Read September 2020

CN: Functioning labels

This is the first full lesbi-fic/erotica novel I've ever read (I've perused a couple of short stories on the internet in my younger days) and it was absolutely delightful!

Leslie moves back to her childhood home needing a fresh start after a rough end to her previous relationship. Almost immediately she meets Siena, closely followed by her mum Erica who lives just across her yard. Siena is autistic and Leslie seems to instinctively know how to act around her, possibly due to the volunteering she does for the children's charity her mum started.

Leslie's initial thought is that Erica is straight and married. It later transpires that she is bi and divorced, mostly due to Trent being a slightly shitty dad unable to deal with having an autistic kid. He does get his act together and sort of gets a redemption arc later in the book though.

Leslie and Erica realise that there is an attraction early on but for their own reasons - Leslie's fear of attachment and abandonment, and Erica's fear of relying on other people and being let down - decide they'd be better off friends. What follows is a beautiful slow-burn relationship culminating in their first sex scene which made me think "finally!" but the course of true love never did run smooth and Siena having an accident appears to put the brakes on things...

The overall conclusion was everything I wanted and more! If I have any small criticisms it's that I thought "clit" was slightly overused and the line about "stroking her sex" was completely cringeworthy in my opinion!

I didn't like the fact they used an autistic child to advance the plot line. It makes me dislike it a lot. Seems like the research the author did was the people surrounding an autistic person instead of interviewing an autistic person.

First of all, this book blew my mind and all the other prejudice YA books have with the concept of exploring your sexuality. The main characters in this book are way old and that is an amazing thing !! 50 year old woman with an autistic kid and 40 year old woman bonding with them both, and my heart just melted with the characters! The mental health representation, and the bonding the kid develops with the main character and her dog was the top most thing that just made my soul cry happy tears! Omg this book is one of THE most happy & heartwarming stories I have ever read! I was an emotional happy mushy mess after finishing this book😭 I loved this so much😍 And y'all need to read this ASAP!! .
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Thankyou so much @netgalley
for the review copy !

Oh my goodness - sometimes you stumble across an immensely enjoyable read that leaves you with a warm feeling long after the book cover is closed. This is one of those books.

A Wish Upon a Star is a great romance novel - well written with engaging main and supporting characters (and the main characters are in their 50's). Levig delivers a wonderful slow burn romance - building a romantic relationship that starts as a friendship. Burned by a past relationship's betrayal, Leslie returns to her parent's home to start over. She meets the new (new to her) neighbours - Erica and her daughter Sienna. Things start off as good neighbours but the friendship grows from there. The chemistry was there long before either of the characters knew it and the development of their relationship - building of trust, working out their baggage - worked tremendously well. Even better, she depicts the characters in realistic situations with realistic reactions, including the portrayal of Sienna, Erica's daughter who is on the spectrum. The only thing that felt a bit clunky was Erica's husband, who just came across as a self-absorbed ass until Leslie had a chat with him.

And, lest I forget .... bonus star for Leslie's dog

A Wish Upon A Star is a fabulous story that hooked me from the first chapter. I loved the story and the characters. The writing was wonderful and it was so emotional. A must read of the year.

This is certainly not the worst characterization and writing, but using an autistic child as a device to advance the plot will always make me dislike the story doing it. Sure, it's not the most blatantly device-y exploitation of a character but everything was obviously too convenient (including the dog) and pitying of the parent who has to suffer so much because of their disabled kid :C... Also the language used around the kid's autism (like "high-low functioning") shows that the focus of the author's research or experience was really about the people around rather than the autistic person.

Oh my goodness what an emotional ride this book was.
I loved the story, the characters and their interaction with eachother, it made me smile and made me tear up more then once.

5stars- wonderful book !

This was only my 2nd book by Levig. I enjoyed the first book I read by her, A Heart to Call Home but nothing compared to my love for this book. I passed this book over a couple of times just because I didn't like the cover. When you have limited time for reading, it really helps to pick up a book that already has a lot of positive reviews. This book was soooo good. I doubt I could ever use the right words to clearly express how much I enjoyed this book. I typically enjoy books with realistic characters best, and Leslie and Erica were so easy to relate to. However, Siena (special needs child) and Gus (dog) are the real stars of this book. In most books I tend to be annoyed by the children characters, mostly because they are written as insanely well behaved or tiny genius children. It doesn't make me not read a book, but usually it makes me like a book a bit less. Levig did such a wonderful job with Siena, and really the entire book. I had a lot of feels during the book and I felt like the slow burn romance was just perfect. I put this one my favorite list so I can reread it over and over. I am going to go back and pick up Levig's other books.

A Wish Upon a Star by Jeannie Levig is a fabulous read. This book has those little moments that pull at your heartstrings. A slow burn romance that uses tension in the most glorious way. Leving writes a balanced well-written book with characters that you just cannot get enough of. So damn good!

Leslie Raymond has had her heart shattered. The wounds are deep and extraordinarily painful she decides to move from her home in Florida back to her childhood residence in Burbank, California. This is a chance for a new beginning, a chance to heal and start fresh. What is she isn’t prepared for is her gorgeous neighbor and her amazing daughter.

Erica Cooper is a college professor and mother to Siena, a special needs child that that is on the autistic spectrum. Siena is immediately taken to Leslie and her dog. They strike up and unlikely friendship that is filled with understating, patience and kindness.

Erica and Leslie each have baggage and trust issues from previous relationships. They develop an easy friendship that builds as the story moves along. It feels real, I cannot say how impressive these characters are. They are three dimensional and are 100% relatable. Not to mention the chemistry between Erica and Leslie is out of this world.

What makes this book special is not just the two mains and their romance but how Siena and even Gus, the dog all play such an intricate role in the book. You cannot help but fall in love with them all. This is an amazing story.

Unique writing and story that kept me interested. A story that had me wanting to read more. Relatable characters and a good flow. Would recommend!

A Wish Upon a Star was so good that I was unable to put it down, so I read it in a day. That means it’s 5 star material. Jeannie Levig managed to give us a delicious slow burn romance between two women in their early 50ies. Leslie Raymond moves back to the house she grew up in. After having her heart broken she wants a fresh start and some new rules to live by. No straight women, no women with kids, and no commitment. Her neighbor Erica Cooper and her autistic daughter Siena are soon going to break all those rules.

Normally I’m not a fan of children being part of the package because they’re either written too precocious, take up too much of the storyline or it turns too twee for me to enjoy it. One of the three things happened and I still love it. Yes, Siena played a center part in the story but it was done so well I ate it up with a spoon. The author wrote a very believable 7 year-old on the spectrum and it was fascinating to see how Leslie and Erica interacted with her.

Leslie and Erica were two fantastic characters. Well fleshed-out and with an interesting inner dialogue. We get to be in both women’s heads as we alternate pov per chapter. They have good chemistry and the slow-burn has a nice build-up with a very sexy pay-off. The reader gets their money’s worth in that regard. A Wish Upon a Star is a truly heartwarming read.

f/f explicit

Themes: starting over, love thy neighbor, when your child has autism, Leslie is a dreamboat, momma bear, a jungle room, the blue couch, Chicago pizza, Gus the dog steals the show.

5 stars

* A free copy was provided by Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books Inc. for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book. The two leads and the supporting characters all had substance and felt very real. The romance was sweet. Siena’s autism had been depicted very well. The leads had amazing chemistry and it jumped off the pages.

I took longer over reading this book than expected and not because it wasn't very good.
I really enjoyed the fact that it was about older women (50+) and the topic of ASD was handled well. I have a teenager in the autism spectrum, and although we never had meltdowns of the magnitude mentioned in this book, many of the challanges sounded familiar. The romance was slow burn - very well done. I'm looking forward to the audiobook - if the narrator is anybody I like I'll certainly buy it!

5/5

Leslie Raymond moves back to her hometown in LA and next door to Erica Cooper who has a 7 year old girl with autism. There is a clear attraction between the two women but can their baggage keep them apart or will they be able to give their feelings a chance?

Both characters were very strong, well developed, complex and their chemistry was incredible. Tangible from the beginning. Even the dog was adorable.

The story was very realistic and relatable. That made this story very special. The writing was great giving it a great flow and making it a very enjoyable read.

This is a book I will definitely recommend to friends.

ARC provided by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

What a wonderful, well-written story! A Wish Upon a Star is a slow-burn romance starring two older women (Erica and Leslie), a young girl on the autism spectrum (Sienna), and a truly lovable mutt (Gus). Erica and Leslie have their baggage and complications - who doesn't at this age - but with Sienna as common ground they fall for each other and it all comes together perfectly. Sienna is adorable, and her disorder seems to have been captured realistically. I learnt something new from the story which is always a bonus for me. Definitely one of my favourites of the year. Highly recommended.

This was really great.

It's the story of Leslie, Erica, and Erica's daughter Siena.

Leslie just has moved back to the neighbourhood where she grew up and next door to Erica and Siena. Siena is actually the first one Leslie meets and that causes some misunderstandings between Leslie and Erica to begin with, but, it's a romance so they do get by that eventually.

But, both Erica and Leslie have some serious baggage. Erica's relating to her being a single mom to Siena, who is on the Autism Spectrum. And Leslie's related to how she was totally destroyed after the end of a previous relationship.

One thing I loved about this book is how the main story and sub-stories all danced around each other so well. Everything feeds everything else without there being any big stops or starts. It just flowed.

Also, to me, the character of Siena was so amazing. I can't say how well she was written because I haven't spent a ton of time with Autistic children, but, I think she seemed well written?

I really liked this book on so many levels. And it was such a fast read because I was so engrossed.

I received this book via Netgalley thanks to Bold Strokes Books

Wow. It's the end of December as I read this and I am certain this book will make my personal top-ten list for 2018. I loved every aspect of this book.

Each of the two MCs has a full and complete backstory that explains her trepidation towards becoming involved with the other. Normally in a slow-burn romance I find myself thinking "just get on with it", but here I enjoyed the whole dance. The relationships between any two of the characters (Erica/Siena, Leslie/Siena, Erica/Leslie, Erica/Becky, Leslie/Nell, Gus and everyone) rang completely true for me. Even Trent ending up coming around to win me over. Gus was a perfectly welcome addition to the story and I can't imagine it without him.

I also enjoyed the two over-50 main characters, as it's something you don't come across often. Admittedly, I know very little about ASD and this book makes me want to read more about it. This story made me laugh in places and also had me in tears a couple of times. Jeannie Levig knocked it out of the park.

Leslie Raymond returns to her hometown in LA after a bad relationship that left her wary of straight women with children. Erica Cooper has a 7 year old girl with special needs and has learnt to stay independent and not to rely on anyone else. Not even her new next door neighbour Leslie who is so good to her daughter. It doesn't hurt that Leslie is caring and gorgeous too. Will the stars align for them?

This is another fantastic book by Ms. Levig. It is not only a romance but also a story about maternal love, friendship and loyalty. Kudos to the author for featuring an older couple both in their early fifties but so full of life. Alongside them, there is Siena, Erica's daughter who has 'Autism Spectrum Disorder'. She is portrayed with incredible authenticity as both a child and a person with special needs. It seems that the author did her research well not only in Siena's personality but also in her relationship with others.

They say that children and dogs steal a show and this is no exception. Side by side with the trio is Gus, a stray dog rescued by Leslie who is the epitome of the (wo)man's best friend. I'm more of a cat person but Gus's loyalty and bond with the mains really won my heart. Without him, the story would have lost some of its most inspiring and moving moments.

The romance is slow burn and the mains' chemistry builds up exquisitely. These are women with some baggage but nothing feels contrived or forced. The dialogues are natural sounding and all the characters, main or secondary, human or otherwise, are well rounded and credible. Every single part of the story flows seamlessly and the setting is perfect. This has been a joy to read.

Overall, a fantastic romance with very credible characters and a believable story. 5 stars.

ARC provided by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

See all my reviews at
www.lezreviewbooks.com

4.5 Stars. I have a real love/hate relationship going on with Levig. I loved, loved Embracing the Dawn. But then there is Threads of the Heart which I hated to the point it still makes me angry just thinking about it. Then I again found myself split on her next two books, A Heart to Call Home =good, Into Thin Air =blah. I’m batting 50/50 with Levig, which side would A Wish fall upon? I’m happy to say it’s back in the love category. While Embracing the Dawn is still my favorite, this easily sneaks into second place. I absolutely recommend this book to romance fans.

I’m late on reviewing this so I will keep this review on the shorter side and save you all a summary. There are some fantastic reviews for this book already out there. I do want to mention how great I thought Levig did on writing a child with Autism. I have a nephew who was diagnosed on the spectrum, heck most of us have loved ones or know somebody with Autism. Reading this book I could actually see my nephew in it. It was just so right on, probably one of the better written autistic child characters I have read about. Levig is definitely owed some props for being so realistic.

Besides an adorable kid character and probably the best dog in lesfic, this also had a really nice romance. It went at a really nice pace. You could feel the bond growing between the characters before anything romantic even happened. By the time they are ready to be a potential couple you actually believe it.

This was just a real pleasure to read. I have a feeling Levig can’t stand my reviewers since I can’t stand her books half the time. But boy when she gets it right, she really gets it right. And this book is the perfect example of getting it right.

Levig truly created a masterpiece with this one! This is one of those novels that you know will stick with you. I can see myself re-reading it multiple times, it's that good.

I'm not going to recap since it's already been done very well by others, but instead I'll just share my personal thoughts.

First off - I typically am not a huge fan of novels with little kids. They end up being to "cutesy" or just over the top for me to really enjoy most. This is NOT what happened here. I absolutely loved Siena's character. Flaws and all. I have a cousin with autism who's also semi-high functioning, and I've seen firsthand what the meltdowns look like. His mom and I are close, and I've seen firsthand and experienced how this disease affects an entire family. Many times it's not until much later that my aunt can figure out what happened to trigger my cousin, and Levig captured all of it perfectly. She even captured the way that the parent has to absolutely drop everything and attend to the child. My cousin is the same as Siena also, and can't stand being touched unless he initiates, but he's absolutely full of love. It was wonderful seeing how Levig so realistically portrayed all of the quirks of this strange and awful disease.

Don't get me started on the dog Gus... Just don't. He's absolutely perfect and I dare you to read this and think otherwise.

The slow-burn romance that's built up through the entire novel between MCs Leslie and Erica (Siena's mom) is perfect in its own way also. There's no insta-love, there's no huge, dramatic, over the top fight at 80% that's just created so the characters have a bit of drama... The MCs are not young or perfect, they're both older (in their 50's), they're flawed, they make stupid mistakes because of past hurt from previous relationships and they say and do some stupid things due to mis-communication. And then they talk it over and fix it. This book is as close to perfect in my eyes as a book can get.

Goodreads needs a 6 star option for books like this. This one would hit 6 stars easily in my eyes. Do yourself a favor and pre-order it now. You won't be sorry!

**Many thanks to the publisher for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.**