Saving wishes - G. J Walker- Smith review

Series: Wishes Series

Book: Saving Wishes

Author: G. j. Walker- Smith

Genre: Young Adult, Romance

Book synopsis:

For Charli Blake, being seventeen is a tough gig.

She's been branded a troublemaker, her reputation is in tatters and she's stuck in Pipers Cove, a speck of a town on the coast of Tasmania.

Thankfully, it's temporary. Her lifelong dream of travelling the world is just months away from becoming reality. All she has to do is ride out the last few months of high school, which is easier said than done thanks to a trio of mean girls known as The Beautifuls.

When Adam Décarie arrives in town, all the way from New York, life takes an unexpected turn. His arrival sets off a chain of events that alters her life forever, convincing her of one thing. Fate brought him to her.

Saving Wishes is the story of a girl who doesn't quite fit the life she's living, and the boy who helps her realise why.

Book Review:

You wanna talk about an emotional roller coaster? Let's go, after reading this book I am loaded with so much ammunition, you wouldn't even believe! 

Set on a small island, we meet the lovely Charli. Though I'm sure most people who live there wouldn't associate lovely and Charli into the same sentence, unless of course the word "not" is in there. It just makes me love her to bits more. She's misunderstood is how I see it, making her a very real big character on an island far too small for her. Throw in a cute American boy (whoops their on an island in Australia forgot to mention that part), an evil Parisian witch, and an older brother and you've got a recipe, for laughter, tears and car jerking plot twists. 

I loved every second of reading it, following our heroine as she stirs up trouble. You have no idea how many times I threw my iPod (on the couch of course) down freaking out and babbling about how I didn't see that one coming (ask my mom I think she thought I was having a stroke or something). 

What I really loved about it, was I guess how real it felt. You've got a small island girl (is that even a legit term? Oh well it is now ^.^) too big for the place she is and the people who live there, you've got the Beautifuls who just don't know when to quit (yeah the popular ones. Nasty and a few more choice words is how I would describe them but hey I may or may not be biased), and romance. It just sucked me into a world I wish I hadn't had to leave. 

Favorite Quotes:

"'You should be the one going, Alex. You were actually invited.'

'Can’t. I’m allergic to weddings'"

"Giving him directions was a service to the community. If Adam had been left to find it himself, every pedestrian in town would’ve been in mortal danger"

"She always let me know exactly how she felt. She was one of the most genuine people I knew on the inside, and yet every part of her appearance was fake – gaudy bleached hair, long acrylic nails and a fake tan in a strange shade of orange. The woman was a walking contradiction"

"'See the picture of the lighthouse on the rocks?'

“I see it.”

“Well, that’s the kicker. There’s no lighthouse in Pipers Cove. It’s a big fat lie. This little Cove is so boring that they had to invent a lighthouse. Tourists spend days looking for it.”

"I’m constantly looking for shifts in the universe. My brother tells me that I’d find a deeper meaning in a hole in the ground"

"'You look panicked, Charlotte,' he said, glancing across. 'Like you’re about to run away.'

'I can’t see myself jumping out of a moving vehicle.'

'Shall I speed up, just to be sure?'"

"'It gave me magical powers. Every kid wants superpowers, right?'

Adam chuckled, nodding his head. 'I guess so. What was the superpower you acquired?'

'I could freeze time,' I explained, a little too excitedly. 'Every picture ever taken is a fraction of a second, frozen in time forever'"

""A fraction of a second changes everything. Those pictures can never, ever, be recreated. I could take a million more pictures, standing in the exact same spot, and each one would be unique. The wind blows the leaves on the trees, waves crash to shore, tides change, sand shifts. Everything constantly changes"

"'I thought you didn’t believe in reading educational books.'

'I don’t. I believe in magic'"

"'What makes you think she’s upset?' I tried to sound innocent but he saw through me, as always.

'Charli, her mood is dark enough to steal sunlight'"

"'I know all the important French words.'

'And what are they?' he quizzed.

I ticked them off on my fingers. 'Bonjour, conte de fee and croissant'"

"backing down the driveway, dangerously close to the letterbox.

Adam motioned to her to stop. Too late. 'That’s going to hurt,' Adam murmured.

Gabrielle got out and inspected the damage. 'This is a sign,' she yelled, pointing at me.

'No,' I uttered, terrified. 'It’s a letterbox.'"

"There’s always a catch, Charli. You jump and then I catch. That’s always been the rule"

"'Stand for something, Nicole,' I growled. 'Or you’ll fall for anything'"

"I pointed to the letter in her hand. 'Those words weren’t meant for me.'

'Charli, the French language wasn’t meant for you.'"

"'I don’t think you’re going to need me when you jump this time.' Alex looked straight at me. 'This time, I think you’re going to fly.'"

All in all:

This book was fantastic. I adored every second of it, even at the end (thank god there's a sequel or I would be pulling hair out). With just so many things I love about books thrown into one I was on cloud 10 (yup I'm on new levels). I would recommend this book to anyone who is searching for a fantastic read. If you're that person, you've come to the right review.