Book Review: The One That I Want

The One That I Want
By Allison Winn Scotch 
Crown Books 
Publication date: June 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0307464514

 When I saw the title, The One That I Want, I instantly thought of the movie Grease. Sandy and Danny dancing in the fun house after being reunited as different people. It's epic, it's fun, it's memorable. Sadly, this book isn't any of those. (However, it does reference Grease!)

 Tilly loves her life. To her, she has the perfect husband, lives in the perfect town (her hometown), and has the perfect job (guidance counselor at her former high school). She wants a baby to complete the perfection. But there are cracks beneath the surface that Tilly often looks past. In a strange meeting, she's mysteriously given the ability to see the future. She sees her husband moving. She sees her father drinking again. She sees her perfect life slowly deconstructing. Knowing her life can never be as it was again, Tilly must decide if she'll go along with the changes, or stand up for what she believes, and decide to ignore the aspect of perfection.

The One That I Want is overwhelmingly okay. It's a quick read, easy to digest, but a little off-putting I suppose. The story itself was interesting - girls life isn't as perfect as it seems, so she needs to grow and mature and change - but I didn't like the actual girl. Tilly was a fine character, but I never had sympathy for her, never really related to her. When her husband announces wanting to fulfill his lifelong dream and actually try to work for a baseball team, she's upset because it might mean she has to actually leave her hometown. I get wanted to live where you grew up; I get getting acclimated to a lifestyle, however - come on. Support your husband. He's a jerk in it, sure, but he has a point.

 After reading Scotch's other book, Time of My Life, I was expecting a magical realism story. And it was granted, in the aspect of Tilly's future-telling ability. But while the plot aspect was necessary for the other book, I found it a bit ridiculous here. It was a good idea for the plot, however Tilly doesn't do much with her knowledge. She barely prepares herself. Instead, she's upset when she sees the future. Worries about it. And then is upset again when the future happens. She grows, yes, but I think her growth can also come without this magical aspect. It's not essential for her to grow.

What I did like about the book was Tilly's relationships with her best friend, her new(er) friend the fortune teller, and the dynamic between her and her younger sister. Scotch writes great relationships. They're real; you can almost feel them. But friendships aren't enough for this book to be perfect.

I really liked Time of My Life, so I wont give up on Scotch. She's got talent, that's for sure. Her writing is great, and her story ideas are very interesting. This book just didn't stick with me.