When Good Wishes Go Bad

Rebecca Morris is suffering from an excess of magic!

Things that have disappeared: her boyfriend; her life savings; three-and-a-half million dollars from the theater company that pays both their salaries. (Coincidence? Um, no.) Also, the groundbreaking play she's been slaving over has vanished in a puff of copyright-colored smoke.

Other, weirder things that have appeared: a magic lamp complete with genie wishes. A fully furnished (and paid-for) Manhattan condo and fabulous designer wardrobe. (The last two courtesy of the first one, obvs.)

So Becca's putting that last wish on hold. What with discovering a mesmerizing new play, getting it onstage and falling hard for the adorably awkward guy who wrote it, Becca is swamped. And that's without factoring in the guerrilla gardener, popcorn magnate and the gender-bending genie with an agenda of his/her own.

Now Becca's hoping that her good wishes don't go oh, so wrong….

Rebecca Morris is suffering from an excess of magic!

Things that have disappeared: her boyfriend; her life savings; three-and-a-half million dollars from the theater company that pays both their salaries. (Coincidence? Um, no.) Also, the groundbreaking play she's been slaving over has vanished in a puff of copyright-colored smoke.

Other, weirder things that have appeared: a magic lamp complete with genie wishes. A fully furnished (and paid-for) Manhattan condo and fabulous designer wardrobe. (The last two courtesy of the first one, obvs.)

So Becca's putting that last wish on hold. What with discovering a mesmerizing new play, getting it onstage and falling hard for the adorably awkward guy who wrote it, Becca is swamped. And that's without factoring in the guerrilla gardener, popcorn magnate and the gender-bending genie with an agenda of his/her own.

Now Becca's hoping that her good wishes don't go oh, so wrong….

Publishers Weekly

Klasky continues her adorable As You Wish series with this nearly cinematic romantic comedy. When Rebecca Morris's boyfriend runs off with all her personal funds as well as millions of dollars from their theater group's endowment, her friend Kira comforts her with a box of old costumes and a brass lamp that houses a genie. Becca's wish for a new condo lands her next door to playwright Ryan Thompson, whose latest play conveniently fills a gap in the theater's schedule. Ryan and Becca's working and romantic relationships are challenged by an obnoxious show sponsor, Ryan's guerrilla gardening mother, and mischievous gender-shifting genie Teel (familiar from 2009's How Not to Make a Wish). With broadly comic characters, even pacing, and a charming romance, this cozy evening's read will leave readers smiling. (Apr.)

Mindy Klasky learned to read when her parents shoved a book in her hands and told her that she could travel anywhere in the world through stories. She never forgot that advice. When Mindy isn't "traveling" through writing books, she quilts, cooks and tries to tame the endless to-be-read shelf in her home library. You can visit Mindy at her Web site, www.mindyklasky.com.