Jessica's Wish by Marci Bolden is book four in the Stonehill Series. In some ways it might have been book two since book one is Jessica’s grandparents’ story. However, other events in the small town community had to happen first. With that said, I want to give a background on how I came to know this series so well. 

A couple of years ago, I requested book 5 of the series from NetGalley. It was the first one that I read in the series. I fell in love with the Stonehill community and two families in particular. Then I read the first book, loved it so I bought the rest of the series from my favorite ebook site.

You might wonder what makes this series such a gem of a find. 
For me, I loved the “this is real life” of the stories, the resilience of the characters, the honesty about the hardships and the believability of it all. I loved the style of the writing, the relationship building within the stories between the characters, both romantically and friendship relationships too. 

I especially love in Jessica’s Wish that she is often the focus of the story, playing a major part. I also loved how Phil’s wisdom gave Mallory the comfort that she needed while her zest for life gave Phil the fun that his life needed. Most of all, I love how the story doubled in size from when I bought it to now. Literally the book I bought had seven chapters, this new marvelous. Revised. expanded version has sixteen chapters. Even better the epilogue did not change, making this a circular story that goes full circle, ending as it began with Jessica’s wish.

I have only red the first bookin the series. I think you should def read it first as it intrioduces Phil, Jessica and his parents and their story. Philip has always desired stability and family. He now finally has it and his daughter Jessica has started to notice she has an awesome grandma but not a mom. 

Mallory has a mom and after moving to California for a job discovers she wants her mother too, he mom had a stroke and is recovering and she quits her job and comes home wanting to be there for her mom. That is who she runs into Phil and Jessica and forms a friendship with them.

The two moms decide Phil and Mallory would make a great couple and Jessica think Mallory would make a great mom and so it was fun watching everyone try and get the two to see they are perfect for each other. 

The only thing I did not like about this story is taht Phil becomes a coward near the end and runs away from his feelings for Mallory. Luckily that does not last very long.

This was a fun story and I really enjoyed seeing what happenens in the future for Phil's parents.

A nice read, I didn’t seem to love it as much as everekse which is a shame because I wanted to but couldn’t connect with it , the characters were ok and plot, but it just didn’t wow me and it just felt average to me. 

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

This book is hard hitting and I loved it. It was tragic and beautiful and the characters were so refreshing. Thank you for this book!! I want them all!

I was given an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an independent review.
This is the fourth book in the series that I have read so I had high expectations which unfortunately weren’t fulfilled. 
I am not sure why this book was labelled as romance.  It was more a family saga and the relationships between the characters. But I didn’t warm to Phil’s character at all. He was wish washy, constantly changing his mind and I found this so annoying. 
Disappointed and had hoped for more.  3 stars

I really wanted to love this book but some things didn't add up for me. Like Phil being called a hippy in the beginning of the book but I don't think he is, his mom yes, him no. There was a lot of complaining about how rigid he was, how conservative, not a hippy. Another thing that bothered me was Phil himself and how he handled everything. I felt he was very unfair to mallory, and I am glad Mallory held him accountable, however it seemed too easy to get back together. There were some big issues there I felt that Phil didn't heal from or possible learn from. I really liked Mallory's character and how she stood up for herself and told Phil what he needed to hear, however the relationship progressed too rapid, thus the reason for the avalanche. 

I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

This book is one of those ones that's hard to review. It's a middle of the road book, neither exceptional nor terrible. The characters are okay, and the love story equally fine. I got the feeling the author wanted to create a heartwarming love story, so constructed this story around the premise of a single dad with a Down's Syndrome kid. I think if you like a story about single dad's, you should give this one a go. 

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so good.  It hit so many emotions.  Jessica was such a sweetheart and her dad was so protective of her.  Mallory loved Jessica and was starting to love Phil.  I was not happy with Phil for a pretty good section of the book, but I understood what he was going through.  Kara and Harry are such good people and I liked Annie and Marcus too.  All and all, I really enjoyed the book.

**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

Jessica's Wish is a great story about realizing that while love can be difficult at times, it is also the thing that can mean the most in life.

Jessica is the eleven year old daughter of Phil Martinson-Canton. She has Down syndrome and has lived her entire life without her mother, as she chose to walk away from Phil and her daughter when she was a tiny baby. Until now, Jessica hasn't seemed to be phased by not having a mother in her life, but she's gotten to an age where she does understand and she really wants a mother of her own. And, she's not afraid to make that known! Phil has always wanted to do what is best for his daughter, but while finding her a mother figure might be what is best, he's not sure he's willing to open them both up to going through the kind of hurt they could should another woman choose to come into their life and then leave.

Mallory O'Connell has been living in California for the past several years, but she's now returned to her hometown to help take care of her mother following a debilitating accident. When Mallory meets Jessica, the two hit it off immediately. They have drawing and painting in common and Mallory introduces Jess to the world of comics. Mallory also thinks Phil is pretty great, err hot, as well. 

As Mallory and Phil grow closer, insecurities and fears from the past begin to rear their ugly head. Will these two be able to move past the hurt they both carry from earlier on in their lives to make a go of it or are they destined to let something that could be amazing pass them by?

Another great book by Marci Bolden and one that I think many will enjoy!

Did not realise that this was one of a series,  but it was easy to read as a standalone. I enjoyed the story and the characters seemed real, pleased it had a happy ending.

I really wanted to like this book. Jessica is an absolutely adorable character, a young girl that so desperately wants a mother. As cute as Jessica is, however, her characterization isn't enough to overcome the problems with this book.

Phil and Jessica were both extremely problematic for me. Phil is divorced with a ten-year-old with disabilities, but he is written more like someone in their early 20s, and that might even be a stretch. Mallory also was a hard character to connect with. I felt like both of them were childish, flat, and hard to connect with.

This is a story that has promise, but I felt like the execution was simply lacking. The writing was very simplistic and I did not enjoy it, though this was a quick read.

*ARC provided via Netgalley

I hate when I'm the only (current) one to dislike a book when everyone else loved it...is there something wrong with me? Probably. Anyway...

Firstly, I hate 3rd person books. If you can get me to rate a 3rd person any high than 2 then you've done something good. Unfortunately, this one didn't cut it for me. By 20% I was still going back and trying to remember the names. Maybe I'm just slow but I find it easier to remember that someone is the mum and someone is the dad, rather than having a million different names to remember. 

Secondly - and mainly, this isn't a romance. Nothing about it was romantic. Most of the book was arguments and it simply felt like I was listening in on someone else's relationship/lives. 

The author missed a big opportunity to fully address having a child with Down Syndrome. Other than the odd mention of it, you wouldn't know Phil's daughter has the condition. Of course, I am aware that some individuals are "worse" than others, but that still doesn't explain why it was hardly mentioned. It was clearly added to the story with a purpose, but what was it?

Although I completly understand why Phil acted how he did (to protect his daughter and probably insecurities issues due to his ex-wife leaving him when she found out their child has Down Syndrome), he is still an arsehole. And arsehole that I never once cared about which just ruins the whole book. 

As for Mallory, well, she seemed like a nice young woman who is just trying to figure out the direction in life that she wants to take She didn't deserve how Phil treated her regardless of if he "had his reasons". 

I'm glad it was a happy ending, but as I said above, this isn't a romance. The book was purely talking about what is right for Jessica and then the odd argument about it. Maybe that's why I rated it lower because, to be honest, I was misled by the claimed genre. I may give the other books in the series (they can be read in any order, by the way) a try but right now I am disappointed.