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owlyreadsalot's review
4.0
There was much I liked about How To Make A Wish, especially the depth of most of the characters. I found that I got taken right in by their ever-growing personalities and how great of a best friend and second mother figure Grace had in Emmy, because the mother that gave birth to her was just the worst.
The best parts were the relationships, not being afraid to venture forward in life, getting to know those who seemed to be more than what their outer exterior showed. It was a great novel about becoming and not being afraid of what lay ahead, what life held for the future. Their experiences are those of many, not always easy to go through, but honest and life changing.
"Still, I wasn't unhappy. A weird thing I'm learning about grief--grief in all its forms --is that you can feel almost everything once. You'd think all those tears, all that laughter, all that deep sadness and even deeper hope would still the lungs and stop the heart. But no. It's sort of the opposite. And that's the funny thing about wishes--only when one comes true do you realize the full scope of that wish. What you really wanted. The beauty of it. The complexity. The cost."
It's a harsh reality for Grace though, even though she finds love it isn't in the easiest of terms. Her mother makes everything in her life a struggle and that much harder to be able to love freely and be open about what she wants or deserves to have. That is where my blood boiled. Her mother is a whole different something. She caused so many feels and none of them happy ones, especially when I think about how those things happen to many children and youth in real life.
Grace, Eva, Luca, Emmy, even Jay all end up helping each other be free of those painful things and moments that plague their life. They find solace in each other and help each other gain closure from past relationships, choices, and family woes. They're all very complex characters, with many facets to them. Their lives are not an easy thing to live with, and their circumstances even harder, showing all of us the importance of having loved ones by your side.
"Emmy answers the door dressed in a tank top and a pair of blue-and-yellow-plaid pajama bottoms, her hair a sleep-tossed mess. She takes one look at my tear-ruined face and the suitcase in my hand before she releases a long sigh, like she's been holding that breath for years. Maybe she has. Maybe we all have. Then she smiles a sad smile--part relief, part heartbreak--and pulls me into her arms."
It's a novel that had it all the feels, but too many painful ones to be able to fully give this all the stars I'm able to give. Even though I struggled to get past a few sections in this novel, it was all meant to bring the story to full circle. Doesn't make any of it easier, but genuine and leaving the reader with hope for happy endings even when it seems like the storm will never fade.
***I received this copy from HMH Teen. All opinions are my own.***
The best parts were the relationships, not being afraid to venture forward in life, getting to know those who seemed to be more than what their outer exterior showed. It was a great novel about becoming and not being afraid of what lay ahead, what life held for the future. Their experiences are those of many, not always easy to go through, but honest and life changing.
"Still, I wasn't unhappy. A weird thing I'm learning about grief--grief in all its forms --is that you can feel almost everything once. You'd think all those tears, all that laughter, all that deep sadness and even deeper hope would still the lungs and stop the heart. But no. It's sort of the opposite. And that's the funny thing about wishes--only when one comes true do you realize the full scope of that wish. What you really wanted. The beauty of it. The complexity. The cost."
It's a harsh reality for Grace though, even though she finds love it isn't in the easiest of terms. Her mother makes everything in her life a struggle and that much harder to be able to love freely and be open about what she wants or deserves to have. That is where my blood boiled. Her mother is a whole different something. She caused so many feels and none of them happy ones, especially when I think about how those things happen to many children and youth in real life.
Grace, Eva, Luca, Emmy, even Jay all end up helping each other be free of those painful things and moments that plague their life. They find solace in each other and help each other gain closure from past relationships, choices, and family woes. They're all very complex characters, with many facets to them. Their lives are not an easy thing to live with, and their circumstances even harder, showing all of us the importance of having loved ones by your side.
"Emmy answers the door dressed in a tank top and a pair of blue-and-yellow-plaid pajama bottoms, her hair a sleep-tossed mess. She takes one look at my tear-ruined face and the suitcase in my hand before she releases a long sigh, like she's been holding that breath for years. Maybe she has. Maybe we all have. Then she smiles a sad smile--part relief, part heartbreak--and pulls me into her arms."
It's a novel that had it all the feels, but too many painful ones to be able to fully give this all the stars I'm able to give. Even though I struggled to get past a few sections in this novel, it was all meant to bring the story to full circle. Doesn't make any of it easier, but genuine and leaving the reader with hope for happy endings even when it seems like the storm will never fade.
***I received this copy from HMH Teen. All opinions are my own.***
chandlerainsley's review against another edition
4.0
break my fucking neck
now that i have your attention, this book was good. fun back story time: i have way too many books but i was craving something new so i finally got a library card and grabbed 5 books that i knew little about and went home and immediately started this one.
i knew that this had a f/f relationship but pretty much nothing else. and it took me by surprise. it's about a girl named grace with an irresponsible & alcoholic mother who is just trying to get through her senior year. a new girl comes to town, they fall in love, bad shit happens.
i genuinely enjoyed how this was written. it was musical and lyrical without being too purple. the emotions that blake describes are ones that i've actually experienced.. especially in relation to romantic feelings. too often, i feel like authors try and make things pretty and in doing so they make a character's emotions and physical feelings way too difficult to connect with. not this one.
i also appreciated the way that side characters came into place. it felt very slice of life. no one was there to provide big life lessons or help grace figure her shit out, she had to do that on her own.
the only thing i didn't like about this book was how grace handled her mother. i have never been in a situation where my parent is codependent on me and also emotionally manipulative. so i can't say that i think grace made stupid decisions. but it was really painful to watch grace put up with so much bullshit, especially near the end of the book when she had a support system, outside of just her mom, to turn to
overall, this book was sincerely beautiful. i think this is the first FF i've read in at LEAST 2 years and i'm so glad this one was the first book i picked up from my stack. give it a try, it's a nice quiet read and even though it's set in the summer it's perfect for fall.
now that i have your attention, this book was good. fun back story time: i have way too many books but i was craving something new so i finally got a library card and grabbed 5 books that i knew little about and went home and immediately started this one.
i knew that this had a f/f relationship but pretty much nothing else. and it took me by surprise. it's about a girl named grace with an irresponsible & alcoholic mother who is just trying to get through her senior year. a new girl comes to town, they fall in love, bad shit happens.
i genuinely enjoyed how this was written. it was musical and lyrical without being too purple. the emotions that blake describes are ones that i've actually experienced.. especially in relation to romantic feelings. too often, i feel like authors try and make things pretty and in doing so they make a character's emotions and physical feelings way too difficult to connect with. not this one.
i also appreciated the way that side characters came into place. it felt very slice of life. no one was there to provide big life lessons or help grace figure her shit out, she had to do that on her own.
the only thing i didn't like about this book was how grace handled her mother. i have never been in a situation where my parent is codependent on me and also emotionally manipulative. so i can't say that i think grace made stupid decisions. but it was really painful to watch grace put up with so much bullshit, especially near the end of the book when she had a support system, outside of just her mom, to turn to
overall, this book was sincerely beautiful. i think this is the first FF i've read in at LEAST 2 years and i'm so glad this one was the first book i picked up from my stack. give it a try, it's a nice quiet read and even though it's set in the summer it's perfect for fall.
mckinlay's review
5.0
*I received a copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
This book hit so many things that I love as a reader. Fantastic bi rep. Wonderful portrayal of a male/female friendship because yes, they do exist. It definitely had its sadder parts that tugged on my heart strings, but the romance remained extremely swoony. All in all, it was an amazing book. One of my all time favorite f/f romances for sure!
Bullet points!
Characters: there was only one character I didn't like and that was the MC's mom. And i'm pretty sure that's the point.
Romance: SWOOOOON! healthy. slow build. realistic!
Diversity: queer romance, biracial love interest.
This book hit so many things that I love as a reader. Fantastic bi rep. Wonderful portrayal of a male/female friendship because yes, they do exist. It definitely had its sadder parts that tugged on my heart strings, but the romance remained extremely swoony. All in all, it was an amazing book. One of my all time favorite f/f romances for sure!
Bullet points!
Characters: there was only one character I didn't like and that was the MC's mom. And i'm pretty sure that's the point.
Romance: SWOOOOON! healthy. slow build. realistic!
Diversity: queer romance, biracial love interest.
lesbrary's review
5.0
Here's an embarrassing admission: I have only heard amazing things about this book, but I have been reluctant to pick it up because I don't like the cover. That's completely silly, but there it is!
This was just as good as everyone says it is. I loved Grace as a character. She is in an awful situation (she acts more like a parent to her mother than the other way around), and she feels it. Sometimes she gets frustrated or angry and lashes out in ways that are very believable. But she is also loving and caring and wants to reach out, even as she feels that making connections is meaningless, that she is trapped in this situation. There are a lot of complex emotions playing out among all the characters, and there's a lot of nuance in how they play out. My only annoyance was that I thought Jay got off the hook too easily for what he did to Grace, but what he did was unforgivable, in my opinion.
This was just as good as everyone says it is. I loved Grace as a character. She is in an awful situation (she acts more like a parent to her mother than the other way around), and she feels it. Sometimes she gets frustrated or angry and lashes out in ways that are very believable. But she is also loving and caring and wants to reach out, even as she feels that making connections is meaningless, that she is trapped in this situation. There are a lot of complex emotions playing out among all the characters, and there's a lot of nuance in how they play out. My only annoyance was that I thought Jay got off the hook too easily for what he did to Grace, but what he did was unforgivable, in my opinion.
abbievillehorror's review against another edition
5.0
I wrote a whole thread on twitter about what this book means to me, about what Grace means to me. I relate to her in so many ways, but without her being a better version of me, if that makes sense. She’s not perfect, in fact I want to shake her and make her come to her senses at times. She simply IS. Sure she had to com to terms with parts of who she is, but that’s part of being a teen and figuring yourself out as best you can.
And I also want to take a moment to talk about how much I love Luca who, in some ways, is the unsung hero of this book. He’s so supportive of Grace, never treating her like she isn’t normal or isn’t deserving. And he has undying love and loyalty for her that never goes beyond their intense friendship. They are best friends and it doesn’t matter that he’s a boy and she’s a girl or that Grace is bisexual. They have always been best friends and they always will be and that’s so refreshing.
And I also want to take a moment to talk about how much I love Luca who, in some ways, is the unsung hero of this book. He’s so supportive of Grace, never treating her like she isn’t normal or isn’t deserving. And he has undying love and loyalty for her that never goes beyond their intense friendship. They are best friends and it doesn’t matter that he’s a boy and she’s a girl or that Grace is bisexual. They have always been best friends and they always will be and that’s so refreshing.
rachelwrites007's review against another edition
4.0
This book was slow in the beginning to me but halfway through I got totally sucked in and really enjoyed it. I liked that while Grace was bisexual and in her first relationship with a girl, it wasn't a coming out book.
Looking forward to Ashley's upcoming books, too!!
Looking forward to Ashley's upcoming books, too!!
meag143's review
1.0
I really didn't enjoy this book at all. I was pretty excited about it since a lot of people like it and there was a lot of hype, but it was extremely anticlimactic for me.
The beginning of the book was great in my opinion, but it faded badly. My major issue with this book is the way they address abuse and parent-child relationships. I felt as if all the issues on how Maggie treated Grace were brushed over at the end, and even the confrontation scene left me frustrated. I felt as if Grace didn't fully express how toxic their relationship was. People said that it's obvious that Maggie loves Grace, but I honestly don't see it. Like at all.
Also would've like more expanding on the relationship between Grace and Luca, and even with Emmy. I was really let down by the lack of depth that we saw throughout the book.
Anyways, this book made me so frustrated and I just don't see the hype.
The beginning of the book was great in my opinion, but it faded badly. My major issue with this book is the way they address abuse and parent-child relationships. I felt as if all the issues on how Maggie treated Grace were brushed over at the end, and even the confrontation scene left me frustrated. I felt as if Grace didn't fully express how toxic their relationship was. People said that it's obvious that Maggie loves Grace, but I honestly don't see it. Like at all.
Also would've like more expanding on the relationship between Grace and Luca, and even with Emmy. I was really let down by the lack of depth that we saw throughout the book.
Anyways, this book made me so frustrated and I just don't see the hype.
literary_neri's review against another edition
5.0
I loved how this story is told. I went into it not knowing much and it had me laughing,crying, and going through all the emotions with the characters. This follows Grace as she makes her way through her teenage life. Focusing on family and love, this book tells a great story.
hsinjulit's review against another edition
4.0
In short, this book is about wounded characters doing their best to heal each other with love. Ashley captures every possible emotion for the readers to experience: we get annoyed at how incompetent Maggie is, astonished by Grace’s unrequited love for her mother, compassionate towards the recovering Eva, warmed by Luca’s forever-loving family, etc.
Why Grace did not need to practise the piano all day everyday before audition beats me. But the few confusing matters did not degrade the overall quality. The romance between Grace and Eva, both suffering from respective griefs, is no doubt cute and the supportive kind. While Grace relaxes through music, Eva has dancing, even though it is a horrible reminder of her losing her mum. They helped each other out emotionally, and became a whole in the process (with the aid of peanut butter and lighthouse, I suspect). The story ended well with most problems resolved, so it left me feeling nice and happy.
You’re just a kid who’s had to be a grownup way too many times. (Luca)I felt joy and sweetness as well as anger and frustration throughout the book. While a lot of stories are about negligent parents and children dealing with life on their own, this one is about a teenage daughter feeling obliged to look out for her problematic mother. It is refreshing and thrilling, yet infuriating at the same time. How can Maggie do all these things to Grace?
Why Grace did not need to practise the piano all day everyday before audition beats me. But the few confusing matters did not degrade the overall quality. The romance between Grace and Eva, both suffering from respective griefs, is no doubt cute and the supportive kind. While Grace relaxes through music, Eva has dancing, even though it is a horrible reminder of her losing her mum. They helped each other out emotionally, and became a whole in the process (with the aid of peanut butter and lighthouse, I suspect). The story ended well with most problems resolved, so it left me feeling nice and happy.
flyingwargle's review
4.0
If you told me straight up this was a summer vacation novel with romance, I wouldn't have read it, so kudos to whoever wrote the synopsis because you fooled me completely. I freaking loved it, 9/10 will recommend to anyone looking for a good read about two girls falling in love and struggling to find their wants and needs.