This was incredibly well-written novel that will appeal to many students. Fans of other dystopian/science fiction like Tuck Everlasting, The Giver, and Divergent. An interesting twist on choices we make and the idea of what defines happiness. I loved reading about all of the wishes gone wrong, and found myself wondering how I could carefully craft a wish so that I'd actually get what I want. The connection to Area 51 and proximity to Vegas made the story more interesting.

Loved it! What if you could wish for something and know you'd get it? What would you wish for? A million thoughts must go through your mind, but what if you had to decide by your 18th birthday and then live with that wish for the rest of your life.

At 18 what you might choose is very different from what you might choose at a later time in your life and the process of deciding will possibly determine your future and that of others. How hard would it be to choose just 1 thing when everyone around you has an opinion they are too willing to share?

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest opinion. This was a most enjoyable read. I'll watch for this author again.

I received a free e-reader version of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. It's a coming of age story in a town where you receive one wish when you received 'adulthood.' It had a slow beginning, but picked up about 1/3 of the way through. The premise to the story is intriguing and the cover is beautifully done.

People wish a million times a day, but in one small town wishes come true. Like most stories involving wishes, there are rules involved for the wishes, though no one's sure where they came from or even if the rules are true. Eldon is approaching his 18th birthday, where he'll get to make his one and only wish. The only problem is he hasn't figured out what to wish for. With his sister in the hospital from an accident she can never recover from, Eldon starts to wonder what the point of wishing is if he can't save her. A journey of self discovery has Eldon asking others in the town what they wished for. Their wishes are interspersed with the plot, giving background to many of the towns characters. Even minor characters are fleshed out and made real with idiosyncrasies and secrets that they keep. Wishes are the thing that everyone looks forward to, much like the end of High School and making the first steps toward adulthood and freedom. Sedoti writes a magical tale that makes readers wonder if there's more to sleepy little towns than what appears.

A town where every person gets a wish on their 18th birthday that comes true. Fantastic premise, fantastic relaying of a wonderfully unique idea. It makes you question what you really want in life and what you already have. Refreshingly told through the often overlooked (former) star of the football team, this story will stick with me for a long time, making me wonder, what would I wish for? I loved this book!

I found myself talking about As You Wish and the book’s concept of wishing with my family at the dinner table, which I think speaks to my level of engagement with this book! I really enjoyed the world the author created and the characters within the world. Interestingly, I never did decide if I liked the main character, which is a refreshing change from the pure good or pure evil space in which so many YA characters reside.

I would definitely recommend this book to a high school audience, but hesitate to have it in my grade 7/8 library because of some of the content around sex, underage drinking, etc. However, it would be so interesting to work with students on the idea of how having a wish could be a curse, what they would wish for, and the “rules” behind the wishes.

DNF at about 45% (including the ending)
This was not memorable for me. The main character was a jerk, being very arrogant and cruel and yet having great moments of clarity. He never felt balanced enough to be an authentic character. My review is now live and is linked below.

As you wish was not as great as I had wished. This story, thought, the plot seemed a little too juvenile, had great potential but unfortunately missed the mark.
What if you were born into a town that, didn't have religion. No one aspired to excel past their 18th birthday. You could have anything you wanted within the limits of that town. That is where this story takes place, in Madison Arizona where from the outside in it looks like a boring old dusty desert town but to those who live there on their 18th birthday the get to make a wish for anything their hearts desire within the city limits as long as it doesn't draw outside attention. A home, you got it! Car, money, looks or love its granted but you only get the one wish, EVER.

About 2/3 of the book dragged on and on it seemed and the main character Eldon Wilkins seems to be a self absorbed jerk but in an protagonistic way. After what felt like eons the climax of the story was pretty great. There are lessons on playing with life and death, regrets and watching what you wish for. A scandalous turn of events for this dusty old town makes for a bit of exciting reading. But in the end it was pretty anticlimactic which really didn't surprise me given Eldon's character development.

"As You Wish" was an intriguing YA fiction about a small town in Nevada with a big secret- when their residents turn 18, they get to make a wish in a special cave which will come true. What we learn later in the book is that the wishes are restricted (can't impact the world outside of the town, e.g. you can wish to be the prettiest person in the town, but not the prettiest person in the world). Anyway, Eldon is about to turn 18, and he has no idea what to wish for. The town worships the wishing cave, and it seems that everyone's lives are in decline after making their wish at 18. It doesn't give him a lot of confidence in the value of wishing.

"Wishing either gets you everything or nothing. And it's a gamble everyone is willing to take." Unable to decide what to do, Eldon begins to interview people in the town about their wishes. We get to read these as little stories in between chapters about the present- what led them to their wish, their wish as it was made, and the aftermath of their wish. I found it all very intriguing and interesting to follow. There was a pretty good diversity in wishes, but notably, there was a lot of regret around what people had wished for. It was really thought-provoking. I am not sure I would have made a better wish at 18 years of age- it's a tough time to make the biggest decision of your life. The book raises a lot of questions about morality and priorities.

"You're looking for someone else to save you, when really, we can only ever save ourselves." There are some really big, thought-provoking statements in this book. The whole cast of characters was pretty interesting- even the adults which we encounter throughout the book (the principal in particular- but there are a lot of great ones). The characters were extremely well-developed and seemed very three-dimensional. Eldon's BFF, Merrill, was probably one of my favorites- he has a million conspiracy theories and they are all endlessly entertaining. Eldon is not always the best person, but he experiences a lot of growth throughout the book, and it all ties in seamlessly with his quest for a wish.

Overall, I found this to be a much deeper book than I was expecting, and it really gave me a lot to think about. It raises some big questions about the meaning of life and the decisions we get to make along the way. I would be interested to see more of the aftermath/ a sequel of this book as I found all the stories of the many townspeople really intriguing. This is a really great (but not light) read, and I highly recommend it!

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

<b>Summary</b>: Seventeen-year old Eldon lives in Madison, Nevada which, to outsiders, seems like just another ordinary desert city but it isn't. Because in Madison, every citizen is given a wish on their eighteenth birthdays. Seems great, doesn't it? But, what you'll see is that not every wish is as perfect as it may seem. As Eldon counts down the days until his birthday and his wish, he contemplates EXACTLY what it is that he wants to wish for and, honestly, if he even wants to wish AT ALL.

Running review:

So far I'm about 40% through with this book and I love it, which surprises me because this book has gotten some REALLY low ratings.

In general, though, it just seems like people don't like that Eldon, the protagonist, is a selfish a-hole who doesn't change. Sorry that not all protagonists are likeable but I'm okay with Sedoti writing about an "unlikeable" main character. Plus, it's not a secret as to why Eldon is the way that he is and, though it's not excuseable to be a rude a-hole, it is understandable in this case.

Plus, so far, it's SAD. I FEEL for these characters, especially Eldon's Dad.

Overall review: Now that I've reached the end, I understand why people hate Eldon. He is definitely an easy character to despise but Sedoti does this on purpose. In her biography, she specifically writes that she loves writing about angsty teens who are misunderstood and just don't want to grow up. Introduce: Eldon. He's a giant a**hole but I liked him and, no, it's not because I'm a giant a**hole myself but because it makes Eldon REAL.

If you're the type of reader who needs a book to have a lot of events and "things that happen" then this book is NOT for you. I could almost classify this book as a "400-page-book-where-nothing-happens" but it's because Sedoti looks more at character development, analyzing simple questions that aren't so simple, and the lasting effects of decisions we make when we're still young, naive, and unprepared for the future.

As a 30-year old woman, I have further insight into this book than my junior high students might have while reading this. I have the hindsight to see what decisions I've made when I was much younger and to contemplate how differently my life would be if I followed other paths. So, I think this book is great for young adults but also for adults even though we are all in different places in our lives at those separate ages.

I loved this book. I liked the concept and was surprised by the outcome. The language and quite adult content at times mean that I will confine it to my more mature readers.

It made me think about how we make choices and how these choices can have implications we may not foresee or wish. It is then a matte4 of living with those consequences and making the best of life. Having your greatest wish at 18 come true is not necessarily an easy idea to live with.

I liked how the author made you think about what you accept and live with without really thinking about it. Also how our preconceptions colour our views of life and other people.

A very thought provoking book.

I actually really enjoyed this! I loved the setting and the writing was very good, which is usually what I have a problem with in YA novels. I thought it was unique, the characters were likeable despite having negative traits that all humans do, and I would re-read this when it is published in paperback!

I really liked the concept of the novel but, like others, I had a problem with the main character and also found it a bit slow. The main character is very self-centered and his friends have just accepted and even end up condoning it by assisting him with his quest. They don't even try to discuss the flaws in his plan that he can't see. I all finished the novel because I was interested enough in the overall story but it was definitely a rough read. I liked the overall plot of it and felt that the main character did become much more likeable by the end (meaning I no longer hated him) and found him well written and believable. I would only ever recommend thus to someone who could ignore the character himself and lose themselves in the story.

Hi everyone! The synopsis of As You Wish really intrigued me. I had never read anything like it before. Plus, the cover is pretty!

The story follows Eldon on the month of his 18th birthday. The chapters count the days down as it gets nearer to the day he will make his birthday wish. And in Madison, those wishes do come true. However, Eldon has no idea what he wants, and the book is about his journey to figure it out.

Aside from the synopsis and the cover, once I opened the book, the first sentence caught my attention immediately. It is short and simple, but it makes you wanna know more. The last sentence was great too! I really liked Chelsea Sedoti's writing style, it kept me interested throughout the book.

The story was nice and the whole "wish" thing was a really cool concept. My favourite things were the little insert chapters that told people's wish stories. I really liked getting to know the reasons each made the choice they did. I also liked the characters, although Eldon could be really annoying and stupid at times. Merrill and Nori were cool.

Despite reading the whole book, I still don't understand why it was so hard for Eldon to choose something. And I personally don't agree with what his wish ended up being, and I didn't really like the ending. However, the book was entertaining and it was a cool "small town mystery" story.

So, I recommend this book if you're looking for a nice quick read, but nothing that you will get too invested on. The book comes out on January 1, 2018. Thank you Sourcebooks Fire for sending me this book to review.

In the small desert town, Madison Nevada everything seems normal, even boring on the surface. Tourists are never encouraged to stay longer than the time it takes to fill up their gas tanks. If outsiders stay longer, the residents of Madison risk their dark secret coming out. You see, every person born in Madison gets one chance to dramatically change their lives forever on their 18th birthday, with a single wish.

Eldon Wilkes will have his chance in less than a month and he has no idea what to wish for because he already lost everything and everyone that was important to him, and no magic wish will bring any of it back. As the clock ticks down to his wish day, Eldon has to decide not only what to wish for, but whether or not he is willing to expose the entire town of Madison to the outsiders they have protected themselves against for decades.

I really enjoyed this book. It presents the reader with some very deep philosophical questions. For example, what really is the meaning of life? How much is it really worth being able to choose anything you want? The book presents it’s deep thinking with sarcasm and humor. Our protagonist Eldon is constantly told by everyone around him that he is arrogant and self-centered. He is on the surface, but in the end, he is just a teenager struggling to find meaning and prepare himself for adulthood which is conveniently marked by wish on his eighteenth birthday.

This book crams so much teenage angst in it that any reader will connect with the story at some point. Although, I would never call this book a thriller it does have a fast-paced ending that was a bit of a surprise. I highly recommend this book to any YA reader.

Heartfelt with a little element of magical. This book put me through all the emotions

This book, about a small town in the middle of the Mojave Desert where everyone gets one wish on their 18th birthday—a wish that always comes true—and a main character who’s seen how wishes have broken the people around him, and thinks that it just might be possible that one can’t actually wish for happiness, had a cool premise but too much swearing for me. I’ve developed a general rule that I’ll tolerate about 20 swear words in a book; it’s got to have a really strong hook (i.e., good style, lots of action, unique character(s)) to compensate for the profanity, and even then…. I didn’t finish it because nothing had hooked me by the 20-swear-word limit.

Readers will enjoy reading As You Wish if they don’t mind profanity, mainly for the premise and the style of Sedotti's writing. I personally think that I'm spoiled for choices when it comes to books these days, and if profanity’s not my thing, then there are plenty of books out there without it that I’d rather spend my time and money on.

From the Publishers:
What if you could ask for anything- and get it?
In the sandy Mojave Desert, Madison is a small town on the road between nothing and nowhere. But Eldon wouldn’t want to live anywhere else, because in Madison, everyone gets one wish—and that wish always comes true.
Some people wish for money, some people wish for love, but Eldon has seen how wishes have broken the people around him. And with the lives of his family and friends in chaos, he’s left with more questions than answers. Can he make their lives better? How can he be happy if the people around him aren’t? And what hope is there for any of them if happiness isn’t an achievable dream? Doubts build, leading Eldon to a more outlandish and scary thought: maybe you can’t wish for happiness…maybe, just maybe, you have to make it for yourself.

My thoughts
I like the premise of this book. As someone who reads a lot of YA, As You Wish feels new. I like that I could not figure out what Eldon was going to do until the moment he did it. I like that Sedoti doesn't just leave it at the decision nor does she just tie it up like a neat little gift. That kind of jarring even at the end is a welcome change.
If you have students that struggle to finish a book, this is a great option for SSR because even if you are just reading in 20 minute chunks or 15 minute chunks, this story is easy to pick up again. The characters and situations are different so it is easy to just pick it up again.
Publication Date: January 2018
An advanced copy provided by the publisher and Net Galley for an honest review.

"As You Wish" is about a town in Nevada where everybody in the town gets granted 1 wish on their 18th birthday. Some people wish for love, some money, others popularity or beauty. The lead character, a boy named Eldon is stumped about what he should wish for. He has tons of ideas of what would be helpful to wish for- possibly money for his family or a solution for his sister Ebba who is brain-dead after being hit by a car. The problem is that he has observed how wishing has ruined the lives of many of the people he knows. With a little help from his friends and his principal, he examines some of the previous wishes that have been made in town and makes his decision.

I absolutely loved everything about this book. The balance of magic and realism, the characters - so many of them yet all so well-developed, the wish histories, the setting... just everything! If you like Maggie Steifgater, I think you'll like this - it's slightly lighter but really reminded me of her Raven Cycle series.