Member Reviews
I did think the story was cute and original. Felt like a 90s romcom, so I enjoyed the nostalgic feeling. However it did struggle a bit on keeping my attention, some parts had over descriptions and chapters were long.
I’ll admit, the first thing that caught my eye was the gorgeous cover (seriously, it’s stunning!). But once I started reading, I couldn't put this book down for two days straight. Anna lives in Geneva with her little sister and mother, and works for their quirky neighbor as a housekeeper for Max Barone. Sounds pretty normal, right? Well, not exactly. Thanks to an heirloom necklace from the Barone family, everyone believes she's been Mrs. Barone for the past seven years—everyone except Max, who still seems to recall seven years of love and passion with her.
To untangle this mess, they decide to make another wish, but not before reliving their perfect first meeting in Paris. Too bad this wish doesn’t go quite as planned...
What can I say? This book stole my heart! It's the perfect example of "right person, not right time.", but with the sweetest happy ending.
Anna and Max are searching for each other across parallel timelines, endlessly seeking that fateful intersection (don’t worry, they find it ;)). Absolutely 5 stars!
The power of a wish!! It was a unique, fast paced, spicy story easily finished in a day but the concept sticks with you. Great addition to the series.
It was so cute OMG. I loved it. From start to finish, I was hooked on the story.
Set in Geneva, this story follows the normal and quite boring life of Anna Benoit, who cleans the handsome and rich Max Barone’s chateau. She keeps to herself, barely noticeable while she works and pines for Max, who she fell in love with the first time she saw him. Unable to do a move, she continues her normal life with her work, Dorene (her neighbour), her mother and her sister. It all changes when Anna makes a wish, a wish of love, as she asks to be married to Max. Suddenly, she wakes up in a world where everyone knows her as Mrs Barone. In a daze, she goes to Max’s office to see how he is and it turns out that he’s just as confused as her. However, they decide to see how real it can be and they turn up in a romantic getaway where she sees a side of him she didn’t know before. It’s all she’s ever wanted. Everything is perfect, except one thing: she feels like an intruder in a life that’s not hers.
This book was amazing. It truly was. I loved the plot, the storyline was so good and entertaining I couldn’t keep my eyes from the pages. I loved the characters and how deep they are. I loved how well they fit together. There are such beautiful romantic scenes. It was so good.
With all this, I have to give this book 5 stars. I would recommend it so much and now I want to buy it in physical form.
This is a five-star read that you will want to place so many wishes on. What an adorable story, this is number four in the Ghosted series, and I can honestly say they can be read as stand-alone, as I have read number three, but not the first two and I wasn’t lost at all, I loved how the author managed to keep all of the story lines tight and together, despite the fact that we weave timelines and stories, that was so well done, the what ifs, in life, the what could have been’s those moments will keep you hooked to this story, Anna and Max have a passion, but time needs to release them to find that passion. This story has had me desperate to visit Geneva, to see if everything you read about is true, pick up this amazing story, and the series as I plan on going back for 1 and 2 the story is just that good.
Wished is the fourth book in the Ghosted series and while each book can be read as a standalone, I highly suggest reading each book in the series for more information on the reoccurring characters.
Wished focuses on Anna Benoit and Max Barone. Anna is a house cleaner for Max’s chateau and is hopelessly in love with him. Max, on the other hand, is oblivious to Anna’s existence. Anna finds a box containing a necklace inside while cleaning the chateau’s library which has a note next to the box that informs her that this necklace will grant wishes. Anna is skeptical and thinks her coworker is pranking her but decides to place a wish upon the necklace regardless of her skepticism. Max catches her with the necklace and accuses her of attempting to steal a family heirloom which she vehemently denies but is ultimately fired when he tells her to empty her pockets and finds the necklace stowed away inside her pocket. The next day, Anna discovers her wish came true. She is happily married to Max and has been for seven years. However Anna is plagued with guilt knowing that her marriage and Max’s love for her is disingenuous and is only the result from her wish.
Anna is so tender-hearted, vulnerable and lovable. She sacrifices so much for the people she loves and when she loves, she loves wholeheartedly. She is a hopeless romantic and a believer in love at first sight. Contrastingly, Max is cynical, jaded, and despondent. He is perfectly content running his family owned jewelry company. Max’s tumultuous family history deeply affects his outlook and acceptance on love. As a result, he dismisses anything relating or pertaining to love and doesn’t want passion, romantic relationships, or a wife.
This book is about discovering, accepting and welcoming love. It showcases and touches upon the infinite choices of love such as quiet love, unwavering love, passionate love and the kind of love that continues on without reservation. It’s a story about two damage individuals who feel as if they’re not worthy of love because of their environment and upbringings. It’s a story of a man who’s too afraid to love and a woman who loves too much. But most of all, it’s a story about experiencing every possible variation of love and learning how and what it feels like to love another person in every possible way. I adore this tender read so much and I can’t wait to read what Sarah writes next!
Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Thank you to @netgalley and Swift and Lewis Publishing for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.
It’s the day after I finished this ARC and I already want to do a reread of it!! This was such a cute and quick read with a simple plot that’s easy to follow!
Our FMC, Anna, falls in love on sight with her employer, Max, but he doesn’t even know she exists. For three years she pins over him until a chance to make a wish presents itself. Then everything falls apart, until suddenly her wish comes true.
Our couple are thrust into an alternate reality where they have been married for seven years. Max suddenly has memories he never lived that contradict what he knows to be true but Anna is aware the last seven years never happened. They race to undo the wish but start to get to know each other along the way.
I will say at first, Max’s change of heart felt a bit rushed. He was so against the new reality until he wakes up the next day willing to give her a chance to reconcile with the seven years of false memories he suddenly has. I did feel that his swap into being willing to entertain this new reality felt a bit off, though the author does offer an explanation.
I have to give our author credit as well, the spicy scene was written perfectly into the story in a way that offers intimacy that most authors fail to capture. It furthered the plot instead of just being a “spicy book”. It was nice and refreshing.
I will admit that the way the book kept flipping the script, I was unsure how our couple were going to come together into a beautiful ending, but we did get there and it was magical! (Quite literally).
This is my first book by Sarah and I will for sure be checking out the previous three books in this series as this one was absolutely adorable! If I already want to reread this one, I can’t imagine how the others will be!
Huge shoutout to Netgalley for providing access to this ARC!
This is my first work of Sarah Ready and I had a gala time reading it! It's a romance that's unlike many others I have read and can totally be adapted to the big screen as well. What happens when your deepest wishes come true? Do you accept them and live your life worry-free? Or do you believe in doing what's right and letting go, even if it's the best gift that life could potentially offer you?
This is the story of Anna Benoit, a cleaning lady at the home of Max Barone, one of Geneva's richest men. What happens when you fall in love with your employer at first sight? What do you do when you wish that you could be married to him? Lo and behold, what do you do now that your wish is granted? With rich descriptions of the varying natural landscapes and subtly tying together the themes of family dynamics and friendship, Wished fulfils all your expectations from a romance!
Special shoutout to the author for ensuring that the intimate scenes actually served a purpose and weren't added just to spice up the story!
A really enjoyable romance, which caught me by surprise with some of the twists in it. If youve imagined what it would be like to get your wish come true, then this is the book for you. The characters were really developed and made me fall in love with them so much that I finished this book so quickly!
I really loving this series by Sarah Ready. I love that Max finally got his happily ever after and it being done in such a beautiful way.
Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC for my honest review.
‘Wished’ swept me off my feet with its enchanting blend of magical realism and romance! The dreamy Parisian setting created a backdrop that was both mesmerizing and romantic. And, watching one-sided love evolve into something mutual was truly heartwarming. I was spellbound by every page and totally fell in love with this story. It's a beautiful, magical journey that left me with a blissful, emotional glow.
This book was so adorable! I think one of my favorite things about it is the flowing writing. We receive a perfect balance of showing and telling, and some of the quotes really hit me. I don't really like the insta love trope, but this one didn't really feel that way, even though it was? I loved that while the FMC was clearly in love with the MMC, she was just happy being near him, even if it meant she could never receive his love. But then when she made that wish, a part of her was happy being married to him, if only to experience what it felt like.
Personally, the FMC's nature felt personal to me, especially with her wishing happiness for everyone except for herself. Those instances brought tears to my eyes, and I really loved how the author brought attention to that aspect. The trauma was handled spectacularly. I don't think I can describe how much I liked it.
However, I do think that the MMC took things way too easily -- although that does make sense, considering he was combating the feelings created by the wish, and his own personal feelings. I also thought the romance was too sickly sweet, however that's just a me thing rather than a direct flaw of the book. The romantic quotes just seemed to much, which is why I'm taking off a star. I do have to reiterate, though, that it isn't necessesarily a flaw -- it's just something I personally don't like.
I really appreciate being given the opportunity to read this book, and I'm actually excited to go back and read the rest of the books in this series!
“Wished” by Sarah Ready follows Anna Benoit who fantasises about her being married to the mysterious owner of the chateau she cleans, she finds herself in a bizarre reality where she is now Max Barone’s wife. Anna is a dreamer who believes in soulmates and love at first sight—after all, she experienced it herself. The moment she laid eyes on Max Barone, she fell deeply and irrevocably in love. It didn’t matter that they came from entirely different backgrounds—he ran a jewellery empire while she cleaned houses—love knows no boundaries. Max didn’t even know Anna’s name, let alone that she existed. One day when Anna made a wish, she suddenly was thrusted into a topsy-turvy world where everyone believed she and Max had been blissfully married for years.
My main concern is that I wanted more from the story. I felt Max gave in too quickly, and the potential for angst was lacking, especially with the strong insta-love vibe. However, if you’re in the mood for a quick, feel-good romance, this book is a great choice. I enjoyed it, but it seemed to lack the emotional depth found in the other titles in the series. Anna’s instant infatuation with Max and her secret obsession with him for three years felt unrealistic. In “Fated,” Max came across as caring, but in this book, he initially seemed cold and grumpy toward Anna, which didn’t quite align with his character in the earlier books. Still, the romance between Max and Anna was well executed, and I appreciate the unpredictable magical elements that Sarah Ready weaves into her writing.
I'm not a huge fan of fantasy but this book is more than that. It has rich characters that pull you in right away. Ready is a talented writer. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I could suspend my beliefs enough to enjoy the story.
3.75🌟
This was fun. It was really nice. The plot was unique.
Tropes:
●Magical realism
●Marriage
●Classic references
●Paris
●Enemies to lovers (sort of)
●One sided love turns mutual.
The necklace concept was reallly awesome.
I couldn't connect too much to the characters because the length of the book but I would love to read more by this author someday.
I loved every single thing about this novel. I absolutely adore this series and Sarah Ready. I literally screamed when I saw the next book was available as an ARC on NetGalley! (No joke - I scared my family).
Ok, where do I start? This novel follows Anna and Max. Anna is Max’s house cleaner, and she has loved him since the moment she saw him three years ago. She stumbles across one of his family’s heirlooms that is known to grant wishes. After wishing she was married to Max, she dives into a world where she has to decide if her happiness is worth taking the freedom of choice away from another.
I instantly liked Max from the previous book in the series. I really wanted him to find someone who would love him, since I knew he was lonely. Anna is perfect for Max.
This book has it all: banter; a beautiful setting; lovable characters; spice that is the hottest in the series; and a plot that is simply unique.
Ready elaborates on the setting as we travel from Geneva to Paris to Saint Tropez. I’ve never visited these places, but I felt like I was there. From the food to the people to the architecture, Ready nailed it.
What I love most about Ready is her ability to craft a plot and make it her own. Magical realism is hard to write, but this series is perfect. I’m not sure if this is the last in the series, but I sincerely hope it isn’t.
*An ARC was received in exchange for an honest review.
I had a blast reading this book. It’s sweet, funny, and spicy. The book is placed in Geneva, which adds to its charming storyline. Magic and romance were delicately added throughout the book, which gives the reader a sense of excitement. I do feel like there was a lack of character development all around, but it was made up for with world building.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for this arc. I absolutely love anything and everything from Sarah Ready so ofc I loved this one as well. Max was so sweet like damn when is it my turn.. Can't wait to read more books from this author.
3.5⭐️
Disfrute la historia.
Le faltó más desarrollo al romance. Anna se enamoró a primera vista de Max y se creó un cuento en su cabeza de que él también se enamoraría al conocerla. Hasta aquí todo bien, él problema es que 3 años después ella sigue con ese pensamiento, lo tiene en un altar, pero jamás han interactuado y cuando por fin puede hablar ella sigue en su mundo mágico.
En Switched parece que la relación de Serena y Henry se dió muy rápido, pero en realidad tenía mucho tiempo desarrollándose por lo que el tiempo no fue un problema, pero aquí lo sentí muy apresurado, por lo menos por parte de Max.
A pesar de las cosas que no me gustaron estuve pegada al libro hasta terminarlo porque necesitaba saber como se iba a resolver todo.
Me gustó que se aclarara que Max amaba a Fi como amiga y que le pidió matrimonio porque sabía que nunca sentiría nada romántico por ella.
Ojalá Max tuviera más povs porque sólo tiene 2: el prólogo y epílogo. Ame el epílogo porque podemos ver su amor por Anna.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I love Sarah Ready's books, and I was excited for Max to finally get his HEA. As usual, her stories have a mysterious twist in the plot. In Wished, Anna, who works as Max's cleaner while also having a crush on him, wishes for Max and her to be married. Somehow, her wish comes true, and everybody around her believes that they are about to celebrate their 7-year anniversary...except for Max. Max is equally horrified and disbelieving to hear that Anna is his wife.
While I really enjoyed this book, I liked the other books in the series a little better. I thought that this book had less emotional depth to it compared to the others. I found Anna falling for Max literally at first sight and then being secretly obsessed with him for 3 years to be a little unbelievable, but maybe it's just me. With Max, I thought that he was very caring and likeable in Fated when he interacts with Fiona and her child, but he was really cold, grumpy, and dismissive to Anna at first in this book. It got better throughout the book, but I was a little thrown off by his personality. As per usual, the romance between Max and Anna were on point and I love the unpredictable magical aspect that is infused in Sarah's books.
Thank you to Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC and NetGalley for the ARC!