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rereader33's review against another edition
3.0
This book gets a lot of points for going into an in-depth analysis of wishes, a topic that has been discussed to death but rarely in this light. It is clear that Sedoti went out of her way to analyze how wishes affect not just the wisher but everyone else, and it made for an entertaining plot and concept. I also want to give Sedoti credit for discussing religion and how people deify anything god-like, the importance of identity, and most importantly the right to make choices. All of this was done well, but I just can't bring myself to go above three stars, and here's why:
1. The characters are either a). Incredibly unlikable until the end where they magically become tolerable, b). one-dimensional and uninteresting, or c). just not that interesting altogether. This wouldn't be a big deal to most, but as a character-driven reader (i.e. I am more focused on characters and character growth than a story's plot/concept/message) this book really failed in that department. I won't go into much more detail because I would spoil the story, but those are my thoughts on the characters.
2. The writing is not that interesting/original. While it is fun getting the chapters devoted to some character(s) history, it wasn't enough to make up for the average writing. It was a fast read though, so there's that.
Would I recommend this book? Kind of. It was a decent read, but if you don't read it you're not missing much.
1. The characters are either a). Incredibly unlikable until the end where they magically become tolerable, b). one-dimensional and uninteresting, or c). just not that interesting altogether. This wouldn't be a big deal to most, but as a character-driven reader (i.e. I am more focused on characters and character growth than a story's plot/concept/message) this book really failed in that department. I won't go into much more detail because I would spoil the story, but those are my thoughts on the characters.
2. The writing is not that interesting/original. While it is fun getting the chapters devoted to some character(s) history, it wasn't enough to make up for the average writing. It was a fast read though, so there's that.
Would I recommend this book? Kind of. It was a decent read, but if you don't read it you're not missing much.
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
4.5/5
I came across this book in one of my usual ways. By it being recommended by Jessethereader on YouTube. I loved the idea of a town the could grant wishes and I just had to get my hands on it. I enjoyed reading Eldons story on what he will do with his wish. I also enjoyed hearing the story of other peoples wishes as well. There were so many things going on besides the wishes that were important. The climax was amazing and the ending was so satisfying as well. The only reason why I didn’t give it 5 stars was because it felt like it was missing.. something.
I came across this book in one of my usual ways. By it being recommended by Jessethereader on YouTube. I loved the idea of a town the could grant wishes and I just had to get my hands on it. I enjoyed reading Eldons story on what he will do with his wish. I also enjoyed hearing the story of other peoples wishes as well. There were so many things going on besides the wishes that were important. The climax was amazing and the ending was so satisfying as well. The only reason why I didn’t give it 5 stars was because it felt like it was missing.. something.
miraisenpaiii's review against another edition
4.0
Hi- my review is long so if you don’t want to read it all I just say that yes the mc is an ass but he is supposed to be, in my opinion, we are watching him grow and mature. The character interactions are really interesting and the writing style is filled with imagery - overall I recommend giving it a chance.
I’ve never actually written a book review before- at least not outside of book reports. That being said I’m not quite sure how to approach this but here are my overall thoughts on this read. *In this review, you can read mostly about my thoughts while reading this book, rather than an opinionated description of it.*
I picked up As You Wish at my hometown dollar store and honestly it was a well-spent dollar because this book was a journey. Though it has received a lot of negative reviews ( which almost convinced me to not get it) I believe the story and writing work well. Yes, the main character is highly flawed but he is realistic and relatable in my opinion - he is an asshole but we get to see him grow up in a sense. Don’t get me wrong I wanted to fight him sometimes and I would roll my eyes every now and then - but I actually really loved him as a character and I loved following his journey. Though a lot of people found him insufferable, I feel like that was the point. He wasn’t supposed to be likable- but he grows and is learning. I remember a line said by the mc father
> “Eldon, we *all* mess up. No one should measure their worth by how often they screw up. What matters most is how a person deals with the aftermath. How they grow and change. - Pg 398
>
My favorite aspects of this book were the writing style, character interactions, and finding out other people wishing stories. I found that Gil Badgley's wish story hit really close to home. Very emotional and just overall a message that I feel like so many others who are in the same boat can relate to on some level ( I won’t say what his wish was cause it's an aspect in the story that would give spoilers ). Anyhow, I love how each wish story was unique and built the characters from just being townsfolk - it gave them depth. The writing style used a lot of imagery as well in the wishing retellings and broke the fourth wall as well- I loved the way they were written.
Norie and Merrill are both important characters in the book that really help the mc along the way. As well as Mr.Wakefield - who has well an interesting take on things but a good heart nevertheless. I thought all of the interactions were well done and the characters were fleshed out. I mean they have their main things, Norie ( religion), Merrill ( planes, conspiracy), Mr.Wakefield ( Psychology ( Freud for him) ), and his dad ( Football ). I just mentioned some of the recurring characters in his growth but they all were pretty respectable and lovable characters and I enjoyed them a lot. Plus they were not afraid to say what Mc needed to hear rather than what he wanted.
There were a lot of gems within the book and my interpretation of the theme was having ones greatest desire might not be as peachy as hoped. I honestly love the read and hope that you give it a chance. I remember reading one review that mentioned how the story feel was very similar to Catcher Rye ( FIX ) and I definitely see it.
I’ve never actually written a book review before- at least not outside of book reports. That being said I’m not quite sure how to approach this but here are my overall thoughts on this read. *In this review, you can read mostly about my thoughts while reading this book, rather than an opinionated description of it.*
I picked up As You Wish at my hometown dollar store and honestly it was a well-spent dollar because this book was a journey. Though it has received a lot of negative reviews ( which almost convinced me to not get it) I believe the story and writing work well. Yes, the main character is highly flawed but he is realistic and relatable in my opinion - he is an asshole but we get to see him grow up in a sense. Don’t get me wrong I wanted to fight him sometimes and I would roll my eyes every now and then - but I actually really loved him as a character and I loved following his journey. Though a lot of people found him insufferable, I feel like that was the point. He wasn’t supposed to be likable- but he grows and is learning. I remember a line said by the mc father
> “Eldon, we *all* mess up. No one should measure their worth by how often they screw up. What matters most is how a person deals with the aftermath. How they grow and change. - Pg 398
>
My favorite aspects of this book were the writing style, character interactions, and finding out other people wishing stories. I found that Gil Badgley's wish story hit really close to home. Very emotional and just overall a message that I feel like so many others who are in the same boat can relate to on some level ( I won’t say what his wish was cause it's an aspect in the story that would give spoilers ). Anyhow, I love how each wish story was unique and built the characters from just being townsfolk - it gave them depth. The writing style used a lot of imagery as well in the wishing retellings and broke the fourth wall as well- I loved the way they were written.
Norie and Merrill are both important characters in the book that really help the mc along the way. As well as Mr.Wakefield - who has well an interesting take on things but a good heart nevertheless. I thought all of the interactions were well done and the characters were fleshed out. I mean they have their main things, Norie ( religion), Merrill ( planes, conspiracy), Mr.Wakefield ( Psychology ( Freud for him) ), and his dad ( Football ). I just mentioned some of the recurring characters in his growth but they all were pretty respectable and lovable characters and I enjoyed them a lot. Plus they were not afraid to say what Mc needed to hear rather than what he wanted.
There were a lot of gems within the book and my interpretation of the theme was having ones greatest desire might not be as peachy as hoped. I honestly love the read and hope that you give it a chance. I remember reading one review that mentioned how the story feel was very similar to Catcher Rye ( FIX ) and I definitely see it.
maggierae's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
dimky's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
shhchar's review against another edition
3.0
As You Wish had a fun, unique plotline that made me care for the outcome of its protagonist. All residents of the town of Madison have one wish to make on their 18th birthday, so long as it doesn't affect the world outside city lines. I can't say I've read another book with this premise, so I was intrigued (and pleased) with the outcome of the story. I definitely think this is worth a read in terms of a skimmable YA fiction novel, however, the two things I wanted to note as detractions were: 1) the main female side character more than once invoked and described Mormonism as the motivation behind her entire person, making me feel like I was reading an advertisement for the religion and not a character's own beliefs and 2) none of the characters were super likable. As I said, it's worth a read, but it's groundbreaking.
heather_19's review against another edition
3.0
Yet another book where I was drawn in and having a hard time putting it down. Until the end..... where the book loses me in the last 5-6 chapters. Apparently I'm having a long streak of bad luck.
themushroom's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
sunshine169's review against another edition
2.0
The concept drew me into this book. A small town in the Mojave Desert that has a cave that grants wishes when someone turns 18. I love to have magical realism in my stories. I also loved the concept of going around asking others what they wished for and how they feel about it. As a historian this oral history of sorts really interested me. What ruined the book was the boarish main character who was egotistical and self-loathing the entire time right up until he took his selfish wish. The parts I loved saved this from being a two star rating.
jessethereader's review against another edition
I honestly thought I was going to hate this, because there are so many negative reviews for this book! I ended up really enjoying it. I wasn't the biggest fan of Chelsea Sedoti's first book, but I could definitely see improvement with this one. I liked following our unlikable main character's story and seeing how it all played out. It went in a direction I was not expecting it to go in, which was a nice surprise.