A review by caras_reviews
The One I Want by Chelle Sloan

5.0

Wes has just had his life turn upside down with his wife leaving and walking out on him and the kids months before his last season is supposed to finish.

He moved back to his hometown to be near friends and family who could help out. But he still needs help with other things. Enter Betsy. She's the new Nanny. The kids love her. She's great with them.

Betsy is a carefree person who hasn't found her place in the world yet. So she decides to take the nanny position because, why not? She enjoys being around the kids, and they like being around her. Wes is still trying to finalise his divorce, so he feels he shouldn't be having the thoughts he does for Betsy. They are both attracted to each other, you can tell in the way they hold each other's gaze.

This is really well done, and Betsy is written so well that I can almost hear her southern twang in my head. Betsy is a confident, self-assured woman. The words flow nicely, and the familiarity with Wes' friends is also well done. I love the kids and their different personalities. I feel for Em as she's older than the other two, so this is going to hit her, and she's eventually going to break down.

This is a story of an NFL player on the cusp of retirement, with 3 kids going through a divorce. It's written so eloquently that I feel the angst at what Wes is going through. Juggling a demanding job and trying to be as present as he can be. Both he and Betsy are responsible and trying not to do anything that will upset the kids at the moment. They have grown attached to her, so I can imagine they'd think she'd abandoned them too if things didn't work out with Wes. Betsy puts on a strong front. Deep down, though, she wants someone to love her.

This is a story about 3 kids whose mother left them without a goodbye. It's about a family trying to make it through this new reality, and with Betsy, it has been easier. And when she receives a text, it sets off all of Wes' insecurities and his own abandonment issues. Being with someone for so long and they up and leave would be very hard to just 'get over', so he lashed out and said some hurtful things.

I love that this story felt like a biography and how they managed through this difficult part of their lives. It felt very real, and I could imagine things like this happened all too often in situations like this. Whilst the situation isn't exactly the same, I could feel myself relate to those feelings of having to start over when your whole life has just been upended.

The kids absolutely made this story, and I loved the close friendship that the 4 amigos had! This is one of those stories that once you pass the turmoil and angst, it's a feel-good story of love and moving forward, really well done and a pleasure to read.

Merged review:

Wes has just had his life turn upside down with his wife leaving and walking out on him and the kids months before his last season is supposed to finish.

He moved back to his hometown to be near friends and family who could help out. But he still needs help with other things. Enter Betsy. She's the new Nanny. The kids love her. She's great with them.

Betsy is a carefree person who hasn't found her place in the world yet. So she decides to take the nanny position because, why not? She enjoys being around the kids, and they like being around her. Wes is still trying to finalise his divorce, so he feels he shouldn't be having the thoughts he does for Betsy. They are both attracted to each other, you can tell in the way they hold each other's gaze.

This is really well done, and Betsy is written so well that I can almost hear her southern twang in my head. Betsy is a confident, self-assured woman. The words flow nicely, and the familiarity with Wes' friends is also well done. I love the kids and their different personalities. I feel for Em as she's older than the other two, so this is going to hit her, and she's eventually going to break down.

This is a story of an NFL player on the cusp of retirement, with 3 kids going through a divorce. It's written so eloquently that I feel the angst at what Wes is going through. Juggling a demanding job and trying to be as present as he can be. Both he and Betsy are responsible and trying not to do anything that will upset the kids at the moment. They have grown attached to her, so I can imagine they'd think she'd abandoned them too if things didn't work out with Wes. Betsy puts on a strong front. Deep down, though, she wants someone to love her.

This is a story about 3 kids whose mother left them without a goodbye. It's about a family trying to make it through this new reality, and with Betsy, it has been easier. And when she receives a text, it sets off all of Wes' insecurities and his own abandonment issues. Being with someone for so long and they up and leave would be very hard to just 'get over', so he lashed out and said some hurtful things.

I love that this story felt like a biography and how they managed through this difficult part of their lives. It felt very real, and I could imagine things like this happened all too often in situations like this. Whilst the situation isn't exactly the same, I could feel myself relate to those feelings of having to start over when your whole life has just been upended.

The kids absolutely made this story, and I loved the close friendship that the 4 amigos had! This is one of those stories that once you pass the turmoil and angst, it's a feel-good story of love and moving forward, really well done and a pleasure to read.