Cute rom com story. It’s taking me a little while to really stick to the book, but I will finish it soon and come back to update my review. It’s so cute I didn’t want to leave it lingering without a positive review.

Thanks so much for the advanced copy.

4.25 rounded to 4

Often I think I really like womens lit but then find myself rolling my eyes or just not being able to relate to the characters so I was excited to find myself really invested in this gem! The writing is very readable and after a few beginning details to set the story up it was mostly fast paced and a unique premise even if some of the characters were cliche and you know where it’s leading you.

I really liked the two storylines even if one was around the aftermath of infidelity, if you have issues with that at all it’s not for you but luckily you’d know it going into it. And I liked that it wasn’t overtly about “finding your way or rediscovering yourself” in a cheesy fashion but with realistic inner monologues and with a side of a new budding relationship.

I think it wrapped up fairly well too and I liked the two MC’s so much I wish there was a little more before the big conflict but I don’t think that’s a negative I think it’s a testament to their characters. .

Thank you for the gifted eARC!

Review posted via. Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4681450997
Fun contemporary read.
Wish & Co is owned by Marnie Fairchild. Marnie uses her gift-buying talents to shop for her customers. When two almost exact boxes get switched, Marnie is left scrambling to pick up the pieces. and her best customer Brian Charlesworth has to explain to his wife of forty years, got a present clearly not meant for her. Enter Luke Charlesworth. The gorgeous son of Brian who now needs her gifting skills. When Marnie goes behind his back desperate to save her business and get the store she has been dreaming of purchasing, she will have to choose between love and her dreams.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. At first, I was a bit hesitant, worried about the story being over-sexualized. While it was a good part of the story, it was mostly kept behind closed doors and not over the top. I was disappointed by the amount of language. Overall I would give this novel 3.5/5 stars (rounded up to 4/5).

What a really great little romance novel. The main character's job is one that I always thought would be a wonderful one to have- making other people's lives easier and happier at the same time. For her, it gets a little tricky, but that's what life is all about- unraveling the hard stuff to get to something beautiful.

This is definitely a feel good rom-com with a setting like no other. Likable characters (well, except for the cheater) abound in this book. Thank you to Dell and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a quiet novel–and I mean that in the best way possible. This is a novel that you want to have with you on a road trip, when you can spend the afternoon at the beach just reading. This is a novel that you want to have with you when you go to a café and can spend a few hours enjoying coffee and a cozy story. I know all of those things were true for me, despite not being able to make those situations a reality at this time of year.

If you are craving a women’s fiction book that has a little bit of everything, look no further than here. There are parallel story lines, romance plots, and a writing style that’s completely immersive. That is truly where this story shone: with the writing style. It was easy to fall into the story’s descriptions–and our five character point of views–due to that style. I felt like I was exploring the world of Alexandria Park alongside our characters, and I could imagine everything they were seeing. The imagery always blew me away and truly immersed me in the plots playing out.

What I find interesting is how engrossed and enchanted I was by this story. Normally, I am not a reader who enjoys character-driven plots, and that wasn’t the case here. Darke’s deft control over the five character perspectives and their internal belief system won me over to this story. I never had a question of who’s head I was in, or why they were behaving the way they did. This novel was the closest I’ve gotten to ever feeling like I was completely in someone else’s head, which was a magical experience. When you read a story, you step into someone else’s shoes; but, this was the first time that I felt that completely in an adult novel.

While I know there is only so much space that a novel has to share a story, I do wish we had seen more of a progression of Luke and Marnie’s relationship. The reader was able to see the beginning of the relationship; but, after that point, there was an emphasis on the summary mode. Most of Luke and Marnie’s romantic relationship development was communicated through summary, which was disappointing, as I wanted to see more of the relationship play out on page. Despite this being a women’s fiction novel, it is also a romance novel, and I wanted the notes of Luke and Marnie’s story to be stronger. (Although Brian and Suzanne’s story was wonderfully written. I could feel the weight of the past, present, and the hurt and emotions that ran deeply in that relationship.)

I am grateful for Penguin Random House reaching out to me about this ARC. It was the perfect cozy read and I adored Minnie Darke’s writing style. While I wouldn’t label this book as a rom-com, it was definitely a contemporary romance chockful of brilliant writing.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Dell, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Totally delightful and delicious piece of superbly written fluff about love and all its messiness. A wonderful read. The characters are well developed and the writing is a joy. I look forward to more by this writer.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

This was a cute, if quite predictable read. I liked the characters, which felt well developed, and the story was charming and what i was looking for as a lighter weekend read. Recommended!

I love that I was torn for much of this book but was always rooting for a happy ending, it did not disappoint!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy. This was a fun read about pursuing your dreams and the tangled webs we weave. This was enjoyable.

*Thank you to Penguin Random House via NetGalley for the ARC recommendation*

While reading With Love From Wish and Co, I realized I was about 15% of the way in before it dawned on me I didn’t have anything highlighted. It was a bit of a slow start but once it started rolling, the book was so easy to get lost in. In a a good way, not lost like I had no clue what was going on. It was the kind of lost where you’re so absorbed in reading, you’re carefully angling a sip of your supposed hot tea, only to realize it’s gone cold cause you’ve been that kind of lost in this book! I was simply reading for the sheer pleasure of it, and enjoying every bit.

I have several authors that are near and dear to my heart. They reliably take me out of book slumps and I’ve loyally worked through their back catalogue of books. One author being Jill Mansell and another more recent addition, Kate Clayborn. Darke’s writing has a lot of the same flavor as the other two, but she’s got her own intoxicating twist as well, so much so I hungrily devoured this book in 4 days (sadly I couldn’t go any faster as I had a holiday to plan around — how inconvenient!)

I’ve come to realize how much I relish interwoven storylines. There isn’t just supporting cast to boost the main characters, but it’s a whole world enmeshed together. I’ve missed those so much and I was so *shimmy shimmy* pleased when it dawned on me what that familiar sensation was…a parallel narrative!

The premise of WLFW&C centers on Marnie, a bespoke gift purchaser/wrapper whose aspirations of expanding her business into a historic building, with which she has deep personal ties to, sends her inadvertently tangled in the intricate lives of her clients. A costly mistake forces her to choose how to pay, but at what price? With her reputation? Her dreams? Her heart?

There can be parts that are repetitive but I cannot appreciate enough the attention to professional detail that comes with something as simple as a wrapped gift. Darke has a way of describing a scenery so much so that you can see everything unfolding (or in this case…wrapped up!) as if you yourself have stepped through the doors of Marnie’s shop.

I really, really liked this one. It was so cute and made me feel like when I wrap an old, worn robe around myself…just comforting and nostalgic. And I’m so glad to see there’s a couple of other books I get to lose myself in by Darke. I hope when this is published in August ‘22, it’ll be enjoyed by others who like those warm fuzzy feelings too.

I am always tentative when picking up women’s fiction/romance novels, because most of the time they go beyond the cutesy factor and into cheese land for me. This one was one of those. It was a little ~too~ light and fluffy for my taste.

If you are devout to romance and fluffy cutesy novels, I do recommend this book!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Cute read! Fast paced and made me excited to read! I love how that chapters were set up! When everything went down, that way really crazy! I loved the ending!

Thank you NetGalley for me ARC of With Love From Wish & Company. Minnie Darke is an author I never heard of and decided to take a chance and I am glad I did. She wrote a wonderfully fun story about different forms of love and different forms of what we call family. Each character was easy to like. We heard everyone's point of view (and not in a confusing manner). I will be recommending this book and look forward to another one from this author.

A quirky, cute story of love, misguided intentions and striving for your dreams. I thought this was a great story.

Random House Ballantine reached out to me via NetGalley and offered me an ARC Copy. At first I was unsure if I wanted to read it. I hadn’t read anything else from the author and thought it sounded interesting. A few days later I decided to give it a go and I am SOOO HAPPY I did! Marnie is a professional gift buyer. Browning up she found out that there was nothing better then a person receiving the perfect gift! In the end she ends up making it into a business.
Everything is going great! She has steady business and is continuing to grow in clientele. One day she is wrapping and getting together her best clients, Brian, gifts. A lovely present for his wife on their 40th year anniversary… and one for his mistress 😵. The packages accidentally get messed up. Marnie is in a hurry to get out of the shop because she found out that the historical storefront building that her grandfather owned is being put up to action. She leaves the shop thinking everything is ok… only to find out a short time later the gifts were delivered to the wrong person! It just so happens that when Brian comes to confront her his son Luke comes with him since Brian has been drinking.
Now Marnie must help Brian get his wife back. So what if she starts to fall for Luke!
I was so presently surprised by “With Love From Wish & Co” Minnie Darkle did a great job and I will gladly be picking up a copy when it publishes and will be looking into more of Minnie’s work

Such a cute, quick and easy read. Really enjoyed this book and storyline! I'm looking forward to more from this author.

Such a delightful story!!! I really enjoyed all the characters, their interactions and surprises and believable life stories. This was a fun and fast read, I especially loved Marnie's occupation. It's nice to read a book without vulgar language and just a hint of sexual intimacy! I am recommending this book to all my fellow readers for a nice Summer read! Thank you, Minnie, for a great story. I look forward to reading more of you writing artistry!!! Thanks, Net Galley, for the wonderful suggestion!!

This is a delightful rom-com, but more romance than comedy. Marnie Fairchild is the daughter of the black sheep of a well to do family, cast off when her father gambles them into poverty. But Marnie is driven and has created a successful business of being a personal shopper for others too busy or inexperienced in gifting others. She delves in to their lives to find the perfect gift and then wraps it up so nicely. She is also the keeper of secrets. One fateful day, she mixes up two boxes being delivered for a wife’s monumental anniversary and the husband’s mistress’s birthday. Needless to say, the husband and wife’s marriage implodes. Fallout from this threatens Marnie’s business and her goal to buy back the historic building that her grandfather owned. Marnie, ever the business person, devises a way to rectify her mistake and help her most important client’s marriage rekindle. But Marnie also meets Luke, the handsome son of her client and an attraction is born. Luke doesn’t agree with what Marnie does as a buyer and calls her an emotional fraud, taking advantage of others. While love blooms, Marnie is torn and it is jeopardized with Marnie secretly still helping Luke’s dad, Brian, trying to win back his wife with continuing to buy the just right gift to her heart. Will all these mechanism’s work? What will Luke do when he discovers that Marnie is helping his dad whom he faults for hurting his mother?

A fun and light read, this story went fast. I did skip through some of the story where I felt it was too fluffy or not important to the story line. The characters were predictable and a bit tired: the husband outraged that his marriage was in jeopardy and faulting not himself but an employee, the wife being clueless of her husband’s actions, the mistress believing that her arrangement was acceptable by all parties. Overall, this is not a book that you would remember down the road, but it was a delightful way to spend a rainy afternoon and curling up to read it. I’m not sure that I agree with how it ended or “wrapped” up. It was just okay.

Many thanks to #netgalley #withlovefromwishandcompany #minniedarke for the opportunity to read and review this book.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House-Ballantine for the opportunity to read Minnie Darke's With Love from Wish & Co.

I Loved it!

I was completely drawn into the story along with the characters. Unusual, interesting, off-beat and totally enjoyable.

I did not want the story end. I love these people. ❤