This one did fall a bit flat for me (the pacing was off in a way that I can't put my finger on), and the lists of K-Pop songs were excessive and didn't seem to add anything to the storyline. However, I did love the characters and the setting, and the theme of "found family" (between the au pairs, and the host families).

Thank you to Penguin Group Dutton, Tiny Reparations Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

this fell kind of flat for me, i had a hard time really getting deep with the characters and caring deeply about their stories

thank you to netgalley for an arc of this in exchange for my honest feedback!

I’m not sure what I was expecting from this book but I know I didn’t get it. Everything about this felt flat. One of my favorite things about reading is getting sucked into the story, but I felt like I was standing on the outside peering through a window for the entirety of this book instead of actually being in the story.
I never had a connection with any of the characters, but I also really didn’t like any of them. I felt like each of the protagonists’ story lines were uninspired and the bulk of the writing felt rushed and not really thought through. If I didn’t know any better I’d have said that this was a debut book and not one written by a seasoned author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for an advanced copy of this. As You Wish hit the shelves on June 24th.

I went into Leesa Cross-Smith’s As You Wish blind. What I found was a tale that was part romance, part friendship and part ‘coming of age-ish’. The story centers on three young women who have come to Korea to work as au pairs. Each of them has their own reason for coming. As they families they are working all know each other, the three women quickly become friends. While on a girls outing they find themselves at a famous waterfall under the full moon and they each make a wish. The next day it seems as if their wishes are coming true. But is what we wish for what we really want? While I enjoyed Cross-Smith’s writing style and found the story entertaining for the most part, I have to say I found the ending a bit too abrupt. It doesn’t ruin the story but there is no question the story starts stronger than it finishes. I’d like to thank PENGUIN GROUP Dutton | Tiny Reparations Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of As You Wish.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/as-you-wish-leesa-cross-smith/1146332866?ean=9780593476185&bvnotificationId=2a56edfa-51d1-11f0-9af9-0ed42f28b7f9&bvmessageType=REVIEW_APPROVED&bvrecipientDomain=gmail.com#review/350416965

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for the e-ARC!
I’m glad I had the opportunity to read this one! It was a fun read that was a bit different - a contemporary with splashes of romance but ultimately about friendships, relationships, and family, which I really enjoyed! The atmosphere of this book created by our MCs being in Seoul was so cool and allowed me to learn more about South Korea and its culture. Overall I highly recommend this!

A drama-filled coming of age young adult romance that sees three American au pairs working for families in the same Seoul apartment building becoming friends, traveling to Jeju island and making wishes that come true. This had great female friendship, a ton of fantastic Korean cultural traditions, food and settings and LOTS of K-pop style drama. The girls felt a little too immature at time for my particular tastes but if you want something light and fluffy for the summer this fits the bill. Would recommend for fans of The sisterhood of the travelling pants books. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review.

*Thank you to Dutton and NetGally for the e-ARC! All opinions are my own.*

Unfortunately, I made the choice to DNF this one at @ 25%. I've read from this author previously, and liked that one a fair amount (This Close to Okay), and the premise for this one sounded really good! To my surprise, however, the writing in this book felt really juvenile a lot of the time. It reads very much like a YA novel more than anything else. I felt very disconnected from all of the main characters and the setting felt very much like the author was just hyperfixating on K-pop for a while and wanted to write a fic set in Korea. I was really disappointed in this one :/

Dreamy, romantic, and full of emotional longing. Cross-Smith’s writing is warm and lush, though the plot meanders a bit. If you’re in the mood for a cozy, heart-soaked escape, this delivers. A slow burn that feels like a hug.

There were three girls that were headed to Korea to be au pairs. Lydia was from Kentucky and really never felt valued. Jenny came from California and she was everything and the there was Selene who came from New York. All the families and the au pairs went to a special island to visit and there was a folklore about wishes coming true. The three girls decided to try it and it did seem to be true the next day.
Be careful what you wish for is the old adage. This book did paint a good visual of Korea for me.

I received this ARC from Netgalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was a super fun read, quick paced and packed full of found family. The authors made sure that the Korean culture was front and center during this book. Which I loved, it really made me want to pack up and take a trip myself. The setting was beautifully written : to the point I felt like I was sitting there on a beach or walking through an orange grove.
I loved the “family” dynamic of this book. The host families brought such a fun and deeper meaning to the book.
Set in beautiful Korea, three girls find themselves turning into quick friends, after taking on nanny jobs for more famous people in Korea. One, running from her past.. one, looking for her future and another looking for her biological mom. One night after a day out, they find out about a “wishing waterfall” and it’s rumored that every single wish does come true.. but like it’s always said.. you should be careful what you wish for. As these wishes materialize, we see the repercussions of them start coming down hard.. especially on one in the trio who wants to take her wish back.

I do wish it was paced a little bit better. There were some aspects that made it a little hard to follow. The 3 FMCs acted a little younger than their ages sometimes. (But this was an eARC so maybe that was fixed between then and the physical drop.)

Thank you to Penguin Group Dutton, Tiny Reparations Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!!

Thank you for the early release copy of this book! Overall, the characters were lovable.. I just wish there was closure more for the one character haha

This is a fun, easy-to-read, romance book. Set in Seoul, it follows three American au pairs working for families who live in the same building. Cross-Smith does a great job with the details of Seoul and Jeju and also with the food descriptions - it made me want to go back to Korea.

As You Wish is a story about friendship and love. It left me feeling light and cheerful. Jenny, Selene and Lydia start au pairing in Seoul and they become close friends. On a vacation with their host family they visit an enchanted waterfall and they make a wish and everything changes for them. When they realize what is happening they have to make a choice to live with their wishes coming true or go back to waterfall. I loved that most of this story focused on female friendship instead of romance.

This book follows three girls living in Korea as au pairs. While on a trip with their host families, they each make a wish under an enchanted waterfall. Lydia, who lacks confidence, wishes she could stand out. Jenny, heartbroken after a recent breakup, wishes to never fall in love again. Selena, who was adopted from Korea as a baby, wishes to find her bio mom. Almost immediately, they begin to feel the positive effects of their wishes.

I enjoyed the setting of the book and watching the friendship between the girls grow. Each girl was on a different, unique path, that kept the story interesting. I did feel they read younger than their early twenties age, but I would highly recommend if you’re looking for a coming of age type read.

what a fun, fluffy read! the friendships between the girls, the swoony romance, and the love for south korean culture really came through. i did think at times the first half could be slow, and that this felt a bit YA, but i really enjoyed this book.

First thank you to tiny rep/putnam books and NetGalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 3.5 stars

Synopsis: Lydia, Jenny, and Selena are Americans that traveled to South Korea to be au pairs for Korean families. While there, they traveled to a waterfall on a full moon night to make a wish. The waterfall is magical and can make those wishes come true.

What I liked: I have read or watch k-dramas so I was interested in learning more. The author does a good job of showing the main characters and their life. I am a big fan of magic realism but that part wasn’t a big part of the story. It was very much ficus on the young ladies and their life and friendship. Jenny is struggling after her past fiancé got engaged again very quickly after breaking up. Selena is looking for her birth mother and Lydia is trying to find herself and feel better about herself or feel worthy. All three meet men who along with the other girls help them get what they need. I liked Selena search for her birth mother the best. I don’t know if this is part of k-dramas but it seem like it didn’t go very deep or glossed over items.

I really wanted to enjoy this book, but I don’t think it engaged me as much as I was hoping that it would. I loved this idea of three girls connecting all wanting something different. Together they participate in a ritual which will make their wishes come true. Yet wishes are not always what they seem and sometimes the things we truly think that we want are what we need in the long run.
Thank you to Penguin Group Dutton and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

<b>"The bows and dresses made her look like she was holding it together, even hen she knew she wasn't."</b>

<i>As You Wish</i> was seemingly a book for me - you can feel the author's love for South Korea and the culture of this country, which creates an immersive background that one can easily imagine for themselves.

Unfortunately, I ended up DNFing it. The writing seemed a bit too focused on listing actions of each character, and what I've read up until that point felt more like YA than Adult Fiction. Same could be said about the characters, they did not feel the age they were.

<i> Thank you to Leesa Cross-Smith, PENGUIN GROUP Dutton and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

ARC Review of "As You Wish" by Leesa Cross-Smith

⭐ 4/5 Stars

If you’re craving a lighthearted escape filled with friendship, magic, romance, and just the right amount of K-drama vibes, “As You Wish” delivers! Following three American au pairs in Seoul, this story weaves together wish-granting waterfalls, unexpected love interests, personal journeys, and the power of friendship, all against the dreamy backdrop of South Korea.

I loved how whimsical and hopeful the book felt, while still offering each character her own meaningful arc. Lydia, Jenny, and Selene were easy to root for, and their bond was the real heart of the story. Plus, the included playlists and K-drama starter list? Adorable. I’m seriously tempted to start a drama binge now. This book is a cozy reminder that sometimes, the best kind of magic is the people beside us.

Thank you NetGalley, Leesa Cross-Smith, and Tiny Reparations Books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own ♡

Review posted on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7670658186
And StoryGraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/154d02a9-a504-497b-b0d3-25de6052c78b

I liked that Jenny, Lydia and Selene are brave enough to work and live in a completely different country, and that they learned so much about the culture and the people who live in Korea. I like the idea of the wishes but most of what happens in the story is because of hard work and sometimes misadventures. I also like the romantic element to the story, it made it more inclusive and it shows that love can happen anywhere.
I kept thinking how young the three women are and how little experience they have in dealing with their problems. but because of the support from their employers and the friends they meet they end up learn a lot about themselves and aren't as naïve as they were when they first arrived.

I want to thank PENGUIN GROUP Dutton | Tiny Reparations Books and NetGalley for an advance copy of this novel about experiencing a world different from your own.