**LT Early Reviewer's ebook**
This is a book about a ballet dancer whose mother is an alcoholic and how the young girl goes through hardships in the ballet world.

I must admit, it's not a book I'd pick up myself, without it having been on the LTER list.

This is well written and probably hits a lot of chords with those who are dancers and those who have gone through living with someone who is a substance abuser. The younger audiences that this is meant for will most likely enjoy it.

Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me in the end and I hope those who do find it, really enjoy it for what it is.

**All thoughts and opinions are my own. Legacy Member giveaway 2015** ( )

Wish gives us a look at the life of a young girl who is struggling to hold it all together. Indigo has a lot on her plate. School and dance. Friends, boys and a family that's feeling a little frayed along the edges. All of that set against the backdrop of her big dream: to get into the New York School of Ballet. How do you balance everything, all alone? That's what Grier Cooper aims to share with the reader, and I think overall it came through pretty well.

As main characters go, Indigo was enjoyable enough to follow. Although I never felt completely attached to her, I think she had just enough depth to allow the reader to insert themselves right alongside her. Her passion for ballet came through with a brilliant intensity. Readers who feel the same way she does about dance will definitely appreciate the attention to emotion here. It's clear that Indigo doesn't just want to dance ballet, she has to dance ballet. It's a big part of her, and one that she loves wholeheartedly.

The writing in this story was also very well done. It ebbed, and flowed, following along with the highs and lows in Indigo's life. I never felt like it was forced or over dramatic. What lost points for me were the relationships that surrounded Indigo. See, this story is two-fold. Part Indigo's deep passion for dance, part family narrative. I think that one of these would have done quite well on its own. Life balanced with passion is hard enough. Adding in Indigo's mother and her alcoholism made this a lot to deal with all at once. There was no opportunity for me to feel invested in her struggle. Her family life, mixed with her often vapid friends and love for a boy that she only just started dating, all ended up landing flat for me.

That's not to say that this isn't a well-done story. I think that if I was younger, more the target audience, I probably would have enjoyed it much more. The older I get, the more I realize that I've forgotten how emotional dealing with high school drama mixed with everything else life throws at you can make someone. It's entirely possible I just wasn't able to fully connect with Indigo because I haven't been in her shoes. Keeping that in mind, and because this really is a quick and enjoyable read, I'll happily give Wish a three star rating. ( )

"Wish" is the story of a young girl's determination and drive to get into a prestigious ballet school while simultaneously dealing with an alcoholic parent. Both heartbreaking and hopeful, this novel engages the reader from the first page. Indigo leaps and twirls her way around her mother's tumultuous mood swings and into our hearts. ( )

Wish is a wonderful YA novel that follows sixteen year old Indigo Roberts' journey to balance her dream of pursuing a ballet career with a dysfunctional family dynamic surrounding her mother's spiraling descent into alcoholism.

Author Grier Cooper calls upon her personal experience as a ballerina to weave a beautiful story set in Darien, Connecticut, and told in the first person narrative by Indigo Roberts, as she struggles to pursue her life long dream of studying ballet with the New York School of Ballet while desperately trying to keep her family from falling apart due to her mother's alcoholism.

Wish is an intriguing story that has a mixture of emotion, inspiration, family drama, teenage romance, and richly descriptive ballet scenes that will captivate the reader and engage them to follow Indigo's story. You can't help but feel compassion and empathy for Indigo, her determination to pursue her ballet dreams while taking it upon herself to deal with a loved one's substance abuse is simply stunning. The author thoughtfully deals with the difficult subject matter of alcoholism in a realistic way that anyone can relate to. It is a heart wrenching but inspirational story of love, strength, passion, and perseverance.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the amazing ballet scenes interwoven within the story. The author did a wonderful job of describing the world of ballet into the story in a way that everyone (ballet fans and non-dancers) could understand. As a person with two left feet, I have always been fascinated by the beauty and mystique surrounding ballet, and as I read Wish, I found myself closing my eyes and picturing Indigo practicing at the ballet studio, and dreaming of dancing with an elite professional ballet corp. Simply amazing, kudos on a wonderful debut novel Ms. Cooper!

Wish is the first book in the Indigo Dreams Series. It is a wonderful coming of age story about a young woman's personal journey of following her dreams of becoming a professional ballerina.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book blast event hosted by Goddess Fish Promotions.

http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2015/02/wish-by-grier-cooper-book-blas... ( )

Author's guest post at my blog:
http://bookfare.blogspot.com/2015/02/foodfic-please-welcome-grier-cooper.html