Goodreads Description:
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.
My thoughts:
How to Make a Wish is a great summery read that is super easy to fall into. I found myself hooked very early on and connected emotionally invested in the characters stories almost instantly.
The main character, Grace, was my favourite character. I found myself emotionally invested in her story quickly and felt bad for her and happy for her when things went wrong or right for her. The author did an excellent job on her character development, Grace has a lovely arc of going on a journey of self discovery and self care.
I loved reading about Grace and her best friend Luca. They had such a playful relationship for the most part it was really enjoyable to read. It was also fun seeing a boy and girl being best friends and having it not turning romantic. I loved how supportive they were of each other.
I liked Eva but didn't love her. I found it hard to identify with her and wasn't super invested in her relationship with Grace. I did love how she was into colouring in adult colouring books because I love colouring too and Im always looking for characters with hobbies other than reading. I also appreciated how diverse her character was; Eva is biracial and lesbian. I personally can't speak for the representation but I think it was done quite well.
Family is a big theme in the story. There is a big emphasis on Grace and her mother Maggie's relationship and how unhealthy it is. But it's not just blood family relationships that are explored but also the families we choose and people we consider family. I loved Grace's relationship with Luca's Mam Emmy (she is such a Molly Weasley).
Other themes readers should be aware of before picking up this book are parental neglect and verbal abuse. These issues are a major part of the story and could be triggering to sensitive readers so just keep that in mind if you're thinking of picking How to Make A Wish up.
I liked the ending but wasn't blown away. It wasn't wrapped up nicely with a bow but ended in a good place. I like my endings with everything tied off which rarely happens in contemporary.
I had fun reading How to Make a Wish, it was a quick contemporary read but touched on some very important topics that are not usually seen in YA.
My rating: 4 stars
Thanks for reading,
A :)
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