How to Make a Wish by Ashley Herring Blake

How to Make a Wish by Ashley Herring Blake
Published by HMH Books for Young Readers on May 2nd 2017
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult, YA
Goodreads

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.

I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher, this does not influence my thoughts or this review.

Ashley Herring Blake’s debut novel, Suffer Love was so beautifully written that I knew I had to pick up her sophomore novel, especially since it had a bisexual main character. I’m so happy to say that How to Make a Wish surpassed my expectations and was everything I could’ve wished for (…. I had to use that pun)!

Grace longs for a normal life, one where her life isn’t uprooted when her mom gets a new boyfriend, one where she doesn’t have to scramble for money and one where her mother doesn’t make her feel trapped in her small town. She hopes to stay solid until graduation but when Eva moves to town, her plan is interrupted. Eva and Grace share a connection in their like of girls, and Eva grows closer to Grace’s mom through their united grief. When Grace’s mom spirals further, their new relationship and Grace’s future is tested.

I loved How to Make a Wish, Blake is great at writing strong complex characters and has a beautiful writing style. Even though the novel is contemporary, I would say it had strong world building because the setting and side characters were so present and strong. In addition, the romance between Eva and Grace was also amazing and I definitely recommend this one for people looking for a strong f/f couple.

Overall, How to Make a Wish was a phenomenal novel by an amazing author that I highly recommend. If you haven’t read any of Ashley Herring Blake’s novels yet, I recommend that you check them out.