BOOK REVIEW: Wish You Were Here by Phillipa Ashley

I had to review a book called Wish You Were Here as part of our Summer Special celebrations, didn't I?

Phillipa Ashley's second novel features Beth, who fell in love with Jack on holiday in Corsica eight years ago. It had certainly been a whirlwind romance, but Beth was devastated when, after proposing, Jack walked out on her with no explanation. When Beth gets a fabulous job in a travel company, she's horrified to find that Jack's just been made CEO.

Beth needs the job to help support her family back in the Lake District - her father had an accident and can't work and her sister needs money to go to drama school - so she accepts it on the condition that she and Jack never speak of the past and keep their relationship strictly professional. But, of course, it's not as easy as they imagine.

The longer they work together the more they're reminded of their previous relationship and the more the old feelings reoccur. And then Beth arranges a research trip to Corsica and Jack decides to go with her ... and not strictly for professional reasons.

I enjoyed Wish You Were Here, but I'm annoyed at another misleading blurb. The back cover says, "As Beth and Jack are forced to spend time together, Beth begins to unravel the mystery of Jack's disappearance." No, she doesn't. She absolutely doesn't. She starts to fall for him again, but there's no unravelling involved. And, in fact, the mystery of Jack's disappearance was the most disappointing thing in the book. Obviously, I can't say what it is, but I didn't buy it at all. I did, however, love Jack (why are all the sexiest heroes named Jack?).

I really liked Beth and her family and the descriptions of Corsica are lovely too, but the ending of the book made me like the rest of it less.

Rating: 3/5

Like this? Try Queen of Babble by Meg Cabot

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