3.25 stars - liked it, but didn’t LOVE it. I received the audiobook from NetGalley as an ARC. Like many other reviewers, the title, which is also the title of a Taylor Swift song, caught my eye. However, it reminded me of why I’m not a big romance reader - it felt a little too obvious from the moment I saw the cover.

Beautiful, talented artist and class president Natalia is best friends with attractive, popular basketball player and prom king Ethan. They’re such good friends that when she’s in his room on prom night, it’s noted how Ethan subconsciously runs his fingers on her arms while they’re talking. So what do you think is going to eventually happen? We get both of their POV’s in this YA romance that is mostly based on a miscommunication trope.

The bulk of the setting happens a few months later, when the last summer before senior year is almost over and their class is at the locally legendary “Senior Sunrise” event. I give the author points for making some original subplots within the more cliche main romance story. There are a lot of nuances with the characters’ friends, frenemies, and otherwise. Natalia has an anxiety or panic disorder that’s all too relatable and Ethan has a brother struggling with addiction. However, it’s almost cancelled out because there is just SO much going on. Both protagonists have family drama happening they haven’t told anyone about. Neither of them has told their respective “other” best friends anything about their obvious feelings for each other. It is realistic that teens keep some things to themselves, but it’s unrealistic to me that 2 high schoolers would go through all that and their other best friends know NOTHING about it. Some of the subplots just felt a little unnecessary and not totally fleshed out (like one student who is drunk at the gathering and seems to just exist to make a transphobic slur and yell at another character for getting his problematic adult friend fired). Too many emotional swings happen in a 24-hour period. None of the adults at the Senior Sunrise have a clue what’s going on. And although Natalia is a scholarship student and Ethan literally is nicknamed “Ethan-pedia,” they do not seem to have the brain cells between the two of them to exchange a sentence without a major misunderstanding until about 3/4 through the book. The whole “what if our friendship is ruined if we go from friends to something more” logic is spoiled when your friendship literally sucks now because neither of you are talking to each other.

Overall it was a sweet little read, and I’d recommend if you are actually more into romance stories than I am and don’t mind some tropes..

Let me start by saying I am not a huge fan on 24 hour books. I think most are done terribly and leave a LOT for the reader to fill in on their own. If I had realized that this was going to primarily be a 24 hour book (with some minor flashbacks and an epilogue) I would have probably not request it.

The audiobook was not great. I think the man voicing the part is way too old and sounds exactly like someone in their 40s from another audio book I had just finished. It was very uncomfortable given the setting. The female narrator was ok but I couldn't get past the male narrator.

The miscommunication trope was the central plot and it lasted WAAAAAYYYY too long. Also, everyone is a cheater apparently? The whiplash of the constant will they/wont they with their communication annoyed me to NO end. That being said, I kept reading. So for that alone I will give it 3 stars. I was angry and annoyed at it all and kept reading.

I think the book definitely gives off the vibes of Taylor's I Wish You Would. I dont know if that is a good or bad thing honestly. I think overall, I was not impressed and did not feel like we got anywhere by the end of the story.

Thank you so much MacMillan for the audio arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I devoured this. I honestly loved how quick of a read it was and enjoyed that the story got to the point in a timely manner.

I will say, this is heavy on the miscommunication trope, as in the plot wouldn’t exist if the main characters had a single conversion. Putting that aside, it made sense for two teenagers who have been friends forever to be uncomfortable sharing their developed and accepted feelings for the other without being positive that they were reciprocated.

I lived for the teenage relationship drama. The friends being supportive and just doing what was requested of them, no questions asked - truly iconic.

I loved the way the narrators portrayed these characters. Their cadence and emotion kept me involved the entire time.

If you’re looking for a super quick, enjoyable ya novel that shows you the world is only as scary as you let it be, then I suggest you pick this up!

I Wish You Would is perfect for teenagers. There is a little bit of spice and innuendo but not enough to cause concern for parents. The drama that ensued from miscommunication will be relatable for the teen age group and gives the valuable lesson that while problems may seem big in the moment, things typically work out in the end. Definitely recommend for the age group it was written for, young adults and teenagers.

The narrators for Ethan and Natalia did a fine job with pacing. The female narrator did a great job with inflection and tone. The male narrator's tone was fine when doing the male dialogue, but the girls' dialogue came off as breathy and ditsy, for lack of a better word.

I was pleasantly surprised by this one. It was relatable, frustrating, and full of drama. Everything a high school story needs. I hate miscommunication, but the author did a great job at making it just the right amount of annoying. I love the friends to lovers and the rich boy poor girl tropes. I also loved the representation of being a light skinned Latina which I relate to very much. The narrators did great! Overall, very impressed with this debut ! Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an opportunity to read in exchange for a review!

I enjoyed this book and the progress the characters made throughout the day of their senior sunrise camping trip. It felt extremely dramatic and very YA as an adult reader. Overall though it was good and I would recommend.

Natalia and Ethan have always been best friends, but when their friendship threatens to turn into more, they get scared and ghost each other all summer. Then Senior Sunrise comes, and they are forced to face each other and their feelings. What makes this a little less predictable is the senior sunrise camping trip, where everyone’s secrets are exposed to the whole senior class. The drama that ensues is no surprise, and the ending is exactly how one would imagine it would be. This is told in alternating voices of both Natalia and Ethan, who the reader will immediately find relatable. Highly predictable but recommended for anyone looking for an easy fluffy read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners, Henry Holt and Co., Eva Des Lauriers, Max Meyers (audio narrator), and Victoria Villarreal (audio narrator) for the opportunity to read and listen to the audiobook of I Wish You Would in exchange for an honest review.

It's Senior Sunrise, the first and one of the most iconic events of senior year in high school. This school does an overnight beach party full of games and writing private letters to themselves about what they want or wish to do for senior year.

Natalia and Ethan are best friends. Or at least, they were, until the night of their Junior Prom. When they almost cross the line from friends to something more, their friendship dynamic takes a turn for the worse. Having not talked to each other all summer, they are now faced with having to interact at Senior Sunrise. Seeing each other sparks feelings that they would rather keep below the surface, and when it comes to the letters, Natalia finds that she wants to take back what she wrote. In an attempt to retrieve her turned-in letter, she accidentally allows a total of seven letters to escape along the beach breeze.

Natalia has a problem on her hands. She can't let anyone see that the letters she is at fault of releasing into the world. They are meant to be private, and high schoolers can be rather vicious with other's information. Ethan tasks himself with helping Natalia find the letters and get them back, before something irreversible happens. And hopefully he can repair his friendship with Natalia in the process.

Over the course of the Senior Sunrise event, hearts are broken, friendships are forged or severed, and the miscommunication trope makes itself known as the high school drama ensues.

At first, I found this book to be not as dramatic as I was expecting, but there are certainly moments where it picks up, and fast. Between fist fights, secrets revealed, and stolen kisses, the drama is never-ending in this young adult high school romance. Perfect for an older teen audience looking for relatable situations and a spark of hope to their endeavors.

An emotionally charged YA enemies to lovers debut perfect for fans of authors like Laura Taylor Namey and good on audio. This had more depth than I was expecting and kept me engaged from start to finish. I liked both the main characters and would definitely recommend it. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early ALC in exchange for my honest review!

Very reminiscent of To All the Boys I’ve Lived Before. Fun, cute teen romance. Loved the characters personalities and story lines. Quick read. Easy to recommend.

I'm a huge fan of friends to lovers stories so this one was right up my alley. The characters had great chemistry. I was rooting for them the whole time. If you like pining then you're going to love this one because there is a lot of it. There is also a fair amount of miscommunication too. I'm not as much of a fan of that trope so it did get on my nerves just a bit. Since the plot revolves around lost letters, it was really nice that we got to see what they said. It really enhanced the side characters and there were some real emotion in those letters. Overall I really enjoyed this book and I think you will too if you love friends to lovers and a whole bunch of pining.

Audiobook specific: I liked both narrators but max was definitely my favorite of the two. I have loved Max's previous works so I was really excited to hear Max's narration again. They both did a good job bringing their characters to life. But I do think that Victoria was a little slower than I would have liked but it didn't stop me from enjoying it.

Content warning: panic attack, mentions of adult/minor relationship for a side character, bullying, infidelity

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this via audio before it releases. Loved the narrators and would listen to more by them and this author. A very well done YA debut novel

As a huge swiftie, I was immediately drawn in by the title of the book. This book is VERY heavy on miscommunication so if you are not a fan of that then this might not be the book for you. I wish there would've been more depth to Ethan and Natalia and their relationship because it didn't really make sense why they weren't together way earlier if they had such a close bond. The ending was really sweet though!

As much as I wanted to like this book, I felt like there was something very much missing. The chemistry between Natalia and Ethan was very forced to me. I do think the story is good for the right person, that person is just not me.

This book reminded me of the teen dramas of the late ‘90s and early 2000s. There is so much drama and teen angst addressing all kinds of issues. Unfortunately, it felt like just too much for me. Miscommunication is absolutely the driving conflict between the Natalia and Ethan and I think there are readers that don’t hate that but it drives me nuts. With the book being dual point of view, the miscommunication is really on display. Lots of mean girl bullying and more language than I think is necessary in a YA book. I would also say this definitely needs to be considered an upper YA book (or really NA even though the characters are in high school) because there is implied intimacy and I don’t think that should be in books that are marketed to children as young as 12. This one wasn’t my cup of tea and I really wouldn’t recommend it to true YA readers.

I did like the narrators. They both definitely matched the dramatic vibe and did well performing the young voices.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. The thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

Content Notes: Lots of strong language, makeouts with clothing being removed and a quick fade to black scene with implied intimacy

Thank you Eva Des Lauriers and Macmillan Audio for my #gifted copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This is such a quintessential teenage drama in a great way! Des Lauriers truly captured the feelings of being in high school where every emotion feels like the end of the world.

I love that this whole story took place over the course of 24 hours. Timelines like this always make each detail feel so much more important. The idea of the entire senior class having a camping trip and writing their deepest wishes/fears down to burn all together is such a great and cathartic concept. But of course, putting a bottle full of papers containing every high schooler’s deepest secrets can only bring chaos.

High school me related to Natalia a little too much between having feelings for her best friend to the insurmountable pressure she feels to be perfect in school. I love Natalia and Ethan’s relationship - how even when they aren’t on good terms, they will still drop everything to support each other.

This entire book was one big miscommunication and while I typically hate that trope, it just worked for this book. Something about teenagers in love at the most confusing and change-heavy time in their lives just screams miscommunication trope

Overall, this was an enjoyable read and really packed those high-school emotions in!

First off, I love the cover and title of this book. I was excited to read it! I usually love YA romances, but this book relied way too much on the miscommunication trope. It really took away from my enjoyment of the budding romantic relationship between Ethan and Natalia. The story also felt too slow, even though most of the events take place on a particular day.

The female narrater was great, but the male narrator’s voice didn’t match Ethan very well. The male narrator is clearly a grown man, which seemed off when voicing a teenager. I also felt like the two narrator’s speeds didn’t match well either.

Sadly, this book just wasn’t for me, but I’m glad to see so many others are enjoying it! I’m just not a big fan of the constant miscommunication.

Thank you Netgalley and MacMillan audio for the alc.my opinions are being left voluntarily. I thought this was a fresh ya book. And enjoyed the short timeline the characters were well developed.

I.would recommend this to friends

3.5/5☆

4.5

This YA story about two friends who, after prom, find themselves estranged and must decide if their friendship is worth fighting for and if they will finally bare their hearts with each other. This story had my heart feeling like it was being ripped right out of my chest. I know as adults we have the tendency to look back on our high school experiences and dismiss the feelings and decisions that once felt monumental, but the decisions that young adults these are making - the dreams they’ll pursue, how to manage parental/familial expectations, complex family dynamics - are not insignificant and their struggle of being of adult age but treated “like a child” can overwhelming. I think this book will resonate with countless YA readers and they will feel seen in these characters’ struggles, dreams, and stories.

I Wish You Would is about being vulnerable and brave, mending friendships, taking chances, standing up for what’s right, and speaking your truth. These students were making important decisions on how to carve out new beginnings and build a home and family where their dreams, true selves, and current and future love could flourish. I admired their strength as many of them were having to navigate complicated family dynamics - divorce and parental infidelity - all while balancing the growing pains that come with the transition from high school to adulthood.

The entire story is set over the course of 24 hours and I love a story with a “countdown.” When you know there is a limited amount of time for the characters to make big decisions and share their long held feelings really amps up the drama and tension. I love it!! I really enjoyed how the author played with time having most of the story take place in the present but sprinkling flashbacks throughout to give better context to why there are secrets and rifts among the group. I also liked how the beginning of each chapter began with a timestamp so there was no confusion to where you were in the story.

I absolutely loved the narrators! Victoria Villarreal is one of my favorite narrators and Villarreal and Max Meyers played off of each other so well. They brought such conviction and emotion to the parts of Natalia and Ethan that I was moved to tears at times. I know I would have enjoyed reading a physical copy, but the audiobook experience was fantastic and memorable. Highly recommend.

If you’re looking for a YA story that is PACKED with angst (your heart will be put through the wringer BUT it’s worth it), have you swooning, and will expand your heart and make you feel ALL the feels, I highly recommend I Wish You Would.

3.5/5
A fast paced sweet high school love story. Majority of this book takes place in one day with some flash backs. HEAVY on the miscommunication trope (less cringey because they’re in high school)