This book is the very definition of “be careful what you wish for”. Jenny, Lydia, and Selene are three very different women who meet as au pairs to three families who are best friends in Seoul. All three young women came to Seoul for very different reasons. Lydia is there to pursue her art, and to try to find her confidence. Selene is there to search for the birth mother she has always wondered about. Jenny is there to escape her first heartbreak, hoping she has gone far enough to escape the pain. As these three become friends and share their innermost desires, they get the chance to participate in a wishing ritual that they hope will make all their dreams come true. Then the book explores what happens when your wishes come true in a magical way. An interesting read filled with lots of fabulous food and culture. I received an ARC, and this is my honest review.

Lydia, Jenny, and Selene have each come to Seoul for different reasons. Spreading her wings. Running away from reminders of a bad breakup. Finding her birth mother. The three never would have crossed paths if it wasn't for the closeknit circle of family's they are nannying for. The three girls make a wish, but is getting what they wished for really what they want?

Read if you like:
-Coming of Age
-Be Careful What You Wish For

I liked As You Wish, but I didn't love it. It was a fun concept, but I struggled to connect with the girls. Lydia and Jenny in particular came across as self-centered. I did really enjoy Selene's storyline and it might have been better if the book only followed her.

A whimsical cautionary tale about being careful what you wish for. Jenny, Lydia, and Selene took jobs as au pairs in Seoul for different reasons- Jenny has been accepted to an arts program, Lydia has had a hard breakup, and Selene wants to find her bio mom. When their families take them to Jeju island, they go together to make a wish and to everyone's surprise, things start to happen. They didn't fully consider what they were wishing for. I liked this for the incorporation of Korean culture (including the food!). The kids were realistic and the host families kind. I did struggle a bit with the women who are meant to be in their mid-20s but convey as much younger. What's most important, though, is their friendship and that comes through loud and clear. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. A good read.

As You Wish is a true love letter to South Korea. Leesa Cross-Smith does a great job of integrating Korean culture and traditions that makes the reader feel immersed in the country - which I really enjoyed. However, the rest of the plot fell short.

The story revolves around three American au-pairs in their early/mid-20’s who come to South Korea for different reasons. Lydia is trying to break out of her mold, Selene trying to find her birth mom, and Jenny trying to recover from a heartbreak.

The premise was a fun idea, but the execution fell short for me. The plot seemed to jump scene to scene and the writing appeared almost detached at times, making it hard to get into the feelings/emotions of the scenes. The book would jump from each POV right after a big moment, interrupting the flow of the plot, making things appear disjointed. There were plot points and scenes that needed more fleshing out but I feel like big moments were quickly skipped over, dampening the impact of the scenes.

I also had an issue with the characters - they were supposed to be early/mid twenties but had dialogue similar to teenagers. It really felt out of place at times. Also I think the characters needed more depth because at times, the characters’ thoughts/actions/mannerisms would blend, making it hard to tell the differences between the three au pairs.

I really liked As You Wish! I enjoyed watching Lydia, Jenny, and Selene's time as au pairs in Seoul, South Korea play out. I've never been to either Seoul or South Korea so I learned a lot about both from this book. Only issue I had was the pacing. It was a very interesting beginning 50%, but the middle stalled out a bit, and the ending rushed into a neat little bow. I would still highly recommend As You Wish.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the advanced copy in exchange for my review.

The story's Korean setting and cultural elements were beautifully portrayed and immersive, but I struggled to connect with the characters and plot. The characters felt immature and more suited for a young adult novel, despite being adults, which made certain romantic or “spicy” scenes feel awkward. The premise of three American au pairs in Korea was promising, but the execution, especially the shallow romantic subplots and confusing POV shifts, weakened the story for me. The magical aspect felt superficial, and the focus on romance overshadowed deeper themes like identity and healing. A particular conflict in the final act, rooted in poor communication, felt childish and frustrating. Additionally, having all three main characters fall in love simultaneously made their individual growth arcs feel less significant.

Lydia, Jenny and Selene are three au pairs in South Korea. Their individual journeys begin when they each make a wish. Their bonds of friendship grow strong while they are there. They find out that what they need isn't tied to their wishes but rather their bond to each other. There's a mix of magic, culture and emotional bonding in this story and that's what makes it interesting. Thanks to @NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

First and foremost, thank you to the publisher and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I loved this story and it was definitely worth the read! I absolutely loved this book!!!

I have read several books by this author and I love that they are all unique and quite different from each other. Sometimes it seems that an author hits on a formula that is successful and then the characters change but the stories are similar. Well Leesa Cross-Smith is not like that. Three young American women move to Seoul to work as au pairs and they each have a different reason for doing so. One to escape a breakup, another to search for her long last mom, etc. On a vacation with the families they are working for they visit a magical waterfall which causes everything to change.

This is a beautiful exploration of friendship. I really enjoyed the setting, as I have read very few books set in Seoul. It was nice to experience a different culture through reading of this book.

⭐️: 4.75 / 5

Publication Date: June 24, 2025

I want to thank Tiny Reparations Books and Net Galley for allowing me to get an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book is split into 3 sections: Girls, Wishes, Inyeon. All of the FMCs are in their mid 20s starting work as au pairs for 3 families in Seoul, Korea. This story starts in Summer and goes through December with so many twists and turns throughout the story.

Some of the coolest aspects of this story, were all the descriptions of the different places in Korea they visited. Everything from the sights and sounds to the delicious food was described in such detail that I felt transported. I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention that the men in this book were phenomenal.

As for my reservations, I found Lydia and Jenny to be annoying from time to time and being more juvenile than you would expect from women their age.

Overall I thought this book was cute and sweet! There were moments that I was kicking my feet with glee and it was the perfect blend of friendship, romance, drama and humor. There’s playlists throughout the book and a list of suggested starter Korean dramas that this book has inspired me to give K-dramas a try!

Would recommend for those who are fans of
- Linear timelines
- South Korea setting
- Character driven stories
- Relationships
- Playlists!

Characters: 8
Atmosphere/setting: 10
Writing style: 10
Plot: 9
Intrigue: 10
Logic: 9
Relationships: 10
Entertainment: 10
Total: 4.75

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book before release in exchange for my honest review.

This book was just ok for me. Enjoyed the girls friendship but it wasn't all that enthralling for me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy

As You Wish by Leesa Cross-Smith is a third person multi-POV romantic contemporary set in South Korea that follows three au pairs from America. Lydia, Jenny, and Selene meet for the first time when they are hired to take care of the children of three families who are friends with each other. On a trip to Jeju Island, the three girls wish for their heart’s desires and they start to get them and find genuine love on the way.

Jenny and Haru’s romance was the one I was most invested in, mostly because Jenny does notice so much about Haru and the quiet moments between them in the kitchen are one of my favorite set-ups for those moments in romance books. We only get Jenny’s POV, but we do see hints of Haru’s humor and his dedication to his career, which also helps make him feel real. Jenny’s POV does very strongly revolve around her romance with Haru and I think that makes sense because she met him on Jeju and they hit it off quickly, but she also thinks it’s just a fling and I wanted to shake her and say ‘no, he genuinely likes you.’ This is complicated further by the fact that Jenny is still getting over her ex who very quickly got engaged to an ex-girlfriend of his after he broke-up with Jenny.

Selene’s journey involves her looking for her birth mother and learning more about where she comes from as she was born in South Korea but raised by an American couple. She meets Joon who helps her on her mission and the two get closer, slowly becoming comfortable with each other the more time goes on. What I thought was really interesting about Selene’s journey is how the tone is fairly at peace with her situation, she just wants a name. When I often watch films about adoptees, there tends to be a frantic energy because they’re so desperate to know, but Selene being in her birth country and learning more about part of where she comes from is a journey on its own and she’s enjoying it.

Lydia goes through several dates and possible love interests before ending up with Santi, a young man from Spain who is attending the same art classes in Seoul as Lydia. Lydia’s journey not only involves romance but also her own feelings of inadequacy. Lydia doesn’t see herself as interesting or talented and relies a lot on external validation in regards to her looks and what she gets from her boss. Santi gives her very little in way of validation and I think that is exactly what she needs because it helps her see that she needs to learn how to validate herself and not go chasing people to give it to her.

I would recommend this to fans of contemporary fiction with strong romance subplots and readers who love K-dramas and K-pop and like references to it in their literature

Review posted to StoryGraph and Goodreads on 6/13/25. Review will be posted to Amazon on release day.

Lydia, Jenny, and Selene find themselves on a big adventure when they all become au pairs for three families in Seoul. The girls navigate their life in a new country while trying to figure out who they are and what they want.
If you love k-drama and k-pop you’ll love this book. I liked that the girls were all different and had different things they wanted to work on/learn about themselves. I enjoyed the supporting cast of characters. It was an overall cute, quick read.

I wanted to like this book but the writing style is just not for me. Important things would happen and the book would gloss over them only to give you details chapters later, I don't understand why it couldn't be done in the moment. I did like all the couples though.

I received an arc through netgalley

Be careful what you wish for...

3 au pairs in Korea make a different wish that they desire deep down and will learn that sometimes what you wish for can hurt but it can also help you grow.

I wanted to like this. I liked the premise. Plus I have a very big love for Seoul, Korea. The writing was at times cheesy and I found the characters very childish. It read like a YA but was written like a NA.

2.5/5 Stars * I thought this book was a cute story idea and it had some good pieces to it, but overall it wasn't my favorite read. I had a hard time reading Jenny and Lydia's chapters, but found myself more absorbed into Selene's story. Lydia felt so immature to me, and Jenny seemed like she only cared about boys. Selene's story seemed to have more depth and flowed more naturally. I was invested in whether or not she was going to find what she went to Seoul for. If it had been a book only about Selene with the other girls as minor background characters, I probably would have enjoyed the overall book more. Beyond the characters, there was just too much going on with the plot. There were so many stories I don't feel like any one story got the full attention that could have improved the story.

Unfortunately, this just wasn't for me. One thing I really loved throughout the story was the Korean settings and culture. That piece of it was so beautifully done. I felt like I was there. But I had a difficult time connecting to the characters and the overall story. There was a weird disjointedness in the characters. They were written in such a way that this felt very YA. The language and conversations and behaviors just didn't feel make those characters feel very adult (even considering they are young). Then there were the odd and weird placed spicy references which were hard to read when you can't think of the characters in an adult manner. I really, really struggled. And it may be that I am not the target audience for this specific book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Such a fun and easy, cozy read!

The drama was there but even when things seemed tense, you knew the characters’ friendships would help them work it out. The details about living as a foreigner in Seoul were vivid and the relationships written about were all aspirational.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tiny Rep Books for the arc in exchange for a honest review!

Three American women move to Korea to au pair, and are all looking for something in the process. They become close friends, and while vacationing with the families on an island, they come across an enchanted waterfall. Each makes a wish, and they start coming true, for better or worse.

This was a fun and unique story. How much of a wish is actually true, and how much of it is perception? Each woman has a reason for moving across the world. I enjoyed each woman’s perspective, but Selene searching for her birth mother was my favorite. It was more emotional, and I could really relate to her.

This book talks about a lot of Korean traditions and food, and I really enjoyed that aspect too. I’m not familiar with any K-dramas, but the author took inspiration from them, so I could see my self enjoying them as well.

If you like women’s fiction with a touch of magical realism and multiple povs, then I think you’ll really like this one!

4.5 stars

joyful, well done, interesting plotted story about three au pairs wishing to get their current goals. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.