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.

The One You Want
by Jennifer Ryan
Pub Date: July 5, 2022
Avon
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. This is no Colleen Hoover.
I tried to read it but there was so much explicit sex that I did not finish it. I will not be purchasing or recommending this book to our library.
2 stars

I wanted to enjoy this book so much more than I did. I seemed to not care one bit about the heroine. Her drama with her mother and sister I found irritating and slow to progress. Little to no romance imo. I appreciate the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What 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.

This book was sent to me from Netgalley electronically for review. Friendship, family, love, marriage, betrayal, careers...themes that run throughout this book, written by a talented author. It is a page turner in that the reader wants to see what the main character does next. Does she tell her best friend the truth? Does she keep her secret? Is her best friend marrying the wrong kind of man? What should she do? What should she tell her best friend? As to her family, what will she do with them? What kind of relationship can they forge out of the past? So many questions for this young woman to answer...to think about...to ponder...to wonder...this is a quick read with some likable characters and some just not likable. Perhaps too explicit at times…

Chase is no different from the other wilde men they are H.O.T and after getting injured and addicted to pain pills. But the only thing that mattered was his daughter and when Shelby never stop supporting him he realized he had something. Now it's time for him to help her.things would never get any better so they had to find a way to stay safe.

This story contains triggers of domestic violence. Rose is back home for her best friends wedding and to reconnect with her mother and sister. It's love and lust at first sight when she meets Gray and its oh ... when she finds out her one night stand is her BFF fiancée. The romance felt a little fast but otherwise it was an enjoyable book to read. Overall a good hard read. A solid 3.75 stars.


*****************I received an ARC for my honest opinion from NetGalley.************************

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.📚💕

I really enjoyed this book. The book centers around best friends Maggie and Rose and cousins Marc and Gray. There is a lot of past history and trauma to work through. When the past comes out in multiple different issues things will never be the same. But in the end love will win out.

Spicy read, with focus on friendship and romance.
I did enjoy the book, lots of ups and downs. Felt there wasn't as much character depth as I usually enjoy in a story. But, if you enjoy a good, spicy story, this one is for you.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book did have a lot of graphic sex which I just skipped. I do have a lot of customers who do not like sex in their books so I will have to flag this one for the. But again, I have a lot of customers who like sex in their books.

This story has some serious “spice” in it. I always flip past the graphic stuff if the plot is good and this one was great. I enjoyed watching the characters grow and the story come together full circle. You don’t necessarily know how this one will end and it keeps you reading to find out I truly wish that the author could have tamed the spice and focused on the story itself with less graphics, so to speak - ha -but that is also just my opinion! Overall great plot!

Coming back to her home after several years of intentionally staying away offers a time for reconciliation for a young woman. She really only returned for her best friend’s wedding and finds love tangled up with her friend’s cheating fiancé. Tense moments abound in this engaging novel.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to Jennifer Ryan and the publishing house for this ARC.

I loved the concept of the storyline, and found myself rooting for Rose and Maggie, BFFs. This story touches on a lot - friendship, families, romance - and definitely hits on some heavier topics like cheating and abuse.

It felt a little choppy to read at times, and I wish there was a little more character depth. All said, the author had a lot to achieve to cover all the storylines but I was happy how it all turned out.

TW: Physical Abuse, Verbal Abuse, Cheating.

What would you do if you knew that your best friend was about to possibly make the biggest mistake of their life?

Going into this book, I didn't know what to expect, I've never read any of this author's books before, but I was curious to read it. Based on the synopsis, I was drawn in, the drama, the secrets, and I wanted to see how it would all end. I'm so happy with the direction the author took with the conclusion of this book. Without giving anything away, everyone gets their happily-ever-after. This wasn't entirely a romance book, more like a women's fiction story with the theme of love and friendship.

The dynamic of Gray and Rose's relationship was kind of annoying, I like that she was able to find love but I disliked the fact that their attraction was based on insta-love. It makes me wish that there was more time for them to fall for each other.

I'd recommend this book to people who like wedding stories, women's fiction, and are not so sensitive to the trigger warnings I mentioned earlier. Unfortunately, while I did enjoy reading some parts of the story, I didn't think it was amazing, or that I'd read it again.

The One You Want is Jennifer Ryan at her finest. I truly fell in love with the characters and found myself on the pages. Such a talent!

This is a great book. The two main characters are Rose and Gray. They meet at a week before a wedding between Rose’s best friend, Maggie and Gray’s cousin Marc. Rose and Gray felt a connection at the first meeting. They each had issues but together they worked them out and fell in love.

Such sadness and fear after living with an abusive father. Rose and her sister never knew security and peace in their own home. Their mother lived in her husband’s shadow afraid for the well-being of her daughters as well as her own. Unfortunately she was so fearful, the daughters often faced their brutal father head on. He was a master of emotional abuse, but we immediately get a sense that was the tip of the iceberg. Rose took matters into her own hands, headed off to college, pursued a career and stayed away from home. Her only contact was with her mother, Poppy was already facing difficulties. How could Rose help them? She barely managed to find a peaceful life.

Coming back home for her best friend’s wedding was bound to bring back memories better left in the past. Since her father’s death Anna’s mother had taken a few small steps to change life out of her husband’s grasp. Rose had hoped that with her father’s death the three of them would be free of his control, physical, emotional and psychological.

In enlightening conversation with a friend Rose is made aware that her mother did try to extricate her from the toxic household, at least temporarily, sending her to a friend’s house where it was noted that she looked worse for wear. What a way to describe a child.

Jennifer Ryan knows how to set a scene and then completely draw in her reader. There are many levels to a tale being told. The obvious current scenes and those that reference past events. In all Jennifer Ryan flexes her writer muscle and deftly illustrates her command of the written word.

THE ONE YOU WANT is a study of human endurance, friendship, love and family politics. Pretty amazing how an envious, immature, selfish, vindictive man could have kept him family on a continuous collision course. Marc was his cousin Grays nemesis. There’s no other way to describe their relationship. If Gray had it, Marc wanted it and would do anything to get it. He had no scruples. You have never met a more unsympathetic character than Marc. His cruelty to his cousin is unrelenting and yet the family has for the most part excused this boorish behavior.

Well in THE ONE YOU WANT Jennifer Ryan decides it’s time Marc has met his match and that is Rose. Rose has learned how to stand up to bullies thanks to her own father. Problem with dealing with Marc is the probable collateral damage. Most notably to Rose’s best friend Maggie, whose wedding to Marc is in a week. Jennifer Ryan somehow manages to create a situation that puts you on the edge of your seat as you wait for the next shoe to drop. I have yet to meet such an unlovable character. THE ONE YOU WANT surpassed my expectations with this latest book by Jennifer Ryan.

Wow, what a challenging book. The One You Want was a struggle to read for me due the drama and deceit but of course that is what makes this novel so interesting and engrossing. Two couples start the novel; one couple a week from their wedding, the second, just met and have the fated, destiny, "love at first sight"...sigh. As we learn more about the characters the backstory of family nightmares and tragedy for Rose and her family and watch as they begin the process of overcoming the past. Then Marc (the groom to be) starts the 'drama" and charming machinations. Is he a cad or a devoted groom? Keep reading to find out who is "The One You Want".

The start of the new year this was the perfect book to read. I loved it so much.
I’ve already told several people about it. I hope people love it as much as I did