Genre 📚: YA Contemporary, Romance
Tropes 💁♀️: Celebrity romance, Small town romance, Rivals to lovers, Secret pen pals
Rep ✔️: Autistic main characters
CW ⚠️: Ableism, cyberbullying and harassment
Rating ⭐️: 4/5
Wish You Were Her is set up like any classic 90s romcom. We’ve got the overworked actress vacationing in a small town. We’ve got the grumpy bookseller who wants nothing to do with her. And we’ve got them secretly emailing each other without realizing who they’re actually talking to, à la You’ve Got Mail.
While I enjoy these kinds of tropes in general, I liked the added aspect of both protagonists Allegra and Jonah being autistic. Allegra hides her autism, not wanting to deal with the public reception, but she finds herself wanting to confide in more people as she makes some genuine connections. With Jonah, once they get past their misunderstandings, she’s also able to feel truly seen for the first time.
It was nice spending time with these characters in Lake Pristine, especially with the book festival and overall summer vibes. I wanted a bit more from some of Allegra’s relationships (with her dad, her friends, etc), and I wanted a lot less of certain people (*cough cough* Simon and Skye), but the romance and email plotline were plenty satisfying. I loved the novel’s version of the iconic “I wanted it to be you” line. 💌
**Much thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Wish You Were Her will be released on August 26, 2025.
Sara Bechtol 