In Madison, a small town lost in the Mojave Desert, Eldon counts down the last twenty-five days to his eighteenth birthday in As You Wish by Chelsea Sedoti, published on January 1. Lest they learn the secret perk of living in Madison, outsiders who stop for gas are sent on through as quickly as possible when they travel to Rachel where the UFO hunters congregate. Citizens get to make a wish on their eighteenth birthday that will come true with few restrictions (nothing that will affect the world outside Madison, for instance). Eldon faces the secret blessing – or curse – of being able to make his wish. After Chapter One sets up the situation and the idea that the seventeenth year is besieged with brooding about the contemplation that becomes more intense as the day nears, the book moves to “Chapter Two Countdown: 25 Days” and builds tension as each chapter continues the next daily count.
Not only his own happiness but relationships around him depend on Eldon’s choice and, having already seen enough results of other people’s wishes to know that not everybody has chosen one that brought happiness, he follows a suggestion to research past experiences. A telling comment comes from Othello, the artist who seems to be the only one to forego his wish. “Accomplishment comes from toil,” he says and ends with, “But it’s also the journey. A finished piece is nothing without the labor and emotion of the artist behind it.”
The feel of the book reminds me of Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery” with an air of unreality even while keeping the reader engaged and wondering how any decision Eldon makes will not bring disaster somewhere. I would have been happy if they had followed the advice of Penelope, one of the characters, and stayed with cleaner language but the book raises questions worth considering.
Early in 2017, I reviewed Chelsea Sedoti’s book The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett. The only connection I make between the two books is Chelsea’s grasp of the workings of young minds and emotions. Both books in different ways lend themselves to thought-provoking discussion of issues that don’t always have clear-cut answers.

If you could have one wish that was guaranteed to come true, what would you wish for? Do think that wish would be beneficial or one you might regret later? This would be an interesting book to use as a discussion in a book club. I enjoyed the different characters and how they related to each other in the story. The book did a get a little long for me, but I enjoyed the end also. Although the book deals a little with attempted suicide, I would still recommend this book to middle schoolers and up.

The book was given to me for my honest review.

Sorry, but I couldn't get through this one! I was SO EXCITED for the premise, because I am a HUGE lover of all things magical realism, but in the end I just hated Eldon and I couldn't get over that. He did not get better with time, and I couldn't connect with him!

This was so boring and slow. While I liked the magical realism aspect, I couldn't get into this one at all.

Rating and quick thoughts: 4.5 stars because it's very well-built. This book accomplishes what it sets out to do, and every aspect is very solid: crisp writing, good pacing, and distinct character arcs. The message and narrative is simple, but it does everything that a book needs to do within its confines, and I thought it was very cleanly done.

Full review: This book really surprised me. Going in, I was neither blown away nor hooked by the synopsis, yet once the author started peeling back the layers of complexity, I began seeing these characters in a way that was rather epiphanic.

For instance, Eldon is a bit of an unreliable narrator; he’s not looking forward to the prospect of wishing, thus skews things to fit his own pessimistic outlook of the world. Furthermore, the idea of wishing is presented as a very precarious miracle: Madison is a small town, but it’s equally packed with content and regretful wishers, and this story is all about the flawed narrative of Madison and how its wishers live with their choices.

And that’s exactly what I found so beautiful about the message of this book! Even given the golden opportunity to make the perfect wish, life won’t be perfect for us, because we ourselves aren’t perfect.

Oh, and Eldon was a most riveting anomaly to analyze. I went through a tornado of feelings trying to form an opinion of him, from liking his cynicism, to hating his angst and entitlement, to being put off by his selfishness and violence, before finally seeing the layers of redemption, perceptiveness, and kindness to him. I mean, there's at least five people that Eldon claims to hate in this book, yet he's very quick to rush to their defense or try to comfort them when everyone else had turned their backs...that’s got to say something about him, right?

In that, I think this book is terrific. The author suggests wishing is a double-edged sword, and I found the discussion both perceptive and compelling. The analysis is built up into one big narrative, and I had a blast puzzling all of it together. So for those of you who are afraid that Eldon is an irredeemable asshole, don't worry--he has an arc, and I loved his development. :)

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Content Warning: Underaged drinking, drug abuse, attempted suicide, premarital sex.

Have you ever thought about how much you said, "I wish..."?

It's funny because I hadn't; not until just a few weeks before I read this book. Coincidence? Maybe.

Either way, whether you think about how much you wish for something, or not, this book will force you to do so.

"Wishing never gets you anywhere. Except, of course, in Madison, it does. If you're lucky,
that is. Wishing either gets you everything or nothing. And it's a gamble everyone is willing to take."

Welcome to Madison, a small, secluded town situated in the Mojave Desert. Little goes on in Madison. People come and go, passing the establishment without hesitation. The people in Madison don't mind either. They encourage passers-through to pass through---as quickly as possible. Madison holds a secret, only known to those who were born and raised there. Everyone on their eighteenth birthday gets to ask one wish in the magical wishing cave. The wishes aren't a hoax, they come true. However, wishing isn't quite so simple, as Eldon comes to discover. With his upcoming eighteenth birthday, he has no clue what to wish for. It's unusual for Madison kids to not have an idea what they want---beauty, popularity, position, intelligence, wealth---but for someone like Eldon, who has experienced more of the dark sides of life, wishing isn't quite so simple.

Several major themes stand out within Eldon's character alone. One of the main ones includes this "dark side," or his experience with processing grief from losing his sister. Even though she's still alive, she's left brain dead after being struck by a vehicle on her bike. Having been close with his sister, Eldon is still trying to figure out how to feel about her situation. He can't wish for her to heal because of the stipulations put on wishing. Yet, he doesn't want to have to let her go.

"When someone dies, it doesn't just take them. It takes a piece of everyone who ever loved them and everyone they ever loved."

His grief is not the only thing factoring into Eldon's identity crisis.

"Why can't I come up with things I care about? What's wrong with me?"

When the reader meets Eldon, it is immediately clear that there is some indecisiveness in his character. Externally, he seems cool and confident, yet when there is a glimpse beneath the surface, it's obvious that he is enduring a lot of emotional turmoil.

"What I'm saying is, these days, I'm nothing special. And that messes with you, you know? Makes you think maybe you weren't that special to begin with. Makes you wonder what you're actually good at. These days, I walk around with a big question mark over my head."

Feeling replaced as other classmates get their wishes granted before him, Eldon finds himself girlfriendless, no longer the star of the football team, and no longer popular. In his quest to discover who he is and what he wants, he also begins to question everything that he knows about himself, about wishing, and about the town of Madison.

It is through this process that he understands the importance of a wish. Eldon's transition from adolescence to adulthood becomes apparent in how he realizes wishes aren't so simple; all wishes have consequences.

"'How many other people you think keep quiet about their wishes?' Merrill asks.
I'm wondering the same thing. The residents of Madison are so focused on keeping secrets from outsiders, I never stopped to consider what we've been keeping from each other."

The struggle with human nature and selfishness in all of us, is represented by the city of Madison. Instead of thinking of one another, most everyone used their wish for themselves. This approach to wishing is supported and nearly enforced by the town's mayor. In the end, most everyone ends up miserable.

"Maybe dissatisfaction is human nature. Maybe there's no running from it."

The fact that everyone in Madison gets to make a wish means they get the opportunity to change something about themselves or their situation to their liking. By doing so, they are never pushed to learn how to reach a goal on their own, the concept of sacrifice, or to look within themselves.

"'Accomplishment comes from toil,' Othello says. 'Growth is a result of sacrifice.'"

Let's go through the things I liked:

#1 There are a lot of teachable points throughout As You Wish, many I deem beneficial for young readers. They aren't necessarily easy discussion points either. However, for someone around the same ages as Eldon and his friends, they might really relate.

#2 The conflict in the main character Eldon, as well as the major growth he goes through is impressive. He grows from a self-centered (unlikeable) teen to a conscious, considerate (and likable) young man.

#3 As You Wish forces the reader to contemplate contentment within oneself. I found myself reflecting many times about how much "I wish" for things in my life, but forget to realize how much I already have.

Things I didn't like:

#1 I felt there were some loose ends in terms of the wishing cave itself. It's never told how it got there, by who, and how it was discovered. I felt discontent as it was supposed to be a major "issue" which was taken care of rather easily. The entire book I was waiting for this reveal, but it never occurred.

#2 There is an attempted-suicide by one of the characters that I think could have been approached differently. Instead of the character realizing his worth after the fact, he trudges around, never really resolving anything. I felt that it could have been a better teaching point for readers, yet the opportunity was left untouched.

#3 Overall, this book has a rather depressive tone. I don't expect all books to end happily ever after, but I felt like there wasn't a reprieve, even in the end.

#4 I don't think it's OK to have so much swearing and inappropriate content in a YA read. I noticed the amount of language right from the get-go and found it distasteful and inappropriate for this genre.

Vulgarity: Far too much.
Sexual content: While there are no scenes, there is a lot of discussion surrounding the topic in unpleasant ways.
Violence: There is an attempted suicide, with some details given. Also, there are a few fist fights.

My Rating: 3.5 stars.

I enjoyed this book, but it did take me time to get through it. I read an ebook of it and guessed it was about 500 pages, and I was apparently close. It was too long. I think there was a lot that could have been trimmed to speed up the pace, and I think some readers may be deterred by the length.

What drew me to the book was the premise. I was hoping that more wishes would have been made throughout the course of the book, but I loved the retrospective of others' wishes, especially how they were written. The ending was satisfying though, and I was not guessing it, pretty much up until it happened.

The main character didn't seem as insufferable to me until other characters pointed it out. I guess I was in a sympathetic haze. I still don't think I disliked him, though. His life circumstances weren't anything I could compare with my own and I ended up feeling sympathetic towards him.

4.5 / 5 stars

As You Wish tells the story of Eldon and his 18th birthday wish, a wish that could change his life forever, or his sister’s, Madison is a small town that has a great wonder, a wishing cave, on their 18th birthday they get to make a wish, anything that’s within the rules. Eldon doesn’t want a wish, he doesn’t like having a wish because he doesn’t know what to wish for, his mom tells him one thing but he know it might not really help.

I really really liked this book, As You Wish is a very cute book that I didn’t expect to love as much as I did. I had read The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett by Chelsea Sedoti before this book and I did absolutely love it so I also expected to love this book when I was first told about it, then I started reading it and really thought I wasn’t going to love it, not because I didn’t like the book, but because it’s not something I normally go for and that was becoming more evident as I read the beginning but oh lord, I really ended up loving it.

Eldon is definitely my favorite character, he’s from a very small town where all the people seem to think the same way, yet he doesn’t, and I really like that, he questions things and he doesn’t just go with what everyone says. He thinks for himself in a town of people who just follow. I can relate to that because in our small town our family is the one that really thinks differently which is weird but I could relate to Eldon. I also pictured him super cute in my head so that’s a bonus.

I would recommend this book to any young adult, it’s really really good. Chelsea Sedoti has written another masterpiece. Definitely check it out and let me know if you like it!

Chelsea Sedoti is a new favorite author of mine and I was entirely stoked to see she was coming out with a book that contained an actual cave that grants wishes. Magical realism is  a genre that I started getting all the feels for in eleventh grade English. We were assigned to read the book One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The book is a relic itself being that it was translated from its original Spanish to a  five hundred page novel in English. Once I started reading it, I fell in love with Marquez's eloquence and the concept of magical realism.Magical Realism is a literary genre or style associated especially with Latin America that incorporates fantastic or mythical elements into otherwise realistic fiction.And so Sedoti returns with a YA novel centered around a small desert town of Madison which appears ordinary to the tourists and visitors but actually has an extraordinary magical element: Every citizen of Madison gets one wish on their 18th birthday within a cave.

 It makes the reader wonder what they might wish for if in Eldon's shoes.Overall, I wish anyone who reads this book gets swept away by it's magical charm amidst a regular ordinary main character, a teen that wonders if wishes do more harm than good and someone who isn't afraid to walk a path uncharted.

And that is a concept I can get behind, wishfully or otherwise.

What if you got a wish on your eighteenth birthday? What would you wish for? Eldon is trying to figure that out...

Sourcebooks Fire and Edelweiss allowed me to read this book for review (thank you). It has been published.

What Eldon finds is that most people aren't happy with their wishes. You have to phrase wishes very carefully or you might not get what you want. And, even if it was what you wanted, will you want the same thing in adulthood that you asked for at eighteen?

He's lost his girlfriend. He might win her back. His mother wants him to use it for his sister; get money so they can try more treatments. Nothing is appealing to him. And he has to tell the Mayor what his wish is before he can do it. He's even thinking about not making a wish.

He's squabbling with his friends, disappointing his father at football, and still struggling about his wish. Then he meets these new people at the gas station and he does something he knows he shouldn't. He tells them about the town's secret. He even takes them there and they break in. The result is that the mayor tells him he can't have his secret wish for exposing them to the public like that.

But he's not sure that's what he wants. And what he decides that will shock you...

Although I started off As You Wish being completely irritated with the protagonist/narrator, I slowly began to understand him and enjoy the book. I read another review in which the reviewer stated this novel "made me think." As I made my way through As You Wish, there were several moments where I stopped and thought about greed, desire, and, just, human nature. I wouldn't call this a "light" read, but I enjoyed it. I admire Sedoti's ability to bring out the harsh truths about and the beauty of human nature.

Fascinating story about the pressures teens are under as they make major decisions about their futures. This is a thought-provoking novel. Even after I finished reading, I was thinking about how it all played out and what it meant.

CW: Homophobia
TW: attempted suicide

While I loved the writing, I had a few problems with this book. I didn't like Eldon, I thought that he was mean, I also wasn't a fan of his mother either. I felt that she was way too pushy when it came to Eldon and his wish. I also didn't like that there was language that is considered offensive. While the use of offensive language is challenged, I still can't get passed it. Another thing, I was hoping that there would be more magic in this book. There were things that I did enjoy, I really enjoyed reading about people's wishes and why they wished for the things that they did, it helped in getting to know the characters better. I also loved how friendship was a big theme in this book.

Thanks to @sourcebooksfire and @netgalley for the digital ARC of this book. All opinions are my own!
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⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 In a small Nevada town, residents don’t leave and travelers are purposely routed away from downtown. That’s because the town hides a secret - each resident, upon turning 18, is granted one wish in a magical cave. There are strict rules of the wishes, and residents are essentially trapped in the town for the wishes to work. Eldon is about to get his wish, and he isn’t sure what to do. On one hand, his parents want him to wish for money to get his sister, when is in a nursing home following an accident, the care that might bring her back to them. Eldon knows that there really isn’t any bringing Ebba back, but he doesn’t have any better ideas. With a quirky cast of characters and history of the town sprinkled in, this is a good contemporary story for high school readers. Eldon is a flawed and self-absorbed character, but the story is engaging in spite of that.

Have you ever seen a premise for a story and thought, wow, this is so amazing it can’t possibly go wrong? Yeah, me too. This was one such case. Sadly, while the idea was pretty cool, the delivery was not.

This is a book that I was really looking forward to after reading the synopsis. Could you just imagine, living in a place where your greatest wish could be granted, no matter what it was? How amazing would that be? Also, I was really excited to get into the magical realism of the story. Really, it has all the ingredients for amazing, and yet, that’s not what I got out of it.

The main problem with this novel, other than being maybe a little too long and a little too slow, is the main character, Eldon. To put it plainly, I hated Eldon. He’s selfish, rude, and just unlikable. I love character driven stories above all other and sadly, this particular character was a pain to deal with.

I understood his pain and his resentment of the wishes, but that did not excuse the things he did and the way he acted, especially in the end. He was a downer to read about and an unappealing narrator. My favorite parts where when we got to see other people’s wishes and I didn’t have to deal with Eldon for a bit.
Now, I admit that there were parts that were very well thought out. The saying ‘be careful what you wish for’ has been around since forever and has been used on stories like these for just as long. But, it is always accompanied by the consequences for the wisher and few times for those around them. Here we see how people’s wishes have had negative effects on the lives of all around them. We also see some of the stupid things that people would undoubtedly waste their one wish on were this real life. I actually really liked seeing the wish histories.

Sadly, this one kernel of good that the story had going for it, didn’t keep me as invested as I would have liked. Truth is, it was too easy to put this book down and too hard to pick it back up.

**I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.**

Let’s be serious, when you read this title, you can’t help but picture a certain someone from one of the most amazing stories ever told. I know I do. Sadly, no Princess Bride references are to be found in this story. Inconceivable.

As You Wish takes place in a small town in Nevada near Area 51. Madison is no ordinary town, as it hides a giant secret: on a resident’s 18th birthday they can make a wish, and it will come true. The protagonist, Eldon, is nearing his Wish Day and struggles with his decision of what to wish for. As with any wish granting, there are rules and restrictions as to what can be wished for. Throughout the novel, Eldon delves into the wishes others have made, and how those choices affected both the wisher and those they love.

This is one of those novels that has little gems sprinkled throughout, though as a whole falls flat. The premise of this novel is intriguing and had such potential, which sadly was not exploited to the detriment of the novel. Certain backstories of the townsfolk are heart-wrenching, to the point that I wish more of the novel had focused on other characters than Eldon. Eldon was one of the great disappointments of the novel. He was an awful, unenjoyable, petty, and overall angsty teenager. This was done on purpose, as even Eldon’s friends point it out in the novel, but it did not add to the overall story, and I felt detracted at many points.

I have not read Sedoti’s other novel that was released this year, The Hundred Lies of Lizzy Lovett, though I have had it on my TBR list all year. I still plan on reading it, though I will probably approach it cautiously. As I mentioned, the premise for As You Wish was great, and isolated stories and ideas in the right hands could have been absolutely fantastic. Though in their current form they fell a little flat.

As You Wish has such an interesting concept that I was honestly so excited to read about. However, I felt that it just didn’t deliver partially, because it seemed like the author didn’t know exactly how she wanted the “wishing” ability to go, and partially because of the characters.

The book follows Eldon, a high schooler 25 days away from his birthday and wishing Day. And on that day, he’ll get to make a wish, and it will FOR SURE come true. In order to make a decision on what to wish for, he goes around the town asking people why they wished for and recruits his two friends Merrill and Norie to help out.

I feel like if this had been told from Norie’s POV, or even Penelope’s (another student), then this might have been a four star read for me. But we follow Eldon, and he’s a complainer and a jerk for most of the book.

Generally, I hate complainers. In and out of books. And Eldon complained a lot. I really don’t blame him for being conflicted on what to wish for, but why the CONSTANT complaining. And while I understand that after difficult family situations, and losing his friend, and girlfriend because of the wishes he would be upset, and want to change something, I think there was too much complaining. And he had a lot to be thankful for and he sometime just made bad decisions for no reason (drinking, b&e, getting mad at his friends for no reason, etc.).

But when he DOES change something, and even changes his attitude towards life and starts handling things better, he ends up getting blamed for it by some of his friends??

So what was the lesson of the book? I don’t know. But I think if it had been more clear about whether or not we should be grateful for what we have, or that what's popular isn't always right and what's right isn't always popular, then this would have felt more of a solid read for me.

I loved this book! I was a little dubious because it didn't have a very high rating on Goodreads.  The premise of the book intrigued me right away.  In the town of Madison, Nevada residents that were born there get a wish on their 18th birthday.  And it will come true!!!  There are a few rules of course like no wishing for more wishes or wishing someone back from the dead but other than that the sky is the limit.   The story focuses on Eldon who will turn 18 in a months time.  His mom is pressuring him to wish for money to help pay for the best doctors to cure his little sister who is in a coma from a car accident.  Eldon is unsure of what to wish for so decides to interview town members about their wishes and whether or not the wishes worked out for them.

The concept of this book was unique and so interesting.  Some of the bad reviews mentioned that the main character was arrogant and a jerk.  I really don't think that is a good reason to give a book a low rating because not all characters need to be perfect.  In fact, I enjoy stories with flawed characters trying to improve themselves.

1.5 stars

Potentially harmful topics: abuse, alcoholism, suicide, death

More than a fantasy, this is a contemporary book. While the "wishing" aspect of the story does give it a fantasy element, the focus of the book is on Eldon's life. I mean, saying it isn't about the wishing magic would be a total lie, because the whole point of the book is Eldon trying to figure out what his wish will be -- or if he'll even make one!

So, let's talk characters since that is what the book revolves around. Eldon is a jerk. I don't sympathize with any thing he goes through, expect for his sister on life support. He is an asshole and totally selfish. Unfortunately, I don't think he goes through any character growth. To me, he feels like pretty much the same person at the beginning and end. Is there some change? Yes, although by the end of the book I wouldn't exactly call it positive. In fact, he is called out on his behavior and actions multiple times, by pretty much everyone in the book. Therefore, it feels like I slogged through this book with this stubborn character unwilling to change. I want to go in more detail about how his decisions gave him exactly what he wanted, but I think I would be spoiling the book.
Luckily, I did like the supporting characters: Merrill and Norie. I found them to be a breath of fresh air in the book, also the school principal. I really enjoyed these characters, although I doubt I'll remember them.

Now, let me touch on the drama. Some drama seemed pointless: Cal v. Eldon. They are teammates, shouldn't they actually like each other? Also how does Eldon not have any friends on the football team? Yet, there are some topics I felt should have been given more attention:
-->Merrill's dad beats him... do none of his teachers see the marks on his face?
-->Eldon's parents relationship -- dear skies! I am disgusted!! Oh, but it isn't the only time it has happened in the town and we should be sympathetic to the mom because now no one will talk to her, YET SHE STILL TREATS HER HUSBAND HORRIBLY.
-->Kind of more a side note, but how does everyone have a job in a small town? especially if barely anyone goes to college? Because the wish is what parents pressure their kids about, future plans? not so much.

I think at this point you can tell that I had some problems with the book. Overall the book as a depressing tone with a main character who feels suffocated because he won't take the easy way out or own up to his mistakes and become a better person.
The writing isn't horrible, though. There are some good quotes and good intentions and it is easy to read. There isn't an over-arching moral to this book, nothing I can takeaway at least, but maybe someone else can find something useful from this one.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for an honest review.
I wasn’t sure what to think about this book when I first opened it, but I ended up really enjoying the story. While I’m not a huge fan of the main character, I did appreciate the author’s focus of the diverse approaches towards making major decisions in life. At first, I thought the plot reflected the niggling questions many high schoolers receive periodically over the course of their schooling:
Where do you want to go to college?
What are you going to major in?
What are you going to do when you leave?
These are major decisions to make between the ages of fourteen and eighteen, except there is usually the opportunity to change majors or career paths. The wishing power in the town of Madison requires everyone to live with the consequences of their wishes for the rest of their lives, and it’s interesting (if not a bit stressful) to think about what decisions many people make, major or minor, and how they continue to live with them for years.
I gave my rating primarily because I didn’t expect to reflect so deeply while reading about a fictional town with a wishing well.