Review: Wishful Thinking by Alexandra Bullen

Title: Wishful Thinking
Author: Alexandra Bullen
Publisher: Scholastic/Point
Pub. Date: 1.1.2011
Genre: Contemporary YA
Keywords: Wishes, Magic, Time Travel, Romance, Family
Pages: 336
Description (from Goodreads):

If you could wish for a different life, would you? What if that life changed everything you thought was real?

Adopted as a baby, Hazel Snow has always been alone. She's never belonged anywhere--and has always yearned to know the truth about where she comes from. So when she receives three stunning, enchanted dresses--each with the power to grant one wish--Hazel wishes to know her mother. Transported to a time and place she couldn't have imagined, Hazel finds herself living an alternate life--a life with the mother she never knew.

Over the course of one amazing, miraculous summer, Hazel finds her home, falls in love, and forms an unexpected friendship. But will her search to uncover her past forever alter her future?

I started WISHFUL THINKING with no expectations, except for the hope that it would be a relatively light and quick read, as I wasn't in the mood for something that would require deep thinking or tear my heart to pieces. Thankfully, Bullen's sophomore offering did neither.

Even though I wasn't expecting to not like it, I was still surprised at how much I enjoyed it. It was an exceptionally fast read, but I didn't feel like the story was missing anything and the characters were all well developed.

Unfortunately, WISHFUL THINKING was a bit predictable, but that didn't ruin the novel for me. Even though I knew what was going to happen, watching Hazel uncover these truths was still engaging. She was so set on her magical experience turning out a certain way that I couldn't help but be curious about how she would handle things when she realized that what you want, isn't always what you get... and, most of the time, you're better off with the latter.

And there is a rather adorable romantic element to the story as well... And there's has a twist, which keeps things interesting.

I'll be picking up WISH, Bullen's debut, at some point to see how the dresses came to land in Hazel's deserving arms. And, please note, that I had no problem following the story line having not read WISH prior to WISHFUL THINKING.

Review copy provided by publisher.