413 reviews for:

Wish I Were Here

Melissa Wiesner

3.73 AVERAGE

kaitlyn_thebooktasting's review against another edition

4.0

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

ljdondiego's review against another edition

3.75

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

slpchristy's review against another edition

3.75

lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

cozy_goth's review against another edition

4.0

---

Catherine’s perfectly organized life plans come to a screeching halt when she arrives at orientation for her new job, only to be told that there was a problem confirming her identity. Sure enough, it turns out that her birth certificate is fake, and now her whole future is on the line. The biggest problem? It turns out that the only person with the actual document is her mother, who she has never met. With some unlikely help from her frustrating but flirty doorman, she sets out to make the future she wants for herself.

While there was definitely more romance than magical realism here, the romance was very cute and a lot of thought went into how to make the couple work even though they had such different personalities. Luca worked well as a “careless” character, as he had genuinely good traits to help make up for it. Catherine was similarly well-rounded and easy to root for. The character development seemed to be very conveniently-timed at points, but the story was cute and I sped through it.

The sub-plot with Catherine’s gradual acceptance of her unconventional father and search for her absent mother added extra layers to the story that I enjoyed a lot, though I don’t know if I would make the same decisions she does about the two of them. But I suppose that is part of a Happily Ever After. If you’re looking for a cute, opposites-attract romance with a whole cast of quirky characters, this book is definitely for you. Many thanks to NetGalley and Forever for this ARC. This is my honest review.

4/5 Never underestimate the power of burlesque.

catbooklover's review against another edition

4.25

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

tracikennedy25's review against another edition

4.25

emotional hopeful lighthearted

knitplanjess's review against another edition

5.0

---

I absolutely adore magical realism & Wish I Were Here was such a fun & difference concept.

Luca is my new book boyfriend - I’m a sucker for tattoos and I absolutely adored his positivity & caring nature. And the chemistry between Catherine & Luca!!! It was just absolutely perfect. They felt like complete opposites who just fit together & complemented each other so perfectly.

I love how Melissa Wiesner creates her side characters to be as memorable & important as her main characters. I love how her story telling is full of a wide range of emotions and the characters feel so real - flaws & all.

This is one book that I absolutely wish I could read again and again, experiencing it for the first time every time.

Thank you so much to Forever and NetGalley for the e-Arc, in exchange for my honest review. And thank you to Melissa Wiesner for letting me be on a traveling ARC team. I loved being able to annotate this book.

A BILLION STARS.

caitlinj714's review against another edition

5.0

---

I loved the last book by this author, so I was pleased when I read the blurb to this one. Catherine had a chaotic life growing up, so she is very rigid nowadays and likes structure. Luca is the complete opposite of that, but she can’t help but like him anyways.

I figured this story would be more about their romance, but it mainly involves Catherine trying to get her identity back. I loved all the other characters involved in the book, the world felt very lived in.

Thanks as always to NetGalley for the ARC.

blee98's review against another edition

3.5

lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

jilly_bean_reads's review

5.0

funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Loveable characters: Yes