4.5/5

This was unputdownable!

The drama! The angst! The swoon! Such a fun, captivating (and deep) read.

I WISH YOU WOULD is the story of best friends Natalia and Ethan (who maybe shared a Moment after junior prom??) during their Senior Sunrise weekend, an overnight beach party celebrating their hopes for the new year with the rest of their senior classmates.

When the senior class carries out their tradition of writing private letters to themselves—what they wish they would do this year if they were braver—Natalia pours her heart out. So does Ethan. So does everyone in their entire class. But in Natalia’s panicked attempt to retrieve her heartfelt confession, the wind scatters seven of the notes across the beach. Now, Ethan and Natalia are forced to work together to find the lost letters before any secrets are revealed—especially their own.

Seven private confessions. Seven time bombs loose for anyone to find. And one last chance before the sun rises for these two to fall in love.

Even though the majority of this book takes place during a weekend, it doesn't feel slow or drawn-out -- it's filled with flashbacks and movement, which kept me turning pages to the end.

It's got delicious tension and that unique, feels-like-the-end-0f-the-world angst that perfectly captures those teenage years. Natalia and Ethan are interesting, well-rounded characters that you'll want to root for, even when they mess up and work through mistakes. And the banter! The swoon! I was just ACHING for them to just admit their love, UGH! Such a satisfying journey and HEA. Overall, just a really enjoyable read -- great story and skillful writing.

Also, this cover is INSANE -- so gorgeous and rich, which I think beautifully matches the artistic writing and connection to Natalia's love of art and how she sees and thinks in colors on canvas. Also, IWYW is one of, if not my favorite, Taylor Swift song, so. Knew I was going to love this.

Thank you to Eva, Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. I WISH YOU WOULD is out May 21, 2024.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the different characters and the way they both played together perfectly. I would highly recommend this book. 10/10

What a read! As someone who loves a good YA friends-to-lovers romance, I very much enjoyed I Wish You Would. The YEARNING between our to MC in this book is what made me not want to put this book down. I just wanted to keep reading so I could finally have them talk to each other and figure things out. I didn't mind this lack of communication Natalia and Ethan were going through because then we got to really see their characters grow as they learned to better communicate with each other and transform their relationship into something really sweet. The emotions both MCs feel were so easy to experience with them throughout the book. Des Lauriers did a great job putting us in their heads and letting us with experience their feelings in a way that felt so real and genuine to me. Will for sure keep my eye out for future books from this author!

Thank you, Henry Holt & Co., Eva Des Lauriers and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to receive an ARC of this book, because I listen to Eva's podcast and find her to be a lovely human. And boy did she deliver - this was a DELIGHTFUL read, full of teen angst and complicated feelings and kids just trying their best. Whenever there was miscommunication, I believed it because she drew the characters so well that it felt true to them.

The side characters were great, too, and I loved how the letters gave perspective to even the meanest of mean kids and what they were dealing with.

This book is written for and about teens, so as an adult, I'm not the target audience - but she really took me back to that space in a visceral way. Highly recommend!

This book had everything a YA novel needs - pining, angst, self-doubt, growing pains, witty dialogue, misunderstandings, friendship, secrets, love. The wring was beautiful, inclusive and approachable. The plot, spread out over a twenty-four hour high school senior camp out - didn't have a single dull moment. And the emotions...this story had me really feeling for every one of these characters from the very first chapter.
I loved this read and couldn't recommend this book enough.

Thank you for the digital ARC!

I WISH YOU WOULD is a Taylor Swift song perfectly bottled, with a sweet, angsty, yearning friends-to-lovers dynamic and a fun plot tying it all together. I loved the tight timeline, and the pacing never felt slow, even though sometimes books set in the span of a day or less sometimes sag in the middle. Eva Des Lauriers keeps the momentum moving with close examinations of the relationships involved, and beautifully captures the messy feelings that come with being a high schooler with hidden feelings.

I WISH YOU WOULD by debut author Eva Des Lauriers is a standalone contemporary Young Adult Romance that touched me so deeply (in the best way), that I went through half a box of tissues. It's Senior Sunrise and part of the tradition involves writing a letter telling yourself what you would do this last year in high school if you were brave enough. When Natalia, the class president, accidentally releases some of those letters from their bottle, chaos ensures as she and her sort of best friend Ethan try to find them all before her mistake is discovered. I loved the two main characters, the setting, and the family and friendship dynamics. Before I gush on more, let me share the setup.

Ever since something that sort of happened between Natalia and her best friend Ethan after prom, they ghost each other the following summer, and it is difficult for both of them. Tensions at both of their homes are resulting in anxiety and angst, and they miss having their best friend there for them. As part of the beginning of senior year, there's a tradition of watching the sunrise together on the beach. Part of that tradition is burning those aforementioned letters.

After Ethan catches Natalia scooping up the letters she accidentally scattered, they are tied together with this secret. The problem is, they don't talk about what happened after prom because events and people keep getting between them. The other problem is that each of them have one of their fellow classmates looking for a relationship with them, sparking jealousy, and in some cases, feelings of betrayal. Will they figure out how to talk things out and to trust one another again? You'll have to read to find out.

What I loved most about this book:
- The characters, every single one of them, were well-crafted, and felt like people I might have met or known in high school
- The side characters did some heavy lifting at some points, and I found that clever and realistic
- Natalia, my perfectionist, half Hispanic sister! How I wish someone had known me so well back in high school that he could help me when I panicked or was being too hard on myself. A friend like Ethan comes along once in a lifetime. Her struggles about what was happening with her family life, her struggles with other burdens that were placed on her by herself and others just felt so real, and my heart felt so deeply for her.
- Ethan, my fellow nerd at heart, how I wanted to fix it all for you, help you say the right things to Natalia to clear the air, even though she wouldn't let you. This age is already trying, but add onto it all of the burdens Ethan was carrying, well, I'm impressed he's as collected as he is at times. Until he's not.
- The heightened feelings described with Eva's beautiful words resonated with the part of my heart that will always be seventeen. How much everything felt like the end of the world at times.
- On top of the main romantic arc in this story are some other arcs that were so, so well-written, and again reflecting the contemporary high school experience.
- I liked the glimpses of the lost letters. It set up tension, and ratched it up. At one point, I had to put the book down because it was stressing me out, in a good way.
- Natalia's approach to art and how she experiences her feelings through paint on a canvas was a great inclusion. Also, neuro-diverse rep, for the win! Anxiety can be crippling, and I hope that if readers see themselves in Natalia and they realize they have anxiety, they seek the help they need to better cope with life and the world.
- This story did a great job of hinting that something bad was going to happen, and then having it happen.
- I mentioned that I cried while reading this book. There's this one part that is so touching, so completely moving that I bawled. It wasn't for the whole book, just to be clear. You'll know when you get there. Chef's kiss. Bravo, Eva, for really sticking the landing.
- I almost forgot: This book has a stunningly gorgeous cover.

What didn't work:
- My only constructive feedback was that I grew frustrated towards the end when there just seemed to be so many barriers piled up to keep Ethan and Natalia from having an actual conversation about what happened and how they feel. But that's just me. I shy away from conflict by nature (Natalia, much?), so maybe that's why I grew frustrated at that one point in the book when a character believed something that couldn't really come from a trustworthy source.

I WISH YOU WOULD is a romantic, pacey, emotional read that helped me reconnect with my memories of what it was like to be seventeen and in love. I highly recommend it. Run, don't walk, to pre-order this fantastic novel! Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Henry Holt and Co. for providing me with an eARC of this book for my honest feedback.

It would be easy for me to say that I loved this book emotionally. It would be easy for me to say that I loved the writing. But I think the most important thing this book did was put me into Natalia's and Ethan's heads so well that I felt like I was there. I felt it intensely when Natalia would have panic attacks. I felt my heart clench when Ethan was talking about trouble with his dad. Multiple times throughout the book my heart broke and swelled for these two characters (and the extremely present cast of side characters).

Eva has created a story that so many of us can identify with. If you're in high school you can see your current life reflected in it. If you're several (ahem, almost 20 years) out of high school, you can still put yourself back there. The main conflict (at least the one on the surface, not the actual one) is that the private "Lion Letters" of over 50 high school seniors get accidentally scattered along the beach. Thinking about that from the eyes of a 35 year old, it's not as big of a deal because of the experiences I have had. However, the way Eva crafts this book, I can 100% remember just how devastating that would have felt to me as a senior in high school.

The romance is sweet and you spend so much time just wanting the two main characters to just TALK TO EACH OTHER. Because so many of their issues could be solved with communication.

Ok, I'm rambling now. But tldr, this book is amazing. If you're a YA fan you should read it, if you're a romance fan you should read it, if you're a coming of age fan you should read it, if you're a swiftie, you should read it. If you are someone who just craves a story that you cannot put down? Read it. You will not regret it, I promise.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. This was a very sweet YA novel and I thought the writing was excellent. Although I'm no longer a young adult, I still enjoyed this read. Both Natalia and Ethan were great main characters.

A beautiful young adult book revolving around high school drama with the sweetest romance. He author did a great job at portraying how worriers are high schoolers when it comes to their future, their dreams and their relationships. I read this in one day because it was pretty short and it had such an easy writing that I ended up losing myself in the pages. I truly loved this one.

Thank you #NetGalley and #Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) for letting me read this book early.Between the writing and the well-drawn characters, you won't be able to put this one down.

After an awkward encounter on prom night best friends Natalia and Ethan have barely spoken and with changes on the horizon it's now or never for them.

I liked parts of the book. The beginning was my favorite and I had high hopes! There were a lot sweet moments and laugh out loud moments. I just wish there wasn't so many back and forth moments, it felt a little redundant after so many times. But overall I liked the book.

Even though I was not so much a fan of high school, I LOVE a story revolving around high school drama. To kick off senior year, there's a Senior Sunrise where each member of the senior class writes a letter to themselves that no one else will see. Except, oh wait, these letters get out due to Natalia wanting to be extra sure her letter is safe. Ethan is her best friend, but after prom something went down, and it's meant they've drifted far apart. I liked how the core of this story was about Natalia and Ethan (and they narrated alternating chapters), but also brought in some letters from other classmates. Honestly, I wanted more secrets as the letters were fascinating. This was a quick read, and it's one I found I was drawn to the characters and wanted the best for them and their relationships! Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this May 2024 release - This will be a great summer 2024 beach read!

There is something for everyone in this story. You will see yourself in multiple characters in some way, shape, or form.

Eva delicately handles writing about struggles each of us has or continues deal with. Anxiety, perfectionism, self rejecting, fear, not living up to expectations, struggles with one's self identity-be it fitting in, being true to yourself, or feeling like you're straddling two worlds at once.

I loved the romance, the missed communication, the setting, and her enchanting prose so much.
I appreciated the moments the MC speaks on being white presenting, seeing thoughts I've had across the pages is extremely liberating.

There is so much more... Just... Do yourself a favor and preorder it.

Thank you so much Macmillan Children's Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC! It's was such a wonderful read!!

I posted to Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, as well as IG.

I Wish You Would has been one of my most anticipated reads, and it did not disappoint! The premise is to die for, with secrets of a gossipy private high school's senior class scattered across the beach—and the way it brings together two estranged best friends, pushing them closer and closer to confessing their wounds to each other and giving their relationship a shot, is just delicious. Eva writes with such heart and atmosphere and joy—I couldn't put this down!

I liked the premise of the story. It was cute. Though parts I felt were repetitive. And the letters were interesting and at times intense. Overall, it was a nice romance story of two best friends. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED this book! When I was in Middle School/ early High school, I used to devour YA romances. As I got older, I switched to reading more fantasy books. It's been a while since I read a good romance, and this one gave me all the nostalgic feels.

I really enjoyed the characters, particularly our main ones, Ethan and Natalia. They felt so well fleshed out and realized. Every emotional response felt earned, which isn't always true in this genre of books. These felt like real people and I recognized so many of my own feelings and fears and insecurities from that time in my life. I was rooting for them from the start, and that never stopped. I also loved the side characters. Again, this felt like a real group of high schoolers.

The setting and the fact that the bulk of the story took place in a 24 hour time span also worked for me. I'm not the biggest fan of the miscommunication trope, but I have to say, it worked here. I understood why these kids weren't talking and the heightened sense of emotion and stakes felt true to what a seventeen year old would be feeling at the time.

Honestly, this was just a blast. It was swoony and sweet and filled with character you will come to love.

What a wonderful debut novel!

This was chock full of angst that kept me turning the page. I was rooting for Ethan to be nosy and read Natalia's letter almost from the beginning, just so those poor kids could be put out of their misery. I needed to see Natalia and Ethan realize the other loved them and just confess their feelings. As a result, I sped through this in almost one sitting.

I think fans of Jandy Nelson will really like this. It's got the coastal Norcal setting, the artistic protagonist, and a good dose of family drama.

3.75⭐️

There's really nothing better than the drama and angst of a YA novel. This book follows best friends Natalia and Ethan, who after almost crossing the line at junior prom and not speaking to each other all summer, have to confront their issues after confession letters go missing at a senior class overnight trip.

Both characters are struggling with family issues and with themselves. Ethan is suddenly popular after being bullied for most of his life. He is struggling with his relationship with his famous father. Natalia is striving hard to be perfect and be good enough for everyone else. She's struggling with her parent's marital issues and with wanting to do art instead of what her father wants her to do. They could be frustrating (between some miscommunication about prom night and them both keeping secrets), but they were likable.

This was an angsty, but sweet first love story.

I started and finished this book in one day. I could not put it down. This story and these characters are undeniably special, about such a meaningful time in a person’s life - when you discover who you are, and even more than that, that YOU get to decide who you are. Multiple lines brought me to tears and I know this is a book I will reread for the feels. A wonderful, magical debut.