
Member Reviews

This was a fast paced read that kept me mildly interested. I enjoyed the vignettes of each character throughout the story so we had a well-rounded look at the entire scenario, but I wish we had gotten to dive a little bit deeper to feel more connected to the characters.
Minnie Darke writes with a witty and quirky style that I actually appreciated - it didn't feel like it was trying too hard. The tone reminded me a bit of Abbi Waxman's writing but less forced.

A sweet rom-com that gives you all the feels of a Hallmark movie!
You root for the characters and even though you know what’s going to happen, it still puts a smile on your face!
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is my second book by this talented author and I enjoyed every word. Minnie Darke sets the stage for a series of coincidences mixed in with one horrible mishap that forever changes her life and that of an important client. The expert gift-giver can't believe she messed up two critical deliveries. Still, her resolve to fix her mistakes and her desire to buy her grandfather's former shop is all Marnie Fairchild needs to put in place a plan that will hopefully mend the hearts and minds of all involved.
I have to say: I'm kind of shocked at all the less-than-stellar reviews for this book. Darke's imagination is absolutely delightful. The way the story unfolds with the Charlesworth 40th anniversary seemingly at the crux of Marnie's errant mistake and her drive to figure out how to afford to buy the former Fairchild & Sons space is beyond clever. From that one day, everything goes belly-up, with Marnie forever scrambling to set things right.
Add to that, her bestie Saski on the verge of delivering her first child while helping Marnie with her financials and goals for obtaining the Fairchild store together with Marnie's sudden attraction to Luke Charlesworth and you've got the makings of one incredibly detailed journey. One that I found easy to follow and filled with moments of true heartache but softened by sharp humor and pangs of love. I truly loved that Marnie was no pushover and the way she handles all of the Charlesworths, no matter the hate they throw her way. I also admired her for not being a staid wallflower, especially since she is very meticulous about her work and her workstations. It's like she was very controlled in her professional life but was kind of scattered when it came to her personal one. Darke's treatment of the two sides of Marnie was crafted beautifully.
Although it's not fade to black per se, for me personally, I would have enjoyed a bit more heat but was mostly satisfied that we were privy to her trysts with the men in her life. Again, I was glad she wasn't as uptight with her sexuality as she was with her work. It made Marnie more relatable and I really liked her.
I will not hesitate to continue reading future work from Minnie Darke. She's a wonderful storyteller and I was completely enraptured with this whimsical and unique book. With an ending that warmed my heart completely, With Love from Wish & Co. is refreshing, splendid and a great respite from all the usual out there today. I happily give it a huge 4 stars!

It has taken Marnie Fairchild time and hard work to develop her boutique business into a success. Beside her ribbon, beautiful paper and gift wrapping service, she has a list of clients that she serves as a gift buyer for the people in their lives. Brian Charlesworth is her most important client. His fortieth anniversary is approaching on the same day as his mistress’ birthday. When Marnie accidentally switches the tags it spells disaster. Brian’s marriage implodes and Marnie’s dream of buying her grandfather’s historic store goes up in smoke. Brian angrily confronts Marnie in front of his son Luke, who puts the blame on his father and defends Marnie. Luke is definitely interested in Marnie and assumes that her contract with his father has been terminated. Marnie, however, vows to help Brian get his wife back if he will continue to do business with her.
Luke has always felt that he was a disappointment to his father. For the last few years he has been receiving gifts from him that showed that his father really cared. When he finds out that all of those gifts were selected by Marnie, he is devastated. He considers her business to be based on fraud while she feels that she is only providing a service. If he finds out that she is still helping his father it could be the end of their relationship. Luke is hiding his own secrets. When he was sixteen he was responsible for his girlfriend’s pregnancy. He provided money to end the pregnancy but now he has been contacted by Ivy, a teenager who is looking to meet her father. Now that he has met her he wants to be involved in her life. The problem is telling his parents that they have another grandchild while they have problems of their own.
Marnie was raised by a single mother after her father’s death. He had come from a wealthy family but theft from the family business left them ostracized. The only contact that she had with the family was her grandfather. After a fire and years of neglect, the building that housed her grandfather’s business is going to auction. This is a chance to expand her business and find a connection to her past. Faced with a crumbling marriage, finding the new responsibilities of fatherhood and choosing between a business or a relationship, Minnie Darke’s characters discover the consequences of their decisions and the importance of family. I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine for providing this book for my review.

3 Stars for With Love from Wish & Co. from Minnie Darke is my first read by this author, and I have to say that it was slow going from start to finish. I loved the concept, and the blurb was rather enticing, but I wished the story held up to all the possibilities.

Marnie does it all at Wish & Co. it’s a bespoke boutique that lends their services to busy clients like Brian. Marnie takes care of everything including wrapping the perfect anniversary present for Brian’s wife Suzanne and birthday present for Brian’s mistress, Leona. Marnie typically has it all handled until a mix up with the presents leaves Brian in a predicament.
.
A complicated situation becomes even more complicated when Marnie falls for Brian’s son. I could totally see this as a movie!
.
Thank you @randomhouse for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a wonderful surprise! The cover doesn’t do this book justice as it so much more than a basic rom com or romance book. So I went into this with low expectations for a little palette cleansing read and instead got a wonderful story about family, parenting, marriage, friendship, business dreams and yes some romance. I also realized that I had read and loved the author’s previous book. Now, I’m looking forward to the next one. Thank you publisher for ARC.

Marnie is the owner of a premium gift buying service. Minnie researches her clients and those who will be receiving the gifts in order to find the perfect gifts.
Marnie's latest task is to buy a 40th anniversary gift and a birthday gift for a "special someone" on the same day, from the same man. While wrapping these gifts in identical boxes, Marnie is distracted. You see where this is going. All hell is about to break loose.
Now, Marnie's long dream of moving her business to a much nicer location is in deep jeopardy. She must keep her clients and her reputation intact.
A great cast of characters, with witty responses to each other kept me interested in a story that I knew where it was going.
A light and easy read! Just what I needed.
Thanks to Kathleen at Penguin Random House for the widget via netgalley.

🎁Summary🎁
Marnie runs Wish & Co, a successful gift shopping service. For wealthy clients, like Brian Charlesworth, Marnie takes care of all their gift giving needs... from shopping to wrapping to delivering. Marnie's dream is to move her shop to a historic family building that her great grandfather started his business in and when she finds out the property is being auctioned off, she is excited... but maybe a little distracted.
This year, Brian requested Marnie shop for he and his wife's 40th wedding anniversary gift. And a 65th birthday present for his mistress. Which is the same day. In Marnie's rush to check out her family's property, she may not have been paying as close attention as she thought...
Add in a chance meeting with Brian and Suzanne's son, Luke, who is furious with his father for the affair, and doesn't quite get Marnie's business. But Marnie needs to keep her clients happy, especially now with the auction coming up, but she needs to tell Luke she is still working with his father.
🎁Review🎁
The entire premise of this book was the predictability. From the title of the first chapter, the 'implosion of the Charlesworth marriage' is front and center. Despite that, the story manages to keep your attention. At first, you know what’s coming and you can guess how it’s coming, but you can’t stop waiting to see it happen. Then you know that there will be consequences with Marnie and Luke later and you just want to see how that comes to pas.
There are all these other unexpected pieces of the story you get invested in, like with Luke’s private life, what will happen with Suzanne and Brian and how will Marnie’s business fare. Verdict was a cute albeit predictable read with some storylines that helped differentiate it from the story being too obvious.
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This is my first time reading a novel by Minnie Karke but it surely won't be my last. With Love from Wish & Co. is so enjoyable. I like a book featuring a character with a moral dilemma, which I feel the heroine must wrestle with as her personal life unexpectedly intersects with her goals as a small business owner. There are several characters who get to share their point of view in this story, and the author handles those POV shifts quite well. Each character is on a path and their choices will impact the future of other characters who are also caught up in this interesting web of love and loss.
I found myself rooting for Marnie from the beginning. My favorite quote from the book comes from a teenager who describes love as the hokey pokey ... you have to put your whole self in.
How profound is that?!
As a side note, this cover does not suit the book at all. I realize illustrated covers are all the rage right now, but in my opinion, this cover is doing a disservice to the content of the story.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the complimentary digital copy. This is a satisfying and compelling read. All opinions shared here are my own.

I really enjoyed this story more than I thought it would! What a wonderful book with so many different threads masterfully woven together. Marnie's path to her grandfather's old shop and her happiness was so well plotted out and nearly derailed that I couldn't stop reading because i just had to know how things worked out in the end. Luke and Ivy, Luke and Marnie, Suzanne and Brian..so many relationships impacting each other to all get their happily ever after - but a realistic one? Just perfection!

Marnie runs 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. What could possibly go wrong?
A mix up if gifts leads to a chain of events for Marnie and leads her to meeting her clients son Luke. They fall for each other and are learning to trust each other but Marnie is holding back the secret that she’s working for his father again.
This was a good book, but a little hard to follow who’s pov we were reading. I loved the independence and growth Marnie has over the book.

This was a really good book. Marnie had worked and sacrificed to build up enough money to one day buy her dream property: the store that used to belong to her grandfather. She’s a gift buyer, but much more than that. Until an unfortunate mistake costs her her biggest account. It also sets of a chain of events on other’s lives that will forever alter their paths.
I liked,the themes of the book. I liked that Marnie made mistakes but tried to atone for them. I thought Luke was a stuffed short and way too judgmental on Marnie, yet got off light when it came to his past transgressions.
A good read about changes and taking risks.

I have to admit that from the cover I wasn’t sure that I would like this book. As we all know, never judge a book by its cover. It’s a sweet, heartwarming story that I really enjoyed!

This was a fun, quick read for general/woman's fiction. Marnie is a young businesswoman who found her perfect niche in becoming a personal gift-buyer for those who feel they just don't have the time to spend buying gifts themselves....but have the money to spend to have someone else do it for them. Marnie has also had a dream of one day buying a family business property that her grandfather built, where she could move her business, Wish & Co., and work in the same location where she has many fond memories. Unfortunately, as her father was somewhat of an out-cast, her estranged family isn't going to cut her any breaks, and puts the building up for auction. In a moment in time, Marnie endangers her business when it clashes with the dream of owning that property.....as she makes a huge mistake of sending two specific gifts to the wrong recipients putting the marriage of one of her wealthiest patrons at risk. The plan that Marnie comes up with to save her business and the client's marriage is desperate and she finds herself juggling friendships, love, and her conscience to come to a decision that may break her heart and take away one of her dreams forever. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read and review this advance reader copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #WithLovefromWishCo #NetGalley

What are we prepared to give-and give up-in the name of love? Minnie Darke proves relationships are tricky in this captivating tale of Marnie Fairchild, professional gift buyer, and how her one mistake causes the implosion of the Charlesworth family. Marnie’s goal as owner of Wish & Co. is to build-up her clientele and finances so she’s fiscally able to purchase the historic building where her grandfather’s shop was once located. After one uncharacteristic mistake her dreams may be dashed and the families are in a knotted mess, complicated on all levels.
The well-developed characters will charm or worm their way into readers’ hearts. So many relationships to evolve or dissolve while Marnie seeks to build her unique business. One simple mistake wreaks havoc on relationships between husband/wife, father/son, father/daughter, and even old/new budding romances! What a tangled web Minnie Darke weaves; sticky with several targets captured. Dealing with disappointment, moral dilemmas, forgiveness, and pride hits readers squarely in the gut then the heart, all while reading through laughter and tears. A favorite line: “Love’s the hokey pokey! You’ve got to put your whole self in.” Readers will be all in reading Minnie Darke’s With Love from Wish & Co.

Marnie owns a gift wrapping store, but also has an additional service of purchasing gifts on behalf of clients who have the means but not the time. Which is great until a gift meant for a fortieth wedding anniversary gets switched with a birthday gift for a mistress. At risk of losing more business and her shot at buying the store location where generations of Fairchilds have worked, she convinced Mr. Charlesworth to let her help him win back his understandingly hurt wife. But there’s a wrench - Luke Charlesworth, the son, who Marnie begins to date without telling him she’s back in business with his father.
I appreciated all of the small twists in the story and the ending. An enjoyable tale.

This was fun, light-hearted, no big surprises. Likable characters plus a few interesting takes on what is moral and what is helpful. A good summer/beach read.

A woman who is a personal gift buyer mixes up the presents designed for a man's wife and mistress, leading the gift buyer to try to help mend the rift in the man's marriage.

Do not judge this book by its cover and let it dissuade you from reading this terrific, fun novel--it is not a light, sweet holiday rom-com, but a much deeper, multi-layered story about lifelong love...and how to give great gifts!
When Marnie Fairchild, owner-operator of Wish & Co., a gift concierge service, mixes up the delivery of gifts for a customer, there are far-reaching consequences for the recipients and she risks losing her best customer, Brian Charlesworth whose wife and mistress are the intended recipients. Marnie enters into a deal with Brian to try to regain his wife's love, and against her better judgement, also falls for Brian's son, Luke, along the way.
The story poses questions about what you would be willing to sacrifice for someone you love, what the meaning of a gift truly is, and what you would be willing to forgive in a partner. I liked the characters very much, even cheating Mr. Charlesworth, and was rooting for the success of the scheme. The ethical questions that Luke introduces are interesting to think about, and most of all, I was motivated to up my gift-giving game!
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine for the opportunity to read a digital ARC of With Love from Wish & Co. The opinions in this review are my own.