I enjoyed reading With Love From Wish & Co.

It is very heartwarming, but maybe a bit controversial for those who have a strong opinion about infidelity. What could go wrong; 2 gifts meant for 2 different women sent by the same man. Of course, they get switched and who is at fault? The man who is cheating on his wife? Or the gift buyer who has been buying gifts for him all these years?

I enjoyed all the characters and the emotions they cycled through before finally accepting their fate. I am sure this sort of scenario happens more often than we would care to admit.

I felt like Luke came down a bit hard on Marnie. His words were very harsh, and I am glad she did not back down. The world is not always black and white, sometimes you need to accept the gray areas.

I really felt for Suzanne, she had a very tough decision to make. Her decision and thought process was well thought out and not rushed in any way.

For some reason I thought this was sent in England. I only figured out at the end it was set in Australia when I finally looked up Ute. I enjoyed the photos and recipes.



Thank you to Net Galley and Penguin Random House/Ballantine for my eArc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Minnie Darke’s “With Love from Wish & Co.” is a cute, heart-warming romance perfect for readers who are looking for a light, easy read.

I really enjoyed the characters in the story—especially Marnie. I appreciate her ambition and that she’s a rule-follower and someone who is always trying her best. She is that wonderful example that no one is perfect, though, and that we all make mistakes.

Darke’s writing style took me a bit to get used to—with ultra detailed descriptions and the story told through multiple character’s points of view. I did like the casual, humorous style though and it made it feel like I was in on everything and that the book wasn’t taking itself too seriously. Once I settled into Darke’s style it was easy to get lost in the charm of the story. I also enjoyed the chapter titles (a lost art these days), the recipes and the photo of the building that was Fairchild & Sons inspiration. Little details like that always add another level of charm.

I do think the book was too long with the middle dragging a bit. I understand it adds to the trope and exaggerates the romantic tension between Luke and Marnie but I was still bored at a few spots.

Overall though, this is a sweet, Hallmark movie feel book that was enjoyable and fun. It’s a great option for anyone looking for a chick lit, “PG” feel romance.

Synopsis:
Marnie owns a gift giving business. She is detail oriented and does all she can to find the perfect gift for each of her customers. One day she makes the biggest mistake of her life when she mixes up two gifts for her biggest client. Marnie must do everything she can to fix this mistake or lose out on her dream of owning the building her grandfather once owned. What Marnie does not expect is to find romance and a chance at true happiness.

This book was a breath of fresh air. It was easy to connect with the main characters. The book unfolds naturally and it was easy to root for Marnie.

Cute humorous romance story with a lovely love story.
Overall, a nice book to relax and decompress with.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to Penguin Random House for the gifted ARC!

What do we give in the name of love? What do we give up?

Marnie is a professional gift giver. She uses her people skills and powers of intuition (and, okay, some light cyber-stalking) to learn the preferences of her clientele's loved ones, swooping in with the perfect gift for every occasion. But when her own heart is caught between a life-long dream and a chance at love, Marnie's got the ultimate dilemma. Can she have her cake and eat it too?

With Love from Wish & Co. is classic Minnie Darke: charming, intriguing, with romance, art, and a bit of suspense. Her evocative descriptions of settings transport the reader, and every character is lovably-rendered, with cheer-for-me qualities and rueful bad habits that only endear them all the more. I love reading Minnie Darke because of the feel-good tone of her books: even if I'm not sure how everything will work out, I know that it will. Sometimes that assurance of a happy ending is the most important way to start a story.

Minnie Darke has become an instant-read for me. Already looking out for book #4!

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"With Love from Wish & Co." is like the book version of cotton candy, it's sweet and pretty but you pretty quickly realize it doesn't have much in the way of complexity or substance.

I was able to read an early copy of "With Love from Wish & Co." by Minnie Darke on NetGalley. And I was glad I did. I loved this book. The main character Marnie was well developed, as were all the other characters. I did feel like the mix up with her business was something that was easy to anticipate occurring, but that didn't take away from the story. I would definitely read more books from Darke!

Great summer beach read. This is a clean, family-friendly book that kept my interest. It was a quick, enjoyable read.

I went back and forth on whether to read this book and in the end I wish I hadn’t. I will be very transparent that the subject matter was very personal to me so any review I could leave would be biased. I thought the book would be more about Marnie and Luke and did not realize Brian and Suzanne’s story would have such a large presence. I disagree, not with the outcome itself, but the reasons for the outcome in the end. Without spoilers all I can say is she deserved better and for anyone reading this, alone is not a terrible place to be.

A first-time reader of Minnie Darke with this book, I'm excited to see what else she has written!

With Love from Wish & Co. tells the story of multiple characters all woven together through Marnie's gift shopping business and a delivery gone wrong. I loved the characters (even Brian grew on me by the end!) and seeing their development throughout the course of the book, as each came out wiser than they had been at the beginning.

A highly enjoyable light romance that was an easy read! Wholeheartedly recommend!

Thank you to the author and publisher for an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

I absolutely loved this book! Minnie Darke kills it again with romance! I loved the characters a lot in this novel but the love line was the absolute best! The perfect summer read, I may have to re-read it again! I love gift giving and to read about the main character's profession as a gift giver was so fascinating -- the thought and work she puts into making sure to get the best gift.

This is a perfect “Hallmark” type romance to get you through the summer months until Hallmark movies are back in full swing in a couple of months.

Sometimes you can be a mess. Mistakes can be made. But guess what?! It’s all going to be okay if you keep moving forward. This book was sweet, light, and a bit funny. Perfect beach read!

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for review!

Marnie Fairchild is a boutique owner who specializes in custom gift-buying and gift-wrapping services. She is saving every penny she can to expend her business into a historic building nearby that her grandfather used to own, but her dreams may be dashed when she makes a mistake that could bring her entire company crashing to the ground.

The novel takes place in Australia and I loved learning just a little more about life there I loved that the author included recipes and a photo of the building the book was based off. The relationships between the characters are well connected and thoughtful. Marnie is very easy to like and I could relate to her drive to succeed. I thought the book was a little longer than I thought it needed to be but I still really enjoyed it.

This was a charming story. It’s a quick and light read with a cute romance and great relationships. I read it after a particularly heavy book, and it was the sweet, light read that I needed. I think readers who enjoy contemporary romance or rom-coms will enjoy the book.

Many thanks to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy before it's release date of August 16, 2022.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to read this book early. This book made me think and I felt like I could see the pages play out in a Hallmark movie. This read kept me turning the pages. I am so incredibly grateful for the early opportunity to read this one! Thank you!

I received an electronic ARC from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine through NetGalley.
Darke has chosen an interesting concept for this interwoven story. Readers meet Marnie who is a professional gift buyer with her own company. The entire story spins on an error she made with two gifts. Her main customer has her purchase two gifts - one for his wife and one for his mistress. Somehow, the gifts get mixed up and cause serious issues for the rest of the characters. Romances progress and break apart for all four main characters - Marnie & Luke, Brian & Suzanne. These characters begin as stereotypes but Darke continues to reveal more about each so readers see beyond the surface.
A light summer read that combines humor with characters who are forced to look at themselves and their lives to decide who they want to be and what they want.

I love how so many things happened in the book. I could not keep myself from the book because it was so good

With Love from Wish & Co. by Minnie Darke is a light hearted read. I thought this book sounded really cute. I found the characters hard to like and the story hard to get into. Overall, it was a good story and perfect for a weekend read. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

I adored this sweet little book! With Love from Wish & Co. tells the story of Marnie Fairchild, a boutique owner who specializes in custom gift-buying and gift-wrapping services. She dreams of expanding her business into a historic building nearby that her grandfather used to own, but her dreams may be dashed when she makes a mistake that could bring her entire company crashing to the ground.

"To be unseen meant freedom, but loneliness. To be seen meant connection, but vulnerability. Why was nothing easy?"

To start things off, Marnie is the first book character I've ever encountered who does my dream job, and reading about the life of a professional gift-giver brought me so much joy. The author made this career sound even more wonderful than I'd already dreamed it up in my head to be, and taking a mini-vacation from my own life to experience the world of professional gifting was utterly delightful.

"There were few things in life she loved so much as a happy ending to a gift-giving story."

Not only that, but a secondary character, Suzanne--the world's best cook, gardener, party hostess, homekeeper, mother, and grandmother--was one of the most endearing characters I've ever read about. I adored her more than I can even describe. I want to be Suzanne when I grow up, with her perfectly-planned luncheons and her beautifully-tended roses and her delightfully-coordinated kitchen appliances and her food-and-wine budget that spares no expense. The way Minnie Darke captured Suzanne's love for her family, and a crowded table, was just beautiful and so heartwarming to me. I felt so seen.

"We are fortunate to live in this beautiful house, in this lovely part of town, to have nice things. But the true blessing, for me, is in the people around this table and the relationships we all have. This is our wealth: our children, our beautiful grandchildren."

I don't typically choose books that wrap up so neat-and-tidy, like a Hallmark movie, but sometimes the mood just strikes, and this one was absolutely the right choice for when you want a feel-good story that is sweet and romantic. My only hangup was the way infidelity was treated throughout the story. I wish it could have been different. Even so, I still really loved the book!

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A huge thank you to Minnie Darke, Ballantine, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Reading this book felt like watching a Hallmark romance—a quality one for sure, but insta-love and everything tied up in a neat little bow. So if that’s what you are in the mood for, it’s a warm tale of love and forgiveness. My favorite thing was the theme of gift-giving and what it means to people and why. I’m a gift giver and feel like a gift can show that you truly know someone and think of them, but many people don’t give it much thought, either receiving or giving. The story offered wonderful insight on this topic that would be perfect for a book club discussion.
I don’t usually share content warnings, but the plot deals with infidelity, and I wasn’t sure it was handled with the most care. I could imagine a reader who had personal trauma relating to infidelity being put off by this book and its choices/consequences. Since the couple dealing with infidelity was the B plot, it didn’t get as developed as it probably needed to be.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

This is a really good book about sending presents to the wrong people and trying to make everything right.