Book Review: You're The One That I Want by Giovanna Fletcher.

 

So this is probably one of the best books I've read all summer and it is written by the lovely Giovanna Fletcher. Giovanna is an actress and freelance journalist, originally from Essex where she lived with her dad Mario, mum Kim, big sister Giorgina and her little brother Mario. She is married to the very wonderful Tom Fletcher who is in the band McFly (one of my most loved bands from my teen years!).

Her debut novel Billy and Me is another one of her books I would love to read but You're The One That I Want was the first one I got my hands on after getting a great recommendation from Carrie Hope Fletcher (Tom's younger sister) on goodreads. It is about a strong, unbreakable bond between three people; Maddy, Rob and Ben who were affectionately known as 'The Tripod'. Having been best friends since childhood, they thought nothing could come between them but their love for each other is tested to the limits and it turns out it is exactly that.. love. Love that changes everything. We follow them as they go through their childhood, adolescence and their twenties. Maddy has never felt anything for either of the boys but as soon as they begin to grow up, all sorts of emotions come out which leads to a very complex situation between them all. Maddy is torn between the two of them, Ben and Rob, and has the heartbreaking decision to make; to decide which one she loves more. Standing at the altar with Rob, there is a possibility Maddy will end it all with him to be with Ben, the best man, if he speaks up..

Right I'll be honest, I didn't think I would like this because I'm not a fan of the whole love triangle cliché or girls and boys being unable to be friends with each other without any other feelings being there but I decided to give this novel a go and I'm really glad I did. It was a full of emotion and I really liked the character Maddy as she wasn't a weedy, fragile type of girl. She was really 'one of the boys' and slotted in perfectly with Robert and Ben and bravely got up to all sorts of adventures with them. I connected with her quite well as I too seem to get on with lads better than I do with girls.

The story is told from all three characters' points of view and I felt this really worked well as we were able to collect the emotions from every person in each situation they were in from school to Paris to university. I really liked how Giovanna described each place they were in, making us feel like we were actually there alongside the characters from their homes in Peaswood to London and Paris. The transition between places was perfect and well written by her. It was also paced really well, no scene or moment was rushed and every ending of a chapter made you want to read more. I couldn't put the book down! 

Giovanna writes this novel expertly and leads the way to show us how each character develops over the years. Out of the two lads, I really liked reading Ben's viewpoint because he is such a loyal, sweet and sensitive boy who is clearly madly in love with Maddy and always has been from the day he met her. He's kind of every girl's dream boy. I felt more sympathetic with his feelings too and I just fell in love with him. He was so easy to connect with and understand more because I have been in a similar circumstances too where I was in love (or I thought I was) with someone for quite a few years without ever telling them which messed up a few opportunities for me. But thankfully, I'm past all of that even though, like Ben, I still have a soft spot for them but I'm able to move on carefree and happy now.

The only problem I have with this book is the amount of spelling and grammar mistakes. I'm such a picky person when it comes to things like this and most could be brushed off as genuine, honest mistakes. Rookie mistakes, yes, but if Giovanna is going to have a career in writing, I'd hate to think her future books will suffer the same problem and I hope she gets them edited and looked over again before being published.

But other than that, it was a great read and had me on the edge of my seat considering I don't normally like these types of books. It's great for your first chic-flick kinda book because there's no graphic love scenes or anything and it addresses the issues of unrequited love and love triangles realistically with a perfect finesse. It left me all nostalgic for my younger days especially when they go to Paris and made me think of many happy memories I've spent there with family and school, mainly in Disneyland!

I was hooked from the first page to the very end. It was beautifully told and really captures your heart and your emotions either through the characters or through experiences of your own.

 I am really looking forward to seeing what Giovanna has in store for us next. I really do think she has a great future in writing and I'll definitely be on the look out for more of her books. 

Have you read this book? What did you think of it?

Any comments will be really appreciated.

Thankyou for reading.
Laura.