Little Wishes
William Morrow
November 17, 2020
Advanced reader copy
400
Free from publisher
On her favorite day of the year, Elizabeth Davenport awakens in her cottage on the wild and windy Cornish coast, opens her front door, and discovers a precious gift: the small blue crocus and a note that begins I Wish . . . They are not signed, but she knows they’ve been left by her first and truest love, Tom Hale. Each of these precious missives convey a simple wish for something they had missed, and the life they might have shared. She has kept them all.
But on this day, what should have been the fiftieth anniversary of their falling in love, the gift fails to arrive. Could something have happened to Tom? Elizabeth has always been plagued by thoughts of “what if?”. Propelled by worry and decades of pent up longing, Elizabeth packs a little suitcase, leaves Porthsennenon, and journeys to London . . . to find the love of her life once again, years after circumstances forced them apart.
Finding him, Elizabeth is faced with the desperate knowledge that any time they might have now is running out. Never before had she thought that she might truly lose time—forever. And now, knowing that life is too short, Elizabeth vows to fulfill as many of Tom’s wishes as she can. Yet she fears that her efforts may expose the shameful secret that, until now, has kept them apart.
Can she continue to hide the truth, or will she have the courage to reveal herself completely and finally make their dreams come true—before it’s too late?
My review:
Despite my cold heart when it comes to sappy love stories, this one was very sweet. Written in alternating chapters of then and now, we have the story of Elizabeth and Tom. They fell in love when very young, and circumstances forced them apart, but every year on the same day Elizabeth receives an anonymous note with a wish for what might have been experienced. When the note doesn't come one year, Elizabeth fears the worst and travels to find Tom. Weaving within this is the story of what happened to their relationship all those years ago. I really liked the format of this one, the back and forth stories worked very well. The writing flowed well, and the characters had you caring about them. I loved the Cornish coast setting as well. Of course, the love story was a bit much for me (cue cold romance novel heart), and it was super predictable, but nevertheless I did enjoy the read.
Fans of romantic novels will really like this one. While I don't think anything as the story unfolds will surprise you, it is a lovely little read with a sad, but sweet and satisfying ending.
