Review: You Wish by Mandy Hubbard

I'm going to be completely honest and say that this book kind of irked me. But in a good way. This book has dug up memories of high school and college, both good and not so good.

Title: You Wish
Author: Mandy Hubbard
Pages: 272

Summary:

What if all your wishes really came true?

Kayla McHenry’s sweet sixteen sucks! Her dad left, her grades dropped, and her BFF is dating the boy Kayla’s secretly loved for years. Blowing out her candles, Kayla thinks: I wish my birthday wishes actually came true. Because they never freakin’ do.

Kayla wakes the next day to a life-sized, bright pink My Little Pony outside her window. Then a year’s supply of gumballs arrives. A boy named Ken with a disturbing resemblance to the doll of the same name stalks her. As the ghosts of Kayla’s wishes-past appear, they take her on a wild ride . . . but they MUST STOP. Because when she was fifteen? She wished Ben Mackenzie would kiss her. And Ben is her best friend’s boyfriend.

Amusing, really. This is a very amusing read. My little pony? Gumballs. Lots and lots of gumballs! Raggedy Ann doll coming to life? And Ken, looking for his Barbie. All of which came crashing into Kayla's life after she blew the candles on her huge pink birthday cake when she turned 16. One by one her birthday wishes are coming true, which isn't fun at all. Especially when she wished she can kiss Ben, who happens to be her best friend's boyfriend. And believe me, you do not want to cross that line, especially with your friend.

I connected with Kayla's character in a lot of ways, and as I read through, I find myself reacting to the story so much. So very passionately at times that I feel like it was me in the story. I guess I can relate to her in a lot of ways.

I don't know if its just a preference of mine, but until college, I only have TWO girl bestfriends. Every year in high school, there are these two girls who are always closer to me than most, which is very much similar to Kayla, who has Nicole by her side to get through the hell that is high school.

But what happens when Nicole gets a boyfriend? The way Kayla reacted to her best friend's sudden change in "status" and her struggling to cope up with the changes in their lives given that its not just her competing for Nicole's attention is something I have experienced first hand. It wasn't easy at all. I know how it feels to suddenly be "left out" and have your friend missing just because she got a boyfriend. I'm very touchy on that subject. Maybe I am just being selfish, but if you can make time for your boyfriend, why can you not make time for your friends?

If it was actually me in Kayla's shoes, I probably would have lost Nicole as a friend right after I noticed she's changing. I guess I don't accept change that well, and like I said, I am pretty emotional when it comes to my friends. I'd probably ditch her and never speak to her again. In that sense, I am glad I am not Kayla, because there are things in the story I might have messed up for good.

Placing myself in Kayla's shoes made the reading experience enjoyable. I was in tune with her emotions while reading. I guess its just not about the magic, that it's just a way to show how Kayla goes through her life, accepting that people change, that through her "wishes" coming through, she'll discover her own self, understand herself more and finally being what she really wants to be like. Not an outsider who mocks everyone because they're so different from her, but herself. The Kayla who loves ballet and the motocross track.

I like it how Mandy Hubbard didn't focus much on the magical side of the story, but how Kayla eventually grows as her wishes come true.

The romance factor is definitely there. Ben isn't really my type of guy, but the romance is there. The cutesy patootsey type, which, I have to say, is really cute. And I think a guy who loves motocross is hot. ^^

I guess my terrible misconception when I first picked up this book off the shelf as that this will be a YA novel overflowing in sweetness it'll be a breeze to finish it. But no, Mandy Hubbard was able to write a really beautiful novel about friendship, love, family and accepting one's self, no matter how flawed one is.

And that is just plain awesome.

I guess the moral of the story is: Be careful what you wish for. ;)

Rating: ★★★★★ : AWESOMENESS! MORE! MORE!