Review and Excerpt Tour: Wish You Were Here: Renee Carlino

by - Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Wish You Were Here
Renee Carlino
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Release Date August 15, 2017


Charlotte has spent her twenties adrift, floating from interest to interest, job to job, and guy to guy, searching for a spark but never quite finding it. All she knows is that she won’t discover it working as a waitress at a pies-and-fries joint in Los Angeles or living with her fun but aimless best friend in a tiny apartment in the Arts District.

Then Charlotte collides with Adam, a gorgeous and soulful painter who seems just as lost as she feels. Their instant connection turns into a midnight drink… and a whirlwind night of champagne, Chinese food, and the kind of conversation that only happens in romantic comedies. But the next morning, Adam gives Charlotte the cold shoulder, leaving her confused and hurt—and wondering if the few odd moments between them the night before were red flags in disguise.

Months later, Charlotte hasn’t been able to shake Adam, so she decides to find out what happened the morning after their magical night together. This fateful decision rewrites their wild love story, but what Charlotte doesn’t know yet is that the ending has already been written.


“You’re making love sound tragic,” I said.
“No”—he shook his head—“I wouldn’t want it any other way. Tell me about us. What do we like to do?”
“Paint and sail and eat and drink. Just simple things.” “Don’t forget about sex,” he said.
“Yeah, lots of sex. Before the children were born we
"We were practically naked every second of the day.” 
“I like that.”
“When they got older, we’d sneak away for weekends and leave them at my mom’s.”
“What are they like? Our children.”
“Happy. That’s all we wished for. We put our love first and it just spilled over into them and now they’re happy.”
Tears sprang from my eyes and ran down my cheeks. Isn’t that what we all hope for when it comes to our children?
His tone suddenly changed. “That’s beautiful, Char- lotte.” It was like he was waking up from the dream. I didn’t want to go back to reality yet, but I knew these fantasies were just to help Adam get his mind off things.
“I can imagine a long life with you,” he said. “I can imagine what a great wife you’d be."

I pulled my hand out of his. “The story is about you and me.” He didn’t say anything; he just nodded and then continued to stare out the window. I bent and kissed the top of his head again, and whispered, “It’s about us. Don’t take that away from me.”

I went into this book not knowing exactly what to expect and I couldn't put it down. 

Charlotte is a young woman who has been lost and going through the motions with a string of jobs and men that just do not fit. She has her best friend Helen by her side, but with everything else she is not really invested and lacks purpose. She comes off as stand offish, scattered, and guarded. She likes safety and tends to wait around for things to happen. 

One night an mysterious man comes to their rescue. She and Adam seem to have this instant connection. He is spontaneous, outgoing, and seems to have a zest for life. He apparently has made some big life changes recently, and appears somewhat unfocused and sad at times. But in a rare act of spontaneity, spurred on by Helen, Charlotte spends an Earth shattering night with Adam where she lets down her walls. But the next morning, he seemed different and she felt rejected. 

Months later Charlotte finds herself being pursued by a man that has the makings of the perfect boyfriend. Seth is handsome, attentive, interested, charming, and fits right in with her friends and family. But something is still holding her back. And when Charlotte goes looking for it, she has no idea what she is going to find and how her life is going to change. 

This story captured me from the beginning. I kept guessing about the mystery surrounding Adam and wondering how everything was going to come together and turn out. It was hard to see which way the story was going to go at times. And parts of it were as heartbreaking as they were beautiful. This is not a typical romance book. This is really Charlotte's journey of self discovery and finding her self worth. She begins directionless, selfish, indecisive, and needy. And she needs to learn how to believe in herself, really live, and not let fear stop her from doing things. But with that being said, there is definitely love and romance, soul mates, and second chances in this story. 

There is also humor, pain, heartbreak, loss, hope, healing, and growth. There are a lot of layers to the story and sometimes timing is everything. It shows how people can impact lives in various ways and how connections can cause a domino effect and bring change. I enjoyed the side characters and their dynamic relationships. The witty banter and joy these characters find even in challenging circumstances is fun and inspiring. There are so many good life lessons to get out of this book. It makes you think, but also makes you feel. And in the end love is what is important...for yourself, for family, for friends, and for those that are willing to open up and share their heart.

I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review. 
Charlotte has very little direction in her life. She has a series of failed relationships with subpar partners and dead end jobs. She has no idea what she wants to do, but isn’t entirely pleased with her current direction. A late night run in with a stranger, Adam, changes her entire course, at least until the next morning when the light of day makes things look different. Shortly after her encounter with Adam, she meets Seth and though things are going well with the developing relationship, she can’t forget her perfect night with Adam.

This was one of those stories full of missed connections and what ifs. I loved watching Adam and Charlotte's interactions and the dreams they create together. But I also loved Seth’s quiet determination to have Charlotte see herself as he sees her.

This was one of those books that left me feeling so mixed. I loved so much about it, but there are a couple aspects that left me feeling more than a little unsettled. Parts that even as I read I wondered if I could find enough to balance. I loved so much about this story, but the timing broke my heart. Everything about the timing broke my heart. Adam. Seth. Charlotte. But I also love the way things were put back together after they were broken. The longer I thought about those pieces that had me all mixed up, the more I realized this just fit.

This has the entire range of emotion, as well as a character development that took a woman floating through life with no real aspiration and gave her purpose, direction, and love. I debated for some time about my rating for Wish You Were Here because of this uncertainty, but the longer I thought, the more I realized I needed to rate this one highly simply because it made me think so hard. This was not a book I read and moved on from quickly. Even now, a week after I finished, I am still thinking about how it made me feel, and that’s the mark of a great read.

I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Renee Carlino 
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Renée Carlino is a screenwriter and bestselling author of contemporary women's novels and new adult fiction. Her books have been featured in national publications, including USA TODAY, Huffington Post, Latina magazine, and Publisher's Weekly. She lives in Southern California with her husband, two sons, and their sweet dog June. When she's not at the beach with her boys or working on her next project, she likes to spend her time reading, going to concerts, and eating dark chocolate. Learn more at www.reneecarlino.com 

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