Review: Don't You Wish by Roxanne St. Claire

Goodreads Summary:

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 exhilirating . . . 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.

My Review:
First of all, if you're going to be all picky about the science behind how Annie Nutter goes to an alternative universe and becomes Ayla Monroe... I only have this to say:



Oh, and this book is not for you. Look, I'm get that I'm reading a YA Cinderella/Ugly Ducking Becoming a Swan type book. I'm not looking for a scientifically accurate info dump on how this happens. If I want the science, I'll read a book by Stephen Hawking or someone. I'm reading this because I want my mind to chill out after a cruddy day at work. If I am bumming you out with my dumbness, stop reading now and go here: Souper Smart Peeple Blog About Science 'n Stuff.

Okay, in all honesty, the science behind how Annie gets transported is silly. It's basically this: (Semi NSFW due to language/partial nudity. Be forewarned)



With her father and brother as the two geeks and her as the hot chick. Except she doesn't appear out of a bathroom, she gets transported to Florida. But like Gary and Wyatt (you need to go watch "Weird Science"), she learns that wishes don't always work out.

This is a pretty cheesy kind of book- but good cheesy. At least I found it charming and at times sweet. It's very predictable, but sometimes that's good. I mean sometimes I want the book I'm expecting, if that makes sense. In other words, if a book seems like it's silly, sweet, and yet goofy, then I want that book to deliver a silly, sweet, slightly goofy story. Throw in some "Coming of Age" type moments and a cute romance and you have this book.

On the negative side, the author threw in an attempted date rape. It was pretty awful and just seemed so out of context for a book like this. Also, the language is just horrible at times. I'm not a teenager, so I don't know if that's realistic or not. But other than that, this is a great summer read.

Overall rating: 3 stars
Genre rating: 4 high school lockers (This book is very readable. I really couldn't put it down once I started)

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