Maybe I’m a little too old for this?(27F) but it felt somewhat…. Hard to relate or get invested in the characters. I honestly DNF’d at 26%

I always love a book by Rachael and Alyson, though I didn't connect with this one in the same way as the others. The pacing was a little off and the slow burn a little too slow for me, but overall this is a super cute, enjoyable read.

This book was a sweet holiday romance, however to me it was a bit slow at times.

I didn't feel overly connected to the characters - though I could see that maybe a younger audience would! I would still recommend this as a fun young adult, cozy holiday read!

Thank you Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for this ARC!

Honestly, I think I may have just outgrown Rachael and Alyson's writing style. I really loved She Gets the Girl (I read it at a time when I really needed it, I think) but I just didn't have that same attachment to this one.

This was a sweet, wholesome holiday, sapphic YA romance novel. The co-writers, as always, brought their signature writing skills to Make My Wish Come True and, yeah, it was very cute and adorable and sweet. It reads very quickly and was a relatively short book. Compelling main characters, interesting holiday premise. Seriously perfect to read during the snowy months.

If you love the classic holiday movies, this book will surely be a hit! While at times suspension of belief is needed to fully immerse yourself in the story, it creates a fun saphhic story that incorporates not only the classic Christmas cheer, but also a dash of Hannukah spirit as well.

For my own interests, the story was a bit too straightforward with the 12-dates format. It seems like some of the moments of character development happened quickly because we were jumping between events too quickly. The pacing also meant some of the more complicated aspects of the story got brushed over, especially when it came to drinking, drugs, family abandonment, and planning for the future. Fleshing these moments out would have gone a long way to grounding the story. It would likely have lost some of its holiday spirit, so I can imagine that's why the authors chose not to expand on those moments, but it does feel like a missed opportunity.

If you're in the mood for something lighthearted and cute, this is a great book for you! It's a solid story, just not my favorite by Lippincott and Derrick.

This book was the perfect YA sapphic holiday romance! Through the dual POV narration Rachael and Alyson capture so many beautiful moments seen through different lenses. You really feel like you are watching these young women fall in love and seeing all of the ups and downs that come with it.

These two are so easy to cheer on as they are figuring out who they want to be in the world both on their own and to each other. This story perfectly encapsulates that feeling of being eighteen and trying to figure out what you want, what you’re doing, and who you are.

Caroline is the small town, Jewish, aspiring journalist who lives in a Christmas-centric town. Her point of view gives excellent dialogue on the many pieces of identity one can have all coming together.

Arden is the famous party girl actress who is forced to go back to the small town she left in order to get her dream role. Her point of view captures the feeling of needing to be a certain way to fit in while also trying to maintain who you are. In a world of mounting pressures, Arden is trying to figure out how she can be in one world while her heart and self are in another.

Beautifully told, these two experience the whirlwind that is young love through a series of twelve “fake” dates. They laugh together, share so many sweet moments, and share some not so wise moments because they’re eighteen and when you’re eighteen that happens sometimes. Weaved together with both points of view, this story will take you through the many emotions of being young and in love.

This holiday season grab your blanket, a mug of hot chocolate, and this book for a perfectly cozy and lovely read!

This has got to be one of my favorite books of the year. I can’t wait until it’s released and I can grab a copy. It’s such a wonderful book. The holiday vibes are perfect. The two main characters are easy to connect with, even the side characters were awesome. I definitely recommend Make My Wish Come True to anybody who loves a good sapphic romance. 5 stars!

Thank you author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book!!

I think She Gets the Girl was so good that I went into this book with such low expectations. My brain just thought Alyson and Rachel couldn't possibly release hit after hit… I was so wrong!

Listen! There was a hot chocolate contest and it was so compelling that I had to go and make myself hot chocolate. I hardly ever cry when I read but when Arden was talking about leaving for LA, I had actually tears. I cried, I laughed and I was giggling and kicking my feet! I WILL be reading this again!

Must read!!!

I knew that this book was going to be great considering the great work that these two authors have produced in the past. What I didn't know was how real these characters were going to feel. There is love, pain, and hurt in this sapphic romance. I loved the side characters as well. They moved the story forward in a way that was necessary. They also felt like people that you know. It is hard to make side characters have that much depth, but the authors did it so well! I also liked that this holiday romance included more than just Christmas. I would recommend this holiday sapphic YA romance to anyone!

I discovered Rachel and Alyson when I picked up “She Gets The Girl” and I loved their writing style and story. So when I had the chance to get a sapphic holiday book from them, I jumped at the chance. I was not disappointed. This book was festive, sweet, fun and I could not put it down.

Caroline and Arden are childhood best friends and each other’s first crushes but Arden leaves their small town behind and everyone she knows to becomes an actress. After almost losing out on a role she really wants because of her reputation, she arrives back in her small town to fake date Caroline and show the world she is just a small town girl.

Fake dating, friends to lovers and second chance are all themes in this book and it’s done beautifully. Rachel and Alyson have amazing writing chemistry and are able to add depth to the story along with great representation (Jewish, queer, and POC). I think this is a perfect YA read for the holiday season.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

I will read anything these two authors write together!! Their YA books are just so lovely and well rounded and sapphic and I am so here for it. And this book is no exception. It’s full of great holiday vibes (that I enjoyed even while reading this book in the summer!) and fake dating shenanigans. Don’t miss out on this one in the winter!!

🌈Queer rep: main FF couple, lesbian main characters. Secondary MM couple, gay male characters, lesbian character.

I loved Make My Wish Come True. I was skeptical at first but quickly changed my opinion once the characters began sharing their true emotions. I thought Arden and Caroline made for a great couple, full of weird quirks and a history of love and trust, that was fun to read.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review. 4 ⭐️ Such a sweet YA queer holiday romance! I will always be a sucker for queer holiday romances and I absolutely love this married author duo. The premise of this one was so fun and the fake dating trope was perfect. The setting was fun, characters lovable, just the right amount of angst for me in a YA because now that I’m old that can drive me away sometimes lol! Would definitely recommend for a sweet holiday read. The queer representation was also so refreshingly “normal:” didn’t have to make a big deal of coming out, they just like girls. So so so refreshing.

i loveee when these two authors write together and i loveeddd their last book too. my only gripe would be that I wish there was an epilogue :( its like these two are allergic to writing one lol. i know its the middle of summer right now but i've been craving a new holiday romance and this one practically delivered. even though the book felt a little short to me, the way arden and caroline were written was amazing. as a reader you get to see how different their lives are from each other in the beginning but when they're together they work SO WELL, and they bring out the best in each other. honestly i really loved this and i plan on rereading it when the holiday season comes. i reallyy hope rachael and alyson keep on writing together

'Make My Wish Come True' did make *my* wish come true by giving me the coziest and silliest holiday sapphic rom-com of the year! 

The story follows two teens, Arden James, a famous actress currently known for her wild streak, and Caroline Beckett, a normal girl getting ready for her college applications. Arden and Caroline used to be inseparable while growing up, but it all changed when Arden got an acting gig, decided to follow her dreams, and never spoke to Caroline again—until now. 

Now, Arden has just scored her dream role. The only catch? She has to prove to the director that she really is a small-town girl who always comes home for Christmas. Arden has to come back to the town and people she left behind, and with the help of Caroline, the two of them embark on twelve holiday dates and pretend to be madly in love. (But are they really pretending?) 

This book was so fun and entertaining, just like the authors' other works have been. I found Arden's character to be really relatable, with her feeling as though it's too late to change. The romance was also really sweet and heartwarming. I'm definitely making all my friends read it during the holidays!

Thank you Netgalley for the e-ARC!

I am very impressed with this book. After not loving this duo's first book together, I didn't really know what to expect - but this is a really fun holiday YA book filled with a lot of love. It sort of has something for everyone. You want fake dating? It's got that. Enemies to lovers? That too! Second chance romance? Yup also that. But it was done well and I very much enjoyed it! Thanks NetGalley for the ARC! :)

A cute, cozy book that feels just like the delicious hot chocolate described in it. The perfect ya holiday romance, with some self discovery, a cast of deeply likable characters, and a whole lot of love.

Make My Wish Come True

Thank you Net Galley, Simon and Schuster, and Rachael Lippincott, and Alyson Derrick for the opportunity to receive an eArc in exchange for an honest review.

If you write it, if you produce it, if you make it, if you bring it to life, we will LOVE it. Sincerely every sapphic loving holiday romance lover.
(spoilers)
This story of Caroline and Arden has it all. Set in that picturesque small holiday town, Caroline has been gradually regaining her sense of self and setting her eyes on Columbia- her dream of a school in the midst of her best friend Arden abruptly exiting her life four years prior to pursue a life in LA. Arden for her part is in LA fully immersed in embracing her life as a successful actress, having cut ties from her hometime and emancipating from her parents (they’re awful). But here we are Arden has an acting opportunity arise that actually feels a little authentic to her, for the first time in forever… except the producer isn’t buying it, isn’t accepting that the washed up subsdance embracing, party loving Arden is the Arden they want cast in the production.. Arden’s manager (also a piece of poop) though has got it figured out. Revert to old Arden.. The one from a small hometown, the one with a best friend she couldn’t stop thinking about even after she had abruptly left years ago, the answer is there all along- Arden is going to have been dating Caroline and she’ll go home clear her image, become the next version of Arden that her career needs.
So we get this perfect, wonderful, magical holiday sapphic romance where Arden returns, and Caroline is flummoxed.
Arden offers Caroline an opportunity she can’t refuse, a feature writing opportunity that reflects their now fully curated romantic relationship that is lasting.. You guessed it.. 12 days- ya feel me? Ok, but don’t worry my fellow agnostic and jewish friends, because there’s a bless the Herschel and the Hannukah Gobblins, we do actually have a nice little hanukkah reference and an exploration of what it feels like to be jewish in a secular loving christmas town- it actually tracks through most (I think?) of the book, which was a pleasant surprise!
Alright back to the beauty of it all- so while we’re in the midst of this fake dating and ex best friend situation, we also have lovely opportunity for Caroline to realize that she actually has love interest in her real everyday life, the captain of the cheer squad is actively pursuing her– the timing is just– awful. As Caroline is beginning to see *oh wow, I might actually have a shot at a relationship that isn’t Arden* Arden comes back into town and is like PSYCH. And tbh, I think this other relationship would be a great *in an alternative universe* exploration because while everything here gets flushed out and I like the ending I would also love to see Caroline experience affection from someone other than Arden.
Alright once again we’re off track-as this seemingly fake dating situation evolves so do their real feelings- OBV- but in a good way- in a we’re cheering for them! But then Caroline goes back to LA with Arden and waboom Arden slips from hometown Arden to airbrushed Arden and Caroline is utterly unenchanted and returns home. It only takes a moment though for Arden to realize she hates her sterile home and faux life and returns back to reunite with Caroline– I’m talking cross country flights for each of them probably within 48 hours? Idk, maybe 72, but it was a lot of jet setting.
All to say, remember that Caroline agreed to fake date because she was writing a feature article for a high profile publication, which climaxed (lol) with the publication ending on the same day their faux dating was to end-12 days- Christmas. So Caroline in what I would applaud as a pivot of radical honesty, ok, idk if that’s the right phrase but it feels like it, writes a fully honest recount of her experience with Arden from childhood through their *faux* dating.. It hits all the right notes and seals the deal.

Holiday romance is my bread it butter and I am over the moon to have had the opportunity to see this magic before YOU get to see this magic, because Holidate was fine, and this is beautiful.

4 geese
3.5 honkin’peppers

LIPPINCOTT AND DERRICK COWRITE ANOTHER BOOK?! SAY LESS.
No but seriously, I knew this was going to be good so I had high expectations going in. Every expectation I had was surpassed. If this book was around when I was in high school I think I would've liked it even more. I love the one of them is famous trope as well as the small town trope so this was like heaven.

Light, enjoyable, relatable. 4.5 stars!