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A review by tshepiso
Her Every Wish by Courtney Milan
4.0
As someone just sinking their teeth into historical romance, it's refreshing to see a story free from the dukes, viscounts, and earls that normally litter these types of stories. Her Every Wish follows Daisy a working girl with aspirations to start her own business. With the help of her former lover Crash the two work together to refine Daisy's presentation for a grant that could jumpstart her career.
Her Every Wish is one of the best second-chance romances I've read. I do often find writers struggle to convey the history of a couple and the reason they broke up in a convincing way. But here Courtney Milan manages to craft an incredibly compelling couple and a meaningful split between the two. While Crash and Daisy's split was due to miscommunication Milan unravels the emotional centre of Crash and Daisy brilliantly. The hurt on both sides felt justified and palpable. The two demonstrate growth and understanding as the novel unfolds making their finally getting together all the more satisfying.
I think another reason I love this novella so much is its length. Not only is Milan able to squeeze in fantastic character work in an astonishingly short page count. But because this book is so short there isn't room for a tedious third-act breakup. The novella sees Daisy and Crash work through their problems as the book unfolds culminating in their choice to be together.
Another strength of this book is the themes it unpacks. Here Milan tackles racism and misogyny in Victorian England and especially shows what it looks like to cultivate resilience in the face of societal scorn. I especially found Crash's pride in his heritage as the mixed-race son of who polite society would consider whores and sailors moving.
Ultimately Her Every Wish is an incredibly solid story. Crash and Daisy were a convincing couple I easily rooted for and seeing them find their way to each other was consistently compelling.
Her Every Wish is one of the best second-chance romances I've read. I do often find writers struggle to convey the history of a couple and the reason they broke up in a convincing way. But here Courtney Milan manages to craft an incredibly compelling couple and a meaningful split between the two. While Crash and Daisy's split was due to miscommunication Milan unravels the emotional centre of Crash and Daisy brilliantly. The hurt on both sides felt justified and palpable. The two demonstrate growth and understanding as the novel unfolds making their finally getting together all the more satisfying.
I think another reason I love this novella so much is its length. Not only is Milan able to squeeze in fantastic character work in an astonishingly short page count. But because this book is so short there isn't room for a tedious third-act breakup. The novella sees Daisy and Crash work through their problems as the book unfolds culminating in their choice to be together.
Another strength of this book is the themes it unpacks. Here Milan tackles racism and misogyny in Victorian England and especially shows what it looks like to cultivate resilience in the face of societal scorn. I especially found Crash's pride in his heritage as the mixed-race son of who polite society would consider whores and sailors moving.
Ultimately Her Every Wish is an incredibly solid story. Crash and Daisy were a convincing couple I easily rooted for and seeing them find their way to each other was consistently compelling.