⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫4.25 STARS💫⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wow! This book was more than I expected, that’s for damn sure. Talk about giving a giving a girl the feels! 

Wish You Were Here by Renee Carlino was such a beautiful and heartwarming story. I’m not a big fan of ARC’s but let me tell you, I am so glad I read this one.

For the most part I’m going to keep it pretty on this one, as it was a pretty story.

Let’s hear what the author has to say before we get into it. . .

Synopsis

You know when you’re looking at someone and you can’t help but smile at how oblivious they are to their own charm? That’s what was happening to me, and it was making me feel…happy. Euphoric. Something indescribable. It was like we already knew each other, like we had met in a previous life. Memories that didn’t exist began exploding in my mind like fireworks.

Charlotte has spent her twenties adrift, searching for a spark to jump-start her life and give her a sense of purpose. She’s had as many jobs as she’s had bad relationships, and now she’s feeling especially lost in her less-than-glamorous gig at a pie-and-fry joint in Los Angeles, where the uniforms are bad and the tips are even worse.

Then she collides—literally—with Adam, an intriguing, handsome, and mysterious painter. Their serendipitous meeting on the street turns into a whirlwind one-night stand that has Charlotte feeling enchanted by Adam’s spontaneity and joy for life. There’s promise in both his words and actions, but in the harsh light of morning, Adam’s tune changes, leaving Charlotte to wonder if her notorious bad luck with men is really just her own bad judgment.

Months later, a new relationship with Seth, a charming baseball player, is turning into something more meaningful, but Charlotte’s still having trouble moving past her one enthralling night with Adam. Why? When she searches for answers, she finds the situation with Adam is far more complicated than she ever imagined. Faced with the decision to write a new story with Seth or finish the one started with Adam, Charlotte embarks on a life-altering journey, one that takes her across the world and back again, bringing a lifetime’s worth of pain, joy, and wisdom.

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This book reminded me of a song by India Aria, The Truth. I put a YouTube video of the song at the end of this review if you ever want to listen to it and see for yourself.

Wish You Were Here took me on an emotional and wonderful journey of love, loss, and healing. I do hope you get a chance to read it for yourself to see if you can the same fulfillment as I did. This books makes you question if you can really fall in love with someone in just one night.

I normally don’t feel the authenticity of insta-love in books but I felt it here. Renee Carlino betrayed it beautifully.

Charlotte is gorgeous but she doesn’t even know it. She is also kind, sweet, and loyal. She is the true definition of what a friend, sister, daughter, woman is. You can see her as your  friend or loved one easily. She had this ADHD thing about her and I fucking loved it because she reminded me of me. I would most likely still be all over the place if I didn’t have children.

Adam. Oh, Adam. He was different to say the least but the was also something magical about him. He had an old soul, one that has been here before. I found myself intrigued by him. I wanted to learn more about him from the moment he was introduced to me in the book. I could tell early on that there was something major going on with him but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

After a beautiful night together, questions are asked and answered. Some we want to see and others that hurt us to read about. No matter what does or doesn’t happen, Adam made me fall in love with him in just one moment.

“You’re stunning and beautiful and I loved every second of it. I’m sorry you didn’t like it. Did I hurt you.?” – Adam

“No, but are you going to pain it?” – Charlotte

“Paint what?”

“Us, what we just did?”

“No.”

“No?”

“No. I don’t need to. I’ll never forget it and it’s sacred.”

Unfortunately, Charlotte and Adam’s time is cut short early on so we never get a chance to figure him out completely. As the the story goes on we eventually learn Adam is so much more complicated than anyone could have expected. This unexpected turn make Charlotte and Adam’s love story one of the classics.

Now, Seth is a whole different story. He’s the guy that comes along after Charlotte’s magical night with Adam. Don’t get me wrong, he was a sweetheart but he was no Adam when it came to the connection Adam and Charlotte shared. If there really is a thing called, soulmates, it would be Charlotte and Adam. But, if there was a thing called, um…this could work, it would be Charlotte and Seth. It wasn’t like Seth was a bad person or that Charlotte couldn’t love him, it was more like Adam already owned her heart whether she wanted him to or not. This puts Seth in a really funky position.

Is Seth man enough for the job of capturing Charlotte’s heart for his and his alone? I guess you will have read the book to find out. Did you really think I was going to tell you? Y’all should know me better than that by now!

So, here is Adam and. . .here is Seth and. . .there goes Charlotte. You’ll have to read the book to see what I mean with that statement.

…I promise to be the best husband I can. Until death do us part.” – Adam

“Till death do us part is for quitters. I promise to love you forever. As long as the is love in this world, we will be a part of it..” – Charlotte

This book made me wish I had my own Adam. I have my own real life Seth, so I don’t need to wish for that. Adam takes life by the balls and lives his life to the fullest even though he has his own shit he’s going through, it never takes away his ability to love.

“Life went by fast. That’s what happens when you live it well, right? When you have someone to love? It goes by fast. You blink and it’s over” –Adam

“You’re making love sound tragic.” –Charlotte

“No. I wouldn’t want it any other way.” –Adam

As I wrap up my review, I want you to know that this book just might leave you a tad bit emotional but it will be worth it. Hopefully. . .

Do I recommend this book? Yes, for those who are into romance novels that touch your heart.

Will I read another book by this author?Duh! Of course I will. Fingers crossed I love the next one or I will be sorely disappointed.

I am so proud of myself, y’all. I keep this one pretty too. Mostly because I didn’t want to give anything away. Yay!!! Toot, toot for Danielle (me).

TTYL, lovers. . .

Stalk all things messy…

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Let me tell you why I love him

‘Cause he is the truth
Said he is so real
And I love the way that he makes me feel
And if I am a reflection of him
Then I must be fly, ’cause his light, it shines so bright
I wouldn’t lie, no

I remember the very first day that I saw him
I found myself immediately intrigued by him
It’s almost like I knew this man from another life
Like back then maybe I was his husband, maybe he was my wife

And even the things I don’t like about him are fine with me
‘Cause it’s not hard for me to understand him 
‘Cause he’s so much like me
And it’s truly my pleasure to share his company
And I know that it’s God’s gift to breathe the air he breathes

‘Cause he is the truth
Said he is so real
And I love the way that he makes me feel
And if I am a reflection of him
Then I must be fly
Because his light, it shines so bright
I wouldn’t lie, no, oh

How can the same man that makes me so mad (Do you know what he did?)
Turn right around and kiss me so soft (girl, you know what he did?)
If he ever left me I wouldn’t even be sad, no
‘Cause there’s a blessing in every lesson
And I’m glad that I know him at all

‘Cause he is the truth
Said he is so real
And I love the way that he makes me feel
And if I am a reflection of him
Then I must be fly
Because his light, it shines so bright, oh

I love the way he speaks
I love the way he thinks
I love the way that he treats his mama
I love that gap in between his teeth
Love him in every way that a woman can love a man
From personal to universal
But most of all it’s unconditional
You know what I’m talking about?

That’s the way I feel
And I always will
There ain’t no substitute for the truth
Either it is or it isn’t, ’cause he is the truth
You see the truth it needs no proof
Either it is or it isn’t, ’cause he is the truth
And you know the truth by the way it feels
And if I am a reflection of him
Then I must be fly
Because he is, yes, he is (fly, light, bright)
I wonder does he know