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The One You Want
One week, two friends, secrets revealed, and a wedding gone wrong. With the drama of Colleen Hoover, the romantic tension of Lori Foster, and the page-turning power of Jill Shalvis, New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Ryan returns in this deliciously unforgettable novel.
Sometimes weddings bring the worst surprises... Growing up, Rose fled her family home--and a dangerous father--vowing never to return. But Rose is back in Carmel, California, with two goals: to joyfully act as maid of honor for her best-friend-forever Maggie and to reunite and rebuild her relationships with her mother and sister. And she can't wait to finally meet the groom-to-be.
But when Maggie excitedly introduces her to Marc, Rose is horrified. He's the man Rose spent one lust-fueled but disastrous night with a year ago. Rose and Maggie have shared every secret...but Rose isn't sure she can reveal this one. To complicate the situation, Rose makes an instant connection with Gray, Marc's best man and cousin.
And as the big day approaches, the secret weighs heavy upon Rose. It was a whirlwind courtship, but Maggie seems so sure she's found the one she wants. Now Rose faces the biggest dilemma of her life: Should she tell Maggie and Gray the truth and risk losing them? What if it's best to leave things alone? Then again, what if her friend is making the biggest mistake of her life?
Sometimes weddings bring the worst surprises... Growing up, Rose fled her family home--and a dangerous father--vowing never to return. But Rose is back in Carmel, California, with two goals: to joyfully act as maid of honor for her best-friend-forever Maggie and to reunite and rebuild her relationships with her mother and sister. And she can't wait to finally meet the groom-to-be.
But when Maggie excitedly introduces her to Marc, Rose is horrified. He's the man Rose spent one lust-fueled but disastrous night with a year ago. Rose and Maggie have shared every secret...but Rose isn't sure she can reveal this one. To complicate the situation, Rose makes an instant connection with Gray, Marc's best man and cousin.
And as the big day approaches, the secret weighs heavy upon Rose. It was a whirlwind courtship, but Maggie seems so sure she's found the one she wants. Now Rose faces the biggest dilemma of her life: Should she tell Maggie and Gray the truth and risk losing them? What if it's best to leave things alone? Then again, what if her friend is making the biggest mistake of her life?
363 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 5, 2022
118 people are currently reading
6581 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Ryan
50 books1,885 followersJennifer Ryan, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Hunted and McBrides Series, writes romantic suspense and contemporary small-town romances.
Jennifer lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and three children. When she isn’t writing a book, she’s reading one. Her obsession with both is often revealed in the state of her home, and how late dinner is to the table. When she finally leaves those fictional worlds, you’ll find her in the garden, playing in the dirt and daydreaming about people who live only in her head, until she puts them on paper.
Please visit her website at www.jennifer-ryan.com for information about upcoming releases.
Jennifer lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and three children. When she isn’t writing a book, she’s reading one. Her obsession with both is often revealed in the state of her home, and how late dinner is to the table. When she finally leaves those fictional worlds, you’ll find her in the garden, playing in the dirt and daydreaming about people who live only in her head, until she puts them on paper.
Please visit her website at www.jennifer-ryan.com for information about upcoming releases.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews
August 24, 2025
Solid 3.5 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫
(Not really a 4- but… Goodreads….)
This book is a classic Hallmark movie. If Hallmark love stories are your thing- I highly recommend. If they aren’t- I would say to pass on this one.
💕 Family Drama
💕 Best Friends
💕 Insta Love
💕 Relationship Drama
💕 Small Beach Town setting
💕 HEA
Main female characters are Rose and Maggie. These ladies have a wonderful story of friendship dating back when they were very young. This relationship is my favorite part of the book. It’s well developed and supported throughout.
Rose goes back home to the tiny beach town to celebrate in Maggie’s upcoming wedding. Rose choses to stay in her childhood home filled with haunting memories of significant abuse at the hands of her alcoholic father. Her father has since passed but the house remains shuttered with turmoil that once was as her mom and sister, Poppy, can’t move on even though it’s been years. The relationships between Rose, her mother, and her sister are explored. The book does dig fairly deep for this type of genre and keeping the page count under 370. I found this addition to be heartfelt and significant to how Rose is portrayed in a situation that occurs in the end. This could be triggering for some and healing for others. I found this area was explored just enough to add but not become overwhelming to the love story and the drama (the heartbeats of the typical Hallmark).
Bring in the 2 main male leads… Marc- Maggie’s fiancé and the stereotypical bad guy for a variety of reasons. And Marc’s cousin, Gray, who is ‘insta love’ with Rose.
I won’t add in anymore here as it will give away the rest of the plot but there are some crazy behaviors, some secrets spilled, lots of family drama, open door but light spice, add in some ex boyfriends and ex girlfriends to shake things up, and Marc and Grays parents add some extra drama.
The book is written well- flows, no errors, easy to read, mostly kept my interest.
I’m not huge on the Hallmark genre but once in a while is nice to throw in the mix. This is a first by this author and I’d read more from her.
What brings it down from the 4 star rating is it is just a bit too cheesy for me over all. Gray and Rose being the most beautiful humans on the planet… everyone wants Gray and Rose… to me- this emphasis brings the writing down a notch. The insta love after only a few days… I’m ok with insta love… but 3 days, that’s pushing it even for me. And Marc is such a stereotype of a bad guy… I really liked how this one started off but then it went into the ‘over the top’ category.
💒 👰🏻 🤵🏼 🏖️ 🏝️ 👯♀️ 🌹 🌺 🍰
(Not really a 4- but… Goodreads….)
This book is a classic Hallmark movie. If Hallmark love stories are your thing- I highly recommend. If they aren’t- I would say to pass on this one.
💕 Family Drama
💕 Best Friends
💕 Insta Love
💕 Relationship Drama
💕 Small Beach Town setting
💕 HEA
Main female characters are Rose and Maggie. These ladies have a wonderful story of friendship dating back when they were very young. This relationship is my favorite part of the book. It’s well developed and supported throughout.
Rose goes back home to the tiny beach town to celebrate in Maggie’s upcoming wedding. Rose choses to stay in her childhood home filled with haunting memories of significant abuse at the hands of her alcoholic father. Her father has since passed but the house remains shuttered with turmoil that once was as her mom and sister, Poppy, can’t move on even though it’s been years. The relationships between Rose, her mother, and her sister are explored. The book does dig fairly deep for this type of genre and keeping the page count under 370. I found this addition to be heartfelt and significant to how Rose is portrayed in a situation that occurs in the end. This could be triggering for some and healing for others. I found this area was explored just enough to add but not become overwhelming to the love story and the drama (the heartbeats of the typical Hallmark).
Bring in the 2 main male leads… Marc- Maggie’s fiancé and the stereotypical bad guy for a variety of reasons. And Marc’s cousin, Gray, who is ‘insta love’ with Rose.
I won’t add in anymore here as it will give away the rest of the plot but there are some crazy behaviors, some secrets spilled, lots of family drama, open door but light spice, add in some ex boyfriends and ex girlfriends to shake things up, and Marc and Grays parents add some extra drama.
The book is written well- flows, no errors, easy to read, mostly kept my interest.
I’m not huge on the Hallmark genre but once in a while is nice to throw in the mix. This is a first by this author and I’d read more from her.
What brings it down from the 4 star rating is it is just a bit too cheesy for me over all. Gray and Rose being the most beautiful humans on the planet… everyone wants Gray and Rose… to me- this emphasis brings the writing down a notch. The insta love after only a few days… I’m ok with insta love… but 3 days, that’s pushing it even for me. And Marc is such a stereotype of a bad guy… I really liked how this one started off but then it went into the ‘over the top’ category.
💒 👰🏻 🤵🏼 🏖️ 🏝️ 👯♀️ 🌹 🌺 🍰
December 29, 2021
thank you to the publisher, and the author for letting me read an ARC of this amazing
story through NetGalley.
This book was about rose who gets back to her home town and reconsolidates with her family and friends. She faces some troubles in her relation ship with her mother and sister and she meets her bfs fiancé that turns out to be her one night stand .this book had different povs through each character. The writing was very stiff I couldn’t connect with characters and their problems . The plot was okay but it could have been written much better
It was a 2.5 stars read for me.
story through NetGalley.
This book was about rose who gets back to her home town and reconsolidates with her family and friends. She faces some troubles in her relation ship with her mother and sister and she meets her bfs fiancé that turns out to be her one night stand .this book had different povs through each character. The writing was very stiff I couldn’t connect with characters and their problems . The plot was okay but it could have been written much better
It was a 2.5 stars read for me.
June 28, 2022
The One You Want by Jennifer Ryan is an emotional romance about friends, family, and love. Family dynamics and tested friendships are themes in this lovely story.
Rose returns to the home she left years ago, escaping her monster of a father and leaving behind her mother and her younger sister. Her father is gone now, but memories of her life are still around. She’s back in town to be the maid of honor at her best friend, Maggie’s wedding. However, when she meets the groom, Marc, she is horrified as she realizes that she has a past with him, specifically a one-night stand. She knows she must tell her friend Maggie the truth. She’s also very attracted to the Best Man, Grey.
She also has to reconcile her feelings for her family, especially her younger sister, Poppy. She knew that the only way to survive her father’s abuse was to leave as soon as possible, but she didn’t like that she had to leave Poppy behind to suffer the abuse alone.
I thought the first part of this book was the best. I liked the way the author handled the domestic abuse story and Rose’s return to the town and her family. I liked the way, Rose and her sister Poppy forged a new relationship. The family drama in this book is well done.
The romance between Rose and Grey was good, and I liked Grey very much. But Rose and Grey together were fast and furious, with their feeling growing very fast. I did not like Maggie’s fiance, Marc. I know I’m not supposed to like Marc, but I didn’t like the way Rose handled telling Maggie and Grey about her past with Marc. It was a messy love triangle. However, it did make for a dramatic confrontation between Rose and Grey near the end.
Overall, this is an emotional book about past mistakes and growing and changing. The backstory of domestic abuse by Rose’s father was handled very well, and I liked that the family members were working hard to recover from the trauma.
I recommend The One You Want to anyone who enjoys romance. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rose returns to the home she left years ago, escaping her monster of a father and leaving behind her mother and her younger sister. Her father is gone now, but memories of her life are still around. She’s back in town to be the maid of honor at her best friend, Maggie’s wedding. However, when she meets the groom, Marc, she is horrified as she realizes that she has a past with him, specifically a one-night stand. She knows she must tell her friend Maggie the truth. She’s also very attracted to the Best Man, Grey.
She also has to reconcile her feelings for her family, especially her younger sister, Poppy. She knew that the only way to survive her father’s abuse was to leave as soon as possible, but she didn’t like that she had to leave Poppy behind to suffer the abuse alone.
I thought the first part of this book was the best. I liked the way the author handled the domestic abuse story and Rose’s return to the town and her family. I liked the way, Rose and her sister Poppy forged a new relationship. The family drama in this book is well done.
The romance between Rose and Grey was good, and I liked Grey very much. But Rose and Grey together were fast and furious, with their feeling growing very fast. I did not like Maggie’s fiance, Marc. I know I’m not supposed to like Marc, but I didn’t like the way Rose handled telling Maggie and Grey about her past with Marc. It was a messy love triangle. However, it did make for a dramatic confrontation between Rose and Grey near the end.
Overall, this is an emotional book about past mistakes and growing and changing. The backstory of domestic abuse by Rose’s father was handled very well, and I liked that the family members were working hard to recover from the trauma.
I recommend The One You Want to anyone who enjoys romance. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
August 8, 2022
The One You Want is a romance, but it is also a story of friendship, family, reconciliation and honesty. Rose has returned home to Carmel, California, a place she fled years ago to escape her abusive father, leaving her mother and her younger sister behind. He is gone now, but the damage she did to her relationship with her sister may not be able to be repaired. She returned home to be the maid of honor at her best friend, Maggie’s wedding. She is happy for her, until she meets the groom. She is horrified that he is Marc, the man she had a one-night stand with a few years ago, not knowing that he was involved with someone. She doesn't trust him to be faithful to Maggie, especially when he asks her not to tell Maggie about their relationship. She is between a rock and a hard place, not wanting to hurt Maggie, but knowing she should tell her the truth. She’s also finds that she is very attracted to the Best Man, Gray, Marc's cousin. Will she tell Maggie the truth? Will she be able to reconcile with her sister? Is what she is feeling for Gray something she wants to pursue? What will happen when she tells Gray the truth about her relationship with Marc?
This is a well written story with several themes and storylines, all involving Rose. Rose was a victim when she was younger and she made some bad decisions, but Maggie was always there for her. I loved their relationship and that they were still BFFs even with Maggie moving away. Rose and Poppy had a lot to get past. Rose never wanted to put Poppy in danger, but with her gone, it was bound to happen. Poppy was very angry, and had turned that anger inwards. I liked that Rose had therapy to get beyond what happened and that she encouraged Poppy to do the same. The abuse was never described, but you knew it had happened. The romance was love at first sight, but it was an attraction that was a friendship with chemistry and not a hop into bed one. The one thing I didn't like about this book was how Rose kept putting off being honest with Maggie and Gray. You know it will not end well and there will be some major angst. I also didn't like Marc, AT ALL! I know this was supposed to be how I would feel and I liked how Jennifer Ryan developed all the characters. This was an enjoyable story with secrets, mistakes, angst, abuse, reconciliation, friendship, family and romance. It is all put together in a well written and plotted story. Vanessa Edwin does a nice job with the narration making this an easy book to listen to and enjoy.
This is a well written story with several themes and storylines, all involving Rose. Rose was a victim when she was younger and she made some bad decisions, but Maggie was always there for her. I loved their relationship and that they were still BFFs even with Maggie moving away. Rose and Poppy had a lot to get past. Rose never wanted to put Poppy in danger, but with her gone, it was bound to happen. Poppy was very angry, and had turned that anger inwards. I liked that Rose had therapy to get beyond what happened and that she encouraged Poppy to do the same. The abuse was never described, but you knew it had happened. The romance was love at first sight, but it was an attraction that was a friendship with chemistry and not a hop into bed one. The one thing I didn't like about this book was how Rose kept putting off being honest with Maggie and Gray. You know it will not end well and there will be some major angst. I also didn't like Marc, AT ALL! I know this was supposed to be how I would feel and I liked how Jennifer Ryan developed all the characters. This was an enjoyable story with secrets, mistakes, angst, abuse, reconciliation, friendship, family and romance. It is all put together in a well written and plotted story. Vanessa Edwin does a nice job with the narration making this an easy book to listen to and enjoy.
April 21, 2022
This was no Colleen Hoover. Sorry but not even close. Thanks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. DNF
July 6, 2022
Rose is back home trying to reconnect with her mom and her sister after a tumultuous childhood. At the same time, her best friend Maggie is getting married, so Rose is working to help her have the best wedding day. When she is introduced to her best friend’s fiancé, she realizes he is a man she had a one night stand with a long time ago, but he acts as though they have never met. Rose is conflicted as to how to handle it because she doesn’t want to hide anything from her best friend, but she also doesn’t want to upset her right before the wedding. To top it off, Rose falls for Gray, who is the cousin of her bestie’s fiancé and they have always had a rivalry. When Marc (the fiancé) finds out that Gray and Rose are a thing, he goes out of his way to sabotage their relationship because he never got over that Rose wasn’t into him after that one night. Maggie is left trying to decide if she really wants to marry Marc, or if she still loves her ex, Joel.
As Rose works on her relationship with her mom and sister, she finds out there was even more to the story than she thought. Rose’s sister Poppy is super depressed still after all these years and holds Rose responsible for all that is wrong with her life and Rose works to mend her heart and help her find her way out of the darkness.
There’s a lot going on in this book. There’s several triggers and I’m not usually a fan of the insta-love trope, but I actually didn’t really mind how this played out between Rose and Gray. It was kind of a “when you know, you know” type of a deal and it kinda worked for me. I just wished there was more character development in some of the supporting characters.
Thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.
As Rose works on her relationship with her mom and sister, she finds out there was even more to the story than she thought. Rose’s sister Poppy is super depressed still after all these years and holds Rose responsible for all that is wrong with her life and Rose works to mend her heart and help her find her way out of the darkness.
There’s a lot going on in this book. There’s several triggers and I’m not usually a fan of the insta-love trope, but I actually didn’t really mind how this played out between Rose and Gray. It was kind of a “when you know, you know” type of a deal and it kinda worked for me. I just wished there was more character development in some of the supporting characters.
Thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.
July 15, 2022
I have devoured every book I can get my hands on by Ryan. She writes romance that you want to be part of with characters that are so easy to connect with. Well, most of them. I was not a fan of Marc's he was the worst. But I have to say I HIGHLY recommend this book.
June 14, 2022
I'm a big fan of Jennifer Ryan's Rancher novels. The One You Want is a different novel than her rancher books. The mystery and dark pasts with abuse and healing are still present. There is much withholding of information in this book which I'm just not a fan of. The character development in some of the characters was great and in others I wished there was more.
Thank you to #netgalley for the early read. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to #netgalley for the early read. All opinions are my own.
June 3, 2022
Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the chance to ready this early copy of “The One you Want.” Based on the beautiful cover, I was expecting a light summer read. Unfortunately, not every book is for every reader and this story did not work for me. The story was more angst than I prefer and the connection between Gray and Rose was instant - they were basically in love 2 minutes after they met. There was no real development of their relationship.
January 21, 2025
I actually started reading this book 2 years ago but dropped it in the bathtub once I got to the 5th page so I put it down to let it dry and utterly forgot about it until today, so I decided to read it. Anyways I give this 4 stars because there were a few too many cringey interactions and the word sweetheart was used probably at least 18 times too many, but other than that it was decent. I liked the plot, I liked the characters, she could’ve put more time in painting the scene so to say, however from what I gather I liked the characters and I liked the ending and it was better than the awful boring book I read yesterday. So I give it 4 stars.
August 1, 2022
Rose returns home after escaping an abusive father for her best friend Maggie's wedding.
To her shock, the groom is someone she has had a one-night stand with a year back. And she finds herself extremely attracted to the best man.
I enjoyed reading the story. Rose's connection with her family after reconciling with the past is sweet. The family drama is well done.
I like that Rose is honest with Maggie about her night of debauchery, but she does take her time about it. Romance is well done, though it feels a little too fast.
Strength after abuse and finding oneself is the core of this book, all wrapped up in a nice little romance.
To her shock, the groom is someone she has had a one-night stand with a year back. And she finds herself extremely attracted to the best man.
I enjoyed reading the story. Rose's connection with her family after reconciling with the past is sweet. The family drama is well done.
I like that Rose is honest with Maggie about her night of debauchery, but she does take her time about it. Romance is well done, though it feels a little too fast.
Strength after abuse and finding oneself is the core of this book, all wrapped up in a nice little romance.
June 25, 2022
***I received an advance review copy.***
This book takes place with Rose going back to her family home after years away and a tumultuous childhood. She is trying to reconnect with her mom and her sister.
She is back home for her best friend Maggie's wedding. She comes to find out that the man her best friend is marrying is a man she had a one night stand with.
Maggie's fiancée Marc's best man Gray immediately falls for Rose. And just trying to put this into words shows me how dramatic this book really was.
To top it off Rose is trying to resolve issues with her mother and sister.
Maggie is trying to figure out if she's making the right decision in marrying Marc. There was just a lot going on in this book.
I'm not even sure where to start with this book. It started off well enough going into details about Rose's past and why she hasn't been home in many years. But that was about it.
I found it difficult to believe that Rose could heal years of trauma with a few words to her mother and sister.
And then Rose and Gray meet and supposedly hit it off right away.
The conversation between these two are extremely cheesy. It felt super forced and not at all real. I couldn’t get into these two and just wanted to read past their scenes together.
Then everyone around her telling her how in love she was after literally 2 days of her knowing Gray. This was insta-love to the extreme.
Then even though Rose knows she slept with Marc and the reason it was a mistake she kept pushing Maggie to marry him and never trying to help her best friend out of it.
Instead she kept making mistakes until Marc acted like a complete idiot and Maggie's decision was easy. Every time Maggie had concerns she made an excuse for Marc. Some best friend she is, not saying your true feelings.
I just don’t understand why she kept being on his side with everything he did. And how he behaved towards her in front of Maggie.
I just don’t understand. But it finally comes to an end and let me tell you I was relieved it was finally over. And I was done with the super cheesy banter between Gray and Rose.
This one was not for me.
This book takes place with Rose going back to her family home after years away and a tumultuous childhood. She is trying to reconnect with her mom and her sister.
She is back home for her best friend Maggie's wedding. She comes to find out that the man her best friend is marrying is a man she had a one night stand with.
Maggie's fiancée Marc's best man Gray immediately falls for Rose. And just trying to put this into words shows me how dramatic this book really was.
To top it off Rose is trying to resolve issues with her mother and sister.
Maggie is trying to figure out if she's making the right decision in marrying Marc. There was just a lot going on in this book.
I'm not even sure where to start with this book. It started off well enough going into details about Rose's past and why she hasn't been home in many years. But that was about it.
I found it difficult to believe that Rose could heal years of trauma with a few words to her mother and sister.
And then Rose and Gray meet and supposedly hit it off right away.
The conversation between these two are extremely cheesy. It felt super forced and not at all real. I couldn’t get into these two and just wanted to read past their scenes together.
Then everyone around her telling her how in love she was after literally 2 days of her knowing Gray. This was insta-love to the extreme.
Then even though Rose knows she slept with Marc and the reason it was a mistake she kept pushing Maggie to marry him and never trying to help her best friend out of it.
Instead she kept making mistakes until Marc acted like a complete idiot and Maggie's decision was easy. Every time Maggie had concerns she made an excuse for Marc. Some best friend she is, not saying your true feelings.
I just don’t understand why she kept being on his side with everything he did. And how he behaved towards her in front of Maggie.
I just don’t understand. But it finally comes to an end and let me tell you I was relieved it was finally over. And I was done with the super cheesy banter between Gray and Rose.
This one was not for me.
Read
April 28, 2022What do you do when you have a secret that if you reveal it, could have disastrous effects? But can you really keep a secret from your BFF about the man she is marrying? When Rose meets her BFF"s fiancé the week of the wedding, she is horrified to discover he's the same man she once had a one-night affair with years ago. But when she also ends up having feelings for the fiancé's cousin, it just further complicates everything. This was an enjoyable romance that bordered more in the women's fiction camp as Rose is also trying to rebuild relationships with her family as well. Be warned there are potential trigger issues with some of the plot involving ssurviving domestic abuse.
Currently reading
March 7, 2022Chose not to finish reading this book due to its sexually explicit content.
July 3, 2022
Rose returns to her hometown to be the Maid of Honor in her childhood best friend’s wedding. Rose has never met Maggie’s fiancé before but when she does, everything changes. The week leading up to the wedding is full of love, lust, secrets, lies…. will they make it to the altar after all?
I was really excited to be approved for this title after reading the book description. But based on that, I was expecting more thrills and suspense. It was more of a romance (love at first sight) with a little erotica and domestic suspense. I’m not sure if the description accurately markets it. I found myself skimming over the smutty scenes and Rose’s backstory with her abusive father wanting to get to more of the wedding plot. It was still a good idea for a plot and had cute scenes for romance lovers, but it didn’t have me gripped like I’d hoped!
Thank you to NetGalley, Avon, and the author for the advance reader’s proof in exchange for an honest review!
-@tirwinreads
I was really excited to be approved for this title after reading the book description. But based on that, I was expecting more thrills and suspense. It was more of a romance (love at first sight) with a little erotica and domestic suspense. I’m not sure if the description accurately markets it. I found myself skimming over the smutty scenes and Rose’s backstory with her abusive father wanting to get to more of the wedding plot. It was still a good idea for a plot and had cute scenes for romance lovers, but it didn’t have me gripped like I’d hoped!
Thank you to NetGalley, Avon, and the author for the advance reader’s proof in exchange for an honest review!
-@tirwinreads
June 1, 2022
2.5 STARS
Rose returns to the home she left years before because of an abusive, alcoholic father who made her life a misery. Because of that trauma, Rose has also not seen her mother or sister in eight years. She has come back to Carmel not only to reconnect, but to be for, Maggie, her long time her best friend’s maid of honor. Rose is excited to meet the groom, Marc, until she realizes with shock and horror that he was the bad news, big mistake she made one night stand a year ago. Adding to all that drama, Rose is instantly attracted to Marc’s cousin, Gray, who is to be his best man.
So now Rose has quite the dilemma of when and if to tell both Maggie and Gray with only one week to go before the wedding. While trying to reconnect with her family now that Rose’s father has passed and relieving their shared psychological wounds, she also has to navigate the troubled waters with Maggie when it seems clear that Marc is not the perfect man he is pretending to be. And Rose really wants to get to know Gray, but the big secret is quite the barrier. Now Maggie is not only questioning her judgement in marrying Marc, her last boyfriend shows up to complicate the picture.
It is fairly clear from the beginning that Marc is a jerk especially since he is pressuring Rose not to tell they were together while trying to sabotage her chances with Gray because he has always been jealous of his cousin. Rose and Gray are straightforward with one another about their mutual attraction; however, the secret she is hiding threatens to ruin everything for Maggie and her as well because, in part, she keeps putting off the inevitable. This story is told from multiple points of view with a fair amount of angst and rehashing of old pain especially from Rose along with her mother and sister.
i-tried-but-this-shit-failed-me
July 28, 2022Bored…..
April 1, 2024
I loved Jennifer Ryan’s books The Home Front Kitchen and The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle, so this book was quite a surprise and not in a good way. I couldn’t believe the person who could tell stories about honest real people when this was about deceptive and stupid characters. Plus the sex scenes were really gratuitous. The author seems to think women look at men in the same way men look at women. She waxed on about ”his ass” and “his glorious abs” and there were some graphic oral sex scenes. But the really awful thing about this book was it were the unbelievable characters who don’t talk to their parents, can’t forgive friends and act so selfishly.
September 7, 2024
I enjoyed the story
September 21, 2024
Just a sweet love story but w lots of language and sex. .
July 10, 2022
Rose has been friends with Maggie since they were both in Kindergarten. They always tell each other every thing. Rose even told Maggie about a date she went on about a year ago where the guy slept with her only for her to find out that he had a girlfriend he was cheating on. But Rose never told her his name.
Now Rose is in town for Maggie's wedding and to meet Maggie's fiance whom she has never seen a picture of him. Maggie said that he wanted his privacy so she couldn't post pictures of him on the net.
This book was really good and I loved it. I loved all the characters except I was not a fan of Marc's. I have not read any of Jennifer Ryan's books before but I will now.
Now Rose is in town for Maggie's wedding and to meet Maggie's fiance whom she has never seen a picture of him. Maggie said that he wanted his privacy so she couldn't post pictures of him on the net.
This book was really good and I loved it. I loved all the characters except I was not a fan of Marc's. I have not read any of Jennifer Ryan's books before but I will now.
May 5, 2022
I picked up this book because I’ve been curious to see what’s getting published currently in Contemporary Romance. Then the first chapter seemed like the theme would be about overcoming family abuse, which made me more curious to continue reading it, even with all the info dump in the first chapter, Rose’s mom telling her she shouldn’t have gone back home had my attention.
But after this I’m not sure what happened. It seemed like Rose’s horrible past was there just as a filler. Even her reconciliation with her mom and sister fell flat. Rose tells them a few things about how she has overcome the past and poof! Just like that all the anger and resentment are gone. The author missed a great chance of showing how family relationships are much more complicated than that. But okay the romance is the main element anyway, so…
Nope. I think insta-love has been used so much it doesn’t have the same effect anymore. I really thought Rose and Gray were going so fast because they were going to get married by the end of the week so the author was trying to justify that. But I’m glad that was not the case. What has happened to use some time passing in stories? What was the rush? It didn’t feel authentic, especially with Gray being such a flawless dude. The only time he does something more or less human is when he’s angry and walks away from Rose to cool off after Marc tries to set her up. Even then he’s back to his normal right away. There was nothing for me to root for them. Their relationship was perfect from the moment they laid eyes on each other. Again, human relationships are so much intrinsic than that.
Which brings me to Maggie and Marc. Seriously, if you’re going to marry someone super fast (and I did that in real life) but you haven’t spent any time with each other’s friends and family… Don’t do it! Something is off. Maggie is too smart to not realize that. But okay, we can chalk it up to her being heartbroken after what Joel did. And seriously, after all that happened, Maggie should’ve gone on a trip all by herself to heal and re-find herself before recommitting to Joel (I don’t buy his sudden change of heart at all). She definitely needed some time alone no matter how desperate she was to become a mom.
Lastly, the title and synopsis makes it seems that Rose has to decide between Gray and Marc when in reality Maggie is the one who has to figure out who’s the one she wants. That made me wonder who’s the real protagonist of the book after all.
Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
But after this I’m not sure what happened. It seemed like Rose’s horrible past was there just as a filler. Even her reconciliation with her mom and sister fell flat. Rose tells them a few things about how she has overcome the past and poof! Just like that all the anger and resentment are gone. The author missed a great chance of showing how family relationships are much more complicated than that. But okay the romance is the main element anyway, so…
Nope. I think insta-love has been used so much it doesn’t have the same effect anymore. I really thought Rose and Gray were going so fast because they were going to get married by the end of the week so the author was trying to justify that. But I’m glad that was not the case. What has happened to use some time passing in stories? What was the rush? It didn’t feel authentic, especially with Gray being such a flawless dude. The only time he does something more or less human is when he’s angry and walks away from Rose to cool off after Marc tries to set her up. Even then he’s back to his normal right away. There was nothing for me to root for them. Their relationship was perfect from the moment they laid eyes on each other. Again, human relationships are so much intrinsic than that.
Which brings me to Maggie and Marc. Seriously, if you’re going to marry someone super fast (and I did that in real life) but you haven’t spent any time with each other’s friends and family… Don’t do it! Something is off. Maggie is too smart to not realize that. But okay, we can chalk it up to her being heartbroken after what Joel did. And seriously, after all that happened, Maggie should’ve gone on a trip all by herself to heal and re-find herself before recommitting to Joel (I don’t buy his sudden change of heart at all). She definitely needed some time alone no matter how desperate she was to become a mom.
Lastly, the title and synopsis makes it seems that Rose has to decide between Gray and Marc when in reality Maggie is the one who has to figure out who’s the one she wants. That made me wonder who’s the real protagonist of the book after all.
Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 8, 2023
3.5 stars
If you’re reading this review I’m certain that if you haven’t already read the story yet, you’ve at least read the blurb that describes it. So, you’d think that our main female protagonist Rose revealing to her BFF Maggie whom she’s returned home to Carmel after an eight year absence to be her M.O.H. that she slept with Marc her fiancée would be the pivotal point in the story arc. It is an important part of the plot but it’s hardly the story’s turning point. Because there’s so much going on in this story.
Rose and her younger sister Poppy and mother spent their lives living in fear from their emotionally and physically abusive alcoholic father. Eight years ago Rose left home for college and has never returned. Not even for her father’s funeral three years ago. But her BFF since kindergarten Maggie is getting married in their hometown and has asked Rose to be her M.O.H. Rose decides that she now feels strong enough and is carrying enough guilt to motivate her to try and reconnect with her younger sister and mother while she’s home. I’m honestly a little confused about just how much younger Poppy is than Rose? At times she’s described as several years younger but she’s also referred to as (other than Maggie) once being Rose’s best friend. And Rose talks about them coloring together. Which to me indicates they’re only a couple years apart in age. Anyway, while Rose’s mother gives her a tepid welcome home, Poppy is furious with her for deserting her and leaving her as the main target for their late father’s wrath. It appears Rose spent the years living at home inserting herself between her father acting as her mother’s and Poppy’s shield from his angry verbal and physical attacks. Rose reconnecting with her sister and mother and helping them rebuild their lives is one of the main story lines in this book.
Over a year ago Rose had a one-night stand with Marc whom she met one evening while out having drinks with work friends. The sex was great but when she woke up the next morning she discovered Marc had lied to her when he told her he was single. Rose was furious to find Marc had made her the other woman. She storms out of his house with no intention of ever seeing him again. Which she hadn’t until when meeting Maggie for drinks to meet her fiancée and Gray his cousin and best man she discovers Maggie’s fiancée is the cheater she had her one-night stand with. As equally shocking as her discovery of whom Maggie is about to marry is the fact that Rose feels an immediate and overwhelming attraction to his cousin Gray. Who makes it very clear that he is equally as attracted to her. Awkward! Marc plays their introduction off like he’s never seen Rose before. But nothing could be further from the truth. What’s a poor girl supposed to do? Sure it was before Maggie and Marc had ever met and was just one-time meaningless sex, but still, how is her best friend going to take knowing that Rose has known her fiancée in the biblical sense or that he’s the guy Rose had told her about waking up in his bed to discover he is a cheater. How will Gray whom she’s quickly falling for going to take knowing that she’s been naked with his cousin with whom he has a strained history? Marc makes it clear to Rose in no uncertain terms that he wants their secret to remain that way. But Rose doesn’t keep secrets from Maggie and doesn’t want to keep this from the man she senses might be the one she’s been waiting for her whole life. I found it interesting that despite all the talk about sex being just sex and men and women are equally capable of having a guilt and emotionally free sexual experience strictly for the physical pleasure of it, Rose discovers that it can still come with some unexpected consequences even when you’ve guarded against pregnancy and STDs. I thought one of the better written parts of this story was how Maggie, despite the mounting evidence that Marc isn’t the man he’s portrayed himself to be during their eight month courtship continues (with the efforts of Marc the master manipulator) to rationalize away her suspicions that she shouldn’t be rushing into marrying him. After breaking up with Joel, the love of her life because he didn’t want children, she can’t give up on the idea thatMarc is the answer to her lifelong dream of a husband a father to her unborn children. Rose and even Gray both have their well founded doubts about Marc but try to give Marc the benefit of the doubt not wanting to be the one to burst Maggie’s dream of a happily ever after and be wrong about him. Unfortunately, or fortunately for we readers, Ryan makes Marc’s duplicity and motivation for wanting to marry Maggie obvious nearly from the start leaving us with no doubt that he’s a sleaze ball. So we know that there’s no way Maggie will end up marrying him.
I found the similarities interesting that are in the past three Ryan books I’ve read all the heroines are involved with computers. Evangeline in The Me I Used to Be was a website designer. Sarah in Lost and Found Family and Rose in this story are both extremely talented computer programmers. In both this book and Lost and Found Family the author rallies against the patriarchal system that denies women their just due for their abilities. Just as Evangeline forgave both her father and mother, Sarah forgave her mother-in-law, Rose somehow finds it in her heart to forgive her mother for not protecting her and Poppy from their abusive father. I had a little problem with the final chapters in this story that caused me to lower my rating, which I’ll put in a spoiler. So don’t read it if you don’t want to know.
Good story. It would have been ever so much better if Marc had gotten his just desserts.
If you’re reading this review I’m certain that if you haven’t already read the story yet, you’ve at least read the blurb that describes it. So, you’d think that our main female protagonist Rose revealing to her BFF Maggie whom she’s returned home to Carmel after an eight year absence to be her M.O.H. that she slept with Marc her fiancée would be the pivotal point in the story arc. It is an important part of the plot but it’s hardly the story’s turning point. Because there’s so much going on in this story.
Rose and her younger sister Poppy and mother spent their lives living in fear from their emotionally and physically abusive alcoholic father. Eight years ago Rose left home for college and has never returned. Not even for her father’s funeral three years ago. But her BFF since kindergarten Maggie is getting married in their hometown and has asked Rose to be her M.O.H. Rose decides that she now feels strong enough and is carrying enough guilt to motivate her to try and reconnect with her younger sister and mother while she’s home. I’m honestly a little confused about just how much younger Poppy is than Rose? At times she’s described as several years younger but she’s also referred to as (other than Maggie) once being Rose’s best friend. And Rose talks about them coloring together. Which to me indicates they’re only a couple years apart in age. Anyway, while Rose’s mother gives her a tepid welcome home, Poppy is furious with her for deserting her and leaving her as the main target for their late father’s wrath. It appears Rose spent the years living at home inserting herself between her father acting as her mother’s and Poppy’s shield from his angry verbal and physical attacks. Rose reconnecting with her sister and mother and helping them rebuild their lives is one of the main story lines in this book.
Over a year ago Rose had a one-night stand with Marc whom she met one evening while out having drinks with work friends. The sex was great but when she woke up the next morning she discovered Marc had lied to her when he told her he was single. Rose was furious to find Marc had made her the other woman. She storms out of his house with no intention of ever seeing him again. Which she hadn’t until when meeting Maggie for drinks to meet her fiancée and Gray his cousin and best man she discovers Maggie’s fiancée is the cheater she had her one-night stand with. As equally shocking as her discovery of whom Maggie is about to marry is the fact that Rose feels an immediate and overwhelming attraction to his cousin Gray. Who makes it very clear that he is equally as attracted to her. Awkward! Marc plays their introduction off like he’s never seen Rose before. But nothing could be further from the truth. What’s a poor girl supposed to do? Sure it was before Maggie and Marc had ever met and was just one-time meaningless sex, but still, how is her best friend going to take knowing that Rose has known her fiancée in the biblical sense or that he’s the guy Rose had told her about waking up in his bed to discover he is a cheater. How will Gray whom she’s quickly falling for going to take knowing that she’s been naked with his cousin with whom he has a strained history? Marc makes it clear to Rose in no uncertain terms that he wants their secret to remain that way. But Rose doesn’t keep secrets from Maggie and doesn’t want to keep this from the man she senses might be the one she’s been waiting for her whole life. I found it interesting that despite all the talk about sex being just sex and men and women are equally capable of having a guilt and emotionally free sexual experience strictly for the physical pleasure of it, Rose discovers that it can still come with some unexpected consequences even when you’ve guarded against pregnancy and STDs. I thought one of the better written parts of this story was how Maggie, despite the mounting evidence that Marc isn’t the man he’s portrayed himself to be during their eight month courtship continues (with the efforts of Marc the master manipulator) to rationalize away her suspicions that she shouldn’t be rushing into marrying him. After breaking up with Joel, the love of her life because he didn’t want children, she can’t give up on the idea thatMarc is the answer to her lifelong dream of a husband a father to her unborn children. Rose and even Gray both have their well founded doubts about Marc but try to give Marc the benefit of the doubt not wanting to be the one to burst Maggie’s dream of a happily ever after and be wrong about him. Unfortunately, or fortunately for we readers, Ryan makes Marc’s duplicity and motivation for wanting to marry Maggie obvious nearly from the start leaving us with no doubt that he’s a sleaze ball. So we know that there’s no way Maggie will end up marrying him.
I found the similarities interesting that are in the past three Ryan books I’ve read all the heroines are involved with computers. Evangeline in The Me I Used to Be was a website designer. Sarah in Lost and Found Family and Rose in this story are both extremely talented computer programmers. In both this book and Lost and Found Family the author rallies against the patriarchal system that denies women their just due for their abilities. Just as Evangeline forgave both her father and mother, Sarah forgave her mother-in-law, Rose somehow finds it in her heart to forgive her mother for not protecting her and Poppy from their abusive father. I had a little problem with the final chapters in this story that caused me to lower my rating, which I’ll put in a spoiler. So don’t read it if you don’t want to know.
Good story. It would have been ever so much better if Marc had gotten his just desserts.
February 26, 2023
Read this review on Fresh Fiction
I haven’t read too many books by Jennifer Ryan, but I have read a few of her Romance books in the past. THE ONE YOU WANT is a Women’s Fiction novel and I was curious to see the difference in writing style for this one so I gave it a shot.
I was pleasantly surprised to find this book to be a fast read. I enjoyed the characters and the writing style and the wedding backdrop was great as well. It’s books like these that make me want to read more of this genre.
THE ONE YOU WANT is an enjoyable read that will make you want more! I know I’ll be looking into Ryan’s backlist titles to see what other gems I can discover.
I haven’t read too many books by Jennifer Ryan, but I have read a few of her Romance books in the past. THE ONE YOU WANT is a Women’s Fiction novel and I was curious to see the difference in writing style for this one so I gave it a shot.
I was pleasantly surprised to find this book to be a fast read. I enjoyed the characters and the writing style and the wedding backdrop was great as well. It’s books like these that make me want to read more of this genre.
THE ONE YOU WANT is an enjoyable read that will make you want more! I know I’ll be looking into Ryan’s backlist titles to see what other gems I can discover.
April 9, 2022
Rose really didn't want to go back home with all the memories of her father's abuse, but she was hoping to help her mother and sister not fear a ghost. She also couldn't wait to see her best friend Maggie. After Rose met the fiancee she was worried, and after telling the truth things got tough but Rose and gray was determined keep everyone safe. I loved this book and was up all night reading it.
June 26, 2022
Jennifer Ryan truly wrote one highly emotional and trigger-filled romance novel with The One You Want. Trigger warning: If child abuse, abandonment, domestic violence, physical, verbal and emotional abuse, alcoholism, lying, and cheating are issues for you, this novel may be a poor choice for you. Although I have issues with some of the aforementioned, I found myself enjoying the strength and family/friend relationships in this novel, and am giving it 4 stars for the way these issues were handled.
To escape her father's abuse, 3 years after his death, Rose returns home to her mother and sister after leaving for college 8 years earlier and not even returning for her father's funeral, to be maid of honor at her lifelong best friend, Maggie's wedding to Marc. Rose's mother is still suffering from all the abuse she took from her late husband, and her younger sister is wearing her feelings of hurt and anger about what she considers Rose's abandonment of her 8 years earlier, with her dyed black hair, black clothing and hostile attitude. With a good therapist and a lot of work, Rose seems to have overcome her past abuse, but is she strong enough to help her mother and sister begin to live for themselves again? No spoilers here.
When Rose finally meets Maggie's fiance, Marc, she's in shock. It seems she had a drunken one-night stand with him months before he ever met her best friend, Maggie, but at the same time she meets his best man, Gray, and the two are immediately attracted to one another. It was a tad too insta-love for this reader's taste, but I was intrigued to learn how her previous knowledge of Marc would play out, especially since, at first, he appears not to remember her--but, as we soon learn, it's just a false front, and Rose is torn between wanting to admit to Maggie that she and Marc knew each other, that she was turned off when she saw a text from his other girlfriend early the next morning after their night together, and furious when she realized he'd made her "the other woman", and yet not wanting to hurt her relationship with her best friend or damage her upcoming marriage by admitting that fact to Maggie. None of this situation is helped by the fact that Marc is trying to manipulate the situation, lie to Maggie, make sure that Rose keeps his one-night stand with Rose private, while also, for reasons of his own, also attempting to sabotage Rose and Gray's budding relationship, but will Marc succeed?
While I enjoyed and sympathized with Rose's attempts to help her mother and sister recover from their years of abuse, again, their recovery seemed a little too fast-paced to this reader. One doesn't recover from that kind of trauma quickly or easily. Additionally, I wish the author had spent more time and added more depth to Rose's insta-love relationship with Gray, a truly likeable character, but even at the end of the novel, I still felt that their relationship seemed too pat, too easy, too quick, and that neither character had really had the opportunity to truly know and learn about each another.
This was a deeply emotional novel, and despite all the triggers, The One You Want was a good, solid read by Ms. Ryan, however, I think that expanding the time frame in which the novel took place might have made for a better, more cohesive and more believable romance, both for Maggie and Rose.
I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.
To escape her father's abuse, 3 years after his death, Rose returns home to her mother and sister after leaving for college 8 years earlier and not even returning for her father's funeral, to be maid of honor at her lifelong best friend, Maggie's wedding to Marc. Rose's mother is still suffering from all the abuse she took from her late husband, and her younger sister is wearing her feelings of hurt and anger about what she considers Rose's abandonment of her 8 years earlier, with her dyed black hair, black clothing and hostile attitude. With a good therapist and a lot of work, Rose seems to have overcome her past abuse, but is she strong enough to help her mother and sister begin to live for themselves again? No spoilers here.
When Rose finally meets Maggie's fiance, Marc, she's in shock. It seems she had a drunken one-night stand with him months before he ever met her best friend, Maggie, but at the same time she meets his best man, Gray, and the two are immediately attracted to one another. It was a tad too insta-love for this reader's taste, but I was intrigued to learn how her previous knowledge of Marc would play out, especially since, at first, he appears not to remember her--but, as we soon learn, it's just a false front, and Rose is torn between wanting to admit to Maggie that she and Marc knew each other, that she was turned off when she saw a text from his other girlfriend early the next morning after their night together, and furious when she realized he'd made her "the other woman", and yet not wanting to hurt her relationship with her best friend or damage her upcoming marriage by admitting that fact to Maggie. None of this situation is helped by the fact that Marc is trying to manipulate the situation, lie to Maggie, make sure that Rose keeps his one-night stand with Rose private, while also, for reasons of his own, also attempting to sabotage Rose and Gray's budding relationship, but will Marc succeed?
While I enjoyed and sympathized with Rose's attempts to help her mother and sister recover from their years of abuse, again, their recovery seemed a little too fast-paced to this reader. One doesn't recover from that kind of trauma quickly or easily. Additionally, I wish the author had spent more time and added more depth to Rose's insta-love relationship with Gray, a truly likeable character, but even at the end of the novel, I still felt that their relationship seemed too pat, too easy, too quick, and that neither character had really had the opportunity to truly know and learn about each another.
This was a deeply emotional novel, and despite all the triggers, The One You Want was a good, solid read by Ms. Ryan, however, I think that expanding the time frame in which the novel took place might have made for a better, more cohesive and more believable romance, both for Maggie and Rose.
I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.
June 22, 2022
The One You Want is Jennifer Ryan’s latest romance novel featuring two intertwined stories about lifelong best friends. The book begins with Maggie trying on her wedding dress eight days before her wedding, with her best friend, Rose Howell, in town to help and serve as Maid of Honor. This is Rose’s first trip home since graduating from high school eight years earlier, due to her abusive father. Even though he dies three years ago, she hasn’t reconciled with her mother, Nancy, or younger sister, Poppy. Rose is looking forward to meeting some eligible bachelors since she hasn’t dated in a year, due to a disastrous morning after following a drunken one-night stand.
Maggie is thrilled to be marrying Marc Pearson, a businessman who is running his father’s company, and eager to start a family. She and her previous boyfriend, Joel, broke up due to his not wanting children. Marc has rushed their courtship and engagement and has isolated Maggie from Rose. His romantic ardor for Maggie has diminished the closer to the wedding they get, and she suspects that something is off. Maggie is hoping to pair Rose with Marc’s cousin and best man, Gray Pearson.
When Rose is introduced to Gray, she feels an instant connection and cannot wait to explore the possibilities. However her excitement is squashed when she meets the groom, Marc, who was her one-night-stand from a year ago. She vacillates between divulging their previous association to both Maggie and Gray, particularly because Marc was cheating on his then-girlfriend, Andrea, with Rose.
Rose received counseling in college to help her deal with her father’s emotional and physical abuse and her mother’s inaction. She feels guilty for leaving Poppy behind, after years of protecting her. Poppy now has emotional issues so Rose shares her insights with both her mother and sister. There are several powerful conversations that contain valuable information for abuse victims.
Rose and Gray are embroiled in a scorching affair by the second day of their acquaintance. Gray even offers her a job at the company where he is a Chief Financial Officer, based on her computer coding position at a rival firm. Rose has some strong words for her manager when he calls her on what’s supposed to be her vacation; again this is valuable advice for women who are battling workplace discrimination.
If I reveal any more of the plot, I will be spoiling it for the reader. Like previous Jennifer Ryan books, this story contains profanity, lots of alcohol consumption, sex, and depictions of physical abuse. I did not like the insta-relationship between Rose and Gray, nor how quickly Maggie bounced between Joel and Marc. Rose’s crucial conversations with her family and boss makes up for it, in my opinion. While The One You Want may be triggering for survivors of child abuse, the insights that Rose shares may many readers and their family and friends.
Maggie is thrilled to be marrying Marc Pearson, a businessman who is running his father’s company, and eager to start a family. She and her previous boyfriend, Joel, broke up due to his not wanting children. Marc has rushed their courtship and engagement and has isolated Maggie from Rose. His romantic ardor for Maggie has diminished the closer to the wedding they get, and she suspects that something is off. Maggie is hoping to pair Rose with Marc’s cousin and best man, Gray Pearson.
When Rose is introduced to Gray, she feels an instant connection and cannot wait to explore the possibilities. However her excitement is squashed when she meets the groom, Marc, who was her one-night-stand from a year ago. She vacillates between divulging their previous association to both Maggie and Gray, particularly because Marc was cheating on his then-girlfriend, Andrea, with Rose.
Rose received counseling in college to help her deal with her father’s emotional and physical abuse and her mother’s inaction. She feels guilty for leaving Poppy behind, after years of protecting her. Poppy now has emotional issues so Rose shares her insights with both her mother and sister. There are several powerful conversations that contain valuable information for abuse victims.
Rose and Gray are embroiled in a scorching affair by the second day of their acquaintance. Gray even offers her a job at the company where he is a Chief Financial Officer, based on her computer coding position at a rival firm. Rose has some strong words for her manager when he calls her on what’s supposed to be her vacation; again this is valuable advice for women who are battling workplace discrimination.
If I reveal any more of the plot, I will be spoiling it for the reader. Like previous Jennifer Ryan books, this story contains profanity, lots of alcohol consumption, sex, and depictions of physical abuse. I did not like the insta-relationship between Rose and Gray, nor how quickly Maggie bounced between Joel and Marc. Rose’s crucial conversations with her family and boss makes up for it, in my opinion. While The One You Want may be triggering for survivors of child abuse, the insights that Rose shares may many readers and their family and friends.
June 6, 2022
The premise of the story starts well. Rose returns home to Carmel for a week to be maid of honor to her best friend Maggie. The surprise comes when she meets the groom Marc. He is the one night stand she had a year ago. Everything was consensual but the next morning she realizes he was cheating on his girlfriend, making her the other woman. She hasn’t dated anyone since. More surprising is her attraction to his cousin and best man Gray. It's an awkward situation but she wants to honest with Maggie and Marc is begging her not to mess up the wedding. The other main storyline is Rose re-connecting with her mother and younger sister. Their home-life was ruled by Rose’s abusive father.
This is correctly promoted as (women’s) fiction as there is a lot of drama with a build to a steamy romance. I was interested in the abusive back story and would have liked to know more how Rose overcame it other than fleeing to college. She spouts advice to her mom and sister but focuses her attention on her friend’s wedding. She hasn’t been home in seven years so I think her family deserves more of her time.
Gray is the perfect guy and I get the attraction. But I don’t get the instant over the top, he is the one, I love you, attraction. They literally know each other six days. That was a little too much too fast for me. Especially when comparing to her best friend who is marrying Marc after knowing him for seven months and yet seems to know very little about him.
I found the book very readable but reflecting after it is a lot of drama and angst for a week of time. There is no question that Marc is a manipulator and sleazy. I was disappointed there wasn’t more consequences for him. Especially for his final acts. The whole agreeing not to press charges against each other made me angry. There are cameras everywhere these days. He should have been called out more for his duplicity. The author ties up lots of loose ends neatly, even why Rose never got an interview when she applied to Gray’s company for programing work. And the epilogue is sweet. But overall it is an average dramatic story that could have been more. Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is correctly promoted as (women’s) fiction as there is a lot of drama with a build to a steamy romance. I was interested in the abusive back story and would have liked to know more how Rose overcame it other than fleeing to college. She spouts advice to her mom and sister but focuses her attention on her friend’s wedding. She hasn’t been home in seven years so I think her family deserves more of her time.
Gray is the perfect guy and I get the attraction. But I don’t get the instant over the top, he is the one, I love you, attraction. They literally know each other six days. That was a little too much too fast for me. Especially when comparing to her best friend who is marrying Marc after knowing him for seven months and yet seems to know very little about him.
I found the book very readable but reflecting after it is a lot of drama and angst for a week of time. There is no question that Marc is a manipulator and sleazy. I was disappointed there wasn’t more consequences for him. Especially for his final acts. The whole agreeing not to press charges against each other made me angry. There are cameras everywhere these days. He should have been called out more for his duplicity. The author ties up lots of loose ends neatly, even why Rose never got an interview when she applied to Gray’s company for programing work. And the epilogue is sweet. But overall it is an average dramatic story that could have been more. Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
March 20, 2022
The one you want
By: Jennifer Ryan
📚💕⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💕📚
So much to unpack
Let me start by saying I read the authors blurb and that was my first interest in the read. It did not prepare me for what I just read. It’s a good book. It definitely has plot twists and so much angst. It will give you a reason to wonder what path will be taken and question what you might do if faced with a hard decision.
The author writes with so much intensity and emotion pulled from each book it’s felt page after page. Some are quick witted story lines are so perfect and lets you believe you have a front row seat. So being able to read this love story didn’t disappoint. The authors ability to have two separate individuals struggling in their everyday life and try to navigate someone else’s thoughts, needs and desires was intense and gives all the fills.
Authors Blurb: Sometimes weddings bring the worst surprises...Growing up, Rose fled her family home and a dangerous father vowing never to return. But Rose is back in Carmel, California, with two goals: to joyfully act as maid of honor for her best-friend-forever Maggie and to reunite and rebuild her relationships with her mother and sister. And she can’t wait to finally meet the groom-to-be.
But when Maggie excitedly introduces her to Marc, Rose is horrified. He’s the man Rose spent one lust-fueled but disastrous night with a year ago. Rose and Maggie have shared every secret…but Rose isn’t sure she can reveal this one. To complicate the situation, Rose makes an instant connection with Gray, Marc’s best man and cousin.
And as the big day approaches, the secret weighs heavy upon Rose. It was a whirlwind courtship, but Maggie seems so sure she’s found the one she wants. Now Rose faces the biggest dilemma of her life: Should she tell Maggie and Gray the truth and risk losing them? What if it’s best to leave things alone? Then again, what if her friend is making the biggest mistake of her life?
It'll break your heart, you'll want to scream with frustration and it'll let you discover that love just might conquer all. The chemistry is steamy and sweet and oh so romantic.
Thanks Netgally for letting me read and review.📚💕
By: Jennifer Ryan
📚💕⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💕📚
So much to unpack
Let me start by saying I read the authors blurb and that was my first interest in the read. It did not prepare me for what I just read. It’s a good book. It definitely has plot twists and so much angst. It will give you a reason to wonder what path will be taken and question what you might do if faced with a hard decision.
The author writes with so much intensity and emotion pulled from each book it’s felt page after page. Some are quick witted story lines are so perfect and lets you believe you have a front row seat. So being able to read this love story didn’t disappoint. The authors ability to have two separate individuals struggling in their everyday life and try to navigate someone else’s thoughts, needs and desires was intense and gives all the fills.
Authors Blurb: Sometimes weddings bring the worst surprises...Growing up, Rose fled her family home and a dangerous father vowing never to return. But Rose is back in Carmel, California, with two goals: to joyfully act as maid of honor for her best-friend-forever Maggie and to reunite and rebuild her relationships with her mother and sister. And she can’t wait to finally meet the groom-to-be.
But when Maggie excitedly introduces her to Marc, Rose is horrified. He’s the man Rose spent one lust-fueled but disastrous night with a year ago. Rose and Maggie have shared every secret…but Rose isn’t sure she can reveal this one. To complicate the situation, Rose makes an instant connection with Gray, Marc’s best man and cousin.
And as the big day approaches, the secret weighs heavy upon Rose. It was a whirlwind courtship, but Maggie seems so sure she’s found the one she wants. Now Rose faces the biggest dilemma of her life: Should she tell Maggie and Gray the truth and risk losing them? What if it’s best to leave things alone? Then again, what if her friend is making the biggest mistake of her life?
It'll break your heart, you'll want to scream with frustration and it'll let you discover that love just might conquer all. The chemistry is steamy and sweet and oh so romantic.
Thanks Netgally for letting me read and review.📚💕
July 13, 2022
The One You Want by Jennifer Ryan is a romance although it takes a while to get to it. First there are things from the past that must be sorted out for Rose Howell, her best friend, Maggie, and Maggie’s fiance, Marc. Rose Howell had come home for the first time since she had left for college, almost 10 years ealrlier. Her childhood had been a nightmare: a drunken abuser for a father. A sister and mother who could never stand up to him. She had to leave them to fend for themselves or lose herself. Now she was going to have to face them. With her mother she saw some forward progress, but her sister was a mess. What could she do? Right now, though, she had to meet Maggie and her fiance. The wedding was at the end of the week and she was the maid of honor. Maggie turned to greet the most handsome man Rose had ever seen, and then behind him, Marc. She knew Marc. She had had a one night stand with him a year ago, but had rushed out of the room when she saw his phone and realized he was cheating on his girlfriend, making her the other woman. Now he was marrying Maggie! The fabulously handsome man turned out to be his cousin, Gray, and he and Rose hit it off. The only question was: who was Rose going to tell first?
This is dysfunction at its best. Lies upon lies. Could it possibly all get sorted out? Gray was the perfect man, perfect for Rose at any rate, but could he forgive? How about Marc? Could as spoiled a man as he ever step up? Rose had sent Marc a bunch of texts begging him to take her back. But, wait, she hadn’t sent them. Marc’s father was furious at him. Why? Gray’s parents loved Rose. They had never seen Gray so happy. Was it all about to be spoiled based on Marc’s lies? This whole thing went from bad to worse as the week wore on. It was at the rehearsal dinner that things finally came to a head with Rose in handcuffs and Marc heading to the hospital, bleeding. What a mess. This was a tough book to read as it looks like Marc is going to pull it off. Good read.
I was invited to read a free e-ARC of The One You Want by Harper Collins, through Negalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. #netgalley #harpercollins #jenniferryan #theoneyouwant
This is dysfunction at its best. Lies upon lies. Could it possibly all get sorted out? Gray was the perfect man, perfect for Rose at any rate, but could he forgive? How about Marc? Could as spoiled a man as he ever step up? Rose had sent Marc a bunch of texts begging him to take her back. But, wait, she hadn’t sent them. Marc’s father was furious at him. Why? Gray’s parents loved Rose. They had never seen Gray so happy. Was it all about to be spoiled based on Marc’s lies? This whole thing went from bad to worse as the week wore on. It was at the rehearsal dinner that things finally came to a head with Rose in handcuffs and Marc heading to the hospital, bleeding. What a mess. This was a tough book to read as it looks like Marc is going to pull it off. Good read.
I was invited to read a free e-ARC of The One You Want by Harper Collins, through Negalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. #netgalley #harpercollins #jenniferryan #theoneyouwant
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