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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
The main female character is annoying as hell
I kept reading, hoping things would pick up and Catherine would stop being so uptight. No luck. Live a little, and stop bringing up the rules and regulations every time you interact with someone else.
I can't get into ppl or characters that are this way.
I can't get into ppl or characters that are this way.
“For the love of Pythagoras”
Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for an eArc of Wish I Were Here in exchange for an honest review.
Wish I Were Here is a closed door romance that was easily digestible and overall a fun time. Though, as a math teacher myself, the math puns were killing me at the 20% mark.
I saw a lot of myself in Catherine’s character at first with a passion for following the rules and wanting to be successful in her career, but her uptightness made me want her to calm down. I’m glad for Luca’s character and the balance that he brought with his carefreeness.
Though I wanted more from their “romance” because I’m sure there is more to Luca than just being well connected, never seeming to do his job, and having tattoos. This book didn’t feel as romance heavy as I would have liked and wanted more tension filled moments with Moonstone and Elbow if I can be frank.
I was way more interested in knowing about the Morelli’s then Catherine’s troubles at times and really want to know more about Uncle Vito.
Overall it was an enjoyable read, but if you are a math person maybe skip this one
Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for an eArc of Wish I Were Here in exchange for an honest review.
Wish I Were Here is a closed door romance that was easily digestible and overall a fun time. Though, as a math teacher myself, the math puns were killing me at the 20% mark.
I saw a lot of myself in Catherine’s character at first with a passion for following the rules and wanting to be successful in her career, but her uptightness made me want her to calm down. I’m glad for Luca’s character and the balance that he brought with his carefreeness.
Though I wanted more from their “romance” because I’m sure there is more to Luca than just being well connected, never seeming to do his job, and having tattoos. This book didn’t feel as romance heavy as I would have liked and wanted more tension filled moments with Moonstone and Elbow if I can be frank.
I was way more interested in knowing about the Morelli’s then Catherine’s troubles at times and really want to know more about Uncle Vito.
Overall it was an enjoyable read, but if you are a math person maybe skip this one
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The timeline is supposed to make sense but doesn’t. Like watching a hallmark movie. You can’t get frustrated with the characters’ stupidity.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Liked:
- Melissa Wiesner writes such lovely POV characters. I loved being in Catherine's head and absorbing her feelings and her struggles. Her fear when her identity mishap happens is so palpable and I felt all of her anxiety and inner turmoil so genuinely. I wanted her to succeed and make it through unscathed as much as possible (while having some character growth of course, which she absolutely did!)
- Speaking on her character growth, we absolutely see that from Catherine here. We see her learn to accept help, and love herself and how she got to be who she was, and everything in between. It's really hard to write that and I think it's one of Wiesner's great strengths as a writer. I felt that with Second Chance Year as well
- Luca is a much better written love interest character than her entry in SCY. First, he's on the page a lot more and that helps, but he's also so much more fleshed out. His whole shtick of being from a massive Italian family works so well and is so charming. He's really charming, if not slightly juvenile, but in a way that works. He's one of the most legitimately puppy dog-esque male love interests I've read (so many are not and just called that because it's easy nomenclature)
- The relationship between Catherine and her dad. It's so rare to get a father-daughter relationship like theirs and I loved it
The surprise of there being another "kooky" math professor at the college. Loved that. Wish there was away to explore that more, but there wouldn't have been without it feeling forced or messy When Catherine sends her mother a text about getting her identity back and mother is lackluster, but then she texts Ms. Goodwin who literally just responds with a bunch of "yays" and that made me think of my own mom and how that's what she sends and it was just a really nice small moment that I loved. - The cover. Beautiful color-work and, in my opinion, doesn't look too cartoony that it reads YA
Lacked:
- I would have loved to have had a few more scenes that really dug into Catherine's love of mathematics and order. We're told quite a few times how much she despises disorganization, but we rarely get to see that in action.
- More conversations/explorations into Luca's art past and desires. We get it a bit, but I think it's a part of what I Longed For in his character development. It was almost there but just a bit lacking
- I always find it odd when MCs in a romance don't have friends, so I do wonder why she had no friends besides her dad's friends.
Loathed:
- I loathed nothing really.
I mean, I loathed her mother treating her the way she did, but that was pretty integral to how things needed to play out - Oh actually, I really didn't like the way that Dr. Gupta became kind of cartoonishly evil when her identity mishap happened. Like, I know we hadn't gotten to know him terribly well, but it seemed like it came out of left field.
Longed For:
- A bit more character development for Luca. I think he ends pretty similarly to where he started. I think there's a bit of growth, but I think really diving into the loss of his grandfather would have been more interesting. Also, I thought we were going to learn something was wrong with his apartment (or that he really didn't actually have one in the building) that would detail why he was constantly sleeping on the floor, but that's just a nitpick.
- I don't need books to be open door by any means, but I've noticed that Wiesner's books always leave me wanting a bit more connection of some kind between the MCs. After they supposedly (most likely) sleep together, it's as if nothing has changed between the two of them. I want there to be an elevation or escalation of some kind to their feelings
- More random Luca family members. They were the best part
Will I read the next one? : Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Death, Emotional abuse, Medical content
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Wish I Were Here is a fun, opposites-attract romance that follows Catherine and Lucas. Being raised by a free spirit is destined to make your life anything but ordinary. But, now that Catherine is an adult, she demands order in all things. So, when her perfectly planned life gets turned upside down, she gets thrown for one heck of a loop. The only person she can turn to help is her attractive, yet annoying doorman, Luca. As Catherine begins to spend time with Luca to unravel the mystery behind her missing identity, she learns more about herself than she ever expected and that there might be something more to her annoying doorman than meets the eye.
Overall, I thought this book was an okay read. I really liked the unique plot and quirky characters. I loved seeing Catherine's life become unraveled, forcing her to take a breather from the status quo and learn more about herself. I adored Luca and his patience. He was kind of goofy, but I enjoyed his banter with Catherine. You can never go wrong with a found family trope, and this one definitely hits the marks in that department. However, I did find the romance between Catherine and Luca to be lacking. Don't get me wrong, there were some great sweet moments, but I found the overall chemistry to be missing and was left wanting more; more development, more romance, just more.
In the end, I think this will be a hit for some and a miss for others.
*I was provided an ARC copy of this book via the publisher & NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review*
Overall, I thought this book was an okay read. I really liked the unique plot and quirky characters. I loved seeing Catherine's life become unraveled, forcing her to take a breather from the status quo and learn more about herself. I adored Luca and his patience. He was kind of goofy, but I enjoyed his banter with Catherine. You can never go wrong with a found family trope, and this one definitely hits the marks in that department. However, I did find the romance between Catherine and Luca to be lacking. Don't get me wrong, there were some great sweet moments, but I found the overall chemistry to be missing and was left wanting more; more development, more romance, just more.
In the end, I think this will be a hit for some and a miss for others.
*I was provided an ARC copy of this book via the publisher & NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review*