Grace has a dysfunctional home life but her mother keeps insisting she is fine. Eva has lost her mother and is now living with a guardian who trying to help her with her grief and failing. These two girls discover each other, fall in love and help each other work through their grief. All of the characters were well developed with flaws and redeeming qualities. I really enjoyed reading about the different relationships in this novel. Mother-daughter relationships, friendships, and first loves. Enjoy this summer read

‘How to Make a Wish’ centers on Grace. After her father dies in combat her mother jumps from home to home and boyfriend to boyfriend. Her mother’s erratic behavior pushes Grace to be protective of her mother. She is forced to ‘adult’ by cooking dinner and paying bills.Her talent at planning the piano is the only thing that keeps her grounded.
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Grace’s luck seems to be turning a corner when she lands a spot to audition for her dream school. However, when Grace arrives home from a ‘piano camp’ she realizes that her mother has moved them again. This time, however, it’s into the shore’s lighthouse.
Grace soon meets Eva. A girl who has just lost her mother. From there their relationship takes an unexpected turn.
I went into ‘How To Make a Wish’ not knowing much about the plot. I really loved the idea that Grace has this one thing that keeps her stable, piano, when everything around her is a whirlwind. I think it is also fresh idea to have a teenage girl who bisexual.
I really liked the characters. Grace’s mother was easy to dislike but as I dove deeper into the novel I realized that she is kind of searching for who she is too. She desperately wants to love and be loved but just goes about it the wrong way. The plot did drag a little but I flew through most of the book wanting to know how Grace and Eva’s relationships comes out. I also loved how the ending was done. It was very symbolic and sweet.
The one thing that kind of threw me off was just how much of a music prodigy Grace was. It seemed to make her somewhat hard to relate to for the average person and I kept thinking of ‘Etta’ from ‘Passenger’. I also became frustrated with how Grace just went along with whatever her mother wanted.
‘HTMAW’ is a heartstrings pulling read. It shows a unique perspective on teen love with well-developed characters and an endearing plot.

The characters in this book are all brilliantly developed. Even the supporting characters are all three dimensional. Ashley Herring Blake has this amazing way of bringing the characters to life and making it impossible not to love them. I related to Grace so deeply in so many ways and it was incredible to see parts of myself so well represented in her. The power of ownvoices strikes again!

I also loved learning about Eva and watching her pick herself up from the devastating loss of her mother. She seems a bit lost at first but she really gets into figuring out who she is without her mother, who was a very big part of her life. I also thoroughly adore the brilliant bi representation we get with Grace because oh my gosh how is Ashley Herring Blake writing about me?? (Piano skills sadly not included.) I even found a soft spot for some of the more prickly characters.

The story takes place in a beachside town called Cape Katherine. We’re given enough details about each place to be able to imagine being there, whether it’s standing on the beach, visiting LuMac’s, or simply sitting in Grace’s room. The world is built up just enough to be thoroughly immersive and I love it.

As for the story itself…. this is the part I’ve been having trouble writing out because most of it comes out as [screaming!!!] but I think I’m getting better at articulating my feels for this amazing story.

There are so many things this story focuses on while still maintaining movement toward the end. I felt like the biggest focus of the story was the toxic relationship between Grace and Maggie and the guilt and anxiety that Grace feels as a direct result of being Maggie’s daughter. We get to see Grace learn more about herself as a person in a very coming-of-age way. (Want an LGBT+ coming-of-age without a coming out? Look no further!) She grows quite a bit from the beginning to the end and I really enjoyed watching it.

We get to see the amazing friendship between Grace and Luca. I absolutely loved the platonic love and trust between these two, especially with the amazingly realistic addition of Grace’s anxiety. I related to this aspect so hard where Grace’s anxiety about being good enough occasionally outweighed her knowledge of how much her friend loves her.

Of course, we also got the hopelessly beautiful thing that is Grace and Eva’s relationship. I love that it wasn’t instalove but that they slowly, over time, got to where they did. It was SO BEAUTIFUL!! I still can’t form coherent thoughts on it beyond screaming but just know I love it and I’m so here for it.

I read this book in a single sitting, which actually ended around 3am. I regret nothing. I absolutely adored it from beginning to end. I would not change a single thing!

Trigger Warning: Attempted Rape, Neglectful Alcoholic Parent, Drunk Driving,


I absolutely loved How to Make A Wish. It's adorable and painful, awkward and real. I was in as soon as I read the f/f couple part, but really I love "issue" books like this. I love books where the families aren't all dead or perfect. Where bills and jobs weight as much as they do in real life.

I grew up without a mother and an alcoholic father. I was working as a dishwasher real young to help out. Plus it gave me something to do while chilling at the bar all the time. Why are books that reflect my life, the lives of my friends, boiled down to "issue" books and disregarded as a ploy? My life is more than one event, and even if it is only the one thing, that one thing matters, okay? Statistics are real people. I just...fuck anyone who disdains for those of us.

If it's a bad book, diss that part, not the reality.

↣Hooked right away
↣Living with her asshole ex is an issue but it quickly becomes more of a back-burner one. Grace also realizes stuff about herself, Ex is still a douche but not a comic book villain.
↣Being bisexual and being a lesbian for Grace and Eva have consequences and considerations, but it's not a "coming out" book. The main "problem" isn't that they're attracted to each other or in a relationship. The biggest gay hardship is making Maggie crawl out of a bottle long enough to remember Grace coming out.
↣Realistic, authentic issues with an alcoholic parent. My father is/was an alcoholic and that push and pull of child-caretaker riding the edge is painful.
↣Lesbian sex! And I don't mean that in a creepy way, but in the bout damn time way. It's the best kind: fumbling, awkward, and adorable.
↣Love how Grace is bisexual, and describes her realizing it, how experience isn't necessary for your identity
↣Female masturbation is included, but again not creepy or voyeuristic.
↣Eva is awesome. She colors adult coloring books for anxiety, rails against being called "exotic" and is trying to cope with losing her mom.
↣Luca is a great best friend. And yes, they're actually only friends. He's funny and not a macho guy with toxic masculinity.
↣There is some friction between Luca's girlfriend and Grace, as Grace has to face some unpleasant facts.However, it's not a full on war and they come to terms.
↣Grace is awesome. She loves Cherry coke and is scared of water beasts like me :D
and her pathology is on point. She's unwittingly in this cycle, continues playing her role, and is in denial in a real way. It takes hitting rock bottom, effort, and pain to halt the fucked up trajectory they're on. Her realization is so fucking familiar. Even when you're aware and fighting to be normal, things like this fuck you up in ways you don't see until it smacks you in the face.
↣Grace's mom Maggie is very familiar with the bar fly women I've known. It's depressing.
↣The lifeguard crush reminds me of Sandlot, which is a good thing.
↣Ending is perfect.
↣The denial and trauma of dealing with the rape threats and the bars and the fear of unknown men that is all anxiety-inducingly real. I do wish there was more support and acknowledgement but given Grace's issues, it's understandable why she doesn't have the vocab for it.


Top Quotes:
My entire life is one gigantic just.


I just never know when a good day is going to turn to total crap.

Okay, first of all, I'm glad that I seem to be in a diverse reads marathon because the past several books that I recently read features an LGBTQ+ main character. Another thing is that I was really looking forward to reading this one, not only because I loved Ashley's Suffer Love, but also, the main character is bisexual which I can identify with.

For some reason, I liked that the story started with a conflict. Grace was forced to live with his ex-boyfriend, Jay, because her mom was currently dating Jay's dad. Isn't there anything more awkward? To add, Grace's mother was also unstable, so she basically learned to be more independent than she should be. To top that, her mother develops a bond with Eva, the girl she likes, and Grace felt a little betrayed by that.
I think I fell in love with Grace and Eva too early, because I always anticipate for their scenes together. They're just so lovely and their chemistry was strong. I quite enjoyed the fact that they hit it off quickly, and how the whole thing unfolded was enjoyable to read. Grace was also able to explore her feelings and sexuality throughout the book and it was delightful to read because Ashley nailed it with her writing.

Another thing I loved about the book was Luca and his personality! I love how supportive he was of Grace and that he always has her back, and vice versa. Also, Luca's relationship with his mom was tight, and free. I enjoyed their occasional banter, and of course, sweet scenes together.

I guess the only issue I had with the book was how little the situation about Grace's mom, Maggie, was resolved. I think there could have been a better resolution for her situation. Also, it may be a little odd, but I would have loved to have seen more of Jay, his dad, and the overall home situation. Though I guess, I would understand why Grace would prefer to be not at home at all. However, I enjoyed the little interactions Grace had with Jay, especially towards the end of the book.

Overall, this book didn't disappoint. Blake's writing flows freely in this character-driven book. She nailed writing different kinds of relationships and all of those were shown in this book. I totally recommend this one especially if you're looking for a sweet, yet poignant f/f YA.

This was actually my first F/F YA book. It is not something I have seen a lot of. I did enjoy how Ashley Herring Blake wrote the book as what I call gently. it was a sweet love story combined with a terrible relationship with Grace's Mother, which was heartbreaking.

The book flowed along very nicely. I like the sweetness of new love whether it is M/F, F/F, or M/M. I really liked how the love blossomed slowly instead of full blown all at once. I liked the friendship as well. It was really great that Grace had a has a support system with her friends since her mother is horrible.

You also get some controversial things in the book. I personally have no problems with them but some people may. Grace is bisexual and the romance is biracial. Parts of this book actually would be very good for a teenage girl struggling wit her sexuality. Even heterosexual's could learn more and understand better how their bisexual and gay friends feel and think.

I am really picky when it comes to my contemporary reads. Nevertheless, I was really excited to read How to Make A Wish, because I love books that tackle relationships, and I was looking forward to read my first book with a bisexual MC and I absolutely adore Ashley. And the book didn't disappoint by any means, and has actually become one of the rare contemporary gems in my fav shelf!

Grace's relationship with her mother is what you'll call complicated. Her mum is unreliable, unpredictable and a piece of work who's gone to new limits this time, by moving in with her new boyfriend, who just happens to be Grace's ex's father. The only people keeping her life sane is her best friend, his mum and Eva - the new girl in town who starts the butterflies in Grace. How to Make a Wish is the story of Grace and her relationships - whether it be her mother, best friend or Eva.

I adored this book. It reminded me of the Sarah Dessen books I binged when I was 14, especially my favourite Dessen novel - Lock and Key. There are only a few contemporary authors I trust with handling platonic relationships as the central theme of a book, and Ashley has certainly joined that list. The book is beautiful, but not in a perfect, delicate way, but rather beautiful in its honesty, in its realistic portrayal and how it doesn't shy away from the ugly bits of everyday life and relationships.

Grace is hands down one of the most realistic contemporary narrators I've read in recent times. Her feelings, anger, passion, sadness, jealousy - everything rang so true, and I loved it. She didn't make the perfect decisions, hurt people she loved while making excuses for those who didn't deserve it, and she was so real that at times I forgot that she's a fictional character. Her sexuality was explained so well, that even a straight girl like me could feel what she felt when I read those lines - of course, How to Make A Wish is #ownvoices, so it makes sense.

Even though it contains a love story - an extremely cute one in that, but let's talk about that later - the predominant focus of the book is Grace and her mother. Both love each other - a lot, of course - but her mum's lifestyle, impulsiveness and straight up impossibility at times give Grace a hard time. There are certain times when I straight up despised her mother, and was repeatedly wondering why Grace even put up with her, but there are also instances where she clearly loved Grace and made it hard to give up on her. Their bond was dynamic, at times messed up, complicated - but it was also heartwarming and bittersweet and that's the most beautiful thing about this book.

Grace and her best friend Luca were adorable. The friendship was wonderful, and I also loved how realistic their rough patches were, especially at times when Grace refused to give up on her mother as Luca wants her to, and when he gets a girlfriend and Grace feels awkward.

And the romance. It was just incredible. I loved Eva. She was sweet and the perfect juxtaposition to Grace in every way, and I loved it. Her voice as a biracial and lesbian girl was distinct and her grief made me want to hug her tight. Eva and Grace had one of the cutest romances ever, with enough tension and feels to make me swoon.

Overall How to Make A Wish is a character driven story that focuses on relationships. If these type of stories are your thing, then you should definitely give this book a shot. I'd also recommend the book to fans of Sarah Dessen and Elizabeth Scott, or any contemporary fan tbh! Also, if you're looking for an authentic F/F love story with a bisexual MC, this book is a must read!