Speed Date: Wish I Might by Coleen Paratore

No Clue what this cover has to do with the story

The Deal: Willa's perfect summer in Bramble, Cape Cod isn't going as perfect as she hoped for. Her best friend Tina is boy crazy and she and their other friend Ruby are making Willa feel left out. Joey, Willa's boyfriend, is spending the whole summer away from her in Miami. Even her new dog, Salty, has deserted her for a boy named Will*. 

Only that Will claims Salty was his dog first, and that Willa is actually his sister - something Willa can't deny as they look so much alike. What's more, Will is in Cape Cod on a mission that has everything to do with the birth-father they never met.  

And Willa has to deal with it all, largely on her own as she wonders how Will's mission will turn her life upside down, if he's right. 

My Thoughts: I'm a huge fan of The Wedding Planner's Daughter books, which followed Willa's adventures when she was younger. Sadly, I can't say I find this second set of books - about Willa's teenage years - to be quite as charming.

Willa is growing up, and some of her more lovely traits as a kid don't translate so well now she's a teenager and she often comes off as naive, goody-goody and a bit too perfect. I still like her and her love of books and all, but she is a bit too sweet sometimes. 

She's alone a lot in this book too, and I sort of missed the Willa of previous book who was always trying to help other people, she's no longer quite the cupid she used to be and that takes away some of the whimsical aspects that I used to love so much about the series. 

I'm curious about the next book, though (From Willa, With Love) even this this particular book, Wish I Might, wasn't my favorite of the series. 

Favorite Quote: "Enjoy it, little girl, enjoy it. Every little spark, every second.

You'll grow up soon enough, and nothing will feel simple again." - Willa.

What's a Book Speed Date, you ask? It's a quickie review--about 150 words or so--of any genre book (variety is the spice of life, after all).

If you want to join in or just read other speed date reviews, check out The Book Swarm

*Call me crazy, but during Forget me Not, the previous book of the series, I never got the feeling that Will was quite as old as 17. But suddenly, in this book he is, yet he still sounds like he's Willa's own age (14), actually.

Retro Friday (21) - The Wedding Planner's Daughter by Coleen Murtagh Paratore

Retro Friday is a weekly meme hosted at Angieville and focuses on reviewing books from the past. This can be an old favorite, an under-the-radar book you think deserves more attention, something woefully out of print, etc. Everyone is welcome to join in at any time! 

For this week I chose The Wedding's Planner Daughter by Coleen Murtagh Paratore. I'm a huge fan of the Willa books, as I call them, and I've reviewed them before but this week I was feeling nostalgic and I just felt like reading it again.

The Deal:

Twelve year old Willa Havisham loves Bramble, Cape Cod. It's the only place where she has ever felt home, and she has lived all over the Eastern Seaboard. Her mother, Stella, is a successful wedding planner, but she has sworn out of love and plans for Willa to be a successful, practical girl rather than a romantic like her father was. 

But Willa loves books, she loves cherry cordials and she wants, more than anything, to have a father of her own. Which means she needs to find Stella a husband. Good thing that her Grandma is on board with that plan and ready to help whenever possible. Also a good thing? that Stella and Willa live next door to Sam Gracemore, Willa's English Teacher. A widower himself, Sam knows about sadness but he remains a cheerful man, he's handsome and loves books and he might have a smile capable of melting Stella's icy heart. 

So, for once, Willa has everything she always wanted: A best friend, her Grandma is around and her crush, Joseph, might like her back! So, she hopes that, on her 13th birthday, she'll finally get what she always wishes for: a new dad.

But, for that to happens, Willa needs to move fast, before her mother gets that "statue" look that means they are moving again.

My Thoughts: 

The Wedding Planner's Daughter is one of those books I simply love reading just for the fun of it. It has some dashes of romance and it has a lot of love for books. I adore Willa, even if she sometimes is 'too perfect' a kid, but I love that she loves candy and loves books like I do. 

The story is fairly simple, and you can read it pretty fast  - it's not a long book, so it only takes you a couple of hours to get through it; but it is full of sweetness. 

It does has it's cutesy things that, after a few re-reads, might start jumping at you; but I still love Willa. And I still keep up with her story.

Favorite Quote: "My favorite novels and books of poetry are here on my nightstand for whenever I need them. Certain lines make me happy. Certain characters are like friends. All these years, moving from town to town, it's been hard to make real friends." - Willa

1/2

Forget Me Not (From the Life of Willa Havisham) by Coleen Paratore

It's summer once more in Bramble, Cape Cod, and Willa Havisham has it all planned out: dates with her cute boyfriend Joe, helping around her parents' inn, hanging out with her friends - old and new - and having her usual early walks on the beach. Not to mention all the books she plans to read and all the candy she will eat.

Things are not always easy, though: Joe seems to be thinking mostly about baseball, her best friend Tina is spending most of her time with Ruby (a girl who couldn't be more opposite to Willa), her step-father's sister wants to be married at the inn and Willa's Mom has put her in charge of the event. Oh and birds are creating controversy at the beach that Willa enjoys the most.

It might seem like things aren't exactly going Willa's way but she's not to be discouraged! Willa finds ways to help out, turn things around and even play cupid a little.

I'm a long-time Willa fan, there is no changing that and Forget Me Not is a nice a book as any other, Willa is funny and smart (though, I got to admit that, at times she seems a bit 'too good' but she does have her moments of jealousy that make her more human and real to me) and I love reading her books as much as she loves reading books.

I got a huge surprise in this book, one I never expected and I can't wait to read the next installment in the Willa-Chronicles (Wish I Might, coming out May 1st, 2010) to find out how everything is resolved.

Over all, there is plenty of Willa to love in this book.

Grade
1/2

Book Gossip (#6)

Book Gossip # 6

Okay, so it might not be entirely gossipy, but I just found out today and I'm so happy I can't help myself. I gotta blog.

As you well know, I'm a HUGE fan of Willa Havisham a.k.a. The Wedding Planner's Daughter and I just found out that there is anew Willa book coming out this summer, in little less than a month: Forget me Not: From the Life of Willa Havisham. I believe this is targeted to an audience slightly older than the first three Willa Books, but I'm sure it's going to be awesome just the same.

From Amazon:

Willa returns in this new adventure for the tween set! It is summer on Cape Cod, where Willa Havisham and Joey Kennelly are enjoying their status as most compatible couple. What does the summer hold? New friends, more books, lazy afternoons, and of course Willa will be busy planning more weddings with her mother, Stella Havisham, the Cape's most famous wedding planner to date!

Can't wait! I will be released on May 1st.

Ps. Loving the Cover! I hope there is an actual dog in the book :) most books are better with dogs - or pets in general - in them. At least in my humble opinion.

WIlla by Heart by Coleen Murtagh Paratore

Oh, it's Willa-Time Again.

After successfully saving her beloved Bramble Library, Willa is back for more. Change has fallen upon Bramble and Willa is not quite sure where all that leaves her. Sure, her mother is happily married and she's planning on finally stop calling her stepfather 'Sam' and actually calling him Dad; Joey Kennelly is her boyfriend (why, they are the most compatible couple in Bramble Academy!) and summer will arrive soon.

But then, everything begins to change slowly, mostly when Mariel, a new girl, shows up to wreck Willa's word. The town's theater company is putting on "Our Town" and Willa thinks she and Joey are perfect for the lead roles, until Mariel gets the part of Emily and now she is going to kiss Willa's boyfriend on stage! It doesn't help that Joey and Mariel are friends, which sends Willa into a couple of jealous fits. Stella, Willa's Mom, has big news of her own, Sulamina Mum (one of Willa's friends and the minister at Bramble United Church) has news too.

Oh, and the Blazers are back (along with 16 bridesmaids).

Bramble is changing, and so is Willa.

It's such a joy when you start to read a book and you know immediately, right from the first page, that you're going to love it. That's exactly what happened to me with this book. Of course, I'm guilty of being a Willa fan, but it doesn't matter, trust me. It just takes a few sentences, where Willa is describing sunrise on the Cape and you're instantly in love.

I'm glad to see Willa grow up, and make mistakes. She's still true to character, a nice, lovable girl, but that doesn't mean she's perfect or that she doesn't feel the less savory feelings - like jealousy or anger - but, Willa is Willa, and she ends up doing the right thing even when, as she learns in Willa by Heart, it's not always easy. In fact, sometimes, doing the right thing is right down hard.

Grade:

The Cupid Chronicles by Coleen Murtagh Paratore

When we last saw Willa Havisham, things were going quite well for her: she was back in Bramble, the town she loved and where she belonged; her mother had married Sam Gracemore; and she was happy.

In Cupid Chronicles we meet Willa again, now a high school freshman, she has been elected as Community Service leader of her class and she needs a cause to support. Luckily, a cause close to her heart arises when she finds that the Bramble Library is about to close due to budget cuts. Willa will see no such thing happen and begins to rally on behalf of her beloved Library.

Things won't be easy though, we are talking serious money, so Willa and her friends try to come up with ideas to gather money for it, the main event being a Valentine's Day party. Lots of things will happen in between, some good, some bad and some right down sad; but through it all, Willa's spirit shines through, her love for her town, for her books and for the people in her life give her strength to do what's right.

Again, one of the things I love the most about Willa is the fact that she loves books the way I love books, so whenever I read about her it's like I'm catching up with a dear old friend. Mrs. Paratore's descriptions of the town and the people are to die for, it feels like I'm seeing it right in front of my eyes.

Cupid Chronicles is a great second installment of Willa's adventures, I loved reading it and I couldn't wait to read more.

Go read it, you'll love Willa and Bramble too.

Grade:

The Wedding Planner's Daughter by Coleen Murtagh Paratore

Willa has moved all over the place during her 12 years of life, from Washington D.C., where she was born, to Bramble, Cape Cod, where her mother was born. Willa's Mom is a wedding planner, which would lead one to believe Stella Havisham shares her daughter's romantic nature but it's not true, at least not since Willa's Dad died shortly after their wedding.

Yet, Willa has grown up both a book lover and a complete romantic, and she's especially happy now that they are living in Cape Cod where she can be near her supportive grandmother, has a best friend and even a prospective dad for her and husband for Stella, Willa's English teacher Sam Gracemore.

However, the road towards love never did run smoothly, but Willa is not to be stopped!

Willa is a true delight to read about, she loves books like I love books and I would have loved to be her friend if she were real. If you are romantic or love books, this is a book not to be missed

Grade: