Genre Fiction
![Nicholas Sparks - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_a_nicholas_sparks.jpg)
The Wish
From the author of The Longest Ride and The Return comes a #1 New York Times bestselling novel about the enduring legacy of first love, and the decisions that haunt us forever.
1996 was the year that changed everything for Maggie Dawes. Sent away at sixteen to live with an aunt she barely knew in Ocracoke, a remote village on North Carolina's Outer Banks, she could think only of the friends and family she left behind . . . until she met Bryce Trickett, one of the few teenagers on the island. Handsome, genuine, and newly admitted to West Point, Bryce showed her how much there was to love about the wind-swept beach town-and introduced her to photography, a passion that would define the rest of her life.
By 2019, Maggie is a renowned travel photographer. She splits her time between running a successful gallery in New York and photographing remote locations around the world. But this year she is unexpectedly grounded over Christmas, struggling to come to terms with a sobering medical diagnosis. Increasingly dependent on a young assistant, she finds herself becoming close to him.
As they count down the last days of the season together, she begins to tell him the story of another Christmas, decades earlier-and the love that set her on a course she never could have imagined.
1996 was the year that changed everything for Maggie Dawes. Sent away at sixteen to live with an aunt she barely knew in Ocracoke, a remote village on North Carolina's Outer Banks, she could think only of the friends and family she left behind . . . until she met Bryce Trickett, one of the few teenagers on the island. Handsome, genuine, and newly admitted to West Point, Bryce showed her how much there was to love about the wind-swept beach town-and introduced her to photography, a passion that would define the rest of her life.
By 2019, Maggie is a renowned travel photographer. She splits her time between running a successful gallery in New York and photographing remote locations around the world. But this year she is unexpectedly grounded over Christmas, struggling to come to terms with a sobering medical diagnosis. Increasingly dependent on a young assistant, she finds herself becoming close to him.
As they count down the last days of the season together, she begins to tell him the story of another Christmas, decades earlier-and the love that set her on a course she never could have imagined.
Editorial Reviews
"If it's never too early for Christmas in your world, get in the mood with this awww-worthy story of first love and its echoes that takes place during the holidays."―Good Housekeeping
"Anyone looking for a sweet story will be enchanted."―Booklist, Starred Review
"Sure to top the book lists of romance fans near and far."―CNN Underscored
"With The Wish, Sparks reminds us that love . . . will always move you in ways you can't comprehend."―BookPage
"As with all of Sparks' novels, emotions play a huge part. Though a bittersweet story, The Wish is a thought-provoking chronicle of a few decades in the protagonist's life. In the course of that life, she unearths her self-worth, self-acceptance, and the magnitude of first love."―New York Journal of Books
"Covers the gamut of emotions from love to loss and will have readers crying gently into a tissue before the end."―Bookreporter.com
"If wishes could come true, this would be the Nicholas Sparks novel you've been asking for . . . The story of Maggie and Bryce is a timeless, cinematic read transversing both discovery and loss, and above all, the question of what it is we most wish. Epic is a term bandied about too easily in literary circles, but it applies here."―Mountain Times
"Beloved author Nicholas Sparks is well-known for his heartfelt, emotional stories-and his newest novel follows suit." ―Woman's World
"Sparks has definitely mastered the art of love."―Associated Press
"Sparks is a poet . . . a master."―Philadelphia Inquirer
"Nicholas Sparks is one of the best-known writers in America and overseas for good reason: He has written stories that reveal the yearning for our most prized possession: love."―Mobile Register
"Sparks knows how to tug at readers' heartstrings."―Chicago Sun Times
"Anyone looking for a sweet story will be enchanted."―Booklist, Starred Review
"Sure to top the book lists of romance fans near and far."―CNN Underscored
"With The Wish, Sparks reminds us that love . . . will always move you in ways you can't comprehend."―BookPage
"As with all of Sparks' novels, emotions play a huge part. Though a bittersweet story, The Wish is a thought-provoking chronicle of a few decades in the protagonist's life. In the course of that life, she unearths her self-worth, self-acceptance, and the magnitude of first love."―New York Journal of Books
"Covers the gamut of emotions from love to loss and will have readers crying gently into a tissue before the end."―Bookreporter.com
"If wishes could come true, this would be the Nicholas Sparks novel you've been asking for . . . The story of Maggie and Bryce is a timeless, cinematic read transversing both discovery and loss, and above all, the question of what it is we most wish. Epic is a term bandied about too easily in literary circles, but it applies here."―Mountain Times
"Beloved author Nicholas Sparks is well-known for his heartfelt, emotional stories-and his newest novel follows suit." ―Woman's World
"Sparks has definitely mastered the art of love."―Associated Press
"Sparks is a poet . . . a master."―Philadelphia Inquirer
"Nicholas Sparks is one of the best-known writers in America and overseas for good reason: He has written stories that reveal the yearning for our most prized possession: love."―Mobile Register
"Sparks knows how to tug at readers' heartstrings."―Chicago Sun Times
Readers Top Reviews
L. M. Stoppard-jo
The Wish, Nicholas Sparks A detailed and explorative tale about the love felt by two young people which lasts a lifetime. Sadly they were not together forever. If I’d read, in a synopsis, that this was about a teenage girl being pregnant and being sent to live with an aunt for the pregnancy duration I probably wouldn’t have read this book. Then I would have been missing a superbly written story, which has so much depth that I became engrossed with the few characters involved. Without hundreds of adjectives, that detract from the points, the story pulls you in without awareness of reading. It is as if you are watching a film. A sure sign of a brilliant writer. Throughout the main character’s life you feel the emotion that transpires. Essentially a tragedy without any ugliness whatsoever, it is a glorious array of feelings felt by each person involved. You are there, with them. To write this review I will not outline the plot because it doesn’t matter, it is so beautifully crafted. So few books become memorable after a month or two, this is one that will be.
Gill Marseille sL
As with every book by this author,I can't believe it wasn't a true story,how could anyone just imagine this, the love,the true understanding of the characters,I can barely write this through my tears..I urge anyone who reads this review YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK. It took me to a beautiful time and place for a few hours.
BettyEmmieLyonsDe
Let me start by saying I am a big time Nicholas Sparks fan and await his new releases each year. "The Wish" was no different. I anticipated the release, as I had pre-purchased the book. That being said, it was definitely not one of my favorites. Other reviewers had mentioned not wanting to read about a character dealing with cancer, but that is not the main point of this book. Yes, the main character has cancer, but it is not necessarily what this book is about. It is a woman facing the end of her life and reflecting back on her life and her first and only true love. As an older woman, reading about a pregnant 16-year old did not really appeal to me, nor the budding love story with another teenager. I'm sure the love story will appeal to many and the fact that it is a Nicholas Spark's love story, it will also be praised. I am just not one of those praising this book.
Sara LivingstoneB
I love Nicholas Sparks, but this book was just awful. I figured out the ending very quickly.... but that's not the awful part. Spoiler alert: Ugly, depressing, and scary cancer death. Everyone has been touched by cancer in some way, and it's not entertaining to have the cruelty and brutality of the disease described in minute detail. I finished the book (not sure why I did) and found myself depressed and sad. I'd give this one a hard pass. Terrible.
