Review: Wild Wishes and Windswept Kisses

Item: Wild Wishes and Windswept Kisses
Rating: 4
Author: Richetta

Posted October 16, 2023 by Richetta in Blog Tours, Book Reviews, Young Adult / 0 Comments

I received this book for free from TBR & Beyond Tours in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.

Review: Wild Wishes and Windswept Kisses

Wild Wishes and Windswept Kisses by Maya Prasad
Narrator: Soneela Nankani
Length: 12 hr and 30 min
Published by Disney Publishing Worldwide on October 17, 2023

Genres: Young Adult Fiction / Coming of Age, Young Adult Fiction / Family / Siblings, Young Adult Fiction / Romance / Contemporary
Pages: 480
Format: ARC
Source: TBR & Beyond Tours
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Goodreads

How much can change in a day? Nidhi, Avani, Sirisha, and Rani are about to find out in this follow-up to Drizzle, Dreams, and Lovestruck Things, a Children's Book Council Young Adult Favorite of 2023.
The Songbird Inn has always been the perfect home. No one knows that better than the Singh sisters. Nidhi, Avani, Sirisha, and Rani have been lovestruck and heartbroken and everything in between, all at their dad's cozy bed-and-breakfast. And today the whole Singh family will support aspiring filmmaker Rani in her first film festival--if only they can make it through the windstorm ravaging the Pacific Northwest.
After spending the last few months in India, Nidhi is coming back to Orcas Island, and she can't wait to see her sisters again! But thanks to a series of weather-induced travel delays, she finds herself struggling to make her way home--beside none other than her sort-of ex, Grayson. Will an old flame spark to life once again?
Avani can't decide what she wants from her future. What college, what major, what career--it's all so stressful! The only thing she's sure about is Fernando, but lately, things between them have been anything but smooth. Will they manage to save their relationship? And how will she ever decide what to do with her life?
Sirisha is trying to overcome her first heartbreak after her romance with Brie has fizzled out. But it's not easy--especially when your ex wants to be friends and everyone acts like they've got you all figured out. Sirisha's ready for a change. Will she be able to break out of her shell?
Rani has the perfect relationship with her boyfriend, Raj. And she won't let anyone forget it! That's why her short film for the festival is all about their epic love story, one that transcends time and space. But when filmmaking stress reveals cracks beneath the surface, how will Rani respond?
Relationships fall apart and come together. But through it all, there's one thing the Singhs can count on: Their family will always be there for one another.
"The Singh sisters are our modern-day Little Women...an utterly charming series to curl up with over a long weekend." --Susan Azim Boyer, author of Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win and The Search for Us
"Heartfelt and charming! Prasad's lyrical prose breathes life and joy into the stories of the Singh sisters as they fall in and out of love, while always staying true to themselves and each other. This swoony slice-of-life romance melted my heart."
--Leslie Vedder, bestselling author of The Bone Spindle trilogy
"With expressive prose that ignites the senses, Prasad whips up the perfect whirlwind of romance, heartbreak, and healing. The end result is a warm, lovingly crafted tale that proves sometimes the best way to weather a storm is through the unshakable bonds of family--and sisterhood."
--Brian D. Kennedy, author of A Little Bit Country

Welcome to my stop on the Wild Wishes and Windswept Kisses book tour with TBR and Beyond Book Tours. Thank you to the publisher and author for providing a gifted copy of the book.

Pub Date: Oct. 17, 2023

Young Romance in Autumn

Are you looking for a fall-themed book that includes romance, beautiful whimsical language and multiple POV? Then you should definitely check out Wild Wishes and Windswept Kisses by Maya Prasad. It’s the second book in the Singh family saga, about South Asian sisters living in the Pacific Northwest in a beautiful inn. Nidhi, Avani, Sirisha and Rani are all in various states of romance as they get ready to support their sister Rani in her first film festival. But just like the state of some of their relationships, an unpredictable windstorm hits Orcas Island where they live in The Songbird Inn and causes of series of hurdles for the sisters to jump through as they pursue love and their dreams.

Book two stands alone and I can confirm that your enjoyment of Wild Wishes is not dependent on having read book one, Drizzle, Dreams, and Lovestruck Things. But you will be inspired to check it out after reading Wild Wishes, which is what I’m planning on doing! And I’m so excited because Drizzle covers four seasons!

I’m a super fan of seasonal settings, but I mostly only find books with a winter or summer theme. So I’ll be the first to admit that I am in love with the cover!!! Wild Wishes is set in November, with each of the sisters stories incorporating flashbacks to earlier parts of autumn.

Diverse Romance

Wild Wishes and Windswept Kisses does an awesome job of telling the stories of a variety of relationships. Each sister is involved in a relationship that are at different turning points — awakenings, make-ups, breakups and mid-relationship crises. There is diversity in the sisters relationships too with race, sexuality and sexual experience. Teen angst, innocence and coming of age are sweetly interwoven into the plots.

ADHD Rep

I appreciated Avani’s struggle with considering whether she had ADHD or not. Her thinking of how it could be affecting her choices and her relationship with Fernando was a thought process that many might go through. Avani’s involvement in a million extra curricular activities and her time blindness are clues for her to start thinking about whether she should seek a diagnosis for herself. Its affect on her relationship with Fernando also gives her pause for consideration.

Audiobook Narration

I did a combination of reading the physical copy of the book and listening to the audiobook. By the way, one of my favorite narrators, Soneela Nankani, is narrating and she did another awesome job! Her characterization of each sister helped me keep their stories separate in my head. A beautiful voice for a beautiful book. The only thing with the audiobook was that I found it hard to keep track of the flashbacks.

Different Writing Styles

I found the different writing formats included in the book very interesting. All of the sisters used text messages, which I find is becoming a common style incorporated in young adult books now. But Prasad also incorporates some unique formats associated with each sister. She includes what I would call ‘play within a play’, scripts, lists and poetry. For anyone teaching creative writing to high school students, I think this would be an awesome mentor text to explore in teaching character building and combining style/format as part of the characterization.

Beautiful, Romantic Language

I would be remiss if I didn’t end this review by saying how much I loved the whimsical and emotional language of this book. Prasad does a beautiful job of using the language of romance to not just talk about romance, but to also describe nature and life. I absolutely read this book with my head tilted to the side and small smile on my face. It reminded me of cottage core and the romantic idea of living on a beautiful Pacific Northwest island in a quaint inn. Just loved it.

About the Author:

Maya Prasad is a South Asian American writer, a Caltech graduate, and a former software engineer. She currently resides in the Pacific Northwest, where she enjoys hiking, kayaking, and raising her budding bookworm kiddo.

Her YA debut Drizzle, Dreams, and Lovestruck Things is a Children’s Book Council Young Adult and Librarian Favorite of 2023. Sejal Sinha Battles Superstorms is the first in her new STEM chapter book series. Maya has also had short fiction published in Foreshadow: Stories to Celebrate the Magic of Reading and Writing YA, Cast of Wonders, and Voyage YA. She’s passionate about creating joyful representation for kids and teens.