Reeling from a harsh interview and at loose ends when an acting gig is abruptly cancelled, superstar eighteen-year-old actress Allegra Brooks decides that it's the right time to finally go to Lake Pristine to spend the summer with her father at his bookshop, Brooks Books. Her enthusiasm for the trip grows when, after sending an email to her father to ask for more details about the upcoming book festival in Lake Pristine, she instead receives a charming response from one of his employees and they strike up a flirtatious correspondence that both equally enjoy. Upon her arrival, one of his employees, Jonah, is surly and unwelcoming and flatly refuses to apologize for saying something horrible about her within her hearing. By contrast, his counterpart Simon is charming and clearly pleased that Allegra is there and helping with the festival. When she sees him at the bookstore's computer shortly after she receives yet another email from her pen pal, she's pleased to realize that he must be her unknown correspondent. And yet, as she gets to know Simon better, she's finding it hard to reconcile his snobbish and immature behavior with the self-deprecating and vulnerable pen pal she's been getting to know.

Meanwhile, the reader knows that Jonah is her pen pal and that his horrible attitude towards her is largely because of his tremendous embarrassment over how they met. He also finds his underlying attraction to her highly disconcerting. The reader knows that both Jonah and Allegra are autistic and that the two could understand each other so well if they would only get past how they met. After all, they both have neurotypical friends and family who don't really understand the way that they see and experience the world and could be each other's understanding friend that they have each so often needed.

People have been comparing this book to You've Got Mail and, since You've Got Mail is based upon The Shop Around the Corner, they're right. Since I love both movies but prefer The Shop Around the Corner, this book was right up my alley. I'm always encouraging people to watch the 1940 classic. The dynamic between Allegra and Jonah is so similar to Kralik and Ms. Novak. I loved that the author named a printing press after Mr. Matuschek.

<spoiler>I still don't really understand what was up with George and Jonah. That one sentence response George gave near the end of the book didn't really make sense. From the moment we realized that he and Jonah used to have a close relationship, I thought it was going to be like in The Shop Around the Corner where Vadas had poisoned Mr. Matuschek against Mr. Kralik. That would have made the low-level animosity make sense. It didn't seem like it was just George trying to make Jonah less inclined to stay, which is what he told Jonah it was.</spoiler>

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. The book was well-edited for the most part. I found only two typos, which seems to be rare these days. There were a couple of spots where it seemed like a line was attributed to the wrong character, most notably during the first meeting at the bookstore of the festival committee. In context, something clearly had to have been said by George, but it is attributed to Jonah. It was a little jarring when, near the end of the book, the story abruptly switches to the point of view of two pretty minor characters when the rest of the book is only from Allegra and Jonah's points of view. Still, I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves The Shop Around the Corner, You've Got Mail, and books about books.

Thank you to St Martin's and Netgally for the chance to eARC "Wish You Were Her.."

"Wish You Were Her" is such a cute love story between Allegra and Jonah. It had elements of enemies to lovers, grumpy x sunshine that almost a time felt more grumpy x grumpier, and coworkers to lovers. I adored the story centering around a small town. It gave it an almost Nicholas Sparks feel that so was comforting for me as a huge fan of his books.

Allegra was very easy to fall in love with. She is this beautiful and kind girl who loves books and keeps this mask in place that made my heart ache for her. She is a great representation of most of my dear friends who are autistic. It made her feel so real for me.

Jonah was also the love interest I wanted for her from jump. The emails, the understanding of who she was, their almost instant connection (good or bad). One of his lines made me flutter as a reader. He is such a hopeless romantic without even realizing it.

I did throughly enjoy this book and will be recommending it to friends. I debated hard on 3 or 4 stars. For now, I'm going to do a happy 3.5 on Goodreads and Storygraph, but i will be rounding to a 4 on Netgally!

Wish You Were Here is a captivating YA romance that explores the price of fame, the literary industry and the experience of being an autistic teenage both in and out of the spotlight.

I really loved the character of Allegra. I related to her a lot and I immensely enjoyed reading about her experience as an autistic actress who isn’t public about her autism.

Jonah was very interesting too and I enjoyed seeing the development of his character especially regarding his views on books.

The side character all were pretty fleshed out as well and I really enjoyed the town setting. It reminded me of a lake side Stars Hollow.

All in all, Wish You Were here was a great YA book with relatable characters, an intriguing setting and a great message. Elle McNicoll has hit it out of the park again and I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about this book since I don’t tend to read YA, but I was really intrigued by the synopsis. Overall it was a 4 star read for me and pretty enjoyable. I love a good You’ve got mail parallel.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

The story seems to be another romance of Frenemies becoming romantic but it's because they don't know they are emailing each other while in the story they don't like each other. Lighthearted romance that makes you want to tell the characters what is going on. Allegra has made it big as a movie star but wants some quiet so visits her dad in a small town during their book festival where she finds 2 young men, one wants to be with her and the other seems at odds. Allegra is autistic and we discover later that so is Jonah. Positive story about neurodivergents.

A love story you can’t help but root for!
Absolutely wonderfully written with some of the most beautiful characters

I loved this book - beautifully written, wonderful characters, a love story you can’t help but root for. Highly recommending this to everyone - an important story to read!

This was such a sweet story! I LOVED the neurodivergent representation and self-advocacy with people in the characters’ lives that so fully embraced when the autistic characters communicated their needs. I enjoyed the small-town setting and email correspondence to add another layer to the story, I wish some aspects of the plot were more fully fleshed out or described (e.g., character relationships). Also, this is more personal preference but the third person point of view made my feel a bit detached from the characters and I think first person (maybe with multiple points of view) could have helped readers connect with them even more. Finally, it became redundant and a bit annoying that characters were mentioned with first and last name every time after their initial introduction.

Thank you so much to St Martin’s Publishing group for sending me an arc!

In this book you follow Allegra, an autistic, eighteen year old movie star that goes to spend the summer in the small town her dad lives in to escape bad press. She becomes anonymous penpals with Jonah, a bookseller at her father’s bookstore that she has a bad first encounter with. They end up forming a strong connection with each other through their emails, unaware of who they are really talking to.


I really enjoyed the bookish aspect of this. I thought the book festival in a small town part was so cozy and fun. I could feel how passionate Allegra and Jonah were about books and how it connected them together. I really enjoyed the autistic representation and it was very eye opening to read about Allegra and Jonah’s experiences. I loved the friendship aspect of this and Jonah’s self discovery and character growth. However, I did feel like the characters could have felt a bit more fleshed out because I didn’t feel super attached to them by the time the plot sped up. I also wish that we had gotten more moments between Jonah and Allegra outside of the emails for me to be super invested in them together. Overall, I did enjoy my reading experience and would recommend if you want a fun, bookish YA book about self discovery with a romance, and autistic representation!

A quiet masterpiece that hums with soul and sings with truth. Wish You Were Here is a gentle storm—subtle but powerful, emotional yet empowering. McNicoll gives us a protagonist who doesn’t just exist on the page, she lives there—bold, brave, and beautifully neurodivergent.

Set against the bittersweet ache of grief and the salt-kissed winds of a coastal escape, this story wraps you in its arms like your favorite oversized sweater. It’s about holding on, letting go, and finding your own way to say “I’m still here.”

Poignant, poetic, and perfectly paced—this is the kind of story that changes the way you see the world, and maybe even yourself.

This was a sweet YA read. It felt more YA than other books I've read but was still cute.

Thank you to netgalley for an advanced copy. My opinions are my own.

Really cute romance!
i found some parts in the book to be one-dimensional/biased. Wasn’t a big fan of the catfishing trope.
A little immature but really cute enemies to lovers
overall really loved the concept and plot and most of the characters.

⭐⭐⭐💫

WISH YOU WERE HER by Elle McNicoll

Thank you Netgalley and WednesdayBooks for the earc (Aug 26)

Allegra Brooks is famous, but all she wants is to be normal for the summer. To do so, she goes to Lake Pristine for its annual book festival. There, she makes friends and exchanges emails with an anonymous person who works at the bookstore who she is sure isn't the grumpy Jonah Thorne.
WISH YOU WERE HER is a cutesy romance. Its easily readable and pretty fast-paced, which made the relationship that occurred happen super quick---at times it felt a little too quick.
I really, really wanted to love this book, but I didn't. Don't get me wrong, I did like it. It's just I ended up growing bored part way through. I'm not sure why. I read a few reviews, and I have to agree that some things---specifically the Jonah and George drama---wasn't resolved very well.
WISH YOU WERE HER is riddled with romance and drama. It also offers autistic representation. I do recommend this book if you're looking for a pallate cleanser since it is a light/cutesy romantic-y book.

I liked the story line of this book, but felt it lacked some character development. It was really hard to me to get into and stay interested. However, I loved how the author brought it 2 autistic characters.

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday books for the opportunity to read this book in advance of release day.

I almost immediately fell into this world. The writing was smooth and fast paced enough without missing a beat along the way.

The autism rep is great here. Relating so much, my former teen self would have truly appreciated the rep so much.

The miscommunication/no communication will both some who maybe do not relate so much to the rep, please keep in mind these are young teens who are trying to navigate the world, on top of also being neurodivergent who wants to be “normal”.

Once upon a time I read a lot more of the YA genre than I do currently. This was a hit for me.

Everyone thinks fame is so wonderful, all the adoration, all the love from fans. Allegra Brooks knows better, as a young actress whose rise to fame has been compared to a supernova, she is adored and love by millions. Some of these fans can be brutal, obsessive and down right scary. When Allegra has an opportunity to go stay with her dad, George, owner of a local bookstore in Lake Pristine for the summer, she is so ready. When Allegra emails the bookstore, she ends up flirting unknowingly via email with Jonah Thorne, a grumpy, nearly rigid bookseller who work for her Dad. However, when Allegra and Jonah meet in person, nothing is friendly, in fact it is downright hostile. Will things change for these two? Will they realize they have much more in common than they even realize? Small town drama awaits.

This is my second book by this author and I adored this latest venture. The writing and plot are a pleasure to read. The characters are likable. The author has a distinct way of providing information about people who are neurodivergent in an informative manner without being preachy or condescending to those of us who are unfamiliar. It’s a lovely story about two people who discover they are meant for each other, each other’s safe space, each other’s comfort and still are able to be themselves. Great read, well done!

Elle McNicoll does it again! I’ve read many of her books, and every time I am amazed. Before reading this book, I don’t think I’ve ever see a relationship between two autistic people represented. Allegra and Jonah were both amazing representations, and I feel like Elle was able to show the different ways autistic people can be. I loved this book, and am excited to see what Elle McNicoll does next!

Normally I'm not a YA reader, but when I read the description for this, I couldn't resist. It was an enjoyable read and one fans of You've Got Mail would enjoy.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was very well written, and as a counselor, I loved the talk of autism and the struggles the main characters each faced due to their own diagnosis. I would encourage many teenagers to read this book and see how the author approaches people with diagnosis and how others in the book may not handle things appropriately.

I cannot wait to pick up more books by this author!