Crawling Over the Pages: Book Review: Chasing Wishes by Nadia Simonenko

"I wish I didn't have to go home. I wish I was someone else—someone with a future..."

For sixteen-year-old Nina Torres, it feels as if life is nothing but a dead end. Despised by her rich classmates and afraid that she'll become just like her drug-addicted mother, Nina's future seems to get dimmer every day.

There is one bright spot in her life though...

Sitting beside her one night, the only person in the world who cares about her makes a promise. No matter what happens—no matter how much Isaac's wealthy family disapproves—he and his girlfriend Nina will be together forever.

Fate plays a cruel trick on Nina, though, and a visit from Child Protective Services the next morning turns Nina Torres into Irene Hartley, a woman with a future but who will never see her beloved Isaac again.

Nine years later, a blind and incredibly handsome young entrepreneur hires Irene to be his personal assistant. Terrence Radcliffe reminds her so much of Isaac that she can hardly believe her eyes, and she's falling for him fast. Irene knows that fairy tales don't come true, but she allows herself one last wish. She wishes that she could finally say goodbye to Isaac and let herself take a chance on Terrence.

What she doesn't know is that Terrence is also searching for someone: a shooting star who streaked through his life nine years ago, and he won't give up until he finds her...

It discusses some of the serious issues faced by teenagers today. Though, it may seem that social status is not really of utmost importance in school anymore, I must admit that this still happens. There are certain cases where the rich and famous kids would prey over the less fortunate kids. In turn, this affects the kids self-esteem and his/her social interaction with other people.

It also shows how the jobs of parents might affect their children. That's why parents-to-be should be sensitive enough to know their responsibilities before starting a family. They should be responsible to use contraception if they don't intend to take responsibility to whomever they conceive.

It's also an inspiration to those who have physical disabilities because the lead male character showed strength in overcoming the difficulties of being blind. It's true that he was thrown out of his comfort zone, but he learned how to deal with it. He used his disability to produce something that can be of help to those who are in need.

I also liked the fact that the female lead character succeeded in getting her degree and was not affected by her bad experiences in life. She managed to survive and beat whatever circumstances that came into her life. She always welcomed everything with a smile and didn't give up looking for jobs even though every company she had applied to rejected her. The female character's job is very unique. This is the first time, I've read about a character who works as a voice talent. It's a nice change from the cliche role I always get to read.

But then, there were also some things that I didn't like. The flashbacks kind of irritated me. I don't know why. I have always been fond of flashbacks but this book did a number on me. Maybe my mood wasn't just into it. It kind of kills my mood because every time a good thing is supposed to happen to the characters, flashbacks will appear, and sometimes, the flashbacks aren't even connected to the previous part.