Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Wishful Thinking

Wishful Thinking
Author: Alexandra Bullen
Wish #2
Published by Point
Pages: 243
My Rating: 4/5 stars

Summary: (From Goodreads)
  If you could wish for a different life, would you? What if that life changed everything you thought was real?
Adopted as a baby, Hazel Snow has always been alone. She's never belonged anywhere--and has always yearned to know the truth about where she comes from. So when she receives three stunning, enchanted dresses--each with the power to grant one wish--Hazel wishes to know her mother. Transported to a time and place she couldn't have imagined, Hazel finds herself living an alternate life--a life with the mother she never knew.

Over the course of one amazing, miraculous summer, Hazel finds her home, falls in love, and forms an unexpected friendship. But will her search to uncover her past forever alter her future?
In the heart-pounding, luminous sequel to WISH, Alexandra Bullen asks the question: If you could wish for a new life....would you?

My Review:
Luminous. Luminous is a good word to describe this book. Wishful Thinking is the companion novel to Wish, but they are not related novels, so you don't need to read Wish to understand Wishful Thinking. The only similarity is that both books surround this magical dress shop called Mariposa of the Mission, which has an uber magical feel, which adds a very magical and enchanting quality to the books!

I have read both the books, Wish and Wishful Thinking, and I have to say that I liked Wishful Thinking more. I also enjoyed the main character more. Hazel was more of an enjoyable character with more of a personality, more of a spine, than Olivia in Wish.

 Hazel has grown up being raised by her adoptive step-father, who has abandoned her many times to stay with other relatives, while he is in rehab. Hazel's used to being on her own. On the day she turns eighteen, she is given a letter in which contains her birth mother's name. Hazel goes to an art exihibit (wearing a dress from Mariposa of the Mission, and it will grant her one wish,) where her real mother is supposed to be, but when she learns something rather shocking, she makes a wish, transporting herself back in time.

 One miraculous summer it was. I was expecting this book to be more of a fluffier read (good fluffy!) than it was. Wishful Thinking was actually quite an emotional roller coaster ride....it triggered lots of emotion inside of me, and I knew that if I actually let myself cry, I would've started bawling. I found that this book was actually more of a deep read. Not very deep, but almost in the style of Sarah Dessen.

 Their characters and their experiences were really what made this novel. Against the backdrop of gorgeous San Francisco, in which there were plenty of scenes of days at the beach....it just added to the beauty of this novel! But the characters, their experiences, it was all very emotional. An amazing, captivating read, and I never wanted to leave....I wish I could have just jumped into the book and lived with Hazel, Luke, Rosanna, Jamie, Reid, and so forth. (Okay...I just need to mention this, but....Hazel's mother. That threw me! Great twist!)

 Wishful Thinking is a novel you will most likely fall in love with. There were a few parts that I wished were stronger, particuliarly for Hazel as a character, but it was otherwise a great novel. That miraculous summer indeed.

2 comments:

Tenshi said...

sounds good. Maybe I´ll read it, when I can grab one ^^

Laurel said...

It is really good! I'd recommend reading it...it is a deeper story than Wish, and I was quite surprised with that. Wishful Thinking is a great contemporary read, but with a touch of magic.