Good Gawd. Wish You Were Here was so heartbreakingly beautiful that I dare you to read it without feeling like it might just change your life. I finished this a week ago, but I just can't stop thinking about it.

It's hard to write this review without giving something away. The best parts will hit you like a ton of bricks, tear you apart, then finally make you whole again. I'm getting emotional right now just writing this review and remembering. It is without a doubt, one of my top reads this year. It'll unleash feelings in you that you didn't even know were there. The connection that Charlotte and Adam have... it's a once in a lifetime kind of thing.

I received an arc from the publisher via NetGalley.

I first wanted to read this book because of my love for Renee Carlino’s Before We Were Strangers. When I finished that book I promised myself I’d read all of her next books.

The story of Wish You Were Here is as beautiful as its cover. I felt so connected with the characters, their struggles and how in the end they’re just people trying to live their lives in the best way that they can.

When the book first starts, Charlotte is a bit lost and adrift, not really knowing what she wants to do with her life. She’s someone who won’t take chances or risk anything real and who always seems to be sabotaging herself, whether it’s by dating the wrong guys or by choosing careers she’s not really interested in.

And then one night she meets a guy. Adam is gorgeous, charming, charismatic and their connection is immediate and they both feel it. They spend an unforgettable night together, but in the morning Adam asks Charlotte to leave and it’s like everything they’ve been through just faded away for him. She leaves his apartment heartbroken and promises herself she’s through with guys for the foreseeable future.

But she can’t quite shake Adam out of her system, even when she meets Seth, who’s really everything one could possibly want.

It’s hard finding the words to say how much I loved this book. It’s so beautifully written, the feelings so raw and real, it’’s impossible not to fall in love with the characters and feel like you’re right there with them.

I don’t want to say much more because I believe this is sort of book you need to go in without knowing too many details. All I will say is that I have so much love for Adam, for Charlotte, for Seth, as well as her relationship with her family, which is so realistic and I think most people with siblings will be able to related to it.

Wish You Were Here made me laugh, ugly sob, smile like a fool and it just took my breath away. I can’t recommend it highly enough. One of the best romance novels I’ve ever read. It’s a story about finding yourself as well as losing yourself, about taking chances and most of all about falling in love and opening yourself up to the sort of forever love we can only hope to find, despite all the odds and baggage

Every once in a while there is a book that not only you can’t put down but it raises emotions that just cause you to reflect on your own choices in life and would you be able to do what is needed for those you love. Wishing You Were Here did exactly that for me and then some.

Charlotte has spent her 20s with no direction or really any ambition; she also hasn’t had a love life to speak of either. Then when Adam shows up unexpectedly in her life the night they spend together was as perfect as she as ever experienced – that is until the next morning when he kicks her out. Now swearing off men until she meets Seth many months later. Seth could be just what she needs but she still hasn’t forgotten Adam the sexy artist and the one perfect night. Then when Charlotte learns what really happened that night Charlotte finally goes after what she really wants and risks it all.

I want to be very careful with my review because I don’t want to give anything away. What I think Ms. Carlino does a fantastic job of, is taking her readers on a journey with a woman who in all honesty needed a wake-up call and she got one. Told completely from Charlotte’s POV you are transported to her world and her journey and ultimately her feeling on love and loss. The exposition is so well done that I could see what she did especially when she is looking at Adam’s paintings. We get to see how her everyday relationships start to mature and change along with her communication with her family especially her brother and father. The dialog is sharp and witty between the characters which I love. You will find yourself both laughing at times and crying (keep the tissue) handy and ultimately rooting for everyone this story touches upon.

I am so excited I found this story – it is so worth the time and possibly the sleepless night to read it.

When you can sit and read a book in one sitting in less than twelve hours, you know it’s good. Renee nailed it with Wish You Were Here. This book is so incredibly heartfelt. This book just further proved that I will read anything Renee Carlino writes.

Renee takes us on a journey of love, loss, and self-discovery. She wrote a wonderful family dynamic and some great friendships. I always love seeing the main character learn or grow in some way in a story and that’s exactly what we see with both Charlotte and Helen.

Add an amazing and sexy one night stand and a baseball player, we have swoon city. I don’t want to give away even a PIECE of this story, but I definitely swooned. I was so irritated with Charlotte at first, but I really started to understand her. I felt for Charlotte. I related to Charlotte. And she was so fortunate to find the love and friendships she had in her life.

I truly loved this story, and I couldn’t imagine anyone not liking it. I feel like there are many different aspects one can relate in this story whether it’s the romance, the friendship or the family aspect because it hits all those places.

"There aren't enough stars up there to match the reasons why I love you."

"I wanted to believe him. I wanted to believe the stranger I had met on the street hours before wasn't just playing me. I wanted to believe he was falling for me."

"He was baring it all for me and I was going to do the same for him, even though I knew it would break me into a million pieces."

Every once in a while you come across a book that is truly epic and moving. The kind of book that will leave you with one hell of a book hangover.

Wish You Were Here is a truly special book that will take you on the most incredible journey of love, missed opportunities, self discovery, friendship and family. The journey that Charlotte, Adam and Seth go on is profound, emotional and at times conflicting. With elements of insta-love, a deep and unforgettable connection and a love that will last a lifetime, their story will captivate your heart and pull you emotions in many directions.

This story has left me speechless and at a loss for words at the moment. I have fallen so deeply in love with the characters, their story and their friendships. I know I that I have just experienced something so precious, that my mind is at a blank, trying desperately to put my thoughts and feelings into words.

Wish You Were Here is beautiful and heartbreaking. It is brilliantly written and is a story that I know will be staying with me for a long time to come. This is definitely one of my favorite books of 2017.

4.5 bittersweet stars

It's not everyday a story comes along, sweeps you off your feet and then completely wrecks your soul. Wish You Were Here took me on a very emotional journey, all the while teaching me some very important lessons in love, life, loss, and finding yourself through the ashes. Definitely one of my favorite reads so far this year!

Carlino is an auto-buy author for me so I didn't even have to read the blurb to know I had to read this book. Going straight in without any pre conceived ideas is just the way I like it, but whatever I may have been subconsiously expecting, it sure as hell wasn't this. I was not prepared for the range of emotions my poor heart would go through.

I loved the characters in this book. Charlotte is someone who I could relate to and I think a lot of other people will be able to as well. She's just been kind of floating through life with no real direction or sense of self. That's a really hard place to sit, believe me I know! One night with a complete stranger changes her life, for the better, forever. Said stranger, Adam, was my favorite character. His outlook on love and life and living in the moment was so contagious. Adam you wonderful, beautiful soul, I love you to pieces. I also really enjoyed the family dynamics. Charlotte and her brother represented sibling banter so realistically. Their parents were also a hoot! The plot flowed so smoothly it seemed effortless. There were times when I wasn't quite sure which way the story would go and appreciated that tiny bit of unpredictability.

I could probably go on and on all day about how epically wonderful this book was but I don't want to give anything away. I read this book within two sittings, it was THAT good. Carlino's writing is as beautiful as ever and completely draws you in, I couldn't tear myself away from it.
She delivers a gut wrenching story with a reminder of how precious life is and to live your life to the fullest. I know I evaluated my own after finishing. For all the Renee Carlino fans, I can't wait for you to read and fall in love with this story. For those who haven't yet picked up a Carlino novel, I urge you to take that plunge! Just make sure you have tissues on hand ;)

This is the first book I’ve read of Carlino’s. I do own, I believe, two of her previous books but I haven’t really gotten a chance to read them. That being said, I love a good romance. One that tears at my heartstrings and makes me feel what the characters are feeling. Unfortunately, for me, it didn’t do any of those things.

One of my main things when I read, is I have to connect with a character. Or I can’t really get into the story. We have Charlotte who’s is rooming with her best friend and has a crappy job. So she’s not in the best place in her life at the moment. Then she meets Adam on the street, whose lost after getting a take out order. The whole time I’m feeling as if their interactions were more awkward than anything. But I trudged along, I wanted to get to the real part of the story.

The twist in this story is pretty heartbreaking. I felt for Charlotte in the moment. But some of the things that happen, throughout the story. Just kind of fell a bit flat. This could be one of those epic romances. But without the connection of these two love birds. It didn’t have that epicness.

Overall, I have to be honest and give this Two Boundless Stars. It was ok but could have been better. But as a reader don’t let this stop you, give it a chance and see what your opinion is.

WOW!! I don’t really know how to express my feelings about this book. This was my first Renee Carlino novel and I absolutely loved it. I will definitely going on to read her other books.

Wish You Were Here was such a poignant story. It was an emotionally charged story that will tug at heartstrings but also leave you feeling full and loved. This story moved at the perfect speed and the flow worked perfectly for this story. I thought this was a well written story. It drew me in right from the start.

I don’t want to say much about the storyline because this is a story that needs to unfold for every reader on its own. I found the premise of this storyline fascinating and it kept my attention all the way through. I loved the characters that are introduced in this story. They had heart and I felt everything they felt. This story was told from Charlotte’s POV only, and normally I would like to have a Dual POV, but for some reason I really didn’t miss it in this book. I think it worked because this truly was a journey for Charlotte and how her life was going to change.

I know this review is short and I am sorry for that, but I don’t think I have to words to do this story justice and I would just have to say….READ this book!! You won’t be sorry.

I am obsessed with Renee Carlino’s books. Before We Were Strangers and Swear on this Life were both so good, I couldn’t wait to dive in to this one!!! Right from the start this book had me hooked! I read half of it in one day which is rare for me these days with a baby! I kept trying to guess what was up with Adam but sort of knew in the back of my mind what was going on. I don’t want to say much more because I don’t want to spoil this book for anyone. Let me just say that parts of this book just broke me in a such a good way. I had a little cry, I had many smiles and all the feels and emotions.

Bottom Line: Renee Carlino has quickly become a must read author for me and I highly suggest this book! I can promise this will be on my favorites list for the year. Shout out to Kristen for letting me know it was on Netgalley.

Rating: 5/5

**I received a copy of Wish You Were Here from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

Wish You Were Here by Renee Carlino is a stunning read. This novel, shows readers what it's like to find oneself and where they fit in the world. The main character has had just as many jobs as she's had boyfriends. Then fate comes shaking her world up...and before she knows it, she's falling in love. Someone else loves her, but she loves the complete stranger instead. Life can be as cruel as it is kind. Love, chances, loss, and new beginnings are found in this emotionally intense tale. I cried, laughed, and fell in love. These characters made the world seem lighter and fuller. Opportunities comes and go...but some may never leave us. Those will end up being a part of our happily ever afters. Maybe. Wish You Were Here was well-written. I was entertained from the first page. I didn't know what to expect next. I liked the susprises. Renee Carlino is talented. Overall, I highly recommend this read to women worldwide.

It's thanks to NetGalley that I found Renee Carlino in the first place and I am so thankful I continue to get approved to read her books. Renee has become one of my favorite authors. Wish You Were Here is now added to the list of favorite books. Loved Charlotte and Adam and mostly I love Carlino's style and way with words. She sets the bar very high with me and every new book is better than the last. Love her!

3.75 STARS

Special thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an early copy!

I cannot wait for new and old Renee Carlino fans to dive into this perfect, romantic summer read!

This book has a beautiful message: everyone deserves to live and to be loved, even if it's for a day or a year or a lifetime, when love finds you, you embrace it and don't ever let it go!

Wish You Were Here is going to warm your heart, shatter it, and mend it all over again! Brace yourselves!

WHAT I LIKED!

Honestly, I wasn't prepared for this book. From the blurb, I thought it was going to take a whole different direction than it did, but you know, I'm glad that Carlino took this story and made it bittersweet because it was different from her previous books, and I thought that was refreshing. This book wasn't predictable and I enjoyed that because I kept guessing about the secrets a certain character was hiding (sorry, I'm trying to keep this vague because it hasn't been released and because this is one of those books where you need to go in knowing next to nothing about the characters or the plot).

One concept I believe Carlino masters well in her books is time. Before We Were Strangers was the first book I read by Carlino and when I finished, I ached. Time had destroyed so many what ifs and could have beens, and I wanted the characters to find each other before it was too late. Similarly, in Swear on this Life, I wanted to see the best friends reunite before they were old and brittle, and I was constantly championing for them to find their way back home to each other. Finally, in Wish You Were Here, I kept telling myself I wish these characters had found each other sooner so they could love a little longer, laugh a little longer, and be with each other a little longer, but life has other plans as Carlino masterfully demonstrates.

I LOVED THE RELATIONSHIPS IN THIS BOOK. Not just the romance, but the sibling relationship, the parent relationship, and the friendship relationship. People can change, but sometimes when people change, instead of drifting away, they come together even closer than before, and I think that's an important theme that I don't see in too many NA novels nowadays! For the record, I did enjoy the romance in this book, and it was completely different than any of Carlino's books, there isn't always necessarily one true love in a person's life, and Carlino wrote this in a beautiful way! I can't wait for you guys to gush over Adam and Seth, they both stole a little piece of my heart (but I personally lean towards Seth because hello, hot vet, yes please!)

Now that I've gushed over the positives of this book (oops I forgot to mention THIS COVER. I AM IN LOVE. It almost tops my love for the Nowhere but Here cover), I must discuss some of the problems I encountered while reading this book.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE!

It's not my favorite of Carlino's I will say, but it's definitely got the Carlino flare that keeps me buying her books. If you're new to Carlino's novels, I think after you finish this one, you'll definitely be grabbing your wallet to buy her other works.

My biggest issue was the characters. While reading I sometimes couldn't believe that Charlotte was 27 because some of her words and actions made her come off as an angsty teenager, and I couldn't quite find myself caring to connect with her because she annoyed me. I sometimes felt that Charlotte had a double standard for herself and her friends, (no spoilers!) it was okay for her to be spontaneous, but it wasn't okay for anyone else to follow their heart and live a little.

Also, ADAM. Please tell me I'm not the only one who thinks Adam could be Will's from Sweet Thing long lost twin because THEIR PERSONALITIES WERE SO SO SO SIMILAR, except Adam was an artist. Adam really had that eccentric vibe that Will had, so if you loved Will be prepared to fall head over heels for Adam!! With that said, the romance between Adam and Charlotte felt too insta-love for me. I thought Charlotte was being really judgmental of Adam when they first met, so when they see each other again in the future, I didn't quite understand how Charlotte felt she was in love with him when their initial connection felt so dry?

So when I was reading the second half of the book, I couldn't find myself caring about their relationship because I didn't find their to be any tension between them in the first place, but you know I loved the message about this book, and that's probably my favorite part of this novel, everyone deserves to live and fall in love even if it's for a day or a year or a lifetime, everyone deserves to be loved!

Everyone make sure to buy WISH YOU WERE HERE when it hits the shelves in AUGUST!!!! Thanks again Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to review this book early, I am seriously forever grateful!!!!

Renee Carlino is my hero! She writes the most captivating and exquisite novels that leave me breathless as a reader. This book is utterly amazing. I am almost at a loss for words because of how beautiful it is and trust me, this doesn't happen often.

Renee Carlino has a gift for writing romance and I have been a true fan of her work since I picked up one of her novels last year. Since then I have been scrambling to read all of her releases because she stands apart from other romance authors. With that being said, I have been anticipating this novel since I saw it was being released and I couldn't be more pleased with how it all turned out. The plot and characters are divine and I couldn't recommend this novel more to fellow readers. Highly recommended!

** Full review to be posted online come release week **

WOW Renee does it again- she has blown me away! I fell in love with her books a couple of years ago and so of course I was excited to read Wish you Were Here!

This book is so beautifully written and a great portrayal of love, friendship, family, loss, and finding yourself. Renée Carlino has created a great tale of love, an unexplainable story of second chances, and an amazing journey of unraveling what love is and truly means while discovering yourself along the way.

Renee is definitely one of my favourite authors. I've always enjoyed her books, some more than others, but overall, I just love the way she writes and the way she describes her characters and makes us fall in love with them, as if we don't have any say in it. But I love them all.

As always, when I read the blurb of this book I got super excited. I just couldn't wait to read it and when Netgalley approved me to read it, I almost died. I was so excited :)

WISH YOU WERE HERE started off quite good, introducing us to Charlotte, her best friend and a stranger walking down the sidewalk with a bag of Chinese food, looking a little bit lost. What we know about Charlotte so far is that she's a little bit lost, too and this short encounter with Adam clears her head in ways she never had before. She might still not know what she wants to be or do with her life, but she now knows what she's supposed to feel like.

The book itself is a fast read and a really enjoyable one. I found it a little bit predictable at times and I couldn't really connect with Charlotte, there was something in her that I just couldn't understand. On the other hand, we have two guys: one that's adventurous, he's passionate and loves deeply and just plain happy but there's something off and then there's the other one, who's just so undeniably sweet and caring and joyful in his own way. I fell for these two, but there was one that took my heart and I don't think, at the end, it was not the on I thought I would fall for.

I read this fast. I finished it in just a couple of days and it kept me interested from page one and I would recommend this to anyone who's looking for a sweet, fast and good story, but even though I liked it enough, it left me with this weird feeling of "I wanted a bit more". I do need this book on m shelf though, if only just for that beautiful cover.

Ok. Here I am with the unpopular opinion. I know this will be a well-loved story and it has many great points. The problem for me came with the disjointed feel of the story. In order to move the story forward, It felt like we skipped and jumped through certain things to get to the 'good' parts.

There were several fabulous characters in the story, but I feel like there was very little introduction to them. It seemed like the author just assumed that we knew these characters and we should love them because she wants us to, not because we have gotten to know them and have fallen for them completely.

There were many great things about this story and the parts that bothered me don't seem to be bothering others. I appreciate that the author showed such great emotional growth for Charlotte. We watch her grow from an immature flake to someone who looks to care for others. I also loved the intensity and spontaneity of Charlotte and Adam's interactions.

What I'm trying to say is that while overall I didn't love it as much as I have past titles by this author, there is still plenty to love and enjoy.

I have a lot of wishes related to this story...

I wish the book hadn't ended.
I wish I had my own Adam.
I wish I had my own Seth.
I wish Renee was a super human and could publish a book every month so I never had to wait for her magic again!

Charlotte's story with Adam and Seth is beautiful, heart breaking and life affirming. Renee's books have always held a bit of magic for me. The way she develops her characters, the slow burn you feel as the story come together, the inevitable angst, and of course, a happily ever after. I haven't decided yet if Wish You Were Here will replace Sweet Thing as my favorite of hers yet. Guess I'll have to re-read them both and then figure it out. Oh darn, another Renee re-read. Someone save me. Hopefully you can see my eyes rolling and feel the sarcasm there because seriously, we all know Renee's books are better the second time around!

If you've read and enjoyed any of her books before, you will love this one too. It's contemporary and though the blurb implies a love triangle, it's really not. Charlotte's journey with both of the wonderful men in this book make sense once you get to the end. You'll just have to cry a little to get there. Or a lot in my case since I woke my husband up at 1am while crying about this book. Whoopsie!

It's hard to express the things I most enjoyed without giving the storyline away but I will say that I was conflicted a few times regarding Seth and Adam. I was even a little conflicted on the storyline and where it was going. Not that I didn't enjoy it, it just made me feel so many emotions that I went back and forth. I think for those that believe in Fate or that there is a reason for life turning out the way it does, this book will speak to you. When I reached the end of the story, every tear I cried and every chuckle was worth it and made sense. Charlotte goes on the journey she's meant to, as do Adam and Seth. The connections between them all were meant to be and that really gave me a true sense of happily ever after.

Thank you, Renee, for another fabulous book! I can't wait until the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've really enjoyed every book I have read by Carlino and this is no exception to that. This one was slightly more romance novel-ish with its storyline, though, and some of it was a little much, making me knock it down a star. I felt frustrated with Charlotte at times and there is some instalove going on, which is a book pet peeve of mine. Despite this, the writing is really solid, and Carlino has a gift for tugging at your heart strings. This was very much a book I really liked despite so many things that could have made me dislike it, just because of my personal preferences. It's a book that I think many will love, especially women's fiction and romance readers. It delivers so much of what those readers want. It's that cynical side of me that has issues with some of the tropes of those genres, but there are certain authors who write so well that they draw me in and make me love their books anyway. I do recommend this one, but will caution anyone who is a cynic and doesn't fall for the instalove kind of storylines. This one may not be your cup of tea. But if you love women's fiction or romance, I think this is one you will super puffy heart love.

INFINITE STARS!

Wish You Were Here is a coming of age story filled with second chances, family, friendship, love, soul searching, and personal growth. You'll laugh. You'll cry... But most of all you'll fall in love.

Rénee Carlino is a literary poet. A genius, who weaves words together beautifully, creating a life changing story.

Charlotte is a phoenix. She rised from the ashes and became a wonderous individual to behold. She hit some bumps and endured some bruises along the way, but she was strong, she was brave, and she overcame it all. She's a character I will look back on fondly and when it comes time to read this book again, I'll just greet Charlie like we're old friends who hasn't spoken in a while. She'll always be tied to a part of my very being and that's for sure, but it doesn't just end with her. You'll connect with all the characters on a personal level because in their own ways they too are so dang on beautiful.

Wish You Were Here was my first read by Rénee and it completely destroyed my soul! This is a book that will alter the way you view your life. You'll long for more way before the story ends. You'll feel the need to just love harder as you get lost in this wonder world created by Rénee Carlino.

This story will stay with me forever. I have no doubts about that. Somewhere between the beginning and end of reading this story, I felt everything. I felt hope, loss, heartbreak, faith, and love. I cried, I laughed, I felt angry. I was so deeply connected to this story that with each flip of the page, I prayed for a happily ever after and that it wouldn't end. Charlotte, the main character, represents a vast majority of twenty-somethings and their journey to finding themselves with and without love. It was an incredible experience. At some point I was absolutely devastated, I wasn't sure my heart could read any more. But somehow, by the end of the book, somewhere in those final paragraphs, my heart grew whole again. I needed this story and Renee delivered in the most beautiful, heart tugging way. This story, I know, will be etched in my memory always. Words aren't enough to describe how grateful I am for her words. This book, one thousand percent, is her best work yet.