If you could make one wish that was guaranteed to come true—what would you wish for? Rules for Wishing: Never let an outsider find out about wishing. (Zip your lips and throw away the key.) Wishes that would impact the world are off limits (i.e. no bringing back the dinosaurs). Do no harm. (Murder = no bueno.) No time travel. (What’s done is done, pal.) No bringing back the dead. (Come on. You’ve … time travel. (What’s done is done, pal.)
Madison is a small town in the Mojave desert on the road between nothing and nowhere. It’s an unremarkable speck on the map, which is perfect for protecting the town’s secret. Because in Madison, everyone can make one wish on their eighteenth birthday-and that wish always comes true.
Most of Eldon’s classmates have had their wishes picked out for months, even years. Not Eldon. He’s seen how wishing has hurt the people around him. His parents’ marriage is strained, his sister is a virtual ghost in their house, his ex-girlfriend is dating his ex-friend…where does he even begin?
One thing is for sure: Eldon has only twenty-five days to figure it out—and the rest of his life to live with the consequences.
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This was a very engaging and original story, full of magic and drama and teenage angst. The concept of the dangers of wishing is not particularly new, but the way that this concept is played out really resonated with me.
I have long been fascinated by the idea of crafting the perfect wish (I even have several of my own writing projects featuring this as an underlying theme) – the whole “be careful what you wish for, you just might get it” thing resonates with me very strongly. Perhaps it is because I’ve always read so much magical fiction and seen so many things go horribly awry. Perhaps it is because I’m a lawyer and sometime-writer, both of which reinforce in me the power of words. Perhaps it’s just my dark and pessimistic side, that sees danger lurking behind every corner as though it were waiting for us to invite it in. Or perhaps it’s all of those combined… Regardless, I was highly intrigued to see where this book would take that concept from the get-go.
The book did not disappoint at all. I’ve read a number of other reviews that slam it, largely because the protagonist is, well, rather unlikeable. He is. He is also a teenage boy, living in a tiny town where pretty much everything sucks and everyone is disappointed and disaffected and dysfunctional. To me, that reinforced the underlying message of the book, rather than detracted from it. True, it made the reading a little wearying at times – but for some reason that never wore me down, rather it kept me feeling like I was fully engaged with the book. That doesn’t always work – it’s a fine line, like tap-dancing among land mines, trying to immerse your reader in the desperation and depressing circumstances of the characters, while not losing them or their precious reader-interest in entertainment in the process. I think the author did a very nice job balancing this, and will definitely be looking for more from her in future…
My review copy was provided by Penguin’s First to Read program.
Be careful what you wish for. This seems to be a very relevant theme in this book. In a town where you get to have one wish granted on your 18th birthday, not everyone is happy with the outcomes.
There is definitely a coming of age feel to this story even with the paranormal aspects of the wishing. Eldon is going through some tough life situations and has to really think about what he wants to do next.
I think readers of YA fiction will really enjoy this story. There are some very sad parts, and some humorous ones. All in all it’s a very neat story and idea that was well thought out and put together.
Such a unique and thought-provoking read! Ms. Sedoti doesn’t set out long explanations or boring details to give the reader background. Instead, the background just comes out during the flow of the story, and we are not bogged down with details. Well done! The Town of Madison, Nevada, has a secret–a well kept secret. When a resident turns 18 years old, he or she is entitled to a wish that is guaranteed to come true. Poor Eldon has no idea what he intends to wish for. During his journey to come up with a wish, we are treated to everyone else’s wishes. I was bummed at the ending of the book, but otherwise, a great read.
The book took place in a fictional small town called Madison. Everyone had a wish that hopefully, it will came true. For Eldon, he could not think about what to wish for until two days before his 18th birthday.
I liked the idea that people went to the wishing place for making a wish on their 18th birthday. The plot was good. There was one thing that I did not like about this book, but I will not add it here. One character I liked was Eleanor “Norie” Havermayer because she was religious. Other character’s wishes were interesting. The ending was a bit surprised. Overall, the book was okay. It had some underage drinking and foul language, just making a note.
Be careful what you wish for or the consequences could be devastating. For Eldon, who approaches his 18th birthday, he has no idea for what he is going to wish. For folks in Madison, 18th birthday is the big one in more than one, their wishes come true. As with most narcissistic teenagers, they think about the now and the heck with the consequences. Eldon is a selfish jock who is trying to make sense of his situation at home, with his sister, his best friend, teammates, and girls. He has seen the consequences of many wishes and wants to make sure he gets it right. With the wish, wording is everything. I liked the way the story unfolded, you see the jock, you see the sensible side, you see the sensitive side, and you see the bad boy side, but the story comes to an ending that will surprise you. I will be recommending this book to students at our high school as I always tell many of them to be careful for what they wish. Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire, NetGalley, and Ms. Sedoti for an ARC of this book which no way sways my review.
First, thank you to BookishFirst for the opportunity to review this book. I almost didn’t enter because I don’t read a lot of YA. But this book is amazing. Imagine this: In a small Nevada desert town, every young man/woman (upon reaching their 18th birthday) is entitled to one wish in a mysterious wishing cave. There are rules & no do-overs. There are so many paths to ponder here: what does an 18 year old know of life, how will your wish affect others, how to word your wish, when wishing becomes “religion”, wishes as “gifts” or “curses”, status quo vs. new discoveries…the list is endless! In the end this is a gut-wrenching look at navigating the road to adulthood and what it means to be “gifted” with a wish. 4.5/5 Recommend.