The One That I Want by Jennifer Echols
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Goodreads Blurb:
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?
Pretty much anything Jennifer Echols writes will end up in my "Favorites" and "Wish I Wrote It" shelves. Whether it's 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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Q4U: What have you read recently? Leave a link to your most recent Goodreads or personal blog review--I'd love to check it out and comment!
And while you're here, did YOU ever have one of those nasty BFFs who you failed to kick to the curb? Let's commiserate :-)
Thursday, December 22, 2011 
