Wish by Alexandra Bullen

For broken-hearted Olivia Larsen, nothing can change the fact that her twin sister, Violet, is gone... until a mysterious, beautiful gown arrives on her doorstep. The dress doesn't just look magical; it is magical. It has the power to grant her one wish, and the only thing Olivia wants is her sister back.

With Violet again by her side, both girls get a second chance at life. And as the sisters soon discover, they have two more dresses-and two more wishes left. But magic can't solve everything, and Olivia is forced to confront her ghosts to learn how to laugh, love, and live again.

This is a book I've been wanting to read all year, but none of the libraries near me have it. So it surprised me when I was looking on Amazon last week at the free YA Kindle books and this was one of them. I was so excited! Of course I downloaded it right away.

Now, I have to know-- Why is it that rich people in California give their kids such weird names?? Read it and you'll know what I'm talking about. :)

The book opens on Olivia's first day of school in California. Her family had just moved from the east coast after the death of Olivia's twin sister, Violet. I've never been a twin (or lost one, obviously), but I imagine it would be a crippling blow. Olivia, who seems so lost in the beginning of the book without Violet, stumbles upon a dress shop and begins her roller coaster ride called healing.

I really liked the way this book was written. I don't want to give too much away, but this story could have been written in a way that I could have really disliked. But because of the route the author decided to take, I ended up loving it. The whole book I was wondering how it could possibly end well, but I was so happy with it. I felt like the story was resolved in a way that was best for all involved.

And her love interest.... What a great match! I loved the author's initial description of him. The boy with "burnt blond" hair. I've never heard that before. I thought it was clever.

Oh--One other thing. I hate when I read a book and the popular girls are always such beastly creatures. It's SO overdone. I loved that the "popular girl" Olivia befriends is actually a genuinely nice person. I kept waiting for this scary monster to rear it's ugly head, but it never really did. I loved that about the storyline.

This is such a great read. I highly recommend it!

Happy Reading!