DeeDee has been stuck in a sort of a rut for the last four years. She deeply misses her husband Joe and her travel business is on its last legs.
I loved the New York City setting and all the references to 80s television shows, movies, and music.
Rosie and Gia offer her friend support and I was cheering for Yiannis to make his move.
I also hoped DeeDee would be open to making some major changes of her own.

I enjoyed the unfolding plot and the friendships that Deedee has. I have to say that the second half was a lot more fast paced and interesting than the first, however it did serve to show just how in love she was with Joe and how her life with him was exactly what she wanted.

The book showed the true value of friendship, a life long friendship which Deedee shows is just as important as blood family. Her friends mean the world to her, and I loved how they supported her in getting over the celebrations of her 70th birthday and the news she receives about Joe.

A nice feel good read.

What a FUN book! It has the most honest, real, and easy to follow characters. With the most beautiful setting! Get ready for a perfect summer read with this one!

This is my second book by this author, and I love how her stories come alive on the pages, and you feel like you are right alongside of the characters, experiencing all the magic of the story. This book did not disappoint, Wish You Were Here, is a heartwarming, uplifting and refreshing read, that encapsulates friendship, love, second chances and a variety of emotional, vibrant stories that draw you in from the first word.

Deedee Merriman, a lady at a turning point in her life, is the subject of the book. She manages a travel agency, faces obstacles at work, and is thinking about the next stage of her life. Deedee asks her close friends Gina and Rosie to join her on a vacation to New York, a location that has great meaning for her late husband Joe, as her milestone birthday draws near. But this trip quickly takes a surprising turn when she receives a gift: a tiny, dilapidated beach cottage in the Hamptons, where Joe grew up. What starts off as a lovely gift quickly reveals deeper mysteries that will alter Deedee's entire worldview.

The New York City and Hamptons settings serve as characters in their own right. Brown’s vivid and detailed descriptions bring both places to life, highlighting the vibrant energy of the city that never sleeps and the tranquil, sun-drenched charm of the Hamptons. From the fast-paced rhythms of New York to the calm, sunset-filled beaches, the locations provide an ideal backdrop for Deedee’s journey.

If youre looking for a wonderful adventure without leaving the safety of your house this is the book for you. Buckle up and enjoy the ride.

I have read other books by Alex Brown. This one is a little different. The main character, Deedee, has been widowed and she is finding life hard without her beloved husband, Joe. Her travel agency business has hit a bit of a slump, and she’s about to turn 70. On the spur of the moment, she decides to travel to New York, somewhere she and Joe had been happy. Whilst there, she re-connects with friends old and new and thinks about how to move forward. Whilst Deedee’s glamorous past is probably different to most of us, she was a relatable and likeable character, and the turning point that she finds herself at will resonate with many readers. Thanks to NetGalley for my ARC, this has not changed my review.

Deedee invites her two friends to join her in New York to celebrate her 70th birthday.
This book was about friendship and moving on. It has some romance and an unexpected surprise.
I love this cover and the story was enjoyable too

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this eCopy to review

Wish You Were Here by Alex Brown, centres on Deedee Merriman, a travel agent who’s at a crossroads in her life. With her business struggling and a milestone birthday looming, Deedee decides to shake things up by planning a celebratory trip to New York with her two closest friends, Gina and Rosie. The city holds a special place in Deedee’s heart, as it’s where she feels closest to her late husband, Joe.

Once in New York, Deedee is surprised with an unexpected gift—a small, rundown beach house in the Hamptons, a place tied to Joe’s childhood. As she explores the house and its history, Deedee uncovers secrets about Joe’s past that challenge her understanding of their life together. At the same time, the trip becomes a journey of self-discovery for Deedee and her friends, as they confront their own struggles and find strength in their bond.

The novel is heartfelt and emotional, with themes of friendship, love, and second chances woven throughout, offering a pleasant read with a warm, uplifting message. It’s a good choice if you’re in the mood for a light, feel-good story about friendship and new beginnings.

I didn't realise until I started reading that this is the sequel to Bring Me Sunshine. It was good to be reading about these three ladies who met on holiday last year and became friends.
This book centres on Dee Dee who has invited Gina and Rosie to New York to celebrate her 70th birthday.
Dee Dee has old friends who live there and as she is still missing her husband she wants to celebrate her birthday with people who knew him.
This is a really nice story with plenty of surprises and things happening . If you enjoyed the first book you'll enjoy this one too.

I love this authors books and was excited to have the opportunity to read this one. Wish you were here is a sequel to bring me sunshine but could be read as a standalone. It was great to be able to reconnect with deedee, Rosie and Gina. This time the three friends were in New York to celebrate a milestone birthday.

The story also explores the themes of grief and friendship in a very sensitive and heartfelt way and also shows that it’s never too late to consider a fresh start and new beginnings.

A heartwarming and uplifting read which reminds us all to live life to the full as we never know what’s round the corner.

I hope we get to read more about these three characters in the future and where their adventures take them next.

Deedee is about to celebrate her 70th birthday and she’s choosing to go to New York to celebrate with friends. Old friends meet and the party begins, she’s just missing her beloved husband. It’s a heart felt read about friendships and life after grief. A throughly enjoyable 4.5 star book, Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

A very enjoyable sequel to Bring Me Sunshine, where the three ladies in this book originally met.

This story centres around Deedee who is about to reach 70, so the friends journey to New York for the celebrations, as Deedee has friends and memories with her late husband there. She's still struggling with being on her own and also hitting the big 7-0, but her friends help her come to terms with everything.

There are some great new side characters, and an old/new love interest for Deedee, who also had a great fun family who loved Deedee. There was also a big surprise towards the end, but in a very nice way.

A very enjoyable story about second chances and living life to the full. I do agree with quite a few other comments I've read about the cover though, as it's nothing like the three ladies described in the book. It looks to portray 30-somethings, and as I find a cover very important in picking up a book initially this is very deceiving and a bit disappointing.

wahoo! firstly can i say that. and say it again.. wahoo! because Alex brown is one of my go- to author o brilliance. she is up there with one of my faves ever. her books are just wonderful. no one is the same but you always know when you are reading one of hers. she has such promise and hope to her words no matter the subject or theme. and the talent of her in her genre, for me, is off the scale. i feel so lucky when we realize there are authors that are spanning time with us. so that throughout our own growing years we can go and grab one of their books and it can just feel like coming home.
Alex this time focus's on the older generation. and its been handled with the same tender success as all the other books do.
there is a human connection to all our characters both the main and side. and the relatability to all the emotions people feel at certain times in life ooze from the book.
its handles a wide span of themes. love, loss, friendships. and how we navigate life when it can feel too much or we can feel too lost. and just how not to give up.

I have been a fan of Alex Brown’s books for many years now, so I was excited to read Wish You Were Here, the follow on book to Bring Me Sunshine.

This time, the three friends are in New York, and the book mainly focusses on Deedee, and how she’s coping with both her grief and her 70th birthday.

I really enjoyed reading this book. In spite of dealing with grief and other difficult emotions, it was a positive, uplifting book.

I love the three characters, Deedee, Rosie, and Gina. They are all different, and all contribute to the friendship. I enjoyed watching Deedee start to open up a bit more, and the friendship deepening.

My memory isn’t very good, so I didn’t remember much of what happened in Bring Me Sunshine. However, this didn’t impair my enjoyment of Wish You Were Here at all, so you could read this book as a standalone. Though of course you get a longer story if you read both.

The setting was a good one. I’m not a massive fan of cities, but I had fun seeing bits of New York alongside Deedee, Rosie, and Gina. Parts of the story were also set in the Hamptons, which I loved. Both settings come across really clearly, I could practically smell the sea air.

Overall, this was another excellent story of friendship from a favourite author. I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

I was given a copy of this book, my opinions are my own.

Really good book that i will recommend to others.

Thanks for the opportunity to read & review it.

A gobble-it-all-up-in-one-sitting kind of book
Fantastic read, gripping story and so many surprises!
Another compulsive read from an author who seems to do no wrong. I absolutely devoured this one…

This is a heartwarming novel about grief, friendship, and self-discovery. It follows DeeDee, a widow approaching her 70th birthday, who feels lonely and uncertain about the future. To mark the milestone, she travels to New York City with her friends Rosie and Gina, reconnecting with her NYC-based circle.

The story explores how friendships can become chosen family, the process of healing after loss, and the courage it takes to embrace change. While DeeDee is portrayed as youthful and adventurous, some aspects—like her fluency in modern slang—feel unrealistic for her age. Additionally, the newer friendship between the three women could have been more developed to feel as authentic as DeeDee’s longstanding New York connections.

Though somewhat predictable, the novel is a fun and uplifting read, capturing the excitement of NYC and the importance of living fully at any stage of life.

Wish You Were Here resonated with me on so many levels, I didn't expect it because our heroine is a lot older than me (sorry Deedee, I'm just jealous of your sparkling life) but we still have a lot in common.

We both are travel agents and a travel agency's owners, we share the same fears for our jobs, besides, we have our big birthdays coming. I'm glad for every year that I spend being healthy and alive, but still, with the big four zero approaching I started thinking about the past and the future.

Deedee used to live her life to the fullest, but since the death of her husband she became more cautious, thoughtful and less carefree. Still, she plans to celebrate her seventy birthday in New York with her old and new friends, trying to not miss her Joe too much and to ruin the experience to everyone.

"We don't move on, we move forward!"

I absolutely adored Deedee as well as her her diverse group of friends.
She felt understandably lost, but she didn't give up and, putting one foot in front of the other, she still keep going toward the future. I'm glad that her friends were there to help with her grief, ricordandole how strong and lively she is.

I loved that this story was well written, relatable, and with unforgettable characters.
It's the first time I've read an Alex Brown work, but it won't be the last.

I've always loved Alex work and this is no exception. A book of friendship and romance which is right up my street. I read this book in a couple of days as I really couldn't put it down.
This would make an ideal film in my eyes

This is a lovely book about the power of friendship in the face of love, loss and again. Thoroughly enjoyed this one

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Deedee’s 70th birthday is approaching and she decides to celebrate it in New York with Rosie and Gina who she originally met in Greece a year before (this all happens in Bring me Sunshine however you don’t have to have read this to enjoy this book although I would recommend it as it’s a great read!). Deedee is concerned about her travel agency business and downturn in customers and is still grieving for her Husband Joe despite his death a few years before. Her birthday week however brings some surprises for her and being with her friends helps her with new ideas for her business.. The book covers grief, new beginnings, friendships and everything in between and I hope when I’m 70 I have half the energy of Deedee! Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood books for an advance copy of this book however all opinions are my own.