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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Wish I Were Here by Melissa Wiesner
Contemporary romance.
Catherine Lipton’s goals are lining up. She’s moved into a nice apartment on her own and she’s interviewing for a university position in the math department that’s on the path to tenure. Sure, there’s a hiccup or two with the doorman who never seems to be at his desk, and then running into her father with her new boss at the university, but she can handle it. When she shows up for orientation though, things start falling apart. Her paperwork was rejected saying she doesn’t exist. Then her credit card is declined and the Social Security office says she doesn’t exist. Doorman Luca Morelli has friends and family all over the city and he helps Catherine track down the details she needs to get her life back online. Becoming friends with many of the elderly residents in the building and realizing that Luca may be more than he seems, adds a spark of possibilities to her life. Her future may be different than she planned.
Catherine and Luca are at odds from the beginning. But really, how was she supposed to know he’s helping the other residents? She only sees that he’s missing from his post. As Catherine gets to know Luca, her eyes are opened to so much more. She finds out about her own history, and Italian families, and community involvement.
Romance, family, community. I loved this story. While there are a lot of shocks for Catherine, she handles it all remarkably well. For the most part. I doubt I’d be anywhere near as composed if I was told I didn’t exist.
Poignant and romantic.
Bonus Reading Questions included at the end of the Print version.
I received a copy of this from NetGalley.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
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:
Complicated
I’m a sucker for magical realism.
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-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
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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:
Yes
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-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
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
“What if instead of always grabbing for the juggling pins, I just let them all drop?”
I am a big fan of books with magical realism and absolutely loved Melissa Weisner’s, The Second Chance Year so I was very excited to dive into this one!
The story begins with Catherine, a mathematician who thrives on order and lists, who starts a new job and learns that her employment paperwork can’t be processed because, according to all government records, she doesn’t exist. After many failed attempts to rectify the situation Catherine turns to her doorman and friend, Luca whose well connected family steps up to help. As Catherine and Luca begin to untangle the mess that is Catherine’s life, they soon realize that not everything is as simple or as straightforward as it seems.
The colorful cast of characters (think Only Murders in the Building) was by far my favorite part of Wish I Were Here. The residents of the DeGreco were perfectly written and endearing right from the start. As for the rest of the story, I am going to be honest and admit that I really struggled with this one. I wanted to love it but the idea of losing one's identity and having to deal with the stress and anxiety of that was a concept so uncomfortable to me that I felt like I couldn’t actually enjoy the book because of it. As a rule follower like Catherine, I found myself stressing about how horrible the entire situation was and I couldn’t stop worrying about what was going to happen next despite recognizing that there would likely be a happy ending.
The writing was very well done though, and I think that it might be a good fit for someone who is better able to embrace the magical aspect and immerse themselves in the story without anxiety. Thank you to Forever Grand Central Publishing for providing me with an early copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
I am a big fan of books with magical realism and absolutely loved Melissa Weisner’s, The Second Chance Year so I was very excited to dive into this one!
The story begins with Catherine, a mathematician who thrives on order and lists, who starts a new job and learns that her employment paperwork can’t be processed because, according to all government records, she doesn’t exist. After many failed attempts to rectify the situation Catherine turns to her doorman and friend, Luca whose well connected family steps up to help. As Catherine and Luca begin to untangle the mess that is Catherine’s life, they soon realize that not everything is as simple or as straightforward as it seems.
The colorful cast of characters (think Only Murders in the Building) was by far my favorite part of Wish I Were Here. The residents of the DeGreco were perfectly written and endearing right from the start. As for the rest of the story, I am going to be honest and admit that I really struggled with this one. I wanted to love it but the idea of losing one's identity and having to deal with the stress and anxiety of that was a concept so uncomfortable to me that I felt like I couldn’t actually enjoy the book because of it. As a rule follower like Catherine, I found myself stressing about how horrible the entire situation was and I couldn’t stop worrying about what was going to happen next despite recognizing that there would likely be a happy ending.
The writing was very well done though, and I think that it might be a good fit for someone who is better able to embrace the magical aspect and immerse themselves in the story without anxiety. Thank you to Forever Grand Central Publishing for providing me with an early copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I didn’t enjoy how this book started. It felt weird and way too slow, with the pacing dragging in several spots. For example, the whole elevator scene in the first 15% of the book seemed pointless—it added nothing to the story, and I kept wondering why we were still focused on it. The beginning also had multiple cringy moments that made it difficult for me to keep going.
My first book by this author and I was pleasantly surprised. I forgot that it had magical realism, so the ending was cute, sweet and just perfect. It is light on the romance and more of a general fiction, focusing on Catherine trying to get her identity back. Helping her is the doorman in her new apartment building, Luca Morelli, who seems to be more than meets the eye. I enjoyed the residents in the building, the broken elevator and Luca's family members.
Thank you to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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:
Yes
I thought I was reading a rom com and it turned into so much more. I am always a fan of found family. And this one was so well done. They just crept up on you. And Catherine really works at figuring out who she is and what she wants. And while these themes really took center stage when I was reading, there is a romance between Catherine and Luca. And one of my new favorite genres or maybe it’s a trope: magical realism. It plays such a small part to the plot, but it had me tear up at one point. It was like forgetting there was one more cookie left in the bag.
I will say it is only told from Catherine’s POV so Luca’s character is a little less fleshed out until the very end. But seriously with all those beautiful tattoos and scruff, I was intrigued to know more about him from the start.
I loved the opposites attract and grumpy sunshine aspect of the romance. Catherine is so precise in her plans, movements and life, while Luca appears willy nilly in all his choices. But as you can guess, the motives for their actions, slowly become apparent as we get to know the characters better. And while I am not usually a fan of a single POV in a romance, I liked how Catherine discovers more about Luca through all the people around them and how her perception of him changed as her life shifted. They had great chemistry and witty banter and I was rooting for them from the start.
And if you need any more enticement, the supporting characters are so quirky and loveable. A clown, a burlesque troop and a mafia family. They had me in stiches at times, but also had my heart grow with their love and support.
If you are looking for a heartwarming book with a side of swoony romance, this one needs to be on your tbr.