LITTLE WISHES by Michelle Adams

SYNOPSIS:

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?

MY THOUGHTS:

 I've never read a book quite like this one. From the first page to the very last word I was hooked. I cried so hard almost all the way through it too. It's a love story that is so touching and tender. So heartbreaking and so deep. So much and so little. I would say that I hated to love this book so much but that would not describe how it made me feel. This is the story of true love that spans fifty years and a lifetime of wishes. 

"What if I told you I loved you," Tom said, "and that I could love you until my dying day, whether that's next year or next century."

"Sometimes I think you forget the way I love you." Warmth flooded her then as he squeezed her hand. "I was always thinking of you."

"This," he said, flicking a finger back and forth between the two of them. "And maybe we should see it too. Together one last time in the place where we met, so that if there was something we needed to say to each other, we would have the chance that we never got the first time round."

Just before he fell asleep, she whispered, "I'm going to make all these wishes come true, Thomas Hale," but he didn't hear her. Sleep came, and that night he dreamed of being back in their cottage, their first night together, Elizabeth wrapped up safe in his arms.

There are three main characters in this story. Elizabeth, Tom, and James. Elizabeth is engaged to James but she does not love him. Tom has loved Elizabeth for many years but knows she is engaged to another. This story tells exactly what happened between the three. Elizabeth loves Tom Hale with every ounce of her being. He's the love of her life and she is his also. Because of circumstances they are separated shortly after and thus the story is told. 

What happened to keep these two apart? Was it actually true love or just a fling? This story will take you on an emotional ride you won't know what to do with. You won't want to get off but you will have to take a few breaks. It's hard to read with such amounts of tears flowing. 

Every year Elizabeth awakes and on her stoop is a blue crocus and a note with a wish attached. A gift is often there too. It's the anniversary of her first kiss from Thomas Hale. He pledged his undying love to her as she did him. Then one year there is not flower or wish. Nothing. Elizabeth decides she needs to go find the love of her life and off she goes. What she finds will shake your heart to the core. Will leave you breathless. Will they finally have the life they deserved together or will it be taken away too soon? 

You will love Elizabeth and Tom. James I fully detested. I could not stand him. I think it was meant for us to feel sorry for him and possibly forgive him but I sure didn't and don't. He was selfish on so many levels. But that is what makes this story exactly what it is. What makes it play out the way it does. What makes it so heartbreaking and tender. So full of a love so deep you will wonder if it's possible. It is!!

It is told from two different time periods. Now and then. What happened when Elizabeth found Tom and what happened when they first met all those years ago and fell so deeply in love. 

I loved this book. Certainly it made me so a whole lot of crying. Weeping actually. But it was one of the very best romance/women's fiction books I have ever read and possibly the very best. I don't read a lot of romance but when I do they are usually good. This one was not just good. It was spot on perfect. Maybe it brought out the romantic in me. Maybe it made me look at the love of my life a bit differently(in a good way). Maybe it was just the love between a boy and a girl, a man and a woman. Whatever it was it's beautiful. It is told in a way that you just can't stop looking. You will feel the emotions. The sand. The water. The lighthouse. All of it.

Thank you #NetGalley, #MichelleAdams, #HarperCollins for this beautiful book. This is my own true feelings about this book.

5/5 stars and a very high recommend for anyone that loves a good yet sad romantic story of love and loss. Then and now.