A review by chronic_listener
I Wish You Would by Eva Des Lauriers

challenging emotional funny hopeful fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

This book made me feel 16 again, in the absolute best (and worst) ways possible: 
hopeful and terrified, insecure and bruised, full of yearning and angst - I loved every painful and joyful second of it. 
My first instinct after finishing this audiobook was to send the author a fruit basket with a thank you note for writing such a beautiful, important, funny and captivating debut.

What This Book Is About
"I WISH YOU WOULD is an angsty friends-to-lovers romance novel told in dual POV over the course of 24 hours. It's about Ethan and Natalia, best friends who ghosted each other over the summer after what happened at prom, and are forced to reunite at Senior Sunrise, the epic beach overnight that kicks off senior year. But when the class's private confessions get scattered, explosive secrets threaten to tear everyone apart, including them."

This Book Might Be For You If You...
  • ... love messy, angsty, real and raw stories about growing up
  • ... have ever been in love with someone so much it hurts
  • ... like well written friends-to-lovers with humor and incredible chemistry 
  • ... want to feel something!!!
  • ... are one or more of the following: a perfectionist, an inside artist, mixed race, anxious, a kid of divorce, someone who's been in love with their best friend, a person 
  • ... like your books with enough tension to give your heart and stomach a workout
  • ... are looking for a book that makes you feel every victorious high and soulcrushing low down to your bones

What I Loved About This Book
❤️ the full cast of characters
> the realistically flawed, painfully accurate representation of teenagers with fully fleshed out side characters that made me fall in love with this book even more
❤️ the writing
> I felt fully immersed in the story, and felt ALL the feelings (including but not limited to hurt, anger, humiliation, sympathy, pain, heartache, elation, hope, happiness, joy, frustration, love and relief)
❤️ how funny it was
> actually made me cackle out loud, even though there were a few heavier topics discussed 
❤️ the lost letters being interspersed in between the chapters, figuring out who wrote which one
❤️ THE LONGING, THE YEARNING, THE LOVE

What I Disliked About This Book
While I usually despise the miscommunication trope, I felt it was mostly justified in this story since both the main characters have SO much going on in their lives individually, a mountain of issues and insecurities (and also: they are teenagers. Being trapped in your head and every feeling being big and scary and never ending is pretty spot on.)
Nevertheless, there were moments where I wanted to shake both Ethan and Natalia by the shoulders, yelling "please just talk to each other already!!!". 😭 

Final Thoughts
This book healed something deep inside of me that I didn't even realize was broken. It's been over two months since I read this and I still want to scream about it from the rooftops. ❤️
I could go on and on and on about this book but to sum everything up: 
I loved it, I needed it, I had a great time reading it,  it will definitely stay with me for a long time.
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