Unfortunately, I did not finish this. It's probably more of a me problem because I have a difficult time with multiple POVs. I may give it a second chance once it's released and I can get a hard copy from my library.

Thank you, NetGalley and Tiny Reparations Books for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

this is a magical and heartfelt story about three women who travel to Seoul for the adventure of a lifetime as au pairs. When they visit an enchanted waterfall on Jeju Island and make a wish under a full moon, their lives are changed in ways they never expected. Lydia finds herself desired by everyone—except the one person she’s interested in; Jenny has a sizzling affair that may turn into something more complicated than expected; and Selene uncovers clues about her biological mother. As their wishes start to unfold, they’re forced to reevaluate what they really want and the power of their bond. It’s a beautifully woven tale of friendship, love, and self-discovery that reminds us of the true magic that lies within our connections.

Three friends, au pairs from the USA going to South Korea to take care of the children from three families. The girls form a relationship and start talking about their future dreams.
A cute story that will make you think about if what you wish for is what you truly want deep down. More of a young adult book.
I liked the setting in Korea, culture and the food sounds good.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton/Tiny Reparations Books for the opportunity to read this book.

The blurb really grabbed my attention. I love a book that also gives some opportunity to immerse in another culture, and a YA/New Adult rom-com with a little magic thrown in sounded like a fun way to do it. Unfortunately, the execution fell flat to me. This book just did not grab me. I've picked it up and set it aside several times now and I'm going to call it DNF at 50%. I think this book is just not for me at this moment. Perhaps I will come back to it in the future and give it another try.

I loved the concept. Three friends make a wish and we see the results of these wishes play out. The execution however...

The writing, and the characters, felt very YA instead of the new adult the characters are. It would have felt more true if the girls were there for a foreign exchange senior year of high school than au pairs.

The main reason this one didn't click for me is that I think it should have been a series. Trying to tell all three stories in one book just made it feel like I never got enough time with any of them.

It's still a very cute and often fun story.

Thank you to Penguin books and Leesa Cross-Smith for the copy of this book. It started as a book about three au pairs from the USA coming to S. Korea to care for children from three well-off families. The girls build a close relationship with each other and speak about their struggles and dreams for the future. At a waterfall in Jeju they each make a wish as is custom at this waterfall. The book follows the girls navigating their 20’s in a new country together. The story was very wholesome and heartwarming. However, it felt very YA with a few adult elements. It was kind of an odd in between of YA and adult writing. I did appreciate the book for what it was though - a cute story about three girls becoming stronger with each other.

3.5 stars- "As You Wish" is the story of three girls living in Korea as au pairs as they set out to embark on new paths in their life. All three of them make a wish one day while on a trip with their host families. They believe their wishes come true and those wishes help shape their future decisions. However what we wish for in the moment may not be what we truly want deep down.

This book to me was definitely more young adult although I think it is meant to be an adult novel. The girls are all in their early twenties and have come at that crossroads of trying to figure out what to do with their life. Lydia lacks confidence but wants to be a great artist. She feels like she blends in so her wish is to stand out. Jenny is desperate to get over her break up from her ex so she wants to never fall in love again. She is also still trying to get over the loss of her dad. Finally, Selene was adopted from Korea and wants to find her birth mother.

I enjoyed the setting of Korea, learning some of the language, and reading about all of the food. I definitely need to try some Korean food. However I just didn't connect with the story like I would have wanted to. The book dragged at times and their problems to me just sounded so juvenile. The book at random times would list playlists of music and much of it was songs that I had never heard of before. Overall, I do think this book would be an enjoyable read for younger women especially those interested in Korea and its music.

Thank you to Penguin Group Dutton/Tiny Reparations Books and Net Galley for this ARC.

so, so, so good!! Be still my heart! I loved all the individual beautiful moments in this book that came together into a beautiful picture!! This is a new to me author, and I will certainly be checking their backlist, or following their book career from here on out! I loved this book, and thought it was beautifully written.

I unfortunately had to DNF this book at about 38%. I was just not drawn into the story as I was hoping that I would be. I have been in a bit of a reading slump though, so I think I am going to try to give it a shot when I am out of it. It's got a great premise, I just don't think I was in the right mindset.

This was a not a book with a novel idea, but it was done well, nonetheless. I especially enjoyed the Korea setting and definitely plan to look into a few of the K-dramas mentioned. I didn't connect as much with the characters but think it has more to do with my age. They were well written with typical early 20s issues trying to navigate a new country & find their place there as well as in life. Overall, a good message about being careful what you wish for & a solid 4 star read.

This book was such a cute, feel good read! It made me want to try watching K-Dramas. I loved the story of the girls’ friendship but also love love loved the romance elements

I’m not sure how to rate this one. On one hand, it’s a lighthearted, heartwarming novel about three au-pairs in Seoul who become friends, and navigate life together. It’s cozy and I enjoyed it for that. But the writing also felt strangely wooden. It’s hard to put my finger on it…. Everything was too crisp and clear. I’m not really talking about the plot which was certainly predictable, though that’s not necessarily a bad thing (it makes it cozier!). But the way the characters spoke just felt off, and very surface level. Like no one would actually think or act that way! It felt very much like a YA novel. I can’t really recommend it, though I did appreciate the K-Drama recommendations at the end!

The idea - great, fresh and exciting. The plot - pretty good, I enjoyed the plot twists and development. Execution - not so great... To the point where I wished to finish as soon as possible. I didn't expect 360 pages to be stretched for so long.
All in all, I finally felt like the novel started getting better by the end. I particularly enjoyed the "happily ever after" ending, I feel like the characters deserved a happy resolution to all their struggles. The book still had some weird moments but the style was becoming much more enjoyable in the last third and seemed to be more confident so to say.
Now some of the *not so great* details.
I prefer the book to have more descriptions of how the characters feel, rather than pointing out to every their move or dry depictions of the surroundings (which are, unfortunately, the vibes that this book was giving me). Every chapter I was hoping to find more expressive way of presenting the characters but it was really hard to connect with them even half way through the book exactly due to the lack of depth when it comes to feelings and emotions. I'd care much more about exploring the depth of personal experience and drama than about what they are wearing or in what colors their nails were done.
The writing style also seems a bit off. I'm not squeamish and I read books with trigger warnings, but some moments in As You Wish were just awkward, almost like they don't belong. For example, a dimple Lydia's host (male) that "tempted her to stick her finger into it." Just a bit off. Same with simplified sentences, like "everything was delicious, and Lydia wanted more", "he had really great ears" or "when she emerged," referring to the character leaving the shopping mall, or "anger stewed in her heart like tomatoes". Nothing wrong with using specific words but reading those leaves a weird "aftertaste" in my mind.
Maybe it's just me but it feels hard getting into the characters when the book is written in third person. Separate chapters for each character helps, but not as much as first person point of view, which usually helps me bond with the main characters even more.
Chapter 2: "let's try to be normal" paragraph did not pass the vibe, I'd never say something like this to a person I just met a day ago in real life. And "their thumbs kissed"? Huh?
I'd say I enjoyed the story, even though it was quite a slow burn. However, it just didn't click.
Another moment to note is that I assume this book is presented as YA, so it explains a bit as to why it felt too slow paced, sometimes boring, and not for my personal preference. Especially, the sex scenes that felt awkward and like they didn't belong. So if it's really YA, they should be removed. Otherwise, the author should step up the game to make them seem more aesthetic and pleasant to read. As an example, it doesn't feel right to put a phrase like she "loved spreading her legs for" him when they're talking about how intimate and emotional their experience was. Meanwhile, the "his mouth tasted like a beery steamed bun" is the opposite of hot and sexy - the way that scene was supposed to be.
I also realized that I wasn't a fan of how much the girls were drinking, especially Lydia. At the point when she finally kissed the guy she liked, she had been drunk every time they were hanging out together. As someone who's been sober for 5 years now, I don't appreciate normalizing social drinking and drinking on every single occasion or even without it. It seems unnecessary and unhealthy.

Very cute and beautiful friendship story, The author had good lessons involved
I deff would have picked up a book like this when I was in my young adult years!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

As You Wish had a fun premise—three American au pairs in Seoul, a magical wish, and the promise of self-discovery—but it didn’t quite stick the landing. The shifting POVs made it hard to stay invested, and the characters started to blend together. The magical element felt underused, more like a gimmick than a meaningful part of the story. Romance took center stage, which sidelined the more interesting arcs about identity, healing, and friendship. The third-act conflict was frustrating and immature, and while the ending wrapped things up neatly, it didn’t leave much impact.

This was a cute read! I enjoyed getting to know the characters, although at times there was too much POV switching.

This was such a cool concept and I think this would have done really well as a series rather than trying to fit 3 stories into one book. I felt like the plot had to be fast-paced to get the story in but it took away from the character development. We weren't fully given reasons to care about one character before we were jumping into another's POV. Overall, cool concept and great setting.

Three very different young women arrive in Seoul, South Korea to begin working at Au pairs to 3 families connected by long time friendships. Lydia is a talent painter but lacks life experience and self-confidence, Jenny is a California girl who was recently blindsided by the breakup of her 2 year relationship, and Solene is an influencer who was adopted from Korea after being abandoned in Seoul as an infant. These 3 bond over their desire for something different and love of K-pop and K-dramas. They each make wishes under a full moon at a mystical waterfall said to have the power to grant them. Solene wishes to find her birth mother, Lydia wants to be known in the world, and Jenny wishes to never fall in love again to be so badly hurt. The experiences that they have separately and together are fun, poignant, sexy and make you want to visit Seoul soon. I thoroughly enjoyed each of their stories..

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Reading the description of this book it sounded like a cute story. However, once I started reading it, I just couldn't get into the story. It felt a little bit too YA and just overall too young. The characters are in the mid-20s which sounded fine but in reality I just couldn't connect. Unfortunately this is a DNF for me.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced copy of ‘As You Wish’ in exchange for a review.

I flew through the first 40% of this book (literally and figuratively, since I read it on a plane). After that, it started to fall flat. I felt a lot of story building happened early and then grew stagnant. I guess I’d call that an execution issue.

The third act friendship issue really irked me. It was so childish and came down to a lack of communication, which always bothers me. The girls started to get really annoying as well.

While each character had their own storyline, I also didn’t like that all 3 were falling in love at the same time. It overshadowed other, more important stories of growth that took a backseat.

I did like the way the author wrapped up the ending, though.

Overall…meh.