Publishers Weekly
02/26/2024
Self-reflection prompts personal bravery in this high-strung dual-POV romance endorsing honest communication among friends and family. Despite coming from “different worlds,” white-passing scholarship student Natalia Diaz-Price, “the only other Latine person in my class,” is Ethan Forrester’s “favorite person.” Similarly, Ethan, who reads as white, accepts Natalia as “exactly who I am. No armor. No fake smiles.” While acting on a pact to “be each other’s firsts” on prom night, however, a miscommunication leaves each of them believing their romantic feelings are unrequited. After a summer avoiding each other, they reunite during a senior class seaside camping trip, uncertain of where they stand and each jealous of the other’s assumed new love interests. Ethan is the only one around when Natalia accidentally spills a jar containing anonymous secrets from her classmates’ self-reflection exercise, prompting them to desperately hunt for seven missing letters—which might include their own confessions—and forcing them to confront their past along the way. The lovers’ stubborn noncommunication sustains the romantic angst that drives Des Lauriers’ debut. Multifaceted secondary characters and Natalia’s candid examinations of the hypersexualization of BIPOC women add thematic depth. Ages 14–up. (May)
From the Publisher
"Eva Des Lauriers' writing brims with fragile, hopeful beauty—the way I ached for these characters and their huge, complicated hearts as they reveal their truest selves over the course of a single life-changing day. One of the best YA novels I've read in a long time." —Rachel Lynn Solomon, author of Today Tonight Tomorrow
"Utterly charming—full of heart-rending first love and self-discoveries that are the trademarks of the best of YA. Des Lauriers’s fresh voice is undeniable and makes this debut a standout. Natalia and Ethan will absolutely steal your heart.” —Maurene Goo, author of I Believe in a Thing Called Love and Somewhere Only We Know
"I was absolutely swept away by this gorgeous story. A stunning combination of summer, growing up, and young love—you won't be able to turn the pages fast enough!" —Jenna Evans Welch, New York Times-bestselling author of Love & Gelato and Spells for Lost Things
"Eva Des Lauriers wrote the book I had been waiting for. Angsty and heartfelt. Romantic and smart. From the moment I picked up I Wish You Would I could not stop reading it. This book will make you feel ALL the feelings." —Kristin Dwyer, author of Some Mistakes Were Made and The Atlas of Us
* "Des Lauriers’ brilliant debut novel will set readers’ hearts aflutter. Romantic, compelling, and optimistic, I Wish You Would isn't to be missed." —Booklist, starred review
