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Making a big change in life can be difficult—and scary, too. It may require taking steps that we’re too afraid to take. So in As You Wish by author Leesa Cross-Smith, three young women decide to turn their lives around—and they rely on a wish under a full moon to make it happen.
The story follows three American au pairs who move to Seoul to make a change in their lives. Shy aspiring artist Lydia wants to come out of her shell and become the center of attention—like her glamorous host mother. Jenny wants to get away from the memory of her ex—and avoid love for good. And Selene wants to find the birth mother who abandoned her as a baby. When their three host families go on a joint vacation, the three au pairs make a wish on a magical waterfall and find their lives suddenly transformed.
Their late-night wishes seem to bring about shocking changes for these young women—from an important step in the process for Selene to a sudden shift into the spotlight for Lydia to a no-strings-attached relationship for Jenny. And the novel moves from one character to another to explore what happens after the wish—and how they learn more about what’s really important to them along the way—all while exploring the food and style and culture of their Korean host families.
Each of these characters has so much potential: an eye for fashion, artistic talent, and the ability to care for others. Instead of exploring things like independence, success, and family, however, the three stories all seem to focus on finding the right man to make the young women’s lives happy—as though that’s the only thing that really matters. And even if you love a good romance, the single-minded focus sometimes feels disappointing.
Meanwhile, the author is clearly passionate about Korean culture—from the music to the drama to the food—and she sprinkles her passion into every page of the novel. If you love K-pop and K-dramas as much as she does—and you’re familiar with the different kinds of Korean food—you’ll be pulled right in. If not, you might just feel lost.
If you love both Korean culture and romance novels, you’ll get caught up in the magic of As You Wish. But some readers might be frustrated by the author’s love is all you need perspective.
Listen to the review on Shelf Discovery:
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