Really enjoyed this book, Giovanna Fletcher is a author that I know I’ll always pick up a new release from when I see it on the shelves can’t wait to see what she comes out with in the future.

For whatever reason, I went into this book with some low expectations and in a way, that was what I got. But at the same time, I was pleasantly surprised.

I really, really enjoyed the romance aspect of this book. I liked reading about Maddy and how she was somehow caught up between her two best friends. Personally, I liked Ben more than Rob but Ben was way too cautious and hesitant that it was also quite aggravating to read about how he was so indecisive. He always held back when it was crucial so he always missed his chance. Rob was the more outgoing one and while I liked his confidence, there were definitely times when I found him to be more on the arrogant side.

But the one thing that really shocked me was that this book was all in the past. The premise and the first chapter was present day but the rest of the book was essentially all backstory. It went straight to their childhood and followed all three POVs as they navigated middle school to high school to college to their careers. It was interesting but not what I had expected as I thought that this book would take place after the wedding but no.

Overall, I enjoyed it.

Unfortunately, this was sent to me back when I was going through some health issues. I was not able to read or review this book.

Commander Sullivan “van” Tate hated a lot of things about NYC but Leo’s Alehouse wasn’t one of them. Especially and he and his two brothers discharged their foster father’s -Noah- ashes from the Brooklyn Bridge. Noah was a oil tycoon but he had three foster sons. He would have loved his sons holding at wake in honor of him at a military bar. It would have appealed to the rebel in Noah. all three brothers were Navy Seals Van being the oldest and Wolf the youngest and there was Lucas. Wolf had taken his father’s death pretty hard and was looking for a fight but Van managed to talk some sense into him . the media would have the fight all over the place and that wouldn't be good for the Tate name. The were all raised to do right by the tate name. The boys all even went into the service at eighteen. The media is looking for anything concerning their father and them as Noah had died under mysterious circumstances. Van was the head of the Tate family now. Getting things on lockdown until the situation had been handled was now his job. Lucas was a sniper in the Seals and he was one of the most controlled people Van had ever met. Noah had been the first one to adopt and give the three boys a proper home. He hadn’t been particularly loving at least not to van but he had been a father to them. Even if he wanted more from Van than he could give. His death had still been a blow all three brothers had never seen coming. The brothers had all been in the military ten years nowe bit would have to get out and do their duty by their father. Their fathers lawyer had handed van an envelope and inside was Noah’s last will and testament and then there was another three envelopes with with each man's name one for each. Now van handed his brothers their envelopes he had not even read his. Inheriting his father vast fortune and Tate Oil all fell on Van’s shoulders now. His brothers were both on the board of directors also. Every since Noah adopted them- Van had been eight- he had been very clear that the purpose of all the boys was to protect the Tate legacy. Van was different since the Columbia incident where Van messed up and a woman lost her life. Van had than decided to stay a seal instead of joining Noah at the helm of Tate Oil. Noah hated NYC and he hated being stuck behind a desk. In the military he had loved the danger and the thrill of the armed services. Also the comradeship and loyalty of his team. Chloe went to NYC to meet with her oldest foster brother Van , it had been eight years since he ha been to the ranch. He just stopped coming there. She wouldn’t allow herself to think about her father. She found out after the funeral the ranch she loved and had managed for the last few years hadn’t went to her as her father had promised Van got everything. Chloe was angry but also grieving. She had grown up on the Tate ranch, had spent her entire life on it and for the last ten years poured everything she had into it. Wyoming and the ranch had given Chloe everything she had ever needed. Van had been left with the task of protecting Chloe from her unknown real father -Cesare de Santis who had been Noah’s long time enemy. He now had a plot for revenge and also the family secrets Chloe needed protection and Van was to provide it. Van’s not happy being away from his team or about being in charge of tate Oil. Chloe had always had a crush on Van even though she was ten years younger than him. Van had paid attention to Chloe when she was younger when he came to the ranch unlike her cold foster father. Now she is with Van again there is a strong sexual attraction between them. Van worried after costing the woman in Columbia her life that he may not be able to protect Chloe.
I enjoyed this book. I really liked the success and drama in this book. I liked Chloe and Van together but he needed to get himself together. I felt this was well written. I liked the pot and pace of this book. But I do think it was brought up way too many times Van being a Seal. We know that. There are some unanswered things in this book like why van stopped coming to the ranch eight years ago. I don’t like the lies and deceit Noah said and used to his foster sons and daughter. I loved the characters and the twists and turns of this book and I recommend.

I'd really like to like Giovanna's characters more. She writes well but I find it really hard to connect or sympathise with the protagonists. I absolutely loved her recent joint effort with husband Tom, more like that please.

Disclaimer: I received an e-ARC of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is the second book by Fletcher and its a terrific stand-alone follow-up to her debut. You’re The One That I Want tells the story of Maddy, Robert and Ben: three friends who have known each other since childhood. While this books kind of? reads like a diary which I typically avoid. Solid writing though and i give it a 3 of 5 stars - many will rate it higher, but this particular format was not my thing.

Reviewed shared on Mundie Moms Grown Up Book Review blog via Sophie -

This was my first Giovanna Fletcher story, and I will definitely be picking up another one. You guys, this was adorable from the very first page. I adored Maddy, Rob and Ben. Getting to see their friendship and relationship mature from the time they were in grade school until they were well into their 20s was so worthwhile. It was light and fluffy and the three narrators brought it all to life. Their escapades were so sweet, and sometimes even, funny. It was the stuff of rom-com dreams.

BUT. I know, you sensed the "but" coming, didn't you? But in the midst of a quite respectable love triangle, something felt off. Mostly, it was the ending and the one under-developed character who, in my opinion, was begging to be more. Ahem. NO SPOILERS. BUT, but, but. So because of the ending, I knocked it down a full star. It felt forced and therefore, somehow unreal. BUT (there I go again with the "but"s), it won't be my last Giovanna story, because I so loved 90% of the story.

You’re The One That I Want by Giovanna Fletcher has such a beautiful cover. I mean, I am a fan of covers with pinks and blues that are illustrated. It kind of looks like a lot of covers of British contemporary romance books. Let’s just say that I AM HERE FOR THIS. It is too bad that’s not also a cover trend with American contemporary romances, but ah, what can you do? Anyways, this was the first book that I read by Fletcher, but given her backlist, it won’t be the last. This was such a sweet, moving book that really does play the long game when it comes to romance.

Fletcher’s You’re The One That I Want opens up for like six hot seconds at a wedding, that of Maddy to Ben’s best friend, Robert. Maddy is wondering if Ben will stop the wedding and actually fight for her. The book then sort of stops right there and brings us all the way back to elementary school. Maddy has just moved to Peaswood from London, if I remember correctly. She has a tough time making friends with the girls but is immediately brought into the friendship group of Ben and Robert. The three consider themselves a tripod and they are best friends basically forever.

Then, in high school, they all take a trip to Paris for school. Ben plays to confess his love to Maddy. Alas, Robert gets there first and well, the two become an item. So then we spend the rest of the book wondering if Maddy and Ben will ever get their chance. However, we do see that the feelings between Maddy and Robert are actually pretty legitimate.

Maddy is obviously one of the central characters in You’re The One That I Want. She’s pretty average. Anyways, she ends up going to college for photography. It is kind of interesting to see her love for photography grow. Where this book gets interesting is in her reactions to a situation involving Robert and their relationship. Then we see her relationships with other people — like her college roommates, but also Ben. I liked how it was sort of a push-pull and then there’s some real drama that goes down. I am here for the drama, after all.

As for Ben. I think he’s more interesting than Maddy. He goes to school for graphic design and ends up really doing well for himself. To the point that he goes traveling in South America for like a year. Anyways, Ben makes some big mistakes. A lot of the book found me sitting there thinking, bro just grow a set and speak your feelings. Like, so many of the issues between Maddy and Ben could have been avoided if he had just opened his mouth and fricken said something. Still, he’s nice and you do kind of root for him.

You’re The One That I Want by Giovanna Fletcher is a sweet, quick read to gobble up. I would say that it is pretty British with the slang, but that’s not all that hard to figure out. The chapters alternate between Maddy and Ben. There’s a few parts that have like some paragraphs between the chapters in a different font that are narrated by Robert. I liked that this book had an ending that I did not expect. I thought from page one I could predict who Maddy was going to end up with but delightfully, I was wrong. And now, I will definitely be seeking out more from Fletcher.

This is such a beautifully written book!

A story centering around three best friends. Maddy, Rob, and Ben met when they were children. As they grew older, their friendship blossomed with them. Their unique bond was so intriguing and the characters were absolutely amazing to read. They were messy and real in every way. I adored the characters so much. I am not a major fan of love triangles but this was one I can definitely get on the bandwagon for.

An emotionally moving novel that I would definitely recommend checking out today.

Sadly on this occasion this one unfortunately wasn’t for me.

This is my first story by Giovanna Fletcher and it was such a good read I finished it in 3 hours. Such a sad moving story. Three friends since grade school grow up together until high school, two of them get together, and the third member always had feelings for the girl but never tells her. It is a story that gets complicated as each person's point of view is told. I felt so emotional for the loss and pain that Ben went through; it just wasn't fair. The story starts off with the wedding and you don't know if the wedding happens. But leads up
to the day of the wedding. I almost wish it don't end the way it did. I didn't feel like Maddie loved Robert as much as she loved Ben. I also didn't like how Maddie's character became so weak after he disclosed his love for her.

Perfect read on a rainy afternoon (if the sun was shining I still would have enjoyed!).

It's not my type of book. I prefer a clean Romance.

I have really loved all of Giovanna's previous books and decided that I would give this one a try as it was sat on my unread pile of books. The book opens with Maddy as she walks down the aisle towards her future groom. We then take a huge step back to Maddy as a young child. The story revolves around her lifelong friendship with Ben and Robert. The story switches characters between chapters as we see the three friends start their blossoming friendship as young children. I loved the early days as we see them go from young children to teenagers.

What starts as a friendship becomes much more than that as we see Maddy, Ben and Robert fall in love. Yes you read that correctly. Maddy dates Robert and life seems perfect. With Robert at one side of her and hers and Roberts other best friend Ben at their side they have the world at their feet. As the story progresses we see Ben with his unflinching loyalty to his two friends suppress his real feelings about Maddy. The journey we are taken on is certainly one that captured me, however I wasn't really sure where I stood with what Maddy should do. Maybe that was part of this story that is meant to drag you in. Real life isn't as simple or cut and dried as it seems.

I certainly read the book quickly enough and I certainly enjoyed it. However in all honesty had the ending not been so surprising and brilliant I may have given it the middle of the road 3/5 rating. With the ending written as it was, I enjoyed it and felt like we had taken the complete journey with these three characters. As ever Fletcher's wring flows beautifully and is easy to fall into, however it's not quite as good as some of her other books I have read. I will still asd ever immensley look forward to any of her new releases.

I enjoyed this book because the characters felt very realistic.
But, I found the POV switching and the timeline-hopping to be tedious at best.
The humor sometimes was a little forced, but this was a nice and easy beach read!
I absolutely loved the premise of this book.

Mandy has a decision to make, or is it a decision at all? Mandy, Ben and Rob have been friends forever and Woods tells a great story of where their lives had led them to this point.

I love this author's work, she is a brilliant writer of modern fiction. This is the story of three best friends since childhood. They are Maddy, Ben and Rob. The story begins with the wedding of Maddy and Rob. It seems that something is about to stop Maddy getting married as she gazes at Ben. We then go into the past with chapters written by Maddy and Ben. We discover that Ben has loved Maddy since childhood! Does Maddy love him? Read on for a wonderful and sometimes tearful story!

Thank you for allowing me to receive an ARC of this book. I had some trouble staying connected to the characters and the plot in this story. I am choosing to not review it at this time as I don't want to deter any readers from purchasing the book and reading it. I completely understand that just because I didn't end up loving the book doesn't mean others won't. I am still more than happy to help promote it on my blog. Thank you again for the opportunity to read it.

Maddy is about to get married to Robert and his best man is Ben, it has been the three of them for ever......but is Maddy marrying the right man!

We then go back in time to the childhood of the three of them always together as best friends - this continues through uni when Maddy and Ben both go to Bristol and Robert goes to Nottingham but ultimately it is Robert that she ends up with leaving Ben in love on the sidelines

A great story that kept me gripped there was such a great bond between the three of them so one was always going to end up the loser but beneath it was true friendship