As a busy working mom, I found The Wishing Star by Susan Hatler to be a delightful and uplifting read that perfectly captures the essence of love and the magic of second chances. This charming story follows a protagonist who discovers that sometimes, the wishes we make can lead us to the most unexpected and fulfilling paths.

Hatler’s writing is warm and engaging, creating a cozy atmosphere that draws you in. The characters are relatable, and their journeys of self-discovery and romance resonated with me, reminding me of the beauty of pursuing our dreams and believing in love.

Final Thoughts:
The Wishing Star is a heartwarming, feel-good story that’s perfect for moms looking for a little escape and inspiration. It’s a lovely reminder that life’s most precious moments often come from taking a leap of faith, making it a must-read for anyone in search of hope and happiness!

This book has many layers to it and you see the character Charlie grow and look back over her life and also what is taking place at the present and what is happening will affect her as it did in her past with her ex-rock star husband. She also looks at life differently as we all do when we have life experiences and now make different choices. A really good book with wonderful characters.

The Wishing Star by Susan Hatler.
Charlie Rockwell’s divorce from her rock star ex left her with a broken heart, a mansion on the bluffs in her hometown of Blue Moon Bay, and an empty back account. Now, Charlie has to generate enough income to keep the house she loves. When producers of the soap opera, Just One Love, offer to rent Charlie’s house for a sizable fee, Charlie’s tempted. Only she wants nothing to do with the spotlight or dating someone famous again, and the show’s sexy star, Luke Montgomery, has her in his sights. Reluctantly, Charlie agrees to rent her home and vows to stay out of Luke’s way.
Devoured this book. I loved Charlie. I read in one sitting. Loved it. 5*.

Reall like the characters and storyline. If you like Susan Mallery you should definitely read this book. It was great.

I have read loads of Susan Hatlers books now and they do not disappoint. This was another lovely read, I like all the characters in Blue Moon Bay and love them all – can’t recommend these books more for a light, easy romantic read.

THE WISHING STAR by SUSAN HATLER

A cute and charming Summer read, perfect for the pool or beach.

*Special thanks to #NetGalley and Hatco Publishing for a free, electronic ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.*

All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this immensely! Having read a few psychological thrillers back-to-back this was a refreshing change of pace and a needed ‘fluff-read’ to shake out the distressing cobwebs.

I was unaware this was not a stand-alone book, but in fact is Book 3 of a series called Blue Moon Bay, since I had no issue jumping right in. The first two books are not needed to enjoy this one and what a joy it was! Right off the bat I was intrigued as the book opens on a bit of a down note and we find our MC discussing the failure of her marriage, but not just to any old man, but to a ROCKSTAR!

WHAT!!!? Tell me more!

Turns out Mr. Rockstar let his fame go to his head and pulled the oldest deception in the proverbial book – dabbled where he shouldn’t plus forgot who put their life on hold to help him realize his dreams. Cue divorce. Retreating to her hometown to lick her wounds and left with nothing but an indebt ‘mansion on the bluffs’, a serious case of near-agoraphobia and nothing but dashed dreams, our MC Charlie has had better days. Heck better decades.

When her lawyer gives her the option of writing a tell-all book with an advance that would solve all her problems, Charlie thinks getting even almost sounds good – the money sure would help, but ultimately decides against it as it is not in her character. Instead she opts for Door #2 and a full-on camera crew to shoot some episodes of her favourite soap opera at her ‘mansion-on-the-bluff’, which ironically turns out to be the ideal location for a month long beach storyline the producers want to do.

Enter screen heartthrob Luke Montgomery, our MC’s secret crush. Giving up her treasured privacy to an entire film crew, actors and all the workforce that comes along Charlie is at first beside herself with the chaos. Until a chance cameo on the soap reignites her ambition to act and becomes more than she could have expected. Can Charlie finally have her dreams?

When sparks fly between the two, off camera as well as on, Charlie is uncertain if her heart can handle another relationship in the spotlight. Enter the jealous onscreen co-star, the equally jealous ex-husband, the sudden film opportunity and the prospect of a long distance relationship and our MC is ready for the padded room.

Can Charlie have what she has always wanted – a career and a relationship? Can she open her hear once again to love in the spotlight, this time on equal footing?

A fun read with a satisfying ending. Even if you know what it will be, there is still loads of fun to be had on the way there.

The characters were well developed and I liked that they grew from their experiences, and I found I wanted to be friends with Charlie, if only but to tell her to stop resting her laurels on a man and go for HER dreams for once!

Goodness me!

The dialogue was witty, even laugh out loud in some places. If the rest are as fun as this one, I cannot wait to devour those as well!

A delightfully romantic quick-read with just the right amount of steam.

I highly recommend it for sitting at the pool, in the shade, cool beverage at hand. Solid 4.5 our of 5.

4/5

#TheWishingStar
#NetGalley

The Wishing Star by Susan Hatler provides the perfect balance of a engaging characters, family drama, unexpected romance, and personal growth. Charlie is broken hearted, emotionally damaged, and financially struggling after her recent divorce, Luke is a successful actor on Just One Love with a playboy persona. Their paths cross when Charlie rents out her home to the show.

This is book three in the Blue Moon Bay series. I have not read the first two but I had no issues jumping right in and quickly rooting for Charlie to make her dreams as an actress a reality, Charlie took a back seat to her divorced ex-husband and when an opportunity to act in Just One Love comes up she takes it. What was supposed to be a brief cameo develops into something more. Something more also seems to develop with Luke. But, Charlie has not only her own broken heart but Luke’s playboy past to overcome.

What follows is a delight as we see if Charlie can step out of her own broken dreams, and find success in love and in her career. This book is a wonderful story of renewal. The Wishing Star encouraged me to take a deeper look at some lingering demons long suppressed. The message of breaking out of your past and making your own future is strongly satisfying.

I was provided a free advance reader copy from Hatco Publishing in exchange for my honest review on Net Galley. The opinions shared in this review are my own.

I enjoyed this story, Charlie feels so defeated in life and her determination to rise above as well as the chance for a second chance at love makes this story flow and leaves you wanting more. Definite beach read!

Cute little romance read!
Characters were likeable although I felt they were a little immature and unrealistic as adults.

A cute little cheesy romance as a quick summer read. The cuteness of it was good but it was missing some maturity for me. Though I did enjoy the quick read and the characters were decently likeable, it didn’t seem super realistic to me

The Wishing Star by Susan Halter was such a sweet book and a quick read! Charlie's ex husband has left her in a pickle so she decides to rent out her beautiful beachside home for her favorite soap opera, Just One Love, for some on location filming. Little does she know she'll end up staring alongside a handsome leading man who she shares chemistry on and off the screen. Can Charlie open her heart after a rocky divorce or will obstacles keep them apart?

This was an easy , fast paced read about moving on and second chances.
The characters were enjoyable, some more than others. (Charlie's sister Claire was a bit annoying). The plot was fun, if a bit predictable. Overall a great summer read that left me laughing a bit and smiling.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

After the separation from a famous man who is a singer and cheated on her, Charlie Rockwell return to her hometown. Monay is scarce, so she accepts suggestions from soap opera producers Just One Love, who offer to rent her house for a substantial fee. And coincidentally, she was given the opportunity to play a role in the Soap opera when the actress didn’t show up. The producers are enthusiastic and they soon offer her a large part.

But it can't go well. There, this charming prince Luke Montgomery, an actor who mixes it all up. It's like a true soap opera. And I remember when I was younger, I watched a few of them and I remembered how it all happened. Back and forth. They were all in love with everybody, and then they hate everyone and again from the beginning.

But the book was funny and more interesting than soap operas. And almost cry again. But love to the end and would not change anything. I will continue to read about these friends in Blue Moon Bay.

I received the copy on Netgalley.com in echange of an honest review. Speacial thank to Hatco Publishing

Thanks Netgalley for a arc copy of this book for a honest review..   


I love the title of this book The Wishing Star. This was a clean second chance romance. I love those kind of troops...Everything about this book had me smiling even though it can be read as a standalone I will be reading from the beginning and work my way up. 4 star read 






Happy Reading 

Lisa

The premise of this book is kind of crazy - ex-wife of rock star becomes soap star - but I thought it sounded light and fun. And a good half of the book is. But there is so much time in setting up Charlie Rockwell and her well-founded fears of being one half of someone famous that there is little time for anything else. Luke is sort of blandly wonderful except when he's a complete jerk. And for the BS that Luke pulls, there is not NEAR enough groveling for him unilaterally deciding to tank the relationship. The beginning of the book was sweet and fun but the ending... it was rough.
Charlie is licking her wounds but is running out of money. When her favorite soap opera offers to pay her at least a year's worth of money to use her house, she jumps at the chance. Her favorite character is an officer played by Luke Montgomery. When she steps in for a missing actor one day, she might just reclaim her dream of becoming a Hollywood star in her own right.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out June 4th, 2021 (originally published 2016)
ARC kindly provided by Hatco Publishing and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

This was my first book by Susan Hatler and it will not be my last. This was such a sweet story. I loved Charlie and Luke and enjoyed watching their relationship develop. This was also a quick read, which I appreciated!

This is a feel good summer book easy to read and enjoyable. Loved the main character Charlie and how the story followed her love life.

The Wishing Star is a sweet romantic story. I wish I had read the 2 stories previous to this one. I look forward to reading all the books in the Blue Moon Bay series.

This was slightly different to the usual books I read in the way it is set in the land of show biz etc. But it was enjoyable to read. Light hearted, a bit far fetched/predictable at times but I guess that’s to be expected when the story is set amidst an American soap opera! A fun holiday read.

Easy fun read about life after divorce and finally putting yourself first. Set in star life and the pitfalls that come with it.