I wanted to delve a little deeper into the characters in this one, so felt like they were just out of reach.

Another charming story from Melissa Wiesner! Following Catherine’s journey felt like a coming of age/coming into herself story mixed with the slightest bit of magical meddling along the way. This is certainly a feel-good book with a relatable takeaway message to settle into yourself instead of a mold or an idea of yourself. In fact, I believe Catherine crafted a certain idea of herself both based on her natural differences from her dad as well as the desire to be his opposite in some ways (I.e. responsibility & organization). The most relatable part was feeling connected to Catherine in the sense that growing up with separated parents often causes kids to have to grow up and mature more quickly.

My overarching feedback is that the story was middle-ground for me. There were times where the pacing of the story telling felt off, and times where it felt as if some of the characters were hard to relate to with their highly specific details or backgrounds.
While the beginning of the story felt slow moving, once I got into the first couple chapters, I read the book rather quickly.

Overall, I’m grateful to continue supporting this author and enjoyed ruminating on some of the book details after finishing the story a few days ago. Thank you for this opportunity to give my honest feedback!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I was really excited for this book based on the premise and good reviews from friends for some of the author's other works. I sadly was disappointed with this one as I had a hard time connecting with the story and feeling invested in the romance. This book felt more like a fiction story and less like a romance as I expected which could be why I didn't love it. It was a sweet story in the end, but not a fav I will rush to recommend.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were well developed and lovable. The pacing was perfect and left you wanting to read more. I can't wait to read more by this author!

Melissa Wiesner is officially the Queen of the “found family”. The sense of community was one of my favorite things about the book and I loved how sweet and wholesome the story was. I was a BIG fan of “The Second Chance Year” (it was in my top 10 of 2023), so I had VERY high expectations for this one and it did not disappoint. It comes out October 15, 2024 and has *just* enough magic and whimsy to be on theme for a witchy read (trying not to give any spoilers away)…highly recommend if you want all the good feels!

Once I started this book, I could not put it down. It was like a magnet was grabbing me back every time. I thought this was very well written and the story itself was addicting. I cannot wait to share this one with my patrons at the library.

Thanks to @netgalley and @readforeverpub for an eARC of this book.

Dani's Rating 4.5⭐️

Summary: Life seems to be going just the way she'd like it to for Catherine Lipton until the day her identity seems to go missing. Though she loves her dad, Catherine cannot count on him to help her with this problem. Her only option is to turn to her building's doorman, Luca, who is her complete opposite in every single way. Luca whisks Catherine into solving this mystery with the help of his family in very unconventional and maybe even law-breaking ways. As they learn more about her lost identity, Catherine might begin to discover who she truly was meant to be.

Thoughts: Melissa Wiesner is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine!! I loved this unique concept of losing your identity and feeling lost without that security. Catherine being a rule follower reminded me of myself, though I hope that I am a little more open to seeing the good in others instead of immediately the negative. I absolutely loved Luca and all his goofy ways, but especially for all the ways he helped those in the building without a second thought. They were such a fantastic opposite pair that it was fun to hear their banter throughout the book. I love the older people within the building that Catherine befriends and the meddling, but usually, great advice they would give. The mystery surrounding some events was so fun to try to figure out while reading. This was such a wonderful book with a great message about finding out who you really are and living that life.

What a delightful, charming romance!

Catherine Lipton has her doctorate and has just procured a job as a tenure-track mathematics professor. She’s also moved into her first solo apartment in a building full of senior citizens. She likes how peaceful the evenings are. 😉 This building also comes with a beautiful, tattooed doorman, Luca Morelli.

He’s gorgeous and gregarious, but has caused her a bit of annoyance in the month she’s lived there. She’s surprised when he goes out of his way to help her with crisis after crisis, including tracking down her identity when she can’t be found in any government agency’s database. If she can’t prove she exists, she’ll be out of a job, a home, and what will she be able to without all of that?

The shenanigans amongst the search for Catherine Lipton, the residents of the DeGreco, and the Morelli family are *chef’s kiss*. The banter and affection between Catherine and Luca feels genuine and unforced.

What a darling book!

I received an ARC from #netgalley and @readforeverpub. All thoughts are mine alone.

#romance #romancebooks #contemporaryromance #booksbooksbooks #bookrecs #bookreview #bookstagram

This book really surprised me. We follow Catherine along on her journey on "finding herself" literally and figuratively and meet the most endearing characters along the way. Her journey begins a bit clunky but slowly develops into such a heartwarming and refreshing story. I really found myself invested in the funny and good natured characters. Read this if you enjoy your romance with a side of laughter and dash of magic. Solid 4 stars!

I found this to be a charming story that was a mix of rom-com and self discovery. Overall found it to be a nice read.

Just the sweetest story with such interesting characters. The story evolved throughout from a simple mishap to paths crossing and connections being made throughout. I really enjoyed Wish I Were Here!

Overall this was a nice story about self discovery with a bit of magical realism. The main character Catherine is a very organized and rule following person due to having grown up with a lack of structure and a stable home. Her dad is a juggling performer and they constantly moved because they didn't have enough money to pay the bills and he rarely enforced any rules so she studied hard to become a mathematics professor. Right before starting her new job her profile disappears from the university and government and she needs to prove her existence.

The doorman at her apartment building Luca, offers to help her as he has family connections everywhere. He is the opposite of Catherine, he's late all the time, sleeps by his desk when he bothers to be there and has a big personality. As this is all she sees at first Catherine forms her own judgement and opinions on Lucas without knowing him that well, I think that is what I didn't like much about her at the beginning. But along the way they start to develop feelings for one another and Catherine learns there is more to life than just focusing on your work. She finds a community with the building residents and Luca. Even though there is some romance, the story is definitely more about Catherine's self discovery and growth so their relationship felt like an afterthought. I also feel like the relationship with her mom felt unfinished and even though I understand the reasons her dad didn't want to talk about her I found it really off putting how he kinda brushed her off when Catherine's job and livelihood was at stake.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC and share my honest review.

I truly enjoyed the quirkiness of the novel. It’s unlike anything I’ve read, with a splash of magical realism, and silly side characters. It’s a cosmopolitan of old people, Luca’s very large extended family (he seems to have a family member literally everywhere Catherine and Luca go), and Catherine’s own father, that you find yourself enjoying the zaniness of it all. The magical realism was fun, where Catherine interacts with the residents of her apartment complex , by the end of the novel you wonder: are they really alive???

What didn’t work:
Sadly, the chemistry between Catherine and Luca didn’t feel real. I was at a bit of a loss when all of sudden they were kissing. Literally had to pause and go back a few pages to try and figure out when and why this happened. They felt more like good friends. Plus, Catherine herself is somewhat of an off-putting and a bit of an unlikeable character. Her dad too is over the top and her birth mother was even more unpleasant than Catherine.

As for the story itself, there was a lot going on in the book. The plot essentially is about Catherine losing her identity (literally). But there are so many other ingredients and spices being thrown into the mix (I’ll let you discover those) that you start to lose the flavor of what you’re experiencing.

Even though this one wasn’t completely for me, romance readers who enjoy opposites attract, quirky side characters, and the found family trope, then make sure to add Wish I Were Here to your TBR.

Catherine has finally figured it all out. She got a new apartment and is about to start a new job. She’s all set. Then her carefully calculated life starts falling apart. One thing after another goes awry and at the social security office she discover there’s no evidence she exists at all. Forced to make quick work of finding her birth certificate Catherine reluctantly accepts help from Luca a the doorman at her building with more connections then anyone could’ve expected. Forced to step out of her comfort zone Catherine may discover that the “real” her is someone she never expected.

I have to start off with the plot. It’s unique, it’s fun and most importantly a good staring point that can easily be built upon. For obvious reasons Catherine gets slightly obsessed with solving the mystery of her lost identity which made the beginning of the story slightly monotonous. However as the search moves forward the book gets more interesting. Catherine goes thru some life altering events that has a big impact on her character development which is my favorite part of the book. And there’s also the blooming relationship between Catherine and Luca. They’re really good together despite all their differences.

There are so many interesting personalities in this one, all of Lucas family members, the sweet seniors living in the neighborhood and Catherine’s dad. I’d love to see another book from the same universe. The ending surprised me a bit so that was a pleasant surprise. I’ll definitely check out some of Weisners other books after reading this one!

Read this if you like
💙Found family
🔥Opposites attract
✨Character growth
📖Romance with a touch of mystery & fantasy

Everything is falling into place for Catherine. She's a new math professor and finally has her own apartment. She's as straight laced as they come, as opposed to her clown father, her non existent mother., and her doorman, Luca, who never seems to be doing his actually job. Then she ceases to exist, meaning there's no documentation in the government systems of her. Luca is determined to help. This is a great book!

A little bit of fairy dust is sprinkled over this opposites attract romance. Catherine is a math professor trying to make her life as orderly as possible, while Luca lives in chaos, whimsically changing plans and living outside the rules. I loved Weisner's The Second Chance Year and was excited to read this follow up. Both books have a little magical realism (Ashley Poston meets Alice Hoffman). This book is shorter and less complex. The twist wasn't hard to figure out. The story maybe not so inventive. But like the old school butterscotch candies in the book, it was an enjoyable, sacchrine bite. I was rooting for the likeable MCs the whole way. 3.75 stars. Thanks to Net Galley and Forever Publishing for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wish I Were Here by Melissa Wiesner was a cute romance. I thoroughly enjWish I Were Here by Melissa Wiesner was a cute romance. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Thank you NetGalley & Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
oyed it!
Thank you NetGalley & Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Finally a night to do what I've been wanting to which is fall into the rest of Luca and Kitty Cats story. Yet again #melissawiesner had me just like with #secondchanceyear. One of my favorite things about Wiesner is that her story lines are so unique and yet still follow so many traits of your fave rom com tropes. #netgalley #arc.

Catherine loses her identity and goes on a journey of self-discovery with her doorman as her sidekick. He has tattoos. The book will remind you that he has tattoos at least 100 times, and that is his main personality trait. Catherine begins a romance with this man believing he’s irresponsible and incompetent, and possibly seeing someone else in the building. She never took the time to get to know him. It is in the last 6% that she realizes he’s not quite all he seems from the surface. If you’re looking for a romance this might not be the book for you. If you’re looking for a story about a woman having an identity crisis with mommy AND daddy issues—this could be the place.

I was expecting this to be a bit kooky and Ashely Poston-ish, and it was in a way. 3.5 stars.

I loved this book so much, it had me hooked from the very first page!

Catherine Lipton, is a Type-A mathematician whose life spirals out of control when she suddenly disappears from all government records and the only person who can help is her doorman, Luca Morelli.

The dynamic between Catherine and Luca is pure magic. She's all about order and precision, while he's a laid-back flirt who seems to know everyone.

Their opposites-attract chemistry is so fun and their banter had me laughing out loud. Despite their differences, they make an incredibly perfect couple!

This book is definitely one of my new favorites and a must-read for anyone who loves a good romantic comedy!

Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.