A book that made me smile and root for the characters. I liked the plot and the humour.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

The odd one out in the family. Working in a book shop with a group of flamboyant people. Florence struggles to find her place in the world. A meeting with a love coach forced on her by step mum, sets of a stream of events. Meeting Rory her ideal man on paper or is he? Following your heart not your head leads to happy ever after.

I really want to love this book. But it disappointed me! The idea of an unlucky-in-love bookworm, with a pet cat, and two barmy half-sisters sounds like a recipe for hilarity. However, I cringed more than I laughed, which isn’t a good sign. A one-star rating for The Wish List would be too harsh, because it wasn’t a bad book. But sadly, it just didn’t make me smile as much as I had hoped.

The book follows the life of Florence, who finds comfort in routine, order, and even numbers. Constant control makes her feel safe. She obsessively counts anything and everything to keep her anxiety at ease. And it has to be even numbers. People, miles, stairs, chairs, chips, keyboard keys, cars, minutes, steps and so on. However, I expected Florence’s counting to play a much bigger role in her day-to-day life. It felt important in some chapters and non-existent in others.

I love the premise of The Wish List. Any book that fits the coming-of-age narrative is usually a very charming one. I really like the fact that Florence’s dream man appears the moment she completes her list. It sets the tale up for a really gratifying journey. Plus, Sophia Money-Coutts has a friendly and inviting tone to her writing that makes it very easy to absorb. 

Tragically, The Wish List is very predictable. Sometimes that’s a good thing, it can add a level of comfort to chick lit reads. But in this case, it pushed me to want to find the ending and move on.

The biggest loss for me in this book is the characters. I can’t remember any of their names. None of them stood out to me as overly likeable, so there was no inclination to really invest in their lives. The characters I didn’t like ruined every chapter they appeared in. And sadly, Florence’s personality fell flat. The book is told from her point of view, and I expected a little more charisma. The romance also felt stale. I would have really liked to experience a refreshing journey between two people in this contemporary novel, but I never found that.

Another struggle for me is the pacing of this book. It has a very relaxed start, the reader is introduced to the concept of a wish list straight away. Then the narrative slows to the point of me wanting to skip ahead. While some of Florence’s misadventures are entertaining, a couple of chapters didn’t seem that valuable to the overall story. Then the ending seemed to appear and disappear way too quickly to be fully appreciated. When it comes to books like this, happy endings can be the best part, and I feel like this wasn’t taken advantage of.

While The Wish List is a light summer read, it lacks the entertainment factor that holds my attention. The author’s voice has a likeable warmth, but the romance and characters let this read down.

I have been reading Sophia Money-Coutts’s novels since the very beginning and I can honestly say she is one of these authors whose book I buy without blinking. I love her writing style, clean and articulate, and I can’t help but adore the protagonists of her stories.

The protagonist of her new novel, The Wish List, is Florence Fairfax. She works in a bookshop in Chelsea and she lives with her two stepsisters in Kennington. She likes her simple life among books and a few close friends and family, but when her sister Mia announces her engagement, her stepmother convinces her to meet a love coach who performs rituals and makes her write a list of all the qualities her ideal man should have. Of course, shortly after, she meets Rory, a man who seems to have all the qualities on her list. Is it a coincidence? Or is it fate? Or is he simply what she needs rights now?

I loved the character of Florence, not only because she is honest, loyal, and witty, but because I could really relate to her. Her insecurities, her doubts, her mistakes, they all felt familiar and I found we had a few things in common, not only the love for books. I liked the other characters in the story, at least most of them, especially her colleague Eugene and her sisters who created some of the funnies scenes in the novel.

The Wish List is addictive and funny. There is a scene with a dog that had me with tears in my eyes and I still laugh every time I think about it, and there is a lot of comedy, romance, and a few emotional moments, too. It is easy to see where the story leads, but I still kept reading captivated by Florence’s life and I really loved the ending and the choices she made.

The Wish List is a fantastic and engaging read that will give you a few hours of entertainment and it will make you forget the world out there. Already looking forward to the author’s next book.

Welcome To The World Of Florence Fairfax......
Welcome to the world of Florence Fairfax. Florence is perfectly content. Florence meets love coach Gwendolyn. Florence finds her world turned upside down. Rather delightful rom-com with a colourful cast of characters that the reader cannot help but like as well an endearing protagonist. A funny, enjoyable read, ideal escapism.

An absolute tonic. Great storyline, great characters and all the emotions (mixed with vomit filled rucksacks, a brilliant book shop and an irresistible cat. What's not to love?! ) A wonderful read and a complete gem of a novel.

This book will make you feel happy, warm and good about life! Main character Florence shares a house with her two half sisters, and suffers with terrible insecurity which she manages by counting things – she was well written, and she got you on side right at the start so that all the way through the book you’re  rooting for her and just want her to get the best out of life. When “Rory The Tory” enters I wanted to grab Florence by the shoulders and shout at her!

I loved the Mrs Bucket (Bouquet) character of step mother Patricia (don’t call me Pat)  and although she was a terrible snob, it was harmless and actually endearing!

My favourite character in the whole of the book was Eugene, Florence’s colleague and friend in the bookshop, and I would have loved to hear more of his life as he was completely adorable and a wonderful friend to Florence.

The sex scenes were quite graphic and made this middle aged woman blush on occasions!!!  Thank god for lockdown, and that no one was reading those pages over my shoulder on the commute home, but now every time I hear Cowabunga I will laugh out loud!!

I loved the description for this book and the start of the book did grab hold but the pacing after a while began to be a bit hit and miss for me. I enjoyed getting to know the characters but I’m not quite sure I really got to know them. The Wish List is a fun story in places and I don’t think I can ever hear “Cowabunga” without laughing! If you are looking for something light that will pass a few hours then The Wish List might be just what you need. I have really enjoyed all of Sophia Money-Coutts books so maybe I just wasn’t quite in the right mood to read this one.

I had seen some fantastic reviews for this book and I jumped at the chance to read and review for the blog tour.

Florence is a wonderfully complex  character who has put in various coping mechanism after suffering a major trauma in her childhood. Her relationship with Marmalade reminded me of my daughter's love for her cat and made me love the story even more.

The concept of a wish list is genius and I loved the story of how the list come about, I loved the step mum and how as the book progressed my view on the relationship with her sisters changes.

Florence is a character that as I read I had more and more admiration for, she started to recognise what her dreams were and take steps to implement them. 

If your looking for a story to make you laugh and cringe throughout this is the perfect book for you, the characters are vibrant and totally different from eachother. The setting in the book shop is truly wonderful and I have reached the end of this story smiling and feeling all warm and fuzzy. A highly recommended read that will give you the ultimate feel good fix.

Sorry this is not my type of book. I could not get into it at all. I requested it thinking that I should give this genre another try. It is just not my cup of tea. Sorry.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

BOOK REVIEW: The Wish List by Sophia Money-Coutts

3.5 stars 

If I was to sum up this book in one word it would be BONKERS.
At the start I wasn't sure I was going to be able to get through the whole book. It is pretty long for a chick lit/romance and I was bombarded with all of the cliches and stereotypes of rich people from the start. The characters were OTT so I wasn't sure if it would be for me and nearly DNFed after 15% of the book. However I am really glad I persevered!
Florence the lead character is early 30's, seems to suffer from some kind of undiagnosed OCD and who I would compare to be like Eleanor Oliphant. Her character development was an absolute joy in this book.
The side characters were crazy. Most of them rich, posh and eccentric. It was VERY full on but I grew to enjoy the characters with time. I think you just have to enjoy it for what it is rather than wish it was a little less manic. The character's that work with florence in the bookshop and her best friend were great and made it all a bit more sane!
The storyline was pretty good and although it was pretty clear what would happen, I still loved the journey to it.
This book made me laugh! Many times out loud which books rarely do. It had some cracking humour and just the ridiculousness of many parts added to it. The writing was good as well and it was pretty fast paced.
Overall, this book isn't outstanding but it is a decent story and a good laugh so if you are up for something fun, give it a go!

Please note that I was gifted this book in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars

I have mixed feelings about this book.

Florence is a bookworm that has been diagnosed with OCD. Under her parent's suggestions, Florence is forced to go to therapy or a "love coach" in which the Wish List was born. The wish list is a list of qualities she would like in a partner. 

In the beginning, I couldn't really get into the book, then around 20% in it really picked up however,  in my opinion, it kind of fell flat again. I almost DNF so many times, I found the storyline predictable. There were a few chapters I felt I skimmed over, I actually had to consciously stop myself and force myself to reread parts.
That being said, on the plus side I loved the characters, they were funny, witty, and unique. There were some really funny moments throughout the book which reflects the 3-star rating, 

Overall, I am glad I read this book, however, I won't be rereading.

Thank you to HQ and netgalley for a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Sometimes all you need is a beautiful love story to help you escape reality, and The Wish List delivers the perfect escapist read. 

Florence Fairfax is 32. She adores her job in a Chelsea bookshop, she lives with her two half-sisters, and she keeps her life safe by counting - even numbers of things are good, odd not so much. 

She tries to convince herself that she doesn't need love, after all, you can't miss what you've never had. But her step-mum Patricia thinks otherwise and arranges an appointment with a love coach. She's asked to make a wish list of all the traits she would like in a partner. Whilst Florence doesn't believe in the wish list, she is astounded when a handsome customer approaches her in the bookshop - Rory appears to tick every item on her list. They begin dating and things seem to be going well. But when her boss's nephew Zach comes to help save the bookshop from closure, she begins to have doubts. She can be herself with Zach in a way she has never been able to before. He gently questions her relationship and is supportive of her dream of writing a children's book. It's clear to us that he adores her and I was rooting for Florence to put herself first and live her best life. 

When Rory reveals a cruel side, and when he cheats on her on a stag do, she finally kicks him to the kerb. But is it too late for her to tell Zach how she really feels? He's going away travelling, and she makes a mad dash to the airport to declare her feelings. Does she make it? Do they find their happy ending? Read it and find out, you won't be disappointed. 

I adored Florence, she was a brilliant character and I would love to read more about her journey into self-love and happiness.

This is a lovely light hearted  story that made me laugh out loud . I loved it. Highly recommended. Dont miss it

Loved this story of Florence and her two sisters. One getting married and turning into bridezilla, the other an upcoming model and then Flo who loves routines, order, lists, her cat Marmalade and cheese and tomato sandwiches. Flo has never had a boyfriend but feels her life would be better if she did. After interference from her step mum Pat who books her in to see a love coach. Flo agrees as long as her lack of a relationship is a no discussion topic. The love coach lovessss Pink.and gets Flo to write a list of her wants in a man. There are lots happening at the bookshop where she works, the appearance of the owners nephew Zack, the owner Norris who’s worrying about the rent rise and a customer who asks her out. Fantastic sex, a bum like James Bond what more could she ask for.?.
However a boyfriend isn’t everything it’s cracked up to be. 
Definitely a fab read, once started you won’t want to put it down

A lovely light hearted read! We meet Florence who is single, she has a step mum who wants to marry her off so she tells her about a lady who if you create a wish list for your perfect partner it comes true! We go on a journey with Flo and her two sisters of weddings, politics and books. 
Its a great story with laugh out loud moments. Would definitely recommend!

The Wish List follows Florence who is in her 30s and lives with her two half sisters. Neither of whom are anything like her. After graduating from Edinburgh University Florence found a job in an independent book shop which she adores, but she has hopes of becoming a children's author one day. 

We learn quite early on that Florence likes her routine and things to be in order. She also feels the need to count things, often coming to a conclusion on what will happen next based on the number she gets to in her counting. This is never addressed formally but I think reading it suggests certain things which may be helpful for those going through similar or others to understand more. 

While Florence has no interest in men (other than her 17 year old cat Marmalade), her half sisters are interested in men. One is a model who is constantly seeing different men and loves the attention while the other is about to get married, although Florence is not sure what it is she sees in her future husband (just the good job so plenty money?). 

With Florence being the odd one out (yet again) in terms of boyfriends her Step-Mum Patricia is determined to help Florence find a man. While out for dinner she mentions the fact that she saw an advert for a love specialist and nags Florence until she agrees to see her. This woman encourages Florence to make a list of what she wants from a man so that the universe can provide it. However, are these things really what Florence wants or needs? 

I really enjoyed this book and found it to be a really good insight into focusing too much on what other people want from you rather than what you want from life, something I think we can all be guilty of sometimes? 

This is the perfect summer read and would be wonderful to enjoy while lying on the beach (we can dream right?). While there are some sad parts (I definitely cried A LOT at one point) the book has more of a fun feel than some others I have read recently, think modern day Bridget Jones?

Loved this m!! Read it super quickly and it kept me smiling lovely characters too what more could you want !!

A fun book to read. The main setting is an old fashioned bookshop which always captures most readers hearts. I loved the relationships between Florence and her half sisters - you think there are issues between them but they really have a bond of love there too. The love coach is totally bonkers but makes you smile. Although the romance side is predictable, the storyline flows well.

This was a fun book. 

Characters that were relatable and likeable - even the ones that are there purely to be laughed at. 

Florence Fairfax is single, in her 30's, living with her sisters and Marmalade, working in a job that she loves and is fairly happy with her lot in life. 

Until one of her sisters announces that she is getting married and then Flo's step-mum begins to lament about Flo's lack of suitors.    This ends with Flo agreeing to go and see a relationship therapist with the proviso that her family are never to bring the subject up again. 

Although highly predictable, the journey that Flo goes on is so well written.  All of the characters are well rounded  and none of them are superfluous. 

A highly recommended bit of escapism that is very well written.