Just One Wish

JUST ONE WISH captures a portrait of one of my favorite themes in books--the relationships between siblings. I love how Annika was willing to go to the extremes in making her bother's wishes come true. Her devotion to him was beautiful and heartbreaking. I wasn't expecting this story to be as sad as it was. It really made me think about my own siblings and what lengths I would go for them. I found Annika to be an admirable character. She had a lot of courage considering the heartache she felt due to her brother's condition. She was a likable character, and I found myself invested in her experience in journeying to California to get Teen Robin Hood to visit her brother.

I think this story is best described in this passage: "I knew it was show more a long shot--but the thing about long shots is sometimes when you're lucky they still hit the bull's eye" (26). Annika takes a long shot in fulfilling her brother's request but as an audience member, I was a spectator rooting for her success every step of the way. show less

As soon as I started reading this book I knew I wouldn’t be able to put it down until I was finished. I picked it up with only a few hours before one of my favorite T.V. show (So You Think You Can Dance.) When the show started I put the book down (pointless). I watched all of about 5 minutes before I picked it back up and read straight through the show and into the night.

This book was very emotional. I laughed my head off, I had tears build up in my eyes, and then I full fledge bawled my eyes out. However, if I had to describe this book to you I would still consider it as a very light, funny, heartwarming book. The author dealt with some very heavy subjects like: childhood cancer, death, and faith, in such a light but touching way.

I show more loved the family relationships in this book. Annika loves her little brother, Jeremy, more than anything in the world and would do anything for him: like waking up at the crack of dawn, waiting in crazy lines, and outrunning a very large, very angry man all to get her brother the new Robin Hood action figure, and then driving to Hollywood to find the real Robin Hood (well the actor that plays him on T.V.) She might break some rules along the way but hey, its for a good cause right?

The only thing I didn’t love about this book was the romance aspect between Annika and Steve (a.k.a. Robin Hood) I pretty much rolled my eyes during these parts, which I found to be cheesy and totally unrealistic. show less

With the sparkly, pastel blue cover and ‘hunky star’ allusions in the synopsis I was not expecting much from this book. I was pleasantly surprised! I enjoyed the storyline, even with its’ often far-fetched plotline. It felt very much like I was watching a Disney movie (which I am a sucker for) in my head. However, the story wasn’t all lighthearted fun. There were deeper plot elements of a teenage girl struggling with the potential death of her little brother and how she was going to deal with that. You can only empathize with Annika’s need for her brother to think he was safe from harm. It was easy to connect with Annika and her need to fix and control everything, but some things were just out of her control. The story had an show more unexpected Christian twist that I was not expecting, but being Christian myself I didn’t mind the spiritual aspect of the book at all. It only added to the story. The romance element of the book was fast paced, but fit right in with the rest of the racing story line. Just One Wish is a mix of fun, romance, and bittersweet suffering appropriate for all ages. show less

Every girl wishes to meet the cute, famous, teen star playing the lead in the show that everyone's talking about. What girl doesn't right?

Well Annika Truman does have a wish - but it's not that. Her wish is that her six year old brother, Jeremy, survives the surgery that will remove the tumor in his head. She desperately believes in the power of positive thinking and has a plan to get Jeremy thinking positive. After getting the Teen Robin Hood figurine he's been asking for she devises a plan. This plan consists of having Jeremy believe that she has a genie that will grant him two wishes... and, of course, Jeremy has been dying for the Teen Robin Hood figurine, so this is a fool-proof way of things working out perfectly. But Annika is show more thrown for a loop when her brother asks for NOT the figurine but the real Teen Robin Hood. He wants to take archery lessons from the real Teen Robin Hood. Annika suddenly finds herself in the desperate predicament of getting access to a hunky star actor and convincing him to come home with her. Piece of cake, right?

This story has a little bit of everything. I laughed, I cried, I sighed... It was so much more than the cute, bright cover leads you to believe.

Annika is smart, strong, spunky and funny. She has a knack for reading people and this confidence that you can't help but look up to. She is devoted to Jeremy - the love between this brother and sister alone shone so bright in these pages... giving me a lump in my throat more than once. But she also had her moments of weakness - moments that made her even more realistic and relateable to me. She is mad at God for making Jeremy sick - but she has hopes that she'll be able to swing the odds in her favor if Jeremy gets his wish, making him think positive which will then help him pull through the surgery.

There were many moments that were unrealistic, far-fetched, silly, even over-the-top - but in the end it worked for me. With Annika anything seemed possible. I absolutely loved this and can highly recommend to readers of all ages. show less

It was, of course, very unrealistic but it was so in the best possible way. Pigs could've started falling from the sky and I wouldn't have cared. It was simply too sweet and good to scoff at simple oddities. I won't lie and say I didn't cry because I most definitely did. It was very moving.

Edit: June 5, 2022 is National Cancer Survivor Day, and I thought I'd recommend this book just in case anyone wants to read a book about cancer for that day. romcom a beautiful story = Just One Wish!

Another amazing book by Janette Rallison! I thought this was going to be a simple romantic comedy like [b:My Fair Godmother|4346365|My Fair Godmother (My Fair Godmother, #1)|Janette Rallison|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1316738522l/4346365._SY75_.jpg|4394287] was, but there were also more serious topics and spiritual questions involved. The main character's 6-year-old brother has a serious form of cancer, and this solemnity is beautifully mixed in with more humorous scenes throughout (such as Annika show more buying animals, pretending she's some animal keeper, and sneaking onto a movie set!). And then I cried near the end of the book. show less

Original post at Amaterasu ReadsAt what lengths would you go to fulfill a wish? Annika's little brother, Jeremy has cancer. Jeremy wishes to see his idol, the guy who plays the Teen version of Robin Hood, Steve Raleigh. So what would a good older sister do? Go to California and try to get him to come see her brother before the biggest operation that could save his life.I think we're all afraid of losing the people we love. No scratch that, we all are. So I understand Annika's persistent effort to fulfill Jeremy's wish, whatever it takes to haul Steve to her house and have him meet her younger brother. It's heartbreaking how she had to go to great lengths for Jeremy.In some ways I admire Annika for her strength, at times I can't help but show more feel sympathy for her. She knows her time with Jeremy is limited, but I don't agree with the way she's coping. It never helps if you push people away from you. The pain will never go away and the inevitable would still happen.I try not to be skeptical on other parts of the book, but considering Annika's emotional state, its a bit hard to imagine how Steve easily fell for Annika, and vice versa. Given the short time they had, was it really possible to feel those feelings while Annika was racing against time to bring Steve to Jeremy?Once I got past that thought, the story got better. I think Annika and Steve's paths crossed because of a purpose. Annika was desperately trying not to lose her family, while Steve was ignoring his when he should be thankful he still has a father, a mother and a younger brother, unlike Annika who was already on the verge of losing her younger brother, Jeremy.Surprisingly, in his own way, I think Steve was that one person who was able to help Annika accept everything and start "healing".For once, I ignored most of the romantic moments in a YA novel. I don't think romance was really the aim of this book, but it is a part of it.This book deals with a lot of important issues, of which I am unprepared for. First, it deals with death, and how to cope with it. The portrayal of a family going dealing with cancer is very real. Acceptance, where Annika had finally understood and accepted Jeremy's fate. God is a prominent figure in this story. Annika had questioned him at times throughout the story. I guess aside from issues I have already mentioned, religion and faith is also an integral part of the novel.It always breaks my heart to read about death. I mean I am only reading it and its already hard for me, what more if it was in real life? Finishing the book left me with a heavy feeling, but with hope. In a way, I am glad Steve was there with Annika. She will grieve eventually, everyone will go through it, but she can gather strength in such a difficult time from her parents, from her sister, from Steve, and also from Jeremy. It wasn't mentioned in the story, but I have a feeling Jeremy will be happy even as knows his time on Earth is short...Jeremy was only a kid, and at one point I thought "he didn't deserve to die!", but in the end, I think, God has a purpose for everything. Everything happens for a reason. Jeremy must have fulfilled his purpose, and it was his time to go.Overall, this book is such a surprise for me. I was expecting it to be another cheesy love story, but it was not. It was a bit sad at the end, but like I said, its hopeful. I love it nonetheless. show less