Stefanie's Thoughts: How to Make a Wish by Ashley Herring Blake

All seventeen year-old Grace Glasser wants is her own life. A normal life in which she sleeps in the same bed for longer than three months and doesn't have to scrounge for spare change to make sure the electric bill is paid. Emotionally trapped by her unreliable mother, Maggie, and the tiny cape on which she lives, she focuses on her best friend, her upcoming audition for a top music school in New York, and surviving Maggie’s latest boyfriend—who happens to be Grace’s own ex-boyfriend’s father.

Her attempts to lay low until she graduates are disrupted when she meets Eva, a girl with her own share of ghosts she’s trying to outrun. Grief-stricken and lonely, Eva pulls Grace into midnight adventures and feelings Grace never planned on. When Eva tells Grace she likes girls, both of their worlds open up. But, united by loss, Eva also shares a connection with Maggie. As Grace's mother spirals downward, both girls must figure out how to love and how to move on.

***Thanks to HMH Books for Young Readers for this review copy***

Hi everyone,

I really hate the weather we're having right now. It's nice one day, snows the next and then we're back to somewhat nice somewhat cold temperatures. I think this messed up my normal reading schedule, because when it was nice out I went for 6km walks and then when it snowed (I really hate the snow), I went and binge read a whole bunch of books.

How to Make a Wish was one of those and I'm really happy I got a chance to read this one. I wanted to read this just based on that gorgeous cover. I'm also really happy I read this one because I'll be the first to admit, I don't always read the most diverse books and it was nice to read something out of my book comfort zone.

I loved the setting. I have a soft spot for any books that take place in a small town or secluded island/ There's just something about those settings I have a soft spot for. 

When we first met Grace I knew I'd like her. Her sarcasm was on point! I loved that her character wasn't perfect and how she, unfortunately, had to grow up way too soon, due to her mother's actions and the fact that her ex-boyfriend went and humiliated her after their breakup. I liked her toughness, she had all these walls up because of her mother and getting shifted around from place to place, which meant she wasn't able to put roots down and find her place. 

Grace's mother was far from the perfect mother; at times I really disliked her at how irresponsible she was in regards to parenting. Some of her dialogue was also so chill at times, I wondered if she actually took parenting seriously. Then she came around and I was able to see where she was coming from and that in her mind, she was doing the best she could being a parent and doing what she thought was right. It's difficult to find fault in her actions when for the most part, she's trying her best, even if I really wanted to jump into the book and tell her off. I guess my biggest problem with Maggie was her need to think she had to be with a man to feel validated and supported (at least that's how I took it), but at the same time I took this as her trying to provide for Grace. As you can tell, I have a strong love/ hate relationship with her. I really enjoyed reading about Grace and her mother's relationship; I actually really loved it. I feel like there aren't many books that deal with parent/ daughter relationships in depth and this one was just beautifully written. 

I loved the first interactions between Grace and Eva. I won't spoil anything but I will say the dialogue between the two made me end up with a wide smile on my face. Eva I thought was a great main character; I enjoyed that she wasn't perfect and had her own flaws and demons to deal with. I think I've read too many books where the characters don't have much to deal with and then make such a big deal about the simplest things. I really like Eva; she was really sweet when you compared her to Grace. I loved the contract between the two and I fully believed in their relationship. It was organic and drew over the book; no insta love or forced relationship for convenience here. 

I can't say I have read many LGBTQ* books before that portray an organic and honest relationship. The one book I read recently had such a forced relationship I didn't believe a word of it and it was just terrible. Also the characters were poorly fleshed out and were so mean to one another. How to Make a Wish is a great book for anyone to read. I found it refreshing, and I didn't find too many cliches. A solid 3.5 stars out of five. I didn't give it a full five stars because I did find some parts to be a bit boring and not necessarily needed to progress the story and I did find myself flipping over some scenes. The cover did match the sweetness of the book and that's what I was looking for. 

Until my next review,

Stefanie