I very much enjoyed this women's fiction novel by Minnie Darke. I loved the setup: a young single woman with a gift-buying business becomes obsessed with purchasing a historic building, owned by another family member, to which to move her Wish & Co. shop. The story gets rolling when Marnie makes a big "oopsie" with two gift deliveries. The reader learns about the family and the circumstances of each of the gift recipients. The story has many twists and turns but remains warmhearted despite touching upon some serious subjects. Yet, each character remains realistic and likable. I loved how the author wrote the characters as introspective as they faced their adversities. This was a quick read for me, a perfect book at the perfect time.
Thanks to #RandomHouse #Ballantine via #NetGalley for an early copy on #WithLovefromWishCo in exchange for my review.

This was my second book by Darke and I liked this one more than the last. I enjoyed a cute little romcom type book. I enjoyed both of the main characters and felt both were likable. I also found the secondary characters to be interesting too.

If you are looking for a cute, fun romance book then I recommend this book. Thank you @netgalley @minniedarke and @ballantine for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is available now!

3.5 stars
This wasn’t too bad. There were parts that I really liked, parts that the feminist in me did not like at all, and parts that I’m probably a little too young to understand the reasoning behind (Suzanne and Brian). I read The Lost Love Song by Darke and LOVED that. I was surprised to find out that this was written by the same author.

Some really funny parts that I enjoyed. This definitely included lots of complicated relationships that you usually wouldn’t find in a romance.

No explicit scenes, description of the love felt during the act. Check content warnings.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for this digital ARC.

My second novel by Minnie Darke, I couldn’t resist the charm of With Love From Wish & Co., but I did have some reservations about this one. I’ve read Darke’s previous novel, The Lost Love Song, which I adored, so I was excited to pick this one up, as well. With Love From Wish & Co. is beautifully written, with layers of storytelling, but this is a story that creeps into those gray areas of what we consider moral and ethical. It’s a novel that will have you thinking about some deeper issues, which isn’t a bad thing. BUT, I’m not sure I agree with some of the character’s ultimate choices. However, It is one I’ll probably be thinking about for a long time!

Marnie is in the business of gift-giving. And several of her clients are wealthy men with both wives and mistresses who don’t know their gifts weren’t chosen by the giver. Desperate to build her business with the hopes of being able to afford the historic storefront that once housed her grandfather’s business, she doesn’t think twice about providing for her client’s needs. She’s only focused on the end goal. But Marnie is sweet and kind and I find it hard to believe that providing this service isn’t an issue that she hasn’t ever considered before. She’s only forced to consider it when her distraction leads to a mishap with her biggest client of five years, Brian Charlesworth. The gift Marnie intended for his 40th anniversary with his wife Suzanne ended up being delivered to Brian’s mistress, while his mistress’s birthday gift ended up being presented to his wife. And Marnie is good at her job. Both gifts were too personal to easily dismiss.

I enjoyed the actual mixup, the missteps Marnie took to get herself into this unfortunate situation, and the fallout because of it. The story is told from multiple points of view, including Brian’s, his wife’s, and his mistress’s (although mostly from Marnie’s). And while that did help me to see the story from their perspective, I didn’t have much sympathy for any of them in the beginning. I did grow to like Suzanne as she seemed to grow more of a backbone.

Marnie has not only been buying gifts for Brian’s wife and mistress, but for his grown children, as well. Because of the mixup, Marnie meets Brian and Suzanne’s son Luke, who she already feels as if she knows. This is another one of those morally gray areas. So Marnie can pick the perfect gifts for people she researches or “stalks” them on social media. And while she doesn’t cross any lines, only looking at what is available to the public, it still kind of creeped me out. It’s only because Marnie’s heart is pure that I know she has only the best intentions. We do get Luke’s point of view, as well, and I couldn’t help sympathizing with him when he had issues with Marnie’s job. Luke also has a side storyline that I adored. I won’t spoil it, but it’s one of my favorite aspects of the book.

Marnie’s backstory is moving and does help explain how she has ended up with the job of gift-giving. The good news is Marnie does grow from her mistakes, but she definitely makes some questionable decisions that seemed selfish in the beginning.

While it’s ultimately a hopeful story, I’m not sure it’s realistic at all. BUT we are often expected to suspend disbelief with romances, so it didn’t bother me too much. I do feel like the ending may have wrapped up too quickly. Overall, I enjoyed With Love From Wish & Co., smiling often and even getting misty-eyed a few times.

Happy publication day!

Wow, I wish I had known that the author was from Tasmania. And that this book was going to be set somewhere in Australia! This knowledge would have helped me with the language of the book. But that is a bit silly of me to assume that a book is going to be set somewhere where I do know the lingo! Or at least my Kindle would have been able to translate some of the slang!

Bad Dianne! Very naughty to assume!

Wow, except for the last 20% or so of the book when Luke (the male protagonist) was making a complete jerk of himself, this was a great romance. This was also just a plain excellent fiction novel about a woman and her dreams.

Marnie is working her butt off to buy the building of her dreams. The building was owned by family members and brought memories of her childhood and her love of her grandfather to the fore. This part of the novel is complicated because Marnie's family (her father) wasn't the best example of a human being.

Marnie has a gift-buying business. She is what we might call a personal shopper. Still, instead of buying for a single person with their knowledge of what they are getting, she is doing the gift buying for those who don't have the time, imagination, or the ability to buy for friends and family. If some of those recipients are 'other women,' what can I say?

The way the story plays out at the beginning is relatively easy to figure out, but it is still devastating. The rest of the novel doesn't follow my expectations, which is a perfect thing. However, be aware that this is a romance novel, and all the tropes will be there.

An interesting meeting.
A slow build to a romance.
A few surprises for everyone.
A terrible downturn.
And a happily-ever-after!

*ARC provided by the publisher Dell/Random House, the author, and NetGalley.

This story is like a warm cup of tea on a chilly day. Warm, cozy and made me smile. Beautiful! Thank you publisher and netgalley for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

Happy Pub Day to this ADORABLE!!!! Book. Seriously, no other way to describe this, but SO SO cute! The characters, the storyline, the relationships, are just so cute! I was so happy to pick this book up every day and wanted to be transported directly to this town and the cute shops. I wanted to befriend the characters and even wanted to shake some sense into them at times!

Marnie Fairchild owns a boutique store that offers a gift buying service to wealthy people. Brian Charlesworth is her best client, until she mixes up gifts for his mistress and his wife. When an opportunity arises to buy a historic shop front that was owned by her grandfather, she has to figure out how to help Brian win his wife back. This story becomes even more complicated when she meets Brian’s son, Luke. Will she make choices based on her heart or her head?

This book was absolutely adorable! Great chemistry with the characters and I really enjoyed their interactions. The pacing was good, and the plot really flowed well. This is a really cute read that anyone would enjoy!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Marnie Fairchild owns a gift shop and has a number of clients for whom she buys the perfect gifts, wraps them, adds a card, and sends them on. These clients are mostly busy businessmen who don’t have the time or imagination to come up with the perfect gift for their wives and even their mistresses.

Marnie’s wealthy uncle owns a building that has housed several successful Fairchild businesses over the years. Sadly, there was a fire in it and it’s now closed down. Marnie wants to be able to earn enough money to buy the building and reopen it and keep the family name going.

Today, Marnie is wrapping an anniversary gift for Suzanne Charlesworth from her husband, Brian. At the same time, she is wrapping a gift from Brian to his girlfriend. When something pops up and distracts Marnie, unfortunately, the gifts are sent to the other person. Oops!!

Suzanne had been busy working on a menu to celebrate her’s and Brian’s 40th wedding anniversary. Although they are very wealthy and could afford to have the event catered, Suzanne loves to cook and wants to do it herself.

When the mixup happened, Brian and Suzanne’s marriage imploded. Their children Caroline and Luke did all they could to comfort their mother and vilify their father. Marnie felt so very bad about it all and knew she had to do something to fix things.

Marnie is a wonderful character. She is intelligent, creative, caring, and a good friend. I loved how this story came together and I loved how she stuck to what she wanted in life. I got quite angry at Luke for his demands of her, but was pleased when that calmed down. This is such a wonderful story of family and the caring of its members. I think Marnie’s gift buying idea is fantastic. Too bad there isn’t more of this out there. Enjoy this delightful book.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for a review.

The daughter of a black sheep son of a prominent family, who died when she was only 2, Marnie has never been a part of the wealthy Fairchild family. She knew her grandfather briefly when she wandered into his storied shoemaker shop, and he was kind to her, keeping her in good shoes, the only new items she had for school. But when he died, all contact with her father's family ceased.

Now, she is the proprietor of Wish & Co, a gift-buying company that has been hugely successful. The only thing missing is the store that once belonged to her grandfather. Long abandoned and ravaged by a fire, it is historically recognized but empty. Now, it is going on the market at auction. Can Marnie possibly have enough money to buy it?

There is also the girl meets boy, but there are PROBLEMS, for which girl loses boy. Can Marnie get both her dream store and her dream man?

This book had a cute cover and so I was intrigued, and it is a light meet cute story. The problem was it was a little too light and cute for me. I also had a hard time connecting with the characters and the story dragged a bit for me. Enjoyable if you want a light read you can sit down with for a little while.

I really enjoyed this engaging story that covers family, love, infidelity, lies, following your dreams, and forgiveness in a very believable story. Marnie’s background captured me right away and her job was so intriguing to me. Much of this book was predictable … because it probably happens daily across the world, I find that to be a definite strength. I so loved the ways Marnie taught both Brian and Luke the power of gift giving…and certainly wish she was available to give my husband a lesson or two! Loved the ending tying everyone’s lives up in a sparkling bow… making me feel so happy!
Many many thanks to Minnie Darke for giving me several hours of pleasurable reading, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of this very engaging story to be published tomorrow.

Marnie Fairchild is the brains and talent behind Wish & Co., a boutique store that offers a unique gift-buying experience. Throughout the years, Marnie has garnered several wealthy clients with... complicated lives that need her assistance with their gift-buying needs. Her longest and most loyal customer is Brian Charlesworth, who currently needs an anniversary gift for his wife, Suzanne... and a birthday present for his mistress, Leona [as these occasions happen to fall on the same day]. Marnie has had her sights set on moving Wish & Co. to the historic shopfront once owned by her grandfather, and when an opportunity to bid for the property unexpectedly arrives in Marnie's lap, it causes her to make a mistake. A tiny one. With momumental circumstances. Soon, gifts arrive at the wrong address, Brian is struggling to keep his marriage intact, and Marnie is scrambling to keep her dreams alive because if she loses him as a client the storefront is unattainable. As the next few weeks become a whirwind of emotions, the last thing Marnie expects is to meet, and possibly fall for, Suzanne and Brian's son, Luke Charlesworth.

One thing I admire so much about Minnie Darke's novels are her ways of storytelling. I knew we were going to follow Marnie, as Wish and Co. is her business, and Brian, as his affair is found out due to a mistake being made. But what I didn't expect was getting to follow Suzanne, as her heart becomes broken at the news of her husband's [repeat] infidelity, Leone, Brian's mistress as she grapples with Brian's response to the news being found out, and Luke, who has his own secrets to be kept hidden for now [and since it's not in the synopsis I don't want to spoil his storyline, but it was one of my favorite parts watching his arc apart from Marnie's storyline]. While at first it felt disjointed - there were so many shifts in perspective before the "main event" (there's an initial countdown to the implosion of the Charlesworth marriage), by the time we reached the end I felt so heavily for all of these characters, and their feelings and emotions felt so incredibly raw and honest. There was hurt, anger, distrust, and loneliness, but also love in its many forms - for a partner, for a child, for a friend, all of it. Everyone wants a chance at a new beginning, to start over with the knowledge past mistakes have taught them and move forward to make the future even better than the past and present. I struggled to call this novel strictly a romance, because while yes, it does follow Luke and Marnie and their love story, it follows so much more than just their lives. It was absolutely lovely to see.

No one in the book is perfect. They all occasionally make selfish decisions and don't see how their actions will affect other people around them. They get angry, respond irrationally, and later, when they can see things more clearly, they can own up to their mistakes and apologize. They might not understand people's actions or perspectives, and might go about asking in inappropriate way that cause discomfort. But at the end of the day, this is a group of individuals who ultimately want what is best for each other, and will strive to achieve that in what they believe to be the best way possible. I loved watching this story unfold the way it did.

In conclusion, this just makes me even more excited to pick up Star-Crossed, and probably any future novels Minnie Darke wants to grace us with. Her method of storytelling is such a joy to read, and I hope that the story of Marnie, Luke, Brian, Suzanne, and Leone can resonate with readers who need it, as it is ultimately one of love and new beginnings. *Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Ballantine Books, for the e-copy, all thoughts and opinions are my own.*

With love from Wish & Co. by Minnie Darker is a very enjoyable book. The characters come off the pages and join your life for a time.

My Overall Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. I would have liked to give it 4 stars, but I just can’t get past the fact that this book didn’t feel like a romance novel even though that's what genre it is. This was a light read that at times was very predictable, but that’s why I love romance books, so that didn’t bother me. However, at times it was a little too repetitive and too much time was spent on one thing. With Love from Wish & Co takes place in Australia - but honestly, I had no idea that’s where it took place until my friend told me - I thought it was taking place in NYC. I did love this author’s writing style and am looking forward to reading more books from her! Just maybe not a romance novel.

Things I Liked:
• I was fascinated by Marnie’s business and the various different reasons people would need her service. I don’t know how she did this all on her own, but she's an AMAZING gift giver.
• Brian. At first I wasn’t crazy about him - he's a rich white man with an amazing family, yet he’s cheating on his wife and it takes him losing his wife to realize that it was always her and he had made a mistake. I loved watching him work with Marnie to try and win back his wife. He definitely developed the most as a character in this book.
• I was so invested in Brian and Suzanne’s story and wished this was solely their book.

Things I Didn’t Like:
• Luke and Marnie’s relationship took forever to start (their first date didn’t happen until 70% through the book) and then it FLEW. I mean, within 2 weeks of dating they had each other's apartment keys, toothbrushes in each other's bathrooms, etc. And sure - that's fine - there are plenty of relationships that move that quickly - but it just felt odd to me because we didn’t see their relationship build. And this is supposed to be a romance novel… I just didn’t feel the chemistry between them.
• I really didn’t like that we didn’t get to see Luke and Marnie’s relationship build. As soon as they were together, the focus was on Marnie holding back information from Luke and it never being the “right time” to tell him.
• For the majority of the book, I wasn’t sure why Owen and Ivy were a part of it, and very quickly at the end they had a purpose, but not large enough for me to be like “ok, I’m glad they were in this book”.
• This book didn’t feel like a romance book. It was mainly focused on Marnie’s business with a couple of love stories thrown into it.
• I felt like there was no organization when it came to how the book was laid out. I’m not a fan of books that don’t have “chapters” and when they vary in length. The first half of this book, the “chunks” were very long - my kindle was giving me 45 minutes until the end of chapter, 30 minutes until the end of chapter, and so on. But by the time I made it to the last part of the book, all the “chapters” were no longer than 6 minutes.

Read this if you like: Multiple POV, light reads

Marnie Fairchild is the brains and talent behind Wish & Co. It's a boutique store that offers a gift-buying service to wealthy clients with complicated lives. Brian Charlesworth is Marnie's most prized customer, and today she's wrapping the perfect anniversary gift for his wife, Suzanne and a birthday present for his mistress, Leona. Both fall on the same day.

For years, Marnie's had her heart set on moving Wish & Co. to the historic shopfront once owned by her grandfather. When the chance to bid for the property unexpectedly arises, a distracted Marnie makes an uncharacteristic mistake. Soon Brian is in a fight to rescue his marriage, and Marnie is scrabbling to keep her dreams alive. With the situation so complicated, the last thing Marnie needs is to fall for Brian and Suzanne's gorgeous son, Luke.

This book started off slow for me and I struggled at first. Everything was being laid out but the characters didn’t get developed enough for me. I can tell you who the people are but not a ton about them. I didn't connect enough. Once it got to the gift mix up I was hooked. The plot was good, very unique. I enjoyed Marnie's story. I was on the edge of my seat about her business and if she would get the shop her grandpa owned. I do feel like the romance took too long to get to. I would have liked to see her and Luke more. It was a light cute read. It was predictable like a Hallmark movie and kept my attention easily. I did enjoy it. I recommend you pick this up!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Random House Publishing (Ballantine) for the gifted copy!

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read an ARC of "With Love From Wish & Co", written by Minnie Darke. This novel is scheduled to release on August 16th, 2022!

Overall, I rated this novel a 2,5/5 stars, and I found the cover to be absolutely adorable. It's what attracted me into requesting the book in the first place.

The novel centers around Marnie, who has a personal shopping business that she is looking to expand. All is going well until she accidentally screws up a gift order with one of her biggest clients.

Some things about this novel that I did not enjoy include: the fact that the storyline was awfully predictable, and the characters seemed as though they were underdeveloped, which made it difficult to connect with them.

Two boxes, both alike in size and shape . . .

This book was a pleasure from beginning to end. I enjoyed the characters and was instantly invested in their plights. Two gifts, two women, one massive mix up.


Marnie Fairchild knows how to pick gifts. That is what makes her business, Wish & Co. a success. She is hired to find that perfect gift. She puts a lot of thought into the gifts and makes sure to wrap them beautifully and have them delivered. Unfortunately, there was a mix up and Brian's wife received the gift meant for his mistress and vice versa. OOPS!

When you give the gift that counts to the wrong woman! Now Brian is struggling to save his marriage and Marnie is struggling to save her business. To make things even messier, Marnie has met Luke, Brian's son...

I found this book to be a nice light, this-put-a-smile-on-my-face read. I didn't want to put this book down. The book does deal with some difficult subjects including infidelity but is not a heavy read. There were several characters that I was rooting for. I appreciated the humor that was thrown in, there is even a recipe at the end.

This book was a gift. I loved curing up on the couch with this! This was my first book by Minnie Darke and I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.


This book touches on family, love, mistakes, secrets, gifts, and honesty.


#WithLovefromWishCo #NetGalley

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

With Love from Wish & Co. surprised me a great deal. I enjoyed it much more than I originally thought that I might. It was unique in a lot of ways.

Marnie Fairchild owns a gift buying business. Her clients do not always have time to do their own shopping, or they don't know what to buy, so they employ her to do the shopping for them. She's very good at her job and typically finds gifts that are perfect for the recipient. That is true until there is a mix-up with gifts for one of her biggest clients, Brian Chatsworth. Unfortunately the anniversary present for his wife and the birthday gift for his mistress get swapped and you can imagine how that went...

Marnie is also trying to secure funds to buy the building that her grandfather had his business in for years. Her uncle has no intention of selling it to her, so she's going to have to find a way, and the money, to get it on her own. Much like she has most of her life. In order to not lose business after the Chatsworth snafu, she has to come up with a plan to keep Brian as a client and hopefully make things better.

This book was unique both with the job that Marnie had, but the chapters also alternated between a few different characters, so you really got to understand their point of view and their feelings as the book progressed. I was pleasantly surprised by this book and would recommend it even if it might be a bit predictable from time to time.

**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

This review contains minor spoilers for those who like to go in blind; however, if you read the blurb, then there aren't any spoilers.

I felt like I was reading a book from a birds eye view rather than reading a book and being next to the characters or in their head.

This was two stories put together into one story that was mixed together. I don't even think that makes sense. But Marnie is a gift buyer, whom Brian employs to buy all his gifts. When Marnie accidentally sends his mistress's gift to Brian's wife, his marriage is on the line. However, in the book Marnie meets Brian's son, Luke. Basically, it was like a second chance romance book mixed with Marnie and Luke's love story.

This story was cute, and I was invested in Brian's marriage. Even though I hate when characters cheat, this was written in a way that I actually didn't mind that he cheated. I wanted to see Brian get back together with his wife.

I was a little less invested in Marnie and Luke's relationship. It took way too long for their first date, and then it just felt super rushed. I didn't mind that the relationship was so face paced. It was more that a lot of things were said and done within a few pages. It's like the author just tried to get through most of their relationship in as little as pages as possible.

I honestly felt like part one could have been taken out of the entire book, and it just started with the presents switched instead of going through Marnie's decision process and her wrapping the gifts. It was very predictable that the presents were going to be switched, and I don't feel like it was necessary for the story.

That brings me to the next thing. I disliked the chapters. Some chapters were too long. Some were too short. And it wasn't written as chapters; it was divided into parts and then the parts had either a "this many days before or after" or a day of the week. When you start a new chapter, and you see that it's going to take you 40 minutes to read it, it honestly gets a little discouraging, especially since the last chapter was only 5 minutes long. I felt like some parts of the book were slow and went into a lot of detail, while other parts felt a little too rushed. I would have liked to see more consistency.

This was written in third person and switched between all the characters. And there are a lot of characters. It does take a little bit of time to get used to it and remember all the characters, but I did feel invested in certain ones while reading.

Do I recommend this book? Overall, I did like this book. I didn't love it, and it's not one that I think you should just go out an immediately buy; however, I do think it's a cute book that if you find yourself in the mood to read, I do recommend it.