Wish You Were Her

I picked up this book because of its neurodivergent representation and because its blurb said it's 'Book Lovers meets Notting Hill with a slice of You've Got Mail'. Sounds delightful!! It had strong neurodivergent rep, a splash of Hollywood and gave homage to the popular book/movies, but despite all that, it didn't work for me.

I liked the small-town, bookish setting and initially the rivals-to-lovers trope, but the story becomes a bit of a slog halfway through when miscommunication takes the front seat, we get a cast of mainly unlikeable characters and some silly explanations for certain character's behaviours (I'm looking at you, Allegra's dad!) 

I would like to state that I am not autistic, so I don't claim to know what it is like to be autistic. But from my neurotypical POV, I can't help but feel like autism was portrayed in a negative light and it bothered me. It felt like the autistic characters' personalities (mainly their negative behaviours) are explained away with their diagnosis. It felt uncomfortable and 'othering' to those characters. 

The premise was cute, and I assume the author, who has autism, was going for a heartwarming read with a neurodiverse focus but unfortunately, I found the execution of the story very weak. I am in the vast minority with my opinions on this book so if you're looking for a small-town, YA read, then you may want to give this one a try.

Disclaimer: Thanks to St Martin's Press for the complimentary digital copy of this book that was provided in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 2.5 stars

Author: Elle McNicholls

Genre: Romance

Type and Source: ebook from publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: St Martin's Press

First Published: August 26, 2025

Read: August 19-21, 2025

Book Description from GoodReads: Book Lovers meets Notting Hill with a slice of You've Got Mail in Wish You Were Her, the brand new rivals-to-lovers romance from bestselling, award-winning Elle McNicoll.

18-year-old Allegra Brooks has skyrocketed to fame after starring in a hit television show, and she's the overnight success that everyone's talking about. They just don't know she's autistic. Now, all she wants is a normal teenage summer.

Her destination for escape is the remote Lake Pristine and its annual Book Festival, organized by the dedicated but unfriendly senior bookseller, Jonah Thorne.

In small towns like Lake Pristine, misunderstandings abound, and before long the two are drawn into high-profile hostility that's a far cry from the drama-free holiday Allegra was craving. Thank goodness for her saving the increasingly personal emails she's been sharing with a charming and anonymous bookseller who is definitely not Jonah Thorne . . .

An unforgettable romcom about finding the one person who makes you feel yourself when the whole world is watching.