Rate this book

Chasing Wishes (2014)

by Nadia Simonenko(Favorite Author)

3.72 of 5 Votes: 1

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Nadia Simonenko

review 1: Enjoyable tale about Nina, a poor Hispanic teenager who struggles to live with her drug addicted prostitute of a neglectful mother and Isaac, the wealthy teenager whom Nina meets when she is able to attend an academic IB day school on scholarship. She's literally starving, has no transportation, ridiculed by all classmates and most teachers for her race and socio-economic background. Isaac is her only friend and becomes her boyfriend. Only one day she's taken into foster care after something happens to her mother and she's forced to leave that school and Isaac and needs to change her name to stay safe.Jump forward nine years later and Nina (now Irene) meets Terrence, a blind wealthy scientist who falls for her voice and asks her to be his assistant. Relationship ensues... more.I wanted to like this more than I did. It was a nice idea, romantic, no cliffhanger and an HEA. But at the risk of giving it all away, it was anticlimactic to have two POVs and to know that Irene and Terrence are Nina and Isaac from the get go. The flashbacks didn't add a whole heck of a lot except that they are only NINA's POV and you get to read how she's bullied -- tormented, really -- by the kids at her school. Over and over again. And the ending with his surgery was just weird. Irene who is supposedly bright seems to be a wet fish and boring.I would like to have known a little more about what happened to them both in the time they were apart. Charlotte, T's lawyer, comes off just like T's mother and is one dimensional.This is considered "new adult" but at the age of 26 you're not a "new" adult anymore....just a full fledged adult.
review 2: I really thought I was going to like this book. It started out pretty good, I liked the idea of the rich kid, Isaac, falling for the poor kid, Nina, who came to the snooty private school on a full ride after acing the admissions test. The snooty kids at this prestigious school torment Nina because she is poor and because she is Hispanic. Isaac comes to her rescue, they fall in love and just as they express their love for one another, Nina is finally removed from her awful home life by CPS and sent to a foster home across the state and her name is changed for her protection. All of that sounds great, rght?! Yeah, thats what I thought, too, then I kept reading and I just didnt really care for what I got.[some spoilers below]First of all, I really did not care for the name Nina chose when she changed her name, Irene. Then when we encounter Isaac he changed his name, too? Why? I never understood it at all, I am pretty sure that was never revealed unless it was mentioned during my skimming at the end, but I don't think so. It just seems that it was changed for the sake of the story, not for any legit reasons. And it was changed to Terrence? Didn't really like that name, either. So, now we move forward with characters names I just no longer like and am confused as to why Isaac even changed his.Um...okay.So, we are transported nine years after Nina/Irene was placed in foster care, she has a college degree and is trying to become a voice over actress. She volunteers to read childrens books during story time at the local library when lo and behold Isaac/Terrence walks in to speak to the librarian. Irene immediately finds Terrence attractive, but doesn't recognize him. We learn that Terrence is blind and when he hears Irene laugh and he immediately responds to her voice thinking it sounds just like Nina. When his assistant is unable to describe Irene as Nina, Isaac discards the notion. We do find out he is at the library trying to locate Nina through their research librarian.Um...okay.Now, through more twists of fate Terrence and Irene have an encounter the next day that leads to Irene becoming Terrence's assistant and she moves into his house. Um...right, okay.When the pair are around each other they cannot help but think of their lost loves of Nina and Isaac. And the longer this goes on, the more I am unable to believe Irene doesn't recognize Terrence to be Isaac. I mean, it has been 9-years, has he really changed that much? I had my 20-year high school reunion and the only guy there I did not recognize was someone who had a full beard and a bit extra weight! I get some people change a lot after high school, but this book doesn't do enough or give me really any details to explain his physical differences to convince me that he has changed enough for Irene to not recognize him. Which means the facade is over, for me. I don't buy it and now think the entire book is silly, really.[Spoilers]I forge on, all of a sudden this nasty lawyer of Terrence's decides to do a background check of Irene (because of course she is in love with Terrence, too?), she finds nothing on Irene before 17-years old and decides this is her chance to warn Terrence off of Irene and claim him for herself. Charlotte tells him his new hispanic employee is only going to take advantage of him. All of a sudden it all clicks for Terrence, Irene really is his Nina. Ok, so knowing she is Hispanic is what confirms it for Terrence? Why didn't he just ask his old assistant Marcus directly if Irene happened to look Hispanic that first night at the library and avoid this whole mess of a book?Riiiiight.[Spoiler on ending]I was skimming by the end, so I admit I may have missed it, but after they know each other's identities Irene never calls Terrence Isaac or asks why he changed his name!? I guess I would have thought they both would immediately start calling each other by the names they originally had when they met each other. Not to mention, it would have been nice to hear Irene explain why she did not recognize Terrence as Isaac, but we get zip!Riiiiiiiight.So, yeah, just didn't buy all of what the author was trying to sell me, which made for a frustrating and ultimately unsatisfactory read. This was really disappointing to me because I actually liked the beginning of the book. I really wish the author would have had all the past stuff laid out together then forge ahead to the present. The flashbacks were disruptive to the story a lot of times as they seemed oddly placed. In addition to the flashbacks being distracting, I found areas where information was repetitive for awhile. Then we had another part of the book, like 45% in til like 55% where we have the f-bomb suddenly join the book and them make an abrupt exit. It was not in the story prior to that point or after, so it seemed noticeable and out of place in this book.Anyway, this book started out really good and just kept losing steam and believability to me. It was a sweet second chance romance, but just fell over itself trying to be clever in its twists and turns which ended up making it unbelievable and frustrating when all was said and done. less

Download links for: Chasing Wishes

Advertising