I loved the characters and the storyline development of this book. It was absolutely one of my favorites so far and I can't wait to delve in to the next one that this author writes. The storyline was simple, enjoyable, and entertaining. The characters were complex while being completely entertaining.

I very much enjoyed this book. It has a good story and excellent main characters. I would definately recommend this book.

Argh, what can I say? This book made me laugh, smile and cry! It was sad to start, and I almost put it to the side to get back to later because this year especially I need to read more uplifting stories, but I’m glad I persevered because honestly, this book will give you hope and remind you that this world is full of joy and love as well as all the awful things we have going on right now. You will fall in love with Maria and Allie just as I did. I loved the very visual style of writing. I could picture the settings vividly, a welcome escape at the moment! Highly recommend, and I’ll definitely look out for more from this author. Thanks Netgalley for letting me read this beautiful book.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book. The Wish List of Albie Young was such a sweet and heartfelt story. This book is perfect for fans of Eleanor Oliphant and The Lido.

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Sometimes you have to hit the bottom before you can float to the top.

Maria Birch is seventy years old and, for her, every week is the same.

On Monday, she does her weekly shop. On Tuesday, she goes for a blow-dry. On Wednesday, she visits the laundrette. But Thursday is her favourite day of all – everything hurts less on a Thursday.

Every Thursday Maria walks to her local café. Waiting for her at one of the red gingham-topped tables is Albie Young, a charming man with a twinkle in his eye and an impressive collection of tweed flat caps. Every week, the pair share a slice of marble cake and a pot of tea.

Except, one week, Albie doesn’t turn up.

When Maria finds out what has happened, her perfectly ordered life is ripped apart at the seams. Suddenly, she is very lonely. Without her Thursday friend – her only friend – she no longer has the energy to circle the weekly TV listings, she has no reason to leave her apartment, no reason to laugh.

Then she discovers that Albie isn’t who she thought he was, and she’s left wondering if she knew her friend at all. But Albie has left behind a legacy – a handwritten list of wishes he never got the chance to complete.

Maria is resigned to facing the rest of her days heartbroken and alone. But fulfilling Albie’s wishes could hold the key to her happiness – if only she’s able to look past his secret…

What a heartwarming read Maria is a loner and finds it hard to make friends but when she meets Albie in a Cafe her life takes on a new meaning they meet every Thursday for tea and cake but it's not until he doesn't turn up one day that things change. She finds a list of things he has been doing to help people and she realises how much he had been helping others .She has had a tragedy in her life but in helping to fulfill Albies wishes can she finally leave her own painful past behind her and start living again. A beautiful story with fabulous characters that will make you laugh and cry. A Great read

Maria lives a very regimented life. Part of her routine includes meeting Albie at a local cafe each week. Maria really looks forward to her meetings with Albie. One day after 4 years of weekly meetings, Albie isn't there.

Over the next few weeks and months Maria learns more about Albie (and herself that she did in the 4 years of having tea and marble cake with him.

I loved this story. Marias story is clear and engaging and even though we don't really meet Albie. he has an engaging presence of the main character.

A well written and heartwarming story with wonderfully drawn characters. I found this an emotional and satisfying read. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

Maria is a 70 year old woman who follows her wonderful routine weekly. Thursday is the day she looks forward to most of all, because that's teh day she meets with her friend Albie! But one week he doesn't come... and then the next week he doesn't come either... She fears the worst.. and those fears become reality when she gets a letter from a lawyer office confirming albie has died. Albie left a bucket list of things he wants Maria to do.
This book is about that journey

Brimming with emotion and incredibly captivating. Each character in this book is beautifully developed and seamlessly woven into a delightfully satisfying read.

Maria is a 70 year old woman whose days of the week are always consistent. But she always looks forward to Thursday. It's not a chore day, it's a fun day having tea and cake with her friend Albie at the local tea shop. One week he doesn't come. The next week either. Maria is distraught and when she gets a letter from a law office she fears the worse. Albie has died but he has left a list of things he hopes Maria will do since he died before completing his wish list. A wonderful story with older characters that are well defined and very human. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Confession: I am always on my guard when a publisher description reads "charming book" or "feel-good book of the year" because, darn it, it had better live up to expectations. In this case, The Wish List of Albie Young (or The Wish List, as it's named elsewhere), did just that.

This was a sweet, poignant, and heartwarming story. 70-year-old Marie's life is so small and measured, each day having a simple task to tick off, but the highlight of the week was her coffee and cake date with Albie Young. He is the one bright spot in her life; she is very sweet on him but never lets him know.

She is marking time and not really living, outside of time with Albie. The news of Albie's death and what she subsequently learns of his life turns her upside down and sends her further within herself. A sweet teen pushes her into action where she discovers Albie's wish list. She takes up his list, the process of completing it for him, finds joy and purpose again, as well as learning so much more about the gentle man she loved.

The story is a bit confusing at the start, as it is interspersed with flashbacks that let us know there is much more going on with Marie. These reveal a very different Marie - a woman who is strong, brave, full of life, and (eventually) how she became this person who lives her life by ticking a list of her own.

This is very much a character-driven story, and Hummingbird paints us a very layered picture of Marie, albeit it, in very small doses. There is also a cast of interesting characters that she engages with along the way, many of them on a journey of their own. We get to follow her journey back to herself, where she battles regrets of things not done, opportunities lost, and all she gave up. Watching her world open up made my heart swell.

Fans of Cecelia Ahern will delight in this book, and readers who enjoyed THE STORIED LIFE OF A.K. FIKRY will love this book as well.

4.5 stars. What an utterly charming story full of so many life lessons. Maria is an elderly woman, whose life has been made very small by regrets from her past, loneliness and depression. She does not feel she deserves to take up space in this world, and so she hides herself away. She lives a very regimented life. And into that life comes Albie Young, who she meets in cafe. Every Thursday for several years, they meet up for tea and marble cake and companionship. Albie truly sees Maria, and this means so much to her life. One Thursday, Albie does not show up, and her life takes a few unexpected turns as she finds out who Albie really was and the secrets he kept. Maria begins to live her life again, all thanks to Albie, and she finds her place in the world.

This was such a refreshing, heartfelt read, and I recommend it to anyone who just needs some joy and lightness brought into their lives.

Maria lives a solitary life, going through the motions of her day-to-day chores with a regularity that keeps her grounded. That is except for Thursday's when she  carefully takes her time getting ready to meet her gentleman friend Albie for tea and cake at the local cafe. 

To see them together you'd be forgiven for assuming they are lifelong friends, but the reality is their relationship is conducted solely within those cafe walls. It may have been four years since Albie took a seat opposite her and introduced himself, but how much do the pair really know about each other?

Maria realises how little she knows about the man who brings light to her otherwise boring life when Albie doesn't turn up for their regular meeting.; she doesn't even know where he lives. Heartbreakingly it's only after the discovery of Albie's sudden passing that Maria has the opportunity to discover who the real Albie is when she finds his partially completed to-do list, which she vows to complete even if the final tasks seem insurmountable. Will she be able to complete what Albie started and what will she discover about him and herself along the way?

This story is told using present day with regularly interspersed flashbacks to Maria's past which often threw up more questions than they answered; all adding to the mystery that builds throughout. Although this story deals with death and grief as it's prominent story line it's so much more. Yes there are are moments of devastating  heartbreak and sadness, but these are beautifully weaved together with hope, forgiveness, friendship and most importantly of all the opportunity for second chances, to make a truly heartfelt tale.

The character's in this book are wonderfully written, especially Maria, who despite not being in her situation I felt I could really relate to her loneliness andexperiences. I found myself holding my breath and turning the pages to follow her journey of self-discovery with the hope of her finding a path taking her away from the darkness she had been trapped in. In her pursuit to discover more about Albie's past she meets a host of contrasting, colourful characters that all played a part in his life story. They really added something extra special as they each shared their own experiences helping add to the puzzle Maria is trying to complete.

My only slight niggle with this story is that I feel the page count could have been shaved a little as there were a few occasions where it felt some repetition was used that didn't  add anything to the story. However, please don't let this put you off reading this wonderful tale as it didn't have an impact on my overall enjoyment. If you're looking for a book to take you on a rollercoaster of emotions then this poignant debut novel will certainly deliver!

This was a cute book, reminded me of Cecelia Ahern and her books. It was sweet and a little sad. But I didn't feel like it pushed any boundaries or offered me anything new and surprising. But apart from this it was a great book and I enjoyed it a lot.

Such a sweet emotional read!
In the beginning I was drawn to keep reading, though felt confused and impatient by the flashbacks of whom, as the reader we are not sure this is referring to or how it connects. But as the story develops, you start to understand and feel for Maria as it all comes together. I wish I could just give her a hug and be a part of the journey! It is a heartwarming story that gave me similar feels to Britt Marie was here & A Man Called Ove ❤️

This book was sad and sweet at the same time. It did start off a bit slow but I was so curious to see where things were going I kept on reading. I like how everything came together in the end. It was a bit unexpected. If you liked A Man Called Ove or The Story of Arthur Truluv I think you’d enjoy this book.

I love books like this one, quirky, gentle, romantic, sad and so very profound. We are all flawed human beings who make mistakes, who pretend, who try hard, who live with pain, who hide away, who start again.
Maria meets Albie every Thursday in a local café and it is the highlight of the week, the only thing worth doing and the only joy and company she has. Until one day she doesn't even have that.
Through the pain of his death Maria begins to learn much more about herself, about Albie and how by completing Albie's wish list, she can find hope, love and strength to fill her days and put the painful past to rest.
Loss of a loved one is devastating but so is a life not lived. Although it is scary and alien to Maria she begins to reach out and she finds herself talking to and helping others which brings her a sense of peace and ultimately reassures her she is loved.
Heartbreaking in its portrayal of loneliness, we learn that you are never too old and that it is never too late to live life to the full.
I managed not to cry throughout the book, until the very end when we are given Albie's letter to read. A big lumped formed in my throat at the beauty and simplicity of a love that was never realised but existed nevertheless. To me it was obvious a lot of the time what was gong to happen, particularly when a schoolgirl Rosie appears, but what I didn't expect was the way in which Albie was able to reach out beyond the grave to fulfil the very last wish on his list.

The Wish List of Albie Young has a very unique main character, and no, it is not Albie Young, but his close friend, Maria Birch. Maria, who is in her seventies, has a very closed off life and Albie is her one and only friend. So when one week he doesn't come to their weekly tea and cake date, her whole life crumbles.

But "thanks" to Albie's death, we follow Maria in an amazing journey of self discovery and of kindness to strangers. We soon realize that Albie was a very special and giving man, so Maria, following his footsteps (quite reluctantly), enters a whole new world, in which she surprises even herself. This is a very touching and uplifting story that reminds you to appreciate your own life more and especially, it reminds you how a small act of kindness can change someone's whole life.

A fun, sweet, adorable read! Loved this one!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

A four year friendship. A pot of tea and a piece of marble cake to be shared every Thursday. All week Maria looked forward to sharing that with Albie Young. “Everything hurts less on Thursdays.” Imagine losing that one thing that brought some measure of joy into your life even if was only for a few hours each week. Imaging living a small life, believing you deserve nothing more and perhaps not even that. Imagine losing that little bit as well. Imagine finding the inner strength to beat back your grief and sorrow and to try to move forward all the while you struggle to get up, get out of bed and find some value in each day.

This is a lovely little story about a man we never meet who has made a wish list that is all about playing it forward. It is a lesson in taking the time to observe, listen and act on your best instincts. It is a lesson about the gratification that can be found by providing some small comfort for your fellow man without looking for recompense. It is a wonderful piece of writing reminiscent of writers such as Elizabeth Berg.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookoutre for a copy.