Picture this: you walk into orientation for your dream job, and they tell you didn't get approved because you *do not exist*. What would you do? Well if you're Catherine, you're lucky enough to have Luca as your doorman. With Luca's enthusiasm for life, giant family, and endearing love of others, he helps Catherine find her identity.

When I requested this arc, I had no idea that it was set in Pittsburgh or the author was from Pittsburgh! That was such a pleasant surprise. I rarely see books set here, so it was fun to recognize the areas described & see my city in a new light. 💛

Catherine is one of us girls - the ones who have their daily planner set to the hour, minute, second that things need to be done. If you know, you know. I felt such a fondness in my heart for her just because of this. As she dives into her past & her identity, we see where it comes from & slowly learn the joy of letting things go. SWEET LUCA. you’re kidding 😭 he’s literally so adorable and kind and pure. Truly a genuine, good person in his soul. He cares so deeply about each person he meets, yet he remains so humble and kind.
I adored the magical aspect of this book as much as I loved the older characters. I had a permanent smile while reading. I can’t imagine losing my identity, but I certainly have wished I could just be nobody with no responsibilities before. At first, the dad’s job aspect seemed very random to me, but as we learn more and more it makes so much sense. Plus, it’s a great representation of life. Nothing is ever as it seems on the surface. It matters more about people & how you treat them than any perceived “success” in life. Family is found. There is joy in letting go.

Overall this was a sweet romance with a dash of magic & a great message that anyone can learn from.

Thank you to Melissa Wiesner, Forever Pub, and NetGally for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

Catherine and Luca are extremely different from one another, which is really the main focus of this book (although the identity issue and journey to resolve it are very much present in the plot). Together they are very much uptight vs. slacker energy. Catherine is the parentified only child of a free-wheeling dad and absentee mom, and she's presented initially as very dry and rigid. Luca is presented as charming and immature and devil-may-care, which doesn't really change over the course of the book although we do learn more about why both of them are the way they are. Luca irritated me in the beginning, when he was deliberately pushing Catherine's buttons in a pigtail-pulling kind of way. Actually they both felt like caricatures in the beginning, and that made it harder for me to sink into the story, although I did warm up to the both of them as more of their backgrounds and motives were uncovered. The way the premise was executed helped, presenting a mystery for them to solve together. But they just seemed so mis-matched, and because the book was written from Catherine's POV it felt like there wasn't enough to explain why Luka was so chaotic. Unfortunately as the book went on the initial annoyance stayed with me, and I couldn't shake the feeling that the message here is that Catherine is the only one who needed to change herself and her attitude and her understanding of Luca in order to be happy in their relationship. I'm probably missing the author's intended message here, but I really felt for Catherine and how her chaotic upbringing with her free-spirited father shaped her rigid worldview and her cautious approach to relationships. And no matter how hot Luka is, it would take a lot for Catherine to trust that he isn't just like her dad, whereas Luca didn't seem to have the same amount of emotional baggage to overcome to meet her in the middle. Nor did he seem to feel any sense that he needed to make any changes; rather, he was presented as patiently waiting for her to become her "true self" and realize that she didn't need to trap herself in a box. While I applaud that sentiment as an overall approach to life, it feels uneven when it's in a relationship dynamic. It's possible I'm over-thinking it, but it felt like the emotional work that needed to happen was weighed much too heavily on Catherine's end and Luca just got to keep being sexy and adorable and scattered (albeit he had altruistic reasons for the seemingly chaotic way he lived his life). I gave this book 3 stars but it's closer to 3.5. It would have been a higher rating if not for that conflict and the mixed feelings their relationship gave me, as the overall writing was good and I did invest in wanting to see everything through to the end. Overall a sweet opposites-attract closed door romance focusing on found family, with a bit of a mystery and a large supporting cast. Thank you to NetGalley for providing an Ebook ARC.

I loved this book so much! It grabbed me from the very beginning and kept hold of me the entire way through. Catherine goes on such a beautiful journey while she literally goes on a journey to find herself but ends up finding so much more along the way. Luca is the ultimate cinnamon roll MMC and I couldn’t get enough. I was truly sorry to see this book end. What a fantastic read!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this book!

What a great romcom!! I enjoyed this book so much. A first for me by this author but will not be my last! Wow!! So good!! I loved the characters and they worked so well together.

I didn't love this. The cover is so cute, but the story didn't match. I didn't love the main character and the ending was disappointing.

This was a 6 star read for me! It was absolutely amazing and I fell in love from the very first page!

This book feels like curling up with your favourite snack while watching a romcom. The characters, the vibes, the plot are all immaculate. The way that I was giggling and kicking my feet throughout this entire story was just perfection. Never before has a book made me want to move to a city where I can live out the exact life that Luca and Catherine do (maybe with a little less math though).

If you’re looking for a fun, sweet, and deeply moving book about setting the right priorities and putting people first this is the book for you.

Thanks to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC!

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the advance reader copy of Wish I Were Here. I was able to read Second Chance Year as an ARC and was so excited to get early access to this book!

Catherine is on the verge of her dream job when her identity goes missing. Luca, the doorman for her apartment building, jumps right in to help her try to solve the mystery of her missing identity and help get it back.

First, Luca is a doll. There was certainly a grumpy/sunshine element that you could read between Catherine and Luca, if you enjoy that trope. I think that at various points in the story and Catherine and Luca really complement each other. I was definitely laughing out loud at a few moments throughout their journey to solve the mystery of Catherine's birth certificate. I also really enjoyed the side characters, Mrs. Goodwin, Catherine's Dad, etc. I was excited for the fantastical/magical element but the twist at the end left something to be desired. Luca and Catherine's personal journey were the best aspects of the story for me.

I'm still very glad I had the opportunity to read this book, and I'm looking forward to future books by Melissa Wiesner.

This was a sweet light read. I enjoyed the slow romance and found the characters endearing.


Thank you to netgalley for an advanced copy, my opinions are my own.

Magical realism chick lit with a closed-door romance. I like the black cat/golden retriever dynamic, and this book has that, although Luca is a poorly sketched MMC, so it’s hard to develop strong feelings toward his character. Catherine, the FMC, is a much more developed character, and her plight pulls at your heartstrings. There’s a heartwarming message about community, and plenty of cute old people, but ultimately it’s a little bland for my personal tastes. I could see this book performing well with an older or more conservative demographic than my own.

4 stars in everyday overall life, 5 stars in goodreads, new release life.

Really cute, magical, filled with characters that I hope stay happy.

Thank you #netgalley

Just what I was looking for for my beach vacation. A light hearted easy read. I enjoyed it from the first page to the last. Although it was fairly predictable, I didn’t mind. I enjoyed it!

This was my first arc and I’m so glad it was! This wholesome read brings together a perfectionist FMC who is hard on herself and a go-with-the-flow MMC who makes it his mission to help everyone. With a touch of magic quirkiness and a whole lot of self growth and reflection, this book had me smiling, shaking my head in frustration (in a good way), and I even shed a tear or two at the end. This is the perfect read if you need a pick-me-up or are feeling a little lost trying to find work life balance. It paints the picture of what is important in life and underscores the importance of finding your happy! Whatever that may look like (and don’t judge yourself too harshly if it wasn’t what you were originally expecting for yourself).

Catherine shows up to start her new job after moving to a new (to her) adorable apartment with quiet(ish), sassy elderly neighbors only to find out that her government records are non-existent. She's on the verge of losing all she has worked hard for. But with help from Luca and the seemingly endless supply of local Morelli's, Catherine is bound and determined to sort out the paperwork and move on as quickly as possible.
I. ADORE. MAGICAL. REALISM. Catherine is down but not out of the game and her emotional and mental journey with fun and yummy Luca at her side was everything I hoped to read when I started. I laughed and had the good feels the entire time.
This sealed the deal! Melissa Wiesner is an auto-read author for me. I love everything about the way she writes, the flaws of her characters, their emotional journey, and the fun and sassy cast surrounding a heroine to root for. I am so excited to have a copy for my shelves (when it publishes) and happy to recommend it to anyone who will listen to me.
Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

Out On: October 15, 2024

I love Melissa Wiesner and I think I will read every single book that she puts out. Her spin on magical realism in each of her books is so much fun and I loved how different each book has been up to this point.

This book was super fun and very whimsical! I loved the dynamic we got to watch grow between Luca and Catherine. I thought that their opposite personalities (almost a reverse grumpy-sunshine) were super endearing and watching them learn more about one another throughout the story was really sweet.

The way that the community of the apartment complex rallied around Catherine as her life was falling apart was amazing. As someone who is also (at least I like to think so) organized person, I would have the same kind of reaction as Catherine if my entire identity was to disappear and cause all kind of havoc. It was super wholesome to watch her get loved on, even if she didn’t acknowledge it for what it was until later in the story.

I thought that the magical realism was super subtle throughout the book and I, as I always do, really enjoyed that aspect. However, I do think it may have been TOO subtle for people who haven’t ever read a magical realism book before! And honestly, that’s kind of my only complaint about this book. Overall, I definitely recommend you check this book out once it releases!

Thank you so much to Forever Pub for this advanced copy on NetGalley! 🤍

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

How can I start? .. I had never read a book by this author and I wouldn't believe I would read another book by her. I unfortunately DNF it at 50% of the way through the book. The timeline didn't match in any way.. Catherine knows Luca a few months, but also it was previously said she had just been living there one month? weird.

the introduction to the novel didn't excite me at all already with Luca throwing his coffee at Catherine.. it turned me off a bit but I continued anyway. I never liked Luca and it was partly because of him that I abandoned the book. The idea behind the novel captivated me, however. But I haven't found what I like in a book.

I had hopes, but unfortunately, this book was not made for me.

This was a cute book and I loved so many characters... sadly the main character was not one of them. Catherine has a literal stick up her ass for 90% of the book. I get it, that was her character, she even knows she strait-laced, but I could not bring myself to care for her. I really enjoyed the plot though, how she lost her identity and how Luca brings her in and breaks through her barriers. I just wish she would have come out of her shell before the end of the book so really could have appreciated her character. One character I did love was Sal.... Oh Sal. I knew what he was as soon as he walked into her apartment but geez, what a dude.

The romance is very YA, you only see kissing or "fade to black" and yall know I love a good smut scene. Thats ok though!

Overall, this was fine but nothing really to write home about.

This was a good rom-com novel. It wasn't breaking barriers or rewriting the genre but it was fun and easy to read. It was pretty predictable throughout but I didn't mind that. Overall, a good book.

Second Chance Year was a great story from this author. Don’t go into this story thinking it’s SCY 2.0. It’s not. It’s different, and you won’t understand until the very end.

Wish I Was Here seems more of a friend story; there isn’t much chemistry. I’m ok with the friendship. Of course. I’m proven wrong at the end.

The story is slow at the beginning. I almost abandoned it because the characters were not people I found interesting, and the main character was a whiner. But then almost at the turn of a page, things changed. Sort of like that moment when Dorothy moved from Kansas into Oz.

Because of this turnaround, the book scored 4 stars instead of a lower rating.

I loved the authors previous work, “The Second Chance Year”, so I was very excited to read this ARC. I think opposites attract and magical realism are two tropes I have loved in the past. This book was sweet with a great premise. It was a touching story of finding what really matters to a person in life.

I was a fan of the author's past work, The Second Chance Year, which similar to Wish I Were Here takes a seemingly innocuous go-getter lead who ends up confronting one tiny little environmental twist that takes the reader on an entire "what-if" journey of one's life. The story felt slow to get off the ground but as details emerge on Catherine's identity and the search to discover herself with the help of Luca, her building doorman, things pick up and remain engaging throughout. And towards the end, the book ties together well little crumbs and tidbits sprinkled throughout.