I could not wait to pick this back up every night! I found myself smirking and laughing through this cozy comfort read.

I really enjoyed the opposite personalities of Catherine & Luca. Perhaps it's because I wish I had the organization of Catherine, but in fact, I have the execution of Luca 😂

I love how the community is always there for each other - and having a large extended family myself, I got a huge kick out of Luca's familial connections. All of the residents were incredibly charming and endearing, not just Luca, I wanted to move into their building to have them in my life! Such amazing found family vibes.

I love Luca SO much, he's one of my new favorite book boyfriends. Not only is he sweet and thoughtful, but he is there for everyone in so many ways, making sacrifices others aren't even aware of. Why do book boyfriends always make me want a tattoo? I also love how his priorities stack up against others within the story and make the reader question what is most important to them.

"Have you made sacrifices for your career?"
Luca shrugs. "I don't make sacrifices for jobs. I make sacrifices for people I care about."

I enjoyed watching Catherine grow well out of her comfort zone, and discover what she thought she had been missing (I may have also teared up a few times). The twist at the ending was so wonderful! Please excuse me while I go buy pounds of butterscotch candies.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc.

I had high hopes for this read. ‘The Second Chance Year’ was one of my top five favorite reads last year. This book didn’t hit it for me.

Catherine was my least favorite character in a long time, I know a big part of the plot was her growth, but it was a challenge getting through her. There were bits a pieces of her dynamic with Luca that could be considered ‘rom com’ but I wouldn’t call the book as a whole as a rom com, I liked Luca’s character but didn’t find myself rooting for them as a couple.

At first, I wanted to STRANGLE Catherine. She was so uptight and intense and annoying and neurotic. But that was the point right? That Catherine in an attempt to make sense of her world and get her version of control, she became uptight, intense, and annoying. I really liked that even when she came across that way in writing, Luca never once described it that way. He saw her as passionate and determined. Which the more I think about it, that's probably what we do to ourselves. Envision the worst version of our traits. But finding someone who sees the best in them? That's lovely.

Anyways, once Catherine discovers her identity is gone, watching Catherine live a little was a delight. The little moments when you got to see the carefree little girl before she became responsible, it was very sweet. Overall, I absolutely adored the story and the growth Catherine was able to experience.

And dear lord, I love Luca. Give me Luca right now.

This was more of a woman’s fiction than a rom-com I think. It focused more on Catherine and her personal growth than her relationship with Luca.

It made me laugh out loud and I really enjoyed all the friendships she made with the people in her building. She grew so much and learned what was truly important in life and Luca helped her find that.

A sweet and happy read, that makes you think on what’s truly important to you, and how that affects the decisions you make about life.

And y’all. That ending though!!! 🤯🤯🤯😱

Thank you so much Melissa for the ARC! ❤️

An organized and grumpy woman teams up with her chaotic but friendly doorman when her identity goes missing. I loved Luca the doorman as he was such a kind and endearing character. As the book went on I also grew to really appreciate the eclectic group of side characters too.

The romance feels a bit surface level. I never really felt myself rooting for it one way or another. Mostly I just wanted Luca to be happy. Also the book had a slow start, it was over 30% in before the main storyline picked up which made it hard for me to get into.

Overall, this is an easy and fun read, once I powered through the slow start.

***Thank you Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

DNF at 16%

I cannot stand Catherine. Did you know she likes to be early? And she likes lists? And she can't stand anyone or anything messing with her rigidly set schedule? You should because it was repeated so much and alluded to that I felt like I was the dead horse being beaten with Catherine's personality. We get it girl, you're absolutely no fun because of childhood trauma. Spread out the details a bit so I have sympathy instead of annoyance.

Due to all the focus on Catherine, Luca, the Love interest, had little to no development by the time I called it quits, but I can tell you the details of his arm tattoo because Catherine focused on it for paragraphs. Multiple times.

By the time I gave up on this book, I didn't care how/if/when this couple ended up together or if they would get a HEA.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing this book, with my honest review below.

Wish I Were Here had the most perfect dash of fantasy to help round out a cute romance that is really focused on the personal growth of our main character. Catherine is a very orderly, extreme planning, everything set up to be in control woman who is still coming to terms with her chaotic childhood. Luca, her doorman, seems to be the definition of chaos. When Catherine’s dream job is at risk due to her identity no longer being found by the government, the two team up to try to fix it. There are amazing side characters here, from Catherine’s elderly neighbors, Luca’s mob family, her colorful second family growing up, and her long lost mother. All aren’t the best to get to know per se but have a significant impact on Catherine, who she was and who she ends up being.

I love the lesson about it never being too late to change and to realize the neat and orderly boxes you define others by aren’t always right or fair. This was extremely satisfying and while the book had a fun adventure in Catherine and Luca’s mission to fix her identity, what really made it great was everything Catherine realized by the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever for the eARC!

I really adored The Second Chance Year by Melissa Wiesner and was so excited to dive into this book. Unfortunately, this one wasn’t as good in my opinion.

I did relate to the FMC much more in this book, mainly because our personalities are very similar. But I didn’t really end up loving the way her personality was incorporated into the story… without spoilers, it just didn’t feel like it was wrapped up efficiently. The ending was a bit rushed.

The romance between the two characters was very bland and I’ve seen other reviewers say this too. Honestly the MMC himself was pretty bland. He didn’t really feel like he had much of a personality besides his tattoos and his need to always help others, even if it hinders him. I just didn’t like him much? And to be honest, even knowing the reason behind the third act conflict issue, I still HATE the third act conflict issue. That would have been very upsetting for me as well. 🤷‍♀️

I think overall, the ideas in this book were good, but the execution wasn’t quite there. I wish we had gotten more of the interactions of characters and more of the ending and her revelations… than all the run around of tracking down her info. The beginning portions (SS office, etc) were really boring.

I will definitely still read more of Wiesner’s work. I think she has talent and I do enjoy her weaving magical realism into her books. I think this one was just a miss for me.

Side note: the most unbelievable part of this book is that they got taken back into the ER immediately when he was just “pretending” to be in pain. It usually takes hours to get seen. 🙄

I enjoyed this novel. It is a sweet tale of self-discovery with a tomance component as well. There is an element of supernatural but I’ll leave it at that to avoid any spoilers. It was relatively quick read - would be perfect for a beach or vacation setting. I did find it a little predictable at times.

Where do I begin? While I’ve never read any other books by this author, this book does not give me hope for any other ones. There were so many things I found wrong with this book that I’m not sure if I should waste my time listing them all or skip right to telling you to avoid it altogether. So many times I wanted to DNF but I kept going because it’s a NetGalley book I got.

The timelines don’t match up. At multiple parts of the book. First Catherine knows him a few months, but also it was previously said she had just been living there one month? (P 150). Which is it, Melissa?

The story was also about 100 pages too short. I might have liked this book had there been more depth and more growth available to the characters. I hated Luca the whole time. He just bothered me ever since the intro scene of him spilling coffee on Catherine. That intro scene was just one of many that the whole I was reading, my eyes were squinting because I just didn’t understand the reason and the meaning and the wasted time writing it. Their relationship was also so strange to me. Honestly, the IDEA behind this book could’ve been really good had it been executed well. But it also seems very magic-y with the whole ghost-granting-wishes-thing.


Also - So. Many. Typos.

I absolutely adored this novel! Opposites attract kind of love - Catherine is a math professor, Luca is a doorman who drives her crazy at the apartment she recently moves to. The relationship between the two was so light and refreshing. I will be following Melissa Wiesner for more books in the future! thanks netgalley for my ARC copy!

This was fairly charming and also a little all over the place. Catherine is a dedicated, no-nonsense mathematician who plans everything well ahead of time. One thing she couldn’t foresee, however, was her identity disappearing days before she’s scheduled to start her dream job. Catherine must learn to go with the flow as she tries to get her identify back (with the help of her very handsome doorman!). There are some cute moments throughout but I didn’t feel all of the magical realism worked and Luca did not feel fully developed as a character. Overall, a quick, light read.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

This is my first time reading a book by this author, but I instantly became a fan within the first chapter. Wish I Were Here is filled with lovable characters that are all very complex and believable. I also had a few good laughs at Catherine’s expense (sorry girl).

I immensely enjoyed this book for many reasons. I did figure out what was going on by the 35% mark, but I kept an open mind and fell right back into the story.

Pros:
1. Luca is to die for. I mean, he is sheer perfection wrapped in colorful butterfly, bird, and flower tattoos. He puts everyone before himself, especially Catherine. I loved when he said he will always choose people over work - love that mentality.
2. Luca’s family is amazing and really adds to the story. I usually dislike when there are huge families because I get lost, but I loved them all. Uncle Vito - I wish I had one!
3. Sal. I will leave it at that
4. The plot. It was so much fun. I’ve never read anything like this. There were many subplots, but I never felt overwhelmed. They all fit together and seemed natural.
5. The sense of community and the deeper meaning of finding who you truly are and not who you think you should be really hit me hard. I could relate to Catherine in so many ways here.

I absolutely devoured this book. I planned to have this one last me about 3 days, but I finished it in less than 12 hours. Read this when you want something that keeps you up at night saying, “just one more chapter” and has you with your jaw on the ground and eye wide open.

*An ARC was received in exchange for an honest review.

This books is great! I already went and bought Melissa Wiesner’s “The Second Chance Year” because I enjoyed this book and characters so much. The title is so prefect. “I wish I were here”. Katherine wishes her identity was not missing and was here so she can start her job. She’s wishes she grew up with the mom she made up in her head. As the book goes on it the title takes on more layers, as she discovered who she is.
The characters, I liked them all. Luca in his doorman’s uniform and tattoos with his big heart. Catherine and her type A personality. Andy, just how much he loved Catherine. Luca’s huge family. At no point did a character do something and I wanted to be like “what are you doing?”
There is a third act break up, but I didn’t mind it in this book because I knew that it would be resolved because it wasn’t strikingly final. And the reason it happened was a whole reason I had in the back of my mind as I read (I don’t want to spoil) so it seemed bound to happen. I also loved how the epilogue was not a crazy number of years in the future like some other books. It was realistic.
Luca and Catherine go on this mission that’s entertaining step by step.
Also this is a closed door romance, they kiss and them spending the night together is implied but I loved this. Because the plot didn’t need to be bogged down by sex scenes and Katherine and Luca’s relationship still grew and was well represented.
Just note, this book was listed under romance and sci-fi/ fantasy. It’s not til the end of the book that comes into play. And you know If it wasn’t labeled fantasy then when it happens it would come out of left field. So I get the reason why. If you pick this book up. Then don’t let that throw you. This book deserves to be read.

I wanted to give this book 5 starts so bad because once the story starts I couldn’t put it down. However it’s at 40 percent is where the story picks up and Catherine and Luca get their first lead. And I kept waiting for something to happen. The start of the book spends a lot of time talking about how Catherine’s father’s is unreliable or Luca’s charm. Which is great but I wish that could have condensed into a few chapters instead of almost the first half of the book.

She’s a grumpy, organized, workaholic who thinks rules should be followed at all times, but when you’re raised by a single father who is a literal clown (circus performer) its no surprise that you’d crave structure in your life.

He’s sunshine in a tall, handsome, and heavily tattooed body - he’s also always late, never follows the rules and she finds him infuriating (even if she can’t look away).

When Catherine loses her identity she has no choice but to rely on the unreliable (and unbelievably sexy) Luca to help her get her identity back before she loses everything that matters to her. What she finds in the process is more than she bargained for yet just what she needs.

Wish I Were Here is a heartwarming and laugh out loud funny tale about discovering that what you thought you were missing was really there all along.

I absolutely adored this book!

What I loved
- an FMC that felt relatable
- an MMC that was not just hot, but layered in ways that made it impossible not to love him
- hilarious and lovable side characters (Can we get a Ginger Ale/Uncle Vito story please?!)
- Found family that wrapped me in the warmest of hugs
- a sprinkle of magical realism that gave this book the extra pop
- laugh out loud banter

What I think you should know
- The clown in the book isn’t a scary face painted clown but rather a handsome, fit, 48 year old (single father) juggler and circus act performer. No need to let a fear of clowns scare you away.
- The plot is so much more than just a romance. It’s a story of self-discovery and healing with the added bonus of being a sweet grumpy-sunshine romance adventure.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for sending this book (eARC) for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

DNF at 30% - the idea is so good and has potential but I can’t get myself to care about the fmc finding herself 😅 her whole personality is that she’s high strung mathematician and I’m too bored to keep reading to see her loosen up.

This book was cute, however I did feel underwhelmed throughout. The story and concept were good, but just skimmed the surface. For this reason, I had a hard time connecting with the mmc and fmc. Still a cute, quick read, but will probably forget the storyline within a few days.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever Grand Central Publishing for this ARC!

Wish I Were Here was such a fun, unique read - I flew through it in 2 days (and I consider myself a slow reader)! There was chemistry between the MCs, suspense and mysterious aspects in the plot, and lovable supporting characters. I look forward to reading more by Wiesner!

A lighthearted read — Perfect for fans of “The Maid”, “Elinor Oliphant is Completely Fine” & “The 5 Year Slip”. A quirky lead character, who seemed a bit more plain Jane in the beginning & grows in her quirks and eccentricities as the story progresses. Loved the elements of her kindhearted love interest and journey to self discovery. A easy and enjoyable story that wove in some mystical elements & kept me interested from the beginning.

The magical realism was less about romance and more about a journey of self discovery. The beginning was a little clunky and confusing, but in the end I loved Luca and the cast of seniors, burlesque dancers, and mobsters that make up this wacky but loving community. Catherine's type A personality was relatable, especially her to-do lists. The look we got into her childhood helped me understand her. I also figured out the surprise ending pretty early on. But there were several hints along the way, so perhaps that was intentional.