Wish You Were Here: A Novel

I can always count on Renee Carlino to write stunning stories. Wish You Were Here is an emotional, poignant, and beautiful story of love, loss, and soul mates. This is one of those books that rocked me to my core. I started reading it, and to be honest, it didn’t’ hook me at first. The more I read, though, the more I loved it. It affected me so much towards the end, I had to leave my bed and go read on the couch so I didn’t wake my husband up with my crying. Charlotte is in her mid-late twenties, but she still doesn’t feel like she has much direction in her life. She lives with her best friend, Helen, works as a waitress full-time, and is in school… again. This time for cosmetology, which she learns she doesn’t really have a knack for. Along with being a little lost on the career front, she also has a bad picker. Her last few boyfriends have been less than stellar. Then, one night, she meets Adam. Charlotte has never met anyone like this man. He enamors her from the start and she knows it’s only one night, but she’s never felt like this before about anyone. One night is all Charlotte and Adam have, but it’s an unforgettable night. No matter what happens or who comes into her life the next few months, she can’t forget him…. There is so much more I want to say about this story, but I loved being surprised by certain things so I’ll keep quiet about the plot. This book, it moved me. It made me think, made me feel, and really got to me. It’s been a few days since I’ve read it, and it hasn’t left my mind. I love books that have that type of impact on me. They seem to always end up on my favorites list, as I’m sure this one will. Adam is such a beautiful soul. He is an unforgettable character. Charlotte is one of those heroines who I wasn’t sure if I loved at the beginning. She really did change and grow though, and I ended up adoring her. I was blown away by how selfless she was. Wish You Were Here is a story that touched my soul. Carlino’s writing is flawless. If you’re looking for an emotional read with lots of heart, don’t miss out on this book. It’s a top favorite for 2017.

I have been struggling to formulate my thoughts for this review after finishing it almost two weeks ago! Usually I try to write my reviews as quickly as possible, but I have the strongest writer’s block for this book! This is a novel I went into completely blind. I didn’t know much about the story, except for the first line of the blurb: “Charlotte has spent her twenties adrift, floating from interest to interest, job to job, and guy to guy, searching for a spark but never quite finding it.” I like to keep my knowledge of the books I plan to read pretty limited before I start them. I’m anxious about knowing too much and spoiling the story before I even start, especially for this particular title. That’s why I’ve been nervous to share anything about Wish You Were Here with others who haven’t picked it up yet. I want you to experience it! Renee Carlino writes stunning love stories. I love the pacing of her books and the ability to get completely lost in love and simple pleasures. Her writing is magic. When her glitchy Kindle sale happened a couple of weeks ago, I bought up all of her books I’ve yet to devour. After Swear on This Life, she made a lifelong fan out of me. Ok, I’ve beat around the bush for long enough. Let’s get back to this story! The main character, Charlotte was incredibly relatable because she was in her late twenties still struggling to figure life out. She can’t make up her mind on a career, on a man, or much of anything else. While her life is more outwardly “willy-nilly” than mine comes across, I still felt connected to her. I don’t know what I’m doing as an adult and I’m now closer to thirty than twenty. Adulthood rarely pans out the way we expect as children, leaving many of us feeling lost and confused as our ages creep upwards. I appreciate Renee’s ability to create a character that didn’t have it all together and still had plenty to learn. When Charlotte bumps into Adam, she can’t shake their interaction. She is fascinated by his spontaneity and easy-going personality. Like Charlotte, I was instantly drawn to him. He was an excellent character and he added a mystery to the plot that had me turning the pages at warp speed. I wanted to know more about him, to see if my assumptions about his characteristics were correct! This story had just the right amounts of suspense, romance, and day-to-day activity. I loved getting to know these characters and being able to get lost in their lives. Overall, I immensely enjoyed reading Wish You Were Here, but knocked one star off the rating because I didn’t quite experience the intense feelings I would have expected from the subject matter within. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I felt like it was missing a bigger emotional punch. However, I can’t delve too deep into the hows and whys of the disconnect I felt without giving too many details about the story away. That simply means you’ll have to snag a copy of Wish You Were Here and find out for yourself!

Haven't sniffled so much over a book for ages and I just wasn't expecting this to be such a book. Charlotte and her BFF live a mundane life not really committing to or sticking at anything. After an alcohol fuelled night out the girls meet Adam on their way home; he seems to be lost at first but there is an instant connection between him and Charlotte. They end up having a wonderful night together but the next day Adam appears to be a different person and more or less chaces her away. Charlotte tries to move on when she meets Seth, and just when she seems resigned to never seeing Adam again she receives some heartbreaking news. Such a wonderful love story even though it was totally sad, you just must read it. There were a few unbelievable bits and the epilogue which is my favourite bit was miniscule! I wanted to know so much more about Charlotte' s life and what if any job she ended up doing, how Seth's baseball career went, where they lived etc. & I was a bit disappointed but it still cannot take away from those 5 wonderfully emotional stars.

This is the 2nd book I have read by Renee Carlino and I think she is becoming a new favourite. This book was absolutely amazing. I love every character in this book, they all brought something to the table. I laughed, I cried and felt so many emotions going through this book. 5 out of 5!

Renee Carlino is one of my go to authors. I love all her books. She has a way with words that not all are gifted with. I could picture vividly the moment Charlotte met Adam. I love how books could easily do that. It just places you in that moment. The moment she sees his eyes, you see it too like you're there in the sidewalk with them. It's amazing. I read most of this book in the train, like I mostly do and finished this on my lunch break because I just had to finish it. I think that was the mistake I did because it didn't make me feel like it should have. I think I would have loved this book more if I would have properly set a time to experience it. Absorb it. Nevertheless, Renee Carlino is amazing. This book is a definite must read to those who like to feel. This book is for those who love to feel their heart break and to feel hope.

Maravilhoso. Uma temática super envolvente, uma estória de amor, de doação, de superação.. Daqueles livros que não te fazem terminar vomitando um arco-iris, mas te deixam com coração quentinho, típico de um final feliz mesmo depois de muita "perrengueira". Vale muito a pena ler!

I have mixed feelings on this book. I did enjoy it and it got me out of a book funk. I liked the main character at times and then at other times I found her annoying. It is an interesting story and it makes you think. I don't want to give too much away. Very interesting characters and story. I would definitely recommend.