It’s not often that I really like the main characters right away, but I did with this book. Marnie Fairchild has her own shop in which she is a gift buyer for people who don’t have the time to shop for the perfect gift. She researches the recipient and always finds the perfect gift. Her most important client is Brian Charlesworth. She has searched for the perfect gift for his wife on their 40th anniversary, as well as a birthday gift for his mistress on the same day. Brian’s son Luke doesn’t work for the family business, which has greatly disappointed his father. Luke and Marnie meet and are very attracted to each other. Marnie has a dream of purchasing her family’s building, which was a historical shop that was heavily damaged in a fire. With Luke’s love of working with wood, they have a common interest in the shop. As their friendship develops, she feels guilty about her connection to his father but cannot bring herself to break the confidentiality of her business. Things are going well, until the gifts for Brian’s wife and mistress are inadvertently switched. This sets off a chain of events that endangers Marnie’s business and her relationship. What will survive this crisis?

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Wish & Co. by Minnie Darke was a unique book. So, here’s the down low on this book. I liked it, but it was an odd book. Firstly, our lead protagonist Marnie makes a living by buying gifts for wealthy clients that match their family dynamics. Rich men hire her to purchase presents for family events. My issue is how you can make enough money buying and wrapping gifts. It doesn’t make sense financially. But even worse, she bought a birthday gift for one man’s girlfriend and a 40th anniversary present for his wife, which occurred on the same day. What could go wrong? Secondly, Marnie has no life except working 24/7 fondling her beautiful wrapping paper, so when the sh*t hits the fan for her best client, and the ladies get the wrong gift, her clients drop her like a hot potato. Now, she has to figure out how to play matchmaker so the “cheater” can win his wife back, and with the help of his son, she makes a miracle happen with the help of his son Luke and bonus...romance blossoms between Marnie and Luke. The only problem, this romance takes up the last 1/8th of the book and happens at hyper-speed. Marnie makes a plan to get lecherous Brian reunited with his wife, Suzanne. Snooze. For the record, Marnie purchased a Smeg stand mixer in crazy colors for his wife’s 40th wedding anniversary gift. Personally, a kitchen mixer for 40 years would have me kicking my hubs out the door. I have given you the lowlights of the story, and there are some decent parts, but this is the impression left on my brain. I would love you to read it and tell me what you think. #romance #giftmixup #cheatingspouse #infidelity #adult #illegitamechildren #fiction #womensfiction @netgalley #howdoesshemakeenoughmoney #netgalley #Wish&Company
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I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Dell Books for the opportunity to read this book. Pub Date: Aug. 16, 2022.

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I've grown to really enjoy Minnie Darke's sprawling and charming stories. This was one where I didn't necessarily always agree with the character's choices, but found the overall story really moving. I loved reading about the perfect gifts Marnie finds, about the changes in Brian and Suzanne, about Luke and his developing relationship with Marnie. Great characters, and you get a sense of the time passing and the growth happening.

*** BOOK REVIEW***
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Title: With Love from Wish & Co.
Author: Minnie Darke

With Love from Wish & Co. kept my attention to finish it but overall it wasn’t anything I loved. The story was fine but I didn’t feel anything for the characters. Actually the characters only cared about themselves and what they wanted and not how their actions affected anyone else.

Thanks to Netgalley and Dell for a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review

Marnie Fairchild runs a boutique that includes a gift-buying service for those without the time to do so themselves. She has a knack for understanding the gift recipient and choosing the perfect gift. Coming from a line of entrepreneurs, Marnie is looking to purchase the space that her grandfather once used for his shoe business. That said, an uncharacteristic mistake by Marnie may place her potential new boutique space, as well as her business and budding relationship, in jeopardy.

A sweet read with complex characters and situations, this was a light read that was a welcome break after some rather intense reads. Marnie is a driven businesswoman with big future goals for her business. Along the way, she finds herself drawn to Luke. Known only as a person she bought gifts for, Marnie finds him attractive and intriguing; however, they butt heads over her business model. There was a lot of issues going on simultaneously in this book, and while some felt a bit far-fetched, others really drew me in.

This was a quick, entertaining read that was quite enjoyable.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Dell for the ARC. All thoughts in this review are honest and my own.

With Love From Wish & Co is a whimsical tale of a young entrepreneur with a unique business. Marnie has built a successful business purchasing and wrapping gifts for exclusive clients. Unfortunately, she gets caught between a given client's "giftees." And this unfortunate circumstance coincides with a property becoming available that has a hidden special meaning for Marnie. Toss in an unexpected friend/romance and you're in for a real treat.

I loved this book and had a hard time putting it down. I truly look forward to reading more of Minnie Darke's work.

BOOK REVIEW: With Love from Wish & Co. by Minnie Darke
2022 Publication Date: August 16

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T.I.M.E. Favorite Books To Read
T.I.M.E. Best Book Club Books
T.I.M.E. Best Books By Genre | Contemporary Romance
T.I.M.E. Most Anticipated Books Of 2022

CONNECT WITH A BOOK | T.I.M.E. SIMPLE LIVING TIP
Hold fast to your dreams... And hold faster to your love...

T.I.M.E. BOOK REVIEW:
Minnie Darke? Can I be the President of your Fan Club? Where do I even start on how much I loved this book?!

Let's start with three circles... In this story, Marnie, our protagonist, is a professional gift buyer. And she teaches us how to find that sweet spot where three circles — represented as the person, the occasion, and the relationship — overlap and reveal the perfect gift. And this book falls right in that sweet spot where my three circles overlap for the perfect gift of reading.

Here are my circles...
Circle 1: Strong female character lead (flaws are OK and even welcomed... but a willingness to take responsibility for their own life and actions is a non-negotiable)
Circle 2: Multi-dimensional and unique story elements that create a pathway to a new understanding of humanity
Circle 3: Thru the story, we learn a simple living truth... Something that helps us to connect the life we would love to the life we are living

Over and over again in this story, these three circles overlapped for a perfect gift of reading. Each time delivering a little treasure to apply to living a simple life... creating a simple home... streamlining a simple business.

With a sprinkling of the "universe" working its' mystical balance of cause and effect, the story unfolds with themes of family, love, legacy... and the choices we make each day in our life, home, and business.

Perfect for readers who have a big dream... and would love to take a peek down the road to know which path to take...

Just what you need to assure you that a "cursed moment" could turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to you.

Keep your focus on the circles... And wish the best for everyone involved... Where the circles overlap will reveal a clear path for you...

Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy... Wishing you a perfect gift of reading... ✨😎✨

Pages: 414
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Sub-Genre: Hidden Identity Romance
Time Period: Present Day
Location: Alexandria Park (Australia)

IF YOU LIKE THIS BOOK THEN TRY…
Book: Nothing But The Truth by Holly James
Movie: Working Girl

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Marnie Fairchild is the mastermind behind Wish & Co., a successful gift-buying service catering to wealthy clients with hectic and often "complicated" lives. Her best customer, Brian Charlesworth, comes to her with a special request — an anniversary present for his wife Suzanne… and a birthday present for his mistress, Leona.

And the dates are the same...

Marnie is no stranger to dealing with the complicated relationships of her clients and prides herself on being discreet and staying focused on finding the perfect gift for each recipient.

But the universe deals her an unexpected card when she is distracted by the sudden opportunity to bid on the shopfront that once belonged to her grandfather — a lifelong dream of hers.

On the same date too...

Against her better judgment, Marnie makes an uncharacteristic mistake that jeopardizes her business and puts her at odds with Brian. As she scrambles to save Wish & Co., she finds herself drawn to Brian’s son, Luke — complicating things even further.

With Love from Wish & Co. is a charming contemporary romance about following your heart, learning from your mistakes, and the power of second chances.

BOOK CLUB DISCUSSION:
The importance of staying focused on what's important in life.
The power of taking responsibility for your own actions.
The value of second chances.

BOOK QUOTE:
"The thing about gifts is that people want to feel seen. They want to feel known." — With Love from Wish & Co. by Minnie Darke

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All my book reviews can be seen at This Is My Everybody | Simple Living | Denise Wilbanks at thisismyeverybody.com/blog/what-book-should-i-read

♡ Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

Happy Publication Day to Minnie Darke and With Love from Wish & Co. Thank you to Penguin Random House for sharing a review copy with me.

Marnie Fairchild is building her high-end gift-wrapping and gift-buying business, one elite client at a time. She conducts exhaustive research on the gift recipients to ensure the items she selects perfectly match their interests and tastes. All is well until a moment of personal distraction causes her to mix up the recipients of two important gifts, and chaos ensues.

I'd classify this novel, set in contemporary Australia, as women's fiction; the character relationships are complicated. It includes romance and a bit of comedy, but also issues of fatherhood, integrity, family legacy, and small business ownership. It has one of the warmest adult son/mother relationships I've read. The plot includes a marital affair so be warned if you want to avoid that subject in your reading.

I'm glad I read the ebook so I didn't have to view this cover - I'm usually a fan of illustrated covers, but this one is just ... odd. Was the designer inspired by Elf on the Shelf? I'm happy there's an alternate/improved cover for some versions of this title.

This novel was very compelling, and I'm eager to read Ms. Darke's previous novels Star-Crossed and The Lost Love Song that are waiting for me on my TBR shelves.

This is an interesting book to talk about. The premise gives you the major conflict right up front: Marnie Fairchild is a professional gift buyer. She has a real talent for finding the perfect gift for any occasion and she has a successful business. But Marnie has dreams of buying and restoring her grandfather’s store, a property that’s been in her family for generations.

On a hectic day and distracted by a meeting with a realtor, there’s a mix-up and the wrong gifts for her best client get sent to his wife and mistress, which is disaster. While she’s trying to help her client recover from her mistake, she starts falling for his son, Luke.

The first part of the story is dedicated to the gift mixup which we know is going to happen. We meet many different characters whose lives will intersect. The multiple povs help move the story along and there’s tension created as we get closer to the mix-up.

Many reviews call this light-hearted. I’m not sure I agree. It deals with serious issues, raises moral questions, and has quite a bit to think about.

Luke is my favorite character and his side story is so good. For most of the book I was feeling like this was a 3.5/3.75 territory but the ending pushed it to 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. If you’re looking for something like contemporary fiction with romance and character growth, I think you’d enjoy the journey of this book. I actually think this would be a good book club book because of the questions it raises.

With Love from Wish & Co was a real delight! Marnie is great at giving gifts- so she has made a job out of doing it! One little slip leads to a major disaster. While some story lines were predictable, others totally surprised me. I did not want to walk away from Marnie and Luke’s budding relationship. I had to k ow how Luke’s parents worked through a major life moment. And Ivy was icing on the cake. Along the way I learned some valuable tips on choosing a perfect gift. A book you never want to finish.

I was immediately pulled in by the setup for this story. Marnie, a professional gift-buyer, accidentally swaps the gifts intended for the wife and mistress of her best client. As you can imagine, there is a lot of fallout from this mistake. The characters are well-written and certainly have flaws. Along with the characters, the reader has to navigate gray areas. When should mistakes be forgiven? Is infidelity forgivable? Is Marnie engaging in emotional fraud by aiding her clients in buying gifts for mistresses? When do you draw the line? I thought about how I would respond in a similar situation. It don't think I would always make the same choice, but liked to see other points of view.

There were several slang words I was unfamiliar with. Only after looking up the word "ute" did I realize it was set in Australia. Overall it didn't take away from the story, but I would have appreciated a more obvious indication of the place and perhaps a dictionary of the slang.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

With Love from Wish & Co, by Tasmanian/Australian author Minnie Darke, is the story of Marnie Fairchild, entrepreneur, shop owner, gift giving goddess, and daughter of the Fairchild black sheep, Rory. Rory was lost in a surfing accident when Marnie was a toddler and his siblings have done nothing for their late brother’s child. Growing up on the brink of economic despair, Marnie has her late grandfather Archie to thank for her education as well as the life lessons he taught her when she would visit him after school at his Fairchild & Son cobbler shop.

It is because of her grandfather that Marnie has reinvented herself more that once to move forward to be able to buy the old building when it comes on the market. Her business now is a bespoke gift shop and gifting business. With her research Marnie has the knack of choosing the perfect gifts and has a lucrative clientele of many wealthy men with complicated lives.

All was going so well until her best client celebrated his anniversary and his special lady’s birthday on the same date and the property she dreamed of converged. A simple mix up in delivery directions and Marnie’s business and dreams may implode. And if that isn’t enough, Marnie may just be falling for the son of the couple affected by the mix up.

Now the stage is set for a most unusual and mesmerizing plot with multiple twists. I did enjoy this book and I do recommend it.

With Love from Wish & Co. by Minnie Darke is a thoroughly enjoying story. It was very well-written. The book turned out to be much more substantial than the "chick-lit" I expected. Overall a good read and would recommend!

This is a totally fine, sweet romance. (I'm a sucker for those comfy vibes.) Luke and Marnie's relationship development didn't really make sense to me, especially given her role in his father's affair (which is also downplayed and not interrogated much), so that took me out of the story. Otherwise, though, it's fluffy and doesn't require a ton of thought to digest, so pick this up if you want an easy read.

Omg this book is so cute, I just loved every single word! I highly recommend buying it as it’s got be on your shelf! Be ready to start and not stop until you finish!

ARC REVIEW OF WITH LOVE FROM WISH & CO

3.5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell, and Minnie Darke for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was actually a really cute story with an interesting concept. The book was written from multiple POVs, which change some times every chapter or changed within each chapter. While it often made it difficult to follow which POV you were reading, it also helped being able to empathize with the characters, which I felt was necessary given the subject matter at times.

The beginning started off slow. The synopsis of the book prepares you for what's to come, in that our FMC Marnie makes a mistake that ruins one of her client's lives. I think the author did an awesome job setting up the scene for that mistake- I think I could imagine very few other instances that would be worse than what actually happened. But the start of the book begins leading up to that event, and while it's necessary to lay the backstory, it was a bit void of excitement.

Let's chat characters. Each were central characters to the story. They all had valid points to their positions, but they also had some serious flaws (except the Mom Suzanne, she was my favorite). The main themes of the story were choice and fear; how the choices people make impact their futures, but also lead to a series of other choices, and whether or not you'd let fear stand in the way. I actually thought it a pretty deep and intrinsic message considering how light-hearted the read was. But maybe I'm also off- this was never my strong suit in school lol.

All that being day, I did quite enjoy this book. It was very casual, sweet story about love, life and family. It came out on 8/16 but if you haven't added it to your TBR and you enjoy light, airy romance/fiction, this is up your alley.

Marnie's mistake leads to an interesting string of events for everyone involved. Marnie is a good character that sometimes I struggled with but also found myself rooting for her along the way. Luke has a good story that intertwines with Marnie because of her blunder. Without giving too much away, reading their story is compelling & worth the read.

Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for a advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

Marnie Fairchild hasn't had the easiest life, but the one thing that makes her happy these days is her work and her store, Wish & Co. She is a professional gift buyer, meeting with clients to learn everything they're willing to tell about their family members or significant others. Then it is up to her to take it all into account and find the perfect gift. She prides herself on being perfect, for being detail oriented...until one day she loses focus. Not only that, it happens with presents purchased for Brian Charlesworth, her most prized customer. She wraps the perfect anniversary gift for his wife, Suzanne...and a birthday present for his mistress, Leona. Both are as different as can be...except for the shape of the box used. But Marnie never makes mistakes, right?

In the end I was really quite fond of this story. While it did drag out the conflict a little longer than I would have liked, it ended up with a sweet resolution. I found the cast of characters lovable, and I liked Marnie, for the most part, as the protagonist. I really liked the concept of a woman trying her hardest to make her life the best it could possibly be, she was easy to cheer for (even when she was a little annoying). I was pleasantly surprised by the way the drama of this story unfolded. It could have been a lot messier and more annoying in the sense that you just want the characters to sit down and talk it through. I found the romance felt natural and believable, which isn't always the case. Overall I did enjoy this story and I hope there is a part two, as the ending left that an option. If you like a decent dose of drama but mostly a wholesome story about dreams, work, love and family, this one is definitely for you!

A bit long and paint by numbers in a lot of the plot and romance. It's still pleasant to go through, but nothing remarkable..

Marnie is a professional gift buyer who prides herself in discretion, thoughtful gifts, and beautiful wrapping. When she finds herself in a rush one afternoon and two gifts end up swapped, Marnie finds herself at risk of losing her business and the historical family building she’s had her eye on her entire life. In a heartwarming story about love, loss, and sacrifice, Marnie has to find a way to save her business…and maybe fall in love.

This was such a sweet read that had me thinking about gift giving in a whole new way. Luke and Marnie left me ready to find love in this charming book. If you’re looking for a quick, easy read with lovable characters, add this to your list!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for a fair review.