I wanted this to be a four-star book for me. The writing was fresh, the descriptions were vivid, and the world-building was done so organically. Especially since I clicked on the ebook thinking it was another one entirely, and no, this one is apparently about genies. I was intrigued. The lamp being replaced by a Celtic knot ring and a coin, respectively, was a refreshing and creative change. Objects no one would ever question or even necessarily see! I liked the new tactic of people becoming upset and leaving the objects lying around deliberately. It was terrific when the wish-makers were able to ask questions, and so many.

At the thirty-three percent mark, everything screeched to a halt. The author referred to the theater part of musical theater as "filler."
I'm positive the music kids reading the book laughed their asses off and cheered. I am positive some of them felt validated.
BEHOLD THE WRATH OF A SEMI-PROFESSIONAL MUSICAL THEATER KID WHO GREW UP. NOW I ACT AS A HOBBY THE EQUIVALENT OF A SECOND JOB.
(original tirade redacted because I wasn't coherent for too long. A much calmer version is below)

I am a theater kid. More specifically, I was a semi-professional musical theater child performer. By the end of my career, I was sick of musicals. The author and the music kids are undoubtedly sobbing. I didn't see the point of songs in plays for a long, long time afterward, only coming to appreciate them differently as an adult because I don't know why. Can't remember when, either. I didn't see music as "filler." I did not speak down to musicians. Mine was "breaking into songs every five seconds is annoying and I don't know why they do it." THAT WAS -IT.- And this was coming from someone who had a wonderful singing voice and -cared- about singing well for the production, not myself. I was a little annoyed, and just mostly worn out! I was -not- so cruel or rude as this author AT ALL. The rivalry the author was trying desperately to wedge in between the two groups isn't really there BECAUSE MUSICIANS PLAY IN THE PIT, AND OFTENTIMES, THEY ARE KIDS TOO. If the author wanted instant, believable rivalry, she should have had the protagonist make a crack about stuck-up child performers!! THAT was genuine. WE WERE TWO GROUPS THAT HATED EACH OTHER. Ooh, you did theater in high school? I HAD A PAGE OF THEATER CREDITS BY THE TIME YOU GOT YOUR FIRST ROLE THAT DIDN'T HAVE A NUMBER AFTER IT. -You- got to make tons of friends and be normal. -I- was taught how to compete with other kids and being friends with them outside of theater was incredibly weird. I learned how to sit totally still in a chair for two solid hours, then half an hour more for hair and makeup. I learned how to stand on a chair for two hours so my costumes could be better hand-sewn. Machines would have ruined them. I have witnessed and participated in, as dresser and dress-ee, full costume changes in under three minutes involving four people helping one person, while the person was running their lines, or in one case of my own, learning them because the understudy was sick. The understudy's costume fit strangely, thanks for asking. Yes, I chose to do this and keep doing it semi-professionally as an adult. I feel the art of live theater is -incredibly- under-appreciated. I have no regrets overall, but I learned weird lessons. The movie "Judy" brought up a -ton- of stuff for me.

The author could have done something like the live theater versus high school theater rivalry. Instead, she made one of the meanest, dirtiest, mean-spirited comments I have ever read in my life about a field that has never been respected. It used to be linked with prostitution and now people just hand-wave it, or refuse to acknowledge that in Seattle, theater companies aren't common: you work with individual directors. They -start- theater companies, sure, but that's also rare since it involves so much money. Seattle theater, ninety-five percent of the time, is volunteer. If there's money, it's maybe fifty dollars at the end of two months of hard work. I briefly considered that the author might just be incredibly bitter that she herself wasn't cast in any of her school plays or something, but a more realistic remark would be "I didn't get into the play, so I worked on the yearbook staff instead," or something. I'm not upset that she's bitter as an emotion. Look at me and how I wear my heart on my sleeve about this stuff. I'm upset about her choice of words in regards to her bitterness.

It affected me beyond the time it took for me to calm down. The 'blink and you miss it' remark a third of the way into the book--I tried to shove my feelings aside, but ooh, I was not gonna be able to enjoy the book as much anymore. Her parents go on honeymoons a lot. At first, I thought it was an annual thing to celebrate their wedding anniversary. Then, her parents' divorce and reconciliation are mentioned, and how the honeymoons are marriage maintenance acts that go on for weeks at a time. What. WTF. I--what? And they're shown to be irresponsible, childish, and controlling, especially in light of the fact that their daughter is legally an adult. It was gross whenever they were mentioned or thought about. They treat her like she's twelve, often. So, she's eighteen. Oliver is sixteen. The story wouldn't have lost anything if those ages were flipped. The power dynamic between those two got creepier as the book continued, and I was stunned at how sexualized it was. The sexualization steadily increased, too! (glances unhappily)

This book is the first in a series, which nowadays is nothing but an annoying act by a publisher for cash. The ending is concise for the story, and fine. It doesn't need to be a whole series. ( )

Okay, I know what you're thinking. Paranormal high school romance with a genie, of all things? It sounds like a parody - a bad one. But this book is SO. FRICKIN'. CUTE.

Margo McKenna knows she nailed the audition for her high school's production of Sweeney Todd. She loves the musical, she has the talent, and she's a senior. Imagine her surprise - and displeasure - when some random sophomore is cast as Mrs. Lovett and she's left playing Toby. Margo tries to be a good sport, but Vicky Willoughbee turns out to be completely talentless.

After a particularly bad rehearsal, Margo finds a ring in the girl's bathroom. When she picks it up, the strange new kid poofs into the room. Turns out that Oliver is a genie, Vicky was his master, and by finding his ring, Margo is his new master. Margo is the type of person who needs to have a plan, and she doesn't like surprises. She needs some time to think about her wishes. She also needs to hurry because there is a killer genie out to get Oliver.

Margo is a pretty awesome character. While she's funny and confident, she also has enough bratty teenage moments to make her believable. Her main form of communication is snark, and once she meets up with Oliver, there is a lot of charming dialogue. Of course, Margo's only point of reference is a certain Disney movie, so Oliver often has to clear up her preconceived notions:

"...Do you live in a bottle?"

"No," he said, sounding almost offended. "I live in an apartment."

SO. CUTE.

Lindsay Ribar put her own creative spin on the genie mythos, which lead to a surprising number of ethical questions. Technically, Oliver's purpose in life is to give Margo what she wants. So is she unwittingly forcing him into a relationship with her? Then again, Oliver is also able to change his appearance as well as read Margo's mind. So is he presenting himself in a way that will make her fall in love with him? These issues and the killer genie plot save the book from being just a fun little bit of fluff. ( )

hmm, a bit twilightish,but with genies ... and Margo is no Bella Swan. ( )

A light teen romance which had an appealing main character. I personally had a hard time with the proliferation of theatre references/plot lies/etc, but this was because I have next to no knowledge of the theatre or of the community surrounding and involved in a high school play. As this was the BE ALL END ALL focus for the main character, I found it somewhat exclusionary at times. ( )

Thank you to netgalley.com for access to this title!

I almost always like contemporary titles with a bit of magic and this is no exception. They are usually on the more "fluffy" side, easy reading without a lot of thinking involved. I like that this one has a little bit of a darker side - the more evil side of the genie world.

I would definitely give this to fans of Janette Rallison and Robin Palmer. Perfect for those who are ready to have something with a little more grittiness.

( )