Wish You Were Here by Renee Carlino
I decided to check this book out from the library because I heard it was being made into a movie this year. With Julia Stiles directing! I’ve been a longtime fan of hers and figure that for her to take it on as her directorial debut, it must be a pretty powerful story. And it is. This book is heartbreaking, but will also make you feel whole. So keep reading for my full book review of Wish You Were Here by Renee Carlino.
What is “Wish You Were Here” Renee Carlino about?
Soon to be a Major Motion Picture directed by Julia Stiles
A USA TODAY bestselling second chance romance about a young woman who reunites with a soulful artist after their magical one-night stand—from the bestselling author of Swear on this Life and Before We Were Strangers.
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.
My Initial Thoughts
At first this book reminded me of Ghosted by Rosie Walsh. That story is a little similar in that it’s also about a young woman who has a chance encounter with a man, only to never hear from him again. My assumption was that Charlotte should just move on with her life. Things are always going to feel different the next morning, after you’ve slept and the alcohol has worn off.
But I read the book description and I knew there was going to be more to the story. And this book went in a completely different direction than Ghosted did. So don’t think you have this story all figured out, because you don’t.
This is a book that I had a lot of conflicting feelings on, which makes for interesting book discussions. Keep reading for my full review of Wish You Were Here by Renee Carlino.
Wish You Were Here has Humor
I’m not going to lie to you. This is a sad book. And it made me sad in a lot of ways. But the story also has humor which I appreciated. I enjoyed Charlotte’s relationship with her best friend Helen. It was so funny to me on the night when they first met Adam, when Helen was almost too drunk to stand. The way she chowed down on her Chinese food after Adam left was so relatable.
And I had to laugh at the descriptions of blackbird’s café, the restaurant where Charlotte and Helen worked together. The restaurant is known for their tortilla soup where they basically have bottomless tortilla soup days. It’s very frustrating for the servers to have to be refilling soup bowls all the time – especially because they don’t often get tipped well. The writing in this story is really funny and the descriptions of the restaurant are great.
I’ll be Honest. I Didn’t Get It
Maybe it’s because I’m not in my twenties anymore, but I did not get the appeal of Adam. Like, even if he’s the cutest guy in the world, there were so many red flags that Charlotte overlooked. And she knew she was doing it too!
Their whole night together felt very erratic and cringe-y. I understand that she was trying to be more open and take a chance. I get it. A little bit.
But at a certain point, you have to take your own safety into consideration. And Charlotte did not.
I’m Not a Fan of Insta-Love, But…
I’ve never been a fan of insta-love in my romance novels (or books in general). It’s just not realistic. I don’t believe that you can know that you love someone just by looking at them. I believe there are a lot of components to love, like getting to know a person and sharing other intimacies. Not just physical attraction.
But this book made me reconsider my stance. Because in some cases, love has to be expedited. I was rolling my eyes during the first night that Adam and Charlotte met because it was so… silly. The things they were saying to each other just didn’t feel genuine. Not to mention that he was acting a little odd. Plus Charlotte was a few drinks in after spending the night out with Helen.
This book made me consider that love may not be instantaneous, but when you feel strong feelings for someone, you should let them know. You should take a chance and see what happens. Because in this life, we don’t know how much time we’re going to have. Things can happen that change everything.
What I Didn’t Like About This Book
I felt like Charlotte was very immature. I don’t think she handled things well after her one night stand with Adam. And once she started “dating” Seth she really treated him terribly. I know there were a lot of unexpected and terrible things in this book that made her act one way or another, but Seth really didn’t deserve how she treated him. It was pretty unrealistic that he would hang around waiting for her for so long.
What I Learned from This Book
There are a lot of things in life that we can’t control. It’s important to use the time that you have to do what you want to do.
When is the Wish You Were Here movie coming out?
The movie is directed by Julia Stiles and stars Isabelle Fuhrman, Mena Massoud, Jennifer Grey, and Kelsey Grammer. It comes out on January 17, 2025.
Would I Recommend This Book?
It’s not my favorite, but I think it’s worth a read. The writing style is one that I really enjoyed and I did really like the friendship between Helen and Charlotte. Charlotte is flawed, but we all are. And I do think she grew up a lot by the end of the book.