If your looking for something witty, light-hearted and guaranteed to leave a smile on your face then this is it. Florence is in her 30's and has never had a real boyfriend. Her step mother sets her up with and appointment with a love expert which she reluctantly agrees to go to. She encourages Florence to write a post of things she's looking for in a boyfriend. Shortly after her first appointment she meets good on paper Hugo and the pair get together. Florence can't believe her luck but fate has a funny way of changing things and Florence discovers that this boyfriend lark isn't as simple as she thought.
This story has me howling with laughter at point especially with the COWABUNGA moments. It also had me close to tears at points. It's full of wit and had a serious topic of obsessive behaviour covered within the love story. A great read and will definitely look for more by Sophia Money-Coutts

What makes the perfect beach read? 🏖

For me, I would say something that provides escapism OR a feel good rom com that gives me all the feels.🥰 THE WISH LIST by Sophia Money-Coutts would definitely tick the box for feel good rom com and it certainly provided me with a lot of belly laughs.🤣 Always a good sign...

So what’s it all about 👇
Florence Fairfax works in little bookshop in Chelsea (dream 😍) and her beloved cat Marmalade keeps her company at night (brilliant 🐈). Her personality is perfectly pitched for this book. A great sense of humour, her own insecurities and is happy being single. And then Florence meets eccentric love coach Gwendolyn, who makes her write a wish list describing her perfect man. Finding someone who likes cats, has the sexual athleticism of James Bond and can overlook her ‘counting’ habit? No chance! 😂 Until, later that week, a handsome blond man asks for help in the bookshop…😏 Rory seems to fit the list perfectly. Florence finds out that her criteria for Mr Right aren’t as important as she thought – and that perhaps she’s been looking for love in all the wrong places…Don’t we all!!! 😂

I read this quickly folks as it’s such an enjoyable book. THE WISH LIST is saucy, fresh and witty with plenty of cringe moments. Oh man...so many 😳One word cowabunga...😂 The book explores love, sisterhood and family, and felt really hopeful and uplifting. I love books about bookshops..or anything book related to be fair and throw in a bunch of great characters and some giggles - I’m in! 🙋🏼‍♀️ I was trying to think what this book reminded me of and Bridget Jones Diary popped into my head. It definitely has Bridget vibes - cheerful yet touching.
If I was going on holiday, I would pack THE WISH LIST. But I’m not so I had to make do with my garden.😆

Out now!

An absolutely delightful read. I really loved Florence' unique personality and her little sidekick, Marmalade. Overall an enjoyable book that I would highly recommend.

I was fortunate to receive a copy of this ARC from NetGalley.

Ah Florence! You will laugh with her, want to shake her, cringe, root for her and relate to her.

Florence has a very well controlled life, despite her family, with her cat Marmalade. Then Rory and Zach come into her life, along with Gwendolyn and change is coming whether she likes it or not.

There are so many laugh out loud moments in this book that I really struggled to choose my favourite quote! I went with the most "clean" of them 😂

"I turned to look in the mirror again. My bottom looked enormous. I might as well slap a 'wide load' sticker on it and reverse out of the cubicle making a beeping sound."

Both Kindle and hardback are out now. Paperback release is scheduled for April 2021, but you really don't want to wait that long!

A wacky Love coach tells Florence to write a wish list for her ideal man. She's happy as she is but would like to find a partner. She meets Rory but he doesn't meet all the criteria, is he suitable husband material.? A really enjoyable, funny read.

Meet Florence, working in a Chelsea bookshop called Frisbee Books with Norris 'if you need anything give me a shout' shop owner, and gay wanna-be but mostly unemployed actor Eugene. Flo's life is sedate and, without a boyfriend, Florence showers all her love on cat Marmalade, and rigidly makes sure routines are in place that cannot be deviated from. Cheese and tomato sandwiches cannot leak their pips into her rucksack and she has many self imposed rules that make life quite a trial. Her game, Consequences means that if a certain coloured car follows another certain coloured car then the day will be bad and of course there is the Counting too. Odd numbers spell disaster. In a bid to control her life Florence counts lots of things and even numbers are reassuring.
Whether this is due to losing her Mum at an early age, her Dad re-marrying and working as a diplomat abroad, or the connection between half sisters Ruby and Mia which Florence seems not to be a part of, or even the shallow, appearance obsessed step mother Patricia, it is hard to say. In reality obsessive compulsive behaviours can be so damaging and invasive, destroying relationships and people's ability to function, but in this novel, The Wish List, they are a quirky part of Florence's personality which just makes her more likeable and more of an interesting character.
This book IS hilarious. Gwendolyn Glossop the love coach on Harley Street is incredibly funny and responsible for Florence creating a wish list of attributes she would like a potential boyfriend to possess. Florence doesn't believe in the madness at all but then she meets Rory (the Tory).
The dialogue is laugh-out-loud, the sex scenes laugh-out-loud and the whole book just makes you feel good! The characters are incredibly well written and enjoyable to get to know and the plot is not sacrificed to humour. The two go hand in hand.
Florence is not only seeking a love life, she is also involved in a campaign to save Frisbee Books. At the helm of the project is Norris's nephew Zach and with the help of the tiny band of workers, we are treated to an Instagram poet event, the Chelsea Pensioners choir at a Christmas event and the petition signing outside of the bookshop.
Throw in friends from support group NOMAD (no more anxiety disorders) a wedding that has been planned to death and an uncontrollable pug and you have a delightful, zany, silly, funny, happy, marvellous read.
Guaranteed to chase away any black clouds lurking over your head, pick up this book for the best medicine in life - laughter.
Cowabungaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! (You'll have to read the book to find out what that means!)

I loved Sophia’s book last year so when the chance came up to read her new book ‘The Wish List’ I just had to grab it.

We meet Florence Fairfax who works in a bookshop in Chelsea. She always likes to stick to routine and that includes eating the same lunch every single day. When her step mother books her sessions with a relationship expert she’s sceptical but goes anyway as she’s never had a boyfriend. She makes a list of her ideal partner but does she meet someone who meets every point?

Florence has such a unique personality I loved her. Can’t say the same for Rory though! I loved the bookshop element (who doesn’t love a bookshop!) and loved her cat. In parts the story is emotional and in other parts you just want Florence to do well.

I am very much looking forward to Sophia’s next book. I give ‘The Wish List’ 4*/5* 😊

Thank you to HQ for an advanced copy of this book via Netgalley.

I read this for a blog tour.

A funny, warm and entertaining read about love, family and cats. Also working in a bookshop. All of which are good things, especially the bookshop and the cats.

Florence has lots of routines and rules to help her cope with life, she also has two sisters who are her house mates, a slightly overbearing stepmother, works in a genteel old bookshop with a matching boss, a theatrical co-worker and not a lot of luck in the romance department.

Her stepmother buys her a course of love therapy with an eccentric guru and it seems to be working, or is it?

There's some genuine laugh out loud moments and the bonds between Florence and her friends and family are endearing, a really jolly read.

This was a great read for the summer heatwave, sat with my feet in a bowl of water, wishing it was a pool or the sea. So take it to the park, your back garden or the sofa with snacks.

Florence Fairfax has never had a boyfriend, sure she's had a few one night stands but no actual commitment. She's perfectly happy with her life, working in a bookshop (the dream) and not straying to far from routine and her cat Marmalade. But with her stepsister annoucing she's engaged it soon highlights Flo's very single status and her stepmother sets her up with an eccentric love coach, Gwendolyn. When Gwendolyn makes Flo write a "wish list" describing her perfect man, Flo thinks she is crazy, the universe won't give her what she wants just because she writes a list.. or will it? Enter Rory, a guy who seems to tick every box on Flo's list and just so happens to walk into her bookshop..

I have to start with one word: 𝘊𝘖𝘞𝘈𝘉𝘜𝘕𝘎𝘈𝘈𝘈𝘈! That won't make much sense if you haven't read The Wish List but I needed to get it off my chest and it really is one, of many reasons, why you should read this book.. IT IS HILARIOUS!
I LOVE a rom-com, give me romance in bookshops and I'm there. This book was completely binge-worthy. The characters were all brilliant (rare) and the storyline was fab, mixing humour with sex, there were many laugh out loud moments. Honestly, at various points in the book I had to stop to have a good giggle! We all love to root for an awkward yet loveable protagonist and Florence will definitely have you on her side, after a few chapters. I find with rom-coms, that they either work or they're a disaster and The Wish List is definitely the first! Was it cringey at times? Of course but that's what made me love it. Would recommend!

One of the best things about blogging and there are many is discovering new authors. This was my first book by Sophia and it will definitely not be my last.

Set in a bookshop, what could be more perfect ? Florence loves her job but the bookshop is struggling and when a new rise in rent comes along her boss Norris is worried. Florence has been telling him for ages that they need to embrace social media but he is very stuck in his ways. Norris then asks his nephew Zach to help with promotion and social media much to Florence’s annoyance and he organises a huge event with Florence as the host.

Florence’s stepmother is worried that Florence will not find love and so arranges for her to have some appointments with a love guru, Gwendolyn. At the first session she gets Florence to write a list of what she would like in a perfect man so that the universe knows what she wants !

Later when Rory turns up at the bookshop and asks her out it all seems to good to be true. Has the list worked ?

Florence is a great character, she is funny, hardworking and she has her own anxieties and attends a group NOMAD to help with the coping mechanisms that she uses to deal with them on a daily basis.

Things take a competitive turn when Norris asks Zach to organise a Halloween event and Florence to work with the publicity about the rent rise.

This is a really funny book, probably the funniest I have read in a long time. The characters are fun and interesting, its topical and engaging and there are some really cringy moments too. The weekend at Rory’s parents house was hilarious. The dynamic between the staff at the bookshop is great and I loved Eugene, Florence’s co worker. Also I organise events and this made it all the more appealing to me especially when things take an unexpected turn !

A great read especially when you need a pick me up and I will be recommending this one.

An enjoyable enough book to read with good characters that you enjoyed reading about although I did think the book was quite predictable.

Florence Fairfax, thirty something, has never had a boyfriend and for the most part that suits her just fine. Living with her two half sisters Ruby and Mia, this quirky character loves routine. Her never changing daily lunch of a cheese and tomato sandwich plus her compulsion to count (odd numbers and passing the wrong colour car definitely mean she’s in for a bad day) makes her instantly likeable. Many of us have our own coping mechanisms to deal with the chaos of life and Florence’s need to count stems from losing her mother at a very young age. Working in Chelsea bookshop Frisbee and going home to beloved cat Marmalade,spending her evenings in bed with a good book keeps Florence firmly within her comfort zone. However, meddling stepmother Patricia has other ideas. With Mia’s impending marriage to the oh so boring golf playing Hugo, Patricia believes Florence is overdue her own chance of love and happiness so wastes no time in booking the help of esteemed love coach Gwendolyn. Florence reluctantly does at least humour her stepmother by visiting the Harley Street magic maker with encounters that are hilarious and completely bonkers. Can drawing up a wish list of attributes that Florence will find desirable in a man be the answer to falling in love??
It’s immediately after her first session with Gwendolyn that miraculously Florence crosses paths with Rory the Tory and she embarks on her first romantic relationship. Can falling in love really be that easy and follow such a specific list or is falling in love more complicated and messy??

There are two strands running through this novel; how to save and increase the profile of the bookshop and the discovery that love may not be found amongst a long list of likes and dislikes, rather there needs to be that elusive magic ingredient in a relationship to make you fall head over heels. Both kept me entertained from start to finish.

This is such an uncomplicated,delightful,easy to read piece of escapism that is guaranteed to make you laugh. There’s also great friendship, a few touching moments and of course a dash of romance. I loved every single character from the Fairfax family en masse to Jaz and Dunc from the Nomad group, the utterly bonkers love coach Gwendolyn and even Rory the Tory! The bookstore staff comprising Norris and Eugene are the perfect colleagues for Florence, so accepting of her little foibles and of course there’s Zach, a fine example of a romantic hero. What’s not to like???

Reading The Wish List was a joy, another first class offering from this author who has found the winning combination with an endearing lead character who also happens to work in a bookshop. Just thinking of days spent amongst the bookshelves made me feel quite envious of Florence as that would be my idea of heaven. The narrative is upbeat, funny and full of frivolity. Every page is infused with sunshine so I couldn’t find fault with the storyline at all and by the end I felt like I’d been injected with a much needed dose of happiness. I practically inhaled every word.

It’s unusual for me to give a 5 star review for a book of this genre but on this occasion it’s totally deserved. I felt immeasurably happier having welcomed these characters into my life for a few hours. Note to author: I would love a follow up to this novel as I think there’s more mileage left in the lives of the Fairfax family!! My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read. This novel truly brightened my day.

I received a copy of this book to review from Netgalley. Thank you for the opportunity.
This book is a lovely summer read. It had quirky characters such as Flo and a sweet romance running through the book. The writing is good and I enjoyed the humorous quips on modern life. Flo was a relatable characters which most readers could identify with e.g. With her insecurities. The imagery was fantastic, really evoking the reality and sometimes awkwardness of a scene.
The book was a bit predictable in terms of love interest. The reader found themselves waiting for Flo and her love interest to realise their feelings for each other which made the scenes beforehand stretch out. The chapters were quite long.
On the whole a good book.

This book didn’t have the most promising of starts, I found it a bit too predictable and boring. Girl feels ugly and frumpy compared to glamorous sisters. Girl struggles to find boy (unlike glamorous sisters). I struggled to read about her boring dress and her boring life and her hang-ups.

However, about 15% of the way through, I found myself enjoying it. I chuckled at the cringe-worthy sex scenes with boyfriend, Rory. I knew that he wasn’t the one for her and waited for the obvious love interest (Zach) to come through.

There won’t anything special or different about this book, it is a typical light, humorous romance, perfect for the beach or when you don’t want to have to think or concentrate. But it is a solid, enjoyable 3⭐️ read.

Many thanks to Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Looking forward to the summer publication of a Sophia Money-Coutts novel has now become a bit of a tradition for me - and that is coming from a reader who usually doesn't touch these kinds of books with a barge pole.

And lord knows, given the weirdness of late, reading this novel has been even more of a welcome distraction than the previous two years.

I can't pretend that I didn't guess exactly what would happen in The Wish List almost from the very beginning, because I did. However, as in her previous two novels, Money-Coutts writes with warmth and charm and develops endearing characters for whom you always root, so you're more than happy to go along for the ride.

My only criticism is that the list of the title and the main character's visits to the love coach, despite seemingly being the premise of the novel, feel a little bit bolted on and you forget about them until one of the characters mentions them.

If nothing else this novel reminds us of a time, not so long ago when you could got to weddings, get into cabs, jump on a plane, or even go to work and not think twice about it. And that feels like a very long time ago.

This was my first book by this author and whilst the initial description and premise of the book grabbed my attention, I wasn’t really sure what I was going to get. However, I needn’t of worried, after just a few chapters I was drawn in and Florence had grabbed my attention and I really wanted to see her story play out.

There were so many funny moments, a lot quite tongue n cheek - especially the visit to Rorys parents. Flo was a relatable character, drawn to what she thought she wanted, then almost trapped as scared of losing it, even when she wasn’t truly happy, and then the lightbulb moment seeing what we as readers had seen for a while, the cue the mad dash to the airport.

The story flowed easily and I found I devoured the book fairly quickly. A great light hearted read with love, family and friendship at the core.

The Wish List by @sophiamcoutts published by @hqstories
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This is the third book by Sophia Money- Coutts that I have read. I just loved her last two books- ‘What’s happens Now’ & ‘The Plus One’
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She is fast becoming one of the great romantic comedy writers of the century.
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The Wish List is set in a bookshop ( the best place on Earth in my humble opinion lol)
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We are introduced to Florence who works in the bookshop and she has been single for what feels like a lifetime. It doesn’t really feel like Mr Right is going to come anytime soon.
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Suddenly unbeknownst to her- her step mother has booked her an appointment with Gwendolyn who is a love coach. She is asked to write a wish list of things she likes in a man.
Her once organised, quiet life is turned upside down.
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Florence appears to be the odd one out within her family as her two sister seem to have their lives in order.
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Question is what does Florence really want???
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This book did not disappoint and it made me giggle. I must admit I would be mortified if someone made an appointment with a love coach for me!!!
Florence is quite restrained about it.
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Writing flows well, characters are both crazy and funny. Sophia has a talent to make a rom-com book funny yet mushy too.
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Thank you @hqstories , @netgalley for gifting me this book and thank you @sophiamcoutts for writing it.
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Out tomorrow 6th Aug 2020
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#thewishlist #sophiamoneycoutts #bookstagram #bookreview #bookcommunity #bookreviewersofinstagram #bookreader #booklover #booknerd #reading #readersofinstagram #forthoveofreading

This review is being posted as part of the Blogger Day for Harper Collins and through them I was lucky enough to recieve an e-book copy of The Wish List to review.

The premise of this book is fairly simple: Florence hasn’t had much luck in her love life so when her step-mum sets her up an appointment with a love coach she goes just to please her. Only this love coach had the idea that if Florence writes a list of what she wants in a guy – this guy will then appear in her life. And low and behold she meets Rory in the book shop where she works. But is he really all she wants or is this only the start of her romantic journey.

I’m going to start by saying that I’m not quite sure what to categorise this book as. Is it chick-lit or a romance novel or a bit both? My end thoughts are it’s a bit of both as it’s essentially a chick-lit novel with smut in it. Not entirely my cup of tea but because of the chick-lit elements you do get a look into her family relationships, work and friendships as well as her romantic life which I loved. This book had so many loveable characters and I loved getting the glimpses into their lives and that the dickheads got their just desserts in the end.

However, it was a little slow to start with. The first two chapters feel simultaneously too slow and also like nothing happens. And it’s only the first 10% of the book. So I wasn’t sure what I was getting in for. I’m glad I did stick it out as the book does get better after that and Florence does have some seriously random adventures. But it wasn’t necessarily a favourite for me.

I also want to add that this book should include a warning for pet death. If this isn’t the type of thing to upset you then fine. But there is a scene where a pet has to be put down and I personally wish that I could have been warned. It was easy to skip over without missing anything but it did cause a little upset so I wanted to warn others.

Overall though? This was an enjoyable chick-lit/romance novel that is exactly what it says on the tin. If you’re looking for something fun and a little quirky then this novel could definitely be the next book for you.

"You want me to write a list? Like a shopping list?'
Gwendolyn nodded. 'Exactly. But for what you want from a man, not ASDA."

32-year-old Florence Fairfax has never had a boyfriend or been in love. But she's sure it will happen one day. After all, even Hitler had a girlfriend. When her stepmother books her an appointment with a love coach Florence is mortified. But after the coach instructs her to write a wish list of what she wants in a man, she meets Rory, a handsome man who ticks everything on her list. But is he the right man for Florence? Is there such a thing as the perfect man? Or is love to be found in the place you didn't expect, with the one who's differences balance you out?

This was a funny, lighthearted and entertaining read. I loved the author's last novel, so I couldn't wait to read this one. Again the author has crafted a book that has that great mix of wit, romance and sauciness, making it an ideal book for summer.

Our protagonist, Florence, is unlucky-in-love but tells herself she's fine without a man. But deep down she wants nothing more than to be loved and to be in love. I really liked her. She's sweet, awkward, self-deprecating and a little weird. She keeps her life unvaried and ordered to avoid anything bad happening and doesn't do well with change. When she meets Rory she must learn to navigate the nuances of a relationship while trying to find confidence in herself. I enjoyed her journey and was rooting for her to find a happy ending.

The author is great at writing entertaining characters and filled the story with a great cast of secondary characters. I particularly liked Ruby, Mia and Zach, but had mixed feelings about Rory. He was well written and the scenes with his snobby family and friends were perfectly cringey.

The thing that I loved most about this book was the humour. This is definitely a book I'd recommend picking up if you need a good laugh; I laughed out loud so many times and will never be able to hear the word cowabunga again without a smile and thinking of this book!

The Wish List is a quirky, fun, feel-good read with heart. It is predictable in places, but for me that was part of its charm. If you're looking for a book to brighten a summer day, then this is the book for you.

A bookshop and a cat meant I was sold on this book already. Add to that a protagonist who like me is quite happy with just those in her life, then throw in a dysfunctional family, a love coach and some witty and cutting remarks and it’s like an ice cream sundae with not only a cherry on top but chocolate sprinkles too.

This is an easy light hearted book with not only fun characters and plot but some great one liners and literary references. I loved it when Florence described herself as wanting to be as alluring as Scarlett O’Hara with the sassy intelligence of Jo March and the porcelain delicacy of Daisy Buchanan but in reality was more like Miss Havisham.

As a lover of cheesy Hallmark movies this had the expected plot lines of one of their good rom coms and I definitely pictured Lacey Chabert as Florence sat at the table counting her chips.