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You're The One That I Dont Want

3.47 of 5 stars 3.47 · rating details · 1,753 ratings · 171 reviews

What if you found your soulmate...
and then discovered you couldn’t lose him?

When Lucy meets Nate aged 18, it is love at first sight. As far as she’s concerned, he’s The One. Caught up in the whirlwind of first love, they kiss under the Bridge of Sighs in Venice at sunset and – according to the legend – are tied together indefinitely.

But ten years later, they’ve almost for...more

Paperback, 387 pages

Published June 1st 2010 by Hodder & Stoughton

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Mar 08, 2013 Vanessa Wester rated it 5 of 5 stars

I am the kind of reader that has moods... I read anything and everything, but I definitely read different types of books depending on what I "need" to read (if that makes sense). Well, at the moment I need to read chick lit... And this one was superb!

Ever since I watched the movie "Only you" years ago I have loved all the fate or destiny stuff... "When Harry Met Sally" being another classic... And "Sleepless in Seattle" another great.

This story was all those combined... The power of fate, with a...more

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Nov 15, 2012 Sarah Dane rated it 4 of 5 stars

What a nice story, it makes you wonder and reflect after reading. However, I can't imagine the characters since they're not described in details.

Catching lines

“That life can change in the blink of any eye. All you have is right now. So don’t ever put off telling someone how you feel about them, don’t assume that they know, because they might not and it might be too late.”

“The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire.”

“And yet you can spend a lifetime with someone and...more

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Sep 05, 2012 Mιss •kαthєяίиє• Τhε Emεrαℓd Pяίиcεss® rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-books

With a paranormal twist, this romance book (as every other self respecting romance book) was about soulmates. Lucy found hers when she was nineteen while being in Venice. Or so she thought. Head over heals over Nate, she kisses him under the Bridge of Sighs fulfilling a saying that if a couple kisses under the bridge they will be together eternally. The summer passes, she returns back to England while Nate back to the States and even though they try the distance dating thingie, one day he calls...more

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Apr 18, 2012 Shxrxn rated it 2 of 5 stars

See, we can never be apart now. Wherever you go, I go.
- Nathaniel
'If you want to be together, you can always be together.'
- Nathaniel
I'd say the chances of marrying him are less than zero. But that's OK. I'm perfectly fine with it. That's just the way things are, and that's cool.
- Lucy
OK, I confess. I Googled him once. Maybe twice. Oh, all right, so I've lost count over the years. But so what? Who hasn't gone home and Googled a man they're in love with? Hang on - did I just say the L word?
- Lucy...more

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Jan 20, 2012 Carina Gironella rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is not like any other books I’ve read. It’s about a lady (Lucy Hemmingway) who believed in soulmates, destiny, kismet, fate, all those stuff about love. At first read, you might think it’s just a typical love story and will have a predicable ending then another thought hits you that maybe it’s not…

While other books focused on finding the ONE, Lucy Hemmingway, the protagonist, only wanted to get rid of him. Lucy and Nate met at Venice during summer in their teen-years. The usual couple...more This book is not like any other books I’ve read. It’s about a lady (Lucy Hemmingway) who believed in soulmates, destiny, kismet, fate, all those stuff about love. At first read, you might think it’s just a typical love story and will have a predicable ending then another thought hits you that maybe it’s not…

While other books focused on finding the ONE, Lucy Hemmingway, the protagonist, only wanted to get rid of him. Lucy and Nate met at Venice during summer in their teen-years. The usual couple in their tweeny-teen years and in a place such like Venice, you couldn’t just blame them to fall deeply in love with each other. Then a man approached them and told them about a legend -”Legend of the Bridge of Sighs”. Then the magic begins…

Have you ever tried reading a book and just had to stop and think of what you just read? Well, this book can give you that.

Here are some of the lines that got my attention:

“That life can change in the blink of any eye. All you have is right now. So don’t ever put off telling someone how you feel about them, don’t assume that they know, because they might not and it might be too late.”

“The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire.”

“And yet you can spend a lifetime with someone and still be a stranger to them, but on the flipside you can meet someone briefly who can see inside your soul. Can you measure love by time? By anything? Or is it something inexplicable that has no rhyme or reason, no scientific explanation. Something that just happens. Like magic.”

“Soulmates are like buses; there’s not going to be another one along in a minute. that’s why they’re called “the ONE”.”

The only negative thing I noticed was the characters weren’t physically described that you can actually picture them. Do you get what I want to say here? I hope you do.

But the characters had their own time in the light. Every character was important and had a secret of their own which makes the book a good one for me. I like to stop and think of what will happen next, the type that will keep you reading until the last page. (less)

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Jun 09, 2011 Kelly rated it 3 of 5 stars

So... I started this book with a frown. This normally isn't my kind of read, but I do love sappy love stories. So when my friend got it for me, I was happy nevertheless. I, indeed, expected one of those sappy love stories that make you swoon, but I was fairly disappointed.

Lucy and Nathaniel met in Venice at the age of 18 and 20. Madly in love with each other they kissed under the Bridge of Sighs. Only after they got seperated (since Lucy lived in England and Nate in America) Nathan got married t...more

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Apr 14, 2011 Lisa at Adventures of 2.0 rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

I enjoyed this book thoroughly. It was a pretty typical chick lit book, filled with love and a hardship that must be overcome to make the main character realise her feelings. What was special about this particular book was Lucy, her weird roommate and her anal sister. I loved Lucy and while I guessed (backed up with the blurb) that her and Nate’s relationship was doomed to fail I still enjoyed watching their relationship play out. While I ended up disliking Nate a whole lot I still felt some sym...more

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Nov 01, 2010 Goddess Of Blah rated it 1 of 5 stars

Ultra chick lit, utterly predictable, clichéd, far-fetched and pathetic with zero dimensional characters.

I had to read this book due to a review week exercise. I loathed it.

Lucy is an airhead. I don't mind reading a book with a bimbo for a heroine if they have interesting idiosyncrasies or are funny or have that special something which makes them unique. But Lucy is incredibly clichéd and boring. She's a struggling artist who doesn't understand what "mergers or acquisitions" means... perhaps a...more

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May 10, 2012 Limau Nipis rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: on-nook, 2012-reads, modern-romance, chick-lit

Refreshing indeed. The heroine, Lucy is independent - even though she has some issues about finding her 'The One' back. And she is so lovable (compared to some other chick lit authors who made their heroine a shopaholic and seems never grows up!). Lucy is Lucy, with her quirky characters and had a wonderful housemate in the name of Robyn.

And Kate, her sister is not a bitch. I like the sister relationship. Kate is workaholic but has a wonderful husband, who is totally brother in law material to L...more

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Feb 23, 2011 Sherifakhashaba rated it 4 of 5 stars

You’re the one that I don’t want

Alexandra potter

Summary

An 18 year old Lucy Hemmingway meets Nathaniel Kennedy whom she thinks is the love of her life called “the one”. Kiss under the bridge of sighs, Venice 1999, by sunset which is according to legends, they will be together forever.

10 years later Lucy had totally lost contact with Nate, now after leaving London to New York for work. The legend starts to work its spell on them. In the past ten years Lucy was always in the same place Nate...more You’re the one that I don’t want

Alexandra potter

Summary

An 18 year old Lucy Hemmingway meets Nathaniel Kennedy whom she thinks is the love of her life called “the one”. Kiss under the bridge of sighs, Venice 1999, by sunset which is according to legends, they will be together forever.

10 years later Lucy had totally lost contact with Nate, now after leaving London to New York for work. The legend starts to work its spell on them. In the past ten years Lucy was always in the same place Nate was in, it’s just they never knew they were.

Back at 1999, a man gave Lucy and Nate a coin broken into two halves. This is said to be a symbol of the legend that Lucy never believed in. now after 10 years Lucy and Nate became in contact again even they came back to each other, none of them got over the other. Then suddenly out of nowhere she found that coin in her bag. First she was pleased to see it, but for how long?

Now it’s been a week for them being together, but there is a huge problem, she can’t stand him anymore. They’ve been fighting a lot lately, so they broke up, but who are they kidding, the legend is still working its spell, they could never brake up.

Lucy has travelled to Martha vineyard for a work meeting. She has a reservation for a room in a hotel called the shell room, but accidentally or maybe not she found that she and Nate are stuck in the same room due to hotel problem. Now the legend is working and she has nothing to do about it.

After she came back from Martha vineyard, her new boyfriend whom she first saw in a gallery opening knew about what happened and was pissed off, so he walked away and never returned on Lucy’s messages or phone calls.

Now her only option to get rid of Nate was to get rid of the legend, so she decided to go to Venice taking Nate with her, but she hadn’t planned what to do to make the legend stop. But accidentally she is sitting on the roundabout and sees the man that gave her the coin ten years ago. After talking for a while, the old man told her that the only way to get rid of the legend was the bond of love for one another. It was now time for sunset and Lucy is running lost, where she is looking for the bridge of sighs where she is supposed to meet Nate, but while she’s running she slips and falls unconscious. Adam her new boyfriend is here kissing her under the bridge of sigh at sunset and finally the legend is broken.
(less)

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May 25, 2012 Mad Hatter rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Those who love realistic romance novels that are also funny.

Shelves: already-read-books-that-i-own

First things first, this book may contain spoilers oh and...

haters to the left

I gave this book 4/5 stars because I was wondering whether or not I should give it 5 stars, but then after having a war with myself, I decided to stick with 4 stars. Fair enough right?
I just want to start my review with, well, a few quotes that I love from this book :

If only men were like New York taxi-cabs and had a light that they can switch on when they're interested and off when they're not available. Then you'd know exactly where...more

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Jul 27, 2010 Melody rated it 4 of 5 stars

When 18-year-old British girl Lucy Hemmingway met American boy Nathaniel Kennedy when they were in Venice, Italy, it was as if they were being hit by Cupid's arrow. Perhaps they are young, or perhaps they got carried away by the romantic atmosphere that they kissed under the Bridge of Sighs at sunset with the church bells ringing. And according to the legend, any couple who did that will be tied to each other for eternity.

However ten years later, they had went on separate ways and Lucy is now w...more When 18-year-old British girl Lucy Hemmingway met American boy Nathaniel Kennedy when they were in Venice, Italy, it was as if they were being hit by Cupid's arrow. Perhaps they are young, or perhaps they got carried away by the romantic atmosphere that they kissed under the Bridge of Sighs at sunset with the church bells ringing. And according to the legend, any couple who did that will be tied to each other for eternity.

However ten years later, they had went on separate ways and Lucy is now working in an art gallery in New York since her paintings have gotten her to nowhere in London, despite that she still has a passion for them. Just when she thought she had forgotten about Nate, she stumbled upon him and she brushed off their encounter as merely a coincidence. But it seems more like fate when they start to bump into each other, again and again until Lucy began to wonder if the legend is indeed true.

Lucy decided to give their relationship another chance, since Nate is separated with his wife, Beth and perhaps she thinks he is indeed The One after all this time. But as the time goes by, Lucy did not think their relationship is as wonderful as they were back in Venice, and to complicate things, Lucy thinks she has fallen in love with another man called Adam. Perhaps it is cursed by the legend, but Lucy finds it is hard to not bump into Nate wherever she goes, and vice versa. It is certainly hard to explain when things simply turned out to be that way, no matter how much they hated it.

I have not read a romantic comedy for a while, so this is one reason why I find this book so enjoyable and refreshing besides the fact that I had read one of Alexandra Potter's earlier releases and loving it. Alexandra Potter has a way with the plots and that is not all, she also makes her characters seem likeable. You would have thought my favourite characters are Lucy and Nate don't you, after all they are the protagonists but I have to say it is actually Lucy's employer, Magda and Lucy's friend, Robyn who have made this story so much more interesting and entertaining. Their dialogues are witty most of the times and it is always interesting to hear their side of their stories, from topics such as the laws of attraction in the universe (that's Robyn talking) right down to matchmaking and making meatballs (and that's Magda). While I find Robyn's opinion of believing in stars and fate to be romantic, I think one shouldn't take those too seriously and to be more open and observant to the people surrounding you because your true love might be hidden out there.

All in all, I had fun reading this book! So who did Lucy end up with? I wish I can tell you the answer but as you already know, I won't so you will have to read it and find out yourself. (less)

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Nov 13, 2012 Meli rated it 5 of 5 stars

Este libro simplemente me encantó. No suelo escribir reseñas, porque emm bueno soy mala xD, pero esta es mi opinión.
El libro tiene una buena mezcla de todo sin llegar a ser una exageración. Los toques de humor que ha puesto la autora han sido interesantes, siempre saliéndome con cosas que no esperaba, incluso hubo una parte que me recordó a "como perder a un hombre en diez dias" , pero mucho mas gracioso.
Otro toque me que gusto mucho, fue poner en la vida de la protagonista a dos personajes tan...more

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Apr 20, 2012 Sheila rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chick-lit, humor, romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I admit that I have mixed feelings rating this one because there's a part of the story that I have been swooned over...and then there's a part that I felt so irritated that I stopped reading it for awhile, but read it again for the sake of finishing the novel. So I have the love and hate thing going on while reading this one.

For the part that I was swooned over--I always enjoy reading, even watching, stories about taking another chance, meeting years after and realizing the mistake you had by le...more I admit that I have mixed feelings rating this one because there's a part of the story that I have been swooned over...and then there's a part that I felt so irritated that I stopped reading it for awhile, but read it again for the sake of finishing the novel. So I have the love and hate thing going on while reading this one.

For the part that I was swooned over--I always enjoy reading, even watching, stories about taking another chance, meeting years after and realizing the mistake you had by letting them go, round two of burning the passion and romance (eh--yep, I just said that) and all that crap, and this is no exception: It put a smile on my face while I was reading this one...well, the first part, anyway. Nate and Lucy met in their young adult years--20 and 19--in Venice, Italy. Him, a Harvard Student who went to Italy for their school program, studying renaissance painters; Her, an art student, studying renaissance art. For how many months, they had an intense, oh-so-young relationship, but there's a problem: Nate is from America while Lucy is from England and days are only left before they depart from each other. So, they spent their remaining days strolling in Venice, when, one day, they met a creepy old man who gave them, ugh, no, it's actually 'sold' them an old coin, which was broken in two, the other half for Nate, the other for Lucy...that makes it two halves of one whole. This old man told them the legend behind the bridge of sighs--if a you kiss underneath the bridge at sunset, at gondola, when the bells of the church are ringing, you will have everlasting and eternal love. You will be together forever and nothing will break you apart. Being the young and in love couple, they did kiss underneath the bridge at sunset, at a gondola while the bells of the church are ringing, BUT, they broke apart. Although they have tried the long distance relationship for a year, Nate still broke things off with Lucy...which left Lucy devastated.

Years later, now in New York as an Art Gallery assistant, Lucy still have this strange longing for Nate even it has been ten years since the last time they saw each other in person. She have moved on but she knew that in the depths of her heart and soul, Nate was THE ONE and consider herself as lucky because not all people who have been searching for their soulmates, true love, amore, ame soeur, that one special person with whom they will spend the rest of their life with can really meet them, and by some miracle, she met him--but she lost him, she blew it...or he blew it. She never really thought about it often as she used to, but, sometimes when she least expect it, something will remind Lucy of Nate and think of 'what if's' and all that thinking. But, at the end, they did meet, and they continue their relationship, and here you thought it will be ...and they lived happily ever after. but they didn't--they also stopped seeing each other in the end.

Now for the part that I got irritated and stopped reading it halfway--the middle part of the story became ridiculous and I was annoyed on how they, Nate and Lucy, broke things off the second time: It's like they're not in their almost 30's but instead they're acting like kids and fought like one and GAAAAH--WHAT THE HECK? Yes, they did changed, they're not like what they used to in their 19 and 20 years of age, there might be irreconcilable differences...but, WTH? Nate's exit in the story is kinda, bleh, ugh. Even the encounters with Nate and Lucy, it's, UGGGHHH, though some are funny, but mostly, UGGHHH. And then, there's Adam--no, I am not really irritated with him, but it's a little bit disappointing that his character wasn't really fully developed. He's not really the main character, yes, but, I haven't really connected with him...he could've been a good character, if he was written well.

See, I did have the love and hate thing with this one...I loved the first part...hated the middle part...and not satisfied in the end. I haven't read it straight like I usually do (and that luxury is so rare these days because I have lots of things to do) because, like I said, it got annoying...but I think what I did was better, because it made reading the middle part until the end bearable. If I have read this without interruption, I might rate it as a two...but since I didn't, it's a 2.5stars for me.(less)

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Jul 10, 2012 Mad Katniss rated it 3 of 5 stars

I hate Lucy when she's with Nate. But I love her when she's with Adam.

The thing is, in the part where she realized that she does not love Nate anymore is that part where she started a new love with Adam. They clicked when they are together. She is happy and acts like her real self when she is with him. From this part on, it's like watching a chick flick movie. The feel good one that would make you smile and would make you think that, hey true love can be possible and though it is hardwork, true...more

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Dec 17, 2012 Eatonlm rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: owned

This sounded like a great concept. At times it was even cute. In execution it requires a complete re-write. The main character, Lucy's feelings are portrayed to us redundantly. I wouldn't be surprised if the exact wording was verbatim to the first time we were introduced to her feelings or her messy habits, or one of the other million things that made her completely unlikable. Who would want to be stuck with this girl forever? I'd be doing my best to get rid of her too.

The ending was predictabl...more

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Nov 07, 2012 Gynen Kyra Toriano rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, favorites

Care for an American-English romance with a touch of a centuries-old Venetian legend? Well this is the book for you! :) A well-written novel with some of the most quotable lines there is! I tell you, it's like I've highlighted most of the pages! Truly a fun-worthwhile read for a sappy girl like me! It sounds like a classic tale and somehow it's also set as a modern love story. Not to mention the string of conversations regarding 'The One', everlasting love and soulmates! Got your attention, didn...more

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Jan 17, 2013 Hana Bilqisthi rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance

it's quite refreshing :D there are a lot surprise in plot :D but the ending did not tell clearly what happened to Nate..
the lesson is " Do the one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire. This is your moment. Own it" :)

another quotes that i like "OK, I confess. I Googled him once. Maybe twice. Oh, all right, so I've lost count over the years. But so what? Who hasn't gone home and Goo...more

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Dec 26, 2011 Mary rated it 3 of 5 stars

this was my plane reading... i found myself loving a lot of the sentences in this book, such as
"all my life i've been told off for being useless and late, greeted with an impatient tut or annoyed gasp. (Insert name) is the first person just to be glad I'm here, like it's no big deal."

or

" Having said that, eccentric people are always appealing, aren't they? Like your crazy aunt who's in her eighties and wears feather boas and does the can-can. Actually, no, that's just my crazy aunt."

or

"We're s...more

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May 07, 2011 Farida rated it 5 of 5 stars

The story talks about a young couple Lucy and Nate, who meet in Vince and fall madly in love. One day, while they are walking in a market, they found an old man who gave them both two necklaces. Each necklace had a half coin. He also told them about the legend of the bridge of Sighs. The legend says that if two people kissed under the bridge at sunset they will be tied together forever. So. Lucy and Nate kiss under the bridge!
Both of them by the end of summer went back to his country. Nate went...more The story talks about a young couple Lucy and Nate, who meet in Vince and fall madly in love. One day, while they are walking in a market, they found an old man who gave them both two necklaces. Each necklace had a half coin. He also told them about the legend of the bridge of Sighs. The legend says that if two people kissed under the bridge at sunset they will be tied together forever. So. Lucy and Nate kiss under the bridge!
Both of them by the end of summer went back to his country. Nate went back to America and Lucy went back to England. They kept dating for more than a month, talking on phone and writing letters. In the end, Nate sent Lucy a letter telling her that he is sorry, because he had found another women in America that he loves and is going to marry her. Lucy was destroyed for alot of time. She dated many but never laved anyone of them like Nate. Because she always believed that he was the one !

Ten years later Lucy moves to America to work in a gallery. She stayed with her sister for a period of time. Then she moved with someone called Robyn. Robyn was a friendly women, who believed that her soulmate was Harold a moan who she never met, but a gypsy told her that he is her soulmate. Lucy's sister was a lawyer who was very focused in her career. she was married to a sweet police officer Jeff. So, when Lucy finally settles in New York, something strange starts to happen. It all started one day when she came to work, her boss told her that a very rich man had bought a very expensive painting and she wants Lucy to deliver it. She was trying to hook them up together. When Lucy arrives at that man's penthouse, she discovers that the man is Nate ! both of them were surprised, anyway they decide to go out for dinner. While they were having dinner he told her that he and his wife divorced and that they have always been in the same places in the same time, but they never saw each other. So, they get back to each other and start dating. After, a couple of weeks they have many fights, because Nate has really changed. He became very addicted to his work, a very obsessed with order. So, they both decide to leave each other. But they keep on meeting accidentally, they both start to believe that it's because of that stupid legand. In the mean time, Lucy meets a young man who studies movies, they both start to like each other. And Lucy finally discovers that Nate was never the one and that she wants to be with Adam, the film guy that she met.

But because of bumping into Nate everyday Adam suspects that she is in a relationship with Nate so he leaves her ! Also, after that Nate and his wife finally came back to each other, she also suspects him because of Lucy. So, they both decide to go to Vince and destroy the legend or the curse as they both call it ! Lucy met the same old man again and asked him how to stop the legend from working, he told her only if one of them kissed someone else under the bridge. When Lucy goes under the bridge she finds Adam standing there ! so from the surprise she fell into the water, but Adam saved her and gave her the kiss of life. After that she discovered that Adam was there because there was a film festiva. She then they both got back to each other. and Nate got back to his wife again. Her sister's husband Jeff healed from cancer, and Robyn was finally convinced that her soulmate was someone else rather than Harold. And everyone lived happily !!

I really liked this story ! it had many more other details so it was hard to summarize it all..so i wrote the main idea ! =)(less)

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Jul 06, 2012 Trisha rated it 2 of 5 stars

It's really my own fault for not looking at the cover and seeing that this was the same author who wrote Me and Mr. Darcy, another book that I believe I have given 2 stars to. However, this is more like 2 and a half stars. I enjoyed some parts, especially the ones where the narrator was in the art exhibits and/or museums but for the most part, this book dragged on.

The part that bothered me most is that the whole novel is centered around this legend, and in the end, the narrator is still pretty...more

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Jun 24, 2011 Nikki rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chick-lit, read-in-2011

Reviewed at JudgingCovers.co.uk

I don’t believe in fate. I’m far too cynical to go along with the idea that ‘everything happens for a reason’, and I’m definitely not convinced by any theories about soulmates. If everyone is destined to find ‘The One’, and our lives are already mapped out for us, why put effort into anything? It’ll just happen if it’s ‘meant to be’, won’t it? So I won’t bother going to work anymore; I’ll just lay in bed and watch daytime television. In fact, I won’t even go out at...more Reviewed at JudgingCovers.co.uk

I don’t believe in fate. I’m far too cynical to go along with the idea that ‘everything happens for a reason’, and I’m definitely not convinced by any theories about soulmates. If everyone is destined to find ‘The One’, and our lives are already mapped out for us, why put effort into anything? It’ll just happen if it’s ‘meant to be’, won’t it? So I won’t bother going to work anymore; I’ll just lay in bed and watch daytime television. In fact, I won’t even go out at all – because if I end up poor, starving and alone that’s just how things were ‘meant to be’. My soulmate will still find me somehow. Ah, fate. Such a flawed argument.

OK, so I have some issues with the idea of fate – but I forced these feelings aside in order to read You’re the One That I Don’t Want, a book centered around the idea of soulmates. Except not in the nice and fluffy sense you might be imagining.

Lucy and Nate meet in Venice aged 18. They’re both studying abroad, and get caught up in blissful teenage romance, inevitably believing that they’ve found The One. Legend has it that any couple who kiss under the Bridge of Sighs at sunset will be together forever. So, being all loved up, they do it. Bless.

A decade on, they’ve obviously split up and moved on with their lives, but Lucy still thinks about Nate from time to time. And then, by chance, she runs into him. Still believing in the power of fate, they pick up where they left off – realising that on numerous occasions in the past ten years, they’ve been at the same place at the same time, without noticing each other. It must be meant to be!

But people change, and suddenly Lucy doesn’t find Nate as perfect as she used to. In fact, he’s really quite annoying, and she’s glad to confirm, once and for all, that he wasn’t her soulmate.

It is at this point that the story takes a magical turn, as Lucy and Nate literally can’t stay away from each other. Even though they really, really wish they could. They run into each other wherever they go. They get given each other’s laundry at the dry cleaners. Their phones even ring each other without explanation. Lucy starts to wonder if the legend of the Bridge of Sighs is actually true… and if she’ll be stuck with Nate forever.

You’re The One That I Don’t Want is a fun read, and Alexandra Potter has given each of her characters very strong personalities – Lucy’s workaholic sister, her hippy roommate, and her eccentric boss each star in their own amusing subplots. Potter does a particularly excellent job in making the grown-up Nate a really irritating character; I almost felt as frustrated as Lucy each time he turned up somewhere. Towards the end I was desperate for fate’s curse to be broken so he’d go away… and then I had to remind myself that actually, the idea is a bit silly. Of course.

Adding fantasy aspects into chick lit novels has become quite popular, with a number of authors putting a touch of magic into their storylines. It's not a theme that I find particularly enjoyable (I much prefer realism) but Potter has handled the idea quite cleverly. We could believe that a higher power kept bringing Lucy and Nate back together, or we could believe that it's all a series of unfortunate coincidences - the idea of 'magic' isn't forced upon the reader, which is perfect if, like me, you're a little on the sceptical side.

This isn't a perfect book, but it's the sort of light and fluffy that you can't criticise too harshly - it was amusing, it wasn't too predictable, and it could make a great summer holiday read.(less)

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Aug 01, 2010 Sam rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is about Lucy, a girl from manchester who meets the One in Venice when she was 18 years old. They kiss underneath a bridge because according to some legend it will bind them together forever. They however split up.
10 years later Lucy moves to New York for work and she runs into him again. They then find out they don't like each other anymore and break up again. But... they keep running into each other. the legend. How do they get rid off that so they can get over each other?

I enjoyed...more

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Jul 08, 2012 Mary rated it 3 of 5 stars

Considering I chose this book solely for its title and thinking it would be some usual love story like in so many books, i was quite pleased!:) I didn't even read any summary, thus i had no clue what the story would be about and was pleasantly surprised by its originality!
Of course, the text is plainly written, it is an easy reading indeed, but never have i had such fun with a book before!! In like, seriously!! I never thought i could laugh with a book; there have been of course books using sarc...more

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Feb 29, 2012 Amanda rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is the definition of "eh." It's not terrible, but there is nothing particularly redeeming about it. I kept reading because of a potentially interesting plot - a couple bind themselves together for eternity, according to legend, and then discover they don't so much want to be together. But the characters are stereotyped stock - a clumsy, ditzy, gave-up-on-her-dreams narrator (I'm deliberately not saying "heroine"); a New Age roommate; a high-achieving, workaholic sister. Characterizatio...more

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Apr 15, 2012 Sophia rated it 3 of 5 stars

You're the One That I Don't Want follows Lucy, a British girl who, aged eighteen, spent time in Venice at art college where she met the love of her life, an American boy called Nate. They would wander the streets of Venice, gazing into each other's eyes, spending lazy days in bed and generally being perfect together. When they heard about a local legend that lovers who kiss under the Bridge of Sighs at sunset can never be parted, they couldn't wait to get smooching.

Fast forward ten years, and N...more You're the One That I Don't Want follows Lucy, a British girl who, aged eighteen, spent time in Venice at art college where she met the love of her life, an American boy called Nate. They would wander the streets of Venice, gazing into each other's eyes, spending lazy days in bed and generally being perfect together. When they heard about a local legend that lovers who kiss under the Bridge of Sighs at sunset can never be parted, they couldn't wait to get smooching.

Fast forward ten years, and Nate is living back in America where he has long since married someone else. Lucy abandoned her dreams to be an artist, tried to mend her broken heart with a string of unsatisfactory boyfriends, and moved to New York, where she is working in a small struggling art gallery. Poor Lucy has never been able to forget her lost love though, and no other man has ever measured up to her ideal of him. When, by strange coincidence, they meet again after all these years and Lucy learns that Nate has separated from his wife, the old attraction between them seems just as strong - in fact it's almost as if the universe wants them to be together. But are things really the same between Lucy and Nate and is he still her perfect man?

This is another chick-lit title which is following the trend of adding magic and superstition to add a bit of extra interest to the plot. I'm not usually a fan of this device and find it takes away from the realism of the story, but this was such a cheesy book anyway that it didn't really make a lot of difference. Not that I'm complaining - you expect a bit of cheese with a book like this, and You're the One That I Don't Want followed most of the conventions of the genre. We had the scatterbrained heroine, the kooky flatmate who's into crystals and hippy stuff, the capable and hard-to-live-up-to older sister and a couple of fairly stereotypical heroes for our heroine to choose from. The Italian sections and one of the subplots reminded me a little of the film Only You, and I did wonder if Alexandra Potter might have watched it too.

The ending of this novel is such a total cheese-fest, I actually groaned aloud when I read it! Despite the cringey bits though, I still enjoyed my evening with Lucy and Nate; there are lots of funny sections and Lucy is such an endearing character it's not too difficult to switch off your cynicism filters and go with the flow.(less)

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Sep 16, 2012 C rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have had this book on my shelves since it first came out, but since I have been on an Alexandra Potter binge recently, I was glad I had left it there, ready and waiting to give me a hefty dose of this wonderful author! The story centres around Lucy who is living the fabulous single life in New York City but it still hung up over her first love from her teenage years Nate. When Lucy bumps into late early on in the novel, however things don’t seem as wonderful as she remembers them to be. Once t...more

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Dec 11, 2011 Viviane Crystal rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Lucy Hemingway and Nat Kennedy believed they were bound together ever since they visited Venice, Italy and hear a message about those couples who kiss on a gondola traveling under a certain bridge. They each have a memento of that experience and are totally elated with knowing how deep and solid their love is and will endure!!!

But things crash when Nat meets someone else and tells Lucy he is sorry but he will be getting married. It's now ten years later and Lucy pretends it is "water under the b...more

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Jul 22, 2012 Kate (Literary Explorations) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, netgalley, review-books, e-book, romance, chick-lit, read-2011

I was offered You're (Not) the One for review not really knowing what it would be about. I love a good romance and was in the mood for an adult book so I gave it a shot, and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The main character Lucy works in an art gallery and runs into an old flame when she's called to a buyer's home. Nate has become a completely different person since Lucy last saw him in Venice, but the two decide to resume their relationship anyway.

Along the way, another guy...more

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Nov 22, 2011 Jocelyn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When Bridget Jones’ Diary came out in the 90′s, women were scooping up any “chick lit” novels they could get their hands on. I was one of them. If it was a whimsical tale about a single girl “looking for love” with often disastrous (but humorous) results, I was hooked. Then the genre started to become over saturated and the quality of the stories started lacking. The characters became slightly transparent and the plots were predictable. YOU’RE (NOT) THE ONE by Alexandra Potter is chick lit, ther...more

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About Alexandra Potter

Born in Bradford, Yorkshire, I graduated from Liverpool University with an honours degree in English Literature and Film Studies. In 1993, at the age of twenty-three, I moved to London to be the editor of a puzzle magazine. Yes, puzzles! For someone who can never get that last crossword clue, it was pretty daunting, but it was my first break into the world of magazines and publishing, and I loved...more Born in Bradford, Yorkshire, I graduated from Liverpool University with an honours degree in English Literature and Film Studies. In 1993, at the age of twenty-three, I moved to London to be the editor of a puzzle magazine. Yes, puzzles! For someone who can never get that last crossword clue, it was pretty daunting, but it was my first break into the world of magazines and publishing, and I loved it. (And it turned out my job was making up the clues, not solving them – phew!)

In my spare time I was always writing articles and trying to get them published, until finally my persistence paid off. For the next five years I saw my features published in many of the big name British glossies – ELLE, Company, She, Red, More!, Here and Cosmopolitan, before travelling to Sydney, Australia, where I spent six months working for Australian Vogue and Cleo magazine.

However, for many years a dream of mine had been to write a novel and, in 1999, I finally took the plunge. Every lunchtime and spare weekend was spent working on my novel, What’s New, Pussycat? until finally I’d written three chapters, which I sent to several agents. I was so nervous waiting for their responses that I tried to forget all about it by going on holiday to Los Angeles to visit my sister. This was in the days before email, and so I couldn’t believe it when I returned home, checked my answering machine and discovered messages from several interested agents. The word 'excitement' doesn't even come close.

In the end I signed with my fabulous agent, Stephanie Cabot. She loved what I’d written so far, loved the character of Delilah, a girl from Yorkshire who moves to London with just her Tom Jones collection and her dog, and was eager to read the rest of the novel.
Now, all I had to do was write it!

So I took a gamble. I resigned from my job, sold my car, and gave myself a deadline of six months (which was when the proceeds from my car would run out). Within days of handing in the finished manuscript, a bidding war broke out between several interested publishers and I ended up signing a two-book deal. What’s New, Pussycat? was published in April 2000 and immediately made the bestseller lists. Proof that dreams really can come true.

To date I’ve written seven romantic comedy novels and am currently working on my eighth. During these past ten years, I’ve sold the film rights to What’s New, Pussycat? and Calling Romeo, seen my books translated and published all over the world, including Germany, France, Poland, Russia, Greece, Serbia, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Thailand and Indonesia, appeared at the LA Book Festival, and been interviewed for the BBC, Channel 4’s Big Breakfast, ITVs Calendar, and in the US, ABC’s Nightline.

I was delighted when my fourth novel, Do You Come Here Often, was made book of the month, by Woman’s Day in Australia, and in May 2008 I was thrilled to win the Best New Fiction award for Me and Mr Darcy, at the Jane Austen Regency World Awards.

Aside from novels, I’ve also contribued a short story - No Strings Attached - which was published in an anthology entitled Girl’s Night In in aid of the international charity: WarChild. More recently, while living in LA, I’ve had my own column in Celebrity Homes magazine, written features for Woman’s Own and Eve, and contributed to Elle by interviewing several celebrities, such as Samuel Jackson and Rachel Bilson. It’s a hard job, but someone’s got do it…

My latest book, Who’s That Girl? came out in the UK in January 2009 to rave reviews and made the bestseller lists straight away, thanks to my wonderful readers. It's due to be published next yer in the US under a different title, The Two Lives of Charlotte Merryweather, and has already been sold to Germany, France, Poland and Macedonia which is all really exciting stuff.

In the meantime, I'm hard at work writing my new book - this is going to be number eight! I still can't quite believe it...(less)

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Quotes from You're The One That I ...

“Forget men, I want to marry my MacBook. It’s dependable, reliable and you can even go shopping with it.” — 133 people liked it

“Everyone dreams of finding their soulmate. It's a universal quest. All over the world millions of people are looking for their true love, their amore thier ame soeur, that one special person with whom they will spend the rest of their life.

And I'm no different.

Except it doesn't happen for everyone. Some people spend their whole life looking and never find that person. It's the luck of the draw.

If, by some miracle, you're lucky enough to meet the ONE, whatever you do, don't let them go. Because you don't get another shot at it. Soulmates aren't like buses there's not going to be another one along in a minute. That's why they're called, "THE ONE".” — 92 people liked it

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You're The One That I Dont Want

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