Charlotte Wells does not date. After surviving a broken engagement, she’s taken a leave of absence from the social scene. So when her best friend and coworker, Jack, challenges her to get back in the game, she’s not so sure she’s ready to play. But ultimately, curiosity gets the best of her, and Charlotte accepts the daunting challenge: she will attempt to have fifty first dates in her effort to find “the one.” Unfortunately, she quickly realizes that the dating pool mostly holds clown fish as she goes on one lousy outing after another. Without a good man in sight as summer ends, Charlotte cuts her losses and sets her sights on a fun-filled trip to her cousin’s destination wedding in Brazil.
Brazil is a land of beautiful sights and delicious offerings—including Max, the charming brother of her cousin’s new husband. Max has all the makings of a Prince Charming in soccer cleats, and Charlotte’s happily ever after seems to be within reach. But love is a funny thing, and soon Charlotte finds herself wondering: could it be that her true love has been right in front of her all along?
GENRE: Clean Contemporary Romance
PUBLISHER: Covenant Communications
RELEASE DATE: September 1, 2017
PAGES: 288
“Is it weird that you’re the one I want to hang out with…?”
Wish Me Love by Michele Ashman Bell is a good choice for those days when you want a sweet, light read full of fluff and fun!
Charlotte and Jack are two best friends – Charlotte is still recovering from a badly-broken engagement while Jack and his fiancee are trying to nail down their own wedding plans. In an effort to detour Charlotte from the lonely path she’s currently on, Jack issues her a challenge: Go on fifty first dates. And let me tell you – those dates? Hilarious. Poor Charlotte. It’s really a wonder she keeps speaking to Jack.
I did wish for a little more emotional depth to the characters. Their dialogue often comes across as very one-dimensional, and the ending feels a bit anti-climactic after all is said and done. It’s very sweet, don’t get me wrong. It made me happy and it reminded me of my relationship with my husband. But I needed something a little more layered, even if this is a light read.
Bottom Line: Wish Me Love by Michele Ashman Bell is cute and sweet. I loved Charlotte’s relationship with her friends and her family, as well as her excitement over her new home. Her dates made for some great laughs, and her friendship with Jack is tender and fun. The LDS terms and circumstances scattered throughout did slow my reading a bit, since they are unfamiliar to me and not really explained. And as I’ve mentioned, I wished it had been more dimensional overall. Still, this is a nice weekend read – light, fun, and romantic!
(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)
My Rating: 3 stars / Nice and cute
KissingBook Level: 2 / Warm, rosy glow of sweetness
Michele Ashman Bell grew up in St. George, Utah. In fourth grade her teacher wrote on her report card that she had a tendency to daydream and would probably do well with creative writing. Her love for books and learning about people and places has helped her make her teacher’s prediction come true. Michele is the author of many books and Christmas stories. She is married and is the mother of four children, and a grandma of one. Aside from supporting her children in all of their many activities, she loves to travel, do research for her books and eat chocolate.
50 first dates! Wow, that’s a busy summer! 🙂 Clown fish in the dating pool, what a fun line!
haha!!
This sounds like a fun read…but, just thinking about 50 first dates in a summer makes me tired! ???
LOL right?
Thank you so much for taking time to read and review my book!
You’re most welcome!