Customer Reviews

When You Wish

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Most people have the preconceived notion that celebrities have it easy. If you think that, you should go out and get a copy of this book.

Star Beck is famous. She's worshiped by millions of fans, gets an extremely high paycheck, and lives in five-star hotels. But a lot of people seem to think that her life is luxurious, and that she doesn't have a care in the world. While Star's life may have its benefits, it's certainly not easy. She's shuffled from place to place, hardly getting any time to rest. She has to practice her dance moves, watch her calorie intake, and be perfect practically 24/7. She can forget doing anything normal like going to the movies with her friends.

And she's getting sick of the pop star life. So she cuts off and dies her hair, puts on a pair of glasses, and sets off to live a normal life. She actually starts to make real friends and eat fatty foods. She's living a life she never thought would be possible. But, can she keep up her disguise forever, or will someone eventually find out who she really is?

This book was just plain fun. I was hooked as soon as I read the first sentence. Practically everyone's fantasized about living a celebrity life and all the benefits it would entail, but this book was pretty eye-opening on that issue. The celebrity life is a lot harder than it seems on TV!

There are a lot of books about celebrities and people becoming famous, but this one sticks out. Star - despite her name - is just an average, everyday, normal teenager, which makes her quite likable.

Kristin Harmel did an amazing job on her characters, as well as the plot. She never let the book get dull - I was so into the story I didn't realize how fast it was going by. I'm actually pretty sad it's over. Definitely a must read.

Reviewed by: Chelsea Swiggett

WHEN YOU WISH

KRISTIN HARMEL

Rating: 4.5 Enchantments

Star Beck seems to have it all; fame, money, a fabulous life. But behind all the make up and P.R. there's one thing Star has always longed for-her father who left her and her mom when she was a little girl.

When given the proof that her father is still out there, thinking about her, something her mother's denied for years, Star decides to go after the one thing she's always wanted. Knowing her overprotective mom/manager would never allow her to go off and meet him, so she decides to take matters into her own hands. And that's where things really get interesting. One self-hair-cut later, she's out the door and on her way to Florida and the address on the envelope, hoping to reunite with the father she doesn't know.

I loved Star's story, so much in fact that I stayed up till three in the morning reading it straight through. Star's a great character, an extremely likeable girl who just happens to be famous. There was so much about this book I loved, especially when Star reaches Florida. On her own for the first time in her life, she's struggling to adapt to her newfound independence and I loved the scene when she checks into the motel and realizes just how far the money she `borrowed' from her mother is going to get her.

Through the course of the story, Star finds out that maybe the illusions she's had about her father are just that-illusions, nothing more, nothing less. And maybe, her mom knew best after all, at least about keeping him out of her life. Star's journey opens her eyes to what's really been going on in her life and what matters most.

WHEN YOU WISH is Ms. Harmel's first young adult novel. Ms. Harmel is also a reporter for PEOPLE magazine. You can visit her online at www.kristinharmel.com

Lisa

Enchanting Reviews

April 2008

My daughter loved this book. I had it shipped to her as a gift and she was very grateful.

Review Kristin Harmel- When You Wish.

It is always a daunting effort to review a book written by a good friend. I take my reviewing job seriously and have to tell what I really think. I have been so lucky because all the books written by my friends have been brilliant! When You Wish, by my friend Kristin Harmel, is a wonderful read.

It is different YA book- it is intense- it is captivating- it is riveting (not that other YA books aren't like that- this is just different.). It was a pleasure to escape all my school work and become engrossed in a good book. Kristin has a bouncy funny sense of humor that permeates the pages of all of her writing- even her e-mails, hehe. It might be difficult for some readers to relate to a rock star who has a controlling horrible mother. I'm not a rock-star but I sure could relate to the horrible mother. The controlling, the lying, the selfishness, the sell outs- I won't tell you more except the ending was satisfying - if incomprehensible to me. Well, after all, Star's mother was a controlling selfish woman who, mis-handled her finances and social life but was not trying to actually kill or sell her.

There are so many different stories in Star's life. I loved how she tried to integrate into the working world as a young teen. Her work at a restaurant was so true to life. Waitressing is a hard job. There were some surprises that I will never divulge but they actually make sense.

This is an edgy novel about a completely impossible life situation that becomes real. The concept that a girl, who was incredibly wealthy and famous, looked for a boy who would like her for only herself and not her wealth and notoriety- is really satisfying and real to me.

Star could be a friend. I recommend this book as a good read.

AnnaR Haze

This is actually this user's daughter =]

I think this is a GREAT book. It's aaalllwayyss entertaining and it never fails to keep you on the edge of your seat. It has a really good story plot, and it's really perfect in every way in my opinion.

Go Kristin Harmel!!!

Star Becks has everything in the world- hit songs, platinum albums, a successful TV show, and huge amounts of fame. What she doesn't have is a father or a sense of normalcy- both of which are things Star's mom does not want to discuss at all. When Star finds out that her mom has been keeping a huge secret from her, she goes on a quest to find out what it's like be normal, and then ends up finding what it really means to be herself in the process.

Aside from my usual fascination with celebrity, which already made me love this book from the get-go, Harmel writes a very captivating novel. Star is not your typical teenage pop star; there is so much more going on in her head and it makes her a more realistic, relatable character. The story itself is hilariously funny and just chock-full of wonderful, fun to read about characters (especially the cute boy that makes an appearance in Star's normal life, hehe!). I definitely recommend this book, as well as Harmel's adult chicklit novels.

How many books have I read that had this topic? Too many to count, that's for sure. I'd really just tell you not to read this, not because I hated it, but because there's nothing really special to it if you've already read another book similar to this. The only difference would be that the pop star here wants to look for her father, and as cliches would go, he turns out to be a gold-digger. And Star actually reveals her secret identity instead of it getting exposed by the media or her arch-nemesis. Which is another thing that's different here. She doesn't have to enroll herself into a normal school and meet the cliched high school hierarchy where she will undoubtedly make a fool of herself.

The whole storyline is cute. Too fluffy for my tastes. It's like one of those extra-sweet-with-three-hundred-sugar-coatings on top kind of books. You're the pop princess. You have the perfect life. You meet the perfect boy. Awww, so sweet. And it ends with quite a sickeningly sweet kiss. What's up with that? It's just too overdone. It already nearly killed me when I saw the weird epilogue, but more so when Nick and Star kissed and she says, straight out of a movie: "I'm better than ever." Oh, please.

This is not to say I don't enjoy romantic comedies, or romance movies. Of course not. I'm a romantic at heart, but this exaggerated and much anticipated stuff just makes me cringe. I'm sure authors can do better than this, right? Where's the over-active imagination in this case, hm?