Book Rewind Review: The Last Wish of Sasha Cade by Cheyenne Young

There’s no way I was leaving this story with anything but a puddle of feels with a title like The Last Wish of Sasha Cade but damn, I did not expect to feel as many thing as I did! See why the feels were totally worth it in my review below!

The Last Wish of Sasha Cade

by Cheyanne Young
Published by: Kids Can Press
on October 2, 2018
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Pages: 320
IndieBound
Goodreads

The day Raquel has been dreading for months has finally arrived. Sasha, her best friend in the whole world, has died of cancer. Overwhelmed and brokenhearted, Raquel can't even imagine life without her.
And then a letter from Sasha arrives. Has she somehow found a way to communicate from beyond the grave?
In fact, Sasha spent her final weeks planning an elaborate scavenger hunt for the friend she would have to leave behind. When Raquel follows the instructions to return to Sasha's grave, a mysterious stranger with striking eyes is waiting for her. There's a secret attached to this boy that only Sasha --- and now Raquel --- knows.
This boy, Elijah, might be just who Raquel needs to help her move on from her terrible loss. But can Raquel remain true to herself while also honoring her friend's final wish?
Cheyanne Young's compulsively readable breakout novel offers abiding friendship and forbidden romance, along with an incisive look at how class differences shape who we are and who we grow to be.

Review

I’ve had this book on my TBR for ages but it took a pandemic to pick it up. What a bad choice I made in waiting because once I started, I did not want to stop! What a gift Cheyenne has given us readers, much like Sasha gave Raquel.

Losing your best friend is a traumatic experience, no matter what the circumstance. Losing your best friend to cancer during your senior year? Just not ok. We get a good sense of how important these girls are to each other from the get-go, even though we don’t spend much time with them before we lose Sasha. Not to worry, though, because she has a posthumous adventure for two of her people to take together.

Oh, did I mention those two people don’t know each other? Sasha, you genius. 

This could have easily been your typical romance where the good girl (Raquel) saves the dark, angsty boy (Elijah) but that isn’t the story Cheyenne gave us. She dropped pieces of these characters along the way, allowing us to discover who they were through their actions. We, as the reader, get to draw our own conclusions. I fell for both of them as they fell for each other, with me wanting to break the fourth wall to cheer for them in person. 

More heartwarming than sad, this is a unique take on friendship that stands out. I can’t wait to see what Cheyenne gives us next!