Ok so I struggled with this on a few levels, which broke my heart, as I wanted to love it. The fact that I consumed the audiobook ALC most likely contributed a fair bit to that so I may do a reread of the ebook at some point as I would love to have another book to recommend with autistic representation.

It was narrated by Charlie Sanderson who did a fine job but for me it was recorded very slow and she has a high pitched voice to begin with. To even listen to it I had to speed it up to 1.25x which then made the vocal pitch even higher. So I was in a no win situation. This is 100% a me issue.

As far as the story.. on the surface, and a stereotypical one, it’s fun enemies to lovers romance. It’s fast paced and well written. However, I had issues with the representation especially blaming things on autism. People can be ass hats, even when they are autistic. Having a neuro-divergent brain doesn’t give an excuse for questionable behavior. This is different from other people simply misinterpreting things especially not knowing someone neurology. True acceptance of our community is about differentiating between putting someone in a box of what you think they should do vs them displaying plain bad behavior. For example, eye contact. Maintaining it while someone talks and its social acceptance varies on culture, geographic area, situation, etc.. it’s a social construct. So someone falling to do so because it makes them uncomfortable, not able to focus etc.. is very different than say that person intentionally doing things like rolling their eyes as you talk or take out their phone and start scrolling in a way to be rude.

Anyway, the story falls to stereotype and gives excuses for poor behavior. The main characters are simply not likable people and that has zero to do with their neurology. I don’t want to give spoilers so I’m not going to get into details but to say it made me uncomfortable throughout. In my notes as I listened I had written that the writing, while solid, very more suited for younger readers than even the teen/ YA genre. So it didn’t surprise me when I read that the author is typically a children’s author.

So in the end, I may be in the minority with my take away and taking things a bit too seriously as having neurodiversity in fiction, particularly Children’s and YA is so needed and in the end on the surface of things, this can be a great read for NT individuals as well as some ND individuals that may identify. I will update this if I re-read it!

I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary audio ALC from MacMillan through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My general rating system is below. Since I primarily read ARC books I rate according to how I think like minded readers will receive the book. I will round up or down depending on many factors and try not to let my personal wants affect a books ratings.

⭐️ Hated It but pushed through as I don’t DNF ARCs I have received.
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, content issues, poorly edited.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but it had something that stopped me from rounding up. Usually the book may have much more potential than what was given. I recommend it but with reservations.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I Really enjoyed it or think others will. These are solid reads that I definitely would recommend for a variety of reasons.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! These are books that remain rent free in my head for well after unfinished the book. It can be for a variety of reasons from being very well written or just the vibes that captured my mind. These books are also ones I would probably read again

A thoughtful, cozy YA romance with a brilliant autistic heroine

Wish You Were Her is a charming, modern YA nod to The Shop Around the Corner with a sprinkle of Cyrano and a whole lot of heart. Elle McNicoll’s writing shines with warmth, wit, and genuine emotion.

Allegra Brooks is a secretly autistic teen actress trying to escape a media scandal and reconnect with her estranged father in the idyllic Lake Pristine. There, she helps plan the town’s beloved book festival, finds herself in a not-so-straightforward love triangle, and begins learning what she truly wants—from herself, from others, and from her future.

I really appreciated how Elle McNicoll handled Allegra’s internal voice—thoughtful, sharp, and honest without falling into stereotype. The autistic rep is layered and full of nuance, and the small-town bookshop setting is cozy and comforting.

The romance was sweet (and refreshingly awkward at times), and the themes of identity, performance, and belonging hit me in all the right places. A few pacing dips in the middle slowed the story down, and some plot points felt a little familiar—but the payoff was worth it.

Final thoughts: Tender, quirky, and quietly powerful. A great pick for readers who love neurodivergent rep, bookish settings, and summer stories about learning who you are.

4 stars

I've read most of McNicoll's books (and plan to read them all eventually), and I like this author more with each new read. _Wish You Were Her_ reflects all of the features that make McNicoll stand out in a positive way.

Allegra is a young woman, but she has some added experiences that have given her an unusual perspective on life: mainly, her celebrity status! Like most people with any level of acclaim these days, Allegra struggles with the ways in which the media represents her and the public feels a sense of ownership around even the most personal aspects of her identity. One need not be famous to have a dash of empathy for even the ways in which social media impacts our perceptions of ourselves in modern times. How much worse is that cooptation, and how much more dangerous is it, for a famous person? Well, Allegra's experiences will not leave readers on the hunt for their five minutes of fame.

Like other characters this author has penned, Allegra is autistic, and this also impacts her in many implicit and explicit ways. Her desire to keep this information to herself is strong. She thinks about her public persona and her private life frequently. McNicoll brings an in-depth understanding of this situation to her characters, and on a related note, an absolute highlight of this book is the way in which masking is described. Even folks who are completely new to this concept will get a good sense of what this means and how it impacts folks.

As the cover suggests, but I've done a terrible job of relaying thus far, this book is actually a romance and a good one at that. What makes it so good, in my estimation, is that there is so much more happening besides just that piece. The relationship between Allegra and Jonah is complicated, layered, and positive, and it's easy to root for them BECAUSE they are developed characters.

Fans of YA/new adult romance and folks looking for some solid representation of autism in multiple characters will get so much out of this read. I look forward to recommending it to students!

Everything felt like sun-warmed skin and fluttery stomachs. There’s something about long days, messy feelings, and the chaos of a summer book festival that just clicks. I didn’t expect to care this much about two teens figuring out their hearts in the middle of all the author panels and overpriced iced lattes, but here we are.

The romance hit that perfect mix of awkward and electric — not too sappy, not too polished. It gave space for the characters to be dumb and brave at the same time, which honestly felt pretty real. And the festival setting? Totally worked. Book people being dramatic, passionate, nerdy — I loved every second of it.

There were parts that made me grin like an idiot, and a few that tugged harder than expected. Some plot beats felt familiar, but they were done with heart, not laziness. It didn’t try too hard to be “relatable,” it just was.

Honestly? Felt like standing in line at a food truck in the heat, rereading a favorite quote on your phone, heart racing for someone who just smiled at you across the crowd.

I adored getting another story in Lake Pristine (I hope there are more to come!), and that it was a You've Got Mail retelling, down to some exact scenes. This just delighted me. I also love the autism love story part of it, and related so hard to a lot of what these characters went through and felt so deeply the joy of finding someone you can unmask with and be your full self. I flew through this book, just to eager to see them discover each other and get together. It was sweet and just a little sexy and full of deep emotion. I loved it.

One of my most anticipated YA reads of the year by a fav neurodivergent author, this one was a You've got mail, enemies to lovers/Notting Hill vibe story that has a famous teen actress trying to escape for the summer working at a book festival where she falls for the bookseller she's been anonymously emailing only to eventually discover it's the grumpy guy she's been spending all her time with.

I loved the focus on the cost sharing an autism diagnosis with others can take on someone, not only personally but in terms of a career. There was also a love triangle aspect and a sweet coming of age romance. Recommended for fans of books like Battle of the bookstores.

While I wasn't a big fan of the audiobook narrator's British accent (I found it harder to follow the story) it did make it more authentic to the books' British characters. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review.