The cover immediately drew me in, as well as the concept. It was the perfect YA summer romcom, with all the right vibes. The only qualm I have is the major use of miscommunication trope in the building of Ethan and Natalia's relationship. And that's coming from a defender of the miscommunication trope 9 out of 10 times. However, it's YA, so we can forgive some of that. Definitely fits with Taylor Swift's "august" vibes, so it's not too late to pick it up and enjoy it this summer!

*4.5⭐️
This book was so good! I love a good besties to lovers romance and had been craving a good one when I read this. And Natalia and Ethan were perfect for that! They had such a cute relationship that felt very realistic for teenagers in the level of miscommunication. It was like they kept missing each other, but even apart, they still supported and cared for each other! They were honestly so adorable together!

I really liked the overall plot of the senior year trip and the letters. This book is perfect for anyone going through a transitional period, especially people who are graduating from high school. I also really liked how while the book focused on Ethan and Natalia, it also gave us glimpses into the minds of their classmates, demonstrating that everyone has similar fears of not belonging and not knowing where they’re heading.

Also, I need to add how much I appreciate Eva Des Lauriers naming this book after one of my favorite Taylor Swift songs!

For transparency, Eva is a friend of mine, but this review has no bias due to that. I don't often read YA contemporary because the stories don't grab my attention or that I simply prefer to be in a fantasy world. BUT LET ME TELL YOU... I read this on the flight home from her debut event. The entire book... in the span of one flight. I loved it so much. It kept my attention for the entire book and I didn't want to stop reading it. It brought me back to those days when I was a teen going to a camp and all the emotions that come along with being a teenager. It was perfect.

A cute young adult/high school romance based off the fact that there was POOR communication the entire time. The entire plot could have been dismissed if only the main characters actually told each other how they felt... However, the storyline took place in one day while they're at the beach with flashbacks in between. Such a FAST paced book... I started the audiobook yesterday while playing a game and was to 80% before the next day started. phew....

I'm giving the 3 stars just because I'm not the biggest fan of the lack of communication trope... I find it to be annoying now especially with the entire book being based off of that, also it felt predictable. It's a good cute read for the beach though and I'd recommend to friends who want a quick read.

I thought this was a solid read overall, but I'm finding that I'm drifting away from young adult contemporary fiction lately. This took me a while to get through, but I don't think that was the fault of the book itself.

I stand by that this cover is absolutely STUNNING though.

Not a good book. I feel like the characters were really annoying. I won't write a long review because I don't think that this book deserves it, I already wasted my time trying to finish it. The misscommunication drive me insane and NOT in a good way it was done really bad. Natalia's anxiety was potrayed very poory. Ethan was not a great charactet. They both were getting on my nerves CONSTANTLY. This book would be 50 pages if they just TALKED and acted their age.

I think the premise of this book sounds so cute. I also think I would’ve liked this much better if I were a bit younger. My biggest problem with this book is how much miscommunication is throughout the entire story. I know that’s kind of the whole point, and there is a lot of angst, but I think I would’ve connected and liked it much better if I were apart of this age group. I went in blind and mostly because it shares a title with my favorite song off of 1989 Taylor’s Version. However, I was looking for those vibes and didn’t get what I was hoping for. The miscommunication was so intense and the story was difficult for me to want to pick back up because of that intensity. I feel like if that intensity were shifted more so onto the deeper topics in the main characters lives and less on the forceful nature of the relationship I would’ve enjoyed it a lot more.

3.5/5 Stars

Natalia and Ethan haven't seen or spoken to each other since junior prom night, where they almost became more then friends. Ethan is desperate to mend their relationship and will do anything to be best friends again. It is now Senior Sunrise, a day where the seniors come together to bond and complete the tradition of writing letters to themselves that contain secret confessions and sealing them in a bottle. When Natalia accidently scatters the letters across the beach, she teams up with Ethan to collect them before others find them.

This was a cute little YA romance, that takes place over a single day in the summer. It is dual POV, and I enjoyed both Natalia and Ethan's chapters. They did drive me crazy with the miscommunication, and the entire story and relationship could have been resolved if they had one conversation, but I digress. I think the reasoning behind Natalia pulling away was very valid, so once we learn that, it was a bit less frustrating... still frustrating, but less so. I loved once Natalia and Ethan started mending the relationship, they are so sweet together and you could see how much they cared for one another. I think that both Ethan and Natalia had a lot of character development in the end, and I did enjoy how the story ended. The side characters were also so much fun, and I think they enhanced the story so much. Also the writing style, and some of the quotes in this were so gorgeous.

A lovely YA friends to lovers and second chance romance set over the course of an overnight event called the Senior Sunrise in the same vein as Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon and Some Mistakes Were Made by Kristin Dwyer.

Former best friends Ethan and Natalia haven’t been on speaking terms since their junior prom. In an event to kick off their senior year, tradition has it that seniors write private letters to themselves on doing things if they were braver. When seven letters flew and got lost due to strong winds, the two reluctantly help each other out in finding them with the intention of fixing everything or simply letting go.

I loved this book and I think it perfectly captured the doubts, angst and pressure every teenager goes through and has to face, both academic and otherwise, HA. Also, I’m quite forgiving when it comes to the miscommunication trope, which this book hinges on, when it’s done by young adults as a benefit of their youth. How I envy that they have the freedom of being idiotic and making terrible decisions (they have all the time in the world to learn from their mistakes after having to suffer the consequences).

This book was well-written for a debut which I enjoyed overall. I will surely look out for Des Lauriers’ future releases.

My thanks to Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), NetGalley and the author for my copy. All opinions are honest and my own.

A cheesy friends to lovers taking place on a windy beach, I loved the tension and the connection between Ethan and Natalia and the cast of characters ranging from petty Janice to chill Rainn and lovely Sienna and of course, the vengeful Claire. Ultimately, glad that both Ethan and Natalia took their time to grow

It’s honestly so funny to me, as I look back on Eva Des Lauries’ <i>I Wish You Would</i> and realize that a fair number of readers see this book as a miscommunication trope novel. It’s especially funny as I ruminate on the fact that I truly loved this book but have lambasted three other novels recently for engaging in miscommunication as a plot device to extend out the length of the book. The thing is, <i>I Wish You Would</i> is a masterful example of how to write this trope <i>well</i>.

It all comes down to purpose—why are your characters not communicating? Or why is their communication not resonating with the other? What is the result of this communication? What purpose does that serve for the characters and for the plot?

If the miscommunication is simply characters making decisions for other characters because one feeling or another—often, some sort of assumed inadequacy is involved—leads them to believe that’s “best,” don’t use this trope. It’s awful and painful and most readers want nothing to do with it. If your miscommunication is because your characters are young, wrapped up in an emotional moment, they misunderstand each other, and—now this last part is <i>key</i>—this miscommunication is not used as a <i>last minute</i> way to add in some final conflict to push out the length of your book, I think it can be done well.

See, the amazing thing about <i>I Wish You Would</i> is that the vast majority of miscommunication occurs in flashback sequences that slowly, as you weave your way through the events of this senior class camping trip, reveal new truths to you about the characters. So, instead of this being some contrived miscommunication that serves no purpose other than fake conflict toward the end of the book, we get a genuine mystery to solve and characters who have some serious growing to do.

The final brilliance of this is that we get to experience that growth along with them! Nothing has to be tied up in a rush at the end, we don’t have to sit through a ridiculously lengthy internal explanation of feels so the character makes an idiotic decision in a short time frame that makes absolutely zero sense. We get to experience the pure anxiety of being young and thinking about a first time and having it messed up by saying the wrong thing—my word, don’t you remember that feeling from when you were a teenager?—and the agonizing afterward, wishing you’d said something differently and not knowing how to fix what you’ve mucked up.

I was floored by how impressed I was with Lauries’ writing on this. And it just kept getting better and better. We get to see these characters awkwardly navigating around each other, tiptoeing over the conversation they both want to have but are both too scared to broach with one another. We feel, quite viscerally, their fear that letting those feelings out is going to ruin what has already been ruined even further, irreparably. And we slowly learn all the deeper little intricacies that impact their fears and, ultimately, the decision to keep their secrets. They are eggshells for all the right reasons.

Readers, I <i>loved</i> this.

Now, that’s not to say that there wasn’t anything I didn’t like about the miscommunication trope that found its way into this book. You see, while all of the above was something I deeply adored, it is unfortunately incumbent upon me to mention that Lauries does fall into that unfortunate trap of that last minute miscommunication for…extra drama, I guess? And so, in that vein, I did roll my eyes quite a bit when we reached that moment. While everything else was perfect, written expertly, I can and will admit that we didn’t need any more of it. And, in fact, that final miscommunication was actually the moment the author should have allowed everything to be resolve. That was the precise moment that these crazy kids really needed to sit down and have an actual, honest conversation.

Remove that, though, and <i>I Wish You Would</i> is easily a five-star read for me.

The bulk of this debut YA romance takes place in a 24-hour period. We follow two POVs: Natalia, the class president who is a scholarship student at a wealthy prep school, and Ethan, the son of a popular actor who has a hard time dealing with his dad's newfound fame and secrets. The book is set during Senior Sunrise, a tradition that didn't exist in my day, but my son enjoyed it. Instead of a simple morning breakfast to bring in the final year of high school, these seniors are making a camping event out of the day. Activities include a "Lion Letter," where they write something down that they would achieve if they were braver in the next year. Natalia accidentally spills out the letters and several get away, it then becomes a race to recover the lost secrets without anyone finding out.

While reading the book, I found it rather repetitive, especially when it comes to Natalia's POV. We rehash the same feelings over and over again, and you just end up wanting to get to the point. Realistically, the characters are not going to have big character growth moments in 24 hours, but here we do. I would have initially given this a lesser rating, but the last several chapters were the sweet and sappy story I was hoping for. It made the whole book worthwhile and almost made you forget the repetition of previous chapters.

Granted, I am not the target demographic for this series, as I have children in the targeted demo for this story, but I still love a good YA book. This book does tackle some hard topics like what happens when you lose respect for a parent, or when parents divorce and you have to make hard choices, and being honest with your friends even when that is hard. This brings in those difficult and big feelings that teenagers have and don't know how to process. Overall, the story is sweet, but it could have used some more editing, but it's a fun end-of-summer story full of growth and self-realization.

This book definitely brings the teen drama! I feel like I've met these kids before. Perfectly written for YA readers, who will most definitely find themselves in these pages.

The drama leans heavy into the miscommunication trope (which, by the way, is probably the cause of most teen drama in the first place). Ethan and Natalia are the epitome of friends to lovers, and so cute together.

I loved how real the author made this story feel. I could see this happening in a real senior year anywhere in America. My students would devour this book.

"What is so wrong with me that no one stays for me?"

"I try not to stare at her, but it's an effort. The moody sky brings out the dark blue of her eyes, and the wind keeps lifting the tumble of her long hair away from her face. I realize with a significant gut drop that I could look at her forever and never get bored."

loved these chaotic babies so muuchhhh 😭

This is the type of book I'd absolutely recommend to someone who's read and loved Some Mistakes Were Made by Kristin Dwyer. I Wish You Would was exactly what I needed and a fantastic debut!!

I loved Natalia and Ethan so much!! They were so messy and confused and hurt and yearning and they felt so painfully real I wouldn't have them any other way.
I loved the way they knew each other and were able to read one another so easily and yet the want between them so big and scary every time they tried communicating they kept misunderstanding what the other was trying to say (at one point I wanted to wring their necks out not unlike Rainn lmao but even more I wanted them to open up and be less afraid).
That angst, that tension..... once I started I couldn't turn the page fast enough. This book made me feel all the feels, Ethan and Natalia own me.
The ending was so satisfying, I teared up more than once.
I Wish You Would is the perfect summer YA heart-rending romance.
I cannot wait to read more by Eva Des Lauriers!!

eternal gratitude to netgalley and the publisher for the arc
all quotes are from an advance copy and may differ in the final publication

This was a super fun and quick read. Lovable characters and a teen plot actually geared for teens. Adorable.

Based on the cover alone, I was pretty sure I was going to love this. Not shockingly, I was right and really enjoyed this book. I loved Natalia and Ethan - loved their friendship and the drama. I'm definitely interested in seeing what Eva Des Lauriers writes next, I will be in line.

I Wish You Would by Eva Des Lauriers is a heartfelt and captivating story about love and longing. The characters are well-developed and relatable, and the writing is beautifully descriptive. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for their next summer read fix.

Also, the title is ~ everything ~ *cue Taylor Swift music*

Before everything changes on the night of Junior Prom, Natalia and Ethan are best friends for the a while. They are awkward in each other's company and don't know how to get back to one another after spending the summer apart and having "ghosted" each other. The Senior Sunrise trip's scenery and the missing letters were my favorite parts. Going on this journey was enjoyable! Ethan and Natalia's friendship blossomed into a lovely romantic relationship.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this book and will be looking for more to come from this author. This story takes place over one evening just before our main character's senior year of high school. It is a romance, HOWEVER, I LOVED the fact that these two where not just meeting for the first time and falling in love but were in fact best friends for years before this event takes place. Made the story much more believable and also more high stakes I felt since everyone knows what it feels like to be afraid of loosing a best friend. Sweet and fun, I will totally be reading this one again.

I previewed this teen romance and found it to be an appealing romantic drama for older teen audiences. The setting of a beach overnight where the incoming senior class carries out their tradition of writing private letters to themselves—what they wish they would do this year if they were braver- was engaging, especially as those secret confessions are scattered around the camping ground. The plot also involves the best-friends- to- intimate couple theme. 3.5 stars for this adult reader, though teens will likely enjoy it more.