A pact to make three wishes come true…

Synopsis

‘A heartwarming read, full of friendship and fun’ Heidi Swain

What would you wish for if you were granted three wishes?

For the first time she can remember, Poppy is dreading Christmas. Unceremoniously dumped by her boyfriend after moving across the country for him, there’s nothing cheery about the festive season this year.

Dragged to a Christmas ball by best friend Layla, Poppy meets gorgeous actor Gabe, who stars as a genie in a play. When he asks her what three wishes she would make, she realises it’s quite simple: love, a job she’s happy in and, just once in her life, to do something extraordinary.

Gabe and Poppy make a pact to help each other make their dreams come true. As they tick off their wishes, their friendship blossoms… But, as they discover, sometimes, what you want for Christmas isn’t necessarily what you need…

A delicious romance to snuggle up with this festive season from the author of Wedding Bells at the Signal Box Café and The Cosy Little Cupcake Van.

My review

Poppy expected this Christmas to be the one where all her wishes would come true. But the total opposite happened… While she was waiting for a marriage proposal in New York after moving across the country for her boyfriend, she finds herself in a new place, all alone and single.
After being persuaded by her best friend Layla to join a Christmas Ball, she meets Gabe, a handsome actor who stars as a genie in a play.
Keeping up his act, he asks what Poppy would wish for if she had three wishes.
Feeling a connection, Poppy and Gabe decide to join forces to make their wishes come true. The more time they spend together, the deeper their connection gets and a wonderful friendship is made.
But they also realize that sometimes wishes are not always granted in a way we visioned them and what we want isn’t always what we need…

I was very intrigued by the premise of this book. Because while Gabe is just acting to be a genie, what starts as a joke, suddenly becomes a goal, to have those three wishes granted.

Poppy’s story doesn’t start that great, as right from the beginning she has moved for love, only to be dumped for very lame reasons. That made me already put the ex on the ‘naughty list’.
Yet I liked how, with the gentle push of her best friend, Poppy manages to get settled in, even if she doesn’t truly enjoy her job and a few of her new colleagues.

When she meets Gabe, it’s the real start of a wonderful story about friendship, chasing dreams and just going for it.
Just like in real life, Poppy meets Gabe and the ‘click’ is just there. I truly enjoyed reading how these two strangers found each other and even if they don’t know each other from Adam, it seems like they are just meant to become best friends.

I also found it hilarious to read about the misinterpretation of ‘GBF’ and how that is reasons for not letting things go further.

It was both sweet and surprising to read how one random meeting can change the course of your life.
Meeting each other was exactly what both Poppy and Gabe needed. They push each other to chase their dreams, not to be afraid to dream big. And they support each other unconditionally. These are the kind of friendships that need to be cherished…

It is without a doubt that the main characters are lovely characters, and even their friends are. Obviously there are a few characters I liked less, the obvious ones, like Poppy’s ex or an obnoxious colleagues, but even a few characters closer to Gabe did behave sometimes in a way that made me liking them a tiny bit lesser…

While this was a wonderful story about friendship and live your life at the fullest, the pace of it sometimes bothered me a little bit.
There were moments that went slower to show us the importance but there were also a few twists I would have liked where the intrigue would have a bigger effect. But that can be because perhaps I am a full Drama Queen, while this author just wants to show us that not everything has to be full drama 😄

But that doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy reading this story, because it truly was a sweet, heart – warming, Christmassy story, with main characters who deserve all the happiness in the world. But while being just as lovely as they are, they are also very recognizable as during their journey make mistakes just like you and I would make.
Yet this shows that reaching your goals is a journey filled with trial and error. A journey that shows you that things may not always go as you want but in the end will give you what you need.