Member Reviews
Marnie Fairchild runs a brilliant business Wish & Co. where clients hire her to select gifts for their loved ones. Marnie has a talent in choosing that perfect item that really speaks loudly to "it's the thought that counts" while the recipient is none the wiser at not realizing that their gifts were through her meticulous sleuthing. The situation backfires on her when her best customer, Brian Charlesworth, requests a gift for his wife's anniversary and for his mistress's birthday, which are both on the same day. This sets the ball in motion where Marnie has to re-examine how far she'll go to keep her business afloat, especially with her dream of purchasing a shopfront with sentimental value while resetting her priorities. It gets trickier because she hadn't counted on Luke Charlesworth, Brian's son, to walk into her life. I was fascinated by Marnie's job and how skillful she was it. Marnie herself is very independent, professional and relatable, but when it comes to her love life, she has not had the best of luck in finding someone who appreciates her. Aside from Marnie, there are subplots regarding the other characters, which drew me into the story more as it highlights how likable people are very much imperfect and prone to mistakes, including big ones. Everyone who finds themself in a tangle has to search for a way out and untangle and I enjoyed watching everyone come to their own realizations. As for Marnie, I wanted her to have everything she desired even if she thought it might be a long shot because she deserved it after working so hard and confronting hard truths while still staying in business. Luke was very genuine and sincere, if not a bit purist in his beliefs, but he had a heart of gold underneath. A little slow in the beginning, I enjoyed the soft storytelling style and all of the outcomes for each of the characters.
A great read for the beach this summer. The characters are interesting and the romance real. A good example of no good deed goes unpunished and how easy it is to make a big mistake.
Review coming soon!
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are mine.
A sweet, light hearted romance. The characters were endearing and the book had added touches that really elevated the reading experience- recipes are included and a photo of the building that inspires part of the story. This book is a good palette cleanser or for a quick, entertaining, easy read
Thank you for this ARC! This was a heartwarming, feel-good read. It's a great love story with likable characters. I do think it could have been more succinct at times, but overall I enjoyed it!
With Love from Wish & Co. is a bright, new, feel-good love story from Australian author Minnie Darke. The book has all the components of a good beach read... girl meets boy, girl falls in love with boy, girl loses boy, girl discovers herself in the process, and--well, I'll leave out the ending so you will be surprised (or maybe you won't be too terribly surprised). The underlying theme, which actually made the book more enjoyable for me, was whether or not a partner could be annoyed by someone's line of work, thus making them doubt their partner altogether. What develops is a likable story with a somewhat predictable storyline. All in all, though, it was enjoyable, entertaining and a quick and light read. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this advanced eCopy.
Marnie runs a personal shopper service; keeping her part in the gift giving a secret, the recipient thinks it is coming from the client. Her biggest client is Brian, a man with a wife and a mistress! Brian’s wedding anniversary and his mistress’s birthday are the same day and, yep, their gifts get mixed up. Suddenly Brian is thrown out of the house and his wife won’t speak to him. But he wants her back, desperately. Although Brian fires her, Marnie comes up with a plan to help him win his wife back with specially curated gifts.
Luke is Brian’s son, an artisan woodworker. He meets Marnie on the night of the gift fiasco when his drunken and enraged father forces him to go to her shop so he can fire her. You’ll fall in love with Luke. He is the man we all want: contemplative, thoughtful, with reflective communication. He is sweet, alluring and he’s a hunk. He has just learned he has an almost 16 year old daughter he never even knew existed. And he enlists Marnie’s aid in figuring out the perfect gift for her. He asks for gift giving lessons. And he rocks at it. He is so attracted to Marnie and they start to date.
This book is rich with different kinds of love and relationship negotiation. It is just enchanting. It is an Australian book and I think that adds to the delight for American audiences. I look forward to recommending it to my patrons.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
With Love from Wish & Co. by Minnie Darke was a delightful novel about mistakes and how they can destroy lives, hopes and dreams...and how they can bring people together.
Marnie is the brains behind a unique gift giving company. She is hired by the wealthy to choose gifts for their husbands, wives, children, partners or business clients and deliver them. She prepares dossiers on each person's likes and dislikes, then meticulously wraps the gifts and has them delivered. I wish I had her eye for gifts! Unfortunately for one of her clients, she mixes up gifts for his wife and mistress and chaos ensues.
I loved seeing how brave Marnie was in trying to rectify her mistakes and salvage her business and her dreams, all the while trying to develop a relationship with the gentleman's attractive son. Thank you to the author,Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell and Netgalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
3 times a charm.
It took me three times to get into the book and man, am I glad I stuck with it. Honestly, I am not sure what I was not liking the first times, but I very much enjoyed reading, once I got into it.
This unexpected (to the characters, expected to the readers) love story was a great read. The author dug into the past and current relationships of some characters and really told a complete story. The back history of the main characters is delightful and made for good conversation with the mains. A few moments really made me think about what I would do in the same situation.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the advanced eCopy of this book.
A business, an in trouble marriage, an old building, and love: these intertwine to create a captivating novel. Marnie owns Wish & Co, a charming gift store. She is also a personal shopper for people who have no time to shop or don’t know what to buy. Marnie has high dollar clientele who have helped her to save money to buy her grandfather’s old, rundown building. Unfortunately, a huge gift snafu ignites a fire in a previously happy marriage. When she meets Luke, the son of the wrong gift mother, things improve for Marnie’s personal life, just not for her work life.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I reuse to read and review this book for free from Dell an Imprint of Random House. This book is about forgiveness, moving on and finding love in some unpredictable ways and self worth. Everyone has an line that they can forgive someone for. Can lines be adjusted? Self woth is an interesting word and can have different meaning depending on who is asking? Love can be find in some very interesting ways. Marnier, Luke, Brian and Suz have no idea of how much their past and future can effect their lives or how much they will help each other out. This book is for a mature reader and can be read anywhere.
Marnie purchases gifts for her clients' friends and family. In the course of her work, she finds herself in a situation whereby she did something "unforgiveable" but wanted and needed forgiveness anyway. Sweet story.
Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Marnie enjoys owning her own business that caters to the wealthy. Marnie is distracted and may of sent the wrong gifts to clients wife and mistress. I enjoyed this book and it was well written.
This book may be the perfect gift for those looking for a delightful romance. But it must come wrapped impeccably in soft, beautiful paper with a striking bow.
Marnie owns “Wish & Co,” a gift buying service for those that want a very special surprise for a list of friends and family members. Her shop is pricey yet she has a talent for knowing exactly what a person may really want. Unfortunately, she ran into trouble when one of her best clients, Brian, asked her to send something outrageously wonderful on the same day to his wife for their 40th anniversary party and a gift to a special romantic friend, Leona, for her birthday. The boxes were the same size but got mixed up. It made me laugh when his mistress was given a stand mixer and said, “What does he think I’m going to do…make him bloody cupcakes?”
Nevertheless, Brian’s wife hit the roof when she saw the gifts that were obviously not for her. Brian had to blame someone and it was Marnie. He accused her of destroying his marriage; his life. As a good business woman, she needed to think fast on what she could do to make things right.
Besides Marnie’s hot romances, the book really makes one think about the importance of giving to others. How many times have you received something totally odd, ugly and eventually tossed? The book is a quick read. I was surprised how it got my attention with a simply plot that was pleasantly predictable. The author weaved in different conflicts with art, relationships and business. It’s written especially for women searching for a feel-good story that is catchy with characters that are likeable.
My thanks to Minnie Darke, Penguin Random House and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy with an expected release date of August 16, 2022.
This was such a nice warm read. A couple of pages in, I wasn’t sure I was going to like it but after a few chapters in, I started liking the story. The gift mixed up at the anniversary dinner did it! Enjoyed most of the characters, I also loved the writing. Overall, this was a good read!
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC for an exchange for an honest review.
Very good book, kept me interested all the way to the end.
Unfortunately couldn’t get into this one, after multiple attempts at starting over.
Characters weren’t memorable nor was the plot.
However, the cover was cute and enticing.
This was a fast and enjoyable read. It is a romance novel through and through for those who love that genre.
The story is that of Marnie Fairchild and the Charlesworth family. Marnie runs a gift buying and wrapping service. Those who wish can allow her to handle their "portfolio" of loved ones and their occasions. Brian Charlesworth is one of her best customers. Their is a mix up with gift delivery with some disasterous results and the story ensues.
The prose of this book was so engaging I flew through the pages. I really enjoyed the author(s) writing style.
I found the premise of Marnie's business and the details of its operation fascinating. It led me to google gift buying services and I was surprised by how much was out there. This book may be a boon to them!
In the end however things felt a little bit too pat and predictable. I found myself annoyed on some level with most of the characters (maybe that makes them more like real human beings).
Thanks to Net Galley and Doubleday for the ARC to preview and give a honest review. This is a great addition to the romance genre - light and entertaining. The cover is amazing!
With Love from Wish & Co. was one of those books that was Book-Candy for me. Marnie Fairchild is a be-spoke gift buying genius that has a host of wealthy clients who want Marnie to buy their one-of-a-kind special gifts to their loved ones, wives, children, grandchildren, and well, mistresses. When a distracted Marnie makes a mistake, Mistress got the Wifes gift and vice versa, havoc ensues. Marnie must rectify this horrible gaffe,
As I said, this book was pure book candy. Every character, even Brian was trying hard to live their best lives and fix mistakes that were made. I found the characters to be likable and extremely delightful. Luke, Brian’s son seemed to be a perfect romantic interest for Marnie, but can Marnie live up to his standards? We meet Ivy, Brians’s teenage, spunky daughter, who he just recently met. Leona the mistress had an interesting backstory as did Suzanne the wife.
This was a fun fast read for me. For readers who enjoy a book with a bit of romance, redemption, and a feel-good story then this book is for you.
3.5 Stars
First of all thank you Random House Publishing Group -Ballantine & NetGalley for this advanced reading copy in exchange or an honest review.
This was the first real romance ARC I've had a chance to review. I chose it because of the really adorable cover and I was intrigued by the synopsis. It had it all when it came to romance, infidelity, imperfect families and secrets between loved ones. Marnie, who owns a gift giving shop, is immediately lovable & she's relatable. You learn that she is desperately trying to purchase her family shop and has been doing almost anything in her means financially to get it. And then, she mixes up gifts between a wife and a mistress.
Enter Suzanne and Brian--You really do feel for Suzanne and what she's going through with the gift mix up. You feel Suzanne's pain and her confusion when it comes to figuring out if she will ultimately forgive him.
Then there's Luke. I think Luke and Marnie were a perfect couple lead in this romance. Marnie explaining her gift giving process to Luke was fascinating and really does prove that it's the THOUGHT that counts. I thought their whole relationship was whimsical and light and wonderful. I think it really did show how everyone can make mistakes and we are all imperfect, and you can still come back from all of that.
The author included cute recipes and a photo of the building in Australia the book was based off of adding really charming touches. The only downside for me was I think that it ran a little long in places.
My review will be posted on my instagram @bookswithbrielle in May.