Wishing You Were Here
By: Catherine Chant
Published: December, 2012
Published By: Catherine Chant
Format Read: Kindle for PC
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance
Rating: 4/5
💚💚💚💚
I was sent a copy of
Wishing You Were Here by Catherine Chant from the author in exchange for an
honest review.
17 year-old Callie is rummaging through her Grandmother’s
attic one day when she comes across a record of a 1950’s Elvis Pressley style
musician by the name of Joey Tempo. As a music lover, she is surprised to have
never heard of him before and is eager to learn more about the handsome man on
the record cover. While listening to his songs, Callie is saddened to learn
that Joey was killed in a plane crash shortly after his career took off in
1957. There was something about his songs that draw her in and captivate her
like nothing ever had before. Then all of a sudden, like she had been
hypnotized Callie is sent back in time to right before Joey was to step onto
the plane that would seal his fate. She feels she must save the star thus
ensuring further success in his career.
My kind of time
travel:
The concept of time travel is something that intrigues me,
but I admit that I am quite picky with the books I read that focuses on this
idea. I am not a big fan of science fiction or fantasy, so technical time
travel having to do with time machines and the like don’t really appeal to me.
However I do like it when it involves a more fate based storyline, like Wishing
You Were Here has. As a music lover myself, the idea of an Elvis Pressley style
character also really caught my attention.
50’s charm:
Set in a small American town of Shelby Falls, Chant paints a
picture of a typical 1950’s era setting. Complete with the small-town support,
drugstore diners and ice cream shops. Think Grease. While others may find these
descriptions cliché, I loved them all.
Make it or break it:
Although a cute romance, Wishing You Were Here examines the
power the record industry holds over their artists. They can make or break a
career with the snap of their fingers. This still rings true today, just as
much as it did during the time period that this book was set in.
Oh Callie!
Callie was definitely a 2000’s girl with the ideals to
match. This didn’t exactly bode well for a young woman trying to pass off as
someone coming of age in the late 1950’s. There were times when I wanted to shake
her for stepping outside the character she was trying to keep up. I found her
attitude to boarder on disrespectful, like an angst-ridden teen. She was also
quite meddlesome with Joey’s career, although I know she only wanted what was
best for him.
How about that plot
twist?
I admit that earlier on in this book, I found some passages
to be repetitive making me roll my eyes. However I really enjoyed this story
and was able to set aside the unrealistic more often than not. I enjoyed
reading along as all was revealed and honestly didn’t see the plot twist coming
near the end.
Further reading and
recommendations:
I look forward to reading the follow-up novella, as well as
the sequel to this series soon. Wishing You Were Here is a fun contemporary
romance-style read with a time travel twist. I would recommend it to fans of
that genre and think that it would make for an enjoyable beach read.
