Wish You Were Here: A Novel

by Renee Carlino

A USA TODAY bestselling second chance romance about a young woman who reunites with a soulful artist after their magical one-night stand, from the bestselling author of Swear on this Life and Before We Were Strangers.

Charlotte has spent her twenties adrift, searching for a spark to jump-start her life and give her a sense of purpose. She’s had as many jobs as she’s had bad relationships, and now she’s feeling especially lost in her less-than-glamorous gig at a pie-and-fry joint in Los Angeles, where the uniforms are bad and the tips are even worse.

Then she collides—literally—with Adam, an intriguing, handsome, and mysterious painter. Their serendipitous meeting on the street turns into a whirlwind one-night stand that has Charlotte feeling enchanted by Adam’s spontaneity and joy for life. There’s promise in both his words and actions, but in the harsh light of morning, Adam’s tune changes, leaving Charlotte to wonder if her notorious bad luck with men is really just her own bad judgment.

Months later, a new relationship with Seth, a charming baseball player, is turning into something more meaningful, but Charlotte’s still having trouble moving past her one enthralling night with Adam. Why? When she searches for answers, she finds the situation with Adam is far more complicated than she ever imagined. Faced with the decision to write a new story with Seth or finish the one started with Adam, Charlotte embarks on a life-altering journey, one that takes her across the world and back again, bringing a lifetime’s worth of pain, joy, and wisdom.

• ISBN10: 1501105825
• ISBN13: 9781501105821
• Publish Date: 24 August 2017 (first published 15 August 2017)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 15 July 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Atria Books
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 320
• Language: English

Reviews

[boghunden]

This was my first book by the author, and I was pretty excited to read it. It's the pick of the month for the Kind of a D*ck bookclub which is run by Colleen Hoover, and that was the reason for me picking it up.

It's very instalovey; from the moment our MC meets Adam she's in love with him. I don't enjoy that kind of romance novels, but I could live with it. Where it gets too much for me is when SPOILER they decide to get married after knowing each other for practically two weeks. I just don't buy it. And if that isn't enough, there's also Helen, the best friend, who gets married after knowing her boyfriend for half a year.
In the beginning of the book, they're all saying how standoffish our MC is, but that is definitely not the impression she gives.

I just couldn't with this book. However, if you're a sucker for instalove, then go ahead! You'll love this one.

[Linda]

This review was originally posted on (un)Conventional Bookviews
Wish You Were Here was a very emotional story, filled with love and hope, and beautifully written characters.

Story:

Charlotte has never felt ready to settle down, not with a man, not with her education, and not with a job. She was quite lost for a while, until she met Adam for one magical night of getting to know him, and feeling both loved and beautiful. Even if he was acting strangely. Afterwards, it took her a long way to get her self confidence back, in spite of the fact that meeting Seth was nice. Still, Adam was on her mind, and through some fateful circumstances, they met again. Only for her to understand that Adam hadn't left his loft because he had moved on to bigger and better things.

Characters:

Charlotte was quite lost, as I said. She didn't have a plan, and no real direction. Helen, Charlotte's best friend was different, more spontaneous and seemingly happier. Adam was a whimsical artist, grabbing on to life with both hands, living every day to the fullest. Seth a baseball hope who set his eyes on Charlotte through a dating app. Then, there were Charles, Charlotte's brother, as well as her parents, and Rodney, Helen's boyfriend.

Writing style :

First person, past tense, written from Charlotte's perspective. Wish You Were Here managed to include all of the emotions, experiences and doubts she experienced. Thanks to dialogues, I also got to know the other characters well enough both to care about them, and want them to find happiness.

Feels :

All the feels in the world in Wish You Were Here! I cried so hard I sobbed. I also laughed out loud. I felt light in some moments, and heavy-hearted in others. There was so much love and hope, and the story was truly beautiful.

 



If we had any problem, it was that we were maybe too comfortable with the ida of becoming spinsters together.

It was like we already knew each other, like we had met in a previous life. Memories that didn't exist began exploding in my mind like fireworks.

Sailing alone gives you a lot of time to think. My own voice became louder in my head. My own voice should always be the loudest.