It’s honestly so funny to me, as I look back on Eva Des Lauries’ <i>I Wish You Would</i> and realize that a fair number of readers see this book as a miscommunication trope novel. It’s especially funny as I ruminate on the fact that I truly loved this book but have lambasted three other novels recently for engaging in miscommunication as a plot device to extend out the length of the book. The thing is, <i>I Wish You Would</i> is a masterful example of how to write this trope <i>well</i>.

It all comes down to purpose—why are your characters not communicating? Or why is their communication not resonating with the other? What is the result of this communication? What purpose does that serve for the characters and for the plot?

If the miscommunication is simply characters making decisions for other characters because one feeling or another—often, some sort of assumed inadequacy is involved—leads them to believe that’s “best,” don’t use this trope. It’s awful and painful and most readers want nothing to do with it. If your miscommunication is because your characters are young, wrapped up in an emotional moment, they misunderstand each other, and—now this last part is <i>key</i>—this miscommunication is not used as a <i>last minute</i> way to add in some final conflict to push out the length of your book, I think it can be done well.

See, the amazing thing about <i>I Wish You Would</i> is that the vast majority of miscommunication occurs in flashback sequences that slowly, as you weave your way through the events of this senior class camping trip, reveal new truths to you about the characters. So, instead of this being some contrived miscommunication that serves no purpose other than fake conflict toward the end of the book, we get a genuine mystery to solve and characters who have some serious growing to do.

The final brilliance of this is that we get to experience that growth along with them! Nothing has to be tied up in a rush at the end, we don’t have to sit through a ridiculously lengthy internal explanation of feels so the character makes an idiotic decision in a short time frame that makes absolutely zero sense. We get to experience the pure anxiety of being young and thinking about a first time and having it messed up by saying the wrong thing—my word, don’t you remember that feeling from when you were a teenager?—and the agonizing afterward, wishing you’d said something differently and not knowing how to fix what you’ve mucked up.

I was floored by how impressed I was with Lauries’ writing on this. And it just kept getting better and better. We get to see these characters awkwardly navigating around each other, tiptoeing over the conversation they both want to have but are both too scared to broach with one another. We feel, quite viscerally, their fear that letting those feelings out is going to ruin what has already been ruined even further, irreparably. And we slowly learn all the deeper little intricacies that impact their fears and, ultimately, the decision to keep their secrets. They are eggshells for all the right reasons.

Readers, I <i>loved</i> this.

Now, that’s not to say that there wasn’t anything I didn’t like about the miscommunication trope that found its way into this book. You see, while all of the above was something I deeply adored, it is unfortunately incumbent upon me to mention that Lauries does fall into that unfortunate trap of that last minute miscommunication for…extra drama, I guess? And so, in that vein, I did roll my eyes quite a bit when we reached that moment. While everything else was perfect, written expertly, I can and will admit that we didn’t need any more of it. And, in fact, that final miscommunication was actually the moment the author should have allowed everything to be resolve. That was the precise moment that these crazy kids really needed to sit down and have an actual, honest conversation.

Remove that, though, and <i>I Wish You Would</i> is easily a five-star read for me.

The bulk of this debut YA romance takes place in a 24-hour period. We follow two POVs: Natalia, the class president who is a scholarship student at a wealthy prep school, and Ethan, the son of a popular actor who has a hard time dealing with his dad's newfound fame and secrets. The book is set during Senior Sunrise, a tradition that didn't exist in my day, but my son enjoyed it. Instead of a simple morning breakfast to bring in the final year of high school, these seniors are making a camping event out of the day. Activities include a "Lion Letter," where they write something down that they would achieve if they were braver in the next year. Natalia accidentally spills out the letters and several get away, it then becomes a race to recover the lost secrets without anyone finding out.

While reading the book, I found it rather repetitive, especially when it comes to Natalia's POV. We rehash the same feelings over and over again, and you just end up wanting to get to the point. Realistically, the characters are not going to have big character growth moments in 24 hours, but here we do. I would have initially given this a lesser rating, but the last several chapters were the sweet and sappy story I was hoping for. It made the whole book worthwhile and almost made you forget the repetition of previous chapters.

Granted, I am not the target demographic for this series, as I have children in the targeted demo for this story, but I still love a good YA book. This book does tackle some hard topics like what happens when you lose respect for a parent, or when parents divorce and you have to make hard choices, and being honest with your friends even when that is hard. This brings in those difficult and big feelings that teenagers have and don't know how to process. Overall, the story is sweet, but it could have used some more editing, but it's a fun end-of-summer story full of growth and self-realization.

This book definitely brings the teen drama! I feel like I've met these kids before. Perfectly written for YA readers, who will most definitely find themselves in these pages.

The drama leans heavy into the miscommunication trope (which, by the way, is probably the cause of most teen drama in the first place). Ethan and Natalia are the epitome of friends to lovers, and so cute together.

I loved how real the author made this story feel. I could see this happening in a real senior year anywhere in America. My students would devour this book.

"What is so wrong with me that no one stays for me?"

"I try not to stare at her, but it's an effort. The moody sky brings out the dark blue of her eyes, and the wind keeps lifting the tumble of her long hair away from her face. I realize with a significant gut drop that I could look at her forever and never get bored."

loved these chaotic babies so muuchhhh 😭

This is the type of book I'd absolutely recommend to someone who's read and loved Some Mistakes Were Made by Kristin Dwyer. I Wish You Would was exactly what I needed and a fantastic debut!!

I loved Natalia and Ethan so much!! They were so messy and confused and hurt and yearning and they felt so painfully real I wouldn't have them any other way.
I loved the way they knew each other and were able to read one another so easily and yet the want between them so big and scary every time they tried communicating they kept misunderstanding what the other was trying to say (at one point I wanted to wring their necks out not unlike Rainn lmao but even more I wanted them to open up and be less afraid).
That angst, that tension..... once I started I couldn't turn the page fast enough. This book made me feel all the feels, Ethan and Natalia own me.
The ending was so satisfying, I teared up more than once.
I Wish You Would is the perfect summer YA heart-rending romance.
I cannot wait to read more by Eva Des Lauriers!!

eternal gratitude to netgalley and the publisher for the arc
all quotes are from an advance copy and may differ in the final publication

This was a super fun and quick read. Lovable characters and a teen plot actually geared for teens. Adorable.

Based on the cover alone, I was pretty sure I was going to love this. Not shockingly, I was right and really enjoyed this book. I loved Natalia and Ethan - loved their friendship and the drama. I'm definitely interested in seeing what Eva Des Lauriers writes next, I will be in line.

I Wish You Would by Eva Des Lauriers is a heartfelt and captivating story about love and longing. The characters are well-developed and relatable, and the writing is beautifully descriptive. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for their next summer read fix.

Also, the title is ~ everything ~ *cue Taylor Swift music*

Before everything changes on the night of Junior Prom, Natalia and Ethan are best friends for the a while. They are awkward in each other's company and don't know how to get back to one another after spending the summer apart and having "ghosted" each other. The Senior Sunrise trip's scenery and the missing letters were my favorite parts. Going on this journey was enjoyable! Ethan and Natalia's friendship blossomed into a lovely romantic relationship.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this book and will be looking for more to come from this author. This story takes place over one evening just before our main character's senior year of high school. It is a romance, HOWEVER, I LOVED the fact that these two where not just meeting for the first time and falling in love but were in fact best friends for years before this event takes place. Made the story much more believable and also more high stakes I felt since everyone knows what it feels like to be afraid of loosing a best friend. Sweet and fun, I will totally be reading this one again.

I previewed this teen romance and found it to be an appealing romantic drama for older teen audiences. The setting of a beach overnight where the incoming senior class carries out their tradition of writing private letters to themselves—what they wish they would do this year if they were braver- was engaging, especially as those secret confessions are scattered around the camping ground. The plot also involves the best-friends- to- intimate couple theme. 3.5 stars for this adult reader, though teens will likely enjoy it more.

*4.5

This was so cute. I love that it took place over a day so the drama wasn’t drawn out. I like miscommunication as a trope so this book was right up my alley. Ethan and Natalia could not more obviously be in love and everyone around them knows it. I enjoyed all of the little bits leading up to them getting together.

I received an arc through netgalley.

Amazing! Wonderful!
This book is stated to be if to all the boys I’ve loved before and you’ve reached Sam met and it definitely delivered. I person haven’t read you’ve reached Sam (this book makes me want to pick it up asap just by being compared to it) but I have read to all the boys I’ve loved before and I LOVED it. I definitely picked up on the inspiration and I’m so happy it didn’t come off as the same story with a few changes. I was immediately invested from page one I was rooting for Natalia and Ethan the whole time. I devoured this book in one sitting and will most likely be rereading it in the future. You can feel the chemistry between the characters and the side characters were great! They didn’t give off NPC vibes which I really appreciated, I would totally read a book following a number of the other characters (Sienna, Prashant, Rainn and Mason 👀). I was also pleasantly surprised by the amount of character development as a majority of the book takes place over 24 hours.
I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a cute ya with romcom vibes.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF At 25%, this book just wasn’t for me I personally am not a huge fan of most YA romances, and sadly this one didn’t work for me. If you are a fan of “The summer I turned pretty” or looking for a cute summer read, then you will probably enjoy this a lot more than I did.

[net galley review, thank you macmillan children’s] tell me a book takes place during senior year of high school and i cave immediately call it covid graduation kid wish fulfillment this book was such a quick but adorable read normally i find miscommunication frustrating but watching ethan and natalia dance around each other pretending they aren't in love made my heart melt will definitely recommend this to those who like ya romance

These kids had me STRESSED 😂.

If you look up the definition and examples of the miscommunication trope, this book cover is loud and proud right there I can guarantee it.

Nothing too ground breaking in this one. Lots of YA drama, pining, miscommunication with crushes, classmates, friends and family members. The adults are clueless and messy and causing problems, it’s very CW and I’m here for it.

It’s well-written, and while I did get extremely frustrated by like 70% because this was the longest one day one night school beach trip ever and WHY WASN’T ANYONE USING THEIR WORDS I wanted to pull my hair out, but the ending had me all “aw” and they were going to live happily ever after at age 18. Love this journey for them.

If you’re looking for a YA drama romance (not much comedy in this really) and you love some serious miscommunication, you need to snatch this up and read it right now. It’s a super quick read.

Now, FYI, there’s some like, real big issues with some adults in this that should have been taken more seriously, but were sort of brushed over by the other adults and even the other teens which should be of some concern and maybe those plot points could have been removed because they had zero to do with the story? Like where were the school chaperones, what were they doing while these real issues secrets were being revealed?! They fail at being adults.

Thank you @netgalley and @macmillanusa for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This book was engaging and well-written. It was also chock FULL of teen angst and a good amount of secondhand embarrassment and anxiety, so if you can’t hang with those things, this probably isn’t for you. It felt so authentic to what I remember being the experience of being a teen, which made it compelling but also a bit painful at times. Natalia, Ethan and their friends all felt so real. I look forward to more from this author!

Thank you to the publisher - I received a complimentary eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Screaming, crying, throwing up, this book had me in a chokehold. I loved the “avoid feelings” part and by the end I was wailing in my room at 3am.

I've been so excited about this ever since Rachel Lynn Solomon recommended it a year ago and IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT!!!

This is YA novel. It was cute, it reminded me of to all the boys I loved before. Natalia and Ethan almost crossed the line junior year of high school. they almost became more than just friends. Now its senior year and there's this tradition they do when they stay on the beach and write a letter to themselves. the wind blows seven letters away and her and Ethan work together to retrieve their letters so the other doesn't see what they wrote.

This book was that warm heart felt stories that make you gush! It’s senior year and Natalie and Ethan haven’t really seen each other since an incident happened at junior prom, they almost slipped from best friends to more. Ethan was desperate to fix the friendship, but accidents kept getting in the way.

Looking into the live of teenagers again gave me that fresh appeal I remember having at that age. That step of taking friendship further… sadly mine didn’t end so well.

It was a really cute story, minus Natalie got under my skin sometimes and I want to reach out and slap her. Other than that, it’s the perfect start to summer romance read.