those books that would leave you smiling hours after reading it. It might be a typical high school story but Jennifer Echols pulls you into a wo...more

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Dec 20, 2011 Rachel Harris rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: made-me-laugh, wish-i-wrote-it, favorites

Pretty much anything Jennifer Echols writes will end up in my "Favorites" and "Wish I Wrote It" shelves. Whether it is one of her romantic dramas or a romantic comedy, she just gets teens, gets women, and gets *me*.

I inhaled this book--and quickly reread most of it again--within a few hours, loving the witty banter between Gemma and Max. To me, this book is like a "How to 101" for every writer worried about obvious premises or concepts that may've been explored before. The gist of this story is...more Pretty much anything Jennifer Echols writes will end up in my "Favorites" and "Wish I Wrote It" shelves. Whether it is one of her romantic dramas or a romantic comedy, she just gets teens, gets women, and gets *me*.

I inhaled this book--and quickly reread most of it again--within a few hours, loving the witty banter between Gemma and Max. To me, this book is like a "How to 101" for every writer worried about obvious premises or concepts that may've been explored before. The gist of this story is nothing new. You pretty much knew on every page what was happening and what will happen. BUT YOU DON'T CARE! She throws in a fun new twist like majorettes, something not commonly explored (but did remind me a lot of Major Crush), and keeps it fun with great writing and characters you care for, and it doesn't matter that you've seen this particular story before. Nothing is really new under the sun, after all, so all you can do is write the best story you can and pour life into your pages, and readers will flock to it in droves.

Now onto the characters. Gemma = love. She's a rock star, honestly. Loved the purple streaks, loved her self-awareness. Her struggle with weight is probably something every girl/woman can relate to, and don't even get me started on her relationship with Addison. Actually, let's explore that. What is up with every woman in America, and probably the world, having best friends like this girl? I know I did! I want to go back in time and slap myself for putting up with this particular friend's behavior and lingering effect I let her have on my self-esteem, but at the time I just rolled over and took it. I loved that Jennifer could relate to this experience I had, and I immediately understood Gemma's plight and rooted for her to overcome something I never had the guts to do. And in the end, I must confess, I so do a fist pump the air.

Max, Max, Max. How I love thee. I loved that he was Japanese, I loved his humor, I loved how sexy he was, and I loved his mojo. His family kicked a$$, and his freaky insight into Gemma's psyche--while perhaps a bit elevated for high school and slightly felt like a plot device to get the reader to realize what was going on in her head--made him defy stereotype. He was the funny, hot, smart, sensitive, athlete. But lest you think he is Mr. Perfect and therefore completely unrealistic, Jennifer throws in his ability to say the exact wrong thing at the exact wrong time and his touch of anger issues, and he's right back in the world of believability.

The supporting characters were varied and realistic. I felt like I was back in high school. Simply put, Jennifer Echols' writing makes me happy, and you will regret it if you do not pick this book, and any other book she has written or ever will write, up. CANNOT wait for SUCH A RUSH :-)

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Mar 03, 2012 Fred rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a witty and wry story of two friends, one of whom (our lovable MC Gemma) is growing up, moving on and getting it together. The other one(her frenemy Addison)seems mostly motivated by a desire to sabotage, subvert and otherwise sidetrack Gemma's progress. Oooh, she is so irritating, that one! I love Jennifer Echol's romantic comedies, and this one is one of the best. I think what I liked most about it was that the plot problems (miscommunication, crazy schemes that backfire, "I'll show hi...more

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Mar 28, 2013 Jamie rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was a quick, sweet read. My first by Jennifer Echols. I'm not a huge YA book reader, but I felt like i wanted to reminisce about high school and the awkwardness of it. Lol.

Summary:
Gemma is a quirky junior high student. We fare first introduced to her at the end of her sophomore year when she is trying out for the majorettes. She doesn't really want to try, but was sort of badgered into it by her friend, Addison (more of a frenemy). Gemma has lost some weight and its causing havoc in all her...more This was a quick, sweet read. My first by Jennifer Echols. I'm not a huge YA book reader, but I felt like i wanted to reminisce about high school and the awkwardness of it. Lol.

Summary:
Gemma is a quirky junior high student. We fare first introduced to her at the end of her sophomore year when she is trying out for the majorettes. She doesn't really want to try, but was sort of badgered into it by her friend, Addison (more of a frenemy). Gemma has lost some weight and its causing havoc in all her relationships, but she's determined to not look like a fool. To her surprise, she's chosen for the line, so she vows to lose the rest of her weight over summer. Flash forward to the end of summer and her and Addison are at twirl camp. Gemma is eyeing a high school football player who happens to be at camp on the other side of the stadium. She swears he sees her as well, but is not confident enough to say for sure. Her non-friend Addison notices Gemma's interest in the kicker, Max, so proceeds to run over with Gemma in tow and flirt with him and his friend Carter. They all go out for some food, and while Gemma leaves the table, is told by Addison that Max asked her on a date and she is going out with Carter. Although Gemma hates this idea, she doesn't ever say no to Addison. She's all she has. The girls follow through with a couple of double dates with the boys with Gemma making a bigger connection with Max and Addison making one with Carter. Tensions rise, but it seems everyone is to afraid or jealous to admit that they are with the wrong people, so the charade continues. Eventually, Gemma realizes that she cant keep seeing Carter just to spend time with Max, so she goes to see Max one more time. They end up making out then getting into a huge fight over Gemma's unhealthy anger over Addison lying to get her way instead of focusing on her feelings for Max. The next day is the first game of the season and when head majorette-elect is determined. Can Gemma come to terms with the relationships in her life and come through with the boy she loves?

I enjoyed the characters. I would have liked it a little more if we got a little of Max's POV. It wasn't an earth shattering read for me, but it did keep my interest. I would read it again in future.(less)

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Feb 07, 2013 Monique rated it 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars.

This was the first Jennifer Echols book I've read. The book description made me a bit weary (Do I want to read about a girl wanting her friend's boyfriend? I had a really hard time when I first read Something Borrowed). But I was pleasantly surprised with the story.

I loved Gemma despite my frustration with her at times. I loved her style and readiness to be herself (although in a covert way), and how she silently rebels with her individuality.

She has some big issues to work through at...more

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Jan 27, 2013 Anesha †Curious & Obsessive Bookworm† rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: sports, high-school, favourite

I love this book. Simple.

I did hate how lie and manipulative the best friend, Addison was. She was such a bitch and needed to be put in her place.

I enjoyed how things happen (even the bad) because in my point of view, I felt that Gemma wouldn't have showed her true self to Max if she thought he truly liked her so in the end, even if things were a HUGE misunderstanding (thanks to Addison <_<) it all turned out for the best.

I love the bluntness of Max, and I have a fetish for Asian guys so b...more

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Aug 19, 2012 joel ^ bookworm rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorite

It’s my first Jennifer Echols’s book. Actually, I want to read her books since a long time ago because of their cover. Yes, though some friends of mine called me a verbal person, but I don’t refuse that I love visual stuff too. Including, book cover. I adore cute-romantic-beautiful book cover. I often pick a book because of its cover. And, I truly believe that Jennifer’s book cover is one reason I want to read them.

The One That I Want tells about Gemma van Cleve who has an experience to be over...more It’s my first Jennifer Echols’s book. Actually, I want to read her books since a long time ago because of their cover. Yes, though some friends of mine called me a verbal person, but I don’t refuse that I love visual stuff too. Including, book cover. I adore cute-romantic-beautiful book cover. I often pick a book because of its cover. And, I truly believe that Jennifer’s book cover is one reason I want to read them.

The One That I Want tells about Gemma van Cleve who has an experience to be overweight girl. She worked hard to decrease her weight and she succeed, up to 48 pound! Amazing job. From the beginning, her main goal is achieve her best performance as majorette on marching band team. Of course, she also has the courage from her best friend, Addison, though in negative way. Sadly, though she can raise her confidence level, she still doesn’t believe that there is any guy out there meant to be her boyfriend. Neither did Robert, her childhood friend who is already on her radar for so long time. Unfortunately, Robert never fell into her. He just made fun of her. Neither did Max Hirayama, a cute Asian boy who stole her heart since the first time she saw him across the field when she is on band-camp.

I had assumed I was imagining things. Boys did not look at me. They saw through me.

So, when Max comes closer, Gemma thinks that he comes to Addison. She always aware that in a battle with Addison over a boy, Addison will always win. Furthermore, the situation become more complicated when Gemma has been trapped on a few double-date series. Gemma and Carter. Addison and Max. Weird!

Wew. I agree with Jocelyn (played by Helent Hunt) on The Jane Austen Book Club the movie when she said that “High School never ends”. Reading this book, my memory flew back a couple years ago when I still in the high school. Everything seemed easy and difficult at the same time. I could shine through my academic performance but failed on my love life. I never thought that there was a girl for me back in High School. Haha. Shame on me.

Whatever, I love this book. The awkward moment between Gemma and Max continuously chills me out. I barely had no patience while both of them stay under the blanket. I am so tense when waiting for their confession that they are into each other. I am biting my bottom lip while they kept silent. Wake up, buddy! Shout your heart out loud! Geez!

Oops, Jennifer teased me badly.

Beside that, this novel also bring a deep morality messages. One of them is about your motivation to change yourself. You must know what is the main goal that you want to achieve. Because if you don’t set that goal, you’ll never know the limit of your work. Because, darling, every thing has limit in this world. Don’t push yourself too hard.
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Jul 05, 2012 Quinessa rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 09, 2012 Majibookshelf Juhina & Farah rated it 4 of 5 stars

As soon as I found out Jennifer Echols has a new Simone Pulse release, I had to get it ASAP, and I did, on its release I instantly got it and read it. I am a huge fan of Jennifer Echols, especially her Simone Pulse novels so I had high expectations for it.
While I wasn't disappointed, this isn't my favorite read my Jennifer Echols. This is partly to the plot; it was a bit too simple and the whole miscommunication that caused the whole misunderstanding. I just hoped there was a bit more to it. No...more As soon as I found out Jennifer Echols has a new Simone Pulse release, I had to get it ASAP, and I did, on its release I instantly got it and read it. I am a huge fan of Jennifer Echols, especially her Simone Pulse novels so I had high expectations for it.
While I wasn't disappointed, this isn't my favorite read my Jennifer Echols. This is partly to the plot; it was a bit too simple and the whole miscommunication that caused the whole misunderstanding. I just hoped there was a bit more to it. Nonetheless, The One That I Want was cute cute cute! and you can definitely feel Jennifer Echol's style of writing.
This is the story: Gemma sees a guy that she is interested in, she felt the same vibes from him, but her oh lovely best friend gets in between and announces that they're double dating! Addison and Max with Gemma and Max's friend.. wait. what? hold up. Didn't Gemma already tell Addison that she's interested in Max? Addison, you are officially crowned the worst best friend award of the year, and trust me, you had some hard competition (Addison Blakly's best friend, Corrine's best friend, etc). It just amazes me the superficiality of so many friendships in books lately, and I honestly understand where they're coming from. I've had a best friend for over 10 years, but last year we had a fall out, and that's it, it's over. While you might not be able to see yourself letting go, sometimes its for the best, and I just hope that some of the protagonists see that before having to go through years of "supposed" friendship.
Throughout the whole book all I am thinking is "Make the first move! god you two are just wusses! you like each other!" This sort of hesitation and just "missed opportunities" annoyed the hell out of me. I mean why would Gemma care about Addison's feelings when obviously the only feelings Addison cares about is her own? yes, this is what makes our protagonist a better person than Addison, but still, be selfish! get what you want!
The book definitely had its cute moments with Max and Gemma, its frustrating moments with Addison and Gemma, and its awkward moments with Gemma and Max's best friend. Oh and did I mention Max is Japanese? Sugoi! daisuke desu! I love how Jennifer Echols deviated from the usual love interest, and a Japanese? let me just say I am a HUGE fan of the Japanese culture so that brought a smile to my face!
This is a book for all contemporary lovers, Jennifer Echols knows how to please her readers and she did it again in The One That I Want. (less)

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Jun 06, 2012 Sumaya rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 18, 2012 kari rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, ya

4.5 stars
I think this one really appealed to me because I was both a member of the band (please note I do not use the term band geek) and a member of the drill team who marched with the band, did kicklines, dance routines, pom pom routines and we were known for being one of the best in the state, thank you very much.
So, this story brought back a lot of memories. Also, twirlers, please note that I do know there is a vast difference between being a twirler and being a pom pom girl. So no need to c...more

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May 16, 2012 →kelly♥[: rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-book, breathtaking-cover, cute-romance, wishlist-later

My Rating: 3.0

I love all Jennifer Echol's books, especially Going Too Far, so when I saw The One That I Want on Barnes & Noble's bookshelves, especially with the gorgeous cover (that I have to hide from friends because they'll be thinking what the hell is Kelly reading?), I just knew I had to read this book.

The One That I Want isn't as good as Going Too Far, but still stood out on it's own because readers can relate to Gemma. Gemma is stuck with a so-called "best friend" named Addison whos

...more

My Rating: 3.0

I love all Jennifer Echol's books, especially Going Too Far, so when I saw The One That I Want on Barnes & Noble's bookshelves, especially with the gorgeous cover (that I have to hide from friends because they'll be thinking what the hell is Kelly reading?), I just knew I had to read this book.

The One That I Want isn't as good as Going Too Far, but still stood out on it's own because readers can relate to Gemma. Gemma is stuck with a so-called "best friend" named Addison whose favorite hobby is to backstab and make fun of her every chance she got, revealing things Gemma didn't want other people knowing to make herself look better. Having dealing with a "best friend" of my own in the past exactly like Addison, I could relate to Gemma and understand what she was dealing with and all her insecurities, especially with the way she looks. (I can relate to Gemma's weight loss insecurities having loss a lot of weight myself.)

Like all Jennifer Echol's other books, The One That I Want is filled with miscommunication, revenge stunts, crazy schemes, and endless pride. (The pride one is always a kicker.) The one thing that was added into this book was the concept of stereotype looks. (view spoiler)

The only thing that didn't click for me in The One That I Want is the way Gemma and Max interacts when they were getting to know each other. Gemma is fifteen, a sophomore in high school, while Max is a junior in high school. The way Gemma and Max talk - and argue - is too deep for a high school student their ages; hell I'm a senior in high school and seventeen years old and it took me a long time to get how deep their arguments are. I think Jennifer Echols should have made the characters a bit older, probably close to seniors in high school.

And the one thing that I couldn't help but winkle my nose at (I know, cute imagary going on there) is when Gemma and Max claim they love each other when they had only known each other for three weeks without being on a single date alone. That shot warning bells in my head, (ding ding ding!!!) especially when they are only just fifteen and sixteen. Hell, if my fifteen year old little sister told me she loved a guy that she knew for three weeks and never went with a single date with them, I would be very, very, worried. (So worried I might lock her up.)

Overall, The One That I Want is cute, amusing, and a light fluffy romance read. If you're looking for something that's deeper than just a simple relationship, you won't find it here. If you're looking for a very gorgeous cover that tempts you to buy the book, however, you'll find it here.

ohdamnbooks: the one that i want

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Apr 19, 2012 Grace rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: dnf, ya, romance

This was a DNF because of the writing and the incredibly unlikable characters. What was wrong with this book was that the main character was so negative and disliked other people so much that it was really not that hard to see why all her friends disliked her (although she clearly didn't get it). Let's see, she had a pseudo-best friend who was always trying to one-up her and stab her in the back (in her own words), and a psuedo-guy friend who boos her in front of the whole school? And in her min...more

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Feb 27, 2012 Jessica at Book Sake rated it 4 of 5 stars

With each book of Jennifer Echols’ that I read, I enjoy contemporary YA books more and more. The One That I Want is a quirky, fun, romantic read with a lead character that is both the underdog and the clear winner at once. Gemma is worthy of us to root for the entire way through and any moments that she has that may give us doubt are short lived as she is just a good person through and through. Yes, she has her flaws, but she works on fixing them herself and is able to achieve her goals. While t...more

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Feb 23, 2012 Katie added it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, for-review, signed-books

When I picked this up, I was in the mood for something light and romantic and heavy on all of that overdramatic teenge angst and that was exactly what I got. The One That I Want seems vastly different from the author's titles with MTV Books, but I'm sort of starting to realize that Jennifer Echols could write a 400 page novel about moldy cheese and it'd probably be just as entertaining and sexy as her other books are.

I loved Gemma and Max, partly because they were such spirited characters and pa...more

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Feb 12, 2012 Melissa rated it 5 of 5 stars

LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. You see out now alot of YA books that have the girl who is in love with her best friends boyfriend right now but Jennifer Echols beats them all by a landslide! She is an awesome author who makes you feel like you are in the book and her books seem real to me. Her books stand out because they are the same but different. You can relate to her characters so much more awesome and real!!!

Gemma is who every girl can relate to. She is overweight and has it reminded to hr everyday by h...more

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Feb 09, 2012 Liza Wiemer added it

I seriously think that Jennifer Echols walked around with a secret recording devise to capture the lives of these YA in THE ONE THAT I WANT. I am certain that there are girls all around this country in high schools everywhere who are like Gemma and Addison. Gemma is the "fat" unique girl who's lost weight and decided to try out for majorette (substitute any sport or musical or play etc). Her "best friend" Addison was the one encouraging Gemma to try out, knowing that Gemma most likely wouldn't m...more

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Feb 02, 2012 Rachel rated it 2 of 5 stars

Review posted on my blog.

Gemma and Addison have been the best of friends since they were ten. Having lost both their fathers in a divorce, Gemma’s mom thought it would be nice for her daughter to have someone to confide into. So ever since then, they did everything together. Or more like, Gemma did everything Addison wanted her to.

In other young adult books, it’s usually the richer ‘BFF’ who gets to order around the other less richer ‘BFF’. But in Gemma and Addison’s case, it’s the other way aro...more Review posted on my blog.

Gemma and Addison have been the best of friends since they were ten. Having lost both their fathers in a divorce, Gemma’s mom thought it would be nice for her daughter to have someone to confide into. So ever since then, they did everything together. Or more like, Gemma did everything Addison wanted her to.

In other young adult books, it’s usually the richer ‘BFF’ who gets to order around the other less richer ‘BFF’. But in Gemma and Addison’s case, it’s the other way around. Partially it’s because Addison has always been the more outgoing and pretty one while Gemma has always been ugly, fat friend although she’s lost so much weight now that they’re older. But more than that, it’s because since Gemma’s father left her family, she’s been afraid of being left alone again, so she puts up with Addison no matter how horrible her attitude is.

Gemma and Addison might call themselves bestfriends but inside, they’re best enemies too. They are very competitive with each other. Like when they were kids, they had baton lessons together. When Addison grew tired from it, she quit. But sometime later, when she found out that Gemma was trying out to become a majorette, she did so as well. Addison is also extremely selfish. She says embarrassing things about Gemma in front of her and other people. There’s also a scene where she purposely hit (though not entirely obvious) Gemma on the nose with her baton to embarrass her in front of two hotties. She later dragged Gemma to the boys and started flirting with the guy Gemma had her eyes on. Addison never apologized for hitting her, or for other horrible things she did. She also appears to be extremely ignorant and mostly, just shrugs off the horrible things she’s done.

I think Addison’s attitude is too extreme to be real. It seems as if she was created for the sole purpose of annoying the readers. Gemma, on the other hand, is an okay character. But she isn’t all that easy to like nor was she a relatable character. Though I appreciate the romance between her and Max. The development was smooth and just at the right time. Max’s family is probably one of the very few likable parts in the book. They are very fun and you’ll just want to read more about them. I think the ending is also very fitting for the book. Oh, and did I mention about that hot and heavy scene between Gemma and Max? Well, it was just that. Hot and heavy. But, I’ve always known Jennifer Echols is awesome at writing sexual tension and hot and heavy scenes.
As always, Echols’s books are easy and quick to read. I love her books even though some of them have struck a nerve. I just wish she would start writing about lovable characters instead of dislikable, annoying ones.

Rating: 2.5/5 stars(less)

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Jan 13, 2012 Kate rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, young-adult

This book reads much like the first draft of what might have otherwise been an ok book. The sheer technical aspects of it made me crazy. Everything just sounded clunky in my head. For a group of teenagers, there was sure a lot of formal sounding talk. And by that I mean: where the heck are the contractions? And none of the dialogue, what little of it there seemed to be, had any kind of a natural flow. For example: "And now that you've pointed it out, I feel ashamed about my reaction to the bear....more This book reads much like the first draft of what might have otherwise been an ok book. The sheer technical aspects of it made me crazy. Everything just sounded clunky in my head. For a group of teenagers, there was sure a lot of formal sounding talk. And by that I mean: where the heck are the contractions? And none of the dialogue, what little of it there seemed to be, had any kind of a natural flow. For example: "And now that you've pointed it out, I feel ashamed about my reaction to the bear. I should have more appreciation for the bear." And that's just the shortest example I could remember. Everything was told to me and nothing shown. This was especially a problem in the beginning of the book, because the first fifty pages take place inside Gemma's head. There were also weird research issues. Like, anybody who owns an Aston Martin (which, to me, felt like someone randomly googled rich person car), knows that they have the world's tiniest, most non-existent back seat. And yet you're going to offer a boy who you keep emphasizing his height a ride to his car in it when someone else is driving and when you think you're still big?

Then there were the characters. Gemma was completely unsympathetic for me. And I felt like I was being beaten over the head with the fact that she was omg so unconventional. At first, I thought it was setting up what could have been an interesting plot about a girl who is deliberately unconventional to make up for the fact that nobody in the conventional crowd is into her. But no, Gemma is quirky with purple hair and vintage clothes. And she used to be overweight but now she's a militant eater and has lost all this weight. She's also really wealthy, but for reasons that aren't explained, embarrassed by this. Sure, it's cool to get a shiny red Mercedes for her birthday, but heaven forbid someone see her big house. It wasn't consistent. She's also the most perfect baton twirler to ever twirl a baton, even though it's no big deal. In the end she stands up for herself, but it was such a convoluted thing that it didn't pack any punch for me.

Addison was just wretched. There was no redeeming quality abut her. And that's frustrating because where is the moral dilemma in stealing your best friend's boyfriend if the best friend is so CLEARLY not even a friend, let alone a best friend? The other football player (I just finished this book twenty minutes ago and can't remember his name) was not much better. And then there was Max, who could have been a good character but for some reason was just not at all interesting for me.

Plus, the relationships between all of these characters was barely even puddle deep. I didn't see a connection between any of them outside of what I was told about it, and even then. I don't know. It all just felt so very, very forced.

Like I said, this book had some potential. I think that if it had been a little longer, a little more focused, and better edited I might have been looking at at least three stars. But as it stands, I just really didn't enjoy this. There was none of the depth you'd expect from a plot like this one (Seriously, for once let's have two girls who are genuine friends and who genuinely love and care for each other fall for the same guy and watch that disaster unfold). Perhaps it was intended for a much younger reader than most of the contemporary YA I've read, but judging by a few of the scenes I kind of doubt it. (less)

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Jan 01, 2012 Katrina Passick Lumsden rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Cute, predictable, light and fluffy. Ms. Echols, once again, does not disappoint in the humor department. Sadly, however, she again had a hard time delivering on the drama. It's just never real believable, and it almost always leaves a bad taste in my mouth because it usually involves a misunderstanding directly following some dialogue dissecting a misunderstanding. It's like the characters are too dumb to remember what they just talked about and it makes me a little less sympathetic toward char...more

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Dec 12, 2011 Doreen rated it 1 of 5 stars

I'm sorry what is this? Am I supposed to like this? Well, I absolutely love Jennifer Echols. I read endless summer and love story and forget you. I was over the moon for those books but then I picked up this one. It is about some girl who continuously points out the fact that she is fat and has horrible friends. Umm I understand that weight is a soft spot considering the world we live in where girls are pressured to be size 00 but let me just say there are people out there like me who have no ho...more

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Dec 11, 2011 Kayla rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: chick-lit, romance

The book description doesn't do it justice. I picked this book, thinking it would be a typical lovey dovey story about a girl falling for her best friend's boyfriend and whatnot. To be honest, I got it because I liked the cover.

And I don't regret doing that because I would have missed on such a great book.

Gemma was really interesting to read. She used to be fat, was/is self-conscious, lost around 30-50 pounds, went to majorette try-outs, got the part and had a new social life. She's got insecur...more

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Dec 08, 2011 Katy rated it 2 of 5 stars

I'm a HUGE Jennifer Echols fan, but unfortunately, this book ended up being a huge disappointment for me.

First of all, from the summary, I thought I was going to be reading about a girl, her best friend, a guy they both liked and the guilt, hard feelings or whatever associated with her indecision to go after him. That was not the case. From the first chapter, Gemma talks about how horrible Addison is and how she was basically forced (first by their mothers and then by convenience) to be her best...more

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