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