This is a sweet story of family, friends, and navigating adolescence and the bridge between tackling the grown up world while family tries to keep your innocence and help no repeat generational struggles. It’s a beautiful story that shares rich culture and traditions with a young love blooming storyline with some humor as well.

This was a cute time.

The book hinges on some miscommunication, technically, and that seems to be a point of contention for some readers. For me it really felt like children being children. And I don't think that miscommunication was outlandish or frustrating in anyway. It mostly served to kick off the book and even that didn't impact the story as much as it could.

Here we are following Liya as she attempts to revive the wish granting side hustle she and her grandmother had going before she passed, only this time it's with her long time friend and family antagonist [ calling them a rival feels a little silly, but there's definitely some animosity happening ] Kai. Liya's family store has come on some hard times, a fact that she comes across on her own and believing that her parents are keeping this from her sets out to earn some extra income for the store. Kai's family runs a bakery next door and he's dealing with his own parental issues, and he jumps at the chance to help Liya because he's been fostering a crush and is excited to have his friend back in his life.

I might have taken forever and a day to get around to reading this arc, but this feels like the perfect time as the kickoff to the book is centered around the kickoff to summer and kind of goes on from there. I was nervous that the wishing aspect of this book was going to take it into a magical place, and I suppose in a sense that it does depending on how broadly we want to take the word magic. But Liya and Kai were refreshing as characters and the journey's that each of them go on were a joy to read. It was a fun, fast read, that I think is perfect for this time of year.

I loved this! I love that more books are being set in Chicago. We need more! I also need to go to Chinatown now because this book made me hungry.

But I also just adored their love story. Typically I don’t like miscommunication, but they were just so sweet and endearing and who doesn’t want a Kai?!

rating: 2.5 stars

I am an absolute sucker for friends to lovers romances and this one was definitely cute. I loved the representation and the cultural aspect to this book which turned it from essentially a basic novel with a storyline I've seen in books multiple times already to a more enjoyable read. One thing I cannot get past is the repetitiveness in the second half and also the miscommunication, which is more of a personal preference and I don't like that trope in general.

Thank you to Penguin Teen & Netgalley for the ARC !!

Two friends reconnect in this #YA #romance
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Liya and Kai have been best friends their whole lives, but after Liya accidentally throws up all over Kai just as he was asking her out, it ruins everything between them. It’s awkward and they haven’t talked in a while, but when Liya decides to recreate a lantern tradition her recently deceased grandmother used to perform, she needs help. As Liya and Kai begin to reconnect, they also help heal one another from grief, familial pressures and obligations and maybe can be something more.
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I’m normally a huge fan of Chao’s books and have been looking forward to reading this one for a while, but I found the main characters, who are supposed to be 17, more on the middle school spectrum. Kai and Liya read so young from the awkwardness of the vomit story to how inexperienced they both seemed in all aspects of their life. They also had a lot going on in the story from grieving her grandmother’s death to the Romeo and Juliet subplot to Kai’s overbearing brother and unreasonable father to the love connection they tried to make with the older couple. It was just okay for me, but you might really enjoy it!

CW: bullying, grief, death of a grandparent through an illness (recounted), vomit, anxiety, toxic family

When You Wish Upon A Lantern is a cute best friend to lovers YA novel that involves two best teens granting wishes for the ones they love, whilst trying to understand the slow burning romance they have for each other.

For all my readers that loved Disney’s Tangled (*cue the floating lanterns scene*), mixed in with elements of Asian culture, delicious bakery food, and a dash of Romeo and Juliet family drama, this is one you will be sure to enjoy!

Liya and Kai have been best friends for a very long time, but a messy misunderstanding occurs between them. After Kai asks Liya to be his girlfriend, she throws up her bubble tea all over him and their relationship has been awkward ever since.

However, Liya comes to find out that that her family’s store has been struggling to keep up with rent and might be going out of business, so she takes it upon herself to start her late grandmothers tradition; granting people’s written lantern wishes. With a big job on her plate, Liya enlists help from Kai while rebuilding their relationship once again. But will the family drama between their families be the dealbreaker that keeps them apart for good, or will they find their way to navigate through it?

This book has its ups and downs, but was an enjoyable read for the most part. I thought that the misunderstanding between Kai and Liya was going to be a lot bigger, awkward, and negatively taken. However, come to find out it was more of silly mess was a bit of a let-down, but this is understandable between two teenagers. Something else I wished was different was Kai and Liya’s developing relationship because the both of them were always their feelings in their head, and not actually talking to each other. I think it would’ve done well if they had been more straightforward with how they felt because it felt like they were in this repetitive routine of going about their job granting wishes, and not actually talking about their personal situation together.

Some plot elements that I found enjoyable were elements of Chinese-Taiwanese family culture, immigration of Liya’s grandmother to build a new life in America, and the Asian community built into their town were very heartfelt not just for the main characters, but for the readers. As for the setting and worldbuilding, Chao does a nice job of writing scenes that are vivid and full of colour. Even the cover of the book is beautiful, and this is how I imagined the lanterns floating over the lake. It was also pretty easy to visualise most of the locations Liya and Kai were at, and especially all the bakery goodies Kai was making.

Something I think that was also important to address is how Chao really gives perspective on how toxic traits can exist among parents, siblings, and other people outside your family you might know. I thought this was refreshing to read because I think it’s a way of insuring readers they are not alone in how they feel, even in the most negative of situations.

Overall, this book has its magical touches, romance, and wholesome feel to it! Given this is a YA book, expect young adult tendencies, miscommunications, and experiences because it definitely gave off that energy!

Liya and Kai have been best friends for years until they have a misunderstanding, causing her to avoid him. After the death of her grandmother, Liya learns that her family's Wishing Lantern business is in debt, she enlists the help of Kai to help save it by secretly granting the wishes people make. As their friendship rekindles, their feelings for one another grow into something more.

I really enjoyed Liya and Kai's relationship, I thought they were very cute together. I thought they had great chemistry with one another and I loved watching their romance blossom. I'm also just a sucker for childhood friends to lovers - so you know I ate their relationship up. Liya got on my nerves at times, just because of her inability to communicate her feelings to literally anyone. So many of her problems could have been avoided if she just talked to the people involved. I really liked Kai's character. He was such a sweetie pie, and I want to protect him at all costs. I also liked reading bout the complex family dynamics not only within the individual families but also with the other families in the community as well. I also loved the inclusion of the Mandarin words and the glossary in the back as well!

Overall, it was an average read, but I still think it was cute and worth the read.

I adored the story, the world building was amazing. I love meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it. The writing was also really nice. I couldn't put the book down and I can't wait for others to read and enjoy this story as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group & Viking Books for Young Readers for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a sweet YA story of finding yourself, and speaking up for yourself, in the midst of turmoil. It allows the reader to experience part of the Chinese-American culture surrounding Chinese holiday celebrations, which I really enjoyed. It also provides the reader with insight into the challenges of the immigrant experience, and family dynamics. I would definitely recommend this book to YA readers, or older readers who want to glimpse life in the culture of an American Chinatown.

4/5 stars, that was such a cute story!

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group & Viking Books for Young Readers for the arc through netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

This book was absolutely adorable, in pretty much every way and I still get a smile on my face just thinking about this book. I might increase my rating at some point, as this book had me kicking my feet while I was reading it. The cover looks so gorgeous but the story inside is even better, filled to the brim with cute romance, a cozy community, and wonderful Chinese cultural representation. There is so much to talk about that I enjoyed this book, and I cannot recommend this enough.

While the overall plot in its basics was one that I've read before, that didn't make it any less interesting, especially with the added culture and other plots getting attention. This book is about Liya and Kai, two childhood best friends to lovers who haven't talked since a small misunderstanding they had a few months ago. Liya is dealing with both the death of her grandmother, and learning that her family's lantern store is struggling. So she decides to pick up a secret tradition that she used to complete with her grandmother, secretly fulfilling the wishes that people write on their lanterns, but Kai is the only one who wants to help her. While working on the wishes these two rekindle their friendship into something more, but their family's feuds threaten to distance them from one another, can they make their own wishes come true?

There are always stories of feuding families, especially related to Asian people in the United States and I always get annoyed with how the families act. I understand that it's a cultural thing, and due to not being a part of the culture I won't fully understand, but this one didn't anger me as much as some others. The parent's feud was less ugly and more understandable, though it was still frustrating to see both of their families bulldozing so clearly over what both of them wanted. Getting to learn about Chinese culture through the various stories and festivals that were explored in this book was so fun, it was done in such a great way and I always love learning about other cultures. Plus, seeing Liya keep her grandmother's memory alive by fulfilling wishes was so adorable, no matter how many wishes she granted I always felt so happy.

Liya was a great main character! She was such a sweetheart, especially for her community and in the loving memory of her grandmother. The ideas she had to help try to keep the store going were quite innovative and creative and also were really interesting especially as they had a lot to do with Chinese culture. The way she chose to help others was also really sweet, especially the lengths she would go to make sure her community felt both included but also loved. Overall she was just really sweet and even her anxiety/shyness was handled in a very realistic way I felt.

Kai is an adorable character by himself, but also such a sweet friend and love interest to Liya. He's such a sweetheart and really does his best to help those around him, while also allowing himself to grow. He loves helping Liya and the community and it's very obvious he cares a lot about the people in the town and his own culture. He's also a baker which I think is so cute to see in the book, and allowing boys to have softer hobbies is something that I think should happen more often. He definitely goes through some family troubles in this book but I also think it's quite obvious he loves his family, even if they push his boundaries and it's nice to see as well.

This book has made me realize how much I really do enjoy childhood best friends to lovers, and it's probably one of my favorite tropes. The relationship between Liya and Kai is a perfect example of this, even with their family's feud and the 'misunderstanding' at the start of the book. While the synopsis kind of makes this seem like a really big deal but the story honestly moved past it pretty quickly, so the two easily got back into the 'routine' of their relationship. They were such a good balance for each other, as Liya had a lot of anxiety but a really big heart and wanted to help others. Kai always helped her with both her anxiety/shyness and also with helping others. When they both had similar faults they helped one another figure it out even if they had some other misunderstandings. Overall, I just really really enjoyed them and loved their connection.

Overall, this was such a beautiful book in so many ways including the romance, writing style, and depiction of Chinese culture. I loved pretty much everything about this book, including the very pretty color and so I definitely want to read Gloria Chao's backlist of books. This is definitely a must-read for anyone who loves cute romance, especially childhood friends to lovers, it's done so well that you will absolutely fall for the main characters.

[TW: death of a grandmother, sexism, aggressive siblings, breach of a person’s boundaries, death of a partner mentioned, car accident mentioned]

4.75 stars
The characters are SO adorable! I was getting all the warm fuzzies just from reading about them. And they both think the other is adorable too! Especially Kai, he just had me melting every time he came on the page. The slow build-up of the story was just perfect, and I was fully invested in the characters by the time I reached the end. Though the ending was a bit of a letdown compared to the rest of the book. I was expecting this big, dramatic conclusion, but it just kind of fizzled out. That being said, there was one moment towards the end that had me tearing up. It was just so beautiful and emotional, and I couldn't help but be moved by it. The only downside was that there was still one major thing left unresolved, which left me feeling a little frustrated. Overall though, I would definitely recommend this book if you're in the mood for something sweet and heartwarming. The characters are adorable, the slow build-up is perfect, and there are some truly beautiful moments that will stay with you long after you've finished reading. Just be prepared for a slightly lackluster ending and one unresolved issue.

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, Viking Books for Young Readers, and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this title to read and review. This is my favorite Gloria Chao story yet, and I have really enjoyed her previous works! This story combined so many touching moments with so much magic and joy that it turned out to be such an enchanting read. I got the wind knocked out of me with a couple of the book's lines about carrying grief, honoring your family, and remembering those you've lost - and against the backdrop of saving a family's beloved store and granting wishes for those in the neighborhood, it was just a true win.

Gloria Chao is back with WHEN YOU WISH UPON A LANTERN, a delightful story of two friends who are toeing the line at something more, but are afraid to risk that friendship and ruin one of the best things in their lives. Throw in two fueling families, The Biggest Misunderstanding of All Time, some secret wish granting, and a lot of personal growth, and you have what’s sure to be a story that will pull at your heartstrings as much as it will warm your heart.

There were so many things I loved about the story, but I really loved reading about Liya’s love for her family’s lantern shop and the close relationship she had with her Nai Nai (paternal grandmother) before she passed away. You could tell how much that relationship meant to her. It was so heartwarming to see how Liya and her Nai Nai would grant wishes that were written on the lanterns from their shop. Liya was such a powerhouse in wanting to take care of her family’s shop and I admired her determination.

And then there’s Kai, our sweet baker. I just adored these two together! After their misunderstanding, they cautiously tiptoe around each other, but they can’t deny their attraction for long. I loved that they were able to lean on each other and have the other as a sounding board when things got tough. I am so proud of him for his own journey that he went through, both personally and with his family. His story touched on a lot of pressures that first-generation children can feel, and I loved how he ultimately made the best decision for him.

I personally related to these two a lot, with their backgrounds and their families that are so similar to my own. It’s such a special feeling to read about similar experiences and see yourself within the pages of a book. What I wouldn’t give to have read a book like this when I was younger! If you’re a fan of mooncakes and lanterns, of first loves and old loves, and a touch of magic, be sure to pick up this book! Thank you to the author and Penguin Teen for my review copy. May all your wishes find the light!

I’ve read all of Gloria Chao’s other books and this one both looked and sounded magical. Wish Upon a Lantern definitely does a good job of showing the magic of a real close-knit community coming together. This is amped up more by the fact that Liya and her Nǎinai have been secretly working together to gentle push their customers’ wishes to come true. I loved how this tradition was eventually taken up again by Liya and Kai, as it reunited the two anxious and insecure estranged besties. I also liked how we got chapters from both Liya’s and Kai’s perspective as it it helped me understand what happened between the two of them and it did make me root for the two of them to get together. Unfortunately, after all the buildup and longing, the romance in this book was a bit of a letdown. Which is too bad, because Kai and Liya’s friendship was adorable and their love story could have been something truly special if it was better developed and not rushed. As for the nonromantic plot, I appreciated the realistic approach this book takes when looking at the realities of gentrification as well as the toll family secrets and poor communication can have on teens. That being said, while I’m happy with how Liya’s journey ended in the book, I was unsatisfied with Kai’s arc. The poor guy has been through so much with his blood family who either abandoned him or treated him with such disdain and abuse. It’s nice that he has friends and Liya, but he could really use some adult figures to back him up, especially since his parents just let his brother openly bully him without any ramifications. It sucked how things were left so open-ended for Kai, as it would be nice for him to have a more hopeful ending. Ultimately. Wish Upon a Lantern does have the ingredients to be a magical read from its vibrant descriptions of the food and culture in Chicago’s Chinatown community to how it approaches moving on after a loss while honouring the past, but it fails to deliver a remarkable reading experience, at least to me.

This was such a cute romance following two best friends who have been kind of avoiding each other after something embarrassing happened. They start talking to each other again when Liya finds out that her family's wishing lantern store is struggling. Following Liya and Kai as they secretly fulfill people's wishes was the cutest thing ever and Kai was just so heads over heels for Liya.
I did not particularly care for the rivalry between the two families, but I absolutely loved the amount of culture that was in this book. It was so nice to be able to see myself in some of these characters and their experiences. I also really appreciated how well this book did in touching upon the topic of grief. Overall, this was a fun and quick read.

thank you to netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, Viking Books for Young Readers for the advanced reading copy of When Your Wish Upon a Lantern by Gloria Chao. this was a cute story about the magic in everyday life, about two teens who have had their awkward moments and find greater meaning in things.

What a sweet romance! I loved the setting in Chicago's Chinatown and all the tidbits about the author's culture.

This book is very well written. The author has a way of expressing character emotions and setting that doesn't feel forced and is easy to read.

However, I was missing some depth from this book. I wish we could've seen more of the MCs as children or something to help us understand as the readers why they mean so much to one another. They stop being friends for a while and I was confused as to why, if their connection is so strong, that would be possible. I also hate the miscommunication trope.

I loved the themes of this book and the setting was great!

Thank you to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for providing me an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Liya and Kai have been best friends forever. Their parents own a store and bakery next to each other in Chicago’s Chinatown. Liya helps sell paper lanterns while Kai is the baker extraordinaire. They used to do everything together, but now that Liya’s Nainai is no longer there to be their buffer between their feuding fathers, and ever since the boba puke incident, their relationship has been strained. Liya is super lonely without either Kai or Nainai around. When she finds out her family’s store is struggling, Liya decides she needs to work on fulfilling wishes that people write on the store’s lanterns before they release them. It’s something she and Nainai used to do together, and it helped the store as well as felt good to do. But can she fulfill wishes on her own? Kai is crushed that Liya’s reaction to him asking her out was to puke on his shoes. His father and older brother make his life miserable, and his mom is working on flights around the world more often than not. Is there some way he can make things right so Liya will at least be friends with him again?

This is a story of best friends moving at a snail’s pace to something more and learning a lot about the importance of communication in friendships and family relationships. Liya and Kai both learn they had been operating on assumptions that weren’t true at all, and they both learn their family situations won’t improve without some actual communication. Through the story we get to spend a lot of time in the small Chinatown community, and experience several cultural celebrations, joys, and challenges with them. It was interesting to walk in their shoes. During festivals people write their wishes on the paper lanterns Liya’s family sells before lighting and releasing them, and she often helps them write their wishes which is how she knows what to work on fulfilling. Her desire to help others is sweet, and the book highlights how little acts of kindness can have a far-reaching effect. Kai and Liya’s relationship is sweet, and they are very good friends for each other. They are free to be themselves with all their quirks with each other, and they help each other grow. They are a bit of star-crossed lovers since their fathers are feuding (rather than the Romeo/Juliet comparison, the book highlights a Chinese folktale of star-crossed lovers in comparison). They are both also really grieving the loss of Liya’s grandmother who was like their 3rd musketeer and had a huge hand in raising both of them. I had a little bit of a hard time getting into the story and I think it was because I couldn’t figure out what age Liya and Kai were supposed to be. With just a few tweaks this could easily have been a middle grade story with Liya and Kai being 12 and just friends trying to restore their friendship. Which is fine. Teens don’t have to be angsty or edgy, there are many real teens who are low on drama and very even-keeled individuals. It just took a little bit for me to realize they were atypical teen book characters in a refreshing way. (Well, mostly. Kai hardly swears but then uses strong profanity several times.) Hand this to readers looking for a cute and sweet YA romance with Chinese cultural influences.

Notes on content [based on the ARC]: Just a couple minor swears and 13 uses of strong profanity. There are some texting abbreviations for stronger words, but they are not written out. There’s some heavy kissing, but nothing beyond that. Kai's father asks him an awkward question about whether or not he's satisfying his urges regularly. Deaths of loved ones are mentioned but not described in any way. Kai’s father and brother are verbally and emotionally abusive. Financial struggles are an issue for several in the community.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

After a super embarrassing misunderstanding (I would have run too!), Liya and Kai are no longer speaking. When Liya discovers that her family’s wishing lantern shop is in trouble, she wants to start making customer wishes come true with small, but sweet acts of kindness as she and her late grandmother once did. Kaya is in need of help and to her surprise, her former (cute!) best friend Kai jumps at the chance.

This super cute story was a wonderful combination of both rivals to romance and friendship to romance.. Kai’s steadfast admiration of Liya was the sweetest thing and I couldn’t wait to see them overcome the hurdles they faced. Chinese traditions and culture abound in this story and enriched it greatly. Familial love was also at the core of this book and I appreciated that each family’s growth was its own and not uniform which made it very relatable. When You Wish Upon A Lantern was obviously written with love for both family and culture and I look forward to more from Chao.

Love, Love, Loved this new book by Gloria Chao! Such a sweet story about family, culture and finding your place with the people who love you. I have liked her books in the past but really loved this one especially. I might be slightly biased living so close to Chicago. I loved we saw the story from the perspective of both of the main characters and even though they had some problems along the way were willing to stick it out together. I also greatly appreciated that even though everything didn't end "happily ever after" it looks like the characters are going to be ok. I was able to follow along well even with the second language thrown in (which I do not know). It was wonderful to have that small town/community feel all the while learning about at culture that is not my own. I can't wait to read this book a second time.