3.5 stars

I really wanted to love this book but I spent most of the time hating the main girl. I did tear up a few times but the story didn't grab me as much as I hoped. Not everyone reads books the same way, I guess.

This book brings forth ALL the emotions!! This book will wreck you. But then it soothes you. It's just a testament to the power of love.

Charlotte is over her life. She's a waitress in her 20s at a place she doesn't like, rooming with her BFF in LA and just looking for her life. She meets Adam who challenges her to do things outside of her comfort zone, expand her mind and horizons. At least for the evening they talked and lived.

Six months later, Charlotte meets up with Adam and he's challenging her and her ideals again.

This book will definitely pull you through the wringer. But it has such a relevant underlying message that you just have to read it!

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Holy moly..what a ride! I learned to go with the flow and it's a good thing cause this story, Charlotte's journey, took me places I wouldn't have imagined. It's certainly an emotional journey and I found myself slowing down and pace myself lol.
Kinda strange but then again I needed to think and make sense of my emotions.
Charlotte and Adam just hold me captive and , Charlotte especially, made me question a lot in a whole range of emotional peaks.
It was totally unexpected and felt so real to me, I was so invested..no jokes..I don't know how the author did it but dang, I was consumed.
All I can say is..read this story and do it now!

This book is love, loss, heartache, and hope. It’s a book that will have you smiling one minute and brushing away a tear the next. Wish You Were Here is a breathtaking, emotional journey from start to finish.

These characters and their story are truly unforgettable. My absolute favorite thing about this book was Adam. I loved his spontaneity and just all-around adorableness… sigh. He was simply wonderful.

Renee Carlino has completely outdone herself with Wish You Were Here. It’s moving, powerful, and stunningly beautiful. I know it’s a book I’ll be thinking about for years to come.

“Your art, our memories, the memories people have of us . . . it makes us immortal. When you love someone, whether it be your family, friends, partners, whatever, it’s like planting a little seedling of yourself inside of their hearts.”

I found myself saying "just one more chapter" at 2:15 am. The only time I was able to put this book down was to grab another tissue. What an emotional journey. This bittersweet love story was incredible. I wasn’t just full-on emotional wreck while reading Wish You Were Here. The dialogue between Charlotte and Chucky was hysterical. If you are in the mood to read a book full of the feels and heartbreakingly beautiful, this is the book for you. Wish You Were Here made me think about my own life and served as a reminder appreciate every little moment no matter how small or insignificant. Live, love, laugh, and leave your mark on the world.

This review appears on www.kindlecrack.net, www.facebook.com/kindlecrack, Goodreads, Amazon, Pinterest, Google+ and Twitter. A review copy of this book was kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

This novel didn't turn out to be what I was expecting. I'm not a big romance reader and when I started reading this I started to get a bit worried. However, I ended up getting carried away with the story and quite enjoyed it.

Charlotte is in her twenties, lives with her bestie, Helen and has no idea what she wants to be when she grows up. She's had many odd jobs and just as many odd men. No really......very odd men. One who freaked out every time he saw an El Camino, another who liked to wear her underwear, and another....well you get the gist.
Then she meets a handsome stranger roaming around the streets late at night, with a bag of Chinese food.

Charlotte has never been into random hook-ups but she feels like she's known Adam forever. After an amazing night with the mysterious painter, she starts to wonder if her luck might be changing.
However, the next morning things take a turn...

Charlotte's feelings and her pride are hurt. Then Helen makes a shocking decision that leaves Charlotte feeling even more adrift. And she is still having a hard time putting Adam out of her head....or her heart.
When she finally does meet another guy she's leery of getting involved. But the handsome baseball player doesn't give up and just as her heart starts to thaw...

Suddenly EVERYTHING changes.

I usually have a hard time with romance and insta-love. I think I need to stop being so cynical. Charlotte was a great character and I enjoyed seeing her grow and change. I loved the relationship she had with her family, especially her brother. Her best friend Helen was a blast. I wondered about a couple of her decisions, but I told my cold heart to be quiet and just enjoy.

A romantic, heartwarming, and sexy story with many laugh out loud moments. However, this was also a very powerful and moving story with heart wrenching moments that hit me right in the gut. This was my first read by Renée Carlino and I really don't think it's going to be my last.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for providing an advanced readers copy of this book for me to read in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars - rounding up to 5. It wasn't a total 5 for me only for the reason that the ending just came a little too easily - life doesn't work that way for me, or anyone I know...which is why I read books!!!

This is possibly one of the most heart-wrenchingly beautiful stories I have read. I sobbed like my heart was broken for a good portion of this, mostly because it was. Life is just so damn unfair sometimes!!! This was filled with selfless love and difficult choices, that really truly were easy when you have a beautiful heart. I know that doesn't really make sense. I don't want to spoil anything, because you just have to go with the story. I am a complete spoiler junkie - and I had to stop myself so many times from trying to find out what was up with Adam, and I am grateful that I did. I will think about this book for a long time.

I enjoyed a lot of it, it fits the bill for Atria's New Adult/Contemporary line and has a few swoony moments. There are parts that fell flat though, especially in regards to character development. Charlotte's reliance on a man to give her a focus bothers me, as does Seth's flat existence. Recommended, just not preferred..

3.5 stars! Wish You Were Here was one of those stories that slowly builds a little nest in your heart until it decides it's not going anywhere. The characters were well developed, expect nothing less from Carlino, and you start falling in love with the little pieces of their souls that make them who they are. You feel the pain and stabs of life that get thrown at them. This book reminds you that life is short and you need to go out there and do the things that feel right for yourself. Even if they may end up badly, make every choice worth it. This isn't necessarily a book about love for someone else but more about loving yourself enough to go love someone wholly.

*minor spoilers ahead*

I am a big fan of Renee Carlino's books, and I couldn't wait to get started on Wish You Were Here. The cover is one of my favourites of this year, and written by an author I love? There was no way I was turning down this book. Unfortunately, for me, it fell short. I am hugely in the minority with my feelings on this book, my timeline was filled with people shouting their love for it around release, so don't just take my word for it, give it a try for yourself, you might just love it.

So anyway! I loved the start of the book. There was so much mystery surrounding this kinda crazy and impulsive guy the main character, Charlotte, meets, and I couldn't wait to unravel the story surrounding him. As the story goes on, we meet other people, one who I completely fell for, and again, I couldn't wait to keep reading to see how it would play out, and all the while, Charlotte annoyed me. She was so standoffish, and I get it, to a point, but she came across rude and I can't stand rude people.

At a certain point, revelations are made and twists and turns happen, and I know I was supposed to have all these feels, but I just couldn't muster them. Charlotte completely changed as a character, and it was all so unbelievable. I know, I know, it's fiction, it's not real, but going from someone with no ambitions, to being the captain of a boat after 1 lesson...I'm not buying it, even with what the message of the book was. As for the ending... I liked it, but I still had no feels and after everything that had happened...I don't know. I would have liked it more if I'd connected better to the story and the characters, I think. But as I said, don't just take my word for it. Go read. Hopefully it works for you.

** spoiler alert ** I'm not really sure what this book should be, but I read it in a day and was really curious where it was going. I had forgotten what it was about so when I picked it up it was with zero expectations.

Was Adam a thief? An identity stealer? Just a liar? Then I got he had a short term memory issue fairly quickly ... but was really sad when I found out it was cancer. I really enjoyed the story between Charlotte and Adam.

What I didn't get was why Seth latched onto Charlitte the way he did. He mentioned her sense of humor grabbed him ... but that wasn't her, it was her brother. He said she was gorgeous ... but he couldn't even see her face in the profile pic. It was just odd how he thought she was so special, but the author didn't really show us that or why. It's almost like she became this special girl AFTER Adam died.

Her dad bugged me too. He seemed indifferent to Charlotte, Charlie being the favorite all the time. But then he changes his mind on a dime. I know Charlie explained the situation to him, but it didn't jive with what the author told us in the beginning.

Some odd character development aside, the story was good and uplifting and maybe even inspirational for some 20-something out there that doesn't know what to do with their life. Except maybe find a dying hot guy and inherit a million bucks?

When I read the synopsis for the book, I was immediately intrigued. When I heard it had some romance, I got excited. When I sat down and read it, I didn't love it.

Charlotte is a flighty lady in her twenties and hasn't found her true passion. She has hopped from job to job and relationship to relationship and nothing is sticking. She has a magical night with a random guy and then he disappears. Then she starts something with another guy and then things just go all wonky!

I don't love books where female characters entire world seems complete once they find the right guy. I just wanted Charlotte to find satisfaction and contentment without needing a guy to hold her hand.

I also didn't love the pacing or flow of the book - it felt so bouncy and all over the place. First Charlotte was headed in this direction then when a guy spoke up she bounced over here and I just couldn't buy into her and her story.

I love a romance book, but for many reasons this one just didn't work for me.

When I read Swear on this Life, I thought man I like this even though it's the type of book I usually hate. I thought the same thing when I was reading this. So maybe I do like these kinds of books. Or maybe I just like Renee Carlino. Her writing touches me.


Free e-book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

“Love is a wordless secret; It’s an inside joke. Only the two of you have to understand it.”

Beautiful and heartfelt, and once again, Renee Carlino has delivered the touching prose she does so well! Wish You Were Here is a thought provoking, poignant, and remarkable story about self-discovery and love. At its essence, this is a story about love. Whilst this isn’t a gut wrenching sob your heart out story, there were certainly times we read through tears, courtesy of some very moving moments in Renee Carlino’s latest romance.

“Do you believe in soul mates, Charlotte?”
“I think so.”

This author cemented our belief that people come into our lives for a reason, that each person we meet, be it good or bad, becomes part of our fabric. Each person we give our hearts to leaves a footprint on our lives, responsible for how we live and love, and for Charlotte Martin, this couldn’t be more accurate when she meets Adam. Charlotte could never imagine the impact this man would have on her.

‘You broke his damn heart.’

There are those who will arrive in a blaze of glory, unsettling our foundations, forcing us to see inside ourselves, and for Charlotte, that person was Adam, and it was because of Adam that Wish You Were Here had us hooked from the outset. Adam was such an intriguing character and the way Renee Carlino set up this story, dangling those little emotional carrots, preparing our hearts, repairing our hearts, left us breathless.

“Different people connect to different parts of our souls.”

Adam and Charlotte had a true connection and we felt it. It was as though they’d crossed paths in a previous life and found each other again. That sort of soulmate love, but the planets weren’t aligned and Adam and Charlotte part ways, though Charlotte never forgot the man who impacted her so deeply.

Time goes by and Charlotte meets a soulful and beautiful man named Seth Taylor, and oh boy did this man steal our hearts. Seth is the sort of man a girl dreams of and we loved him deeply.

And here is where Wish You Were Here lost us in some ways. Charlotte’s treatment of Seth was awful. Seth was such a sweet character, that Charlotte’s actions towards him incensed us. There were times we felt as though Seth was merely a distraction for Charlotte. A means to while away the time while she secretly hoped her path would once again cross with Adams, and Seth didn’t deserve that. We felt Charlotte was insincere to Seth and it was as though Charlotte was continually on the defensive. Always quick with a hurtful jibe or bratty pout, not only towards Seth, but towards her friend Helen also. When reading, we always put ourselves in the heroines shoes, to try and relate to her, to understand he feelings and action; sadly in this case, we couldn’t.

Now, that being said, we did love this book. We did become swept up in this story, which in itself was heartfelt. The two men in Charlotte’s life were divine, and there’s no doubt Renee Carlino kept us on our toes wondering how this story would play out. The writing was stunning, with Renee Carlino delivering a love story with warmth and honesty and two men our hearts ached for . And each made moved us for very different reasons.

“Your art, our memories, the memories people have of us. It makes us immortal. When you love someone, whether it be your family, friends, partners, whatever, it’s like planting a little seedling of yourself inside of their hearts.”

Renee Carlino certainly tugged at our heartstrings, but she also provided light relief courtesy of some fabulously witty secondary characters. The insulting banter and witty sibling rivalry between Charlotte and her brother Charles was priceless! Chuck needs his own book! So whilst we did have issues with the heroine, there’s no doubt the story itself and the characters reminded us why we continue to pick up this authors books time and time again, and why we always will.

5 Beautiful Breathtaking Stars!

It's been a while since I've read a book that has had all of my emotions through the ringer. But Wish You Were Here most certainly did that for me!
This is going to be a short but sweet review for me as there is no way I am giving away anything about the book. It is most definitely best if you go in blind, not knowing what to expect. That's how it was for me and I wouldn't change it in any other way.
What I will say is that this is, you will love, you will laugh and you will cry. Oh how you will cry.
You will be hooked right from the start of this guy wrenching story and you will devour it in no time. I devoured it in one sitting and I'm left with so many feelings it's hard to process them all at once. It certainly makes you think about love and how life if precious and to live life to the fullest.
It's an epically beautiful written book that has been added to one of my favourite reads of this year!

Lovely. Reminds the reader to live life to the fullest and not to take anything and anyone for granted. Heartbreaking.

Wish You Were Here is only my second Renee Carlino book and I'm sitting here wondering why I still haven't put life on hold to read her entire back catalogue.

From the moment I read the blurb I was instantly fascinated with how this story was going to play out. I really didn't except to like Wish You Were Here as much as I did! I didn't expect to feel all the feels I did and cry all the tears I did!

But from the first chapter of Wish You Were Here, I was frustrated.

Charlotte and her best friend Helen live together and work together and have an incredibly frustrating if not slightly toxic friendship. While they know each other better than they know themselves, half the problem with there friendship is that they know each other but they don't know themselves. Charlotte and Helen unintentionally hold each other back, they're polar opposites as well. Charlotte comes across as a negative and cynical person while Helen is bubbly and positive. They treat life completely differently and are essentially chalk and cheese.

In the first 25% of the book Helen is dumped and forces Charlotte to go on a night out and celebrate her knew single-dom. While on there way home from the bar they run into Adam. Adam is a breath of fresh air to the story if not also slightly perplexing. After Charlotte and Adam spend the night together he almost becomes a completely different person come the morning.

This one action of Adam's is what kept me reading Wish You Were Here and is also the point where I was completely hooked and needed to know how Charlotte and Adam's story would end.

Then Adam disappears. Enter Seth... Charlotte meets Seth. Seth likes Charlotte. Charlotte is self absorbed and holding herself back from experiencing love and life. Seth is too good for Charlotte.

I adored Seth and Adam from the first moment they both appeared in this poignant story. I almost instantly disliked Charlotte and as the story went on I disliked her even more.

But then Wish You Were Here took a unique turn and Charlotte grew on me and became a character that I admired.

I don't think I've ever read a book that had me as frustrated and confused as this book did. I'm so incredibly glad that I persevered and finished this impeccable story of love, heartbreak and life. It took so many twists and turns that I wasn't expecting and had me rocking in a corner with tears rolling down my face numerous times. Renee Carlino is a phenomenal writer. I've never loved a book that I started out barely tolerating and i believe this is a huge compliment to the type of writer Renee is. How many times can you say that due to an authors incredible writing that you've gone from tolerating a book to it being a favourite?

The story of Charlotte, Adam and Seth is a truly beautiful experience. One that I'm thankful I got to read. Renee Carlino has instantly become a favourite author of mine purely for her magical writing. There's no other way to describe her writing but magical!

I can't recommend Wish You Were Here enough. If you're looking for the type of story that makes you feel everything then this is that story!

4.5 stars.

“You brightened the darkest time of my life.”


I'm not crying, you are. Ugh this book was actually really amazing. I went in blind so I actually had no idea what was going to happen. I loved the characters and how some of the scenes played out. The story just felt real, raw, and full of emotions.

My poor heart. Recently all the books I've read and loved have made me cry in some way or another. This is also the first m/f book I've read in a very long time that I actually enjoyed.

“I promise to love you forever. As long as there is love in this world, we will be a part of it.”


Wish You Were Here is one of those books that opens your eyes. No matter how gut wrenching it is. It tells you to live your day like it's last, to never take it for granted. And we all do. No matter how much we deny it.

And at times, I did wish the story took a few different turns - mainly that ending. But again, that's my personal opinion. Hence the reason I took the .5 off. But I do understand why everything happened the way it did. It made sense.

It seems as though Renée Carlino is a hit or miss author for me. The first book I read by her I absolutely loved, Before We Were Strangers. I was eager to read more by her so looked to her backlist. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with After the Rain. Next, I tried reading Swear on This Life. While I liked the first 75%, the ending disappointed me.

Now we have Wish You Were Here. The premise and blurb sounded really good and intrigued me. The first few chapters kept my attention, however, I didn’t really like the whole ‘love at first meeting’ thing; but I tried to put that aside because… it is a romance. But the more and more I read, the less interesting it got, and the less believable it became. I also thought the writing was poor. It might be cliche to say, but to me, the writing was a perfect example of an author telling a story, as opposed to showing.

I wasn’t really interested in Charlotte nor could I understand her attraction to Adam. I would have loved to have seen more of Seth in the story. I felt like he was barely a presence in the book – which surprised me based on what the blurb says.

It pains me to say all this because I really truly loved Carlino’s Before We Were Strangers. I recommend that book to anyone and everyone! I’m sad I can’t say the same of Wish You Were Here.