Don't You Wish

Don’t’ You Wish is the debut YA novel from NYT bestselling author Roxanne St. Claire. From the author’s website.~

When plain and unpopular Annie Nutter gets zapped by one of her dad's whacked-out inventions, she lands in a parallel universe where her life becomes picture-perfect. Now she's Ayla Monroe, daughter of the same mother but a different father—and she's the gorgeous, rich queen bee of her high school.  

In this universe, Ayla lives in glitzy Miami instead of dreary Pittsburgh and has beaucoup bucks, courtesy of her billionaire—if usually absent—father. Her friends hit the clubs, party backstage at concerts, and take risks that are exhilarating . . . and illegal. Here she's got a date to lose her V-card with the hottest guy she's ever seen.

But on the inside, Ayla is still Annie.

So when she's offered the chance to leave the dream life and head home to Pittsburgh, will she take it?

The choice isn't as simple as you think.

I was lucky enough to get an early copy of Don’t You Wish from NetGalley. I’m a huge fan of Roxanne St. Claire and was excited to see she was writing a YA novel. I’m a huge fan of YA books and am always on the lookout for a great YA book for my nieces. Roxanne St. Claire totally delivers with Don’t You Wish.

I loved Annie Nutter from the moment I met her. Since I was a band geek myself, I connected with her from the start. Annie is lucky enough to have her best friend Lizzie in her life, and know she can always count on her. Thanks to one of her dad’s crazy inventions, Annie lands in a parallel universe and turns into Ayla Monroe, I loved that the true Annie showed through the longer she was there. Ayla’s two best friends are Bliss and Jade and both are just as shallow as Ayla would be if she were still here. I have to say some of the funniest lines in the book came from Bliss. She is the person everyone is talking about when they make blonde jokes. While Ayla is the “it girl” at her school, she does it by being the mean girl, breaking the law, and being a class-A witch.

Annie can’t seem to keep her real self from shining through. She quickly realizes her “perfect world” is anything but perfect. Luckily, she meets Charlie Zelinsky who is the only person who can help her return home. As much as I loved Annie, I think Charlie was my favorite character in the book. I loved him from the very beginning. He is super smart and will do whatever it takes to help his family, and after meeting Annie, he knows he can help them all. Of course, after meeting Charlie and going back to Pittsburgh and seeing her best friend Lizzie now, Annie is torn about going back to her life. She knows she will have Lizzie back in her life, but will lose Charlie and return to being band geek Annie.

Don’t You Wish is such a fabulous story and has a very It’s a Wonderful Life feel to it. I loved watching Annie learn to appreciate her life and everything about it. Roxanne St. Claire did an amazing job with this story and I loved how she wrapped up the story. The official release date for Don’t You Wish is July 10, 2012 and can be purchased at your favorite bookstore or online retailer.