What You Always Wanted

If Only . . . #8

by Kristin Rae

Enjoy What You Always Wanted and the other standalone titles in Bloomsbury's contemporary If Only romance line centered around an impossible you always want what you can't have !

Maddie Brooks has always had high standards for guys. But she has yet to find one who can live up to the romantic, classic Hollywood heartthrobs, especially the dreamy song-and-dance man Gene Kelly. When Maddie begins to carpool with Jesse Morales, her new neighbor and star pitcher of the high school baseball team, she's immediately struck by his wit, good looks, and love for his family--but a guy so into sports is definitely not her style. Then Maddie discovers that Jesse was raised a dancer and still practices in the community theater dance studio to keep in shape. Perhaps her perfect dream guy exists after all. But when it becomes clear that baseball--not dance--is Jesse's passion, can Maddie find a way to let her dream guy go and appreciate the charms of the amazing guy in front of her?

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Young Adult Contemporary, Young Adult Romance, Realistic Fiction, Sports

320 pages, Hardcover

First published March 29, 2016

About the author

Lover of books, music, chocolate, and crafty things. My young adult contemporary novels WISH YOU WERE ITALIAN, and WHAT YOU ALWAYS WANTED are out now, from Bloomsbury. Represented by Marietta Zacker of the Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency.

Reviews

[Kristin]

**Please note - some important changes have been made after the printing of advance copies, so please quote from the final published version after March 29, 2016** xoxo

I wrote this one from a special place in my heart. I can't wait to share it with y'all in 2016!

[Katie]

Now that this is closer to releasing, I'm posting my full review.

This book, y'all.

THIS BOOK.



What You Always Wanted is everything I want in a contemporary romance. The characters are on point. The pacing is quick. The romance is so adorable I thought I might die of the cute. And the MC is one of the most precious heroines I've read in a YA novel in a long time.

Maddie Brooks loves classic movies, especially ones with heartthrob Gene Kelly. Because of this, she has extremely high standards for boys, and none of the ones she knows seem to measure up. That is, until she meets Jessie. Too bad Jessie is more interested in playing baseball than dancing and musical theater. But Maddie is determined to change his mind.

And thus, an adorable story is launched. Maddie and Jessie's tension is great. Kristin really captures that great push and pull in a romance. Even though you know how it's going to end before you finish page 1, the delivery is so charming, you don't care.

Maddie is one of my all-time favorite YA heroines. She's opinionated and headstrong, but also sweet and endearing. Her romantic heart will appeal to a lot of readers, and her journey of realizing that maybe she needs to be more understanding of people who don't love theater as much as she does can be applied to anyone who's passionate about a particular subject.

Oh, and Jessie?



I ship this romance a lot, y'all. Like...seriously, A LOT.

Other great aspects to the book:

- The female friendships are adorable. Maddie's friends are fun.
- The writing is fresh and clean. Perfect for the genre.
- SO MANY movie references. Seriously, if you love old musicals, this is the book for you.
- Did I mention the romance? Because really.



Bottom line: READ THIS. You won't regret it.

[Jen Malone]

My entire review can be encapsulated in one word: swooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooony!!!

[nick (the infinite limits of love)]

I've been struggling with YA contemporary books lately which is sad because it's probably my favorite genre. The books I've read this year in the genre have left me frustrated, so while I was originally excited about What You Always Wanted, part of me was also nervous that the book would read too young. I had nothing to worry about because this book was just what I needed with its adorableness to revive my faith in YA contemporary. I was smiling the whole time because of just how cute and fluffy this book was! Warning, this review will contain a lot of "cute"!

Here a couple of my favorite themes explored in What You Always Wanted:

I love love love the fact that this book was so friendship positive. Most of you readers know just how appreciative I am of friendship in YA books, especially ones explored with realism and positivity and especially ones between girls. The protagonist, Maddie, moves to Texas her junior year and is surrounded by unknown people. Thankfully, she was easily able to make some awesome girlfriends who made her new life a whole lot more exciting. She could have been one of those protagonists who whined non-stop about having to uproot her whole life in typical teenage dramatics, but because of her new-found friendships, she actually embraced her new life and that was so endearing. She, Angela and Tiffany were so adorable together! I love how they indulged in Maddie's obsession with Gene Kelly, started a classics movie club, hung out together doing typical teenager activities and being super supportive of each other She also made friends in her drama club, both girls and boys who were also great in their friendship and personalities.

This was a recurring theme in What You Always Wanted and it was realistically explored, in my opinion. I don't know about you guys but during my own teenage years I had lots of thoughts about what I thought I needed/wanted in life, but really weren't all that necessary. This is especially seen in What You Always Wanted through Maddie's dreams of what she wanted out of her love life. Because of her obsession with Gene Kelly and his movies (and dancing skills!), Maddie had these preconceived notions of what she wanted in a boyfriend and how her romantic life should be like. This leads her to making some frustrating choices, saying things that were unconsciously hurtful, to her love interest, Jesse, a baseball player, and not someone she envisioned herself with. She realizes her mistakes and is able to grow throughout the book, however. She had a very rosy view of life and with the help of Jesse, she's able to see beyond that rosy view, which truly helped her mature as an individual.

Maddie is very much a classics movie lover and it was a huge part of who she was. I thought her crush on Gene Kelly and her love for old movies was sweet! It was even more fun once she got her friends to become obsessed with old movies as well. I loved all the pop culture references throughout the book too. I also really loved all the drama club scenes. I was never a part of the drama club myself because I lacked the confidence to ever be on stage, so I sort of lived vicariously through Maddie. It's a bit unusual for a teenager to be so into classics and musicals, but it was great to see Maddie be so open about her love for them. Never once was she ashamed that she was different. Jesse, too, has a huge talent for tap dancing, but he hid his talent because he was worried to be made fun of by his teammates. Maddie slowly shows him through her own confidence that it's perfectly okay to embrace all parts of who you are, even though it might not be conventional - what a great message!

OK fine, I realize that this isn't really a philosophical theme as such, but I had to talk about how adorable Jesse, Maddie's love interest was and how I shipped their romance somewhere in this review. :)

Jesse was a gentleman through and through and I loved that he wasn't a manwhore. He was easily able to charm me with his sweet personality, insecurities, loveable nature and especially his kindness. I absolutely adore cute boys like Jesse in my books, so I was easily able to fall head over heels in love with him. And even though Maddie was very particular about the kind of guy she wanted, she stood no chance. Their romance was also stinking adorable! They grew to become friends first and I loved their awkward interactions and how they eventually started to open up to each other. They encountered a couple of rough patches, but they weren't anything too dramatic and I thought both of them handled their relationships' ups and downs very maturely.

What You Always Wanted was a super cute book that I highly recommend to readers who are looking for a book to lighten your mood, make you swoon and make you want to break out into a tap dance.

[Moriah Chavis]

*This review will appear on A Leisure Moment*

**I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

I actually watched Gene Kelly’s Summer Stock dance after finishing this book, and I think I’m in love with Gene Kelly now and need all of his movies. Maddie Brooks, the main character, was true to herself and didn’t let anyone define what she wanted to become. She had high expectations when it came to falling in love or simply having a boyfriend and wanted no less than her picture perfect romance. For a girl with her head in the clouds when it comes to ideas of love and romance, I found it easy to relate to her character, her strengths and weaknesses.

If you ask me what my favorite movie is, The Sound of Music pops out. The classic flair and chiseled male lead are only icing on top of the three hour long cake of song and dance, sprinkled with romance and love in all the unexpected places at the brink of World War II. I felt camaraderie with Maddie, lover of the classics, all of which have been added to my list of must-watch movies. She was an old soul trapped in modern day ideas of love and entertainment. Grand gestures and proclamations were what she searched for, and she speaks to all the hopeless romantics out there.

Before meeting Jesse Morales, I met his sister, Angela. At first I didn’t know what to make of her character but quickly enjoyed the friendship that formed between her and Maddie. The girl born to stand out was used to not fitting in, but Angela, as well as Tiffany and Sarah, showed her what having true friends meant, friends that accepted the girl that drew stars under her eye and wanted life to be a musical (but come on—don’t we all? No…). I got connected to these characters and didn’t want to let them go after the last page.

The romance between Jesse and Maddie was wonderful. Let’s be honest for a minute: we all have certain traits or likes and dislikes that we probably wouldn’t waver on when it comes to finding someone. What You Always Wanted digs deeply into preconceived notions of what people really want in a relationship, in life. I’ve never read about a character that was so open about how particular she was when it came to guys. When it came to anything, really, Maddie knew what she wanted—or she thought she did. Her relationship with Jesse—friendship and otherwise—taught her a lot about herself and complimented the rest of the story. Because in the end, what you’ve always wanted might not be what you always needed.

Can I have more of Maddie and Jesse? I hate that their story is over, but I can give it nothing but praise. I probably say ya’ll too much in regular conversation, but living in the south makes it inescapable, so I had the accents down. The characters are original, the Texan setting interesting (and made me want to visit again!), and the story left me wanting more. I’m left with hope about some for the other characters and can’t wait to see if another book is in store.

Love musicals, the classics, or an independent girl finding her way? This book is for you. There isn’t actually any music involved, but I felt like singing along. Escape to Texas for about three hundred pages—ya’ll will love it!

[Alexa (Alexa Loves Books)]

4.5 stars! But seriously, What You Always Wanted was ADORABLE. There are seriously no words for how lovely, and fun, and well-written this story was. I was immediately drawn into Maddie's world, and her head, and I loved reading her narration of her story. It never felt cheesy or manufactured, but instead just made me a warm gooey mess of happiness whenever certain (ahem) moments happened. It was funny, it was sweet and it was also pretty darn entertaining. I definitely enjoyed it!

[Emma]

Grade: A-
An e-galley was provided by the publisher in exchange for review consideration.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Gah, I just love cute, swoonworthy contemporary YA. I love characters with substance and friendships and genuinely nice love interests. And let me tell you - Kristin Rae writes great love interests. Darren from Wish You Were Italian is so adorable, and I loved that Jesse was just as fleshed-out as Maddie. I also enjoyed that Maddie wasn't as snobby as I expected - Angela and Tiffany, her first two friends, aren't drama geeks; in addition, they don't end up being her only two friends. Maddie befriends one of the nice girls in the drama program, Sarah. I appreciated that Ms. Rae didn't only give Maddie two friends AND that it wasn't like Maddie, as the new girl, joined the friend group. Instead, she made her own. Still on the subject of Maddie, one of the things that kept me from completely loving What You Always Wanted and giving it 5 stars was that I wanted to see a little more character growth for her. She's a bit opinionated and she was rude to her parents and I wanted to see her grow and become more mature. However, she acted like a teenager in a lot of ways, which I did appreciate since so many YA protagonists seem way older than they actually are.
I liked how not everything went the way Maddie wanted it to, and she had to work for things. I would've liked to see the build-up to and her audition for the musical, though.
As for the romance, I appreciated that the problems weren't based on communication issues, as so many YA romances are. It was such a relief that there was no love triangle. And Jesse was definitely swoonworthy, y'all. He's an athlete and he dances and he's interested in Maddie. He makes an effort with her and even though he doesn't like old movies, he likes that she does and she's so passionate about her interests.
Language was mild - if there was any because I don't remember much. Kissing and making out were as far as it went.

The Verdict: So, so, so cute and sweet. If contemporary romance is your thing, then I'd be surprised if you didn't like What You Always Wanted.

[Laurence R.]

What an amazing YA! I've read a good amount of books from that genre by now, but some of them still truly impress me, and this novel was one of those!

The first aspect of this book that charmed me was the fact that it's so easy to relate to, especially for bookworms. In this novel, Maddie has extremely high standards because of all the movies she's seen, which all have perfect gentlemen in them. Is anyone here familiar with this? I am, but because of books. Since I can relate to Maddie very much when it comes to relationships, I learned quite a few pieces of advice from this novel.

I also loved the importance of theatre in this novel, since I'm a sucker for quirky hobbies and characters who are passionate about them. I actually don't know anything about acting, musicals or classic movies, but it was very interesting to learn about all of them, especially since Maddie has such big dreams created around them. If anything, I think there could have been a bigger place for Maddie's passion of acting in this novel, because it really gives the book a different style than most YAs.

A big part of the novel is centered around Maddie's relationship with Jesse - who is absolutely swoon-worthy, by the way, whether you like dancers or not. I loved how they grow closer and closer as time flies, because it's much more realistic than love at first sight. Their relationship suffers from Maddie's high standards and prejudices, but I have to admit that I shared her opinion more than once, maybe because we're a bit similar. I was very pleased with the ending, even though I didn't expect it to end that way.

Obviously, this book isn't perfect, but as far as YA novels go, I'd say that it's a pretty good one. Highly recommended!

[Lynn]

Positives:
Cute YA
flawed yet likable characters
growth of characters
Present and caring family dynamics
Positive female friendships (Thank you so much for this!!)
Author from Houston
diversity and teens dealing with cultural pressures/stereotypes etc

The neither good nor bad:
I saw it was set in Houston but because the Houston area is so big it really is set in an area that is at the edge in a smaller satellite suburb kind of town nearly in the country. Not bad just didn't feel like the Houston I know which is more inner city.
While I was excited about the MC being a theatre girl she was not as easy to connect with as I'd hoped. She was pretty out there in her fantasy world and not living in realty very well. But this is part of her arc and growth.

The one thing I had a question about isn't a negative per se....
I didn't understand why the responsibility for theend of the relationship seemed to be heaped on Maddie's shoulders. Jesse contributed his own weirdness and it wasn't all addressed- like his reaction to her getting a car for instance. I would have liked it to be understood that they both had problems to deal with more than just that Jesse needed to be honest about who he was with others from his school and everything was Maddie's fault. I thought his issues were more than just that. Not a biggie though.

[Leah]

So I had a baby in the middle of reading this otherwise I would have devoured it in a day or two. Sweet, without too much teenage angst (and no sex or alcohol which seems to be the norm in YA books now!) I love a story about an "old soul" teenager. And my favorite movie of all time is Singing in the Rain so this book and I bonded. :)

[Jessica]

When I saw this book was about a theater girl falling for a baseball player, I felt like my whole high school existence came hurtling back to me. Especially since THIS WAS ME. I was the high school theater girl (who totally did the musical Crazy For You junior year) and I dated a baseball player. Granted, I wasn't obsessed with Gene Kelly and my then boyfriend definitely had NO former talent as a dancer. Hah. I saw a lot of myself in Maddie though and not just the theater connection. I also had my head in the clouds at times and wished life were more like the movies.

This was definitely a cute, fun read. I really enjoyed Maddie's character, even though she could be a bit pushy at times with Jesse, but I think her heart was in the right place. I really like the way their relationship played out because Maddie had an important lesson to learn about accepting and loving someone for who they are and not who you want them or think they could be. Jesse was a sweetheart and I really enjoyed him for the most part. The way that he would clam up on her sometimes irritated me a bit, but he's a guy and most guys don't want to sit around and talk about their feelings. So I got that. I adored them together, as the best friend's brother trope is always a favorite of mine. Even though he could be a little cold at times, he made up for it with some super sweet scenes. What he did for her birthday absolutely melted my heart and the end was so perfect for them.

Angela, Jesse's sister and Maddie's first friend in Texas, was a lot of fun too and I really like how she embraced Maddie as a friend from the beginning. Moving is a difficult adjustment, so it was nice to see the two bond so quickly. I think it would be super fun to see an Angela/Red book that was set during the same time as this one. (Hint, hint!)

I really like how present both Maddie and Jesse's families are in this book as well. I never get tired of seeing it in young adult novels and I felt their relationships were incredibly important to their characterization and growth. Maddie, especially, is dealing with a lot of transitions and while she doesn't always act the most mature in light of those, she does recognize that her parents love her and she is an important part of the family, no matter how it changes.

Overall, I definitely enjoyed being whisked back to my high school years with Maddie and her family and friends. Having enjoyed Kristin Rae's debut, Wish You Were Italian and now this one, I am definitely looking forward to reading more of hers in the future!

*Received a copy of this book via the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.*

[Sara (A Gingerly Review)]

ADORABLE!!

Here is my full review: https://agingerlyreview.wordpress.com...

What an adorable, swoony read! I loved every minute of this book. Kristin Rae has done it again with this one.

What You Always Wanted is the story of Maddie, a high school theater junkie that has been uprooted from Chicago and planted in the rolling hills of Texas. Maddie has always had incredibly high standards for any potential love interest because of her deep love for classical movies of old Hollywood. Maddie starts to wonder if she hasn’t found Mr. Wonderful in her next door neighbor, Jesse. They start carpooling shortly after Maddie moves in to town and she discovers that Jesse has a strong theater background, especially in song and dance, just like her dream guy, Gene Kelly. Jesse has given up all things theater to play baseball but Maddie can see that a little bit of Jesse’s heart is still with the theater. Can Maddie help Jesse remember why he loved song and dance to begin with AND get the man of her dreams, or can she settle for Mr. Amazing that is right in front of her?

I’m not sure I can say enough good things about this book. I enjoyed it so much that I finished it in one day. Maddie is a headstrong female who knows what she wants and likes and sticks to her guns. I like that in a female MC. Yes, she did come across incredibly selfish and self centered at times, especially when it comes to her home life, but I think that was one of the intentional character flaws. Jesse is one of the most swoon worthy males I have read in a while. He is sweet, charming, thoughtful, and confident – things every girl swoons after.

I really like how part of this story focused on friendship and family. There were several times in the story where Maddie had to rely on her friends to get her through rough patches. I wish more stories would remind readers that friends and family are just as important as a boyfriend/girlfriend.

Overall, this is one of the better If Only… books written. I was so excited when I received a copy to review. I recommend this book to anyone that is looking for a good, fun read. That is why I gave this story 4 out of 5 stars.

[Katie (hiding in the pages)]

Maddie is new in town and quickly befriends her neighbors, joins the drama club, and worms her way into the school and community. Theater is her life and her only true love (Gene Kelly) is dead. She's a very dramatic, yet likable girl. I love her easy calm in handling her life changes, even the surprises that upset her. I love her new friends and they way they're all so different, yet so similar. They really mesh well together. Jesse is her best friend's older brother and he's talented, good-looking, and full of charm. What's not to like?

I'm a little older than these characters (okay...a lot older...) and I'm still learning some of the lessons they learned. Even with good intentions, it's really hard not to judge sometimes. Understanding others is so much better than placing them in a box. Maddie learns the hard way that what she thinks Jesse's passion should be isn't necessarily what his passion in life is. Sometimes people have to learn things the hard way and it can be painful to go through and almost more painful to read about.

There's a nice and realistic feel to the relationships throughout this story and the coming-of-age moments are a real process that progresses naturally. I love that these characters aren't perfect. This book took me back to the good times in my past and I enjoyed reliving those moments again. This is such a fun series that can be read in any order, as they have nothing to do with each other. I recommend it to those readers who enjoy good, clean, YA lit with some "if only" dreams thrown in.

Content: mild, clean romance (kissing); 1-2 cuss words. Clean!

[Les]

Maddie is so enamored with Gene Kelly that no other guy can possibly compete so why bother. She's never been kissed as a result (for good reason). She's egocentric enough to think nothing but theater matters, even though she's now living in sports-mad Texas. The hunk across the street doesn't advertise his dancing skills because he's more invested in his college/pro potential as a baseball pitcher. So she browbeats the crap out of him and somehow is wounded when he repeated tells her to leave him alone because he isn't interested. But by God she's going to make his see the light...

This is the same girl who somehow supposedly lapses into daydreams about Gene Kelly on multiple occasions in the middle of conversations. Seriously? Does anyone believe she could snap out of a daydream to realize she's playing tonsil-hockey with a guy? And then tries to blame him for taking advantage of her when she initiated it?

SPOILER ALERT

I had high hopes when Mr. Hunk finally called her out on being so fixated on trying to make him do theater when it honestly wasn't what he wanted to do. It was an excellent clue-by-four he clubbed her over the head with and told her they were through. It finally made her do some introspection on what a horse's ass she was. If they'd stayed apart I'd be more inclined to rate it in the 3.5-4 star range. But instead he goes from being thoroughly (and justifiably) pissed off to doing a complete 180 and surprising her by performing because he's so madly in love and misses her. Blech!

[L. Chase]

Classic movies? Gene Kelly references? High school theater? BE STILL MY HEART.

If you like Stephanie Perkins, Emery Lord, or Elizabeth Eulberg, then make Kristin Rae your next read! Her characters are complex, realistically-flawed, lovable, strong, and good-hearted. This novel's pacing is lightspeed quick--and the voice very accessible and funny. This book also has great girl-friendships running through it, which are some of the most wonderful relationships in the book!

Of course, when it comes to relationships: romantic tension is Rae's greatest strength. The "will-they-won't-they" moments will have you squealing and squirming and shipping hardcore. Classic movie references had me wanting to go back and watch them all--plus the dance sequences on YouTube! SWOON.

What You Always Wanted? Indeed! This book *is* everything I wanted... and MORE!

[Deitre]

Love musicals, the classics, or an independent girl finding her way? This book is for you. There isn’t actually any music involved, but I felt like singing along. Escape to Texas for about three hundred pages—ya’ll will love it!



Seriously, read this book!

To read the rest of the review, simply follow the link: http://www.aleisuremoment.com/2016/03...

[Dahlia]

I have really, really strong appreciation for this book, because not only is it a really cute romance, but A) it has a really different MC, and it's kinda nice how hard she is to be won over and how generic hotness and athleticism doesn't do it, and more importantly B) I've never seen a YA before where the LI was both athletic and theatrically artistic (Jesse tap dances) and the MC is far more drawn to the more traditionally feminine trait. It's interesting, too, how that plays out, and I really liked how different this was, and it's fun and sweet and charming, and, as all books in the If Only line are, totally appropriate for younger readers.

[McKenna R]

I got this book as a Christmas gift from my roommate last year. I don't normally read this type of book, but I picked it up yesterday, maybe because I hadn't read it yet or maybe because I missed my roommate, who is currently serving an 18-month LDS mission in Samoa. Reading this book was like hearing her voice again, it reminded me so much of her. It's cheesy and simple and cute, and I found myself liking it more than I had originally planned on. I wouldn't have picked this book out for myself, but I did enjoy reading it.

[Mandie Baxter]

I love a good sweet, swoon worthy book! Kristin does a fantastic job of taking real life struggles and blending them with fantastic settings and like able characters (or not so like able in the case of Rica...haha) and sprinkles it all with kissing scenes. Can't wait to see what she's writing next.

[Becky Osmon]

Cute. Highly recommend for theater nerds.

[Lisa (lifeinlit)]

4.5 stars!

Ahhhh!! This was SO ADORABLE!! I went into What You Always Wanted with my expectations pretty high. I mean, I adored Wish You Were Italian last year, and the anticipation to get my hands on Kirstin Rae's second book was pretty torturous. And yay, this one was just as adorable as I had hoped!!

Maddie is obsessed with classic movies. Like REALLY obsessed... to the point where she compares every guy in her life to Gene Kelly. He is utter perfection in her eyes, and no other guy seems to match up. Maddie meets Jesse, the boy next door, and as she starts spending more time with him, the star baseball player and part of the popular clan followed by girls at all times, Maddie finds herself drawn to his good looks, fun personality and charm. Though sports are totally NOT her thing, Maddie finds out that Jesse also dances in his spare time, and this causes Maddie to reconsider him. Could he be the guy for her?

The amount of adorable moments in this book was unquantifiable. I loved basically everything about it!! It wasn't only swoons and silliness though... there are also valuable lessons to be learned here. Maddie, herself, realizes that just because someone is good at something doesn't mean that they're destined to do that for the rest of their life, which is such an important lesson to learn. It's personally a very important lesson to me, and I'm so happy to see it addressed so beautifully in this story.

Another home-run for Kristin RAe!! (Hehe, see what I did there? ;) ) If you like fluffy books filled with tons of cute moments that bounce off the pages and force you to smile constantly, Kristin Rae is an author you won't want to miss. Now I need MORE, Kristin!! PLEASE!! This was such a perfect cleanse for me to read between two much more serious books. It's also a perfect Saturday, sitting out in the sun, relaxing with a nice cold beverage type of read. So grab a copy of this book, sit back, relax, and enjoy this ride full of cuteness!
 


(Thanks to Bloomsbury for the review copy!)

Find this review and others like it at Lost in Literature!

[Kathrine Whitfield]

This book is about a young girl named Maddie and she moves to Texas from Chicago. She meets new people and meets two guys. One is Brian and the other is Jessie. She falls for Jessie but later in the book, they brake up because Maddie is trying to change him but in the end, they make up and both of them fulfill their dreams.

[Once]

I love when a book makes you smile from beginning to end. Specially, when it's a book that you were not expecting to swoon over. Maddie is a funny character and had me laughing throughout this story. I loved how this story took me by surprise.

I went through a period in which I wanted to watch all 80s movies. It's a great way to expand your knowledge in something that you love. This is what I loved most about Maddie. I love her enthusiasm for movies and her knowledge in great cinema. Although there are titles mentioned that I need to watch. See, reading is fundamental. Not only is she into movies but Maddie is respectful and doesn't whine like teens her age. She's mature at her age in some levels.

Making a move from a big city to a small town, can be difficult for kids, but Maddie took the news like a champ. One of the things I admired is the fact that she was trying to find the perfect boyfriend. Didn't we all go through that phase? We all wanted to be perfect and to have the perfect boyfriend. And once she realized Jesse knows how to dance, she was making the effort to make him the perfect guy. Until she comes in conclusion there is no such thing as being a perfect boyfriend.

What You Always Wanted is an adorable, cute and swoony story. It's a story of a girl finding out that sometimes what you always wanted is not actually what you need. Life is a puzzle and mystery and we are here just to live it and make the best out of it. I liked Jesse and Maddie together. They're a pair that bring each other's best. Maddie learns life is full of mess and "perfection" is overrated. As for Jessie, he learns to follow his heart. This is a story worth learning.

http://www.onceuponatwilight.com/2016...

[JumbleofJargon]

UGH, UPDATE THIS WAS THE BOOK THAT WAS FALSELY PUT BETWEEN THE COVERS OF When We Collided by Emery Lord. I FEEL LIED TO AND BETRAYED!!! What a waste of time.

Btw, this is probably practically absolutely not the authors fault, it's more likely to be the fault of the publishing company or maybe somehow the libraries' fault? I just don't understand, this book was brand new. How could this happen?

Btw #2, I decided not to review this book because it is not the kind of book I'd normally read or pick for myself. Also, it likely wasn't meant for some like me who is in college and not interested in theater or old movies in the slightest. In addition to that, I had so many problems with this that writing them all out may only exacerbate the horrible mood I'm in for reading the wrong book.

Btw #3, If you are confused as to what I'm talking about in the beginning read this status update from earlier:

I read books without knowing anything about them. That's what I did with When We Collided by Emery Lord & I was about to review it when I see that the characters in the goodreads description are not the same as the ones in my book. I'm like wait who the hell are Jonah and Viv? Why's there no mention of Jessie and Maddie? And that's when the horrific realization sets it. IT's A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT BOOK FROM WHAT THE BOOK COVER SAYS! It's from the library and it looks new. WTH?! I wasted my time b/c this book was abominable and I STILL have NO CLUE WHAT BOOK THIS IS!!!

[Jeff]

Closer to a 3.5.

I'm always surprised that YA books don't push the theater/performing arts nerd angles more. We've seen a few published over the last 18 months, but, having been a theater and chorus geek myself, it's fertile ground for a lot of the sorts of love triangles and situations in play with groups like those. What You Always Wanted mines that cavern a bit and mostly works as a fluffy teen romance that is reminiscent of those times, but lacks the weight it could have had.

In this tale, Maddie is obsessed with old movie stars and is now in a new school. She's carpooling with one of the stars of the baseball team, but that's not usually the guy she goes for. At least it isn't until she learns about his secret performing past, which changes the entire game and makes her wonder if she can change him.

That key plot point is where the story kind of falls apart for me. It's a fun airy romance and then takes the sort of turn where you feel like it's okay to try and mold someone into the type of person you want them to be as opposed to accepting good people for what they are. It's not a great message in a genre (teen romance) light on substance, and that concerned me.

With that said, looking past that one flaw, it's a fun and fast read. It's unlikely to change anyone's life, but that's not really the point, either. It's candy for the teen performer set, and that's extremely valid in and of itself. Recommended for kids looking for characters that represent their interests, for sure.

[Megan Swan]

I LOVED THIS BOOK SOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!! I think the author wrote about my obsession with Gene Kelly! 🎥 🎭

[Natalie D.]

What You Always Wanted by Kristin Rae is centered around Maddie Brooks, who is into theater and dreams about singing and dancing with her idol Gene Kelly, and Jesse Morales, who is a popular baseball player at their high school, and who also secretly tap-dances. Their story is mainly set in a city in Texas, after Maddie's family moved there to be closer to Maddie's older brother and his university. After carpooling home early in the book, Maddie and Jessie discover that they live right across the street from each other, and Maddie puts together that her new theater teacher, Mrs. Morales, is Jesse's mom. Maddie's best friend, Angela, is also one of Jesse's two younger sisters.
A point of conflict is when Maddie finds out that she is going to have a new sibling, but she doesn't think it is a good idea.

I really liked how well-developed the two main characters were. They both "jumped off the page" and through their feelings and actions toward one another, I could see one of the main themes of the story: Sometimes, what one wants may be standing right in front of them. Adding to that, something that really hooked me was Maddie's determination to get Jesse to share his dancing talent, even though dancing is not what he is truly interested in.
Overall, I loved the romance and different personalities of the characters as well as their story in general. I rate What You Always Wanted five out of five stars, and recommend it to anyone who enjoys fun, teen romance-filled reads! (Anyone could read this though :)

[Olivia Spenner]

I really liked this book. It was good because it had some of the stuff I like in it, like baseball. I thought this book was good, but also confusing. She has these sorts of daydreams where her real life is mixed in with all her favorite old movies so you don't really know if she is actually saying these things or the other person is saying these things or if it is just her imagination. Overall I thought it was really good. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes sports, drama/theatre, or romance.

[Sarvenaz Tash]

If you have a thing for Gene Kelly, classic movies, and theater...this book is for you. In other words, this book was definitely for me and I was utterly delighted by all the references to all of the above. Maddie was such a great character to root for, and it was SO fun to read about a teen I would have 100% been friends with in high school.

[Kristina]

Loved!! I truly loved everything about this story and I was so excited to receive an advance copy of it. The story was the perfect mix of everything special I could want in what I am reading. I also loved the characters. Highly recommended!!