4.25 Stars

First off, the fact that this shares a title with a Taylor Swift song drew me. And for those wondering, yes this book gives off major 1989 vibes and the vibes of that very song with a little bit of "You are in Love" thrown in. (There even is a snow globe metaphor towards the end of the book, mirroring the YAIL bridge!) As a swiftie, it made me very very happy.

Secondly, this book plays hard on the miscommunication trope. If that isn't your vibe, then I would stay away. For me, the miscommunication makes sense but it did drive me crazy at times. But, unfortunately for me, I feel for Natalia and her anxiety. There's a quote from the book that states it's easier to reject than be rejected. That's a major worldview of Natalia, which leads to a lot of the problems.

This book wasn't anything too revolutionary but it was a fun run. I lived for the teen drama and the mutual pining from Natalia and Ethan made it so juicy. Also trying to guess who wrote each letter was super fun!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

As someone who works with teens, I am generally more forgiving than other adult readers of YA about characters in YA acting like teenagers. However. Natalia and Ethan's constant misunderstanding and miscommunicating (or just not communicating) was frustrating. There were several things going on with side characters and plenty of places for interesting conflict so the focus on these two always thinking the worst of each other, many times for no reason, got old.

Such a cute ya romance! I loved that the book takes place at the beach for senior sunrise. Natalia and Ethan had such great chemistry. You could tell that they genuinely cared for each other. It was also fun to see the side characters stories develop. Overall a fun fast paced read that I highly recommend!

I WISH YOU WOULD is so many things i love about contemporary YA romance put together and tied up in this package with the most stunning cover (which is even more perfect when you read the book and understand the meaning of the color palette).

i initially was drawn to it because of the taylor swift title, and i was NOT disappointed. this book is extremely taylor coded.

natalia and ethan, our main couple, reminded me why i love best friends to lovers so much. they’re so compatible, and with the dual POV narration style, you get a front row seat to seeing them both being obsessed with each other. and guys. the pining in this book reaches OLYMPIC levels. i’m not kidding. there is so much more angst than i was expecting. but it’s so well written, because even when there’s misunderstanding/miscommunication, we understand each person’s logic behind it and it genuinely makes sense from their POV.

i also loved how well the pacing was done. there was a high possibility of it not being so, because of the fact that it the majority of the story takes place over 24 hours (T3 rachel lynn solomon fans, this one’s for you) but the action was perfectly balanced. i never felt like there were dry spells or information overloads, and every single character is characterized beautifully.

all in all, a spectacular debut novel that will delight fans of YA romance.

I Wish You Would is perfect for teenagers. There is a little bit of spice and innuendo but not enough to cause concern for parents. The drama that ensued from miscommunication will be relatable for the teen age group and gives the valuable lesson that while problems may seem big in the moment, things typically work out in the end. Definitely recommend for the age group it was written for, young adults and teenagers.

This book is a super quick read and incredibly fun for anyone who loves to be in everyone else's business. (The confessions on the Lion Letters were such a highlight!) I especially enjoyed Natalia's character arc as she learned to confront things head-on, and the romance was super sweet. I would love a spinoff exploring some of the other characters!

Many thanks to NetGalley for granting me an arc in exchange for an honest review!

When I first heard about this book, I HAD to request it because of the Taylor Swift title. I was hoping for a cute and bingable contemporary romance. And that’s exactly what I got! I I Wish You Would was so easy to read, which I loved. Plus the romance was absolutely PRECIOUS. The amount of love Ethan and Natalia had for each other was kind of insane 🥺💗 I’m jealous. I really liked the plot as well! Some bits were a little cliche, but I thought the part with the letters was really clever!

And most importantly, I Wish You Would totally reminded me of the Taylor Swift song, which was really what I was here for haha.

Thank you so much to Eva Des Lauriers and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the eARC of this title. This was a cute story but not sure if I would recommend it. Maybe more suitable for older YA readers.

After reading the blurb for this book, I was really excited to jump into this story. Unfortunately, I decided not to finish this book about a quarter of the way into the story. I had problems with the interactions between characters (heavy mentions of sex in the beginning pages in a YA novel doesn’t work for me, this should be NA instead), personal victimization of each individual character, and an overall dialogue that felt like it was intended for a much younger audience (these characters are supposed to be seniors, reads like middle school).

Despite this, I appreciate the opportunity to read this ARC. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s.

I really enjoyed reading this, it was such a light fun read. The senior wish/secret jar gets tipped over and some notes fly away. Can Natalia and Ethan find them all before another student does? Even though they haven’t really spoken all summer they will try their best to work together.
Most of the characters were likeable. You could laugh and get mad at them. Enjoyable read.
Many thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read and review this one.

Requested this because of how beautiful the cover it! Immediately caught my attention. I Wish You Would follow to best friends at their Senior Sunrise after they avoided each other all summer. They had an awkward near hook up after prom and it hasn't been the same since then. Natalia is the senior class president and has been in charge of putting the while thing together, so when the class writes letters to themselves and some go missing, Ethan helps Natalia find the missing ones and the two have to confront what has been going on between them.

I wish you would…..give us more books Eva Des Lauriers!

Eva did a fantastic job of bringing these two characters together, allowing us as the readers to feel both of their struggles, dig inside their heads, their experiences, and understand where they were coming from. She let us go on this journey with both of them in the span of twenty-four hours! It made me laugh and smile at how much can happen in such a short amount of time if one is determined enough. And let me tell you, both Ethan and Natalia were determined as hell!

This story had a bit of everything: humor, sadness, mystery, and self exploration, and acceptance. Not only did the main characters grow in this small amount of time, but they tackled real life problems that are extremely relatable and realistic; Eva did a wonderful job with her words and her techniques in bringing these issues to surface and finding ways to resolve them or open new doors to opportunities to fixing them. Eva had such strong and diverse side characters in her story that kept the reader turning the page; each character helped drive the story forward effortlessly. Eva’s debut novel had my heart squeezing and face grinning with the softness and humor that was brought out through her words. Words that not only expressed emotion but also showcased a range of beauty and artwork that readers could distinctly picture in their minds as they read.

And then….there were the letters! Will not say much about them, because, spoilers, but those letters….figuring out...*spoilers!* 😜

This book took me back to when I first fell in love with romance, to a time when things were simple and innocent: to a time where things were honest and true.

There’s something about romance books that keeps us coming back for more. We know we can expect some cheese, some longing in the eyes, some cute flirting, and we know we can expect happy endings or a conclusion that gives us hope in real life. More often than not, we KNOW the ending. But what we as readers want is the JOURNEY to get from beginning to end: and Eva Des Lauriers delivered 🤗🥹🩷💙!

Thank you SO much Eva Des Lauriers for a pure and young love story! (Can’t wait for those possible spin-offs of those side characters! 😉🙏🏽🤞🏽And thank you to @netgalley for allowing me to read this HEARTWARMING piece of art before May 21st 2024!

#Review: *I wish you would* - ARC - Eva Des Lauriers
5/5✨

This was my first book from author Eva Des Lauriers but I can truly say that I fell in love so hard with this one💙✨. Thank you so much for the e-copy NetGalley 🫶🏼.

Natalia and Ethan are college best friends, but only one night can change everything. They've decided to break their pact but things couldn't go more wrong than they did. This misunderstanding made them split their ways for a while.

With the occasion of Senior Sunrise, a Liberty Prep tradition to write letters, Natalia and Ethan are forced to stay more in each others company. But things can be a lot worse because after everyone writes their own letter and put them in a jar, Natalie decides that she wants her letter back. In the process of saving her letter in secret, she does the worst thing possible - she lets lose of other letters by mistake 😂. Unfortunately for Ethan, he was there to see this entire show and he now becomes her accomplice. Now they have one target - to rescue the letters that have been taken away by the wind. This definitely won't be an easy task😂.

I looooveed the banter between these two. Every look, every touch had it's own meaning and the chemistry was on spot! The other characters have played such a big part in this story! They were part of some really funny scenes and I couldn't get enough of everyone. The story reaches sensitive subjects also, each main character had their own issues to resolve in their lives.

So, if you want to read a relaxing, funny and sweet book, this one is for you! I absolutely adored it!! 🫶🏼 These are the tropes of this book:
💌#BestFriends
💌#FirstLove
💌#Banter
💌#Angst
💌#FriendsToLovers
💌#DualPov
💌#HighSchool
💌#StartingOver
💌#VirginHero/Heroine

Came for the TS song title and stayed for the besties to lovers. This book was a fun lil summer romance dream. Yes, it leans on the miscommunication trope too much - it was very frustrating at times. I do prefer books that take place over a span of time vs one day. BUT it kept me turning the page to fins out what happened between the childhood besties and their sweet connection.

I thought this book was really cute. I loved the setting and story line. But the only thing that took away from it a bit was the tug of war of emotions. For me, it's difficult to have them think they are in love one second and then say the polar opposite the next.
But even with that, I still found the story enjoyable.

big thanks to NetGalley for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review!

welcome, welcome, folks! (this is my first arc!)

genre: YA romance
age rating: 14+
swearing: infrequent strong language
spice: no spice but mentions of (0/🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶)

tropes 🥰
🌊 24-hour romance

🌊 friends to lovers

🌊 dual POV

🌊 MISCOMMUNICATION! this book's storyline is 𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 around miscommunication so if that isn't for you, maybe skip this read

⚠️ TW: anxiety and SA (let me know if I missed any!)

plot 💌
over the summer, Natalia and Ethan ghosted one another after the events on prom night. they don't know how to fix what was broken but when Natalia mistakenly loses personal letters she must team up with Ethan to retrieve them. will they mend their relationship and find the letters before the sun rises?

what I liked 💗
☼ the chemistry between the characters! it was never purely physical and they truly cared for each other

☼ the side characters were well-written

☼ Natalia and Ethan had flaws. they were 3-dimensional! (we love to see that!)

☼ the PINING! they both loved each other from the start and seeing them secretly want each other on both sides KILLED me. the dual POV made it 10x worse

☼ the ending. it was true to the characters and wasn't rushed at all. you also got to see them at graduation!

what I didn't like 💔
☁︎ how they were constantly fighting. while a lot of the fighting elevated the story, it was often unnecessary and I felt that Natalia and Ethan should've been able to resolve some of their issues without the arguments

☁︎ the fighting was better than the silence. it almost felt as if they just sat by the waves and thought about how much they loved the other and never thought to talk to the other. they tried, I will give them that but they could've done more

overall 💞
I loved this book! it was so sweet. while there were things that could've been done better, I don't think I'll be forgetting these characters and their story anytime soon! :))

quotes 💕

» "𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬?
𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰?"

» "𝘐'𝘮 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘳. 𝘐'𝘮 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘳. 𝘐'𝘮 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴. 𝘐𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯."

» "𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦. 𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘦'𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴. 𝘞𝘦'𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘶𝘴."

» "𝘞𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘴, 𝘸𝘦'𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱; 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘬 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘬𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨."

» "𝘐 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘵. 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘥 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩."

» "𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘺𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘢𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘨𝘦. 𝘈𝘯𝘥, 𝘰𝘬𝘢𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦. 𝘐𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘶𝘴. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘵 𝘪𝘵."

💗☀️🌷

3.5💫

a taylor coded ya romance that takes place at the beach with a beautiful cover?? literally say less💗🤭
———————————————————————

this book was honestly so good! i loved how fast paced it was as the story mainly takes place throughout one day. also not really important to the story but i loved the way the letters looked🤭 obviously, i have to say something about the title!? it’s literally the reason i was even interested in the book in the first place(😭😭) and it did nottt disapoint! it was honestly so i wish you would coded which i loved so much🫶 this book takes place at the beach which i also loved so much😋 lastly, the main character natalia was honestly so real and i related to her a lot💗 i would 100% recommended this book for ya romance lovers (and swifties🤭) !!

thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for an arc copy !!


~quotes~

“And thats when i know. I hate this school; i hate most of these people. But i am so fucking in love with her.”

“I’m so in love with you. It’s like … I do nothing but love you.”


“I hate you,” she says quietly.
“You love me”


“I’m only me when I’m with her.”

“We know that whatever the future holds, we’ll face it like we have everything else in our friendship; by turning every risk into a chance. Every kiss into a promise. Every ending into a beginning.”


🌷🌊☀️💗

What an absolute gem of a book that deserves all the stars! From the very first page, I was hooked on the drama-filled rollercoaster of emotions between Natalia and Ethan. Set against the backdrop of Senior Sunrise, this love story is equal parts heartwarming and suspenseful. The chemistry between Natalia and Ethan crackles with tension, and you can't help but root for them to finally confess their feelings. I simultaneously experienced the emotions of missing high school and all those big feelings, and also was so grateful to never have to go through that ever again. The beach setting adds such a magical vibe, and the scavenger hunt for the scattered letters adds an extra layer of excitement. DesLauriers has crafted a story that's both captivating and uplifting, leaving you with a warm fuzzy feeling long after you've finished. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"I Wish You Would" is an excellent YA book that delivers a hefty dose of angst, making it a gripping read from start to finish. I absolutely loved the alternating POVs, it made the angst and miscommunication a bit more tolerable.

While there were some plot lines mentioned in other characters' letters that felt under-explored, particularly in terms of resolution, I found myself so deeply immersed in Ethan and Natalia's story that I didn't mind too much. Their journey, filled with emotion and complexity, kept me going, eager to uncover what would happen next in their tumultuous relationship.

The alternating perspectives allowed for a multifaceted exploration of their dynamic, giving insight into their individual struggles, desires, and insecurities. It was fascinating to see how their perceptions of each other evolved over time, adding layers of nuance to their interactions.

Overall, "I Wish You Would" is a standout YA novel that masterfully captures the highs and lows of young love in light of senior year of high school Despite its occasional shortcomings in fully addressing certain plot lines, the raw emotion and authenticity of Ethan and Natalia's story make it a compelling read that will resonate with readers long after they've turned the final page.

‘This is how it’s supposed to feel. When longing meets knowing.’

I Wish You Would Read This Story. It’s messy. Adorable. So vividly written! AND includes one of my favorite tropes: friends to lovers!

I have to admit, I was already in love with this story before I even started reading. I adored the cover, loved the blurb, and then saw raving reviews. So I had to know if my instant crush would survive my reading sittings. And how it did! Mixed (Latina) but white-passing Natalia and ‘hating his famous father’ Ethan just cemented themselves into my heart.

Two days, this story takes place in less than two days. And pours all the doubt and the hurt, and even the love from before on the pages. It’s perfectly paced, and the writing is so vibrant! And it’s a debut y’all! A fantastic debut!

I loved to read those letters and guess who those letters were from. Letters about catfishing someone, coming out, doing what you really want to do, and so many other topics.

Thanks so much, Tatiana from Fiercereads, for sending me an invite to the ARC of this book!

Actual rating 4.5 stars.