I really enjoyed Little Wishes. After getting to know the characters of Elizabeth and Tom and the now and then chapters, I was hooked. I had to find out about this unusual love story. This book was all about love - first love, what you do for those you love, and enduring love that never fades. A really good read!

This is a story of love lost and found. Eluzabeth falls in love at 17 with Tom while engaged to a father approved physician. Life happens, and she receives an annual gift on her doorstep from her true love for 49 years, then searches for him. A very touching and heartfelt story. Thanks to NetGalley and goodreads who provided an ARC.

I'll start by saying that I don't read romance books, but downloaded this ARC without any research. With that said, I enjoyed Michelle Adam's style.

The story is told in a then and now fashion which adds a bit of intrigue to the story. Although it is a love story, there are a few little twists thrown in. Although not really surprising twists, they did make the story more interesting.

You'll love all of the characters, even those you probably should not.

If you like romance, you'll love this book. If you just need a break from all of those psychological thrillers, this will be a nice relief..

A sweet, slightly sad at times, story of love lost, then found just in the nick of time. Author Adams had you rooting for Elizabeth and Tom even though you knew their love story did not play out the way they hoped it would. Author Adams expertly wove excitement, harsh reality and deviousness into this story. She had you hating James for the things he did, even though he was the one who lost it all in the end. I loved the bravery of Elizabeth as she traveled out of her comfort zone to find Tom when he didn't show up for year 50 of leaving wishes on her doorstep. There weren't too many surprises, but that is not what this book was about. I would have rated it five stars, but it did kind of bother me that Ms. Adams pictured Elizabeth and Tom as decrepit, arthritic elderly people even though they were only in their mid/late 60's. As a reader who is almost there, people in their 60's and 70's and beyond are much more vital and have a certain zest for life.

“Little Wishes” is the story of a short-lived love affair between the principal character, Elizabeth Davenport, (now 68 and living in Cornwall), and Tom Hale, (living in London), who have been parted 50 years for reasons disclosed throughout the book as the narrative alternates between the present and 50 years in the past. On the same date each year, Tom leaves a potted blue lotus on her doorstep as well as a note containing a wish for something they would have been doing if they were still together.

On the 50th year, Tom fails to leave a flower and a note, and Elizabeth realizes something must be wrong. She tracks down Tom at his last known address in London only to discover that he is terminally ill. Fighting against time, he and Elizabeth try to fulfill each of the 49 wishes that he left for her before it is too late.

Although at first the book’s premise seemed intriguing, I did not find the story very compelling. Specifically, I was unable to feel any connection to either the story or the characters, instead feeling a remove from the actions described both past and present. Perhaps this was due to the fact that the premise as executed was unrealistic. Pining for someone that you only knew a few months for 50 years feels more like an obsession than romantic. Moreover, the wishes themselves were fairly trivial—going to a movie, eating dinner in a restaurant, etc. In addition, I found the descriptions of her caretaker responsibilities towards the ailing Tom dreary and monotonous. For these reasons, I could only give the book a 3 star rating.

This is a beautifully written, tender, heartfelt, as well as tragic, love story that spans 5 decades. Michelle Adams expertly developed characters that will live in my thoughts long after the last page was turned.

The story begins when Tom jumps into the ocean and pulls out a woman, saving her life. The woman is Catherine Davenport, the mother of Elizabeth. Elizabeth is engaged to James, a doctor who is targeted to take over the practice of Dr. Davenport, Elizabeth's father, upon his retirement. Elizabeth comes from a family of privilege, however, she and Tom, who is a fisherman, went to school together where they live, on the Cornish Coast of England, in the village of Porthsennen. They strike up an instant friendship when Elizabeth expresses her gratitude to Tom for saving the life of her mother. This friendship begins a heartfelt, beautiful, yet painful road over the next 50 years.

Adams weaves the years, people and circumstances into a beautifully written love story. One that I suspect you'll have trouble putting down, as I did.

I would like to thank the publisher, William Morrow, to read an advance copy, of Little Wishes by Michelle Adams. It was nice to read a book that was about true love. The characters were very believable, and heart warming. For 50 years, Tom would place a vase of crocus on Elizabeth's doorstep with a wish. Never once did he knock on the door nor did she just open it while he was still there. They both had their secrets, and were denied a live together by a lie. When Elizabeth didn't receive her gift, is when finally she went to Tom. She kept all of the wishes over the years, and just wanted to try and grant those wishes. Again, fate stepped in, but their love surpassed all obstacles, and finally the secrets are told. This is a good book to curl up with a cup of tea, and just sit back, and enter the world of Elizabeth/Tom.

While reading "Little Wishes," I kept thinking about my own past. In the book, Elizabeth is in love with Tom but ends up marrying James. He convinces her it's the right thing to do with her father's support and can give her financial support, but she wants to follow her heart with her true love, Tom. As I look back on my own life, I remember my mother saying, "Everyone is here for the rehearsal dinner. You need to get married; you can also get a divorce later" which I did within nine years. Books that give us pause like this bring back a lot of memories. Like Elizabeth's mother, my father had Alzheimer's Disease. I could understand her frustration. Overall, I enjoyed the book although at times, I felt like I was drifting into another world and it wasn't always easy to stay focused. At first, I thought I was reading a similar book with the lover returning one day of the year to meet up. But this book was different with its own love story.

Little Wishes by Michelle Adams is great fictional story that kept me interested from beginning to end.

This book has several positive points:

1. I love the main location: Cornwall, England. I have always loved anything and everything Cornwall. The quaint structures, atmosphere, the coastal location, the days-of yore tied into contemporary. All of these things have continually drawn me to this area. So, anything a book has that included in its premise, I am hooked.

2. This book has wonderful main characters: Elizabeth Davenport and Tom Hale. The full character cast were well-developed, realistic, imperfect yet likeable, and complex. Everyone has insecurities, secrets, flaws, hopes, dreams, and the dreams to be needed, loved, and

3. I love a good stars-crossed, push-pull possible missed-chance romance. If it is done right, it evokes a heartwarming yet heartbreaking feeling all the while being realistic and interesting. A tall order. I feel Ms. Adams pulled that request off effortlessly. Well done.

5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow/Harper Collins for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.

What a lovely book! I enjoyed reading Little Wishes so much. It was well written, great character development, and the author handled the two different time periods really well. Thanks for allowing me to read this title!

I loved the romantic premise of this book and thought I would love it, but unfortunately, the writing didn't work for me. The problem is that there isn't enough character and plot development to give it the realism for a reader to be engrossed. The setting isn't evoked using all the senses. The narrative moves along briskly with quick descriptions and dialogue instead of drawing the reader into the mind and workings of each character (or even just developing Elizabeth's character and mind to move the narrative along). The plot had some weaknesses for me as well - a central conflict and discovery (between James and Elizabeth) gets wrapped up and explained in a few sentences - this should have more emotion and depth. Some of the plot resolution was brief and hard to accept (such as the tie-in with the art customer who Elizabeth later spots with Tom, or the explanation of the history between the Davenports and the Hales). To me, the book is missing an emotional connection with the reader and because of this weakness, the novel doesn't become a compelling story or elicit the anger, sorrow or disappointment that it should.

This a sad but charming book of true love separated and reunited on the Cornish coast. It's historical fiction with a modern day conclusion.