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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
hopeful
lighthearted
Unique but with subpar writing, Wish I Were Here by Melissa Wiesner is about a woman who has suddenly lost her identity, literally, and needs to find her birth certificate to regain it.
Summary: Catherine Lipton is a very organised person. When she suddenly loses her identity and disappears from the government system, she needs to find it back before she loses her job offer. With the help of the doorman Luca Morelli, they set off to fix the problem.
Tropes/Genres:
• opposites attract
• found family
• magical realism
• contemporary romance
Review: This book had such a unique premise, but the author didn't deliver it well. It was so messy. There is magical realism, yet it wasn't even executed cleanly. The book is a bit weird and unconventional, and I don't mean it in a good way. The characters don't hit the right spots. This book had potential, though. It's a shame.
Catherine was such a weak main character. She was supposed to be smart and logical, but throughout most of the book, she seemed quite stupid and illogical. Honestly, Catherine doesn't even feel realistic. Luca was almost irrelevant to the story. I don't even know why he's there. His character and whatever romance they had were also very weak. You can't even call this a romance at this point.
I would say that what saved this book was the plot surrounding Catherine's lost identity even though the magical realism was poorly executed. Several other aspects of this book were still okay, such as her relationship with her father and his passion for art and juggling. However, almost every other part of the book was subpar. It definitely didn't help that the author tried mixing some mafia themes, which felt unnecessary and only messed up the book further.
I feel like this book had a whole lot of potential that ended up not being fulfilled because of the odd themes the author chose to include, such as the mafia, juggling and the burlesque dancers. They just don't add substance to the story. Actually, these themes felt so random, especially the mafia one. The inclusion of juggling and burlesque dancers isn't the problem. Rather, how the author fits them into the story feels out of place and random. There is certainly room for improvement.
The writing wasn't that compelling. It certainly didn't help that there were a lot of plot points that didn't make sense, such as her father's refusal to help her find her birth certificate. I mean, that's her identity you're talking about. It affects everything. It contradicts her existence. With better writing, perhaps this could've been pulled off. But it didn't work out, and I was greatly upset. The result of the search and the poorly executed magical realism didn't help either. It just screamed poor writing.
Let's just say that after how much I enjoyed The Second Chance Year, I was quite disappointed by the quality of this book and the level of enjoyment I had from it.
Overall, this book is okay but not that impressive. If you like the concept of this story, though, you may enjoy it. If you want romance, you shouldn't read this book because it's barely present in the story. I would recommend reading this book for the identity-loss plot because that is probably the only interesting part of the book. Cheers!
Summary: Catherine Lipton is a very organised person. When she suddenly loses her identity and disappears from the government system, she needs to find it back before she loses her job offer. With the help of the doorman Luca Morelli, they set off to fix the problem.
Tropes/Genres:
• opposites attract
• found family
• magical realism
• contemporary romance
Review: This book had such a unique premise, but the author didn't deliver it well. It was so messy. There is magical realism, yet it wasn't even executed cleanly. The book is a bit weird and unconventional, and I don't mean it in a good way. The characters don't hit the right spots. This book had potential, though. It's a shame.
Catherine was such a weak main character. She was supposed to be smart and logical, but throughout most of the book, she seemed quite stupid and illogical. Honestly, Catherine doesn't even feel realistic. Luca was almost irrelevant to the story. I don't even know why he's there. His character and whatever romance they had were also very weak. You can't even call this a romance at this point.
I would say that what saved this book was the plot surrounding Catherine's lost identity even though the magical realism was poorly executed. Several other aspects of this book were still okay, such as her relationship with her father and his passion for art and juggling. However, almost every other part of the book was subpar. It definitely didn't help that the author tried mixing some mafia themes, which felt unnecessary and only messed up the book further.
I feel like this book had a whole lot of potential that ended up not being fulfilled because of the odd themes the author chose to include, such as the mafia, juggling and the burlesque dancers. They just don't add substance to the story. Actually, these themes felt so random, especially the mafia one. The inclusion of juggling and burlesque dancers isn't the problem. Rather, how the author fits them into the story feels out of place and random. There is certainly room for improvement.
The writing wasn't that compelling. It certainly didn't help that there were a lot of plot points that didn't make sense, such as her father's refusal to help her find her birth certificate. I mean, that's her identity you're talking about. It affects everything. It contradicts her existence. With better writing, perhaps this could've been pulled off. But it didn't work out, and I was greatly upset. The result of the search and the poorly executed magical realism didn't help either. It just screamed poor writing.
Let's just say that after how much I enjoyed The Second Chance Year, I was quite disappointed by the quality of this book and the level of enjoyment I had from it.
Overall, this book is okay but not that impressive. If you like the concept of this story, though, you may enjoy it. If you want romance, you shouldn't read this book because it's barely present in the story. I would recommend reading this book for the identity-loss plot because that is probably the only interesting part of the book. Cheers!
Full transparency here. I received an arc from Netgalley for this book. I adored The Second Chance Year so I thought for sure I would enjoy this too. Ya’ll, I struggled to get into the story. I have zero problems with DNFing unless it’s an arc. I try very hard to finish any advanced copies even if I choose not to leave a review here. Even more so I didn’t want to hard DNF because I had a feeling this was more of a mood issue at the time.
Rather than force myself to finish on my Kindle, I waited until after the release date and gave the audio a try. I am glad I did and honestly, my recommendation would be that this is the way to read this book. The audio was well done and made for an entertaining, easy listen!
With a free-spirited juggler for a father and an absentee mother, Catherine has worked hard to maintain order and predictability in her adult life after a childhood filled with chaos. After new hire paperwork reveals the government has no actual record of her birth, a series of events begins to unfold that allow Catherine to reframe everything she thought she knew about herself, her childhood, and her new friend Luca.
Filled with a cast of quirky characters, light-hearted suspense, and a tender romance, this magical realism made me think of the type of magic in It’s a Wonderful Life- the type of magic set in motion to teach you who and what is most important in life.
This is a perfect listen for anyone who enjoys light-hearted suspense and magic realism. There is romance, but it isn’t necessarily front and center of the story.
Thank you to @netgalley and @readforeverpub for this ARC! (Available now)
Rather than force myself to finish on my Kindle, I waited until after the release date and gave the audio a try. I am glad I did and honestly, my recommendation would be that this is the way to read this book. The audio was well done and made for an entertaining, easy listen!
With a free-spirited juggler for a father and an absentee mother, Catherine has worked hard to maintain order and predictability in her adult life after a childhood filled with chaos. After new hire paperwork reveals the government has no actual record of her birth, a series of events begins to unfold that allow Catherine to reframe everything she thought she knew about herself, her childhood, and her new friend Luca.
Filled with a cast of quirky characters, light-hearted suspense, and a tender romance, this magical realism made me think of the type of magic in It’s a Wonderful Life- the type of magic set in motion to teach you who and what is most important in life.
This is a perfect listen for anyone who enjoys light-hearted suspense and magic realism. There is romance, but it isn’t necessarily front and center of the story.
Thank you to @netgalley and @readforeverpub for this ARC! (Available now)
I do not recommend this book if you like elderly people, it will make you cry.
Truly though, I loved this book. It had me laughing from page one. The "side" characters really didn't seem like side characters. Everyone had so much personality and spark that made the book special.
This was my first Melissa Wiesner book but it won't be the last.
I want to thank everyone who made reading this ARC possible in exchange for an honest review.
Truly though, I loved this book. It had me laughing from page one. The "side" characters really didn't seem like side characters. Everyone had so much personality and spark that made the book special.
This was my first Melissa Wiesner book but it won't be the last.
I want to thank everyone who made reading this ARC possible in exchange for an honest review.
Catherine Lipton is a mathematician who has always been the organized, responsible one compared to her flighty father, who is an actual clown—as in that’s his occupation. He’s always refused to tell her anything about her mother so she knows nothing about her except for her name. When she lands a new job, her entire world is flipped upside down when her paperwork comes back as falsified. It turns out her birth certificate is fake and her mother has the real one, but her father refuses to tell her who or where she is. With help from the hot doorman who works in her building, she hunts down her mother and in doing so, loosens up enough to make new friends and even finds love.
This was such a cute, heartwarming story about the importance of family—both blood-related and found. While it’s not a Christmas story, the strong family focus gave me those cozy Christmas vibes.
Thank you, @MelissaWiesnerAuthor, @ReadForeverPub, and @NetGalley for my gifted copy.
This was such a cute, heartwarming story about the importance of family—both blood-related and found. While it’s not a Christmas story, the strong family focus gave me those cozy Christmas vibes.
Thank you, @MelissaWiesnerAuthor, @ReadForeverPub, and @NetGalley for my gifted copy.
lighthearted
fast-paced
“Sometimes I wish I could just…I don’t know. Be someone else.”
Catherine Moonstone Lipton lives to regret those off-handed words she uttered.
Doctor Lipton has just earned her dream job as a mathematics professor, a tenure-track position, when she discovers that issues with her paperwork may mean that she has to give up the position.
I was caught up in a compelling story and an examination what we do when we discover we’ve been the recipient of a lie of omission. What if that lie lead to a missing identity? How do we go about discovering the truth about ourselves? How do we transition from a ‘nobody’ to a ‘somebody’? I was swept away pondering the power of making wishes and the possibility of the universe allowing you to actualize them. I loved how the author spun this to be read as an opportunity instead of a tragedy and how a single choice can lead us to a new life.
In addition to examining our identity, the author also investigates the importance of community. I loved the setting of DeGreco and mused many times that this book would make a great movie; I could imagine the dancing scene and the trouser-changing scene vividly! Wiesner also highlights found family and nature versus nature. I took note of how the elderly chose to live out their golden years and was inspired. I also was thankful for the reminder to dig deep and discover our loved ones’ love language.
This magical and hopeful romance features some great characters and will be a great addition to your Fall reading list!
I was gifted this copy by Forever, Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
Catherine Moonstone Lipton lives to regret those off-handed words she uttered.
Doctor Lipton has just earned her dream job as a mathematics professor, a tenure-track position, when she discovers that issues with her paperwork may mean that she has to give up the position.
I was caught up in a compelling story and an examination what we do when we discover we’ve been the recipient of a lie of omission. What if that lie lead to a missing identity? How do we go about discovering the truth about ourselves? How do we transition from a ‘nobody’ to a ‘somebody’? I was swept away pondering the power of making wishes and the possibility of the universe allowing you to actualize them. I loved how the author spun this to be read as an opportunity instead of a tragedy and how a single choice can lead us to a new life.
In addition to examining our identity, the author also investigates the importance of community. I loved the setting of DeGreco and mused many times that this book would make a great movie; I could imagine the dancing scene and the trouser-changing scene vividly! Wiesner also highlights found family and nature versus nature. I took note of how the elderly chose to live out their golden years and was inspired. I also was thankful for the reminder to dig deep and discover our loved ones’ love language.
This magical and hopeful romance features some great characters and will be a great addition to your Fall reading list!
I was gifted this copy by Forever, Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
T h is was a lovely little magical realism rom com! The personal journey/self discovery was definitely more front and center than the romance, but honestly, it felt like a great balance. This was a light and fun book that left you feeling good, even while dealing with some real depth and raw topics. It gave Ashley poston vibes and I definitely recommend!
This book was delightful! Catherine and Luca were great foils to each other. Catherine’s personality traits were a combination that could easily lead to a frustrating/annoying FMC but I didn’t feel that in this book. There are some concepts that can easily turn ridiculous or rote (circus performers, mafia), but it never crossed that line for me. All the characters are so real and the story was a perfectly cozy read.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!