You Wish by Mandy Hubbard

Kayla McHenry is having the worst sweet sixteenth burthday ever! And it's not just because she's cynical. It's hard to have a good time when you're secretly in love with your best friend's boyfriend. 

Just before Kayla blows out her candles, she thinks: I wish all my birthday wishes actually come true. Because they never freakin' do. 

The next morning, Kayla wakes up and sees a life-sized, bright pink My Little Pony outside her window. The following day, a year's supply of gumballs arrives. Then, an oddly plastic-looking boy named Ken shows up in a convertible and starts following her around everywhere! 

Each day, another wish from her childhood comes true. But..they MUST STOP. 

Because when she was 15? Kayla wished Ben Mackenzie would hiss her. And Ben is her best friend's boyfriend.

This book was absolutely adorable. Not adorable in the puppies-rainbows-cupcakes kind of way, but the antics that occur are crazy and I found Kayla to be pretty likable. Yes, she was quite cynical, but it's not in a way that's incredibly obnoxious. Maybe I didn't find it obnoxious because I was just like her. I hated pep rallies and cheerleaders and pink. I wanted to be the "black sheep" and wear the crazy clothes nobody else was wearing. It's almost like Hubbard shoved my life and personality into Kayla. I did find her to be a little overly cynical at times, but since I've been there it really didn't bother me for the most part.

However, though Kayla thinks she's the good guy, she could be a total witch to the people around her. She was really mean to Ann. I mean, she shoved the poor thing right back into the closet! It made me sad to see how badly she treated everyone. I'm glad to say though, I was quite happy with the outcome and loved to see the change that happened.

The setting just so happens to take place in my home state too! Of course, this makes me love this book even more. It's not exactly close to home, but everything on the West side of Washington kind of feels like home anyway. I could totally relate to everything in the setting from the weather to the dirt bike. (I don't ride, but I know a ton of people who do.)

My one main question I was left with was this: why did Kayla find it someone important to keep all the wishes a secret? I understand mermaids and mythical creatures keep their secret because they don't want to get dissected. Times such as that, it's acceptable to keep the crazy things in your life to yourself. I know Kayla would have sounded crazy if she said her birthday wishes from the past 14 years were coming true, but she didn't need to actually hide the things that came up. I was really confused on this part and felt it was a plot hole that hadn't been completely patched up.

Final thoughts: I found this to be a really cute, quick read. The wishes are crazy and you have absolutely no idea what may come up next. The lesson Kayla learns is a great one for everyone to remember as well.


Publisher: Razorbill
Publish Date: August 2010
Pages: 272
Series: No
Rating: 4 stars