review: the one that i want by allison winn scotch

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The One That I Want by Allison Winn Scotch takes place in a small town in Eastern Washington—probably not too far from where I grew up! Turns out the setting was actually a bit of a distraction for me during the first 50 or so pages because of some inaccuracies; however, those inaccuracies will likely only be noticeable to others from the region and don’t detract from the plot, which is excellent. Essentially this book comes down to something all too familiar for anyone from a small-ish or small hometown: how stuck you can become. In this case Tilly doesn’t mind being stuck; she likes her hometown. In fact, while many people want to leave all memories of high school far behind them, Tilly loved it so much that she went to work there as a guidance counselor. She’s decided that her life will be perfect once she and her high school sweetheart turned husband have a baby. What Tilly doesn’t realize is that her life is about to change dramatically. After an encounter with a former friend, Tilly starts having visions about bad things to come (her recovering alcoholic father getting drunk, her husband leaving her)…and then they start coming true! Slowly, Tilly comes to learn that moving beyond high school can actually be a good thing.

My only real complaint with this book was the location description not being totally accurate (a small town in the northwest is not anywhere near 81,000—I hope that was a typo); but overall the story is incredibly relatable for anyone who didn’t grow up in “the big city.” I know people who are just like Tilly and her friends and family. The One That I Want is a must read.
5/5
Review copy provided by the author’s publicist.