I loved the book, the story was great and well written. You could really feel yourself there with Maggie. I took away half a star because it was really sad, and a little bit predictable. But I highly recommend it, especially at Christmas time

Really liked it! Not much to say, fun holiday read.

So good! There was a twist at the end I didn’t see coming. Beautiful yet sad story. 

Typing this while still crying at the ending of this book. A real tear jerker, but a beautiful love story. 

The first half of this was a slow read, and sometimes the dialogue felt a bit stilted, but the ending and emotions made up for it. 

Title: The Wish
Author: Nicholas Sparks
Genre: Romance
Rating: 4.0
Pub Date: September 28, 2021

T H R E E • W O R D S

Touching • Complex • Redemptive

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Sent to live with her aunt in Ocrakoke, a remote village on North Carolina's Outer Banks, at the age of sixteen, Maggie's life is forever changed. She's gets off on the wrong foot, and resents being there until she meets Bryce. It is Bryce that will show her around and teaches her the basics of photography.

Years later, Maggie is a renowned travel photographer splitting her time between her New York Gallery and shooting in remote and iconic locations around the world. Used to travelling over Christmas, she finds herself grounded and struggling to come to terms with a recent medical diagnosis. Becoming increasingly reliant and close to her assistant, Maggie soon finds herself sharing her story. The story from years earlier that shaped the trajectory of her life.

💭 T H O U G H T S

I was weary going into The Wish simply because I hadn't enjoyed some of Nicholas Sparks' more recent books. But in this novel he returns to his roots with good storytelling, relatable characters and emotional depth.

This is so much more than a romance, which is why I originally connected with Sparks' work (think The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, The Rescue). It's an easy to read novel with depth. It's a story of family, of first love, of the decisions that haunt us, and of coming to terms with our story. I loved the dual timeline narrative, which flushed out the story naturally. The holiday timeframe also felt fitting and magical.

In the vain of A Walk to Remember this one combines young love and terminal illness, and from the start I knew I'd be needing some Kleenex. I was immediately immersed in Maggie and Bryce's love story. One of my favourite parts is the bond that grew and formed between Maggie and her Aunt Linda. I wanted to reach through the pages to hug Maggie, and Mark was wholesome and kind.

The timeframes flow together very well, but I do wish that the chapters could have been shorter. It made for big chunks to get through at one time. And of course, the big reveal is quite predictable, yet I honestly didn't mind. It just made the story so much more heartfelt.

Although quite predictable, The Wish is the vintage Nicholas Sparks I've come to know and love. He is a master storyteller of the 'true love story that is equally beautiful and painful' trope. A reminder that not everything has a happy ending.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• Nicholas Sparks devotees
• coming-of-age teen romance fans
• readers in need of a tear-jerker

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"Visiting other places changes your perspective. It helps you understand that no matter where you are, or what country you’re in, people are pretty much the same everywhere."

"... it dawned on me that love was the most powerful emotion of all, because it made you vulnerable to the possibility of losing everything that really mattered." 

It took me a bit to get into this book because it felt so heavy from the start but I decided to press into it and really give it a go and I’m so glad I did. It is definitely one of my favorites of the year. It reminded me of why I love Nicholas sparks and I appreciated that this didn’t feel as romance heavy as his others, it felt more coming of age. I loved all the characters and this one definitely pulled at my emotions but also satisfied. It made me want to dive into more of Sparks books. It was also refreshing that this was pretty closed door and minor sexual content discussed, obviously with a main character with a teen pregnancy there is some story that had to be set up but I appreciated how he kept this closed door. It was refreshing. 

What a book to start the year on! As a long-time Nicholas Sparks fan, I couldn't wait to binge The Wish over the holiday period. His books are almost like a guilty pleasure of mine, especially for someone who shuns the majority of romance novels. Although they are quite formulaic and similar in writing style, I still find myself loving each new release more than the last.

The Wish is a story about first love, life-changing decisions, and what-ifs. It makes you suddenly conscious of living and inspires you to follow your heart and do what you love before it's too late.

Narrated by Maggie, a terminally ill travel photographer living in New York, the story switches between two timelines - present-day right before Christmas and her time in Ocracoke (an isolated island she was temporarily sent to as a teenager to live with her aunt). As her final Christmas draws closer, Maggie opens up to her assistant, someone she has grown close to in recent months, and tells him the story of a year that changed everything - the year she met Bryce.

As expected, the descriptions, character building, and storytelling in The Wish were on point, bringing everything to life in the way only Nicholas Sparks can. You can't help but develop deep connections to the characters and embark on their journey with them. Even the blackest of hearts (talking from experience) will be crushed by the events in this book. I was sobbing by the end and I rarely cry at books. It was raw, tender, and tragic - three things that tick all my boxes in a romance novel.

Thank you so much to Hachette AU for sending me a copy of The Wish in exchange for an honest review.

Rating breakdown

Overall - 4.6