Customer Reviews

How Not to Make a Wish

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Kira Franklin was still recovering from her breakup. A whole year after the fact, and thirty extra pounds later, practically jobless and in need of a miracle, she unexpectedly got one in the shape of a genie. That's right, a real rub-the-lamp genie named Teel. Kira's troubles are over!

Or so she thinks. As it turns out, her wishes make her life anything but easier. She wishes for a new job that turns out to be a huge fiasco, and after wishing away her extra thirty pounds, her friends and family start to think she's anorexic.

But Kira doesn't regret her wishes, and besides, it's not like she can take them back...right?

Did I like How Not to Make a Wish? I'm on the fence. I like Mindy Klasky. I'm a huge fan of her Jane Madison series, but How Not to Make a Wish lacked some of the charm that "Sorcery and the Single Girl" and "Girl's Guide to Witchcraft" oozed in excess.

Instead of a fantasy with a love story thrown in as her previous books were, How Not to Make a Wish was more like a love story/coming of age story with a genie thrown in to stir things up. I was really surprised that Mindy Klasky did not reveal more about the character of Teel the genie. The story focused mostly on Kira and her friends, while Teel just popped in every now and then to help move the story along.

Don't get me wrong, I thought Kira had a lot of depth as a character and I related to her in many different ways. I guess I just didn't find her as loveable as Jane Madison. I really wanted to fall in love with How Not to Make a Wish the way I have with Klasky's other novels, I just couldn't force myself to enjoy every page as I had in the past.

Will I read the rest of the "Wish" series? Sure I will. I'm still a fan of Klasky and am curious as to how she's going to shake up the next book (When Good Wishes Go Bad) and make it different from How Not to Make a Wish. Will I be first in line at the bookstore at midnight? Probably not.

I was very excited when I heard Klasky was coming out with a new book. I've read all of her other novels and enjoyed them. This one did not disappoint. It takes you to that magical realm where you are granted wishes and even makes you wonder what you would do in the same situation. Also makes you realize that sometimes the old adage is true "be careful of what you wish for"

Things haven't been too great in Kira Franklin's life for a while. Her ex-fiance dumped her, the dinner theater she's working at is a dead-end for her stage managing career and her lawyer father has been breathing down her neck trying to get her to give up theater and take the LSAT. But all that changes when she cleans up an old lantern found in the prop closet... and a genie pops out ready to grant Kira's wishes. Her first wish? Become the stage manager for the Landmark's newest production. Surely, stage managing the totally nouveau production of Romeo and Juliet will open doors for Kira's career.

Yet, as Kira enjoys her new job her genie begins putting the pressure on for her to finish up with her wishes. Catching the eye of one of her sexy cast would be a plus, if only she could get out of her sweats and back into her skinny jeans and voila! Having a genie on her side certainly has its perks but Kira is about to learn that sometimes you don't need wishes and magic to get what you want most of all.

Alright, so I assume most are wondering why the okay rating. I liked Klasky's Jane Madison book I read last fall a lot. So I was really interested in seeing what she could do with a story involving a genie. I mean, there aren't enough genie stories out there anyway! How Not to Make a Wish has a really good plot if you're into theater. I definitely recommend it for people who are into stage plays and theater who want to read a romance. All the technical stuff was a bit lost on me since the last time I was involved in a play it was performed by elementary school aged children. I found myself really wanting to call up a friend of mine who is heavily involved in this sort of stuff in college so she could help me picture some of the stage stuff. That is why I found it to be only okay. It can be frustrating to read something you expect to be entertaining and find yourself too unclear about the details to focus.

My other small issue was the romance itself. Most perceptive readers can pick up on it right away so they'll expect (or at least I did) a little more interaction and character development for the love interest. When the book ended I felt like I didn't know enough about him to be sure I felt any chemistry between he and Kira. That might not bug all readers but it's essential for me as a reader.

On the whole this IS a good book. It's just not the book for me. If you're an urban fantasy reader or paranormal romance reader looking for a fun genie story this really isn't it. BUT if you're in the market for a contemporary romance with a touch of magic this should be right up your alley.

A year later, Kira Franklin - still recovering from a break up, jobless and an extra thirty pounds heavier - is in desperate need of a miracle. One day, she gets that miracle in the shape of a genie. Now her troubles are over...or so she thinks. Her wishes end up making her life anything but easier. Every wish seems to just turn into a huge fiasco - like when she wished away her extra thirty pounds, her family and friends began to think she was anorexic.

How Not to Make a Wish sounded interesting when I read the back of the book, but I'm disappointed to say it was anything but. It was ridiculously predictable, and the plot really fell flat. I had a hard time trying to actually finish the entire book. The characters lacked depth and were too whiny for my liking. I also felt like the genie, Teel, was just thrown in to mix things up a bit because not really anything was revealed about his character. He just popped in every now and again to help move the story along.

How Not to Make a Wish was not a book for me and I think it's safe to say I won't be reading the rest of this series.

Kira Franklin is in a dead-end job and unsure about her future, when she comes across a magic lamp. And a genie, named Teel, appears and must grant her wishes. Told that larger wishes, such as world peace and ending hunger, would take too many years to resolve, Kira must focus on herself. Deciding her first need is a job, she quickly wishes for her dream job. Her next wishes soon follow, but what Kira thought she wanted doesn't turn out to be so her ideal.

In true chick lit fashion, How Not to Make a Wish is more about Kira's journey and learning about herself than it is romance or fantasy. Though there are strong elements of both romance and fantasy as well. The incredibly likeable and relatable Kira has gone through heartbreak and still makes unwise choices. But she learns from her mistakes. While, some of her choices surprised me - I assumed that she'd do the selfless thing and free the genie with one of her wishes. Instead, it seems to never enter her mind. Maybe this is so the series can continue, but for some reason it didn't sit well with me. Teel was a main character and stated his case several times for wanting Kira to hurry her wishes so he could possibly enter his idyllic, Eden-like garden. But other than the selfish wishes, this was an incredibly fun and fast-paced read.

Klasky is a gifted author that pulled me into the story immediately. The narrative is charming, warm, and witty. This will appeal particularly to chick lit fans, which is a broad category in itself. It's light-hearted and fun and will leave you wishing for more.

I read and loved Mindy Klasky's other books, and thought that there was no way that this new one could live up to her first paranormal series. Boy, was I wrong! If anything, this book was even better! I'd give it six stars, if I could. Kira, the protagonist, is warm and real and likeable, and all the other characters seem like people you might know from your own life (only funnier and better looking). I can't wait for the next one in this series--I've already bought extras of this book to give to my friends!
You HAVE to buy this book.

The competition is fierce and cut throat as Fox Hill stage manager Kira Franklin sorts through the debris of dusty junk seeking an angle to save the dinner theatre. She finds a lamp that she assumes was from some long ago production and starts to clean it to see if there is any sale value.

However to her shock, her polishing releases Teel the genie. He tells her he will grant her wishes, but keep them reasonable as eliminating world hunger is outside his range though extinction would do the trick. Scornfully Kira fails to read the contract with its four wishes but instead sarcastically wishes for the job she covets and is stunned gets it as she now works at the Landmark Stage. However, that proves not to match her fantasy as her boss is an insane egomaniac; her other wishes turn out as poorly as her first one. Then again, the one wish she did not make involves set designer John McRae, but as she falls in love with him she knows he is leaving.

Fans will get what we wish for as Mindy Klasky provides a jocular over the top of the entire Midwest refreshing tale filled with poignancy as chick lit heroine Kira gives a first hand account of her desires, sneezes, and failed wishes; Murphy had nothing go wrong compared to her. Lighthearted, HOW NOT TO MAKE A WISH is an amusing contemporary as the audience and Kira wonder how can seemingly innocent wishes go so badly and she wishes she had no more coming.

Harriet Klausner

I've read many of Mindy Klasky's books ... all the Glasswright's books and several of the romances ... and liked them all at least reasonably well (some of them extremely well). This one, while pleasant, didn't seem to measure up to her other work.

The arc of the story was more predictable than I usually expect in Klasky's work, and the characters, other than the protagonist, seemed a little thin. The protagonist, however, was enjoyable -- quirky, nuanced, humorous and often quite self aware -- and her character arc was good. I wish we'd gotten a little more interaction between her and the love interest.

I have to confess, the book lost a star in my rating because it happens to be set in the industry in which I work -- and the details are largely wrong. For someone with not familiarity with the realities of professional theatre, those inaccuracies would be irrelevant, but I found them quite jarring. A few examples: The character is stage-managing a show, with a three-month rehearsal period. Never happens... many theatres are happy if they can afford three weeks! Set designers -- outside of community theatre -- don't build scenery, and don't attend rehearsals -- unlike the designer in the book. Set design decisions are made weeks or months before rehearsals begin -- not during rehearsals, as in the book. Director's can't change the date of opening without consulting the producing theatre. You could never open a show weeks before it's scheduled opening -- you wouldn't get the necessary technical rehearsals in! And so on. Trivial inaccuracies for most, I concede.

All that being said -- if the theatre-errors hadn't been a factor, I think I'd have liked this relatively well. I'll certainly buy the other books in the series, and I expect they'll be good fun.

Kira Franklin has had a bad year. Her fience dumped her the year before and it looks like she is going to get laid off from her job.

Then in an instant her life goes from morose to confusing. While clearing out things to sell at the theater she works at she finds an old lamp like something out of Aladin. It is pretty dirty so she stars rubbing off the dirt and out comes a man that looks like he came out of Saturday Night Fever. He is a genie and his name is Teel.

The first wish Kira makes is to have a job at a well known theater, and has her hands full with a gender bending version of Romeo and Juliet. Then Kira makes a wish so that the weight she gained during the year disapears. Teel then decides to help her out while giving Kira magic lypo to increase her bust size by a wide margin.

With Kira's new life comes some interesting complications-one of which is a gender bender Tell who can transform between a male to female with ease.

A very interesting read that is hard to put down.

Still recovering from a horrible breakup a year ago, Kira Franklin feels as if she is in need of a miracle. Sure she has gained an extra thirty pounds, still counts the days since the breakup occurred, and generally feels as if nothing in her life is working. But what do these facts matter when you unexpectedly discover a genie. From the moment Kira meets Teel, a real-life genie, she is sure that things are about to change... hopefully for the better.

How Not to Make a Wish on the surface seemed like an enticing read by promising romance mixed with a little supernatural. While it did hold true to most of its promises, parts of the novel fell a little flat. The characters while interesting, lacked the depth needed to fully understand and relate to them. Teel is a prime example of this. As a reader, I was confused by his ultimate purpose in the novel. Is he for comic relief? Or to befriend Kira and make her see the error of her depression? In the end, I was not completely sure since the reader sees so few of him, and his character is never really explored. In spite of a few missteps, the novel was enjoyable and would be a wonderful beach or rainy day read.