REVIEW: How to Make a Wish by Ashley Herring Blake

OUR REVIEW:

How to Make a Wish is a novel that feels like a perfect fit for my classroom library. It seems so simple in many ways-- two teenage girls grappling with where they find themselves in their lives, working through living in the now, and looking forward to the future--and yet there's a lot to unpack: complicated family and friend dynamics, depression, having to grow up too soon, and love. It's because of all this that this novel will be much beloved by many; it just gets everything right. 

How to Make a Wish  gave me a serious case of the feels. The emotions that I felt bubbling up inside resonated so strongly that I felt like I was constantly holding my breath or swallowing around a lump in my throat or quieting a rage; it was only in the last 20 pages that I felt all of the tension and grief and anger and sadness finally begin to release from my chest. Ashley Herring Blake captured the riot of emotions I see play out in the hallways of my school in a way that was truthful and respectful to teenagers and how tangled up life can be for many of them. I loved this friend and love story of Grace and Eva, the supporting characters of Luca and Emmy, and raw, and sometimes messy/sometimes honest way Grace navigated her life and all that it entailed.

Great read. 

BUY IT: https://amzn.to/2N9qkHB

Synopsis:
A small town pianist ponders a new life away from her embarrassing mother when a beautiful girl shows up and changes everything. Perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen, Nina LaCour (Hold Still), and Becky Albertalli (Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda),  now available in paperback.

Grace, tough and wise, has nearly given up on wishes, thanks to a childhood spent with her unpredictable, larger-than-life mother. But this summer, Grace meets Eva, a girl who believes in dreams, despite her own difficult circumstances. One fateful evening, Eva climbs through a window in Grace’s room, setting off a chain of stolen nights on the beach. When Eva tells Grace that she likes girls, Grace’s world opens up and she begins to believe in happiness again.

How to Make a Wish is an emotionally charged portrait of a mother and daughter’s relationship and a heartfelt story about two girls who find each other at the exact right time.