Just One Wish by Aussie author Rachael Johns is a heartwarming, heartbreaking story of family, secrets, betrayal and love. There was much going on in this novel, many issues were covered with the ending emotional and wonderful. A read I thoroughly enjoyed, Just One Wish is one I highly recommend.

Just One Wish by Aussie author Rachael Johns is one of those stories in that the reader is taken on a journey that you don’t want to end.

A heartwarming story of family, secrets and love all of which when combined together make for a great read. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read more books from this author. With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my digital copy to read and review. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

WOW another winner. I would not expect anything less from such an incredible author. Love her work. Her characters come to life and jump off the pages and into our hearts. Loved it

There's nothing more delicious than settling down to read a book that has all the feels: a story with characters you can relate to, a story that has spine-tingling tension, toe-curling romance and twists and turns you didn't see coming. Rachael Johns' "Just One Wish" is exactly that kind of book. There's so much to love about it: a feisty matriarch, a rebellious daughter and an ambitious granddaughter at a cross-roads in her life. It's a cracker of a story that kept me turning its pages until the wee hours! I loved it!

You always know what you are going to get when you pick up a Rachael Johns book. Gripping, gritty family drama with a splash of honour and a whole lot of love. This story of Ged, her mother Sappho and Grandmother Alice has all of that in spades.

Loved every word!

Told from the POV of 30 year old journalist, Geraldine (Ged), this story starts off with her boyfriend declaring he has decided to reunite with his ex-wife and three kids. From there we follow Ged and her relationship with her mother and grandmother, and find out a whole bunch of crazy things happening in their lives.
On the plus side, this book is easy to read and the characters are great. I also feel like the author has improved over the years and her dialogue is now quite natural and free flowing. I particularly liked the theme of feminism and how the author was able to believably write about a trail-blazing feminist grandmother with a daughter (Ged's mother) who has become the poster child for "new domesticity" and being a housewife.
On the down side, it was a bit of a soap opera. I think Johns could have dialled down some of the "secrets" just a tiny bit and not taken away from the story. In fact I think it would have added to it, because it all became a bit farcical at one point.
In saying all of that, I would still recommend this to readers of character driven novels, and especially those who enjoy an Australian setting.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Just One Wish has been a joy to read. This book starts off quite simply with Ged, aka Geraldine Johnston running out on her boyfriend after he informs her that he is getting back with the wife he’s just divorced for the sake of their three children. Enter Ged’s grandmother Alice, and she’s also an aka—Gralice is short for Grandma Alice and she’s just about the most important person in Ged’s life. At her 80th birthday party Gralice announces she’s taking her daughter and granddaughter on a three night cruise. Thus starts a chain of events that catapults us into the story.
This is one of those books that grows on you as you read further. It’s hard to talk too much about the characters or even the events in their lives without giving away the plot but rest assured there is plenty of plot to keep you interested and more than enough twists to keep you guessing. As Gralice once told Ged, “... life isn’t black and white. It’s a million shades of grey and there isn’t one truth that fits everyone.” It’s those shades of grey that made this such a special story and ensured that I was thoroughly invested in the lives of Ged and her family by the time the story ended.

‘All my life I’d felt torn between Mum and Gralice on some level, but this … this was worse than ever because this wasn’t about differences of opinion, this was about matters of the heart. I loved them both and this rift between them was tearing me to pieces.’

Rachael Johns once again provides her readers with a fabulous contemporary family drama through the life experiences and choices of three generations of women. Set in my home state of Victoria and told from the perspective of the youngest family member, Ged (Geraldine), this story follows along as family secrets come to light for all - grandmother, mother and daughter - and the impending implications of the decisions each of them have to make.

This book is reflective of a number of present day multigenerational issues which makes for contemporary reading. Some of the topics raised include: feminism, single parenting, LGBT, impact of social media and aged care being the main ones. There is quite a lot going on here. Whilst I applaud Rachael, I did find that at times the pacing became a little bogged down as so many conversations pertaining to these issues were engaged upon.

Overall, however, reading Rachael’s books is always sure to make you smile, make you think and ponder the deeper, more engaging issues raised. Just One Wish is most certainly a realistic portrayal of the complexity of modern day families that is sure to resonate with many readers.

‘If I’ve realised one thing—perhaps too late—it’s that life isn’t black and white. It’s a million shades of grey and there isn’t one truth that fits everyone.’

What a roller coaster...!!
There are so many twist and turn along the story, so be ready with them.
However, I am bit annoyed of how Marie and Geraldine treat relationship like a game. Thanks to Rachael though to wrap the ending beautifully.
☆☆☆☆/5

I have long been a fan of Rachael Johns and eagerly await all of her releases. I could not wait for the release so raced off to NetGalley and downloaded it. I read the book almost straightaway but then allowed life to get in the way, and now it’s release day so I really best get onto writing the review.
Rachael Johns writes fascinating, strong female characters and Just One Wish brings together three such women in the same family. Three generations of very different women that you can’t help but fall in love with, even when you can’t understand them.
Alice Abbott is a celebrated and well known feminist and scientist, she trailblazed many important changes for women and single mothers as she raised her daughter but she is also Gralice, beloved grandmother of Ged. These two are strong career driven women who know you can’t always have it all so sacrifices will have to be made. Ged is competing for a promotion when we meet her.
Sappho is the woman between these two generations and completely different; her unconventional upbringing set her on a path to find what she felt she missed. She married young and embraced the arts of ‘new domesticity’. Her discovery of social media led her to become @thehappyhappyhousewife on Instagram and become quite the influencer, with so big a following she needs to hire an assistant.
A lot of the contrast between Alice and Sappho is that Alice broke out of conventional female roles and Sappho embraced them. The pair are often questioned about this because they are both quite well known and I loved Alice’s answer (para-phrased) – It’s all about a woman having a choice, and if that’s her choice then that’s what matters.
It was a bit of a bone of contention between them because Sappho always felt that Alice wanted more for her, as well as feeling that she was missing out by not having the standard nuclear family.
We come in as Alice turns 80, and at her birthday dinner she unveils the plan for some quality time with her daughter and granddaughter…. on an Elvis cruise. If I remember correctly, I believe that Rachael Johns actually took an Elvis cruise in the name of research so I’m sure her details are pretty accurate; it would be a little much for me I think.
Alice was certainly thorough and she know how to make sure her guests accompanied her. Ged was lured with the promise of interviews to begin work on the biography of Alice she had always wanted to write, and Sappho was a huge Elvis fan.
Just One Wish takes us on a journey through some major crossroads for these strong, and strong willed, women. there is love, lust, heartbreak, secrets, betrayals and some rather juicy twists.
I engaged with these characters early on and they were all quite sympathetic. There were questionable behaviours and questionable decisions but I found them all to be relatable and understandable so there was never a case of hating on characters because of the decisions that they made. I did find that I could predict a lot of what was going on, but there were some major twists at the end that I did not see coming.
Johns has explored major life issues that affect many of us at some point with her characteristic insight and empathy. Ged, Alice and Sappho face life-altering situations with, where possible and for the most part, the support of a strong, loving, a little unconventional family.
Everything comes at a cost and Just One Wish explores the sacrifices that we have to make to get where we want to be. Johns also explores what happens if we are left wondering if perhaps we sacrificed too much.
I loved this book and I loved the characters. Some of the situations were very new to me and that added a layer of interest to an already engaging read.
Nest Parenting, along with new domesticity, was a new concept to me and neither of these concepts are ones that I could see me ever embracing. Domesticity, of any description, is something that I can’t seem to find the time for but Nest Parenting was a fascinating idea, though not one I think I could ever live. I must say that I can see the merits for children but it would be a special type of parents that could make this work. Thank you for exploring this, it was certainly food for thought.
Just One Wish is an engaging and emotional read that will make you think, and it will make you feel. There were laughs along with the tears and maybe even a couple of terribly Elvis renditions (in my head anyhow).
Rachael Johns can be found on Twitter, Facebook and her Website.
Just One Wish was read as part of the Australian Women Writers Challenge 2019, but I’m still not sure what number… I will check it one day.
I would definitely recommend Just One Wish.

“I want my final message to be that women should reach for the stars and embrace their independence, but that they should also follow their hearts. If I’ve realised one thing—perhaps too late— it’s that life isn’t black and white. It’s a million shades of grey and there isn’t one truth that fits everyone.”

Just One Wish is a novel by award-winning Australian author, Rachael Johns. A break-up with her lover, Christos, a sprained ankle and a crushed mobile phone: Geraldine Johnston’s already horrendous day isn’t going to improve at her mother’s house for a birthday party. Grandma Alice (Gralice) is turning eighty and, gifts received, is insisting that Ged and her mother, Sappho (call me Marie) go with her on a four-day Elvis cruise.

After they pick up their jaws off the floor (how will Ged manage to keep this died-in-the-wool feminist icon and her queen-of-the-new-domesticity daughter from coming to blows?), they eventually agree. Perhaps Ged can nose out some interesting cruise-related articles for her editor at the weekend supplement. The real drawcard, though, is Gralice’s promise to help Ged with the Alice Abbott biography she’s long wanted to write. And any distraction from missing Christos will be welcome.

But Ged wasn’t expecting to meet a handsome, ginger-haired hunk, nor what somehow follows while Marie is busy vlogging and Alice is mysteriously absent. And life from then on gets quite a lot more complicated: latent lesbian tendencies, pregnancy and paternity tests, vlogs and You-tube channels and Instagram followers, secret lovers, adultery and estrangement, publishers and public scandal, illness and regret all feature. Where will it all end?

Johns gives the reader a bunch of fun characters: apart from our protagonist, an Uber driver, a pioneer feminist, a domesticity advocate, a Mars-mission candidate and a pair of gay grandfathers make up the main cast. By the climax, a few of them are walking around with rather large secrets that are not always their own, and she throws them some very realistic life dilemmas.

While aspects of the plot may be fairly predictable, there are also laugh-out-loud surprises and shocks; ultimately, the journey to the bittersweet conclusion is entertaining and enjoyable. Johns touches on several topical themes like social media presence, Mars mission, me-too, and voluntary euthanasia, as well as age-old ones like gender equality. Funny, moving and thought-provoking, this is a delightfully engaging read.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Harlequin Australia.

I absolutely loved this book, but make sure you have a box of tissues handy because the latter part of this story will pull at your heartstrings.

The book explores three generations of women, Alice who turns her back on love because she doesn't want to embrace the patriarchal concept of marriage and goes on to become a well known feminist, while raising a child as a single parent with the help of a gay couple, the grandfathers. Her daughter Sapho, who prefers to be known as Marie, the antithesis of Alice, who having been bullied as a child for her unusual and different parentage, goes on to seek domestic harmony as a stay at home housewife while becoming an Instagram sensation blogging as the Happy Happy Housewife and her granddaughter Geraldine, Ged to her family and close friends.

Ged is a journalist, vying for a big promotion when her boss Darren retires later that year, she's been in a relationship with Christos , a divorced father of three who nest parents with his ex-wife Carly and works at the same organisation as she does, for around a year. When Christos announces that he and Carly are getting back together in a sham marriage "for the sake of the children" Ged's world collapses.

Then Alice announces out of the blue that she is taking Sapho and Ged on an all expenses paid short cruise and at the last minute Sapho's new assistant Rosa joins them.

Life after the cruise will never be the same, family secrets long hidden will come to the fore, relationships will be tested and people will need to work out who they really are and what really matters to them in life.

A beautifully written book about families, communication, expectation and the importance of being true to yourself. You know a book is good when you don't want to put it down to go to bed, you continue reading it at the first available opportunity the next day and you finish it in two sittings. Highly recommended not only to Rachael Johns fans who will love it, but also to anyone who enjoys reading a book with a well crafted and relatable storyline, and believable characters.

Rachael Johns’ most recent novels tackle a range of contemporary and complex issues. Her latest release is no different. My expectations around her books have probably grown over recent years and thankfully she’s giving readers consistently strong characters, interesting plots and challenging us to ponder our own attitudes and beliefs a little as well.

Just One Wish offers up three generations of women. All relatable and very very different.

Geraldine (Ged) and Alice are delightful characters. Sappho (who calls herself Marie) is less likeable, but on purpose as we’ve bonded with her mother and daughter, both of whom are very very different to the woman who brands herself as a domestic goddess of sorts.

Alice turns eighty as the book opens and invites Ged and Sappho on an Elvis-themed cruise to celebrate. It’s a short cruise – thankfully – and very out of character for Alice, but Ged soon learns her grandmother (Gralice she calls her) has an ulterior motive.

Alice has pursued her career, her daughter Sappho, her only distraction. She’s a fervent feminist and passionate about social justice, possibly to the detriment of her relationship with Sappho, who’s promoting the resurgence of domestic arts (cooking, cleaning and being the perfect wife and mother) via a web and YouTube presence. And here Johns again ensures her work reflects contemporary society with Sappho and her assistant Rosa planning their lives – and that of Sappho’s family – around social media and Sappho’s online persona (@TheHappyHappyHousewife).

Ged is a journalist and keen to write her grandmother's story. It's one Alice shares begrudgingly as it means long-kept secrets will be revealed. And of course - as the backcover blurb indicates - all three of our lead characters are at significant turning points in their lives and holding onto more recent secrets. 

I've only been on one cruise and it was predominantly to see my niece who was performing on the ship. I enjoyed it more than I expected however and felt a smidge of cruise-envy when the women spent several days (devoid of responsibility) onboard. Though I REALLY couldn't listen to Elvis non-stop. Or... you know, at all. But Johns gives us that sense of unreality that cruising can offer - an escape from our everyday lives. And even though the cruise itself doesn't culminate in anything drastic, it's sets the scene for what comes next.

I really liked Ged. Johns does an excellent job of placing readers in her world. In her head. And though the book kinda features the three generations of women, it's essentially through Ged's eyes that events unfold. Alice, of course, is feisty and an absolute delight and it's easy to see why Ged's smitten with her. Sappho is a complex character and I was slightly depressed to discover she was only three years older than me as I'd pretty much bonded with Ged by the time we met her mother. Damn this ageing business!!!

But by offering all three generations I think Johns gives a vast array of readers relatable characters.

There’s an underlying theme around acceptance and change (obviously) and the paths our lives take. In some ways we’re reminded that our decisions can have huge repercussions, but perhaps things work out as they should anyway. There’s also a slightly melancholy reminder that we don’t always get what we want, or that we can’t really ‘have it all’, despite the rhetoric that suggests we can.

I pondered whether this was a tad longer than it needed to be (at almost 500 pages), but either way, it is a great read. There’s some discussion around the #MeToo movement, elder abuse and assisted dying. Again it’ll be popular with bookclubs as there’s a lot of topical fodder for discussion and some moral dilemmas thrown in to get readers thinking.

Rachael Johns is pretty much a guaranteed good read for me now. It seems that with each book released, she gets better and better, and yet they're all fantastic. In her latest though, Just One Wish, I feel that Rachael has nudged next level. I'm not sure if it was down to the story being narrated in first person, but there seemed to be an element of humour injected into this story that was both refreshing and highly entertaining. I picked this up as a lunch time read to see me through the week at work and was unable to leave it at that. I was reading it everywhere and all the time, entirely engrossed in this family drama. Rachael unpacks several contemporary issues within this novel and she does so with impartiality and intelligence. I really enjoyed the vibrant conversations between characters and the way she demonstrated a myriad of ideas and alternative lifestyles via her characterisation. This is a novel that hit the right note for me and maintained it throughout.

Just One Wish is a highly engaging and entertaining read with wide appeal to a contemporary audience. Expect the unexpected with this one and clear your schedule – this one is not to be missed!


Thanks is extended to HarperCollins Publishers Australia for providing me with a copy (via NetGalley) of Just One Wish for review.

Just One Wish is the latest piece of fiction from the hand of author Rachael Johns. It's set in Melbourne, Australia and presents to us the lives of three generations of women: Grandmother, Mother and Daughter.

As I read the first few chapters I thought meh, not sure I am going to get into this, and then wham the story sprang to life and all hell let loose. It has so much drama - family drama, going on. As well it explores all kinds of relationships, plus the role of a woman in today's world, what really matters in life, lost love and found love, and mostly being true to yourself.

Alice is the grandmother, she is a woman of science, and believed that it was really important to not have your life dictated by marriage and the need to have a man in your life. How does that pan out? Well in a very interesting way.

Her daughter Sappho is married to Tony and has two grown up children and a couple of grandchildren. She is a stay at home mother with a difference. She is the Happy Happy Housewife with a big following on You Tube and Instagram. However life is about to throw her a curve ball that really puts some spice into the family's life.

Ged is Sappho's daughter. The story is told from her point of view and this really worked well. Ged is a journalist, she adores her grandmother and wants to write the biography of Alice, such an inspiring woman. We meet Ged as she is dealing with a broken romance that she thought was going somewhere. Surprise! Well there are a few surprises for Ged, they come thick and fast.

I loved this family, the falling outs, the helping outs, all the things they have to deal with. The book is well written, once I was into it, I was reading along wondering what was going to happen next. Well worth the read.

Just One Wish by Rachael Johns is a wonderful contemporary family drama contrasting the life experiences and choices of three generations of women.

“If I’ve realised one thing—perhaps too late—it’s that life isn’t black and white. It’s a million shades of grey and there isn’t one truth that fits everyone.”

Journalist Geraldine ‘Ged’ Johnston is heartbroken when her lover, and colleague, Carlos, announces his intention to move back in with his ex-wife for the sake of their children. Fortuitously, her grandmother, Alice Abbott who Ged calls Gralice, surprises her, and Ged’s mother, Sappho known as Marie, with a timely distraction, a three day Elvis themed cruise to celebrate Alice’s 80th birthday. Ged plans to use the opportunity to interview Gralice for a biography she hopes to publish detailing her grandmother’s many achievements as a feminist trailblazer, while her mother views the trip as fodder for her popular ‘Happy, happy Housewife’ online media persona, but Gralice has a hidden motive for the trip, a secret that will prove to have unexpected consequences for all of them.

“In a matter of a month my life had become a soap opera—one in which I’d been forced to take a starring role when I didn’t even want to watch the show.”

Set in Victoria, Just One Wish unfolds from the first person perspective of Geraldine as her life, and the life of her family, is upended by a series of surprises. I enjoyed the complications and drama cantering around three very different, interesting women and the choices they make.

“‘I reckon no matter what choices we make in our lives, we’ll never know for sure if they are the right ones....”

The author touches on a wide spectrum of themes including family, marriage, relationships, feminism, euthanasia, homosexuality, and social media, but it’s Johns’ exploration of the differing ambitions of Alice, Marie, and Ged that I found the most relatable. My mother, whose traditional father felt that teaching or nursing were the only acceptable professions for a woman until she married, has always been ambitious, and worked full time in a number of careers until retirement. I greatly admire her drive, but I know she was disappointed when I chose to go into teaching, married young, and then later became a stay at home mother to four children (and wanted more). My eldest daughter is now in her early twenties, and though she is not ambitious exactly, neither marriage nor children are on her radar. So, I identify with the tension between the three women, borne of generational and personal ideals.

Written with heart and humour, Just One Wish is an entertaining and thought provoking read that will appeal to women of all ages.

P.S. Rachael, hope you don’t mind but I was thinking Jay = Ditch Davey circa Sea Patrol ;)

Geraldine (Ged)’s grandmother was turning eighty and during the family celebrations Gralice (grandma Alice) produced tickets for Ged, her daughter Sappho (Marie) and herself for a girls’ cruise for them to reconnect, have a good time before it was too late. It was only three nights, but it was the coming weekend, so Ged knew she needed to sweet-talk her boss into giving her the time off. Ged was a journalist and loved her work plus she was up for a promotion as the boss was retiring.

Gralice and Sappho didn’t always see eye to eye with Sappho being resentful of her upbringing. But her new fame on the internet with her vlog as the “Happy happy housewife” and her many followers made Sappho realize how much she enjoyed the fame. Ged found herself on many occasions stuck in the middle of her mother and beloved grandmother.

The relaxing cruise which was designed to bring the three women closer together had much more to offer, and suddenly Ged’s life was falling apart. After they arrived home things became markedly worse. Ged felt pulled one way and then the other – could she possibly cope with what was happening? The secret which had remained hidden for fifty years was shattering. Her life was in tatters…

Just One Wish by Aussie author Rachael Johns is a heartwarming, heartbreaking story of family, secrets, betrayal and love. There was much going on in this novel, many issues were covered with the ending emotional and wonderful. A read I thoroughly enjoyed, Just One Wish is one I highly recommend.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

Just One Wish is about family...mothers, daughters and grand daughters and of course....secrets!
Gralice is turning 80 years old, she has always been a career woman, trailer blazer and a single mother.Her daughter Sappho has always been happy as a home maker and is now revelling in the social media realm with a successful housewife vlog. Grand daughter Ged has just broken up with her boyfriend and is a little lost. So it is with great surprise and a little trepidation that the three woman agree to go on an Elvis Tribute cruise after Gralice produces tickets for them.

What can I say, I love Rachael John’s novels. They make laugh, smile and be happy! I enjoyed all these characters and their little quirks. There was a lot of subject matter covered in this book which I don’t want to go into as I think it would give too much of the content away. But I found it very enjoyable while still giving food for thought.
And okay, I admit I had to google ‘Michael Fassbender’.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to review.

Rachael Johns I am in awe of how you bring to life characters and take on issues and subjects that are all important and happening now and turn them into stories that pull me in, have me turning the pages and forgetting what else is going on in life and when I have to put the book down the characters are still running through my mind no matter what I am doing, you have done it magnificently, I loved Alice, Sappho, Ged and the characters in this story, thank you.

Alice Abbott is turning eighty, she has been a strong woman, a single mum, worked as a professor at a university, worked tirelessly for woman’s rights has had honours bestowed upon her, but she decides that it might be time to open up about a few things and spending time with her daughter Sappho and beloved granddaughter Ged on a cruise might be a start.

Sappho is now fifty five happily married, the mother of two children and a grandmother, Sappho or Marie as she is known to most people has discovered social media and is making a name for herself with her love of domesticity totally opposite to her mother’s career and who has not always been close to her mother for lots of reasons, but happily looks forward to the cruise she brings along her assistant to help with work on the cruise.

Geraldine or Ged as she is known to her family and friends is a journalist she is extremely close to her grandmother Alice or Gralice and she is known to her family, but Ged has just broken up with her boyfriend of one year and is feeling a little stressed but when Alice agrees to allow Ged to start writing the biography that she has always wanted to she is more than happy to go.

This is a compelling page turner, MS Johns had me guessing a lot about how things would work out for these three beautiful woman, and she did it wonderfully. This cruise together started the ball rolling on some secrets that had been kept for many years, the emotions flow between them with Ged keeping the peace at times, there were lots of revelations about each one of them, that had them all thinking about themselves and thinking to the future.

This story is about being yourself, doing what is right for you, the love and feelings that flowed were wonderful and I did shed tears, (I am still crying) but there are lots of happy smiles as well in this heart-warming must read story, a little bit of everything in this story and it is one that I highly recommend, thank you MS Johns I loved it.

A cross generational "road trip" featuring 3 generations of lovely ladies from the same family.

Ged, Gralice and Sappho have embarked on this journey together, however secrets and betrayal tear them apart rather than bring them together.

Ms Johns writes these flawed characters with such realism that there could always be at least one character per book that is in our family or our circle of friends. They are warm and loving, however nobody is perfect and it makes them more enjoyable and relatable.

The story flows and is completely engaging. I needed to know what was going to happen with these ladies, so I had to keep turning each page.

I look forward to more of Ms Johns work in the future.