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Most girls growing up assume one day they’ll have a husband, kids, a house possibly with hardwood floors and an ocean view and maybe even twins. (Oh those details weren’t important to you?) It’s not spoken of as commonly, but plenty of boys feel that way too. But what happens when life doesn’t go as planned? You don’t meet someone you could commit to, or you find that getting pregnant is going to be impossible for you and your spouse. What You Wish For
follows several people who are finding that their lives aren’t following the expected pattern.
Actress Dimple Bledsoe is still safely under 40 according to her resume, although her birth certificate tells another story. She’s up for a big part in a new movie that’s getting a lot of buzz, and she seems to be hitting it off with the director. But she’s also looking at sperm donors, and wondering if it’s worth once again putting her desire to have a family on hold for her career.
Wyatt is a high school principal, kind-hearted and wise in the ways of teens. He’s never married, but he longs for a family. With that in mind, he’s looking at private adoption. His cousin, Eva, feels just as unnatural because she really doesn’t want to have kids. Her own mother was a single mum, young and vibrant and full of life, until she married late in life, had twins, and fell into a deep depression which she treats with medicine that has left her brittle and lifeless. (Aside: Having twins does not always equal depression) She looks at Wyatt, at her friend Maryn, and others who desperately want children and wonders what’s wrong with her, that she just as desperately doesn’t.
Maryn’s husband left her when she had breast cancer and he couldn’t handle her illness. Fortunately, they’d had embryos frozen ahead of time, in case the treatment left her infertile, which it did. Unfortunately, her husband is now remarried, and unwilling to sign the papers willing to allow her to go ahead and use the embryos. This leads to a lawsuit that catches the attention of the electorate and creates a subplot that runs throughout the novel–should embryos be considered as actual children, or should women have the right to use or not use them as they please? This leads to all sorts of complications, pitting Maryn against her ex-husband Andy (an essentially nice guy who’s in over his head with his ambitious new wife) and pulling in all sorts of other people, some of whom are willing to go to any lengths to get what they want.
What You Wish For is a novel about ways of creating families that aren’t the typical boy-meets-girl-they-get-married-and-have-2.5-kids. It’s about finding out that sometimes, what you thought you wanted isn’t as good as what you’ve got. I really enjoyed this novel because I really liked the characters. I was sorry to finish it, because I wanted to keep spending time with these people.
Elizabeth did want twins when she was young and even prayed for them when she was about 12. She’d completely suppressed THAT memory, and was totally shocked when the ultrasound showed two little heartbeats on the monitor. Learn more at her blog Planet Nomad and read her other book reviews at 5 Minutes for Books.
Sand says
No, never and no.
Jacqui Biser says
I wanted twins because i wasnt sure if i was going to have any more pregnancies with my husband. which ended up being true. i only had one with him.
Veronica Garrett says
I didn’t want twins. I didn’t get them.
christal c w says
I think at one point in life I did want twins, I did not get any. Unless a twin ectopic counts
Charlene Kuser says
I wanted twins,but never got them.
Heather! says
I did want twins! I was going to name them Crimson and Clover. 🙂 Instead, I grew up and decided I didn’t want to have children. Then I married a man who had his own, which was kind of perfect for me!
Thanks!
h4schaffer at gmail dot com
jennifer wexler says
i don’t have twins but I wouldn’t mind having them
Nicole C. says
I would have enjoyed twins, but didn’t get them.
Jennifer Peaslee says
I didn’t want twins, and I don’t have twins, so it all works out for me 🙂
Darlene Ysaguirre says
At first i did was hopping for boy and girl so i can finish having kids in one shot but it didnt happen lol
brenda Elsner says
I had wanted twin girls but never had them.
Joan Troche says
I didn’t want twins when I was growing up and I didn’t have twins. I had three children all single birth although my husband wanted five at once!
susan smoaks says
yes i would love to have twins but none so far!
Sheree Algie says
I don’t want this to be too sad but, I wanted twins I got twins, but they were 3 1/2 months premature and 1 passed away and the other was left disabled due to the premature birth.
Chelsea M says
I’ve always sort of wanted twins – either a boy and a girl or two girls. I have never had twins though.
Theresa H says
I didn’t really want them but I got them….kind of. My girls share the same birthdate just 4 years apart
Ciara B. says
i never wanted twins, although i thought it would be cool to be a twin.
and no twins for me, yet.
andrea says
Would be happy no matter what
Ed Nemmers says
I’ll see your twins and raise you my triplets!
Jason says
Kind of wanted twins, never got them
jacqueline says
i’m a twin so i have never wanted them 🙂
Daniel M says
wanted, didn’t getted
Caryn S says
With my first pregnancy, I said I wanted twins. Didn’t get them but am thankful for that. I can’t imagine the workload.
lana says
No never wanted twins didnt get them. Hoping if we decided to have another one wont get them
Anita Yancey says
We wanted twins but didn’t have them. It took us 9 years of trying to get our little girl.
Diane Baum says
I did , but no luck
amy fischer says
never wanted twins
Jennifer Manriquez says
Twins would have been fun, but alas I only had one. Hey, that rhymes!
samantha says
I didn’t want twins, but if thats what would have happened I would have been happy. I got my boy and girl 2 years apart like I wanted, and our family is perfect.
Emilee says
I always wanted twins when I was little, still do, but have two beautiful kiddos that are 3 years apart instead =)
Linda says
I never thought about having twins. I always wanted 3 kids. I have two. Not twins!!
Angie says
I wanted twins but I never got some!
Kim says
No, I never wanted twins. Just one at a time is scary enough! hahaha
Teresa Thompson says
No twins, a son and a daughter.
amber pafford says
No I never wanted twins singles are already a handful! I have two little boys 2.5 and 1.5
http://couponcrazysisters.blogspot.com/2012/08/chex-mix-only-007-bag-at-walgreens.html
mell says
Wanted twins, did not get them
Beth C says
Yes, I always wanted twins, but never had them.
pbclark(at)netins(dot)net
Mary Cloud says
Don’t know if I would have wanted twins but they would have been a blessing to us. We have two children not twins
annabella @ centurytel dot net
Kayla J says
I would prefer to not have twins, I honestly don’t know if I could handle it. If I did, of course I would be happy, but as I said, I would prefer not to.
Richelle says
Omigosh, I totally found something I wrote in a journal for English class in probably 4th grade. It stated that I would be graduated from college (a teacher) and married by 23. I would have 4 kids (two of which were twins). It didn’t say where I’d live, but of course my husband was handsome 🙂 I am married and with kids, but I don’t have four. I sure wasn’t married at 23 either! Close, but off by a couple of years. I am not a teacher either, but everyone says I should have been. Why did so many little ones dream of having twins?! LOL.
Maggie C says
I did NOT want twins and thankfully did not get them.
Jackie says
I totally wanted twins – didn’t get them but I’d have loved to have had them.
Beth A. says
Never wanted two at once and glad I didn’t have them! 🙂
polly says
i did want twins but i didn’t get them…but i did get 2 wonderful children!
Annette {This Simple Mom} says
Nope…didn’t want twins. My mom wanted six sets of them though. She did have 5 kids…individually.
Caitlin McClure says
Not sure I could handle twins, just having one
Ruthie B says
I wanted a boy and a girl & that’s exactly what we got!
Staci A says
I would love to have twins, but didn’t. Though I’m not sure I could handle 2 little ones at once!
Shannon F. says
I did want twins! Even when I was first pregnant, I wanted twins. But I only had one baby– a girl. I cant even imagine having twins now!
Beth - TheAngelForever says
Never specifically dreamed of having twins. We do believe that my youngest was a twin, but something happened very early on.
Katie says
Definitely dreamed of having twins, and still do sometimes 🙂 maybe in the future!
Terra Heck says
I can’t say that twins were something I looked forward to having. Although I did not have twins, I have two boys that are 13 months apart and everyone assumes they’re twins. Love the boys to death and glad I had them. Thanks.
partymix25(at)hotmail(dot)com
Jessica T says
Yes I wanted them and now I’m grateful I didn’t have them!!
Elisabeth says
Nope never wanted twins or had them! I kept having boys so I just wanted a girl!
Linda Kish says
As a single mom, I was really hoping to not have twins. I did not have twins even though they do run in my family. One was enough.
lkish77123 at gmail dot com
Sharon says
I don’t want twins, and haven’t had them yet 🙂
Idaho Jill says
I always always wanted twins – I even did a term paper in high school about long lost twins who found each other. I did not have twins, though, and after seeing friends have twins and how much work it was, I am ultimately glad I just have my wonderful singleton daughter!
Rebecca says
I have twins. Looking back, I don’t remember if I wanted twins or not. But now I do have them!
Jenny says
I never really though about having twins – but if I ever did, that would be great 🙂
Jenny says
oops – thought 🙂
emily says
I had always thought having twins would be great. My three singletons keep me very busy, though! I think God gave me just what I needed.
Nicole Robinson says
I wanted twins, but after having a single, I think it’s best that I build my family one by one.
Kimberly B. says
I wanted twins but didn’t have twins.
Chelsea says
I always wanted four boys and four separate pregnancies… but God gifted me with three girls in two pregnancies (my youngest are twins)
Stacie Fontinell says
Never wanted twins…but got 2 lovely boys who are 1 year and 7 months apart. Perfect !
Valerie Taylor Mabrey says
i would have loved twins but not to be
vmkids3 at msn dot com
LaTanya says
I wanted twins, but so far I have not had twins.