Such sadness and fear after living with an abusive father. Rose and her sister never knew security and peace in their own home. Their mother lived in her husband’s shadow afraid for the well-being of her daughters as well as her own. Unfortunately, she was so fearful, that the daughters often faced their brutal father head-on. He was a master of emotional abuse, but we immediately get a sense that was the tip of the iceberg. Rose took matters into her own hands, headed off to college, pursued a career, and stayed away from home. Her only contact was with her mother, Poppy was already facing difficulties. How could Rose help them? She barely managed to find a peaceful life.

Coming back home for her best friend’s wedding was bound to bring back memories better left in the past. Since her father’s death, Anna’s mother had taken a few small steps to change life out of her husband’s grasp. Rose had hoped that with her father’s death the three of them would be free of his control, physical, emotional, and psychological.

In an enlightening conversation with a friend, Rose is made aware that her mother did try to extricate her from the toxic household, at least temporarily, sending her to a friend’s house where it was noted that she looked worse for wear. What a way to describe a child.

Jennifer Ryan knows how to set a scene and then completely draw in her reader. There are many levels to a tale being told. The obvious current scenes and those that reference past events. In all Jennifer Ryan flexes her writer's muscles and deftly illustrates her command of the written word.

THE ONE YOU WANT is a study of human endurance, friendship, love, and family politics. Pretty amazing how an envious, immature, selfish, vindictive man could have kept his family on a continuous collision course. Marc was his cousin Gray's nemesis. There’s no other way to describe their relationship. If Gray had it, Marc wanted it and would do anything to get it. He had no scruples. You have never met a more unsympathetic character than Marc. His cruelty to his cousin is unrelenting and yet the family has for the most part excused this boorish behavior.

Well in THE ONE YOU WANT Jennifer Ryan decides it’s time Marc has met his match and that is Rose. Rose has learned how to stand up to bullies thanks to her own father. The problem with dealing with Marc is the probable collateral damage.  Most notably to Rose’s best friend Maggie, whose wedding to Marc is in a week. Jennifer Ryan somehow manages to create a situation that puts you on the edge of your seat as you wait for the next shoe to drop. I have yet to meet such an unlovable character. THE ONE YOU WANT surpassed my expectations with this latest book by Jennifer Ryan.