This was disappointing. While I have noticed mine is the unpopular opinion, I don't understand how everyone seems to think differently.

Alice dedicates all of herself to ballet until Elijah suddenly shows interest in her, and she notices herself reciprocate. But things change and put that fairy-tale love to test.

I can't decide what was the biggest problem, the fact this was supposed to be two books—one focused on Alice and another on her best friend Becky—or how suddenly people fell for each other. Not love at first sight but as irritating as any kind of instalove.

Back to the first problem, I'd surely like this book better had the author organized it better and made Becky the sole protagonist. Alice is nice and too nice. They literally say that and repeat it through the whole book. Boring and surely untrustworthy.

Most of the development follows the either all-too-sudden or the too-much-luck patterns. Even though I can't complain about grammar or orthography, the story didn't flow. I've read debut writers with more fewer issues.

I try to evaluate whether this just not my genre or whether I read the book during some unfortunate period already filled with similar plots. I mean, people falling in love while fulfilling some to-do list may fit this but I actually love the trope—although in the case of this book, it was more like falling in love during the first item and spending the rest of the time angsting whether to go for it.

I'm sure a younger reader will be less critical and focus more on the overflowing emotions, which the book had plenty to offer. The characters didn't lack maturity but after you've read so many books with better outlines, you tend to feel bothered.

Not a bad idea, not a bad story and as too-perfect as Alice is described to be, not even she was a bad character. I believe the problem was development, this could benefit from more tinkering in my opinion.

Ugh I can't tell you much with out spoiling this beautifully written book, just know that you need to have tissues to hand and something close to hand to hug.

This book is about the strength and love of family and friendships built to stand the test of time, it's about unconditional love, love lost and found and bonds that are made and still unbreakable even when you are no longer here

The title gives it away that it's a weepy read, but I recommend you go forth and read !

Donna

4TLOReading

Margaret McHeyzer hat ein unglaubliches Talent. Ein unglaubiches Talent dafür, mein Herz mit den schönsten Gefühlen zu füttern und es mir dann rigoros und grob aus der Brust zu reißen, darauf herumzutrampeln, es wieder zusammenzusetzen und mir wieder einzupflanzen.
Ernsthaft, diese Frau macht mich mit jedem ihrer Bücher fix und fertig.

Sie wählt immer ein sehr ernstes Thema, das sie in den Fokus der Geschichte stellt, und das sie dann so gekonnt verpackt, das man es nicht in all seiner Hässlichkeit sieht, sondern plötzlich einen anderen Blickwinkel auf die Dinge bekommt. Einen, in dem vielleicht Hoffnung und Freude liegen können. Herrje, ich weiß gar nicht wie ich das verständlich beschreiben soll. Nehmen wir doch einfach mal das Beispiel "UGLY", der erste Roman, den ich von ihr gelesen habe. In UGLY geht es um häusliche Gewalt, die wir durch die Erfahrungen der Protagonistin hautnah miterleben. Ganz schlimmes Thema, doch Margaret McHeyzer hat irgendwie das Talent, aus diesem Schrecklichen etwas Gutes zu machen, da sich die Protagonistin irgendwann aus ihrer Situation befreien kann und die Geschichte dann von Freude und Hoffnung und Liebe erfüllt wird.
Ich sage ja, es ist schwer zu erklären, am besten liest man einfach ihre Bücher, dann wird man mich verstehen.

Zurück aber zu Dying Wish, denn auch hier steht ein ernstes Thema im Vordergrund.

Dabei beginnt die Geschichte wie so ein typischer klischeehafter Jugendroman: Talentiertes, unschuldiges, sehr sehr zielstrebiges Mädchen, Alice, das einen ganz großen Wunsch hat, nämlich als Primaballerina die Hauptrolle des Schwanensees zu tanzen, eine unglaublich gute und innige Beziehung zu ihren Eltern hegt und ihre beste Freundin liebt, wie eine Schwester, trifft auf einen gutaussehenden Jungen mit sehr schlechtem Ruf, Elijah, der verrufen ist, jedes Mädchen flachzulegen, sich aber nur für Alice ändert und sie auf Händen trägt. Zuckersüß, les ich gerne, ist aber auf Dauer einfach nicht ertragbar, weil zu perfekt. DANN jedoch kommt ein Schnitt. Und plötzlich dreht sich die Geschichte in eine ganz ganz andere Richtung und zieht mir den Boden unter den Füßen weg. Auch wenn ich sowas in der Art durchaus habe kommen sehen, denn es war einfach alles zu gut, zu rund, zu perfekt.

Die Wende hat mich emotional wohl am Allermeisten berührt, dummerweise kann ich hier nicht darauf eingehen, weil das ohne Spoiler nicht machbar ist.

Sie nimmt jedenfalls sehr aufwühlende Züge an und ich war fest davon überzeugt, das da nun nicht mehr viel kommen kann. Mein eBook-Reader hat da aber was ganz anderes gesagt, denn ich war zu dem Zeitpunkt erst bei knapp über 50 %. Ein Zeichen dafür, wie komplex ihre Geschichten immer sind.

Tatsächlich hat mich die Autorin dann mit einem 2. Part überrascht, in dem die Geschichte sich noch einmal dreht und mich am Ende halbwegs glücklich und zufrieden zurücklässt, sofern man das nach all dem Kummer überhaupt so sagen kann und obwohl es gerade im zweiten Teil ein paar Dinge gab die mir zu konstruiert wirkten.

Aber das ist egal, denn Margaret McHeyzer hat mich trotz aller zuckersüßen und bitteren Vorhersehbarkeiten mal wieder voll und ganz überzeugt und ich hab sicher ne ganze Packung Taschentücher verbraucht.

Ich kann es kaum erwarten, mehr von ihr zu lesen.

A definite 4 star read. It could have been 5, but something about it kept niggling at my mind. Everything was too perfect. Our heroine - too sweet, too kind, too generous, too accepting...just too perfect. Oh don't get me wrong, I cried my little heart out. It was a beautiful story about young, soulmate love...and leaving this earth too soon. But it all seem contrived to bring out the waterworks, which it did.

If you like young love, if you like soulmates, if you like angst and a good gut punch, then this is for you. The writing was beautiful. I was at the car wash waiting and thought I'd read a little bit to pass the time. Big mistake - the tears were flowing, so I had to stop reading so I didn't look like a blubbering fool. No one gets that emotional over a car wash (even if it was really clean and shiny)!

Everything about Dying Wish was perfect, beautifully written, such a sad and heartbreaking story that I was utterly hooked, absolutely loved it!

This book is absolutely heart wrenching. I read it in one sitting because I needed to see how it ended. This is the story of Alice who is 16 and dedicated to becoming a prima ballerina, her best friend, and talented musician, Becky. and the handsome Elijah. This is a story of friendship, love, loss and trying to rebuild your life after. This book made me go through a whole range of emotions. This book is extremely well written with well developed characters. I highly recommend it!

This is not a simple story about soulmates, about fate or about surprises that transform lives. This is the story of teens determined to conquer their place in the world and follow their passion, what moves their hearts even if they are shattered.

It will be very difficult to do this review considering the size of the synopsis and where any small detail that I comment on will be a spoiler, so I will try to be as clear and succinct as possible for you to realize the depth and beauty of this story.

Although the writer divided the book into two parts, I clearly saw three-thirds straight.

- Stage of presentation of the characters, characterizing them, the Princess, the Transgressor, the Perfect Face and the Popular Face. I loved too much the nicknames of each character and the explanation for each one of them. I felt at school with my class and all those hormones in the boil, the teachers and their demands. Life runs to each of them in a normal way for adolescence, school, family, friends, doubts, dreams and discoveries. Here the writer is giving discreet evidence of what lies ahead, just look closely at the details and the lines between.

- Tearful phase, when everything that seemed perfectly fit and well programmed undoes showing well the strength and determination of each character. She again posts messages between the lines to show how you want to close the story. Every scene in this part is so romantic and well-made that you can not cry ... and I cried a lot in passing. Each moment is so real, unique, and so specially shared between them that I have been able to live it all along with the characters.

- Sighing phase where the characters barely matured and had enough strength to know how to do good to others, to turn around and achieve - even in a way they did not expect - to live their Happily Ever After.

Did you get an idea of ​​how beautiful the book is? How come not? Well ! Since I was very technical in the explanation because I do not want you to miss the surprises that the book brings. I understand you.
Want to face the challenge of discovering?
Sit on the porch with a chocolate box, a tissue box and a glass of water. Take a deep breath and immerse yourself in this inspiring story.

Despite having a strong plot, the writer was able to show in a light and passionate way how important it is to enjoy every second of life in the best possible way. It made it much easier to be told in the first person, because I could feel on the skin what the characters were going through and how they were facing everything that was presented to them.

I found it interesting to find out you're an Australian writer. I do not think I've ever read anything about it. She has a clear writing that focuses on the book style to think about the value we give to life and full of phrases of effect. I liked too much to notice certain mannerisms, I like to know other cultures through books.

What about that cover? It combines a lot with everything the book wants to convey .... Great! That even in the deepest sorrow we can lift our faces and see the light, the joy through the obstacles that try to hide it. ....
And you are in order to have a preview of what the book is like? See the trailer that is in the Release post.

Just not favorite because some thoughts I found repetitive both in the first part as in the third, could have suppressed so the book did not stay so long. I'm sure the message would be captured in the same way. Even so.....

Highly recommended. 4/5 stars
Kisses, Myl