Little Wishes: A Novel

Written by Michelle Adams

Narrated by Joan Walker

ONE OF POPSUGAR'S BEST ROMANCE NOVELS OF NOVEMBER 2020!

""A story of love long postponed but never forgotten, Little Wishes is a tale to be treasured. Michelle's Adam's lovely, luminous writing is a beacon that draws readers closer and brings them home to the lasting truths about life and love."" —Marie Bostwick, New York Times bestselling author of The Restoration of Celia Fairchild

For anyone who loves One Day in December and Me Before You, a sweeping love story, written with tenderness, warmth, and a generosity of spirit, about first love and second chances, a lifelong dream and finding the courage to follow your heart.

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 . . . The notes are never 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, if circumstances hadn't forced them apart all those years ago. 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. 

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?

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Nov 17, 2020
• ISBN: 9780063019591

Michelle Adams

Michelle Adams grew up in the UK and now lives in Cyprus with her husband, step-children, and young daughter. She is also the author of two psychological suspense novels My Sister and Between the Lines.

Reviews for Little Wishes

[shea knowles · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Really good message, although sad. It was a wonderful love story.

[Gemi Brown · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a good story. Not great enough that I will reread it, I don’t think, but that’s okay- I chose this story because it was narrated by Joan Walker and I *adore* listening to her narrate! She did not disappoint in this novel either.

[Shakeela L. Haamid-Majors · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Deep and passionate tear jerker great read really loved it

[nyiper · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautifully written....a perfectly lovely story about life long love, upset by a confusion of circumstances. I loved the back and forth between "Then" and "Now," as the details were filled in to show how "Now" came about.

[fastforward-46127 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've read quite a few books with second chance romance plots and I'm impressed the author came up with an interesting setup for Little Wishes. I enjoyed the story and characters but wish it had left more of an emotional impact. It fell a bit short in that department.Fifty years ago Elizabeth Davenport fell in love with Tom. However, they did not end up together due to certain circumstances. Once a year, a gift and a note that begins with "I wish..." is left on Elizabeth's doorstep. Forty nine years of gifts and wishes left by Tom but he doesn't stick around to ever talk to Elizabeth. Well this year, he fails to leave anything so Elizabeth becomes concerned that something might have happened to Tom. So she sets off to London hoping to reunite with her first love. The story alternates between the present day and 50 years ago when they first met, or got to know each other is a better way to phrase it.The publisher synopsis goes into more detail and going into this book I thought it might be a tearjerker story. Now whether or not I would cry due to happiness, sadness, or a little bit of both, I was unsure, but I was eager to find out. There were some good moments in the story andI liked the characters but I don't think this book reached it's maximum potential. The bare bones were laid out for something incredible and it just didn't reach that level.Part of the problem is the story followed Elizabeth both in the present day and in the past for a long time. All of the sudden, you start getting Tom's perspective as well. While I liked hearing his version of events, I also like consistency and believe he should have been added early on in the story. What's even worse is very, very late in the game a third character is thrown in the mix which seemed to be added at the writer's convivence just to wrap up the story. That's one of my reading pet peeves as it comes across as the easy way out for the writer. Figure out how to tell the rest of the story with the already established voices, please!Don't get me wrong, I liked the book. It just didn't wow me. That's okay as a pleasant read is better than nothing at all.Thank you to William Morrow for sending me a copy! All thoughts expressed are my honest opinion.

[lorikboyd · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

For some, a soulmate is met while young. This happens with Elizabeth and Tom, but they have so many hurdles in their way. In a small village in the English countryside, everyone knows everyone, rumors are rampant, and cover ups happen. What is your favorite day? For Elizabeth, it the day she fell in love. For 49 years, she receives a flower and a sweet note of ‘I Wish’. This year is the 50th, but she doesn’t receive a note...she needs to find out Why. Oh. My. Goodness. This book gives you all the feels....first love, lies and truths, longing, lost opportunities, last love and family. For some reason, this book gives me some of the same feelings as PS I Love You, my favorite love story, but without any of the laughs. It’s beautifully, written, setting the scene of a small seaside village outside of London so perfectly you can feel the damp, ocean spray. The cast of characters is exceptional, so real and conflicted. There is still a lump in my throat. Thanks to Ms. Adams, HarperCollins Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.