Book review: A Wish for Us ~ Tillie Cole

Title: A Wish for Us
Author: Tillie Cole
Series: Standalone
Release date: June 11, 2018
(Sub)genres: Young Adult
Buy: Amazon US ~ Amazon UK
Rating:
I received this book from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Nineteen-year-old Cromwell Dean is the rising star of electronic dance music. Thousands of people adore him. But no one knows him. No one sees the color of his heart.

Until the girl in the purple dress. She sees through the walls he has built to the empty darkness within.

When Cromwell leaves behind the gray skies of England to study music in the South Carolina heat, the last thing he expects is to see her again. And he certainly doesn’t expect that she’ll stay in his head like a song on repeat.

Bonnie Farraday lives for music. She lets every note into her heart, and she doesn’t understand how someone as talented as Cromwell can avoid doing the same. He’s hiding from his past, and she knows it. She tries to stay away from him, but something keeps calling her back.

Bonnie is the burst of color in Cromwell’s darkness. He’s the beat that makes her heart skip.

But when a shadow falls over Bonnie, it’s up to Cromwell to be her light, in the only way he knows how. He must help her find the lost song in her fragile heart. He must keep her strong with a symphony only he can compose.

A symphony of hope.
A symphony of love.
A symphony of them.

From the author who brought you A Thousand Boy Kisses comes the new emotional novel, A Wish For Us. A story of music. A story of healing. A story of love conquering all.

Romantic stories about kids in their late teens – early twenties, I start to feel a bit old for them. But when one of your favorite authors announces she’s writing one, I just have to read it. Add to that the promise of a lot of emotions like one of my favorite books by her, you can do the math. A Wish for Us is the story of Bonnie and Cromwell; two young people who both have a lot to deal with, and who gradually fall in love. I love their emotional story.

“I didn’t like to feel anything. I was happy numb. But for some reason Bonnie Farraday sparked life back into my dead soul.”

Cromwell seems to be living the life; as a popular, upcoming DJ he goes to the best parties, and girls throw themselves at him. But beneath Mr. DJ, there’s a hurt kid; broken about the loss of his dad, angry with his mom. His current DJ career is nothing compared to his true gift, and it takes a sweet, unsuspected girl to bring out the old Cromwell. Bonnie is the opposite of Cromwell, she works hard for her classes, and partying is not her thing. They seem like an odd couple, but slowly feelings start to play a role.

“As much as I hadn’t liked Cromwell Dean, I was beginning to. That was a lie. I already liked him. And that’s what terrified me.”

When Bonnie and Cromwell meet for the first time, it isn’t Cromwell’s finest moment and Bonnie isn’t too shy to share her thoughts with him. The second time, Cromwell shows ups at Bonnie’s college, ready to finish his education. Bonnie is a serious, sweet young girl, who knows all too well life is precious, and shouldn’t be wasted. I love her, and I love how strong she is. There were moments I wanted to smack Cromwell, but he’s also a great guy. He’s real and has his flaws, but when needed he gives everything for the one he loves.

From the moment Tillie Cole announced A Wish for Us, I was afraid to start this book, afraid for all the feelings it would bring. I have to be honest, it didn’t hurt as much as A Thousand Boy Kisses, but I still have to think about Bonnie, Cromwell and their story a lot. Not just about them, but also about their parents and siblings. Because while this seems like just another college story, there’s so much more going on than bad boy meets good girl and they live happily ever after. Bonnie and Cromwell’s story is about accepting, embracing and forgiving, but above all, it’s about love.

“Through music. Through love. And through the colors of his soul. He was, and forever would be, the beat in my heart.”