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Wish #8
Shake It Off
Bria is used to city life in Chicago, but is headed to her aunt and uncle's Iowa creamery for the summer. Their dairy operation offers a taste of country living to passersby, who can stop in for a milkshake, a wagon ride, and a trip through the corn maze. Bria is definitely out of her element, but her cousin, Wren, loves working on her parents' farm. Bria takes refuge in crushing on Gabe, who also works at the dairy, and selling milkshakes in the farm shop.
But everything is in jeopardy when a corporate distributor wants to buy out the whole operation. Bria wants to add her city savvy and flair for design to the milkshake shop with crazy, over-the-top recipes. But will that be enough to save the family's farm?
Bring on the tractor rides and first dates over a milkshake -- plus Suzanne Nelson's signature scrumptious recipes!
But everything is in jeopardy when a corporate distributor wants to buy out the whole operation. Bria wants to add her city savvy and flair for design to the milkshake shop with crazy, over-the-top recipes. But will that be enough to save the family's farm?
Bring on the tractor rides and first dates over a milkshake -- plus Suzanne Nelson's signature scrumptious recipes!
272 pages, Paperback
First published August 13, 2019
About the author
Suzanne Nelson
23 books680 followersWhen she was in kindergarten, Suzanne Nelson jotted down in a school keepsake album that she wanted to be a “riter.” Though she clearly had issues with spelling, she persisted, composing cryptic poems about rainbows, fairies, mud, and even "Star Wars" in spiral notebooks all through elementary school. When she was seventeen, she filled four journals with her handwritten first novel, titled “The Dream Keeper.” To escape her chores, she often lied to her parents about what time her shift started at the local fast food joint so that she could spend an extra hour writing in the parking lot in her mom’s faded Buick. Her first published novel was The Sound of Munich, followed by Heart and Salsa, The Ghoul Next Door, Cake Pop Crush, and Dead in the Water. She is a shameless fan of “The Sound of Music,” Hershey’s kisses, Charlotte Bronte, and Jane Austen, and can often be caught daydreaming of romping about gothic castles in lovely Victorian gowns. She was born in New Jersey, grew up in Southern California, attended college in Texas, and spent eight years as a children’s book editor in New York City. She now lives in Ridgefield, Connecticut with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
May 27, 2020
I’m totally reading this series out of order, but it’s a cute middle grade series and each one makes me hungry. I love the recipes at the end of the book. Those milkshakes sound delicious and I totally want one! A cute, summery, middle grade read.
July 3, 2023
I am happy to announce that this book does NOT contain peanuts. If you are allergic to peanuts or shellfish, you can read this, but sadly it does contain milk and Gabe.
This book is amazing. Bria, the main character, is from the city. She gets sent to a cow farm because she was a mean bully who was mean to her friends. She was friends with a meanie named Leila who bullied people for their clothes. She hates doing work and only likes milkshake. She makes cool milkshakes and saves the creamery from Cheeseco.
The other main character is Gabe. He has dove grey eyes. He is very pretty and plays the guitar and likes cows. He is pretty stupid, too. He likes Bria and Bria likes Gabe because he has dove grey eyes, but Bria's cousin, Wren, also likes Gabe. Luke, that other cousin, is not important. Wren ends up not liking Gabe for no reason and Bria is happy.
Overall, this book was milkilicious. I liked Brian's character development and I did not like Gabe's dove grey eyes. The edn
This book is amazing. Bria, the main character, is from the city. She gets sent to a cow farm because she was a mean bully who was mean to her friends. She was friends with a meanie named Leila who bullied people for their clothes. She hates doing work and only likes milkshake. She makes cool milkshakes and saves the creamery from Cheeseco.
The other main character is Gabe. He has dove grey eyes. He is very pretty and plays the guitar and likes cows. He is pretty stupid, too. He likes Bria and Bria likes Gabe because he has dove grey eyes, but Bria's cousin, Wren, also likes Gabe. Luke, that other cousin, is not important. Wren ends up not liking Gabe for no reason and Bria is happy.
Overall, this book was milkilicious. I liked Brian's character development and I did not like Gabe's dove grey eyes. The edn
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 3, 2023
Suzanne Nelson has changed my life with this book! All my life, I've felt so alone because I, just like Bria, don't have boots for walking through cow poop. Now I realize that you don't have to be fashionable when walking through piles of manure!
Since reading this book, I've been terrified of being sent to my aunt's cow farm for the summer, mostly for fear of having to see Gabe. Gabe was my least favorite character except maybe for Mr. Lester. All he did in this book was hide in the barn and play his guitar when he wasn't following Bria around or looking at her with his dove gray eyes. I wish he'd ended up with Luke at the end, but (spoiler) he did not.
Additionally, Bria went through some much needed character development and made some cool shakes that were not of the vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry variety. She saved the aunt (who I hated)'s farm from Cheeseco too. The problem I had with this book wasn't that she made shakes even though she'd never done it before but because of how everyone complimented her when her shakes were just random brownies and candy bars stuck on skewers. I was inspired by Bria however and made a milkshake too, though I did not draw them out with colored pencils prior to making them like Bria did.
I would recommend this book to anyone over the age of -1 and under the age of 50,010,000. I am over the age of 7.5 and I loved this book!
Since reading this book, I've been terrified of being sent to my aunt's cow farm for the summer, mostly for fear of having to see Gabe. Gabe was my least favorite character except maybe for Mr. Lester. All he did in this book was hide in the barn and play his guitar when he wasn't following Bria around or looking at her with his dove gray eyes. I wish he'd ended up with Luke at the end, but (spoiler) he did not.
Additionally, Bria went through some much needed character development and made some cool shakes that were not of the vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry variety. She saved the aunt (who I hated)'s farm from Cheeseco too. The problem I had with this book wasn't that she made shakes even though she'd never done it before but because of how everyone complimented her when her shakes were just random brownies and candy bars stuck on skewers. I was inspired by Bria however and made a milkshake too, though I did not draw them out with colored pencils prior to making them like Bria did.
I would recommend this book to anyone over the age of -1 and under the age of 50,010,000. I am over the age of 7.5 and I loved this book!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 23, 2023
Short, Sweet and AMAZING!! 🫶🫶
August 2, 2021
Cute and quick!
September 1, 2021
it served its purpose. i wanted a light, comfy, and easy read.
shake it off is basically about bria who is a city girl who lets her "best friend" manipulate her. then bria is sent off to her uncle and aunt's farm for the summer and she's upset bc there is no wifi. she's totally useless at the farm except for the fact that she can make really delicious sundaes even though she never made one but she tasted a bunch so it means she's good at making them. then there's this cute boy named gabe who is in eighth grade and he has gray eyes.
realistically, no matter how good of a sundae you make, you can't save a dying business so idk how the hell bria did that 🤡
bria had some character development, they all do. gabe was actually attractive 😭 except for the fact that he's in 8th grade. and bria is in 7th grade. how do middle schoolers have a better love life than me 🙄 they aren't even out of puberty it doesn't make sense.
in susan nelson fashion ofc there is a little life lesson at the end.
be who you are.
know your worth.
popular girls aren't good friends
give nature a chance
goats are messy but fun
cow manure isn't that bad after all
country boys like city gorls
ms. nelson clearly did her research bc did you know that if cows run away you have to be gentle otherwise they'll cause a stampede? she even included a recipe of the shakes that bria made in the book 🥺
2 stars off BC IT WAS SLOWBURN FOR NO REASON. there are so many things i want to know about. WHY WASN'T THERE AN EPILOGUE. but also this book is for 5th graders 😭 i shouldn't even be reading it, i can't judge.
shake it off is basically about bria who is a city girl who lets her "best friend" manipulate her. then bria is sent off to her uncle and aunt's farm for the summer and she's upset bc there is no wifi. she's totally useless at the farm except for the fact that she can make really delicious sundaes even though she never made one but she tasted a bunch so it means she's good at making them. then there's this cute boy named gabe who is in eighth grade and he has gray eyes.
realistically, no matter how good of a sundae you make, you can't save a dying business so idk how the hell bria did that 🤡
bria had some character development, they all do. gabe was actually attractive 😭 except for the fact that he's in 8th grade. and bria is in 7th grade. how do middle schoolers have a better love life than me 🙄 they aren't even out of puberty it doesn't make sense.
in susan nelson fashion ofc there is a little life lesson at the end.
be who you are.
know your worth.
popular girls aren't good friends
give nature a chance
goats are messy but fun
cow manure isn't that bad after all
country boys like city gorls
ms. nelson clearly did her research bc did you know that if cows run away you have to be gentle otherwise they'll cause a stampede? she even included a recipe of the shakes that bria made in the book 🥺
2 stars off BC IT WAS SLOWBURN FOR NO REASON. there are so many things i want to know about. WHY WASN'T THERE AN EPILOGUE. but also this book is for 5th graders 😭 i shouldn't even be reading it, i can't judge.
April 21, 2020
This was the last book in the series so far, I liked how cheesy and adorable this series is, and this time we're going to cowboy land with Bria
So, Bria is a city girl but due to some trouble she got into she is forced to spend her summer at her aunt's farm .. but there she discovers things about her self and maybe there is a cute boy who will help her see that
yeah I liked it :)
So, Bria is a city girl but due to some trouble she got into she is forced to spend her summer at her aunt's farm .. but there she discovers things about her self and maybe there is a cute boy who will help her see that
yeah I liked it :)
January 14, 2020
Bria moves to her aunt and uncle's house for the summer. Bria does not like it at all at first she hated it and she never wanted her parents to make her go to her aunt and uncle's house. Then Bria found an interest in making milkshakes and she thought it was something for her to do in the summer instead of being bored and she makes money from it.
March 18, 2021
Book about fashionista Bria, who has to work at her Aunt and Uncle's farm, through the summer. But, will she learn to like it there? Will she learn to get mucky and will everything go back to normal when she returns home?
I would recommend this book, it is different to the other 'Wish' series books, but still AMAZING!! Very enjoyable and exciting. I never wanted to put this book down!
I would recommend this book, it is different to the other 'Wish' series books, but still AMAZING!! Very enjoyable and exciting. I never wanted to put this book down!
December 17, 2019
The book was really good but just wasn't for me. But this book is about adventure and friendship. One girl moving to a farmhouse for the summer complaining about how she wants her city life back. Together she and her cousins try to make it the best summer out in the country side.
Read
December 6, 2019this ook is a really good book for people that are into a twist and turns all throughout your book and if you are that type of person I recommend this book to you.
October 27, 2019
ahhhh...the country life. So full of mud and nasty smells. Well at least that's what Bria thought. But after she meets Gabe and starts inventing different milkshakes its all good with her. Also, IS SHE IN 7TH GRADE?! AND SHE HAS ALREADY KISSED SOMEONE???!!! WOW!? Other than that, WHAT HAPPENED WITH LEILA??? and Jane? Guess we will never know. I really liked the drama with Wren and Bria. I kind of knew the twist with Wren having a crush on Gabe was coming. She was always giving Bria frowns and confused looks when she was with Gabe. Bria and Gabe were made for each other from the start 💗. I liked it a lot so im giving 'Shake It Off' a 4!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 11, 2020
Ive read " shake it off " i really like this series and i enjoyed this book ,, i gave it 3.75 out of 5
November 1, 2021
OMG! THAT WAS-I CAN’T DESCRIBE IT! IT WAS SO CUUUUUTTTEEEEE!!
Read
December 4, 2019I really liked this book.
August 29, 2019
This book was such a fun read and even though the premise has been done before, the characters were strong and grew over time. I loved the character Wren and the super sweet shakes that Bria created. The details from the author were so vivid you could taste the shakes jumping off the pages. I loved it!
March 5, 2020
Recommend 100% PLEASE READ IT!
May 14, 2020
RealRate- 4.75/5
This book was not perfect, but it was so close, so nearly perfect. I loved the character changes in the book, because that is sometimes hard to write, and also really liked the ending. This was such a great novel, and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to read a quick, meaningful, standalone.
This book was not perfect, but it was so close, so nearly perfect. I loved the character changes in the book, because that is sometimes hard to write, and also really liked the ending. This was such a great novel, and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to read a quick, meaningful, standalone.
December 27, 2020
IT had a lot of details and was very interesting. I wanted to read it for hours and hours :D😀
January 20, 2020
I love the Wish Series!!
The combination of food and romance is perfect!
The combination of food and romance is perfect!
December 2, 2019
{My thoughts} – I really do enjoy reading these Wish Books by Suzanne Nelson. They are fun little crush books that many people can relate to. I enjoy how she throws in all the information about recipes into the storyline and also how the recipes are listed in the back of the books. These are really fun and fast reads.
Brea is your average girl that has gotten lost with the wrong kind of crowd. In order to try and correct her poor choices her mom and dad are making her spend the summer at her Aunt and Uncles on a farm. There she is forced to do things that to her are beneath her. She makes things more difficult then they need to be at first and she causes a ton of issues for everyone involved. It isn’t until she decides to make the best of the situation that things start to look up for her and those around her.
She has two really wonderful cousins named Luke and Wren that don’t fully understand why she is making things so hard on everyone. She seems to have the impression that because she isn’t able to spend her summer the way that she wanted in Chicago with her best friend that it isn’t worth her effort to get along with everyone around her.
It takes her awhile, but she does eventually find a way to make things work out for the best. She finds a way to adjust and get along with her family and she finds a way to push past how she feels in order to help them. In finding ways to help them, she always finds ways to help herself.
This was a really fun read and I look forward to reading more books by this author in the future. It helps to show children, that it’s okay to not always be happy with their situation and or circumstances, however, it also shows them how important it is to move past it and work towards a better end and beginning.
Brea is your average girl that has gotten lost with the wrong kind of crowd. In order to try and correct her poor choices her mom and dad are making her spend the summer at her Aunt and Uncles on a farm. There she is forced to do things that to her are beneath her. She makes things more difficult then they need to be at first and she causes a ton of issues for everyone involved. It isn’t until she decides to make the best of the situation that things start to look up for her and those around her.
She has two really wonderful cousins named Luke and Wren that don’t fully understand why she is making things so hard on everyone. She seems to have the impression that because she isn’t able to spend her summer the way that she wanted in Chicago with her best friend that it isn’t worth her effort to get along with everyone around her.
It takes her awhile, but she does eventually find a way to make things work out for the best. She finds a way to adjust and get along with her family and she finds a way to push past how she feels in order to help them. In finding ways to help them, she always finds ways to help herself.
This was a really fun read and I look forward to reading more books by this author in the future. It helps to show children, that it’s okay to not always be happy with their situation and or circumstances, however, it also shows them how important it is to move past it and work towards a better end and beginning.
September 19, 2019
When Briais forced to stay with her countryside cousin's on their farm all summer away from her home of Chicago and her best friend Leila, she is angry and for a start hates her time on the chore filled farm.
From dirt mucking, waitressing, milking and more she discovers she can't and won't help until she's fuelled by and angry customer and a curious one about her fun hometown crazy monster shakes where a milkshake is taken to the extreme with ice cream, sweets, cream, marshmallows and chocolate all get in the mix to create a wacky unique shake experience!
As their farm is threatened to be closed and paid off to a top creamery company, Bria and her cousin Wren fall for the same guy, Gabe.
Suddenly summer is not so boring and there's so much drama that Bria finds she might just be able to follow her heart and decide some tough decisions about her friends back home...
A sweet unlikely love story set within a book about friendship troubles and finding your own way and opinions discovering who you are and about growing up. A more serious book than the previous standalone by Suzanne in a good way as more drama amps up the action and storyline, this teamed up with the monster shakes idea makes it my favourite yet!
From dirt mucking, waitressing, milking and more she discovers she can't and won't help until she's fuelled by and angry customer and a curious one about her fun hometown crazy monster shakes where a milkshake is taken to the extreme with ice cream, sweets, cream, marshmallows and chocolate all get in the mix to create a wacky unique shake experience!
As their farm is threatened to be closed and paid off to a top creamery company, Bria and her cousin Wren fall for the same guy, Gabe.
Suddenly summer is not so boring and there's so much drama that Bria finds she might just be able to follow her heart and decide some tough decisions about her friends back home...
A sweet unlikely love story set within a book about friendship troubles and finding your own way and opinions discovering who you are and about growing up. A more serious book than the previous standalone by Suzanne in a good way as more drama amps up the action and storyline, this teamed up with the monster shakes idea makes it my favourite yet!
July 25, 2020
Bria Muller doesn't like the idea of spending the entire summer at her Aunt Beth and Uncle Troy's farm in Omaha, Iowa; especially since she's a city girl from Chicago who doesn't like to get her hands dirty. But her parents make her because they think Bria's best friend Leila is a bad influence. Bria hasn't seen her aunt, uncle and cousins in years and isn't too keen on the idea of waking up early, milking the cows, doing chores or waitressing at the creamery.
The only thing that makes it somewhat tolerable is the cute farmhand Gabe who comes to help out on the farm, serenading the animals with his guitar. But Bria soon discovers she has a talent for mixing up crazy shakes at the creamery, which at first her family isn't too crazy about until the locals take notice and the shakes are in high demand.
When Bria realizes the farm and creamery are in danger of being bought out, she thinks maybe there is something she can do to prevent that from happening with her delicious, out of this world shakes.
I really loved this story, and all the tasty, delicious shakes that were featured in the book! At first I wasn't too fond of the Bria character, but as the story progressed she began to grow on me.
A terrific, super cute read for summer, definitely recommend reading!
The only thing that makes it somewhat tolerable is the cute farmhand Gabe who comes to help out on the farm, serenading the animals with his guitar. But Bria soon discovers she has a talent for mixing up crazy shakes at the creamery, which at first her family isn't too crazy about until the locals take notice and the shakes are in high demand.
When Bria realizes the farm and creamery are in danger of being bought out, she thinks maybe there is something she can do to prevent that from happening with her delicious, out of this world shakes.
I really loved this story, and all the tasty, delicious shakes that were featured in the book! At first I wasn't too fond of the Bria character, but as the story progressed she began to grow on me.
A terrific, super cute read for summer, definitely recommend reading!
May 26, 2026
This was a super cute middle grade summer romance novel! The perfect book for tween girls.
I loved the strong cousin friendship between Bria and Wren. It teaches young girls the importance of being yourself and not worrying about other people's opinions, while remaining kind to others.
But it also dives into first crushes and getting out of your comfort zone by trying new and creative things! (Even if it means getting a little muddy!)
The milkshakes recipes were also a fun addition! 🍨
I loved the strong cousin friendship between Bria and Wren. It teaches young girls the importance of being yourself and not worrying about other people's opinions, while remaining kind to others.
But it also dives into first crushes and getting out of your comfort zone by trying new and creative things! (Even if it means getting a little muddy!)
The milkshakes recipes were also a fun addition! 🍨
December 7, 2023
Aww…this book was just so sweet and heartwarming. Bria’s story just involved so much about change, love, friendship, and the importance of family. The story had a clever ending and cute little Hallmark moments that me laugh. Seriously though? One of my favorite books and I completely recommend for anyone who loves a good little love story.
July 13, 2026
I listened to the audiobook of Shake It Off and absolutely loved it. The narrator did a fantastic job bringing the story to life, and the descriptions of Bria’s over-the-top, creative milkshakes were so vivid. I could practically see and taste every single shake she crafted. It’s such a fun, sweet, and comforting listen that will definitely leave you craving a cold treat.
May 2, 2020
This was one of my favorite books by Nelson! I loved that this time the girl was a little more stuck up or closed off to a situation than the boy. The milkshake theme was the absolute best, and I loved all the recipes!!
May 4, 2021
it was really good i really liked the end when they made a milkshake international chain. My favorite milkshake is the halloween one . her and gabes kiss was very romantic . I did think it was a bit city girl cliche at first but im biased cuz i love farms and the outdoors.
January 10, 2023
I picked this book up because it has been sitting on my shelf for YEARS. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but it was definitely not great. It was quite cheesy and was written for more like 9 to 10-year-olds. probably was for like 2.5 stars but I got through it.
August 13, 2024
I'll admit Bria really got on my nerves at first. I was afraid I wouldn't like her by the end.
But I did. And the romance? SO CUTE! Also loved how theook really focused on what a real friendship is. It was really good! If you like middle school romance, this is definitely for you!
But I did. And the romance? SO CUTE! Also loved how theook really focused on what a real friendship is. It was really good! If you like middle school romance, this is definitely for you!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews