I Wish You Would by Eva Des Lauriers
Actual Rating: 5 HUGE STARS
*Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publishers for a free e-copy in exchange for an honest review.*
Oh my god. As someone who is absolutely sucker for best-friends-to-lovers, this book captured the mutual yearning and the pain PERFECTLY.
The book takes place over the course of one short school trip, where tradition is for everyone to write a private letter to themselves answering the question “what would you do if you were braver?” For Natalia and Ethan, long-time best friends whose friendship is on the rocks after nearly hooking up in the name of a backup pact two months ago, the letter is the only place they’ve let themselves write down their true feelings. Not to mention all the other stuff going on in their lives: broken families, secret dreams, and even the possibility of moving away. When a burst of wind suddenly scatters several letters — which may or may not include Natalia and Ethan’s — the two are forced to work together to stop the secrets from getting out, while having to deal with their hearts in the process.
I had absolutely zero reason to worry about the short time frame of the story because from the very first page I was captivated. The book did such an amazing job setting up the backstory with what happened with Ethan and Natalia as well as their individual personalities and lives, showing how their relationship dynamic was and currently is, and then giving us a fantastic roller coaster ride of emotional ups and downs over the course of the school trip. There were heart-filled conversations, dramatic fights, tense class activities — and overall there was not one boring moment. The plot progression happened so naturally, and so did the character development during it.
I’ve never had any strong opinions about books in multiple perspectives, but this book is an amazing example of how it should be done. I can’t imagine it any other way. Getting both Natalia and Ethan’s point of view meant I was truly able to empathize with both characters as they each dealt with their own issues; the misunderstandings felt reasonable because their thought processes were explained, and best of all, we got to see both of them pine for each other in their own way. It was everything I wanted and more.
I’m also just so impressed with the characterizations of both our leads. I feel like I absolutely know the ins and outs of their dreams, their habits, their fears — and not once did I feel information overload, or that I was being told and not shown. Even the side characters are personalized really well; I feel like I know all of them.
There’s a really fantastic maturity to the book as well. Sure, we get our high school drama moments (which I shamelessly love) but we also get their worries about the family and the future, and we see them acknowledging that there’s more to life than romance. The practicality and realism is so beyond what I would have expected and it added so much depth to their relationship. This is more than just a teen romance.
I can’t praise this novel enough, but just know that it’s been a long time since a book has given me such butterflies. I Wish You Would is a book that reminded me exactly why I love reading about love.
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