I really enjoyed this YA romance. Perfectly encompasses young love and all its feelings. The swoon moments were wonderful, the jealousy and gossip aspects of the story made you really feel how much you were rooting for Natalia and Ethan. Loved being able to read the actual letters and getting to see everyone’s true feelings. Added great depth to the side characters which was important for this storyline. Overall, a great debut and can’t wait to read more!

I Wish you Would by

💌Young Adult
💌Dual POV
💌Takes place over 24 hours

✍️Things to note: this book covers very heavy and mature topics such as divorce, coming out, recovery, societal pressures, sex (none explicitly written), contains explicit language (f***, d*mn, etc)

📚Diverse, through provoking, unique📚

I was enthralled with this book. Honestly, it’s the first book I’ve read in awhile without having to depend on using the audiobook to push through it. The writing was fastpaced and entertaining. I loved getting an intimate look inside Ethan and Natalia’s minds.

The author did a wonderful job of encapsulating everything teens struggle with and helping to destigmatise talking about these issues. As a mental health professional, I was so excited to see so many diverse topics brought up and explored within the book. I loved the raw interactions between characters and the growth they all went through.

I’m not normally a fan of friends to lovers, but Natalia and Ethan stole my heart💖

I loved this one!

Thank you to Net Galley, Eva, and Macmillan children’s for this advanced copy!

I'm not even totally sure where to begin with this book. Whenever an author has a debut book, I don't know what to expect, what their voice is like, how their prose is written. It's a gamble almost every time. But by the second page of Eva Des Lauriers' debut I Wish You Would, I was absolutely hooked! I'll admit that I'm not usually a big young adult fan mostly due to the fact that I despise the miscommunication trope. And, let's face it, young adults miscommunicate ALL THE TIME. But the way Des Lauriers used the idea of miscommunication as a way to protect others from disappointment rather than solely a plot device was MAGICAL.

The tension between Natalia and Ethan was intense and I was waiting with bated breath when the dam would break and BOY DID IT EVER. Des Lauriers drives the reader through a rollercoaster of emotions and more than once I found myself crying, laughing out loud, and shocked. This story was stunningly poignant and tugged on all the heart strings I have.

And don't even get me started with the characters. From the two main ones to all of the side characters who are affected by Natalia's attempt at finding her senior letter. There were twists and turns and every personality was unique and beautiful.

Eva - you have a forever reader in me. Bravo on this first novel. I can't wait to see what you've got next.

Thanks to Net Galley and MacMillan publishers for the e-arc that allowed me to dive into Natalia and Ethan's compelling story.

The narrative unfolds with all the quintessential elements of high school drama—enemies, best friend jealousy, and intricate parent situations. The author skillfully weaves these threads into a captivating tapestry, creating a story that resonates with the highs and lows of adolescence.

Natalia's character, the class president, becomes the focal point through which every character's story intertwines. As a two-year college post-grad, I found Natalia's journey relatable, brimming with creativity, passion, and energy. She embodies the stereotypical "good girl," navigating the challenges of high school with grace and resilience.

Ethan's story adds depth to the narrative, offering a thought-provoking and empathetic perspective on imperfect families and the pitfalls of seeking relationship advice within them. His character emphasizes the messiness of young adulthood, highlighting the complications that arise when romance is mixed with a school trip.

In this emotional rollercoaster, the author delivers a heart-wrenching tale that will resonate with fans of sad stories. This book is not just a high school drama; it's a poignant exploration of love, loss, and self-discovery during the tumultuous teenage years. Overall, a must-read for those who appreciate well-crafted narratives that tug at the heartstrings.

Thanks to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group & NetGalley I received an advanced electronic copy of the book to read and provide a review.

I am usually not a fan of the miscommunication trope, but this was done in such a delightfully tense and perfectly balanced way that it made it a page turner.

Natalia and Ethan are an adorable, vulnerable and sometimes awkward friends to lovers couple. Their support at their worsts was still something special and it was a pleasure to read.

Plus THE DRAMA, oh the drama. I was here for it. The high emotional drama of high school (especially senior year!) is portrayed really well by the author and I was wholly INVESTED.

This was a quick and entertaining read - I definitely recommend it if you’re into YA romances with high school drama and the most emo forever friends.

This book had me in a stranglehold for the first moment I heard about it. Believable and heartbreaking, the amount of teenage angst had me both grateful I am no longer that young and nostalgic for the feeling. I finished this bright and tender book in a single night.

Terrific, A+ framework in this story. There's so much tension and anticipation and emotion built into the last day of high school, a precipice of adulthood, an end to young love that transitions kids into the real world and all the ambivalence that comes with it. The fun treasure hunting of recovering the secrets, and uncovering of mysteries along the way. I thought this was a really great young adult read for modern readers of all demographics.

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC!

A beautiful debut that is in turns heartbreakingly true and deeply hopeful. It is a love story at its core—first love, forever love, friendship love, and self love. It is honest and wise, funny and page-turning, filled with complex characters who reflect and grow while remaining true to themselves. The representation is thorough and reads authentically and naturally. And there are little Taylor Swift easter eggs for those watching.

Overall stunning and sets Des Lauriers as a YA author to watch.

I Wish You Would takes place over an all-night senior camping trip, where everyone writes their wishes into a letter. When two will-they-or-won't-they friends accidentally unleash all of the letters, they have to work together to get them back. I loved the senior year nostalgia aspect of this book, and the Taylor Swift inspired title got me to read it!

A poignant coming of age story with just the right amount of young adult drama. More than a romance, Des Laurier's does a wonderful job of balancing all the emotions that fall into play during a pivotal time of many young person's lives and how those things can not only challenge, but shape who they are.

Thank you to netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) for allowing me to read this book. I really enjoyed it

I wanted to love this one, but sadly wasn't for me. Still very grateful to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

Thanks to Net Galley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The story follows two main characters - Natalia and Ethan, childhood best friends who have not spoken all summer after an incident between them on junior prom night. Their interactions for the first half of the book feel like sitting in the backseat while your parents argue in the front. You can clearly see their point of view and why they do what they do but knowing both sides you want to scream at them to just talk.

C O M M U N I C A T E

Anyway, miscommunications are done well, the set up is so good. Like write yourself a letter with a confession and hope that nothing will go wrong in a big group of teenagers. Okay. Of course it will go wrong. During an attempt to retrieve her letter, Natalia scatters all of them and can’t find some when Ethan decides to help her and hopefully find his letter before anyone else does.

As the day goes on we get even more drama, the stakes get higher, side characters step in and actually do something for the plot, which is refreshing to see. The story feels consistent and so much happens in a span of twenty four hours, but it does not feel too cramped.

I would give this book a solid 5 stars, it explores so many themes, including but not limited to coming of age, teenage maximalism, angst and identity crisis.

I got a decent amount of the way through this one before I decided to DNF. I think the writing is strong and the characters are interesting, but it felt like a classic miscommunication trope that will have a predictable ending. I am also not a fan of the miscommunication trope, so that is my issue and not with the book. Perhaps it won't, but I am not invested enough to finish this one myself. I will try and get a copy for my library though!

Solid YA debut. I enjoyed the characters, especially Ethan. He really loved Natalia and could be seen from the first page. Natalia dealt with a bit of main character syndrome which made her obviously annoying at times, but mostly in an endearing way. Overall, would recommend!

How do I tattoo a story onto my heart, because that's what I need for this book. So exquisitely written, the emotions poured off the pages in waves. I felt so tied to both POVs that we were given. This is one of the best YA romances I have read! On par with Jenny Han’s writing, and I hope to see this adaptation some day soon!!!

Thank you for the ARC!

I picked this up wanting something cute and light after reading a really heavy book (I’m looking at you A Little Life👀) and it was exactly what I needed. I read it in one sitting. It was cute and sweet and funny and I just loved it so much.

I devoured this book. I am the slowest reader and I got through this book quickly because I couldn't get it out of my head. I adored Natalia and Ethan. I really enjoyed the Senior Sunrise premise creating a 24 hour timeline and the situations that it forced the characters into.

This book is an amazing look into the world of these teens and I was so sad when it came to an end. I wasn't ready to let them all go. I highly recommend it if you like friends to lovers, the drama that reverberates through friend groups as relationships shift, and the realities of living with imperfect parents as you try to figure out what you want your own life to look like.

I found myself relating to so many of the characters and situations over and over again as Eva's words really grounded me in this world. She is a fabulous storyteller and this book cements that.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC! I have to say, I was through the moon excited when I received this one and it did not disappoint. Eva created a moment in time that I didn't want to end, transporting me to the beach with these teenagers. The emotion is tangible, such believable young love that you're rooting for them from the start. I love the depth and the differences between the characters, and I thought the voice was so strong. I can't wait to celebrate Eva's debut in 2024 and I'm thrilled to see what she does next

Eva Des Lauriers is an emotional storyteller, working your heartstrings like a puppet master. I Wish You Would is phenomenal debut. Everything came full circle, there were no loose ends, and the characters are relatable and perfectly flawed.

Natalia is a perfectionist, and as a recovering gifted kid with perfectionist tendencies, I wholly related to her struggle between choosing the path she wants versus the path everyone else thinks she should take.

Ethan is struggling with a big family dynamic shift, a loss of trust with a primary parent, and the brother of a recovering addict. His character arc navigating this emotional rollercoaster while still trying to be present with his friends and classmates is a testament to Eva’s good storytelling. How well she balances emotional arc with plot and prose.

Eva is also so thoughtful about the conflict. The miscommunications make sense—they still make you want to yell at the page, but you understand why and how they happened.

The angst and pining are spot on, planting a pit in your stomach from chapter one. It’s mature enough that adult readers will enjoy the story, but it’s still very high school at its core and striking that balance proves again and again Eva’s storytelling capabilities.

And lastly, the senior sunrise is a unique setting idea that I had never heard of until this book! It’s the perfect setup for forced proximity, and of course the friends to lovers trope takes the cake for me.

I really loved this book and look forward to reading more from Eva on her publishing journey.