Cover Image: How to Make a Wish

How to Make a Wish

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Member Reviews

<i>Thanks to Netgallery for providing me with a digital arc in exchange for an honest Review!</i>

<center>"There are two tragedies in life.
One is to lose your heart's desire.
The other is to gain it."
- George Bernhard Shaw</center>

<b>A COMPLETE LIST OF REASONS WHY EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS BOOK</b>
• <b>Grace was a great main character that I really felt for</b>. She’s musical and feels so real to me, with so much burden on her shoulders and the fact that she always has to stay strong. I was becoming so protective of her and just wanted to tell her to leave her mum, because she was completely zapping the life out of Grace. Basically Grace deserved a nice long hug and her own piano, after everything she has to go through on a daily basis. In a way she is very grown up for her age, as she had to take charge so many times when her mother couldn’t. In a way she also is conflicted about her mother, wanting to leave for a better life but also feeling like she should stay and take care of her. Grace dislikes talking about how hard things rally are.

• <b>Eva is another very nuanced character with a burden of her own</b>. I liked how the book explored her grieving for her mother. Eva is a Dancer, even though she does not dance any longer after her mother had died, as she still tries to cope with her loss. Eva is grateful for Emmy’s support but she is struggling with how she is her guardian and “replacing” her mother. Like Grace, Eva is a very complex, real character that was well fleshed out. She likes coloring books and peanut butter, as those are the two things keeping her sadness away.

• <b>Grace’s and Eva’s romance was completely adorable</b>. It was well build and full of consent, which I immensely liked. Both really helped each other and had so many inside things like spending every night at the light house eating peanut butter or cuddling together in bed. Basically both were sooo adorable that it hurt. There were of course problems, as Eva gets close to Grace’s mum, but both dealt with them in a very healthy way. In the end Grace does confide in her about her mother, even if it takes a bit longer after that for them to settle things. In the end they do get their happy ending.

• <b>I loved Grace & Luca’s friendship, because it was purely platonic</b>. I always love it when boys and girls are friend without any romantic involvement. Grace and Luca were exactly that. Luca is fiercely loyal to his best friend and it does pain him to see her suffering so much under her mother. He would do anything for her and has already done so much. There are up and down in their relationship, but in the end both make up like they always do. A factor is Luca’s new girlfriend Kimber, but Grace in the end does decide that they will find a middle ground, as she makes her best friend happy,

• <b>Luca’s family was so supportive of Grace and just what she needed</b>. Emmy was literally a sweetheart always trying her hardest and making sure that none of her children get hurt. Her family was always there for Grace and provided her with a real home. Emmy gave her money multiple times to ensure hat she had something, when Maggie could not be depended on. They are basically Grace’s adoptive family and I loved them so so much!

• <b>The book explored a very toxic mother-daughter relationship that broke my heart</b>. Reading about it was so stressful, because Maggie is such a bad mother and I felt for Grace so so much. I did like that we got to explore this relationship in a very thorough way, as it was one of the serious themes. The stressful part was definitely worth it, as it’s important to even display such complicated, toxic relationships. The message is that even though people love you, they can still terribly hurt you.

<b>Why I obviously disliked Maggie</b>
- She never provides her daughter with a safe home and instead drags her from boyfriend to boyfriend and from motel to motel.
- Grace takes care of her and not the other way around. Maggie gets drunk very often and leaves her young daughter exposed to grabbing men that could have well raped her.
- She also forgets Grace’s birthday, makes her live with a boy that exposed their sexts and throws away her piano & Grace’s only chance for achieving her dream.
-Grace mentions multiple times how little her mother knows her & how she would dismiss her concerns of Jay cornering her.
- Maggie steals from her daughter when she needs money for booze. She also steals from her boyfriend and leaves him, when he calls her out.
- Whenever Grace does not play along and voices her concerns, her mother snaps at her and makes it look lik Grace is the immature and dramatic one.
- Maggie invests more time in a different girl’s life than her own daughters. Making a girl she barely knows a necklace her daughter had wanted for years and throwing her a birthday party when she cannot get her own daughter’s birthday straight.
- She later also drives drunk and gets someone in danger, then acts like it’s ridiculous that the police would question her.
- Basically Maggie thinks everything is fine and fails to see how much she is making her daughter suffer.

• <b>The story also explores the revenge leaking of sexts</b>. Jay obviously was a horrible fuckboy. Therefore, I really hated him, as he made my skin crawl. Jay used to date Grace, but when she broke up with him he publicly posts their sexts on Tumblr and ridicules Grace. Later when they are forced to live together he corners and grabs Grace - making her feel unsafe in her own hose. Later he does help her, but I did not find that redeeming enough for me to begin to like him.

• <b>The Diversity is another reason, why you should read this book</b>. Grace is bi (like the author) and the book not about her journey of discovering her sexuality, however, she does describe how she did discovered it back then. Eva is a biracial lesbian that also talks of the struggle of black women in dancing and her own experience with figuring out that she liked girls.

• <b>The entire story just hooked me in and made me emotional</b>. When it comes to books that is always a good sign, as I was really getting into the story. The book is a lot about figuring out what you want, dealing with grief as well as letting go of toxic relationships. This will be one of the books that continue to haunt me and stick to memory.

• <b>I did like that the end was left open, because it was the most realistic thing to do</b>. We just have the package for Grace, which does leave the progression of her mother’s recovery out in the open. I liked that, because it is the most realistic outcome for their situation. However, I did wanna know if Grace gets into the music school, which we sadly don’t get to know.

<b>IN CONCLUSION</b>: How To Make A Wish is a great <b>ownvoices book</b> about a bisexual girl, struggling with her toxic mother falling in love with a girl struggling to cope with her mother’s loss. The story explores<b> family, love and how you have to let go of things that weigh you down</b>. Above all it’s a story about wishes and deciding what you really want.

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Una historia contemporánea que trata algunos temas duros como la negligencia parental, las enfermedades mentales y lidiar con la pérdida de seres queridos, todo ello a través de una protagonista adolescente bisexual, Grace. Todos los personajes son muy complejos y tienen unas relaciones un tanto complicadas, tanto familiares como románticas. La narrativa es preciosa y está llena de simbolismo. En general una lectura a la que le cuesta un poco arrancar y parece dejar algunos cabos sueltos, pero transmite un mensaje agridulce de desánimo y esperanza.

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A lovely YA story that was emotional, fun, and endearing. Such a great read!!

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How To Make A Wish was an interesting ride from start to finish. I loved the romance between the two girls and I especially loved that the main character fully identifies as bisexual, by name, with no shame. The book touch on many different themes, but it always felt concise. The book had a very intense build up, to the point where the reader is just wonder how far Grace is willing to let herself be pushed until she can't take it anymore. Throughout the book I shared her frustration with her mother and each time I thought I was completely done with her I always thought of how I would react towards my own mother in the same situation and discovered that, in reality, standing up to family is hard, especially for a teenage girl. The book really speaks to the strength of not just Grace, but of all these characters who endured so much. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone into LGBT representation, interesting family dynamics, or just a fan of a well told story.

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There are elements of this young adult novel that I enjoyed immensely, despite one major trope with which I struggle. A neglectful parent is a particularly difficult representation, and for it to work, it must be handled delicately and with care, and I am not totally convinced by this one.

Maggie, Grace’s mother, is a woman who lost her way when her husband died, and has done very little in the intervening 15 years to get herself together, and parent her child with support and love. Grace is often the adult, looking after Maggie when she goes on benders, or walks out on her latest boyfriend. Grace makes sure the bills are paid, and cleans their house. She has basically been raising herself. Luckily, she has a best friend Luca who stands by her, as does Luca’s brother Macon, and their mother Emmie.

Grace is a dedicated pianist, and has plans to audition for music colleges and leave. Sort of. A sub plot involves Grace’s indecision about her future. These swings back and forth (actually, about almost everything about Grace’s life) is a strong realistic part of the story. Grace desperately wants to live her dream, and leave her mother’s unpredictability behind. But can she trust that Maggie will be able to look after herself? Experience has shown Grace probably not.

Another sub plot involves Grace’s love life. When Eva moves to town after the sudden death of her mother, Grace feels a strong attraction. There is a terrific discussion about bi-sexuality at one point in the novel, which was extremely pleasing to see. The obstacles to their love are not Grace’s reluctance to identify as bi or Eva’s sexuality (she is definitely gay). It’s more about Eva’s grief, and Maggie’s sudden interest in ‘saving’ her. Grace knows her mother will ultimately let Eva down, and she’s caught between loyalty for her mother, and her need to warn Eva. These kinds of conflicts keep the novel gritty and real, and stop it from falling into a ‘just a romance’ label.

While I understood Grace’s dilemma—it’s okay for her to criticise her own mother, but not for anyone else—I was also impatient with how much leeway she gives this woman. Maggie has moved them into a new house with a new man who happens to be the father of an ex boyfriend of Grace who shamed her on social media when Grace broke up with him. This is another interesting subplot. What Jay does is unforgivable, and results in Grace being even more alienated from her peers. When Jay slowly learns the truth about life with Maggie (it’s truly awful), the author attempts to redeem him, and yet, when the opportunity arises for him to apologise to Grace for his treatment, an action that would have gone a long way to raise his status in readers’ eyes, it doesn’t happen. He rescues Grace, then is off on his merry way, seemingly unaware of how hurtful his past actions had been. I was disappointed.

I accept that Grace had to reach the conclusion herself that Maggie is the only one who can save Maggie, but given how much emotional abuse Grace has endured, I am surprised it didn’t happen earlier. When Eva tries to say, ‘at least your mother is still here’, it’s a moment of clarity for the two girls, and for readers. There are many moments of hurt and healing here, but unfortunately, I didn’t believe a lot of them. But there are also many other strong elements – the small coastal town setting, especially the lighthouse and its recurring motifs, Grace’s dedication to her passion, and the depiction of her friendship with Luca, which is flawed but true. There is also a strong message about grief—there is no right, or only one way to grieve. Everyone must be allowed to find their own way through it (unless of course, it means someone else has to suffer, Maggie!)

Copy was provided by the publisher via Netgalley and read with thanks. Out on May 2nd (in the US). Recommended for readers who love their protagonists strong, despite external and extenuating factors, who like their romance sensual, like a slow burning fuse, sparking in fits and starts, and the banter is flirty. And for readers who realise that life is not always happy and fair. Grace’s ability to endure, and then take positive steps to look after herself is a triumph. Eva’s despair is as real, and Emmie, as the adult who attempts to help both girls, is welcome and much appreciated.

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Thank you for approving me to read this title. I really enjoyed it, but it didn't inspire any words beyond that, so I will not be reviewing it.

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RATING: ★★★★★

Grace Glasser has spent her entire live moving from one stranger’s house to another, dragged along by her unreliable mother from one failed relationship to another. Grace feels trapped, emotionally, because she feels like she has to stay by her mother’s side, rescue and save her, because she isn’t capable of doing it herself. But Grace has dreams – she wants to live her own life, she wants to be a pianist, and to attend a top music school in New York. But she has to survive her mum’s latest boyfriend, who also happens to be the father of her ex-boyfriend. While she attempts to lie low, she meets Eva, who drags her into midnight adventures and feelings she was unprepared for.

I went into How to Make a Wish with the expectation it was going to be a light, fluffy, f/f summer romance. What I got was much more nuanced and developed. It was about grief, loss, and mothers. Both Eva and Grace were motherless in different ways. Eva recently lost her mother, suddenly, and she grief-stricken and lonely, and Grace’s mother has never really been a mother, she’s flakey, unreliable, and emotionally manipulative. Grace has always had to be the responsible and grown-up one in the relationship, their roles were reversed, and Grace’s homelife was unstable. How to Make a Wish was an emotional read and did make me tear up a lot.

How to Make a Wish is a character driven story and it is the characters that make you fall in love with this book. I loved Grace, I loved her loyalty, even though it was often misplaced, I loved her passion and her compassion. I loved her vulnerabilities and strengths, and her dreams and fears, she was a fully fleshed out and complex character who went though an immense amount of character development. I loved that she finally managed to break away from her toxic relationship with her mum and I loved the support she received from her best friend and his family, it was truly a beautiful relationship. Eva was another favourite. She was scared and lonely and had a hard time adjusting to life without her mother. I loved her character arc, especially concerning her dancing.

I loved the romance. I loved their chemistry. Eva and Grace found comfort in each other, in their adventures and nights up in the lighthouse eating peanut butter. I really loved that relationship – an incredibly heartwarming relationship.

The romance isn’t central to the story. Grace and her relationship with her reckless and unreliable mother really took centre stage. I think this book had a really important message concerning toxic relationships. That just because it’s your mum, doesn’t mean you can’t leave. It doesn’t mean you have to give 100% into that relationship and get nothing in return. Just because it’s your mum, it doesn’t mean you have to love them and support them unconditionally and I think that is a really important message. The relationship was written honestly to show what it really was – raw and complicated but unhealthy.

How to Make a Wish is an authentic, emotional, and heartwarming read that I highly recommend.

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All seventeen year-old Grace Glasser wants is her own life. A normal life in which she sleeps in the same bed for longer than three months and doesn't have to scrounge for spare change to make sure the electric bill is paid. Emotionally trapped by her unreliable mother, Maggie, and the tiny cape on which she lives, she focuses on her best friend, her upcoming audition for a top music school in New York, and surviving Maggie’s latest boyfriend—who happens to be Grace’s own ex-boyfriend’s father.

Her attempts to lay low until she graduates are disrupted when she meets Eva, a girl with her own share of ghosts she’s trying to outrun. Grief-stricken and lonely, Eva pulls Grace into midnight adventures and feelings Grace never planned on. When Eva tells Grace she likes girls, both of their worlds open up. But, united by loss, Eva also shares a connection with Maggie. As Grace's mother spirals downward, both girls must figure out how to love and how to move on. (via Goodreads)
I received an eARC from Netgalley and the publisher, HMH Books For Young Readers, in exchange for an honest review.

I'd heard nothing but good things about How to Make A Wish, and once I started reading it, I realized why so many of my reader friends loved reading this. Unfortunately, I really didn't love it the way they did.

I'll start with some trigger warnings: child abuse, alcoholism, gaslighting, ableist slurs (crazy/lunatic used fairly regularly), suicide references, attempted rape mentions.

There was one really big reason that I didn't fall in love with this story.

Throughout the novel, I couldn't help but wonder why the hell nobody had called child protective services on Maggie regarding Grace's childhood. Maggie's mess was kind of an open secret around town from what we see in the novel, and they'd lived in the same town their entire life. Grace was really good at hiding it at 17, but she can't have been when she was younger. Emmy at least knew, since she ripped into Maggie for leaving Grace home alone for days at a time, as did Kimber - it's noted that Kimber lent her a pair of shoes when hers were literally falling apart.

This really ruined a lot of the book for me, because there was so much that Grace should not have had to deal with if the adults in her life had done literally anything that they were supposed to.

I also wished that there had been something truly done with Jay/Julian - at least for an apology for what he did to her. That plotline felt really unfinished to me.

The cape is called Cape Katherine, but the girl from the lighthouse was named Hattie? I feel like her name really should have been named Katherine, the way most oral legends go.

That being said, the romance in this novel was sweet. I loved that Grace and Eva got to develop, fight, and fall in love while dealing with their separate traumas in a very teenager-y way. I loved their dedication to their crafts of piano and ballet. I loved the great representation of a bisexual relationship, which was ownvoices for the author. Eva is a mixed ballet dancer, and the trouble she had in that was discussed very well.

Overall, this was a three star read for me. I completely understand why others loved this book, but it just wasn't meant for me overall. It might be for you, though! If you think it might be, you can pick up a copy at Amazon, Indiebound, or your other favorite bookseller!

three stars

Disclaimer: All links to Indiebound and Amazon are affiliate links, which means that if you buy through those links, I will make a small amount of money off of it.

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How To Make A Wish was a sad and ridiculously sweet look at two girls falling in love and finding themselves after the impact of their mothers on their lives.

I adored this book just as much as I hoped I would. Ashley Herring Blake’s writing is so easy to read – I flew through this book in less than two days, reading like 250 pages in one day because I just couldn’t put it down. Blake understands her characters well and continuously plays with the idea of outward perception and reality – who Grace’s mother appears to be and who she really is, who Grace is, who Eva is.

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Lets start with the diversity on this book. Grace (MC) is a teenager who will discover of being bisexual as she starts to have feelings for EVA, a lesbian and POC teenager who is gonna to moved in with Luca (Grace BFF) after her mother died. Plus Grace will discover that she always been attracted also by female since she was very young — I especially loved this because I am so tired of the “you are straight or you are gay” sentence. News flash people: you can be attracted by different gender!
I need to say a few words on Luca — My personal favorite character!
I loved Luca so much! And I really liked the fact that the author didn’t create any kind of romance between Luca and Grace even if she could have. Luca has always been there for Grace and their relationship made me think about Lucas and Haley friendship in One Tree Hill. We definitely need more F/M friendship in book.
Since Grace’s father died her mother Maggie has gone wild: drinking, careless regarding other people lives and especially her own daughter’s, having sex with the first man who she would have met at a bar. Maggie could be the portrait of the worst mother on earth! Some parts were so hard to read for me especially when Grace keep follow her no matter what! I understand that Maggie is her mother but some things where so unselfish that I couldn’t read it.
I fell in love with the last chapter of the book where you are enlightened about the title of the book “How to make a wish”. I personally love when something like this happens.

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3.5stars
This was the first book I ever read by the author and I really liked it! It’s also an LGBT book, which I hadn’t read many before so I was really excited to start this one!

How to Make a Wish is a beautiful story about family, love, and friendship. It’s also about letting go, about following dreams and about loss. It has a lot of emotion and it’s slightly bittersweet. But it sure was beautiful!

This book talks about two girls that fall in love with each other – Eva and Grace. Eva’s mother died. And Grace has a very difficult life; her father died when she was two and her mom lives a completely unpredictable life, where she is the one getting taken care of, instead of the other way around. Her mother is there but she isn’t present as so.

I found their romance the sweetest thing ever! Eva is an extremely sweet girl and it’s impossible not to connect with her. She is warm hearted and she doesn’t mind showing what she feels. And Grace is the complete contrary. She is a lot harder to get to know and a lot more closed. She is an adult in the body of a teenager. She is used to taking care of her mother and trying to fix things. She feels angry, unloved and helpless. But she feels that she can’t ask for help because doing that means showing the reality of her mother. She doesn’t have many people she trusts, until Eva comes along, and gives her the strength to wish for herself, to fight against it, instead of with it.

Even tho Grace’s mother did everything wrong all the time, it’s impossible not to feel compassion because that’s how Grace feels. Through the story, we understand why she is like that, and that, independently of everything she does love Grace.

It’s true that her actions are terrible. She doesn’t think, she doesn’t see reality… She lives in a world apart, inside her head. She drinks her guts out and she goes with anybody who may appear. Always saying that everything is just fine and drowning her daughter with her. But Grace was always there for her. Trying, hoping, whishing.

I felt that this book was really realistic and beautiful, the writing was also very pleasant and fast to read. I think the moral of this story is really important and the romance was just adorable!

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I may or may not be in love with this book and it's characters. (read: Luca) (WHERE’S MY LUCA MICHAELSON??)

Not the encompassing love I have for Becky Albertalli or Victoria Schwab, sure. But it comes pretty damn close.

It’s not a very good or original story, per se: but I wanted a cute contemporary. And I got more than that. I got a cute contemporary that I finished in one sitting. I got a cute contemporary that made me feel, that made me think.

● The romance: It gave me butterflies in my belly and a smile on my face. Yes, it’s that cute.

● The relationships and character development: Although this is more or less advertised as a romance, the protagonist’s relationship with her mother is a huge part of the book. I won’t say much about this because it goes into the direction of WAY TOO SPOILERY take it from me, it has some of the best character development I’ve ever read.

● LUCA MICHAELSON: I’m sorry, did I mention I love him? Honestly, #bestfriendgoals

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How to Make a Wish is one of my most anticipated reads of 2017, so I was incredibly excited to sign up to this particular book tour. I am loving the number of bisexual characters in recent YA, and I knew that I would have to read this one. While How to Make a Wish doesn't solely focus on bisexuality, I found it to be a stunning read. NB: there are trigger warnings for alcoholism, mistreatment of children, drunk driving, death of parents, and unhealthy mechanisms for coping with grief.

The best thing about this book is that all of the relationships are complicated. The relationship between Grace and her mother Maggie was absolutely incredible, because Herring Blake really goes into the idea of loving and hating the same person simultaneously. I loved the way that Grace wants to believe in the best, but ultimately has to come to terms with the fact that her relationship with her mother is not okay, and that something needs to change. Grace is such a fantastic character in that regard - she changes and comes to terms with the less-than-stellar things that she's done in the past, whilst remaining a delightfully sarcastic teenager.

When How to Make a Wish does talk about sexuality, it does it well. It actually made me laugh, because Grace's friend Luca refers to her as a 'baby bisexual' and that is what I used to call myself!! There is also a great conversation between Grace and Eva, where they say: "I guessed I was queer for a long time before I really let myself just ... be queer." This is exactly how I felt when I was 17. There's finally a description of the reasons why Grace finds girls and guys attractive, and it was fantastic. She really goes into detail about how bodies are so different, and how she is attracted to them for different reasons, but how it doesn't change anything. I don't know if the author is bisexual herself, but everything about it rang true for me.

A note: Eva is biracial. Ashely Herring Blake is not, and I'm not either, so I really can't comment on this particular representation. While nothing problematic jumped out at me, I would be interested in what biracial bloggers have to say about Eva.

Although How to Make a Wish is not the most uplifting of novels, I found myself binge-reading it throughout the night. If you're looking for a realistic YA novel that really talks about the complications of sexuality and mother-daughter relationships, I couldn't recommend this more.

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This is one of those books that's hard for me to review. Because while I LOVED some parts of it and want to flail about those, there are also parts I really didn't like that kept me from loving the book as a whole. But those things are personal issues I have with the book and therefor might not bother other readers. But if I list those dislikes, I might keep people from picking this book up, which I don't want because I still think lots of people should read it. Am I making any sense whatsoever? Probably not. Oh well.

How To Make a Wish is about Grace and her mother Maggie. They have a complicated and dysfunctional relationship in which Grace has had to be the grown-up more times than she can count. And this really is the heart of the story. This mother-daughter relationship that's kind of messed up and needs a lot of work and is actually not very healthy. And while I loved parts of this side of the story, I had some problems with it too. Which relates mostly to the characters, but I'll get back to that. I did love how it developed, even if it got a bit too dramatic sometimes etc. I loved that romance wasn't a cure for anything in this book and that it ultimately came down to the mother and the daughter having to fix stuff together. But I also love that it didn't all wrap up in a neat little bow with rainbows and sunshine.

I also want to give a shout-out to the awesome friendship between Grace and her best friend Luca. I LOVE that they're not more than friends and it never even gets hinted at that it could be more. It's just a fantastic, platonic friendship between a boy and a girl and YES. THANK YOU. It's possible, people. Romance need not be involved every time.

Speaking of Luca, I loved him and his family. He was a great friend and I loved his mom and brother and honestly wouldn't mind having a book about them alone. Though I did kind of want more of Luca's girlfriend Kimber and his brother Macon. But we can't have everything, I suppose. I also ended up liking Jay and Pete, which I did not really expect. But I did. So yay.

My main problem with this book lies with Grace, Maggie and Eva. Maggie, and I say this in the nicest way possible, was a horrible mom. And I find it sad that their dysfunctional relationship went on so long without anyone doing something about it because it's just not healthy for either of them. When Eva comes into Grace's life, she changes a lot of things up and while I didn't necessarily have a problem with her, I didn't feel like I got to know her as well as I would've liked. And then we have Grace... who I just didn't connect with. She frustrated me SO much and yes she grew in the story and was developed well enough, but I just wanted to hit her with a frying pan. I'm sorry. I just did. I didn't like how she brushed off her mother's behavior for SO long and how she acted towards Luca sometimes when he confronted her about it. I'm also mildly disappointed that her music didn't play a very big role ultimately. Which is sad because it's so important to her but in the story itself it's just... not.

The romance was both great and frustrating. The latter because sometimes it took over a bit and I didn't like that because I wanted to focus on the other stuff. And sometimes it felt like it was going to make the story in one of those "love cures all" situations. Which no. Just no. But it was also great because the author didn't shy away from anything. This book is very sex-positive with an f/f romance, which I enthusiastically applaud and flail over because THANKS. YA needs this.

In the end, How To Make A Wish has a lot going for it, but it frustrated me personally a lot. I still highly recommend it because this is just my opinion and therefor not necessarily yours. If you're a contemporary fan, you should definitely check this one out.

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How to Make a Wish surprised me, and had a lot of the aspects I want and crave in an excellent book. All of my friends who read this book early swore it was amazing and How to Make a Wish really delivered, and then some. This book has complex and fully fleshed characters that you will instantly fall in love with. I laughed, I cried (more like bawled like a baby) and was filled with utter joy because of this book, because of Grace’s bravery and Eva’s strength, and their shared love for each other. This book really is something special and I would recommend it to everyone who loves a young adult book that doesn’t shield away from the sad and messy parts of life, the beauty that exists between all of it and the complexity of loving someone and still knowing they’re not treating you right.

What really makes you fall in love with How to Make a Wish is the characters. We have the protagonist of the story, bisexual Grace Glasser, and her relationship with her mother, a mother who is reckless and acts like a child, making Grace the adult in the relationship. It was truly heartbreaking to see Grace deal with her mother, constantly being crushed by her expectations for things being better this time. Grace dreams of becoming a pianist, but even that dream seems impossible when her mother is completely dependent on Grace. However, there is also Luca, Grace’s best friend, and his mother and their support and love for Grace is endless and beautiful. Grace is basically a part of Luca’s family. Luca knows Grace likes no one else and he loves her so much, despite their ups and downs. Their friendship was one of my favorite parts of the book.

“But it was so easy. Up there, I didn’t belong to a messed-up mother. She wasn’t the grieving daughter. We were just Grace and Eva.”

Then we have Eva, biracial, gay and the love interest of the story, who moved to live with Luca’s family after her mother died unexpectedly. Eva had a hard time dealing with life without her mother, in a new place where nothing is the same, not even her love for ballet. I fell in love with Eva immediately, she is sarcastic and strong, and a character I think many will feel for. When Grace and Eva meet, there was an instant connection. Two lonely, motherless girls found comfort in spending summer nights together at the top of a lighthouse and before they knew it, it became something so much more than just two girls finding contentment in each other. I love Grace and Eva’s relationship because it’s so soft and tender, which is something I really miss in f/f relationships. There is something so incredibly heartwarming about the connection Eva and Grace has and I love how this book shows us the insecurities and complexities that exist with it.

“Then her whole hand slides across my whole hand, and our fingers are all mixed up, pale and dark, lavender on dark purple, wrapped over and around. The tree creaks ominously, but I don’t care. I forget about everything that came before this – every [pissed off] and jealous emotion I had from earlier tonight, gone.”

You can’t discuss How to Make a Wish without mentioning the writing. Blake truly draws you in with her use of words and imagery, and the voice of Grace is one that makes it impossible to put the book down. There are funny and sarcastic moments, sad and heartbreaking scenes, and everything in between, and Blake delivers in her execution. How to Make a Wish has amazing bisexual representation and a masturbation scene that needs to be celebrated since they are so rarely featured in YA books.

All in all, How to Make a Wish is a book you need to put on your radar this spring and summer. This book is so beautiful it hurts. You will fall in love with Grace, Eva, and Luca and see their struggles, their happy moments, and most importantly of all, their happy endings despite life not being easy or fair. This story is about grief, freedom and the complexity of love. How to Make a Wish is a magical mess of beauty, sadness, love, dreams and wishes and a book that deserves all of the praise in the world.

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This will go live on my blog on May 7. Kellyvision.wordpress.com

Ever since she can remember, it's been Grace's job to take care of her mother, Maggie. Maggie is fragile and her mood can change at any given second. She'll seem OK but then start dating a jerk. When it ends (and it always does), she'll start drinking and then Grace has to save her. She doesn't like this at all bit Maggie is all she has. And then she meets Eva, another girl who's essentially an orphan. She doesn't want to fall for Eva, because that would mean involving her in Grace's messy life. And yet...

This book broke my heart. Teens with absent parents is a common trope (and complaint) in YA novels and it really works in this one. Maggie is everywhere in this book, and yet it's because of her inability to parent. Even when she's physically present, she's not really there. And that has defined Grace's entire life.

Even when her mom disappoints her, Grace loves her and feels almost doomed to repeat her mistakes. After all, even with all Maggie's faults, it's Maggie and Grace, together forever.

This book is intense but so worth it.

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This book is beautiful. It's beautiful for all the things it includes.

I've never read a f/f romance before (other than one sexual scene in an adult novel), so this was new ground for me. And I have to admit, I loved both girls so much. Their snark and flirting were absolute perfection.

Grace's relationship with her mother was rocky and as such, was pretty intense. But it's honest, even if it's tough to read. I think it added depth to Grace and the story as a whole. It also plays a big part on who Grace is and therefore, how she reacts to situations. It makes her actions forgivable. (To some extent.)

As someone who loves character-driven novels, this was perfect for me. I didn't expect an intricate plot. I wanted growth. And I got that.

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Strong writing, a vivid setting, and a lovely romance between two girls, one of whom is grappling with the loss of her mother and the other of whom is struggling to balance taking care of herself and taking care of her mother. I really enjoyed this!

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