As I read this book I wondered what I would wish for on my eighteenth birthday and I honestly wasn't sure what I would have chosen. The idea of a town centered around the theme of a wishing well is ingenious. There were so many topics the author was able to explore by looking at people's wishes. I highly recommend the book.

In the city of Madison, when one turns 17, they are allowed one wish that will come true. There are a few rules of course, but the possibilities are endless. Yet, somehow, not everyone in town is completely happy. Some people are down right depressed.
This book was tragically beautiful. I loved seeing the backgrounds of what people wished for & why interwoven into the story of the protagonist. Eldon is about to turn 17 and is torn what to wish for. Should he be sensible, selfish, heroic? This book was an interesting read and it made me think. I enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Madison is a town (un)like any other in the Mojave Desert, a seemingly small, boring desert town where nothing happens; an illusion held up by the community to stave off curious travelers. While Madison is indeed a small desert town without much activity, it also has a major secret: it is home to a cave that grants wishes to the residents of Madison on their 18th birthday.

I enjoyed this book a bit more than I initially thought I would. I figured the plot would be pretty predictable and a little cheesy, and it was at some points, but it still held my interest enough to find out what Eldon was going to do with his wish. While at times I did find Eldon to be a little annoying, overall I found him mostly enjoyable, the tone/voice made him quite relatable. As someone who is horrible at making life decisions, I felt for him. The pressure of having to chose a wish would be entirely overwhelming.

I also really liked the use of sort of interlude chapters to tell the "wish story" of some of the other characters we meet in the book. I love the use of multi-perspectives in a book, so these chapters gave that vibe.

Madison is a small town in the middle of the Mojave Desert, a.k.a. nowhere. It’s the kind of place that no one ever leaves. Where everyone knows everyone else and all their business, but the town itself is keeping one very big secret: on their 18th birthday, every person in town is granted one wish, that always comes true.

Most people have their wishes picked out months or years in advance. Not Eldon. His birthday is only weeks away, and he’s got nothing. Except every single person in town pressuring him to make up his mind and pick a wish. But where to start? His family could use money. His sister isn’t really there anymore. His ex-girlfriend, now dating his ex-friend, is still the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen, but she hates him now. He could fix any one of those things with his wish.

But Eldon sees the dark side of wishing: he can’t find a single person who is happy with the results of their wish, especially not his parents. And Eldon is tired of all the pressure, tired of the looming decision, tired of the darkness hanging over his sleepy little town. Eldon thinks maybe it’s better to just not wish—than to risk the unhappiness he’s sure will result.

I have to be honest, with a title like As You Wish, I expected at least one The Princess Bride reference. Sadly, that was not to be. Despite that lack, this was a wonderful read that explores everything that terrifies me about small towns—and I’ve lived in them for most of my life—with the added element of magical realism. Everyone knowing what everyone else is up to is exactly what small towns are like, and Madison is like that personified, with the addition of keeping the wishes a secret from the outside world. But everyone in town knows what everyone else wished for. And Eldon wants no part of the heartache he sees as the result of the wishes, but he can’t quite see his way out of the whole mess, either. This book explores what happens when people get what they wish for, and the consequences it can have.

Chelsea Sedoti loves adventures and writing. She is the author of The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett, and her newest novel, As You Wish.

(Galley provided by Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)

I'm currently still reading this book. Usually I try to wait until I'm finished to leave a review, but I LOVE the voice in this book so much that I had to leave one now. The premise is fascinating and the characters feel so authentic. I moved to Lancaster, CA a few years ago, but have been through parts of Mojave and the way the desert is described is fantastic. This is one of those compulsive reads, where you have to keep reading to know. You can't really guess what's going to happen. It's done wonderfully. Sedoti has quickly become one of those authors whose stories I will always read if this is the kind of voice I can expect! I'm giving it 5 stars without being done with it because I like it THAT much.

A fantastic, thought provoking book. Although I had an idea what he might wish for, it was still great to watch it happen. I was trying to think what I might wish for, and I couldn't - eighteen is so young to have to decide something that important! I'm almost glad I've never had to make a decision like this one.
Norie may be my favourite, but all the characters were good in different ways. I felt very sorry for Eldon's mother, trapped in that situation. Not something anyone should have to go through.

Thank you netgalley and Sourcebooks for allowing me to read.

I was alllll over this synopsis. I love the idea of a small town with a secret like wishes...sadly it was quite disappointing.

Eldon was a hard character to like and I’m not sure I ever really did. He acts before he thinks and often his actions are harsh words and punching. There are some other characters who had promise, but Eldon doesn’t let them get close enough to be helpful.

Plot wise, it was sloooooooooow. I did like Eldon going around and asking people about their wishes. I was intrigued to know what happened at the end, but I did spend a lot of time wondering if I could DNF. Especially when I reach the last few chapters and everything just fizzled out.

Overall, it was an interesting idea, but I don’t think this author’s books are for me.

**Huge thanks to Sourcebooks for providing the arc free of charge**

I love books with magical realism and was really intrigued by this premise. I was curious to see where Sedoti would go with this idea, and while I was not disappointed, I was not blown away either.

•Pro: I was immediately pulled in this story. I thought Eldon had a great voice, which was perfect for this story, and I liked being in his head.

•Con: I don't exactly know why, but the middle of the book seemed to drag a little. Maybe the book was too long?

•Pro: I was really surprised and pleased with the ending.

•Pro: I did find myself feeling quite a bit of sympathy towards Eldon, when his life was so negatively impacted by the wishes. He lost his social status, athletic status, and even more due to wishes. I could totally understand his reluctance to embrace his wish.

•Pro: This wish was probably the biggest decision Eldon ever had to make, and it was important that he struggled with it, because it was about more than the wish. This was him making a grown up choice and marking that passage from childhood to adulthood. Eldon's immaturity was addressed in many different ways, and I did think that he grew some during the story. He had a long ways to go, but he was slowly making progress.

•Pro: Ebba! I adored all the things I learned about Eldon's sister and wished with my whole heart that we could have gotten to know her better.

•Pro: The Wish Histories were fabulous! It was an interesting way for us to examine the cause and effect related to other people's wishes. I found these passages very insightful, and they left me really contemplating the saying, "be careful what you wish for".

•Pro: There are some really touching moments shared between Eldon and his family and friends.

Overall: I enjoyed being a part of Eldon's journey as he struggled with how to use his wish. This concept was intriguing and left me with a lots of things to consider.

In the desert town of Madison, not to far from Area 51, the town attempts to look innocuous, though it is hiding a big secret. Residents of this town are granted a wish on their 18th birthday. Eldon's birthday is fast approaching, but he is deeply conflicted about what he wants to wish for and if he wants to wish at all. His sister was in a horrific accident and his mother demands that his wish have something to do with her. Eldon isn't quite sure if that is what he wants. As Eldon researches other town member's wishes, he begins to question the system and the worth of a wish.

I enjoyed this novel. I felt that Eldon grew, even when other characters couldn't see it. I found it fascinating when the story explored other character's wishes. However, at times, it felt like a thinly veiled manifesto on religion, which hammered the reader over the head. All in all though, I enjoyed it.

This coming-of-age novel about self-discovery, wishing, and finding your path in life is excellent! It will be a great addition to our library!

This book was not at all what I was expecting. It ended up being much darker and much more thought provoking than I ever would have thought. There were lots of times where I thought I had it figured out, but then something would happen that totally threw me off course for awhile. Even though I knew by the end what Eldon was going to wish for, but how he got there and the aftermath was not what I expected.

Eldon was not exactly a likable character, in fact he is pretty self-centered and a jerk most of the time, but you also can’t help but feel sorry for him and also somewhat endearing. You still end up rooting for him even when he is acting like a complete idiot. For most of his life he was popular and well liked by his peers, (at least in his eyes) and then boom senior year, when his classmates start wishing to be popular and the best on the football team, his life is totally turned around. He also has experienced a lot of tragedy in his life, some of it due to the wishes of his parents, but also the recent loss of his younger sister. The pressure to make the right wish is huge on this kid, so no wonder he is a little messed up and hard to figure out. But as you can expect he does a lot of growing in this book, and it is more about his journey than the wishing in the end.

The fact that Madison is a small town adds to the story. Small towns are hard, because everyone knows everyone and knows everyone’s secrets and business. This really adds to the story. It also makes sense when you factor in the keeping the wishing a secret as well.

This whole concept of the wish on your eighteenth birthday was fascinating. Eldon spends a lot of time talking to others about their wishes and how their lives were changed by it. There are chapters that tell these stories which were also fascinating. Even those who spend a long time on the wording of their wishes often do not end up happy in the end. There were also some tragic consequences of their wishes. The secrecy around the wishing and the town’s need to keep it a secret also affected how the wishes worked and how people misused them. There is some deeper meaning to the wishes and commentary on society and what makes us happy. It is not always what we think it will be.

This was a great coming of age story, where the character learns a lot about himself and his place in this world. The magical realism really works in this story and at times I found myself wondering if the wishes were really granted or if people’s belief that they were was what was really going. A very well crafted tale that will make you think.

DNF. It was an interesting premise for a book but it was too slow for me.

Eldon lives in a small town in Nevada with a big secret. When you turn 18 you get taken to a cave in the mountains and can make a wish. Your wish can not impact you outside of town, but you can wish for money or beauty or popularity. Eldon is nearing his 18th birthday and struggling with what to wish for. His mom is pressuring him to wish for something to help his younger sister who is in a vegetative state after being hit by a car, but Eldon doesn’t believe anything can help her.

This was such a wasted opportunity of a book. The premise is interesting with a town able to wish, but that isn’t even fully explored. There is no known source of the wishes or history of how it came to be. The town just goes on as if there has always been wishing. Eldon explores people’s wishes and the consequences of them which are almost always negative. I wanted more about the wishes. The stories about why people wished for what they did and how a little wording made all the difference on the outcome was interesting.

The second misstep was the title. Seriously you have a Princess Bride reference as your title but don’t tie that into the story anywhere? Why not?? The title was the whole reason I picked up the book as I love Princess Bride.

The third misstep was the main character of Eldon. Plain and simple Eldon is an asshole with no redeeming qualities who needs a big personality change for his wish. He treats everyone terribly and I am not sure why he has friends. He even gets mad at his best friend when he likes a girl. He treats his ex-girlfriend like trash. He dumps on a girl he slept with at a party. He treats the rest of the football team like they are the enemy simply because some of them wished to be more popular or better at football and have taken his place at the top of the school hierarchy. The only redeeming quality he has is his love of his little sister, but even there he is an asshole. Basically Eldon is a giant douchebag and wasn’t fun to read about at all.

Then you have the wishing itself. Eldon agonizes over his wish. He doesn’t know what to wish for. He explores past wishes to see what happens. He sees the consequences of not wishing well. But he also sees that some people were very smart about their wishes and did get what they ultimately wanted. So what does he do? He plays god and wishes the wishes away. He takes away something special from the entire town. He makes a decision that can’t be taken back and doesn’t just affect himself. Again he is an asshole.

This was a waste of a read so why did I finish it. I wanted to see what Eldon would wish for. I kind of guessed what was going to happen and then it did and just reinforced my opinion that this book was a waste of paper.

I received it from Netgalley.

In the Mojave Desert there is a small isolated town where everyone is granted one wish when they reach the age of 18. This is the story of a boy who is approaching the date of his big wish and is methodically researching residents' past wishes in order to try to make a good decision when he makes his wish. Disturbingly many later wish they had never made a wish.

This book was just not my cup of tea and I was not able to finish it. I think that it would be a great book for someone else. Thank you for this opportunity, though!

Absolutely loved this book

I always wondered the consequences of getting a wish. This book was amazing. I think everyone who reads it will enjoy it

As You Wish is a cautionary tale about getting what you want especially at an age where you don't even truly know what you want.
In Madison, a small town outside of Rachel (UFO headquarters) Nevada, each citizen gets a wish on their 18 birthday. The wishes run the gambit of normal things such as love and money, but manty wishes are deeper like keeping their father's business running. Eldon is about to turn 18 and he doesn't know what to vote for, but everyone else seems to have an idea. Eldon must decide who he is and how he wants to change his life.
Sedoti shows what it's like to be a teen and adds something huge on top of their normal lives (rather akin to picking a college and choosing a path of study). The novel chronicles how each teen deals with this immense privilege/chore reaching back into the town's history as well as present day stories. We see a variety of wishes and dreams and how they work out for each person. This lets us into each person's head or just a bit proving, once again, we don't know what's really going on inside someone.
While I did call Eldon's wish, before he ever decided what he wanted, I was pleasantly surprised by the ending. The ending backs up one of the morals of the books and I was really pleased with how it turned out.

Truth be told I was a little nervous going into this book because some of the other reviews were less favorable but I absolutely loved this story from start to finish!

Eldon isn’t your typical protagonist, from the beginning he’s every bit the anti hero who coasts through life with more than just a chip on his shoulder. He hates his town, he hates how his ex moved on, he hates the kid responsible for hurting his family and most importantly he hates the responsibility that comes with the tiny bit of magic that comes with the ability to make a wish on his birthday.

The entire journey of him evolving from this kid who is every bit a jerk to something a bit more was great to read and the concept of the wish is one of the most interesting ideas I’ve read in a long time. Seeing other characters deal with what they choose and the joys or regrets that followed them throughout their life was a nice break from the usual ya trope where magic solves everything because for some in this case, it did more harm than good.

The concept of religion as a foil to magic was also a fascinating addition as it created another layer of the concept of prayer and miracles against that of a wish granted by an unknown force and how one could balance the two if they chose to or not and how one impacts the other in terms of faith and luck.

I recommend this book to anyone willing to read something different that will leave them wondering what they would wish for, if they choose to have a wish at all.

**thank you to netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

While this was not the best book I've read recently, I did enjoy it. The small town vibe was really charming, and it was almost mysterious. I liked the fact that this was a secret space where visitors weren't really allowed. Also, the premise itself was very clever, and I hadn't read anything like this before. It was a bit too slow at first, but it picked up towards the middle. It was really interesting to read about all of the characters and their wishes. There were some parts that were very poetic and well-written, but the style of the book overall did not grab my attention that much. I did not enjoy the main character/narrator all that much, and he was a bit unfriendly. I personally am drawn towards nicer people, so I couldn't really relate to Eldon.