29 January 2011

Review: YOU'RE THE ONE THAT I DON'T WANT by A. Potter ****

How do you know he's The One? Are you getting butterflies just thinking about him? Have you dreamt of marrying him? Do you just know?

When Lucy meets Nate in Venice, she knows instantly he's The One. And, caught up in the whirlwind of first love, they kiss under the Bridge of Sighs at sunset. Which – according to legend – will tie them together forever.
But ten years later, they’ve completely lost contact. That is, until Lucy moves to New York and the legend brings them back together. Again. And again. And again.
But what if Nate isn't The One? How is she going to get rid of him? Because forever could be a very long time ...

A funny, magical romantic comedy about how finding The One doesn't always have to mean happily ever after.
In case you haven't heard yet, I love me some Alexandra Potter! Be Careful What You Wish For is the first book I read by her and I absolutely loved it! I also read Who's That Girl?, which I really enjoyed too, and Me & Mr Darcy, which was less amazing but still very funny. And that's what I love about Ms Potter - her books are just so funny she can easily compete with the likes of Sophie Kinsella and Jenny Colgan, two other great wit lit authors!

Anyway, this book isn't quite my favourite by Ms Potter, but I still really enjoyed reading it! In it we meet Lucy, a 28-year-old English girl who's just moved to New York and works at an art gallery. One day during work she comes Nate again - her true love who she never got over with. They spent a magical summer together in Venice ten years ago and then their long distance relationship didn't really work out. Lucy has had several boyfrinds since, but her heart was still with Nate ... When they meet again, they decide to re-start their relationship. At first everything seems perfect and Lucy is over the moon, but the cracks start to show slowly enough ... But have changed significantly in the past decade and they have a completely different outlook on life now. So they break up, but nonetheless they keep meeting and keeping in touch, due to the fact that they kissed under the Bridge of Sighs in Venice, which tied them together forever. They don't like this one stinking little but so they're forced to try all sorts of hilarious things to keep apart in order to be able to move on ...

That, in a nutshell, was the plot, which I admit wasn't exactly mindblowing and a bit silly at times, but the story flew nicely so it was enjoyable enough, plus it had me laughing a few times so that's always a plus. I found Lucy a tad too stereotypical chick lit heroine and had her ditzy moments, but overall she was incredibly loveable and easy to relate to with all her imperfections. Other than that, the characters and their relationships felt real and I really warmed up to them.

Also, can we talk about the cover, please? I must confess I was very disappointed with this one and I think it's the worst out of Ms Potter's covers. Her other recent UK ones have been positively goooorgeous, but I find this one horrible - there's far too much green and blue going on and I personally can't stand those two colours. Maybe that's why it took me so long to pick this book up - I was so put off by this cover, but luckily it was worth putting up with because the story inside was really cute!

So yeah, don't be put off by the cover (if you're a crazy particular git like me :p) and give this book a try if you're looking for a very, very light and occassionally funny read with a lovely set of characters. If you're not familiar with Ms Potter's books yet, then I suggest starting with Be Careful What You Wish For, which was hands down my favourite by her, but don't dismiss one either - it is a lovely read that will brighten up your day!


overall rating:
plot: 4/5 | writing: 4/5 | characters: 4/5 | cover: 3/5

2 comments:

Irena @ This Miss Loves to Read said...

Now this sounds very entertaining! Great review! I think the cover is pretty sweet, but yes, it's not wonderful. But as long as the story is good, that's fine.

CHRISTIE said...

I’ve actually never heard of this author. She sounds like one I’d like. Thanks for the fab review!

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