'You're The One That I Don't Want' is aptly titled, seeing as that's how I feel about the book by the end of it. It was completely boring and predictable despite having an interesting storyline involving getting rid of someone who's supposedly 'The One'.The main problem is the cast. All of the characters are stereotypical and one-dimensional. You have the typical flawed lead character Lucy who ticks the boxes for the usual sort of female chick-lit lead: clumsy, longs for true love (in her case, pining after a guy who was and still is a jerk), isn't effortlessly attractive, has a big dream. Some of her lines were funny but most of the time she was just boring. She drones on and on about Nate before being reunited with him and after meeting him then later it's the same thing except that it's about Adam. Nate is extremely anal and annoying while Adam is extremely boring. I'm not sure which is worse. Adam's character only served as a new love interest - all he does is deliver a bunch of lines and smile. That's it. The other minor characters aren't memorable either. You have the crazy friend Robyn, the wacky boss-who-doesn't-behave-like-a-boss Magda, the uptight, workaholic sister Kate and the nice husband Jeff. This book had the potential to be funny but instead it was a drag and the ending could have been seen from the first page. My rating: 4/5*My review* – [MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS]:This was the second book by Alexandra Potter I’ve read. This book was, for me, a proof that Alexandra Potter’s ‘The Love detective’ is not a one-hit-wonder, and lives up to its high standards. I always love how Alexandra includes a different travel destination in each of her books, I find myself interested in the cities and places she describes in her books. If you’re parents give you a hard time for reading chick-lit instead of school textbooks, tell them, reading Alexandra Potter books gives you a bit of Geography, History and obviously English. Because that’s what I got.Plot:You know how Alexandra Potter always include an element of travel with a generous sprinkle of magic? She’s done it again, this one in Venice and its famous Bridge of Sighs. I love how the plot incorporates the reunion of Lucy and Nate. It’s never pleasant running into your ex right? And he’s not just any ex, but whom she thought was potentially ‘The One’, we all think we’ve found ‘The One’ at a certain point in life but sometimes it doesn’t work out or maybe it does, nevertheless most girls will be able to sympathise with this book. I also like the concept how once Lucy and Nate reunited, they were in love with the fantasies of each other, of the teenage versions of each other, not the current person. Another reality check, people change. But then she meets a mysterious guy, Adam who she starts to develop feelings for, but then she keeps bumping into her ex, Nate! She simply can’t get rid of him. Is this because of the legend of the Bridge of Sighs? How is she going to reverse this magic? You’ll find out, once you read this unstoppable intoxicating book!Main Characters + actor/actress that I think would fit the role: Lucy Hemmingway – After losing whom she thought was ‘The One’ she loses hope in love and destiny, but finds herself wanting believe in these childish fantasies again as she bumps into her ex after 10 years. She is currently unsatisfied with her job at the art gallery since her original dream was to be a painter yet she’s lucky with her acquaintances, she has support from her only sister, Kate as well as her friends Robyn and Magda.Actress: Kristen BellNathaniel (Nate) – ‘The One’ who is funny, spontaneous and cute. But that’s the past. Now he’s the rich successful and sophisticated TV producer with a penthouse, nothing Lucy would ever imagined. Once reunited, Lucy finds him the complete opposite of who she thought he was and they have nothing in common. They eventually broke it off as their personality clashes.Actor: Ryan GoslingAdam – The gallery crasher, or what Lucy thinks. He’s a film student at NYU . He and Lucy find themselves attracted as they discover each other’s passion for art. Lucy for paintings and sculpture, Adam for films. He’s one who encourages Lucy to follow her dreams and supports her decisions and in the process they find themselves enjoying each other’s company and eventually the romance kicks in.Actor: Ashton KutcherMy favourite quotes from the book [WARNING: SPOILER ALERT]‘I was in love with the idea of him. An ideal of him. Of who I thought he was – Lucy’
What do You think about You're (Not) The One (2011)?
You're The One I Don't Want is the first chick-lit book that I read with this genre, truthfully I did not enjoy the book as a whole.The story revolves around the legend in which a couple rides a gondola kisses under the bridge of sighs, during a sunset and hears the bell ringing and it's supposed to be together forever for the young couple until such circumstances unfolds and problems arises.It's all about The One, the soulmate, the true love and fate how the universe work with what you believe in, I just like how Lucy is independent at times, just hated the parts on how some characters just goes in and out of the scenes and suddenly pops back up, it may be all about the "timing" but its just too sudden and character development...not so much, it felt like things were in a rush.
—Leah
Okay so the thing with this story is that it's like it came from a movie or fiction(perhaps), and yet its refreshing and sort of a toe-curler(?) induced sensation from the sweetness and how Sierra and Nate just end up being in the same place or like how their phones end up calling each others phone when they weren't. But, my favorite part would have to be how their half-coin pendants end up appearing when they lost it for a long time or how it ends up reappearing after it was thrown in a lake. It just proves how destiny decides who each persons soulmates are. Now I just wander if this really happens in real life? And that it really intrigues me of legends inspired from Italy.
—mcblythe
pretty fun, a light rom-com, decently written with likeable characters, good to read on a lazy day
—TashaD
