Book Tour and Review: The One That I Want by Allison Winn Scotch

First line: Imagine, if you can, that you are sixteen again.

From the inside cover: Tilly Farmer is thirty-two  years old and has the perfect life she always dreamed of: married to her high school sweetheart, working as a guidance counselor in her hometown, trying for a baby. Perfect.

In fact, on the surface you might never know how tough things used to be. At seventeen, Tilly lost her mother to cancer, her father drowned his grief in alcohol, and she played parent to her two younger sisters more often than being a kid herself. Still Tilly never let tragedy overtake her belief that hard work and good cheer could solve any problem. Of course she’s also spent a lifetime plastering a smile on her face and putting everyone else’s problems ahead of her own.

But that relentless happiness has served her well – her sisters are grown and content, her dad is ten years sober, and she’s helping her students achieve all their dreams while she and her husband, Tyler, start a family. A perfect life indeed.

Then one sweltering afternoon at the local fair, everything changes. Tilly wanders into the fortune teller’s tent and is greeted by an old childhood friend, now a psychic, who offers her more than just a reading. “I’m giving you the gift of clarity,” her friend says. “It’s what I always thought you needed.” And soon enough, Tilly starts seeing things: her father relapsing, staggering out of a bar with his car keys in hand; Tyler uprooting their happy, stable life, a packed U-Haul in their driveway; and even more disturbing, these visions start coming true. Suddenly Tilly’s perfect life, so meticulously mapped out, seems to be crumbling around her. And she’s not sure what’s more frightening: that she’s begun to see the future or what the future holds…

As Tilly furiously races to keep up with – and hopefully change – her destiny, she faces the question: Which is the life she wants? The one she’s carefully nursed for decades, or the one she never considered possible?

My thoughts: This the is first book I have read by Allison Winn Scotch and it certainly will not be the last. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it to be a lighthearted, quick read yet full of lessons we can all take with us. It takes a look at the complications of life we are confronted with on a daily basis. What seems to be is not always the case and sometimes a little clarity helps set things straight, as in Tilly’s case. We are also introduced to a diverse group of characters, Susie, Darcy, Luanne, and Ashley,  each with their own set of problems that help to round the story out. Each of these characters as well as Tilly herself are well-developed and someone the reader can easily relate to. I especially enjoyed the relationships between the sisters, having two myself.  The writing was refreshingly witty and powerful and the cover alone draws you in. I am now eager to read Allison Winn Scotch’s previous books.

About the author: Allison Winn Scotch is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels The One That I Want, Time of My Life and The Department of Lost and Found. She is also a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in dozens of national consumer magazines. She lives in New York with her husband, son, and daughter, and their dog.

For more information on Allison, you can visit the following:

Allison’s website: www.allisonwinn.com

Allison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/aswinn

Allison on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Allison-Winn-Scotch/49841196684?ref=ts

Order The One That I Want: http://www.allisonwinn.com/order-hdoml/

***Exciting news: Allison has a contest on her blog that is running from June 1st to June 4th. Order her book during this time, email your receipt Allison and you will be entered to win some fun prizes (Oakley sunglasses, a FLIP video recorder, a bag full of summer reads to name a few).  More information can be found at: www.allisonwinn.com/ask-allison

I received a complimentary copy of The One That I Want by Allison Winn Scotch from BookSparks PR to review.