Wish I Were Here is the 2024 book release from Melissa Wiesner, the award-winning author of both emotional women’s fiction and romantic comedies. Melissa’s book, His Secret Daughter, was an Amazon bestseller, and The Second Chance Year was a Book of the Month add-on pick. Melissa and her family split their time between Pittsburgh, PA, and rural West Virginia.
Type-A mathematician Catherine Lipton’s carefully calculated life goes awry when a university’s human resources system rejects her employment paperwork. Soon after, her credit card is declined. At the Social Security office, Catherine makes a shocking discovery—she’s disappeared from the government’s records, and there’s no evidence she exists at all.
The one person who offers to help is Luca Morelli, her attractive but aggravating doorman who spends more time flirting with Catherine’s neighbours than he does enforcing the building rules.
Left with no other options, Catherine reluctantly agrees to enlist the help of Luca’s well-connected Italian family. Soon, she finds herself following Luca into a smoky bar to meet the Mafia, breaking into the records room of a local hospital, doing a little light stalking, and having a surprising amount of fun—all while growing closer to Luca. As Catherine begins to unravel the mystery behind her missing identity, she may discover that the “real” Catherine is someone she never expected.
Wish I Were Here is a heartwarming and highly original romantic comedy with elements of magical realism and mystery. The story incorporates many popular romance tropes, including forced proximity, enemies to lovers, opposites attract, grumpy vs. sunshine, and found family. It should be noted that the romance in this story is secondary to the protagonist’s dilemma of her lost identity. In addition, protagonist Catherine’s backstory with her father and the search for her unknown mother make this somewhat of a family drama. Hence, this book is multigenre and multilayered and can be enjoyed by a wide range of readers.
The characters in this book are interesting, quirky, and vividly described. Catherine begins as a grumpy workaholic who has a clear vision for her future. This is a stark contrast to her circus-performing single father, who doesn’t take life too seriously. The conversations between Catherine and her father are extremely compelling and humorous, as Catherine easily gets frustrated and embarrassed by her father’s words, especially in the presence of her work colleagues. Catherine’s love interest, Luca Morrelli, is her polar opposite. He’s extremely laid back, always late, heavily tattooed, and rarely follows set protocols. Despite their differences, they have a strong chemistry and compliment each other in many ways—albeit there are several instances when Catherine becomes vocally frustrated with his nonchalant attitude, adding additional comedy and intrigue to their relationship. Wiesner also includes many side characters, including circus performers and colourful senior residents that are all memorable and play a key role in Catherine’s self-growth during the story.
The story also includes some important messages, including finding solace through unexpected people who come into your life at just the right time. Over the course of the story, Catherine is forced to change her inflexible ways and appreciate the people that she has around her, despite how different they are from herself. The theme of “found family” is well established in this story, and it’s delightful to see how many characters are rooting for Catherine by the end. The magical realism elements of the story are subtle and become more pronounced in the second half of the book. The author leaves most of their explanation to the reader’s imaginations, making the story more thought-provoking. The mystery surrounding Catherine’s lost identity forces her to make some risky decisions and introduces some shady characters and adventure to the story. Some of the scenarios that Catherine and Luca end up during her search are utterly ridiculous and will have readers laughing out loud!
Narrator Helen Laser does an excellent job narrating this audiobook. Laser’s portrayal of Catherine is highly articulate and full of various emotions, high energy, and a lot of sarcasm, perfectly embodying this highly intelligent character. Laser provides distinct voices for the large cast of characters in this story, making the audiobook feel like a multicast listen. Helen‘s narration is also well paced, and she accurately increases the tempo during the more dramatic scenes when Catherine and Luca are in risky situations searching for her lost identity. The narration of the conversations between Catherine and her father, especially later in the book, is quite compelling and heartwarming. With such exceptional narration, the recommended format for enjoying this book is most definitely the audiobook!
Overall, this is a unique and fast-paced, multilayered romantic comedy. Fans of authors such as Ashley Poston, Matt Haig, and Christina Lauren will likely enjoy this book. The audiobook, wonderfully narrated by acclaimed narrator Helen Laser, is a perfect way to enjoy this one. Whatever format you prefer, this one should be high on your consideration list if you’re looking for a cozy, magical, and meaningful romance story this autumn!