Wish You Were Her

Thank you to Wednesday Books, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the free review copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are completely my own.In Wish You Were Her, we follow a young actress, Allegra, who is taking a break and spending her summer in a small town, where she meets a grumpy bookseller, Jonah. It's dual POV, which gives us the opportunity to see things from both Allegra and Jonah's perspectives. Since the author is Scottish, the book is written in British English.I enjoyed reading this book and had a hard time putting it down. While there wasn't anything super surprising about the plot, it didn't really take away from my enjoyment of the book. The relationship between Allegra and Jonah could be a bit explosive but was fun to watch it evolve. We meet a variety of characters, with some very likable and others having a darker side.A big topic in this story is autism, and we meet a couple autistic characters along the way. I thought it was all very insightful, with great descriptions of how characters felt. It was portrayed in an optimistic and uplifting way while still showing the obstacles characters faced. Allegra was an especially interesting character since we could see what it was like to be famous, the challenges that came with it, and how her autism affected that experience, sometimes in a very positive way.This was a quick, fun read, and I look forward to seeing more from the author!

I’m not a big YA fan but was tempted to give this a read and I’m glad I did. 4.5 stars rounded up.I really appreciated the different representations of autism, seeing how it manifested in both Jonah and Allegra is similar and different ways. I loved Jonah’s growth throughout the book - pushing himself emotionally with Allegra, embracing change with work, and having faith in himself that he was good enough. While Allegra’s character arc wasn’t quite as strong in my book, it was still nice to see where she ended.My biggest issue with the book was the storylines with George. Both how things ended with Jonah and Allegra felt like while they were technically resolved, they wasn’t the depth or emotion tied to them that they deserved.

The best words to describe Wish You Were Her are sweet, endearing, and nostalgic. This reminds me a little bit of Notting Hill and You’ve Got Mail, with some great neurodivergent representation. Allegra is the famous actress who decides to spend the summer in a small lake town where her father owns a book shop. Jonah is the surly bookshop employee of Allegra’s father who answers an email asking about the book festival and becomes enraptured by their exchanges. Of course, he doesn’t know it is Allegra emailing him when they finally meet in person and their meet cute couldn’t be more painful. We learn there is so much more to both Allegra and Jonah, and watching their romance really could melt even the coldest of hearts.

“Wish You Were Her” by Elle McNicollThis is one sweet read. Yes, it is a romance; but I got so caught up in the story I forgot that I read it was a rom-com and shed a few spontaneous tears, a couple of times. I kept forgetting the prime characters were 18 year olds who had already spent years living with harsh realities and bullies and non-friend friends. Everyone should be lucky enough to have at least one true friend, more than one would be even better. Happy Reading ! !

No surprise that I tore into this one and finished it in a day, having previously raved about Elle McNicholl's previous charming small town romance, "Some Like It Cold". Once again, she takes us back to what's now one of my favorite fictional comfy-cozy destinations, the beautiful Lake Pristine. (For me, I'm thinking it must be due to the town's main attractions, the Arthouse cinema, the picture postcard lake and now....that bookstore.) And once again it's an irresistible, clutch-your-heart story about a neurodivergent teen girl who struggles with first love, declaring her own identity and coping with the anguish of how she's perceived when dealing with the outside world of 'neurotypicals'.. (But this time, this particular girl doesn't find herself alone on the autism scale.) Allegra Brooks is an 18 year old universally adored superstar of TV shows and films, with her dedicated, possessive fan base unaware that her guarded, sometimes distant demeanor comes from her autism. Seeking a much needed summer respite from the public eye, she returns to her home town of Lake Pristine to work in her father's bookstore. And she's arrived right at the start of the town's nationally popular summer book festival, sponsored by her dad and managed by his young, masterful (and prickly) bookseller Jonah Thorne. Allegra and Jonah right away clash personalities as if lifelong enemies, while each separately find solace and friendship in their comforting, anonymous e-mail friends. Anybody care to take a wild guess as to whom each of them has been communicating with on line, while they snap at each other in person? If this all sounds like 'Gilmore Girls', 'Notting Hill' and 'You've Got Mail thrown into a blender, you've got the idea. Allegra cultivates some new friends and one cruel enemy while Jonah, holding on to own secrets, can't help succumbing to this one-of=a-kind warm hearted girl. When Allegra's fame threatens to overwhelm them both, you can expect to find yourself racing through the pages as you anxiously cheer them on. As in her first Lake Pristine romance, author McNicholl creates her autistic characters with enormous compassion and insight, so you find yourself falling in love with them at the same time they're falling in love in the story.. Anyone seeking the kind of romcom that won't hesitate to make you go, "Awwwww....", head for Lake Pristine ASAP.