Wish I Were Here: A charming and whimsical new opposites-attract romance!

by Melissa Wiesner

Opposites attract when a buttoned-up professor is forced to team up with a carefree doorman to restore her identity, which has magically disappeared from all records, in this sparkling romance about enjoying the life you have.
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What if losing herself is the key to finding where she truly belongs?

Catherine Lipton plans everything. After a chaotic childhood, the stability of her life as a maths professor is essential, even if, just sometimes, she wishes she could be someone else, someone with a totally different life.

Catherine's tidy life is running smoothly until her entire identity - from her Social Security number to her driver's license to her academic record - mysteriously disappears and there's suddenly no evidence Catherine Lipton ever existed.

With no ID and no other options, Catherine reluctantly accepts help from her exasperatingly laid-back - and infuriatingly attractive - doorman, Luca Morelli. Before long, by-the-book Catherine finds herself bending all the rules with the charismatic Luca - from taking meetings in smoky bars to breaking into hospital record rooms - and having a surprising amount of fun.

As Catherine unravels the truth behind her identity's disappearance, she may discover that the real Catherine has been missing for a lot longer than she realised.
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Praise for The Second Chance Year

'A touch of magic and a heap of self-growth animate this sparkling and sophisticated rom-com' Publishers Weekly, ★ starred review ★

'A swoony romance with a subplot about harassment and sexism in the workplace, Wiesner's latest will resonate with every reader who's wondered, 'What if?'' Booklist, ★ starred review ★

'An ambitious woman finding her way in the world and the heart-meltingly caring man who loves her for who she is combine to make this a charming romance' Library Journal

'A thoughtful exploration of Sadie's growth as well as the ingrained unfairness of being a woman in a man's world. Sadie is spunky and her outspoken sense of justice is wonderful. Tough themes with a light touch and many winning characters' Kirkus

• ISBN10: 1035406179
• ISBN13: 9781035406173
• Publish Date: 15 October 2024
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Headline Publishing Group
• Imprint: Headline Eternal
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 368
• Language: English

Reviews

[Jeff Sexton]

RomCom In A Nightmare Setting. Seriously, the title of the review here is pretty much exactly what you're getting. I don't know how common it is, but I know I've had the nightmare that is a version of the basic premise of this book - that you suddenly find out all of your "government" "approved" "identification" is suddenly found to be fraudulent and/ or non-existent... anywhere. How would you survive in modern America? Particularly if you were just starting a new job? And now you have the basic narrative here.  

 

The romance/ romcom aspects of this tale take a bit of the realism of the premise out of the picture, but then, if we wanted a gritty real world version of the premise above, we wouldn't be looking for it in a romcom, now would we? Instead, both sides of romance and comedy work well, so long as you don't mind absurdist/ "What the FUCK?" comedy. (And seriously, if you can't enjoy that type of comedy at least from time to time, that absolutely says more about you than about Wiesner's writing here.)

 

Ultimately, this *is* a romcom - even with the initial premise - so yes, things get tied up in nice little maybe more Lifetime Movie than Hallmarkie bows, but said bows are absolutely the pink and frilly kind. In other words, don't let the premise get you too anxious here, just sit back and enjoy the ride - if maybe a touch more pulse pounding than many romcoms.

 

Very much recommended.