Wish You Were Here

A Novel

By: Renée Carlino

Narrated by: Ava Lucas

Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

Charlotte has spent her 20s adrift, searching for a spark to jump-start her life and give her a sense of purpose. She’s had as many jobs as she’s had bad relationships, and now she’s feeling especially lost in her less-than-glamorous gig at a pie-and-fry joint in Los Angeles, where the uniforms are bad and the tips are even worse. Then she collides - literally - with Adam, an intriguing, handsome, and mysterious painter. Their serendipitous meeting on the street turns into a whirlwind one-night stand that has Charlotte feeling enchanted by Adam’s spontaneity and joy for life. There’s promise in both his words and actions, but in the harsh light of morning, Adam’s tune changes, leaving Charlotte to wonder if her notorious bad luck with men is really just her own bad judgment. 

Months later, a new relationship with Seth, a charming baseball player, is turning into something more meaningful, but Charlotte’s still having trouble moving past her one enthralling night with Adam. But why? When she searches for answers, she finds the situation with Adam is far more complicated than she ever imagined. Faced with the decision to write a new story with Seth or finish the one started with Adam, Charlotte embarks on a life-altering journey, one that takes her across the world and back again, bringing a lifetime’s worth of pain, joy, and wisdom.

©2019 Dreamscape Media, LLC (P)2019 Dreamscape Media, LLC

language within first 2 minutes

why is it necessary to write a book with such vulgarity. can't even get to the story due to the lack of creative description that doesn't have every filth and foul wording. for writers with a command of the English language I'm surprised it's such lack of clean description when giving expression.

A Truly Poignant Story about Life & Love

I originally read this book in 2017 (review below). Rereading this story via audio brought back all the emotions and feelings that I experienced the first time around. Charlotte and Adam's story was just as captivating and intriguing and even though I knew what the eventual outcome would be, I didn't want to put this one down. Ava Lucas narrated this story beautifully. She was perfect as Charlotte and had good variation in her male voices so that it was fairly easy to distinguish the characters. I did think her narration as Adam and Seth was a little too similar though, and overall her male voices were a bit too high pitched. Her timing and performance was still very enjoyable though, and had me crying and sobbing as I listened while walking my dog. It wasn't that I was so sad about what was happening, but more about how moved I was by the story and Renee Carlino's beautiful words. I know some of the actions our characters take may rub readers/listeners the wrong way, but it only made the story and characters more relatable and human to me. Definitely recommend this one!

🎧AudiobookObsession

*****
This book completely and utterly blew me away. It demolished my heart in the most raw and honest way, but it also slowly and surely pieced it back together. Wish You Were Here was so emotional and moving that I'm still struggling with my thoughts and feelings, long after finishing the book.

There are very few books that I have read where I have loved each and every character and am rooting for them to thrive and flourish. Yes, the story centered on Charlotte and Adam, but there were also many incredible secondary characters as well. Renee Carlino has created quite the cast in this book, each with their own individual journey to embark on. The genius, however, is that this motley crew will feel so familiar and relatable to your own life. I thought of my own brothers, parents, sisters, friends, and lovers as I read this book. I'm still in awe at how accurately and honestly the author captured these emotions and experiences.

Wish You Were Here isn't simply a girl meets boy love story. It's also a story of connection, understanding, friendship, growth, death, timing, and of truly living. You will cry as your heart breaks, but even through the sadness, there is beauty and hope. We watch our characters rise up and grow and are left feeling a little lighter and optimistic. This is definitely one of the best books I have read in a very long time. While reading, I was often reminded of a line from The Summer Day by Mary Oliver,

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"

You don't want to miss this poignant and thoughtful book! Another truly stunning masterpiece from Renee Carlino.

Horrible

I bought this book after listening to another one by this author that I loved. It was a big mistake. After listening to the first hour, it seem like 99% of it was a play-by-play of the lead character having sex. No plot. Just sex and more sex like a porn novel. Disappointing.

This is not your typical romance novel

this book was fantastic! it was so much more than just a romance novel. it was more of a coming of age and had excellent character development a very touching and fresh story and the romance was meaningful and deep. The narrator was exceptional as well. At first I didn't realize she was doing the male voices. I highly recommend this book.

Loved it

Loved reading the book. Really loved hearing this book on audio. Can’t wait to see the movie!!

Started well

It was fine. Started well to be fair, I was engaged and curious but then it became this too predictable shallow story.

Emotional and epic

This one took awhile to shake off. Which is also the sign of a great book but isn’t a book you need to be reading if you are looking for bright and sunny. I loved the development and pacing and the emotion. I cried I laughed and I loved. The book was beautiful, very emotional and moving. Was a great ride. Be prepared for intense emotions.

Awesome narrator

This narrator truly brought the story to life! Her voice fit perfectly, and she read as if she was recreating her own life story. Awesome!

Lack of build up

This book was hard to stick with. The lack of story line. I couldn't connect with either male character. The main female character was so annoying.

Top 5, All Time

I have listened to hundreds of audiobooks and have left maybe five reviews, ever. This book was a pleasant surprise that I stumbled upon from a must read list on a random website. I was not disappointed. I finished it in one sitting, staying up way later than practical, because I had to know the whole story. It is not a book that will leave you shocked, but it will stay with you.

This story will steal your heart

What a beautiful story that Renee wrote and Ava did it justice . First I heard from Renee . Once you start on the story you will wish it went on and on. Ava performance was spot on .
Heroine is Charlotte. Hero is Adam and Seth .

Charlotte Is lost till she hooks up with Adam . They both are perfect for each other . But something happens and both Adam and Charlotte go their separate ways. Even when Charlotte tries to go on with her life she can’t forget Adam . Even after she thinks she has moved on with Seth , Adam is still haunting her mind . Charlotte and Adam were beautifully together. Grab it and see if they find their way back to each other

Ava performance was spot on . Strong , smooth and $exy. Her voice and tone for each character was great .
This is my opinion and my review is part of Audiobook obessestion

Wish There Was More

It took me awhile to get into this one... the early chapters didn’t grab me. But, as Charlotte’s journey unfolded it was hard not to be pulled in. I wish there had been more of Adam early on to establish how he’d changed over time. And, though I know it’s fiction, I wish some of the scenarios had been more believable. This one will definitely elicit all sorts of emotions, though.
Ava Lucas’s narration was stellar. Her inflections and pitch made it easy to distinguish between characters and she does a great male voice. She really brought the story to life.
#audiobookobsessionreviewer

You have to listen to this, just listen to it.

I didn't expect this book, this story, these feelings. I didn't expect it to change the way I'm thinking, or considering, or how I'm looking at things. It touched me in so many ways I cannot tell you. And yes it made me cry, but it also made me laugh. I love these characters. This story will stay with me forever. It's gotten under my skin and I'm not sure I'll ever get it out. Thank you.

I don't think this story would have had as much of an effect on me if it weren't for the beautiful way Ava Lucas brought it to life. I was there living it with them, sucked in so completely that I was a little bereft when it ended.

Happy moments, sad moments, funny moments...

I would have liked to rate both the story and the performance with 4.5 stars. I listened to the Audible version. The narration was great, though sometimes it was tough to tell characters apart only by voice. I liked the characters in the story and appreciated the family teasing that was based out of love (not mean spirited). I also liked seeing the growth of charlotte as a person over the course of the story, though the ending seemed a little (or maybe a lot) easier than I would have expected. There are happy moments, sad moments, funny moments and unbelievable moments, but it is done in such a way that I enjoyed the story.

#AudiobookObsession

Wonderful listen

I knew going in, that Renee Carlino would gut me. And oh boy. I was wrong. She turned me inside out and back again. This story is a wonderful story with unforgettable characters, and beautiful narration. Ava Lucas!!! Wow. What a phenomenal job she did bringing these characters to life!!! Between the story and the narration, this was an excellent experience that I will not soon forget.


🎧AudiobookObsessionReviewer

THIS BOOK DESTROYED ME!!!!!

Omg, I’ve not cried this much about a book in a hell of a long time. It destroyed me. The emotion is amazing, Renée has captured it so very well. Fantastic characters. Ava really does give these characters personalities. Absolutely fantastic.
#audiobookobsessionreviewer

Second Chance x 2

This is a double second chance and a tragic heartbreak combined into one. I was impressed with the author's ability to weave these two stories of love together. I thought the characters were well written and relatable. There was an element of insta-love but it fades and we are able to see the character's love and devotion to each other. I love that the author gave Charlotte another chance at happiness. While there were times that I did feel like our character's actions weren't really making a whole lot of sense in a couple places, the ending left me feeling satisfied with the story in its entirety and it tied everything together nicely.

The narrator does a spectacular job in this performance. She is able to perfectly capture all of the degrees of emotion that this story exhibits throughout the ups and downs.

Emotional!

I don't want to give anything away in this review but I can say that I listen to a lot of books and most of them are forgettable in no time because, while I might have really liked them, they tend to all be the same. This one, though, is one I won't soon forget because it's not like all the rest. I had to stop listening with one and a half hours left because I was so afraid of how it would end. I even listened to a couple of other books before going back to it and finishing the story. I very highly recommend this book. Ava Lucas really brought this story to life. She put so much emotion into the characters that it was definitely more of a performance than just a narration. I really love her male voice too!

🎧AudiobookObsession 

wow

amazing story , you definitely need tissues for this one though , what a beautiful story of love , loss , heartbreak and finding yourself through it all , even through the tears it makes you smile
an absolute must listen.
🎧 Audiobook Obsession Reviewer.