Wish I Were Here is such a charming story! Melissa Wiesner creates an opposites attract romance filled with lots of thoughts on personal identity and a touch of magical realism too.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Math professor Catherine Lipton is beside herself when she shows up for her new job’s orientation, only to find that her identity has disappeared from the university’s system—no social security number or official records seem to exist. With the help of her building’s hot, tattooed doorman Luca Morelli, Catherine searches for her missing birth certificate in order to prove who she is. For the organized, type A Catherine, it’s excruciating, but soon she and Luca are running all over Pittsburgh to search for clues. Even once she re-establishes her identity, can she go back to being the person she was before Luca came into her life?

I adore this entire book, from Catherine’s personal journey to the touch of magical realism to the Pittsburgh setting. It all fits together, along with her budding romance with Luca. It’s a blast to watch Luca, and his extended family, help her solve the mystery, while stumbling into entertaining escapades along the way. The secondary characters are great, including Catherine’s free spirited father Andy and her elderly neighbors.

Wish I Were Here is a personal journey, with a charming romance, entertaining characters and magical realism thrown in. I truly enjoyed Catherine’s journey, and the found family she discovers while uncovering her mysterious disappearance.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Im a big fan of Melissa’s previous book, The Second Chance Year, and have been really looking forward to getting to read Wish You Were Here! The cover art on this book alone was enough to entice me, let alone really loving other Melissa Wiesner books. Thank you to Net Galley for letting me read a digital advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I love magical-realism romance novels and this one does not disappoint! Wish You Were Here tells the story of practical Cat (Catherine) Lipton and free-spirited Luca Morelli. When Cat’s paperwork mixup for her new job turns into a full-blown missing identity conundrum, Luca volunteers to help her get to the bottom of it. Cat’s buttoned up exterior starts to slowly loosen up the more time she spends with Luca and I loved seeing her character arc shift as the story went along.

While the love connection between these two is incredibly plausible and on the surface very intriguing, I had a little trouble really falling in love with their love story myself. I feel like I needed just a little more depth to the characters and their romance. Now, that being said, the details shared of Luca’s character, with the gorgeous tattoos and dark hair was very exciting and easy to imagine him, almost like a book version of Jess Mariano from Gilmore Girls. Yum!

In addition to Luca, I loved getting to know all the secondary characters in the story. Cat and Luca live in the DeGreco building, whose primary residents are old enough to be Cat and Luca’s grandparents. It’s very sweet to get to know all these characters who become like family to Cat and Luca, and I could really see myself living in the DeGreco building with them all. In fact, it kind of made me long to live there, really wishing I could have all those sweet octogenarians around me as my neighbors.

While Wish You Were Here is not my all-time most-favorite Wiesner novel, it was definitely a page-turner for me and one that I really enjoyed with several giggle-out-loud moments. All-in-all, a very enjoyable read! Definitely one that I look forward to buying!

Thank you again for the opportunity to read and review this book! My overall rating is 4.5 stars!

3.75⭐️ Wish I were here is a sweet opposites attract, romance about Catherine a super organized, rule following professor who loses her identity right before starting her dream job and has no choice but to accept help from Luca her happy go lucky, unreliable doorman before she loses everything.

This story definitely centres around Catherine’s self discovery more than it does the romance which I wasn’t expecting but the romance was still sweet and I liked the characters (especially the side characters) and I had fun reading it.

I would definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys magical realism, journeys of self discovery, heartwarming romances and found family.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this book. It had magical realism, found family, and a touch of romance. I loved the residents of the apartment building and Luca's many family members. I found it funny and full of heart and I would definitely read a sequel.

4.5 stars rounded up.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

✨️ Wish I Were Here ✨️

Brief synopsis: Catherine Lipton is stepping out on her own with a new apartment and new job, but alas with the same need to be in control of her surroundings. The anxiety builds with a haphazardly run-in with the handsome doorman, Luca Morelli, on her first day on the job that sends her reeling and grasping for stability (literally and figuratively). Catherine ultimately makes a wish that alters her life and the journey is quite an enjoyable one to read! 💫

Thoughts: What a sweet and tender story! While reading, I was reminded of "It's a Wonderful Life" as this story truly embodies the message that "No man is a failure who has friends." If you enjoy stories with magical realism, found family, tattooed mmc's, STEM fmc, and mental health rep, you may enjoy this book, as well!

Thank you to NetGalley and Melissa Wiesner for this ARC! I now look forward to reading Wiesner's book, The Second Chance Year, during the New Year holidays!

I really enjoyed this book. The writing was well done and the characters were loveable. It was very easy to read and I read in one day. I loved Luca and his personality. He balanced Catherine out well. He was fun and carefree. I also love how his whole family lived or worked or owned something in the town.
I was nervous that I was not going to like Catherine. She was very by the book and I don't mind that but I enjoyed that she was able to let loose and have fun. I loved how she lived with a bunch of octogenarians and that she learned to care for others. I wish she would have reconsidered her job later on in the book.
I wish we would have learned more about Catherine's mom. I feel like that was rushed and I wanted a different reaction from her when we meet her character. Catherine's dad being a clown felt very random to me and I am still not sure how to feel about it. I felt like some of the problems were just solved out of nowhere in the book but the story was cute & fun to read. I wish we got more of a love story for Luca & Catherine. It felt very insta love and very rushed.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. I had a great time reading and I love the magical realism troupe so I was very excited to pick this up. Get your copy 10/15.

3 Stars
One Liner: I wish it was better!

Catherine Lipton is a type-A mathematician who needs lists, a schedule, and an orderly life. Being early for her meetings is her idea of being on time. After living a free-spirited and unpredictable life in her childhood, Catherine clings to order to stay sane. That’s why Luca Morelli, the handsome but casual doorman of her apartment, annoys her. He doesn’t seem to understand the need for order and structure.
However, when Catherine somehow disappears from the government records and doesn’t seem to exist, her world spirals out of control. With her new teaching position at stake and no one to believe her, Catherine has to take Luca’s help to sort out the problem. Soon, she realizes that her missing identity is helping her find the ‘real’ Catherine.
The story comes in Catherine’s first-person POV.

My Thoughts:
The premise was interesting, and I expected something similar to Miranda in Retrograde but with a touch of magic realism. While the beginning was good, the book skimmed the surface almost throughout despite having enough elements to add depth.
Catherine was well done, and I did identify with her need for lists, plans, and the desire to not be late for important events. Her vulnerabilities and the instability of her childhood give a clear idea about her personality. Her yearning to connect with the other parent and know more also comes across well.
However, the other characters don’t do enough to enhance any of this. Luca, for all his charm and helpful nature, ends up without much depth. He needed to be complex to support the FMC’s growth and introspection. Instead, it felt like the choice had to be between this and that. Life rarely works so! The aim should be to highlight the importance of balancing order with flexibility and self with community. For this, Luca had to start simple but become someone capable of proving to Catherine that she could have both.
Let’s be honest. Catherine wasn’t really off the mark. Help is what we do beyond our work, not instead of it. Some basic responsibilities have to be taken care of at some point.
I liked how the book showed the difference in attitude when a person’s identity proof is threatened. In a world where we are who we claim to be only when the documents (despite so many fake IDs) support the claim, it can be a nightmare for a genuine person to be considered a fraud.
That said, the chemistry between the lead couple wasn’t great. I knew they were meant to be, so I went with the flow. Apart from that, I didn’t really feel the urge to root for them. Not much banter either. At least the romance was pretty much closed-door, so that was an advantage here.
The last quarter also could have been a lot better. A lot is revealed in a few pages, which doesn’t give enough time for everything to sink in. Need more interaction between Catherine and the parent, more heartfelt conversations, and a sustained realization on her part that the choice was either/ or and she could have all of it with some slight adjustment. Simply put, the story is missing nuance which elevates good to great.
And oh, I hope the timeline mess has been sorted. The days, weeks, months, etc., none of it seem to give a clear picture of the duration. The puzzle pieces are out of place!
To summarize, Wish I Were Here has some worthy moments but lacks the depth or nuance to enhance the plot. I wish it was better executed.
Thank you, NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing), for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
***
Lastly, why is the western society intent on wiping out our identities and replacing them with a convenient blanket term ‘South Asia’? If Luca is Italian and not Mediterranean or European and the other characters are Americans rather than North Americans, but reduce others to vague terms? Would it hurt to use a specific identity? Couldn’t Dr. Gupta be an Indian? Couldn’t Radhika be a Sri Lankan or a Bangladeshi Hindu? The Indian subcontinent is not South Asia just because some ‘academics’ hate us.

This was the 2nd book in 2 weeks that I read published by Forever and that I loved. This book was so fun! It gave me Oceans Eleven vibes without being about a heist or anything alike, but Luca’s family kinda works like that film cast somehow. I loved how Luca had a cousin once removed for every situation Cat and Luca encountered. This was so entertaining! But also the whole theme of family and what is really important in life was so touching and well done.

The characters, starting with Cat, were great! She is a wonderful FMC and I love how she lead through the story and how she finds herself and what is important to her throughout the story. Luca is an awesome MMC in this book. He is the most caring and kind person and looks out for everyone in the cast. He and his family make this book as much fun as it is. Additionally Mrs. Goodwin needs an extra mention here. She is such a lovely old lady who makes Cats and Luca’s life so much brighter and more fun! There is many more endearing side characters and I cannot write about all of them, but let me say that this cast was one of the best I had in books lately.

All in all, this book combines magical realism and a great story in such a wonderful way. Especially the messages around family and friendship that were sprinkled throughout the book were great. I must recommend that to anyone who likes magical realism and/or who needs a book that is just really wholesome and heartwarming.

Enchanting. That’s the best way to describe Melissa Wiesner’s latest rom-com. WISH I WERE HERE combines many of the elements that speak to my heart - opposites attract, found family, and a sprinkling of magical realism.

Catherine Lipton is a rule follower. She likes life neat and tidy, predictable, and organized. A fan of detailed to-do lists, Catherine is about to begin her career as a tenure track professor in the Mathematics Department. Everything is going according to plan until her existence literally disappears.

Enter Luca Morelli; the rule breaking, super chill, heavily tattooed doorman of Catherine’s apartment building. He always seems to be doing everything other than his doorman duties which Catherine finds annoying. At the same time, his colorful tattoos and good looks have certainly caught her attention. When Luca volunteers to help Catherine prove she really does exist, rules are broken, secrets are uncovered, and connections are made.

A big part of the magic of this book lies with the eclectic cast of characters that complement Catherine and Luca. I absolutely fell in love with the juggling clown, burlesque troupe, Mafia boss, light footed dancing senior, pasta fagioli cooking relatives, and butterscotch dispensing neighbor. And Luca. I adored Luca. He is a cinnamon roll with extra icing and utterly delicious.

WISH I WERE HERE is a lighthearted novel with a big message and I loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed reading Wish I Were Here by Melissa Wiesner! Catherine grew up with a free-spirited single dad that did everything opposite of Catherine’s need for order. When her dream opportunity arises as a college math professor, she has everything in place - or so she thought. Catherine learns that there is no record of her at all in government records which leaves her work opportunity in limbo. Catherine connects with her building’s doorman, Luca, to try and get her life back.

There was nothing I didn’t like about this book. I loved how there was a little bit of magical realism in the plot as well. Luca was just the sweetest, most selfless guy that went out of his way to help not only Catherine, but also the senior citizens that lived in their building. Catherine’s dad is lovable and only did his best for his daughter. A romance read that also tells a story of self-discovery and healing.

Five stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this eARC. Pick up Wish I Were Here when it hits shelves this Tuesday, October 15!

3.5 stars
Catherine and Luca are interesting, relatable, intriguing, complex, wounded, entertaining characters. I enjoyed their time together on page and wish that their romance had been more centre stage rather than a subplot. I loved Catherine’s growth throughout the story and how her journey ended. I did struggle getting into the book and almost gave up, but I’m glad I stuck with it, because for me Catherine’s development was worth finishing the book for. The secondary characters – especially Andy and Sal – added to the fabric of the story and my enjoyment.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

omg i adored this book! a sweet romance with some magical realism? yes, every time, yes. catherine is giving black cat energy, luca is a golden retriever. lovable elderly people, & a little mystery? sign me up! this was such a great read and i was immediately hooked!

thank you so much to forever and netgalley for this arc! 🩷🩷🩷

This story was so much more than I was expecting. The layers of self-discovery, the uniqueness of the characters and the magical realism made it so I couldn't put this book down.

Catherine's upbringing led her to believe the world would be better off if everyone was organized and focused...after all, she grew up in a community that was the complete opposite of that. But, after she meets Luca and begins to see that all the chaos she feared could actually open her up to unexpected joy and friendships, her heart begins to change and she starts questioning her view of what makes for a great life. Catherine and Luca couldn't be more different - at least on first inspection - but as they grow closer she realizes that life doesn't have to be black and white, that sometimes it's the color that, although scary, can add joy. This book gave me all the feels...it had me smiling and laughing, at times I felt hopeful and sad in equal measures, and it may have even brought a tear to my eye.

This is my first Melissa Wiesner book but I know without a doubt that it will not be my last. If all her stories have wonderful characters, unique story lines, and ability to touch my heart like this one, I know I will devour them very quickly.

One of the first things I did when I received this gifted copy from the author (squee!) was read her note to readers in the back. Wiesner based this story on something she’d read in a newspaper, a tragic something, and thought, “What if I turn it on its head?”

Catherine is a math professor who grew up in chaos, the daughter of an actual clown and absent mother. What she craves, what she seeks out as an adult is structure and order. Rules and the expected.

After nabbing a dream position at the local university with a top notch mentor and opportunities to publish, she’s in heaven.

Until she goes to the faculty orientation and finds out that she doesn’t exist. Every piece of documentation she possesses has been wiped from all government databases.

Luca is the charismatic doorman at her building. Free spirited and seemingly without a care, arms covered in colorful tattoos and head in the clouds, his way of life gets under Catherine’s skin.

He’s too much like her father - unpredictable and prone to flights of fancy.

Until it appears he’s the only one - with the help of a gigantic Italian family who possess certain skill sets - who can help her…exist again.

But as the two spend time together, Catherine can see the appeal of Luca. He’s generous, kind, thoughtful, and looks after everyone. Soon she begins to forgive his constant lateness, his excuses, his peculiar behaviors.

When things are looking up, Catherine forces herself to make a choice, one no one else expects of her: become a staid and secure professor or let her freak flag fly even a tiny bit.

I loved Luca and as Catherine grew as a character, I saw her for what she was - hurt and afraid - and came to appreciate her, too.

The twist regarding her identity theft and odd birth certificate fell flat for me. Otherwise it was a cute closed door romance with some light mystery with a MMC who has a heart of gold.

4.5 stars

Opposites attract in this fun magical realism romance between a cinnamon roll doorman and an (overly) organized professor. This was a fun story about finding out who you are (because your whole identity disappears) and how important community really is. Luca was a perfect book boyfriend with his helpful manner and how he cares for the elderly residents. And I connected with Catherine in her always-too-early manner and hyper organized schedule. But you could feel she needed something to mess up her routine and for her to learn that it can still be okay if not everything goes to plan. I loved her growth through the story and it felt like a natural arc given the plot. Overall, I had a good time and the magical realism was very light.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I enjoyed the author’s previous book ‘The Second Chance Year’ (Dec 2023). This book has a few similarities. It leans more towards general (women’s) fiction, includes a closed door romance and there is a theme of the importance of found family. Catherine Lipton grew up with a chaotic father which means now she lives her life by rules and order. Everything is great in her world when she accepts her new job as a college mathematics professor. But when she starts her paperwork for HR her world becomes undone. Her social security number no longer exists. She finds herself cut off from her bank account and credit cards. It is as if she no longer exists.

Luca Morelli is the doorman at her building. I found him kind of one dimensional, but he is very kind, charming and has tattoos. He is also the only one who seems to be set on helping her navigate her dilemma. I don’t want to spoil where the story goes but it gives Catherine a chance to grow and see that every rule doesn’t have to be followed. This is a story of finding life balance. Honestly, I’m a bit of a type A personality and a natural rule follower, so I was stressed for Catherine.

The story is enjoyable. I liked and rated the previous book a smidge higher only because of storyline preference. If the blurb intrigues you then you’ll probably like the book. (3.5 Stars)

If you love the magical realism in Ashley Poston's books, then this is for you! Catherine is an extremely organized rule follower type. She is under a lot of pressure starting a new job and wishes she could just be nobody with no responsibilities. This is where the magic comes in.. her wish comes true & she loses her identity. Her charming, laid back doorman, Luca, is the one to help her try to get her identity back. The plot was focused more on Catherine's character growth with the romance being a side plot. I adored Luca and the whole community of senior citizens. The situation with Catherine's parents was really frustrating to me. It was slow at times but overall a really sweet story.

Catherine's carefully structured world and her high anticipated new position as a professor is blown away when the university runs her identity documents and discovers that she doesn't actually exist- that her birth certificate is fake. Her happy go lucky father refuses to explain or provide her with info about her mother. Luckily, she's made pals with Luca, the doorman at her building who is part of a large family with tentacles all over town. Together they track down the truth. It's entirely implausible and I wish there was a bit more heat between this pair but Wiesner kept me reading to find out what would happen. And for all that her father seemed irresponsible, he has a good group of friends. Keep you eye on the other residents in the apartment building. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. No spoilers.

This was very sweet and with just enough whimsical.

Catherine Lipton takes type A to the next level - and she's very proud of it. She is always early, loves her to do list, and keeps everything in order. She got her PHD in mathematics and can't wait to start her job as a tenure-track professor. She knows that shes impressed her new boss, until her father shows up and humiliates her., making her wish that she had a totally different life. Then she shows up at orientation only for it all to go sideways when HR informs her that her paperwork was rejected because she doesn't seem to.... exist.

So Catherine enlists the assistance doorman at her new apartment building, Luca, who seems to be related to everyone in Pittsburgh. Together, with the help of their elderly neighbors they run all around Pittsburgh to track down her original birth certificate which they think will be the key to fixing everything. And while Luca seems to be her opposite in every way, she can't help but be drawn to him.

It's a lovely story of family - by birth and by choice - and a reminder that order is in the eye of the beholder. It was such an enjoyable ride, and I can't wait to read more by author Melissa Wiesner!

I was really excited to receive a digital ARC from Forever and NetGalley. This review is my own thoughts. As I started to read it, I had trouble being invested in the book. I wondered whether I really wanted to read this book--I had recently read some other rom-coms and they were entirely too predictable. I read a couple chapters during my work break and decided that once I had arrived home, I would sit down and force myself to read two more chapters. I was really tired, hungry and in a mood. I picked up the book and started reading those next two chapters--the two chapters that would tell me whether this book would be a DNF or whether I would keep it on my shelf to read when I was ready for my next rom-com adventure. Well......before I knew it, I had read half the book and made a conscious decision to continue reading through the night. This book will not let you down if you like to read romantic comedy. This book was unexpected. It made me laugh out loud a few times with great dialogue. The story line contained wonderful characters that I would enjoy meeting, from senior citizens to mobsters and ghosts. For me, this was a 5 star read. I would not hesitate to recommend it to adults of all ages.