Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Two boxes, both alike in size and shape . . .

Marnie Fairchild is the brains and talent behind Wish & Co., a boutique store that offers a bespoke gift-buying service to wealthy clients with complicated lives. Brian Charlesworth is Marnie's most prized customer, and today she's wrapping the perfect anniversary gift for his wife, Suzanne . . . and a birthday present for his mistress, Leona. What could possibly go wrong?

For years, Marnie's had her heart set on moving Wish & Co. to the historic shopfront once owned by her grandfather. When the chance to bid for the property unexpectedly arises, Marnie--distracted--makes an uncharacteristic mistake. Soon Brian is in a fight to rescue his marriage, and Marnie is scrabbling to keep her dreams alive. With the situation so complicated, the last thing Marnie needs is to fall for Brian and Suzanne's gorgeous son, Luke. In the end, will it be her head or her heart that wins out?

Review:

I love a good rom-com, and With Love, from Wish & Co., by Minnie Drake, has all the ingredients for a delicious story.  There's the career-driven 30'ish woman and her friends who have all paired up.  There's a hunky furniture builder who still hasn't found true love.  But, I also found lots of unique elements that aren't usually found in this genre.  As much as this is a story about 30-somethings finding love, there is also an older married couple who are trying to come to grips with their marriage.  Along with many happy times, there are difficulties, and betrayals that must be addressed if they want their relationship to continue.  And it's not a simple question of whether or not to forgive.  The author never judges the characters, and this helps to make these people actual humans, with lots of problems.  Each of the characters has their issues, and their charm.  I really enjoyed this novel for it's gift-giving advice, as well as it's romance.  And, even though it seems at first to be following a formula, there were lots of twists and turns that kept this book a real page-turner.  I highly recommend this book.

What I Liked:

Characters:

Marnie is a successful business owner who is always working.  She runs a successful gift-giving service, mostly for wealthy men who don't have the time (and don't want to be bothered) to shop for gifts. She genuinely loves what she does.  But this doesn't leave much time for a social life.  Even when she's off the clock she is doing research by scouring social media for gift giving ideas for her clients.  But she is really driven to prove to her father's family that she is an upstanding, hard-working person.  There's a whole history to this that I don't want to spoil.  But it makes for a compelling motivation on Marnie's part.

Luke is the son of Marnie's most important client, and she has been "buying" gifts for him for years.  When they meet IRL, the sparks fly!  Even though it feels to Marnie that she already knows him, there are parts of his life that he hasn't shared on social media.  He's just found out he has a daughter.  What will his parents think?  Should Luke get to know his daughter, or is it too late?

Suzanne and Brian are Luke's parents and are going through a VERY rough patch.  At first, I would say that Brian is pure evil, but as the story progresses, we begin to see his motivations.  I would not say his character ever became completely likable, but I certainly didn't think him the as the devil incarnate by the end.  Suzanne, far from being the sweet little stay at home mom, has lots of fire left in her.  If Brian wants to stay married to Suzanne, he's going to need to work for it.  

The Art of Gift-Giving:

Since Marnie's business is all about gift-giving, there are many interesting takes on what a good gift is, and how one can go about finding it.  There are many great tips that I intend to try out for myself, as Christmas approaches.  Don't know what someone's interests are?  Look on their Instagram and Facebook accounts to see what they're talking about.  Don't have lots of money?  Create an experience for them that is unforgettable.  I loved this!  

But, all fun aside, I really enjoyed that the author took the time to really make Marnie's business interesting.  You could really see someone having a business like this. Rather than making this just a quirky detail of the character, it actually enriched the story.  

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  August 16, 2022

Author:  Minne Darke

Publisher:  Dell Books

Genre:  Contemporary Romance

Page Length:  416 Pages

Source:  NetGalley

Format:  E-Book

Recommendation:  This is a fun, romantic book, and I highly recommend it.