I loved this book so much! The writing was beautiful, the story was unique, the characters were written so well. I read it in 2 days because I just didn’t want to put it down.

I liked Marnie for how ambitious she was and I understood why getting the building was so important to her to keep that family memory going. I also loved Luke for how sweet he was, especially with Ivy. The story was like a warm hug and one of my favorite rom-com/women’s fiction stories this year.

Thanks NetGalley and Random House-Ballantine for access to this ARC available on 8/16.

This is my first read by Minnie Drake and I really enjoyed it!  There is romance, obviously, but also secrets, family dynamics, and strong character development.  I loved Marnie’s job, a gift giving service that is fun and creative, and also her thoughtfulness and tenacity.  The different character's POV and how they were all woven together really added to the story.   This is the perfect light-hearted read and reminded me a lot of a Hallmark movie! 

4.2 stars!

Thank you @netgalley and @randomhouse for the early copy

We are told not to judge a book by it's cover, but that is not a realistic approach. With Love from Wish & Co has a comic type drawing that depicts a gift with a male and a female on each side. This tells me that this is a romance novel where everything will wrap up happily in the end. A different cover would direct the reader to make contradictory assumptions. This is a romance, but it is more than the standard romance. The elements of Darke's story that set it apart are the family history of both parts of the main couple, as well as the situation that brings them together involving his parents. The tension that threatens to drive the primary lovers apart is handle well and resolved satisfactorily. About half way through this book I looked to see if Minnie Darke has any other published works and she has two that were immediately added to my "to be read" list. Publishes just in time to enjoy as a summer read if you get to it quickly.

First off, thank you to Minnie Drake, Dell, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a Kindle ARC of this book.

This is my first book by this Australian author. It was a nice read and a perfect beach read. It was light and just what I needed after several heavier books and the pandemic. It is the ROM-COM that I normally don't read, but I am glad that I did!

RECOMMEND

💔Come on, give them another chance! Heartwarming😍

I really, really loved this story, mainly thanks to Marnie, the warm and perceptive, hard-working dreamer at the center. She's the kind of underdog heroine that you just can't abandon. But all of the principal and secondary characters were good (well, maybe Owen is a bit of an unrepentant cad), and well fleshed out. It was a true treat reading Minnie Darke's novel about the power of second chances, both for the giver and receiver, no matter their age. I loved The Lost Love Song, but thought this novel was just as wonderful.

Though the story is set in Australia I don't think the city, state or country is mentioned once so it's easy to imagine this happening almost anywhere. Helps make the story more universal. The romance is sweet, with some really lovely gestures and memory-making moments.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group/Dell and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

Marnie Fairchild is a personal shopper specifying in gifts for peoples loved ones. But when a gift mix up happens between a customers wife and mistress, Marnie is worried her dream of moving her business to her grandparents old store may go up in smoke. She can't afford to lose a client, nevertheless multiple who were there to witness the mishap. Can Marnie detangle the mess between Brian and his wife? And when his son Luke gets involved, their attraction is palpable. Can Marnie have a relationship with Luke, fix Brian's marriage and get the building of her dreams?

I loved the concept of this book but I just found it so hard to concentrate on. I felt like it was just too flowery and a little too long. Maybe one too many storylines. I also never knew who the narrator was following until a name was finally read. I felt like it could have easily been fixed by putting the character name at the top of each section. I also couldn't figure out where this town was? Was it a city? Where was it located? Lastly, I felt like Marnie and Luke's relationship went from 0-60 in a blink of an eye. I felt like this book needed to focus more on the gift drama or the relationship and pare down some of the sub plots.

I did however love the moral questioning of Marnie's job and how, if at all, she was responsible for the events that took place.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. This book releases 8/16

I feel like this book could have had a lot of potential but it just wasn’t for me. I couldn’t really connect with any of the characters or the storyline. I would definitely give other books by this author a chance.

Thank you Ballantine Random House and NetGalley for the review copy of With Love from Wish & Co. I enjoyed this read! I will admit it is predictable but it is also light and charming and sometimes that is just what a book wants to be; I feel Ms. Darke achieved the goal of a relatable and escapist book and I appreciate that after a busy few weeks I had such a read available. :) Even if I felt the tropes were ones that feel familiar, I sometimes like a book that feels familiar and easy to engage with. My rating is 3.5 stars, as I think this book could have dug in more about women's lives and themes noted below.

What I really wanted to note was that the focus on Marnie and the mistake she makes. Women.... we feel so much pressure to have to be perfect and never make a mistake and be on and always apologizing and while in this book the mistake sets up the rest of the story (and it was a business person making a mistake that caused a customer problem) I also think moments like this in books have a hidden important value: women make mistakes and maybe it's not our fault that this sets up a series of unfortunate challenges for someone who wasn't that great or was doing hurtful behaviors, Marnie wasn't responsible for managing Brian's affair and his marriage per se. This is worth talking about! So talk about it! :)

With such a cute premise, I was slightly disappointed with this one.

I really enjoyed Marnie’s character and what she did for a living. Who would ever think to hire a personal gift buyer? Her dilemma was completely realistic, which I can appreciate. The way she ends up questioning her own morals was so refreshing.

So, while I loved the characters and the storyline. This book simply went on forever. Things could have wrapped up much quicker.

But just because this wasn’t for me, doesn’t mean anything. It had such great potential that anyone could fall in love with it.

Cute, delightful, light-hearted rom-com. A perfect summer read. A bit predictable, but the character of Marnie kept it enjoyable.

"Two boxes, both alike in size and shape . . .

Marnie Fairchild is the brains and talent behind Wish & Co., a boutique store that offers a bespoke gift-buying service to wealthy clients with complicated lives. Brian Charlesworth is Marnie's most prized customer, and today she's wrapping the perfect anniversary gift for his wife, Suzanne . . . and a birthday present for his mistress, Leona. What could possibly go wrong?

For years, Marnie's had her heart set on moving Wish & Co. to the historic shopfront once owned by her grandfather. When the chance to bid for the property unexpectedly arises, Marnie--distracted--makes an uncharacteristic mistake. Soon Brian is in a fight to rescue his marriage, and Marnie is scrabbling to keep her dreams alive. With the situation so complicated, the last thing Marnie needs is to fall for Brian and Suzanne's gorgeous son, Luke. In the end, will it be her head or her heart that wins out?"

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

With Love from Wish & Co. is a sweet, enchanting book that wraps you up like one of Marnie Fairchild's perfectly picked out and wrapped bespoke presents from her boutique store, Wish & Co. Marnie's talent is being able to know exactly what gift to buy for someone else, and she's turned that into a successful career since she picks the perfect gift every single time. The only thing that would make her happier is moving her business to the historic building in Alexandria Park that used to belong to her grandfather; now the building is going to auction, and she'll do whatever she has to do to afford it.

Things are going well until Marnie messes up spectacularly with her biggest client--he has two gifts that need to go out the same day: one to his wife for their 40th wedding anniversary and one to his mistress for her birthday. Marnie switches the gifts by mistake, and Brian's marriage implodes. Disaster ensues as Brian blames Marnie and takes away his business and his referrals to wealthy clients--something Marnie cannot afford if she wants to buy her grandfather's old storefront. Marnie knows she has to make things right and comes up with a plan to save Brian's marriage (and keep his business) and hopefully save her plan to buy the storefront in the process. Enter Luke Charlesworth, Brian's son, who Marnie meets along the way. The two end up connecting and spending time together, but Marnie really shouldn't fall for a client's son--should she?

This is my first book by Minnie Darke, but I enjoyed it a lot! The plot is engaging (I would love to find a gift-buyer since I'm the queen of giving gift cards!), the characters are well-written, and I enjoyed the different POVs. This is a perfect book to curl up with when you need something light and fun--it has the feel of a cozy, romantic Hallmark movie so if you like those, then you're sure to love Darke's newest novel! It's out on August 16, 2022, so grab a copy.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

-Review posted to Goodreads and Twitter on 8/6/22
-Review posted to Amazon and Barnes & Noble on publication

A frothy delight, WITH LOVE FROM WISH & CO, is a light romance novel with star-crossed lovers, an unknown child, packages crossed in delivery and plenty of misunderstood, well-intentioned characters. There’s even a recipe at the end of the book, to make real the successful ending for the quasi-villain. This is a quick read with a happily ever after for everyone. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

DNF at 22%. It was slow paced and I couldn't get into it. There were also a lot of characters to keep track of. I've enjoyed other novels by this author so I'd probably try her again but this was a miss for me.

Marnie Fairchild owns a successful personal shopping business that she hopes to expand by purchasing the heritage building that once housed a store run by her grandfather. However, a mixup in which she inadvertently switches gifts meant for a Brian Charlesworth’s wife and mistress puts all that in jeopardy. As she scrambles to make things right her plans are interrupted when she meets and falls for Brian’s son.

I had just read a couple of disappointing mystery/thrillers in a row and felt maybe it was time for a change of genre and the description of this book appealed. Yes, it was somewhat formulaic and predictive, but it was just what I needed pull me out of my reading slump.

This is a sweet, fast, light read with interesting and compelling characters. It was a nice change of pace also to have an Australian setting.

I enjoyed this. A cute romance wrapped up in a nice family story. Everything flowed well and I spent a lazy afternoon reading the book. Very cozy.

Marnie is determined to fix the huge- huge- mistake she made when she was distracted by her concerns about her business. She sent a gift meant for Brian's wife Suzanne to his mistress Leona and vice versa. Leaving aside the ethics of that situation, Brian is furious and pulls his business from her but is game for her effort to help repair the rift with Suzanne. Thing is, he has a hot son Luke, a woodworker, and the two of them, well, they begin their own romance. I wanted to tell Luke to get over himself but he eventually realizes his own error. You will root for Marnie, Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. It's a nicely written rom-com and a good read.

4.5 stars.

**SPOILERS**

In the past, I've considered starting my own business as a gift buyer, so this already started as a book that was right up my alley.

Marnie owns a storefront that provides gift-wrapping services and classes, but a large part of her job is as a professional gift buyer. Her clients are (usually wealthy) people who are too busy or not confident in finding meaningful gifts for their family and friends. Marnie's superstar status is largely due to her thorough "stalking" (aka "research") of clients and their loved ones, learning as much as possible about their inclinations, lifestyles, likes, wants, etc. She nails it every time. Then comes the day two packages for the same client, Brian Charlesworth, get mixed up and the cat is out of the bag that he is having an affair. Marnie is up against the wall to keep her business going and reach her goal of buying property she's had her eye on for her new storefront.

When Brian's son, Luke, meets Marnie and learns what her role in the Charlesworth family's life has been, he is irked. He just can't let it go. But as they get to know each other when he asks Marnie for assistance, their common interests and mutual respect for one another lead to a number of adorable interactions.

The ethical side of this as a business was a really interesting piece the author explored. Is it deceptive for Mardie to be the mastermind behind a special gift that is then passed off as chosen by a person close to the giftee? Could it be considered aiding in an extramarital affair if she's to buy and send a gift to a mistress (and is aware that's the relationship)? Darke introduces this as a concern of Luke's and navigates it well. Yes, it provides the conflict needed to further the plot, but also gives Marnie space to ruminate on it and, ultimately, land in a place that she finds to be more in line with her personal values.

One thing I wish Luke had picked Marnie's brain about is how to top a stellar gift the next time around. When you find something that feels absolutely perfect, it can feel like you may never match it again. While that may work for romance, where you hold on to that excellent fit, birthdays come around every year and will you be able to outdo yourself?

Thank you NetGalley and Dell/Penguin Random House for this advanced copy.

Multi-POV rom com. The story was cute and had the feeling of a cozy, lifetime movie- but with some more character gray areas. It was a hair longer than it really needed to be with the depth we got, but it was still a quick summer read and it wrapped up nicely for an overall feel good story. Would make a cute movie

With Love from Wish & Co was a light, easy read but it lacked substance for me.I wish there would have been more character development and was a little less predictable, but sometimes knowing what is going to happen next is exactly what you need in a book. I was attracted to the cover and overall enjoyed the book.

Wish & Company is a store that both chooses and wraps gifts for customers who don't want to do this themselves. I thought this was an interesting premise and it made an great setting for an entertaining romance. When two gifts are mixed up in delivery, an anniversary gift for the wife is given to the mistress and a birthday gift for the mistress is given to the wife, it starts a sequence of events that change the lives of all the main characters. The owner of the store wants to buy a building that once belonged to her family to grow her business and her relationships with the man who bought the mixed up gifts and his son are part of the quest to acquire the building. I really enjoyed seeing how these relationships changed and grew and I thought this was a very entertaining and readable novel.