What really drew me in to As You Wish was the premise, because mysterious small desert towns have such a surreal setting. As You Wishis set in a small, middle-of-nowhere town called Madison, where nothing ever happens - except for that everyone, on their eighteenth birthday, gets to make one wish, and one wish only. And everyone always regrets their wish. Eldon's eighteenth birthday is coming up, and so is his wish.

I was very frustrated with Eldon a lot of the time during this book, because he just was very self-centred. Which is totally a flaw that was brought up, but he doesn't really change in that aspect even though he does change in other ways. Even though I could emphasize with him, I kind of wanted him to notice more things that were going on around him and that even though he was going through some pretty tough events, other people were as well. As for plot and pacing, I felt like it was pretty slow, and not too much happened. However, the magical realism elements were fairly good - I don't usually like magical realism, and it was one of the more fascinating parts of this book.

My favourite part of this book was the setting, because I feel like Sedoti got the aesthetic and mood of the mysterious desert town down pat. Everyone knows each other, and each other's secrets, and all the secondary characters were a lot more interesting than the main characters, honestly. For me, Fletcher and Penelope were the most interesting characters because it brought up the question: What happens when your wishes interfere with someone else's life? There were a lot of philosophical questions brought up in As You Wish and it was quite thought-provoking.

If you like magical realism and Welcome to Night Vale, definitely check out As You Wish.

I really enjoyed As You Wish! Chelsea Sedoti really knows how to write a good quirky and unique story. As You Wish although not a thriller in any way made me feel just slightly off the entire time. From the very beginning the whole idea of the wishes felt wrong and as the stories of others previous wishes were told it only added to that sinking feeling in my gut.

I didn’t like the main character Eldon. He was impulsive and selfish and mean. However, I didn’t need to like him to understand him. I could see how he got to be the person that he was and I felt that made him more real. Humans are not always likable in real life. Humans also act out of rage and pain and hurt and bitterness. Sometimes it’s good to have a character who act from the hurt inside them. Some of us are jaded. Some of us act negatively. Books should be able to portray those things as well as the positives.

The different wishes were all for so many extremely different reasons. One of the reasons I enjoyed this book so much was because some of the reasonings for wishes gave me chills and some of the stories caused me to give pause and feel such a wave of empathy for different character that I really connected with the novel. It’s another reason why the main character being unlikable isn’t a bad thing. There are so many other characters and stories inside to connect with and even if you don’t like him you want to root for him to make a good choice.

As You Wish has a really unique setting. In a town close to Area 51 adds some other levels of weirdness that I enjoyed. Especially, with the kind of people that come to pass by the town.

If you like to read something a bit unusual that has some interesting side stories that will give you all the feels, this book is for you!

This was a surprisingly compelling and morally interesting book. Chelsea Sedoti has taken the idea of having one wish and applied it to so many different outcomes. Both good and bad. This young adult book is a version of a coming of age novel but it doesn't read like any I've read before.

The Wish Stories
Without a doubt the best part of As You Wish are the stories that are told by town members about what they wished for and why. Each of them is like a fable. There is a reason, a justification, an outcome and ultimately emotion that lingers long after. These are the cornerstone of the moral issues that Sedoti is focusing on throughout the book.

Characters
Here's where Sedoti falls down a bit. The characters are fairly cliche. Mostly only defined by what they wished for, or plan to wish for (in the case of the students). At the High School we have the jock, the pretty girl, the nerd, the social justice warrior, etc. Then there's also townsfolk that are even more cliche (if possible): the arrogant mayor, the compassionate doctor, the drunk, the town recluse, the odd older lady, etc. While I understand that there are a fair number of characters that Sedoti wants our main guy to encounter (so he can collect their wish stories) the reality was that they felt just a bit too boxed in. Definitely room for improvement here.

The Setting
It will be clear to you from the opening 10% of As You Wish that our small town setting is intentional and critical to the logic (if we can call it that) and rules of the wishing/magic to work. This couldn't be a story told in any other setting due to it's focus on keeping secrets. Interestingly the setting asks it's own moral question to the reader. At what point are you hiding and hoarding something in order to protect it versus not share it?
I don't know if Madison is a real town in Nevada or not; but having been at and spent a lot of time in the small town my grandparents live I've long learned that small towns have a personality and mind of their own and Sedoti has set-up Madison to be no different, and yet extraordinarily different, from any other town.

The Ending
While there was perhaps too many pages after the ultimate climax; I still loved the ending of this book. From about the 40% read mark I knew what I thought would be the best (and most interesting) outcome for the story. However as we experience life alongside our main guy there is cause for concern that we were going to have a very different ending. I'm thankful that it was the ending I was hoping for. This doesn't happen often so it's nice to read a story from someone who thinks of the world the way I do. Any number of endings could have been impactful here; but I think Sedoti chose perfectly.
It even brought almost tears to my eyes (which is quite the feat)!

Overall
I would definitely recommend this book for anyone that wants to read about moral issues (young or old). Ultimately I'd say this is more of a 3.5 stars read but I'm willing to round up just because I loved the ending.
You'll find yourself asking some of the big questions in life: what is selfish, what is righteous, what is right or wrong to wish for and ultimately ask yourself what would you wish for?

This was really a remarkable book. Centered around the premise of a small town in the desert somehow giving it's citizens one wish on their eighteenth birthday, this book discusses the ramifications of essentially being given unlimited opportunity. Eldon is approaching his wish day but he hasn't quite figured out exactly what to wish for. He has been tasked by one of his school's administrators to speak with others about what they wished for and whether or not it was everything they had hoped for. Sedoti really makes this part of the book come alive, highlighting the mistakes, trials, and regret people now have because of their wish.

Sedoti makes this a beautiful book to read, filled with likable characters and an earnest struggle to find out what our heart truly desires. Every time I thought I had it figured out, I didn't. This book literally kept me guessing until the end. When I wasn't reading this book, I was thinking about it, my mind trying to figure out how Eldon's friends, loves, family, and enemies would all impact his wish. Even more than that, I was dying to know what he wished for.

But I won't spoil that one for you.

One of the best YA novels I have read in a while, I really feel like Sedoti has upped her game from her debut novel, showing growth, maturity, and the ability to craft a deeper, more tightly knit story. Definitely recommended.

Unfortunately, this book took me forever to read. I kept putting it down and every once in a while I would muster the energy to try it again. I really do not enjoy giving anyone a bad review, so I'm sorry, but this book is just not great. It reads as if there was no thought behind the storyline; it was just kind of thrown together with no depth or details.

In the little boring town if Madison there is one thing that makes the town special. Every resident gets a wish on their 18th birthday. Now there are rules... kind of like genie rules... can't ask for more wishes, can't bring someone back from the dead, also you can't wish for anything that will effect the world outside of Madison.... other than that anything goes. Some people ask for fame, or love, or money and some make reckless wishes that they regret for the rest of their lives. Some people make selfish wishes and some people make selfless wishes. Everyone has to go to a wish class and be trained how to wish correctly. (there have been some accidents in the past with wording) Eldon is coming up on his 18th birthday. His parents want him to wish for money, the wish he really breaks the rules. He spends countless hours thinking of the right wish. The wish that he won't regret and that will make a difference in his world. This book is about his wish decision.

I was excited to see a magical realism in YA. I don't come across this genre in YA often. I was very excited even though it took me a while to get to this book. I am not sure what I was expecting but it wasn't what I expected. The book was good and I enjoyed most of it. Just wasn't what I expected. It was kind of an angsty read, a tormented soul type of book. It was a little slow in pace but I found enjoyment while taking in everything the main character was struggling with.

This book was pretty interesting. It was pretty thought provoking. It was deeper than I had expected. Eldon was a complex character and at first its hard to see with all his angst. I will be the first to say teen angst gets on my nerves, but in this book I felt Eldon was a little entitled to a little angst, his sister had been in a terrible accident and he has lost her. He feel as if it was his fault, or he could have stopped it. He wants to fix it and knowing his wish can't, nothing he can do can fix this problem. His parents are pressuring him, the town is questioning him, his friends are no help. He is torn and confused and yes a little angsty. He wasn't an easy character to like but was easy to understand. I still connected to him.

Some of the other characters I really liked in the book. His friends I loved. They were pretty special and even though Eldon didn't see them as much help but realized in the end they would always be there for him.

Basically there isn't really much to review. This book made me think. If I had one wish what would it be? Is it right to be able to wish a wish that causes someone else to do something not of their own free will? Can wishing for something instead of getting it be really worth it... or is it cheating in life? How far will you go to do what you feel is right? This book is about family and friendship, doing the right thing and choosing your own path.

The pacing was a little slow at times but it didn't take long to get through those slow parts. I did keep going and I did enjoy the listen. I think if I had read instead of listened I may have found it a bit harder to get through. The narrator helped a lot. I did however find it worth the read in the end. Again, not what I expected though.

In the end... It was enjoyable and an experience.

This book was a totally refreshing surprise. Who wouldn't want to live in a town where you got one guaranteed wish granted on your eighteenth birthday? Yet...is getting that wish a positive thing or a negative?
As Eldon navigates the days leading up to his wish, this book takes some interesting turns and really made me think about choices, consequences, and whether our circumstances dictate our actions or the other way around. Although this is a YA book, there's a lot here for adults to think about as well. Fast paced and thought-provoking.

From reading the synopsis, this has the makings of a really great read. Unfortunately, that was not the case, probably because of the narrator. An unfortunate hatred of the main character puts a damper on the book.

Sedoti, Chelsea As You Wish, 432 pages. Sourcebooks Fire, 2017. $18. Language: R (100+ swears, 28 ‘f’), Violence: PG-13 (fighting); Mature Content: PG (chaste homosexual relationship).

In Eldon’s town every person gets one wish on their 18th birthday. In fact, wishing has replaced religion in their tiny Nevada town near Area 51. Eldon has 26 days until his wish and he has no clue what he wants. His parents want him to wish for money - mostly because their wishes turned out to be disasters and they want him to make their family rich. But only Eldon can make his wish. Now he is on a quest to talk to other wishers and find out whether wishing is a benefit to the wisher or if it’s a disaster. Because Eldon hates his town

Good premise and interesting topic. I think my favorite part is that one girl in town does believe in God and she wants to be a Mormon - in fact, they even visit the Las Vegas Mormon temple and she has a CTR ring. It’s probably the first time that I have seen a mention of Mormons (yes, I am Mormon) where it is just part of the story and not meant to be the plot nor to be derogatory. Hats off to the author for that. I just don’t love it enough (like I did Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe) to champion it despite the language.

HS - OPTIONAL. Cindy, Library Teacher

Fantasy
14-18
Be careful what you wish for. That’s the lesson Eldon Wilkes is learning as he approaches his 18th birthday, a big event in the isolated town of Madison, Nevada. That’s when you get to make a wish and – it will happen. Oh, sure, there are rules. You can’t wish for more wishes, and you can’t ask for something that will impact the outside world (like world peace, or being a pro NFL player) but the locals are pretty good at finding ways to get what they want. Money is a common request, as is beauty, and happiness. Some wishes are funny – a truck, or a lifetime supply of pot. Others speak to the desperation in some lives – to be loved, or for transcripts good enough to get into Harvard and away the hell from Madison. Eldon’s mother wants him to use his wish to help his little sister, hospitalized and comatose in Las Vegas after a car accident. Because she is outside Madison, the only real option is to wish for money to hire the best doctors, but Eldon knows she cannot possibly recover. This leaves him with two options – “waste” his wish on money, or disappoint his mother. Money, love, health, fame, power, happiness, success – how can one possibly know what to wish for? As Eldon’s big day approaches, he asks everyone he meets about their wishes and finds tales of regret and unhappiness everywhere. The more he learns, the less convinced Eldon is that he even wants to make a wish. I love this magical coming of age story! Eldon and his friends’ struggle against the norms of their little town, as weird as it is, will resonate with teens everywhere facing their own life decisions about university, careers, love, and life. Sedoti, author of The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett, has again created a wonderful set of complicated and flawed characters that people the town of Madison, all counting on a happy and fulfilling life if they can just nail that wish. The dialogue is sharp and witty, and the hot, dry and isolated desert setting (including the fascinating Area 51 town of Rachel) just adds to the magical realism of this YA tale. My thanks to Sourcebooks for the advance reading copy provided through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
More discussion and reviews of this novel: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36913588

Mediocre book at best, had higher expectations that didn't work here.

I remember so clearly what it was like to be 18 years old, getting ready to graduate from high school, and feeling like everyone around me expected me to have my life figured out. It's tough! In As You Wish, Chelsea Sedoti has created a fascinating premise to reveal how strange it is to be a teenager/young adult, dealing with regret, and how short-sighted young adults can be when making major life decisions. Eldon lives in a magical small town where every person gets to make a wish on their eighteenth birthday that is (mostly?) guaranteed to come true. As you may have guessed, these wishes don't always turn out the way the wisher expects. It's a fascinating way to explore big choices, regret, and growing up.

As You Wish by Chelsea Sedoti
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher Sourcebooks Fire for the ebook ARC of As You Wish by Chelsea Sedoti in exchange for an honest review.

In the mojave Desert, Madison is a small town on the road in the middle of nowhere. Eldon wouldn’t want to live anywhere else, because in Madison, everyone gets one wish on their 18th birthday - and that wish always comes true.

Some people wish for money, some people wish for love. Eldon has seen how the wishes have broken the people around him. He ends up being left with more questions than answers. Can he make their lives better? Can he be happy, if the people around him aren’t?

I give this book a rating of 3 stars. I really liked the idea of the story. I was pulled right into the book from the beginning. But it felt like an extremely long read though.

It took me a little while to get into this book, but it was well worth sticking with it! I loved the ending and the way it made me stop and think. The characters are rich and the plot is interesting and unexpected. Definitely recommend.

The premise of trying to decide the perfect wish really makes you question what you would wish for. The fear of the outcome of our decisions is relatable. Though this book will probably not be for too young of readers since there is underage drinking, drugs, attempted suicide, and some sexual situations.

My Review:



As You Wish was a cover pick from Netgalley and it was a pleasant surprise how much I enjoyed it.

What I Liked:

Characters. Even though I struggled with the personality of Eldon at the start of the novel, the other characters made the novel great and kept me reading.

Format. The book is mainly told from Eldon's point of view but it also adds in short stories about the past wishes of the other citizens of Madison. Those sections felt like they could stand on there own as small stories and they were my favorite aspect of the novel.

Plot. I went into the book blind, which I recommend, and was surprised how unique the plot was. It focused on contemporary aspects but with a magical twist. The mixture of two genres was well balanced and did not feel forced.

Writing. The novel was over 400 pages but it was never a struggle to read it. I flew through the book because of Sedoti's writing style and the plot. I needed to know what happened next in the story.

What I Disliked:

Eldon. I struggled with connecting with the main character of the novel, and since he is the only point of view (besides some added on stories about the citizens of the town) it took away some of the enjoyment of the reading experience. However, as the book went on he did grow on me and he even addressed the flaws his own character, so the author was able to redeemed the character by the end.

I recommend checking out this strange magical realism novel, if you get past the arrogance of the main character in the beginning it ends up being a great read.

My Rating:

4 Stars Out of 5 Stars

So, what if you could make one, just one wish? What would you wish for? That is sort of the premise of As You Wish - in a town somewhere near Area 51, the residents all get to make one wish on the day they turn 18. That wish is fulfilled, of course, but out of fear of exposure to the outside world, they have rules regarding how big the wish can be. In their town, people don’t believe in god, because they have the wishes, and it is what every kid looks forward to - the one thing that puts their future in motion. The story is told mainly from the perspective of Eldon, who is close to his 18th birthday and doesn’t know what to wish for.

The story begins some 25 days before Eldon’s Wish Day (also his 18th birthday). In his town of Madison, every teenager is basically harassed by their families and the town at large to make a wish that would be good and beneficial - the obvious choice being money, but a lot of teenagers wish for better physical attributes, and stuff. The nature of the wishes can be warped in fulfillment if the person isn’t specific enough, and at first I thought that would be central theme of the novel. Instead, it is more a reinforcement of the belief that unless something is hard-earned by you, you do not deserve it.

Conceptually, this novel was unique and had a lot going for it. There are the different ways in wishes can be fulfilled due to a wrong wording, or a smart loophole-free specification. The ways in which they can be misused, as in the case in which they use it to make another person fall in love with them (which should totally be illegal, like the murder rule the town has, but oddly they don’t think taking away another person’s choice is bad?) or waste it on something that could have been resolved another way. Eldon, in order to figure out what to wish for, goes around asking other townspeople what they wished for and whether it worked out for them or not. Obviously there are a lot of regrets, like the football player who wanted to be best in school, or a person who wished his sexuality away but forgot that love and sexuality are not the same thing, or the person who accidentally wasted his wish on a phrase. The common theme is that wishing was their personal choice and people make shitty choices sometimes. But as for whether wishes are good or bad - it doesn’t really stand on either side.

Now while the theme of the story I get, somewhat, I was not down with the main character. Eldon can best be described as Whiney McWhineface, because you know what his main problem is? He is the most popular, hottest guy in school anymore - because other’s wishes have pushed him down the ladder, so as to say. He resents his girlfriend for leaving him, and lashes out at everyone close to him. He thinks all girls are interested in him, and he continuously disregards others feelings. I get he is grieving his sister, but he is just rude and violent and selfish. His mother wants him to wish for lots of money so they might go about hiring the best specialists for an impossible case, but he doesn’t think it will work, and neither can he wish her better (I felt like this part could have been dealt a little more thought - there were creative ways to save his sister, maybe). And eventually, what does he do when it comes to making a choice? He takes away others’ - and the only character development he goes through is that he learns not to be violent? And the ending just disappointed me.

So, in summary, good base, interesting plot but terrible protagonist. I may have liked this story better had it been from the point of view of another character, like that Nori.

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from Sourcebooks Fire, via Netgalley.

Absolutely thought-provoking YA novel. If you had one wish, what would you wish for? How would that wish effect the rest of your life?

This was an enjoyable book. The premise and setting of the story create a unique and interesting plot. The layers of mystery around the wish-granting cave and the drama happening in Eldon's life helps to keep the reader engaged and interested.

I can see this being something my students would find easy to read. I think the pressure of having to choose a wish at 18, as the residents of this fictional town have to do, can be comparable to how students are expected to decide what they want to do with their lives after high school (I wonder if this is why the author chose the age 18). This puts a lot of pressure on a single moment or period of time and puts little to no pressure on what is done afterward. It seemed that a huge theme in the novel (as shown through some of the happier characters) was about making daily efforts toward achieving goals and aspirations, rather than expecting it to happen all at once. 

The writing style helped to keep the reading fun and well-paced as well. The breaks in the 1st to 3rd person narrative caught my attention. At first, the reader doesn't really understand where the breaks in narrative style are coming from. At first, I thought it was going to be some strange wizard or alien recording the stories of the wishers in Madison. I really liked the gradual hints of who the 3rd person narrator is as the story continues, and then to confirm finally at the end of the novel. 

I see that quite a few reviews of the book complain about Eldon as the main character. While it is true that Eldon is a hard character to like at the beginning of the novel, he is not at all static throughout the book. Where he begins as a self-absorbed jerk, he ends having learned what this kind of behavior costs him in terms of his relationships -- just as we hope our real teenagers would realize! :)

Just before his eighteenth birthday, a teen must make a difficult choice: what to wish for. In a forgotten town in the Mojave Desert, everyone gets one wish and that wish always comes true. Given the unanticipated results of decades of wishes, however, the teen faces his birthday with dread instead of excitement. Author Chelsea Sedoti delights and surprises readers with this interesting premise in her newest novel As You Wish.

Eldon Wilkes is gearing up for his birthday; his eighteenth birthday, in fact. For most teens across the country, turning 18 means becoming an adult. In Madison, Nevada, turning 18 means getting to make a wish and knowing it will come true. In theory that idea would thrill any person. The residents of Madison, though, live with the reality of the fact that while their wishes may have come true, that certainly doesn’t mean the end to their problems.

It doesn’t help that Eldon’s mother expects him to wish for money. Months earlier Eldon’s little sister, Ebba, got into a terrible accident and is in hospice care in Las Vegas. Eldon’s mother is convinced that with enough money the family can hire the world’s best physicians to treat Ebba and make her better, even though the doctors say Ebba’s brain no longer functions. Everyone, it seems, has accepted the truth, except for Eldon’s mother.

His father doesn’t put that kind of pressure on him, but he doesn’t openly support Eldon. As the target of a different wish long ago, Eldon’s father is fated to support his mother for the rest of his life. Again, in theory, it seems like a great concept—never-ending validation from a spouse. In real life, Eldon finds his father’s inability to counter his mother exasperating.

What makes matters worse is that Eldon has recently suffered from a more common problem: his first breakup. His ex-girlfriend starts dating one of his football teammates who had the opportunity on his own eighteenth birthday to wish to be the best player on the team. Eldon’s always been the best—the best player with the most beautiful girl in school on his arm. Now he’s struggling at practice and trying to figure out what to wish for. When a teacher suggests a research project that entails asking people in Madison what they wished for, Eldon hopes hearing other people’s stories will give him some inspiration. With less than a month left before his own wish day, he’s going to need all the help he can get.

Author Chelsea Sedoti uses her own experience of living in the Mojave Desert to her full advantage. As she describes the blowing of the sand and the searing heat, readers will feel the grit in their own eyes and search for a cool glass of water. The setting of the town, in fact, offers the perfect juxtaposition between its day-to-day sameness of physical landscape and the life-changing wishes of the town’s residents.

In addition to the harsh beauty of the landscape, Sedoti gives readers well-rounded characters that fit right in the target audience of the book. Young adult readers will identify with the evergreen concept of wanting a wish to come true. It also fits into the classic teenage idea that one is invincible. When one’s invincibility is challenged over decades by wishes that tend to disappoint, however, it gets replaced by a melancholic optimism; the teens of Madison know the likely outcome of their lives—staying there forever—yet they keep wishing, and hoping, anyway.

More astute readers may guess what Eldon wishes for, but the ride to that day is so fun that even those who anticipate the drops and twists will enjoy it. While Sedoti could have scaled back on the profanity just a touch, no doubt she’s using it to speak to today’s teens. Her biggest strength in the book comes in the fact that Eldon doesn’t find redemption from any of his problems right away. He struggles with everything, and his struggles knock him down over and over. Sedoti’s approach will refresh readers and, hopefully, remind them that life really isn’t as simple as wishing for something to happen.

I recommend readers Binge As You Wish by Chelsea Sedoti.