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Careful What You Wish For
A lonely teen discovers a website that grants wishes.
Eshana is a bit of a social misfit. She feels more comfortable talking to people online than in person. One day she discovers a website that claims to be a safe space where young people can support each other in making their dreams come true. She starts talking with someone called Wise One. They hit it off immediately. Eshana admits to the Wise One how hard it is for her to make friends. The next day she goes to school and suddenly everyone wants to talk to her. Eshana is thrilled. But then, after telling Wise One about a girl who has been bullying her, she hears that the girl has been injured in a car accident. Are Eshana’s wishes really coming true? If so, is having the life she’s always wanted worth the costs?
Eshana is a bit of a social misfit. She feels more comfortable talking to people online than in person. One day she discovers a website that claims to be a safe space where young people can support each other in making their dreams come true. She starts talking with someone called Wise One. They hit it off immediately. Eshana admits to the Wise One how hard it is for her to make friends. The next day she goes to school and suddenly everyone wants to talk to her. Eshana is thrilled. But then, after telling Wise One about a girl who has been bullying her, she hears that the girl has been injured in a car accident. Are Eshana’s wishes really coming true? If so, is having the life she’s always wanted worth the costs?
96 pages, Paperback
Published August 16, 2022
3 people are currently reading
20 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 13, 2022
YA classic theme of Be careful what you wish for but with a modern tech feel.
Short story, well written, lots of details and gets you hooked and wanting to read more and find out what is gonna happen. Good story with great characters (good and bad) lots of emotions going on also.
This is a first from this author for me.
The ending was a bit of a surprise and was a great ending for this story
I would like to thank the publisher, author and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. Was lucky to have a chance to read it. The opinions and comments above are my own, honest and voluntary.
Short story, well written, lots of details and gets you hooked and wanting to read more and find out what is gonna happen. Good story with great characters (good and bad) lots of emotions going on also.
This is a first from this author for me.
The ending was a bit of a surprise and was a great ending for this story
I would like to thank the publisher, author and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. Was lucky to have a chance to read it. The opinions and comments above are my own, honest and voluntary.
October 17, 2022
This short book is a good quick read that combines the internet with horror/psychological thriller. My personal taste makes it a 3, but this is a great read for a low-level reader who is in middle school or high school.
The main character's best friend drives, placing the characters in high school, but the plot could also fit middle school.
Representation: non-binary, Asian,Black,White,cis-gender
Content: 1 or 2 swear words (S***), no sex or making out
High interest-low level (hi-lo) reader for teens
The main character's best friend drives, placing the characters in high school, but the plot could also fit middle school.
Representation: non-binary, Asian,Black,White,cis-gender
Content: 1 or 2 swear words (S***), no sex or making out
High interest-low level (hi-lo) reader for teens
June 7, 2023
I only picked this up because I wanted a quick, easy read. It's a teen novel (the characters are in high school) but the writing is, in my opinion, pretty amateur for a teenage crowd. Nothing exciting happens, and it definitely feels like it was written as an adult attempting to be cool to warn teenagers of the dangers of the internet without having any idea how to speak to teens. It is all extremely rushed and might have managed to be an okay book if it were stretched out into a longer novel.
Now, I did like that there was a non-binary character. Very refreshing to see they/them pronouns used casually without needing any explanation. Representation is so important, and showing LGBTQ+ characters existing within the story instead of the story being about their LGBTQ+ journey is not done enough.
Now, I did like that there was a non-binary character. Very refreshing to see they/them pronouns used casually without needing any explanation. Representation is so important, and showing LGBTQ+ characters existing within the story instead of the story being about their LGBTQ+ journey is not done enough.
February 6, 2023
Not bad for a high-interest low reading level book. Quick and cute. I read it because the premise seemed interesting. I'd be interested in the longer, fuller, fleshed-out version as well.
February 22, 2024
Somewhat predictable but still contains some good lessons.
February 26, 2025
Okay, quick book. Meant for a lower level reader. Not really much horror, maybe a little bit unsettling. Characters are simplistic, but the concept is interesting enough.
May 17, 2025
Quick, fun read.
January 4, 2023
When socially-awkward Eshana is targeted by online bullies, she wishes she could rewind the day to prevent the shot of her tripping in the lunchroom from ending up on social media. Back home, she types the words ‘I -WISH’ into the search bar on her computer and is directed to a website with the power to make her wishes come true. At least, that is what the site’s avatar, Wise One, says. Although Eshana is savvy enough to be wary of strange websites, Wise One’s promise is too good to pass up. She wishes to be popular. The next day at school, everyone talks to her, including one of the most popular boys in her class. Buoyed by her initial success, Eshana wishes for the girl who bullies her to leave her alone…and maybe disappear for good measure. Wise One assures Eshana that her second wish has been granted but when she arrives back at school, she discovers that the bully is in the hospital after a serious car accident. Is Wise One really granting Eshana’s wishes for free or are they exacting some unknown price from her – a price she may be unwilling to pay?
Careful What You Wish For is published under the Orca Anchor imprint, a line of “short, high-interest novels with contemporary themes written specifically for teens reading below a grade 2.0 level.” Good, because there’s a huge demand for well-written, accessible books for teens. Narsimhan’s a talented storyteller and this one really hits it out of the park. Eshana is totally believable as a contemporary teen who initially goes along for the ride and ends up as the hero of her own story. One of the ‘twists’ in the novel is that Eshana must speak the truth in exchange for the wishes she’s received. She starts blurting out whatever she’s really thinking, something that teens are prone to do but something that’s also pushed to comedic/horrific effect by Narsimhan, who uses it to highlight Eshana’s growing awareness that Wise One’s wishes have consequences. Eshana’s embarrassment and and pain are equally felt by readers. One of Narsimhan’s particular strengths is her ability to draw fully-rounded, diverse characters without ever making their diversity the focus of the book. Eshana’s mom uses a wheel chair and a classmate, Tito, is nonbinary AND both are fully developed people in their own right. For 75 pages, the story is surprisingly rich with a smart and satisfying ending.
Careful What You Wish For is published under the Orca Anchor imprint, a line of “short, high-interest novels with contemporary themes written specifically for teens reading below a grade 2.0 level.” Good, because there’s a huge demand for well-written, accessible books for teens. Narsimhan’s a talented storyteller and this one really hits it out of the park. Eshana is totally believable as a contemporary teen who initially goes along for the ride and ends up as the hero of her own story. One of the ‘twists’ in the novel is that Eshana must speak the truth in exchange for the wishes she’s received. She starts blurting out whatever she’s really thinking, something that teens are prone to do but something that’s also pushed to comedic/horrific effect by Narsimhan, who uses it to highlight Eshana’s growing awareness that Wise One’s wishes have consequences. Eshana’s embarrassment and and pain are equally felt by readers. One of Narsimhan’s particular strengths is her ability to draw fully-rounded, diverse characters without ever making their diversity the focus of the book. Eshana’s mom uses a wheel chair and a classmate, Tito, is nonbinary AND both are fully developed people in their own right. For 75 pages, the story is surprisingly rich with a smart and satisfying ending.
August 14, 2022
Simply satisfying! This high-interest, low-vocabulary novel packs a creepy tale about a wish-fulfilling website into a tightly written book. Complex teen characters and an exciting plot will keep readers turning the pages.
October 25, 2022
Good example of a high interest book that tells a complete story very quickly for low readers. A good amount of creepiness, but the ultimate solution came about too quickly, even for a HiLo book.
December 31, 2022
A rare accessible short read with a high-stakes paranormal thriller angle. Great to see some diversity in hi-lo (not just "realistic" and/or "issues" books!)
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews