What They Want [Paperback]

Omar Tyree (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Simon Schuster; Advance Reading Copy (ARC) edition (2006)
• ASIN: B002LYXTGK
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Omar Tyree is a New York Times bestselling author, entrepreneur, journalist, screenwriter, and public speaker. A renowned business figure, he has published seventeen books, and his articles have been published in the Washington Post, Essence, Upscale, and the Washington Times.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A waste of your time and money, August 6, 2006

By 

K. Hinton "avid reader" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: What They Want: A Novel (Hardcover)

Terrance Mitchell is a successful male model based out of Atlanta, GA. His body, sex appeal, and bedroom skills have more women after him than he knows what to do with. Ever the player, Terrance makes a vow to himself never to get locked down by one woman after losing an old girlfriend when he refused to submit to her wishes for commitment. Accordingly, he's with a different woman every day of the week and flies around the country flaunting his conquests.

Terrance is a pretentious, self-involved player with no concern for anyone but himself. The very second you think he might start to care about someone, he turns around and acts like a selfish, stubborn child. For a man who is supposed to be 33 years old and successful, he has all the maturity of a sixteen year old high school student. It was all I could do not the throw the book across the room when he sleeps with seven different women over the course of five days, and sometimes without using a condom. Tyree attempts to use the numerous sex scenes--and there's one about every ten pages or so--to make up for his lack of plot, but fails miserably.

This book was nearly unreadable, but I kept going because I assumed there had to be some saving graces. I was wrong. Tyree's thoughts jumble together and the story is too convoluted for you to understand what kind of point he's trying to make--if there is any at all. There is no lesson to be learned from this story and the way Tyree ties up the loose ends is too easy and downright unbelievable.

I'd suggest you look to African-American authors who actually have something to say and the technique to say it well, like Eric Jerome Dickey or E. Lynn Harris, and leave this one to the people who think that hip hop videos actually depict the lifestyle of a typical African-American.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't Really Want It, July 13, 2006

By 

Lady Louise (Connecticut) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What They Want: A Novel (Hardcover)

Over the years I've tried to read a few of Omar Tyree's books but unfortunately I was only able to read one or two chapters because I simply lost interest. I recently picked up his latest novel, or rather checked it out from one of the local branch libraries, and this time I read the book all the way through. "What They Want" is a story about a womanizing male model name Terrance who has a series of women, 13 in total. Some of them are at his beck & call, while others whished to be more than a mere booty call. Let me just say that only a man could have written this book, a character who does as he pleases with no real consequences, women vying for his time only to find themselves hurt and jilted in the end. I found this book to be a disappointing read, there were some moments I thought the book was going to pick up with the likes of Andrea, a former girlfriend turned lesbian with her lover Brazil. Tashay, an up n coming 19yr old model with her ghetto best friend Tan. There's Rachel, a woman who he met in a hotel lobby after leaving Judy, a former flame who decides to take a vow of celibacy. Then there was the likes of Nicole, a woman who serviced him in the car while driving on the freeway. All had interesting storylines but no sooner does the drama unfold, Tyree quickly wraps it up and moves on to the next chapter. To add insult to injury he pretty much does the same thing in the end of the book by going out in an epilogue, but then again perhaps he did us all a favor.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars This book is clearly a "Man's Fantasy Novel.", July 14, 2006

By 

Jenny J.J.I. "A New Yorker" (That Lives in Carolinas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: What They Want: A Novel (Hardcover)

I wasn't quite feeling this book. The main character was way too full of himself to give any real depth to the issues he is meant to deal with, but his story will be in demand at any rate. The cover of this book was more appealing to me then the story itself.

Terrance Mitchell is a type of person that like to think with his head instead of the other way around. Being that this story is about a successful 30ish model whom really loves his job and stays in exotic locales only long enough to attend a photo shoot and nail a number of locals. Annoyingly, most of them seem to want him to commit, but Terrance, who thinks commitment are non-beneficial tends to brush it off and accelerate more on "freaky" sex with various women. Beside his story there a lot of drama regarding the sub-stories in this book first dealing with Terrance's unwed sister, and then one on Terrance former male model; and then a proposition offer to him from one of his modeling agency execs.

Eventually, this lifestyle and positions get too busy (or kinky) for him and contemplates on settling down with one woman who might not be so bad after all as long she's like what he likes. And while Terrance considers changing his ways an unexpected phone call from a past lover seem to hit him across the head and veered him towards another direction.

This book has enough sex scenes to keep you awake but Terrance rambling conversation might make you fall asleep. Tyree's 14th book seems to try to do a lot in this book and all the eroticism he adds in this story only leads to a mess. I don't know what he's attentions are but it seems to me he's heading more towards the popular author Zane, and if he is, he clearly needs to shape up on that area before he decides to attempt on another book.