A fun, festive read with lots of heart. I love the fact that this read deals with the complexities of dealing with a neurodiverse child and that the child comes before romance for single mum Ana. the male protagonist is an NFL player, but outside of the sports persona, he is dealing with medical revelations. Despite not looking for romance, he is captivated by young Ruthie at a school fair. After an eventful meeting with Ruthie's mum, Ana, Sam soon becomes drawn into their world. It isn't the future he once dreamed of, but it soon becomes so much more. This book is about embracing the curveballs that life throws at us, because there can often be something amazing just out of sight. #wishingonastar #mandybaggot #embla #netgalley

A really cosy book which shows a lovely mother and daughter relationship between Anna and Ruthie. Life isn’t easy for Anna being a single mum who has to look after Ruthie with her autism.

A story showing tough times . Will love win through?

Mandy Baggott is one of those reliable authors who you know will keep you engaged and provide you with characters that you are invested in

A really lovely Christmas read. A great bit of escapism that gets you in the Christmas spirit. Highly recommended by me.

Absolutely brilliant book which I highly recommend.
A festive piece of escapism which drew the reader in. There were some difficult issues which were portrayed sensitively, believable characters and an interesting plot
A great Christmas-holiday - me time read
Loved it
Thank you to Netgalley, Embla , and Mandy Baggot for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review

I loved this book so much! It's the perfect book to cuddle up with on a rainy day and become absorbed in. Not only do we have the lovely mother/daughter relationship between Anna and Ruthie, as they adjust to their new life, we also have the blossoming romance with Sam.

Thoroughly enjoyed this one, it had all the Christmassy romance feels I was after!

I love reading books that are written by Mandy Baggot and this fabulously festive read is no exception. It has everything you will want in a Christmas book - family, friendship, love, festivities and more. I love it.

I really enjoyed this story line, it was packed with difficult issues and they were written about with what felt like such authenticity.

Autism is something that affects so many families but is not really talked about a lot and people are not so well informed.

I love all the characters and there is a perfect about of heart-warming scenarios and yet there are some heartbreaking moments too, which I got a bit choked up over but that's just how well it's written. I always say to evoke that emotion through the pages of a book is such a skill, not everyone can do it.

A great feel good book
Brilliant storyline
Great characters
And had me hooked from the first to the last page
Thanks NetGalley

What a lovely book to read life as it’s ups and downs but this story shows that everything has a happy ending and for it to be around Christmas even better so touching and a brilliant author

A great festive read, with a story of romance but more than that; it’s about how you deal with life’s curveballs. Not everything in life is going to go the way you plan but here we have characters finding their way through very different situations but finding themselves fitting in with each other in terms of support and need. This story highlights how important it is to have the right people around you, and to make the most of an opportunity that comes your way.
I loved the characters, I loved how many different issues are addressed and celebrated. I love the representation shown in these characters is written is a sensitive and informed way.
A gorgeous story, festive but not overly so. Brilliant writing, as always from this author.

Wishing on a Star by Mandy Baggot

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Embla Books and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

A single mum. A superstar athlete. A Christmas like no other.

Anna Heath is divorced, a single mum and trying desperately to keep her life in order. Despite her friends' best efforts, Anna has stopped looking for love and is determined to give her daughter, Ruthie, a Christmas to remember.

Sam Jackman has just been dealt with life-altering news, and all he could think to do was run. He's left his American football team back in the US, stuck a pin in a map, and landed in Richmond, London.

When Anna and Ruthie literally bump into Sam on the snow-speckled streets, he finds himself being welcomed into their lives. But what begins as a night on the sofa turns into the start of something special...

My Opinion

This was a lovely book and whilst it is set at Christmas, the festivities was not the main focus. Sam feels that his world is falling apart falling a shocking result at the doctors and escapes to England to escape for a while. Meeting Anna and Ruthie was the last thing he expected but will they help him come to terms with his future?

This is a heart-warming book that deals with difficult topics really well. A sensitively written, great festive book. A must read for the holiday season.

Rating 4/5

What a fabulous book. Not only is this a touching and interesting story but it also has a main character with autism. I really enjoyed reading this book. Full of fully-formed, believable characters and with a storyline that held my interest from beginning to end. This is a great winter read.

This was a lovely cosy book that really put me in the Christmas mood, despite it only being October when I read it! It was the first book I’d read by Mandy Baggot and I enjoyed the writing style and found most of the characters likeable! This book explored some challenging topics such as Huntington’s disease and Alzheimer’s, as well as really capturing what it was like living with someone on the autism spectrum.

This was such a lovely, lovely book. The brilliant writing of the characters means that you just can't but help get invested in Anna, Sam and Ruthie's story. The romance is all there between Anna and Sam and what they need to overcome to get their happy ending, but I found the development of the relationship between Sam and Ruthie just as touching. As a Christmas read, it hit all the buttons of sweet, funny, thought provoking and having a pinch of Christmas magic. Highly recommend.

Great read with a warm feel good factor. I read this in a couple of days because I couldn’t put it down. I felt that the way autism was woven into the story was very well done. Recommended.

After a chance meeting in Anna’s home town, Sam finds himself welcomed into her family. Could this be the start of something special? This novel is full of humour, warmth and great characters and I highly recommend it.

With a thick blanket of snow on the ground outside it is the perfect time to hibernate with a good Christmas book. Mandy Baggot typically publishes two books a year – one set in Greece for the summer holidays and the other is a feel-good festive story. This latest book is a real return to form and that may be because she really is writing from the heart here.

Anna Heath is a divorced single mum to Ruthie. She adores her beautiful daughter but life is not without its challenges because Ruthie is autistic. She sees the world differently to other people and this in turn affects the way that she allows other people to interact with her. You get the feeling that ex husband Ed just couldn’t cope with the added complexity of living with an autistic child. Anna has given up on the idea of dating and just concentrates on giving Ruthie the best life she possibly can and they are surrounded by a bevy of friends in the leafy suburb of Richmond.

Sam Jackman is just about to take the next giant leap in an already stellar American Football career when he receives life changing news. The kind of news that will kill his future prospects stone dead. In a state of shock he packs a bag and heads to the airport. He has no idea where he is going and ends up on a flight to London. A chance encounter with a cab driver sees him wandering the streets of a snow covered pre Christmas Richmond where he literally bumps into Anna and Ruthie. Feeling responsible for his injuries they offer him a couch for the night.

Wishing On A Star is a very poignant book that deals very sensitively with both the response to a serious life changing medical condition and the way that society in general misunderstands the needs of people with autism. Mandy has a teen with autism and a lot of the experiences that Anna and Ruthie have in the story have happened in her own home. Her teen was consulted to ensure that they were happy with the way that Ruthie and her issues were portrayed. All of this makes you think that it might be a desperately sad serious book but it really isn’t. There is a lot of Christmas joy to be found in these pages and the story of Anna, Sam and Ruthie makes your heart sing! It is a perfect Christmas holiday read.

(In the UK it is currently free to read with an Amazon Prime membership or just 99p on Kindle).

Supplied by Net Galley and Embla Books in exchange for an honest review.

UK Publication date: Oct 10 2022. 373 pages.

Wishing on a Star had me swooning and cheering the romance on the entire time. I was very emotionally invested in these characters, their lives and would have been devastated if the ending had been any different. It had plenty of Christmas magic, loveable characters and a great ending.

This was a really lovely book, not overly Christmassy so you could easily read this at any time of year as the focus is on the characters rather than the fact that it’s set at Christmas - even if we do start with Anna and Ruthie wrestling Malcolm (the biggest Christmas tree ever) through their front door.

It was so nice to have a main character who has Autism as it highlights all the amazing qualities that comes with it, Ruthie is such a good character and I loved everything about her and the relationship she has with Anna. It was nice to see that Mandy doesn’t shy away from the tougher emotional sides of this either though and showed the struggles that some parents and children may have. The whole book just felt so lovely, genuine and warmed your heart.

Sam is the other main character and he has landed in the U.K. after being given some news that is potentially life changing for him, how he ends up at a Christmas Fayre I’m not quite sure but it happens - and there really is something good about the hot dog and burger stands at these events!

Again Baggot is able to express the struggle and pain that the characters are going through but give them a support network to hold them up and get through things together. Such an amazing book and it’s really made me want to pay a visit to Richmond one day as I’d never heard of the place before but it sounds like a lovely place - plus I need one of the festive fudge hot chocolates!!!!