Don't You Wish

Jul 06, 2012 Best rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: time-travel, young-adult, netgalley, ebook, read-in-2012, reviewed, arc, science-fiction

THIS REVIEW ON B'S BOOK BLOG!

I received the digital ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher for review.

I slide on the sunglasses, covering my dazzling green eyes. Because this dream is so bright, I gotta wear shades.

Don't You Wishby Roxanne St. Claire tells a story of Annie Nutter, daughter of Mel and Emily Nutter, who wishes she lived a different life. When Mel comes up with a cool invention called Picture Perfect, Annie literally wakes up in the morning to a different life--the one...more

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Feb 22, 2012 Lyn Ching rated it 5 of 5 stars

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THANKS AND HAPPY READING!

Annie Nutter is an "Invisible". A social outcast and perennial bag stopper (meaning people's bags stop moving when they hit her head). With only one friend in school, annie was unhappy. Her social status was non-existent as well as her lovelife. The best and worst she had was when the hottest boy in school asked her out for homecoming.....just so his dog had a "date".

Her mother on the othe...more

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Dec 26, 2011 Bookish♥Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: singles-para, read-in-2011

♥ Find my reviews on Blogger ~ Reviews by Bookish Sarah

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**Some small spoilers ahead - nothing big!**

Annie Nutter is a ‘Nobody’ - that's literally what the popular kids call her (and others like her) at high school. She's considered unremarkable and not even worth acknowledging. Her family struggles financially, her mom is average, and her dad is a super-kooky inventor. Annie's social life is nil, and so is her love life.

One day - after a prank in which the most gorgeous, popular guy in scho...more

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Jul 05, 2012 Charlotte rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: november-2011, netgalley, july-2012, 2011-challenge, july-2012-release, arc

Be careful what you wish for....

Annie Nutter wishes her life was different. Unpopular and unpretty (or so she thinks), Annie is wishing she had the life of the popular, rich kids. Through a series of strange events, she gets her wish. Only, the life she lands in (Ayla Monroe's) is vastly different than her real one and she's got about 5 minutes to figure out how to live in this new one.

I really enjoyed this story. I thought I was getting into a cute, light story about wanting what you don't ha...more

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Jul 18, 2012 Jana (The Book Goddess) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads, debut-author-2012, comtemporary-challenge-2012, blog-reviewed, favourites

^^ YES. The choice isn't as simple as you think. OMG. This was such an unexpected read and I am so glad I requested in on Netgalley (thank you!). This is probably my favourite read so far (I've read 9 books this month) and I just want MORE. A perfect contemporary with a little paranormal peeking in.

The concept was very intriguing. What if you were given a chance to live another life? To become popular? To have everyone worship you? Would you wish that? Annie Nutter is a 'nobody' and when she fid...more ^^ YES. The choice isn't as simple as you think. OMG. This was such an unexpected read and I am so glad I requested in on Netgalley (thank you!). This is probably my favourite read so far (I've read 9 books this month) and I just want MORE. A perfect contemporary with a little paranormal peeking in.

The concept was very intriguing. What if you were given a chance to live another life? To become popular? To have everyone worship you? Would you wish that? Annie Nutter is a 'nobody' and when she fiddled with her father's invention, and wishes to be 'someone', her life changed forever, literally. I think this is what teens are going through. How many of us once wished that we had a different life? To become a billionaire's daughter and have lots of friends? I think like that. But this book teaches you that everything happens for a reason, and all you go through in life shapes you as a person and makes you STRONGER.

I fell in love with the characters. Crazy Annie Nutter and her 'old' family was just a regular family and they remind me of my family. They have lots of problems and misunderstandings, yes, but in the end, we all love each other and we don't regret anything. I really appreciate that Annie was still the same Annie even when she 'became' Ayla. You know, she could have gone along and stole clothes and jewellery (why do super-rich people steal? I don't find what's the rush with that when they have got their own money) like her 'friends' but she didn't. She stayed true to herself, and that's one of the reasons that I respect her.

The love interest was OH SO SWEET. I love that he was a bit geeky and that he wears this old hat (and yet he still looks cute). I enjoyed learning more about his history and his family. The rest of the characters were amazing as well, her mother Emily was depressed in both lives yet you can see she puts her children first.

The ending was totally unpredictable (or was that just me?)! I was so in Annie's head that I wouldn't know what to do - should she go back to being an 'invisible' or stay as a 'perfect' person? The choice isn't simple. She couldn't just do what she wants, but she has to think about other people? If she go back to her old life, then everything would change and it would affect other people too. I really sympathized with her and the ending was very fullfilling yet leaves a very open ending for readers. It was very bittersweet and I JUST LOVE IT OMFG.

Well guys, I know I couldn't write a review and do this book justice but hey, I tried. If you don't buy this - I will hunt you down :P

(Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Also posted: http://jana-thebookgoddess.blogspot.c...(less)

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Nov 07, 2011 Katy rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was a cute, fun read. It's your typical nerdy girl who wishes she was part of the in crowd and has an opportunity to live in a parallel universe when she realizes who she really is. Nothing special and totally predictable, but I liked it enough, and the last part of the book, especially the last chapter won me over, especially the end when the book came back in full circle with the bus scene.

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Jun 06, 2013 Denise rated it 5 of 5 stars

In this YA wild ride of multiple universes, Roxanne St. Claire opens up the fantasy/dream world of every teenage girl by pondering the questions; What would it be like to be the most envied, the most beautiful, and the richest girl in your entire high school? And what would you be willing to give up in order to have it? Is it worth the price? And is it all you really thought it would be?

St. Claire takes us into the life of Annie Nutter/Ayla Monroe as she lives two different lives and struggles t...more

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Feb 11, 2013 Liza Wiemer added it

What is it about super POPULAR A-list YA girls and guys that make them so unlikeable? Or are they just unlikable to the rest of the people in high school?
Don't You Wish had me thinking a lot about the price of popularity and whether or not it's really worth it if you can't be true to yourself, especially if you always have to put up a front that often is downright mean. Seems like an obvious no, right? But then why are so many people willing to sacrifice their principles for popularity? Maybe th...more What is it about super POPULAR A-list YA girls and guys that make them so unlikeable? Or are they just unlikable to the rest of the people in high school?
Don't You Wish had me thinking a lot about the price of popularity and whether or not it's really worth it if you can't be true to yourself, especially if you always have to put up a front that often is downright mean. Seems like an obvious no, right? But then why are so many people willing to sacrifice their principles for popularity? Maybe they're just nasty people? Or do we as a society value beauty/wealth/materialism so much that we give power to the superficial?
Don't You Wish is about a girl named Annie Nutter who wishes she had a different life and wonders what it would have been like if her mom had married her college boyfriend who ends up creating a highly successful plastic surgery franchise. Annie's father is a wannabe inventor, a hoarder, and kind of a loser. But Annie loves him. It's through one of his inventions that it becomes possible for Annie to wake up as the daughter of her mom and the plastic surgeon. She transforms into Alya and soon discovers that she's on top of the school A-list. It's a precarious place to be. Her super hot boyfriend expects her to give up her virginity, which apparently she promised to give him the night of Homecoming. Her best friends do drugs, steal, and cheat on tests. "Annie" as Alya doesn't like this behavior, but struggles with the desire to be popular, even if it means compromising her principles. After all, she's spent most of her life as a loser. Enter Charlie, a nice boy who's on scholarship to the exclusive high school Alya attends. He's smart, cute, and tormented by the A-list. Alya eventually falls hard for Charlie and she confides in him as he does to her. This leads to a fascinating choice for Annie/Alya. Who is she going to be? The ending is awesome.
Don't You Wish will have readers thinking about who they want to be as people and definitely question what we value in society in connection to popularity.
I read that this book as been optioned to become a film. I would see it. :D
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Dec 31, 2012 Whatchyareading added it

Shelves: christine, science-fiction, young-adult

I thought I knew what this book was going to be about based off the summary. Oh, it’s another one of those “Freaky Friday” switch-a-roo books, I mistakenly thought. The only real reason I picked it up is because Roxanne St Claire wrote it as her YA debut novel. But I was wrong to force it into the same category as those books that share a similar plot. I should have known better. Serves me right, actually, for doubting Roxanne.

The first thing I want to point out is the SCIENCE in this book. It w...more I thought I knew what this book was going to be about based off the summary. Oh, it’s another one of those “Freaky Friday” switch-a-roo books, I mistakenly thought. The only real reason I picked it up is because Roxanne St Claire wrote it as her YA debut novel. But I was wrong to force it into the same category as those books that share a similar plot. I should have known better. Serves me right, actually, for doubting Roxanne.

The first thing I want to point out is the SCIENCE in this book. It was actually explained! It wasn’t your typical “magical artifact mysteriously found and then used with unexpected results”. No. There was SCIENCE involved. Thank you, Roxanne St Claire, for fulfilling a wish of mine I didn’t even know I had until now for the young adult genre. Basically, we need more alternative universes where people are AWARE of the other universes. Can someone start writing a SLIDERS type series for YA? Because I want it. You’d have at least one loyal reader and I’m sure I could recruit some other people to read it as well. (Also, ten points to you if you know what Sliders is without having to Google it.)

While the first part of the story went pretty much the way I’d thought it would go, the second half was a pleasant surprise. A boy in Annie’s new life where she’s Ayla now becomes a more prominent character and kind of steals the show. He’s such a sweetheart and helps Ayla figure out why she’s here and how to get her back to her old life, should she choose that one over her current dream-like one. I adored him and wanted to visit this alternative universe where he existed because where was he while I was in high school? No, seriously. Where was he?

Overall, I thought this was a good book and a new twist on a previously overdone plot. I honestly wasn’t sure it would all work out until the very end, but somehow Roxanne pulled it off and it works as a standalone. (I do love standalones.)

This book was reviewed at WhatchYAreading.net on June 26, 2012.(less)

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Oct 06, 2012 Andrea rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was an interesting find. I was not expecting to have a science fiction book wrapped up in the casing of the real world.
This book has a lot going for it mainly that it was a definate step away from the vampire/werewolf, distopian sci-fi ya has been pumping out. The MC was very likable and her interactions with peers and parents totally believable. I like that the MC at least attempted to not be sexually active with her boyfriend. Also impressive was the way the MC valued her relationsh...more

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Sep 08, 2012 Amy Lignor rated it 4 of 5 stars

Although this author is well-known for the almost thirty novels that she’s written for the adult world, this is the first YA that has come from her bestselling mind. And, yes, this offering is just as good as the adult titles she claims.

The girl’s name is Annie Nutter. She’s a nice girl, although extremely plain and boring when compared to the ‘stars’ of the school. She sits on the bus in the front and gets ‘thanked’ in the head with the popular kids’ backpacks as they walk by. Her best friend...more Although this author is well-known for the almost thirty novels that she’s written for the adult world, this is the first YA that has come from her bestselling mind. And, yes, this offering is just as good as the adult titles she claims.

The girl’s name is Annie Nutter. She’s a nice girl, although extremely plain and boring when compared to the ‘stars’ of the school. She sits on the bus in the front and gets ‘thanked’ in the head with the popular kids’ backpacks as they walk by. Her best friend is Lizzie, and knows all about being low on the food chain - she just doesn’t care. You have the token cheerleader named Courtney, and Shane, who’s the male eye candy for everyone to lust after.

After a very embarrassing moment on the school bus, Annie finds herself shopping with Mom. Mom comes across an architectural magazine and a picture of her old boyfriend - a man she would’ve become the ‘Missus’ of if fate had moved a bit differently way back when. The guy is a billionaire, still-unmarried plastic surgeon who can afford the world, and Annie is a bit surprised to see her Mom tear up, discovering that her Mom truly wonders what life would’ve been like if she’d made a different decision.

When they head home they run into Annie’s Dad, Mel. This is a seriously great guy who works at Radio Shack during the day and messes up the house with all of his inventions. Dad believes that one day one of his ‘brilliant ideas’ will hit it big and he’ll have his very own infomercial. This time around he’s using parts from Annie’s now broken laptop, duct tape, a mirror, and more, to make a scale that when you step on it, you can actually see yourself differently. All the flaws are removed - your body is tightened and your face becomes stunning. You are…Picture Perfect.

When Annie wakes up the next day after a storm, she IS the picture perfect girl she saw in Dad’s mirror in the garage. Not only is she rich, but her father is the billionaire plastic surgeon and she lives in Miami instead of Pittsburgh with the world at her fingertips. She’s stunning, dating the hottest guy in school, and is the very top of the food chain. In essence, she got everything she ever wanted.

Problem is, as always, you have to take the good with the bad. And even though she dreamed that this would be the perfect life, there are so many negatives that she has to deal with the fact that she hates the glamorous people a lot more…now that she’s one of them.

Although the plot of this story has been done before in various ways, this author certainly brings entertainment, emotions, and a lovely romance into the mix that readers will have a whole lot of fun being a part of. Moral: Be careful what you wish for…you just might get it!

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Sep 07, 2012 Sara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, young-adult

Annie Nutter is invisible at school and wishes she could be more like the popular crowd. At home, her dad's constantly inventing stuff that goes nowhere and her mom's frustrated about their modest - at best - standard of living. After wishing that she had a different life, Annie wakes up in the body of Ayla Monroe, with the same mom but a different dad. Ayla is rich and spoiled, leads the popular crowd, and is almost everything Annie wanted to be. But this new Ayla has her old soul from her time...more Annie Nutter is invisible at school and wishes she could be more like the popular crowd. At home, her dad's constantly inventing stuff that goes nowhere and her mom's frustrated about their modest - at best - standard of living. After wishing that she had a different life, Annie wakes up in the body of Ayla Monroe, with the same mom but a different dad. Ayla is rich and spoiled, leads the popular crowd, and is almost everything Annie wanted to be. But this new Ayla has her old soul from her time as Annie, and she kind of hates a lot of who Ayla is/used to be. As Annie sets about improving her life as Ayla, she starts to feel happier about herself, even though there's a part of her that still wants to go back to her old life - if that's even possible.

Based on the summary, I expected this to be a lot more predictable than it was: girl wishes for something, discovers what she wished for wasn't what she actually wanted, goes back to being happy with what she had. And although part of the book did follow this formula, there was a lot more depth to the book and the characters than I expected.

There were really three parts to the book: when Annie's unhappy with her life and wishing for more, when Annie becomes Ayla and thinks she might actually have everything, and when Annie-as-Ayla begins to turn her life as Ayla around. I enjoyed the whole book, although my favorite parts were after Annie began changing her life and her/Ayla's friends were confused about the person she'd become. Annie had a number of revelations about friendship throughout this transition, realizing that if you can't trust your supposed friends with life-changing secrets, perhaps they're not people you should be friends with in the first place. I also liked her ruminations on power and order in the high school social structure, debating what it takes to be on top and stay on top. Anyone who's been to high school could definitely relate.

The characters were all entertaining as well. Annie was a very likable main characters and the people surrounding her had well developed personalities as well. The author did a good job showing the changing relationship between Annie and her mom. I also loved the sweet friendship that developed between Ayla and a "nobody" at her new school.

What I really liked about this book is that the story continually changed directions instead of having a super linear plot. There were a number of asides that related well to the plot but kept me wondering what would happen next. For example, when Annie first becomes Ayla, she quickly realizes this new life is far from perfect and desperately wants to go back; then, as she becomes more and more involved in changing her own destiny, her new life starts to seem almost better than her old one, especially since she cares about what might happen to people if she leaves.

I found this to be a very fun read. While the plot wasn't completely original, the author did a good job bringing the story to life. Anyone looking for an entertaining, lighthearted book with soul should find this to their liking.(less)

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Aug 16, 2012 Bibliojunkies added it

From Random House:

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, par...more

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Jul 30, 2012 Jenna Christy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-romance

I absolutely adore this book! The ending was superb! I love it. Love it. Love it.

One thing nice about this novel other than the funny way it was written is the lesson behind the story. Popularity and money are not the goals we should have in our life to have a fulfilled life. I know it's kinda clich'e but this is true-love brings happiness. We can have money and all but not be happy because we ruin other people's lives. For some people, this lesson is ruminated only after they experienced some h...more

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Jul 10, 2012 Sara rated it 5 of 5 stars

Don't You Wish by Roxanne St. Claire begins with Annie unhappy with her life. She's unpopular, her father is a horder whose inventions never work and poor. While shopping her mother finds a picture of her ex-boyfriends wonderful mansion and comments that it could have been hers. The next day Annie wakes up in a new bed in a new house and a whole new life with her Mom but a different Dad. Ayla's life is completly different, she is rich and popular and spoiled. Will Ayla get back to her old life?...more

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Jul 02, 2012 Chelsey rated it 5 of 5 stars

Annie Nutter is your typical nerd/band geek who has no social life and no chance at all of ever obtaining one. She has an equally nerdy friend, Lizzie Kauffman, who is her only hope at halfway making it through high school. So when Annie starts resenting her own life and finds out that her mother had the option of marrying another man it starts her thinking that maybe her life could have turned out completely differently. Annie’s dad, Mel, is a wacky inventor who is always coming up with ideas t...more Annie Nutter is your typical nerd/band geek who has no social life and no chance at all of ever obtaining one. She has an equally nerdy friend, Lizzie Kauffman, who is her only hope at halfway making it through high school. So when Annie starts resenting her own life and finds out that her mother had the option of marrying another man it starts her thinking that maybe her life could have turned out completely differently. Annie’s dad, Mel, is a wacky inventor who is always coming up with ideas that he believes will equal “the next big thing” and Annie’s mom is getting burned out on his so-called fame seeking inventions. Annie, however, humors her dad and becomes the guinea pig for one of his current projects, but ends up landing herself in a parallel universe where she is now known as Ayla Monroe.

Ayla Monroe is the polar opposite from Annie and everything that she ever stood for. She is lazy, selfish, snobby, and just downright mean at times. Although, Annie finally gets her taste for life in the popular lane and she comes to find that it may not be what she has always expected. Annie, as Ayla Monroe, has two best friends who are weed smoking, shoplifting, brain dead girls who live for being cruel to others less popular than them. They, seeing her as Ayla, immediately expect her to jump right in on their rebellious lifestyle. Annie starts to try to fit in with them at first, but her true colors eventually shine through.

Annie Nutter is one of my favorites character so far this year because she has so much heart and a genuine sense of character. Of all people that she could become friends with at her new school, Croppe Academy, she befriends the boy that everyone is constantly making fun of. I admired her for standing up for him on several occasions and defending herself and her own dignity in doing so. She stands up to her so called friends and denies the devilish lifestyle that has been made famous by A-list Ayla Monroe. Annie redefines herself through Ayla which is to her advantage and improves her own self-esteem in the process.

Charlie Zelinsky is the boy that Annie, or Ayla, befriends who is not liked very much by anyone at all within Croppe Academy. He sees right through Ayla and immediately realizes that change in her, which is all Annie’s doing. What I like best about Charlie is that I believe he really took a liking to Ayla even with her cruel and snarky ways. He noticed her from the start and that makes for a great guy! His loyalty to Annie is hard to overlook and he puts himself on the line in several different occasions to aid Annie in any way that he can. He eventually opens up to Annie and shares his family secrets with her and lets her in on why he is made fun of so much. Their relationship is intimate and one that has the potential to be long lasting.

I literally read this book in less than a day. It was a breeze and so much fun to read. I highly recommend it for anyone whom is slightly interested or has pondered the question of, “what if I had different parents?” Annie’s alternate universe is at times bluntly brutal and mind-boggling, but it is definitely worth the rush! I am ready for more by Roxanne St. Claire!

***A copy of this book was provided to me by Random House Children’s Book in exchange for my honest review***
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Jun 08, 2012 Nicola rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, time-travel, best-of-2012, books-i-own

Wow, I completely devoured this book! I genuinely loved it and hated having to tear my eyes away from the pages. Some parts were so intense and had me feeling nervous for the characters! Don't You Wish is a wonderfully written novel and so much deeper and thought-provoking than I excepted; while still managing to be a light and fun read. I was really intrigued by the description but what I found inside the book was even more interesting.

Annie Nutter is a nobody at her school. She's been deemed u...more Wow, I completely devoured this book! I genuinely loved it and hated having to tear my eyes away from the pages. Some parts were so intense and had me feeling nervous for the characters! Don't You Wish is a wonderfully written novel and so much deeper and thought-provoking than I excepted; while still managing to be a light and fun read. I was really intrigued by the description but what I found inside the book was even more interesting.

Annie Nutter is a nobody at her school. She's been deemed unpopular, unattractive and unworthy. Her family's a little crazy and tensions are running high. Annie is sick of being treated badly by the popular kids at her school and, of course, wants out. Her mom has been feeling the same way. She saw an article in a magazine about a man she nearly married- a successful, rich man- and wonders how her life would have turned out had she gone with him instead of Annie's father. Annie's dad is an inventor and one crazy invention ends up transporting Annie to the life she has been dreaming of.

You would think this would be great. She's got everything she ever wished for. But after only a few moments in her new life as Ayla Monroe, Annie has already realized that the grass is not always greener on the other side. Ayla has a nasty personality and now Annie's stuck in her body. I felt so frustrated for Annie and hated the thought of being stuck in her position! It was so sad to see everybody be so shocked at how nice 'Ayla' was being all of a sudden. But it was great to see Annie take the high road and realize she did not have to be the stereotypical, mean popular girl.

Once Annie met Charlie- the 'nobody' of Crap Academy'- the book became so exciting! I loved how open Charlie was to accepting that Ayla was no longer the mean dumb girl he'd known her to be. It's so sweet watching their friendship blossom and to see them opening up to each other. Annie has a huge secret- but Charlie's got his secrets too. And Charlie's a genius who thinks he can get Annie back to her old life- but does she want to go?

It was heartbreaking watching Annie try to make her decision and I was freaking out at times! I was so sucked in to her life and found her really easy to relate to. I myself was agonizing over what she should do and it really made me question what I would do if I were her. This book is all about realizing that everyone has their hardships and even 'perfect' people aren't so perfect after all. I'm giving this book five stars and I don't do that lightly. The moral of the story? Be careful what you wish for!(less)

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Oct 02, 2012 Jen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: to-trade-swap

4.5 Stars!

Don't You Wish is an entertaining and often times, heartbreaking blend of Mean Girls, Back to the Future and It's A Wonderful Life. A story of one teenage girl's desire to be "seen" and the lessons she learns when the rose colored Dior glasses come off and she's faced with all that glitters and it isn't necessarily gold.

When Annie gets a chance to see her life from both sides of "her story", she'll have to decide which life is the one she really wants to live. There are pros and cons t...more

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Sep 05, 2012 Jessica rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own, for-review

It has been quite some time since I've read a really great YA contemporary, so Don't You Wish was EXACTLY what I needed! With a fun story about a nobody waking up to be a somebody and realizing that life wasn't exactly what she had wished for.

Annie Nutter is a girl everyone can relate to; she just can't seem to fit in with her braces, band-geek status, and her perpetual crushes that result in longing stares from the front of the bus. And her family completely embraces their last name. Her Dad i...more It has been quite some time since I've read a really great YA contemporary, so Don't You Wish was EXACTLY what I needed! With a fun story about a nobody waking up to be a somebody and realizing that life wasn't exactly what she had wished for.

Annie Nutter is a girl everyone can relate to; she just can't seem to fit in with her braces, band-geek status, and her perpetual crushes that result in longing stares from the front of the bus. And her family completely embraces their last name. Her Dad is an inventor who always has a new idea up his sleeve, her brother can't go one sentence without fitting in a burp, and her mother is, well, her mother. So when a huge storm hits Annie's home and she wakes up the next morning as super rich, popular, and gorgeous Ayla Monroe, Annie has no idea what to do. Stuck in a life of a girl who is exactly like the kind of people she has spent her entire life admiring, Annie really isn't sure the life she's always wished for is the life she wants anymore. But how can she get back to her normal life? Does she even want to?

It's fantastic watching Annie adjust to living the life of Ayla, who seems to be flawless on the outside but turns out to be the stereotypical mean girl on the inside. Her new best friends are both as shallow as Ayla seems to be, so it's no surprise they notice something is up when Annie comes along in Ayla's body. You can't help but root for Annie as she finds herself slipping away from the popular life she has fallen into and wanting to create a life full of meaning and actual feeling. And that feeling includes a certain cutie named Charlie, who is the school's scholarship kid. I absolutely love Charlie and grew so attached to him as the book went on. I wish I could build my own space continuum machine that would let me have Charlie all to myself!

But enough about me! I loved the whole idea of this book and enjoyed every second of it. You're left guessing what will happen until the last page, which is really hard to find in a book these days. As Roxanne St. Claire's debut YA novel, I'd say she definitely hit this one out of the park! (less)

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Jul 13, 2012 Pretty in Fiction rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviews-by-jesse

Don't You Wish by Roxanne St. Claire answers that age old question, "Is the grass really greener on the other side?" And Annie Nutter is about to find out the answer. St. Claire has written a surprisingly emotional novel with Don't You Wish. And even though I wouldn't say it's the deepest story out there, I do think St. Clair shares some really good ideas about appreciating the things you do have instead of complaining about the things you don't.

I'll admit I had a hard time connecting to the mai...more Don't You Wish by Roxanne St. Claire answers that age old question, "Is the grass really greener on the other side?" And Annie Nutter is about to find out the answer. St. Claire has written a surprisingly emotional novel with Don't You Wish. And even though I wouldn't say it's the deepest story out there, I do think St. Clair shares some really good ideas about appreciating the things you do have instead of complaining about the things you don't.

I'll admit I had a hard time connecting to the main character, Annie, at first. She's funny and comes off the way a teenager really would in her situation, but I still just can't say I wholeheartedly liked her. I found her to be immature. She was entirely too quick to give up her family and life to become rich and popular. She barely even cared when she discovered she was stuck in Ayla's life, because she got to go to school in a limo. She came off as selfish, and even though her wants changed throughout the book, I still couldn't shake that first impression. But in the end, I was able to look past it and see how much she had grown throughout her experiences.

It's rare that I can say I truly hate a character. In fact, I can't think of a single one. But I found one in Don't You Wish. I hated Ayla's boyfriend Ryder. He was two seconds away from being a sexual predator, the way he practically threatens Ayla to get her to have sex with him. Like she better give it up or else. I truly hated him, and Annie-as-Ayla's reaction to him. I'm sorry, I would have hit him and walked away, not followed him like a lost puppy. And even though she does the right thing eventually, I still feel like she was a smart enough character to know better to begin with.

Ayla's brother Trent is quite possibly my absolute favorite character in Don't You Wish. He comes off like a jerk, but he's extremely loyal to his mother. Trent stands up for her against his father when everyone else just ignores how disrespectful he is to his wife. Even Ayla. It made me love him, a lot. Even with his excessive use of the word "dawg". I also loved Charlie. He was really cute and definitely heartthrob worthy!

There was an unexpected element of sci-fi in Don't You Wish. I knew it would be there, but wasn't expecting quite as much science as I received. I really enjoyed the whole multiverse aspect of the story. The jumping back and forth between universes thing totally reminded me of Sliders, which is possibly one of my favorite shows ever!

Don't You Wish is a funny, cute summer read that a lot of readers are sure to enjoy. Mentions of sex and drug usage might make it inappropriate for some younger readers. But I still believe that Don't You Wish will appeal to anyone who's ever daydreamed of what their life could be like if they "had it all". I really enjoyed it, especially the ending!(less)

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Mar 09, 2012 Angela Shrum rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone with a warm heart or a complicated question of "what if?"

Shelves: favorites

(This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.)

Okay, I have a confession: I was a skeptic with this one. As much as the summary intrigued me and the cover reminded me of a girl on a TV Show I've been kind-of watching called "The Lying Game", there was a part of my brain saying it would be cheesy and bland and predictable, and that this kind of story was far too overdone in movies. But guess what? I was wrong.

Don't You Wish is an uplifting, c...more

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Feb 19, 2012 Nadine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012, young-adult, netgalley-review

Annie Nutter wishes her life would be different. She is close to invisible at her school, hates her braces and the fact that people like her crush are making fun of her. Her father is some maniac inventor and the family just about gets by financially.
One day she wakes up as Ayla Monroe in some sort of parallel universe, a world in which her mother married her ex-boyfriend, who now is an extremely rich and famous beauty surgeon in Miami. Her life seems perfect, she looks perfect, is some sort of...more Annie Nutter wishes her life would be different. She is close to invisible at her school, hates her braces and the fact that people like her crush are making fun of her. Her father is some maniac inventor and the family just about gets by financially.
One day she wakes up as Ayla Monroe in some sort of parallel universe, a world in which her mother married her ex-boyfriend, who now is an extremely rich and famous beauty surgeon in Miami. Her life seems perfect, she looks perfect, is some sort of school queen and has a gorgious boyfriend, but very soon she discovers that beneath the shiny surface, things are not as golden as they seem.

Annie is a great and lovable character, she is smart and her thoughts and views are both clever and funny, the way she sometimes gets swept away by the seduction of the perfect world she woke up in and sometimes sees right through it is great. There are other great characters, some you can easily love and some you can easily hate. And Annie in-between, who has a golden heart, but sometimes gets seduced by the promises of her life as Ayla.

The story is a bit foreseeable, the message is clear from the start and the story has been told in similar ways many times before but the journey Annie takes is heart warming and funny. I enjoyed the light but clever language a lot. There are some moments when the author plays with the expectations of the reader and takes a slightly different way, which I really enjoyed.

To me this is the “ideal Sunday afternoon book”, which I should explain: there are some books that are just perfect for a (maybe rainy) Sunday afternoon, light and funny, a quick read, but not stupid, heartwarming. Stuff you can sink into without much thinking. A bit fairy-tale like, prospect of a happy ending... and to me this is the perfect book for that mood/ time.

This is the first YA novel by author Roxanne St. Claire, who published nearly 30 books for adults in multiple genres.

I obtained a digital copy of this book as an ARC at NetGalley.(less)

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Aug 19, 2012 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley-arc, ya, science-fiction, romance, time-travel

**Full disclosure--this review is based on a digital, uncorrected proof received from the publisher for review purposes. I didn't receive money, free drinks or trips to alternate universes in exchange for this review.**

Don't You Wish reminds me of so many fun things, mainly movies. I would say it's sort of like a mash-up of Back To the Future, Somewhere In Time, Time After Time, and Mean Girls. In the interest of sounding like a sort of literate person, there's a little bit of Rival thrown in th...more **Full disclosure--this review is based on a digital, uncorrected proof received from the publisher for review purposes. I didn't receive money, free drinks or trips to alternate universes in exchange for this review.**

Don't You Wish reminds me of so many fun things, mainly movies. I would say it's sort of like a mash-up of Back To the Future, Somewhere In Time, Time After Time, and Mean Girls. In the interest of sounding like a sort of literate person, there's a little bit of Rival thrown in there too. Also Somewhere In Time was a book originally, but I'll admit I haven't read it. The movie with Christopher Reeves and Jane Seymour is marginally watchable. By contrast, Don't You Wish is compulsively readable.

Annie Nutter is fed up with being one of the "invisibles" at school. Her father, a wannabe inventor, has practically driven his family out of the house with his "Nutter Clutter" encroaching on every flat surface in there home. (I'm not sure what my excuse is for doing the same thing since I'm not even trying to invent anything new--uh hem.) Annie is asked to the Homecoming dance by a popular guy only to have her heart broken when she realizes it was a joke. Still, she has a good relationship with her mom and a close family. On one trip to Walmart, her mom picks up a copy of Architectural Digest and finds out that her ex boyfriend's house is featured--her single ex boyfriend. Her mom starts fantasizing about the life she might have had, and even though Annie feels guilty about it, she kind of fantasizes too. Then, they come home to find yet another half-baked Nutter contraption waiting in the basement and instead of being impressed, Annie's mother goes ballistic. When Annie goes up to her room to drown out the family argument, she tries to salvage the remains of the laptop her father used for his latest invention when lightening strikes and transports her into an alternate universe where she is wealthy, beautiful and popular Ayla Monroe. Before long, she realizes that while being a queen bee has its perks, it's a tough spot to maintain and she wonders if it's worth the despicable things her friends expect from her. Ayla/Annie needs to grapple with the question of whether this other life is better or worse, and is going back to her old life even an option?

Annie Nutter is such a lovable character and Roxanne St. Claire is spot on with her observations of the bizarre things girls do for status in high school. Admittedly, some of the observations are probably more objective than the ones most of us could make when we were still in the thrall of high school and all the stupidity that goes with the social order of it, but I think people on both ends of the social spectrum will take comfort in Annie's story of transformation and interdimensional travel. Of course, all my husband would get out of this story is that the science (specifically physics) is bogus, but who asked him anyway? Nerd alert!(less)

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Jul 05, 2012 Karla V rated it 4 of 5 stars

posted here: http://notjustnonsense.blogspot.com/2...

Sixteen-year-old Annie Nutter is an ordinary, plain Jane. All she wants is for Shane Matthews, teenage god, to look at her. Really look at her. But she soon regrets that, when Shane plays a cruel joke on her inside the school bus, humiliating her in front of everyone.

Annie's mother isn't having a very good day, either. She's found a picture of an old boyfriend in a very classy magazine, and suddenly all she can think and talk about is how life...more posted here: http://notjustnonsense.blogspot.com/2...

Sixteen-year-old Annie Nutter is an ordinary, plain Jane. All she wants is for Shane Matthews, teenage god, to look at her. Really look at her. But she soon regrets that, when Shane plays a cruel joke on her inside the school bus, humiliating her in front of everyone.

Annie's mother isn't having a very good day, either. She's found a picture of an old boyfriend in a very classy magazine, and suddenly all she can think and talk about is how life would have been if she had married that man, instead of Annie's crazy inventor/hoarder of a father. Annie can't help but start wondering the same thing. Would she exist in said world? Would she be the same, even if she had a different father? Would her soul be the same?

After her mother destroys her father's newest invention (which allowed you to choose which celebrities' body parts you wanted to have, and see what you would look like with them) in a moment of anger, Annie picks up the remaining parts, to try and salvage her only -and quite old- notebook, used in the invention. While she holds the notebook and a cell phone showing the picture of the simulation of what she wished she looked like, her room is hit by lightining...

...and somehow she wakes up in a dream world. A dream world where she is who she has always wished she was. Beautiful. Loaded. Popular. A-list. But is it really a dream? Then how come she can't wake up? Annie is now in Ayla Monroe's body, and needs to start making some very serious decisions. Is Ayla really who she wanted to be? Popular, but living a fake life, with no real friends? Beautiful on the outside, but ugly, mean and cold on the inside? Rich in terms of money, but with a distant and estranged family, threatening to collapse? She can't help but ask herself:

Should I stay or should I go?

This book was a very nice read. Very light chich-lit on the whole, but with some very intense and thought-provoking moments. I especially liked the tentative theories to try to explain how the transition through multiple/alternate universes could happen. And Annie and Charlie were so adorkable! :3 He was super dreamy!

I think we all like to imagine how our lives would be if we were different or if our lives were different, or if we were born in different circumstances... well, this book makes us think: Be careful what you wish for! You just might get it. And regret it. :P

* I received an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*(less)

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Apr 12, 2012 Nick rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc

Read more of my reviews at Nick's Book Blog.

"How original!" was my very first thought when I came across Don't You Wish by Roxanne St. Claire on Goodreads. When I saw that the book was available on NetGalley, I didn't hesitate once to request an ARC of it and I was super excited to have been approved! Unlike many of the books that I've had high expectations for, Don't You Wish was an utter delight !

Annie Nutter, our main character, is an "Invisible". She is a nobody at her school and is often mi...more
Read more of my reviews at Nick's Book Blog.

"How original!" was my very first thought when I came across Don't You Wish by Roxanne St. Claire on Goodreads. When I saw that the book was available on NetGalley, I didn't hesitate once to request an ARC of it and I was super excited to have been approved! Unlike many of the books that I've had high expectations for, Don't You Wish was an utter delight !

Annie Nutter, our main character, is an "Invisible". She is a nobody at her school and is often mistreated and made fun of by the popular kids at her school. Because of this constant embarrassment, Annie craves popularity, gorgeous clothes, a prettier face and a love life. When she finds her mother crying over a magazine featuring her ex-boyfriend, Jim Monroe, now a billionaire plastic surgeon, she wonders what it would have been like to have been to her mom and Jim instead of her mom and dad. That same day, her father, who is an inventor and a collector of useless things, creates this wacky mirror that shows you in a different, more perfect way. Annie wakes up the next morning in a different bed, a different body and different universe. She's no longer Annie Nutter, but she's Ayla Monroe.

Ayla is popular, rich, beautiful, has an immense closet with pretty clothes and a super hot boyfriend. To Annie, this is a dream come true. However, soon, it dawns on Annie that being all these things doesn't necessarily mean happiness.
Annie had a very likable personality. She had the kind of voice that was warm and funny. I couldn't help but love her character. Sure, at first it bothered me a little bit that she wanted to be popular this much, but gradually I began to understand her feelings by the events that occur in the book.
When she wakes up as Ayla, I thought for sure she would let the popularity get into her head until she would do something so drastic that would unrepairable until too late. However, she proved me wrong, which is why I really enjoyed her character. She was an emotionally strong character who stood up for herself and for the right things. I loved how supportive she was of people who were being mistreated by Ayla's friends, although they threatened to break off their friendship and put an end to her popularity. Wise and smart, Annie always did the right thing and I looked up to her for that.

In Ayla's life, Annie meets with Charlie. Charlie was a "homeless" scholarship student who was looked down upon and ostracized in his posh school. People insulted him, bullied him, made fun of him and basically, didn't let him live in peace. He has no friends and if people even dare to say a word to him, they were frowned upon. Some of the things that the popular kids did to him outraged and revolted me so much that I was glad I wasn't part of that life. Nevertheless, Charlie had a really positive attitude to his life in general. He was also a terribly sweet guy and I loved how nice he was to Annie. Overall, I found Charlie to be an adorable cute nerd who saw Annie's soul in Ayla.

The romance in this book was my favorite kind. Cute. It develops from friendship and blossoms into a romantic relationship. I liked how Annie and Charlie actually get to know and understand each other before jumping into a relationship. They were truly a heart-melting couple who had me rooting for them to be together. I simply loved how they protected and stood by each other no matter what. According to me, the romance was simply perfect!

I won't deny that the secondary characters were pretty cliched. Popular cheerleaders, mean girls, nerds, jocks etc ...
Nevertheless, they were quite enjoyable and fun to read about.

The plot of the book wasn't exactly completely original. Numerous books about nerdy, invisible girls turning into popular girls have been written. The imaginative part of this book arises from the the whole switching into a different universe aspect.
Even with the over-used and predictable story line, Roxanne St Claire manages to create a refreshing story that is highly enjoyable. Her writing was smooth, charming and easy to follow. There is no doubt that I'll be picking up more from this author!

To sum up, this was a truly wonderful book. Entwining friendship, love, family, need, wants and reality, the author has created a cute, light and sweet book that many readers will without doubt enjoy!(less)

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Sep 01, 2012 Nicole rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fave-beach-reads, best-romance, best-heroines, 2012-books, endings-i-love, sci-fi, self-discovery, make-it-into-a-movie, scandals-drama, high-school-romance, curl-up-and-read-this, favorites

Don't you wish is the ultimate teen read with a little twist thrown in.

What if you were transported to a parallel universe where you were the most popular girl at school, had the biggest house and went to the best parties? Well, that is exactly what happens to our main character, Annie Nutter. Average and not one of the popular kids, Annie wishs to have all these people have and through a freak accident and a strike of lightning. She ends up in the body of Ayla Monroe, she has the same mother bu...more

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Jul 27, 2012 Marina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, fantasy, young-adult, past-present-and-or-future-collide, romance

The Scoop:
Annie Nutter is practically invisible in her current world. Then she gets zapped by one of her father's inventions and becomes very visible as Ayla Monroe in the world that could have been if her mother had married a different man. She's popular, beautiful, rich, has a boyfriend and everything else she's ever dreamed of having. But is it what she really wants? As she lives the life of dreams she is confronted by a differently unhappy mother, mean girls instead of close, supportive frie...more The Scoop:
Annie Nutter is practically invisible in her current world. Then she gets zapped by one of her father's inventions and becomes very visible as Ayla Monroe in the world that could have been if her mother had married a different man. She's popular, beautiful, rich, has a boyfriend and everything else she's ever dreamed of having. But is it what she really wants? As she lives the life of dreams she is confronted by a differently unhappy mother, mean girls instead of close, supportive friends, and a pushy boyfriend demanding sex she comes to a realization that it may not be all that she was wishing for. And now she must determine if she will have to continue in this life or if there is a way to go back to what she knew.

My thoughts:
I loved the character of Annie. Even when she was trying to embrace the life of the rich, spoiled, popular Ayla I could see the genuineness of Annie shining through. She may have thought she wanted that life (as did her mother) but all the little things she did, letting her Annie-ness shine through the facade of Ayla (her friendship with Charlie, her affinity for the band geeks, her denial of boyfriend pressure), led me to believe that she being rich, popular and beautiful was just a whim wish and that it was never anything that she would have actively pursued if she hadn't been zapped into an alternate reality.
The secondary characters of her "Annie" best friend Lizzie and Charlie, the previously homeless scholarship boy from her "Ayla" school to the different incarnations of her brother(s), mother and father(s) were also interesting aspects of the story. How a change in paternity can alter so many lives (some for the better, some for the worse) can really make you think about decisions that were and weren't made in a lifetime. I liked the juxtaposition of Annie's lives and it was a good reminder to be thankful for the things you do have and to not sweat what you don't have or to obsess over what could have been.
As ever I am a sucker for the time travel/alternate realities (hello, Freaky Friday!?!) stories and this one wasn't an exception. I thoroughly enjoyed the story, the plot hook of the zapping invention, Annie's journey and especially the sweet, thoroughly satisfying ending (although a little more ending is always better in cases like this one).

I recieved an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and publisher Delacorte Press for a fair and honest review. (less)

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Jul 08, 2012 ABookVacation rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was an interesting story with a great concept. What if we could be someone else? What if we lived like movie stars, had plenty of money, and didn’t want for any material thing? Would that be enough? Annie Nutter has always wanted to be in with the popular group, to have plenty of money, friends, gorgeous clothes, but it’s just not her reality. Not until her inventor father creates a mirror that zaps her into an alternate reality. But as time goes on, Annie begins to realize that looks, mone...more

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Aug 22, 2012 Emily Brown (TheBrownReviews) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, reads-of-2012

Concept/Ideas: 5/5
Storyline/Plot: 5/5
Characters: 4/5
Writing Style: 4/5

Amazing. One of my tops reads of 2012.

Personally, I thought the concept for this bok was amazing. It was so unique. Who wouldn't be eager to check out a book about a girl who got thrown into another dimension and went from "loser to popular/rich" in a flash? I just thought the whole concept of switching bodies and traveling through dimensions was so cool.

The writing was great. I find it easy, fun, suspenseful, and girly. Th...more

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Jul 18, 2012 Pooja (On books!) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Review originally posted on my blog, On books!

You know what they say... be careful what you wish for ('cause you just might get it).

Annie Nutter is plain and invisible. She wishes, more than anything, she could be rich and glamorous until one day, when she is zapped by one of her dad's inventions and lands in a parallel universe where she is perfect and privileged Ayla Monroe. Annie learns that privilege and popularity come with a price and that maybe Annie Nutter had a thing or two Ayla Monroe...more

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