Book Review: Just One Wish

Dearest Everyone,

I hope you all had an amazing holiday weekend. Yes, I've been a little lazy about this blog, but I'm blaming Black Friday sales and turkey comas.  And The Seven Realms series by Cinda Williams Chima. Yes, I know Amanda  covered that series right after the fourth book came out, and she did an amazing job. But I hadn't read it at that point. Now I have.  To be honest, I read 3 1/2 books in 2 days; that's how good it is. No worries, I'm not going to give a long review, but I am going to reference you back to her post, because you all need to check out this series.  Seriously, I loved it.  It is absolutely everything I look for in a fantasy, so you need to read it. Now.

Okay, now on to my own book review.

Seventeen-year-old Annika Truman knows about the power of positive thinking. With a little brother who has cancer, it's all she ever hears about. And in order to help Jeremy, she will go to the ends of the earth (or at least as far as Hollywood) to help him believe he can survive his upcoming surgery.

But Annika's plan to convince Jeremy that a magic genie will grant him any wish throws her a curveball when he unexpectedly wishes that his television idol would visit him. Annika suddenly finds herself in the desperate predicament of getting access to a hunky star actor and convincing him to come home with her. Piece of cake, right?

Janette Rallison's proven talent for laugh-out-loud humor, teen romance, and deep-hearted storytelling shines in a novel that will have readers laughing and crying at the same time. Quoted from Goodreads

--------------------

I meant to write this review last Friday, because it starts with a hysterical scene on Black Friday, which I adore, but again, there was the turkey coma and the Black Friday shopping deals I was busy with.  And the eating of pie. That is very important on Thanksgiving.

I love Janette Rallison's books.  They always make me laugh, but this one is a little different. Don't worry, it still has plenty of hilarious moments, but there is touch of sadness here, too, her other books lack.  Honestly, I don't do sad books. Or movies.  I want my happy endings. I read to escape, no to break my heart, so it took me a while to read this, despite the author. I mean, a little boy with cancer?  Just thinking about it, knowing there are thousands of children out there suffering just like Annika's little brother Jeremy kind of makes me sick, but it is absolutely worth the read.

First there is Jeremy, himself. He is adorable, which does kind of break your heart, but he's also so full of hope you can't help loving him.  Then there's Annika.  She is strong and so protective of her little brother.  She doesn't sit back and hope for his surgery to go well, she does everything in her power to make sure her brother has every chance of getting better. This is where the book gets funny.

Once Annika gets to Hollywood and starts chasing down Steve (the hunky star actor), things move into more familiar Janette Rallison territory. Parts of this I wanted to laugh out loud, and other parts sort of made me squirm they were so awkward.  Of course there is the promise of romance, which I enjoyed, even if it is a bit rushed, but beneath it all is Annika's unwavering devotion to her little brother. 

The ending was . . . maybe I'll let you decide on the ending.  For me it was perfect because it wasn't perfect, but there is hope. 

This book absolutely 4 stars for me.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Were there a few implausible bits?  Yes, but they weren't unbelievable.  Could I ever do what Annika did?  Probably not, but that's what makes her such a fun character.  She is as brave as I think all of us hope to be, Steve is as kind, and Jeremy is as angelic.  This book is a roller coaster---you laugh, you cry---and one absolutely worth the ride.