Título del libro: Make my wish come true

Escrito por Fiona Harper

DESCRIPCIÓN Y/O SINOPSIS DE ESTE EBOOK

Family-oriented Juliet is a Christmas-dinner cook extraordinaire and is trying to keep it together in the wake of her marriage breakdown two Christmases ago, but the cracks are beginning to show.

Her bright and vivacious sister Gemma was always the favorite daughter. Gemma has no qualms about escaping the festive madness and the pressures of her glamorous job by jetting off somewhere warm and leaving Christmas in Juliet’s capable hands.

When Gemma shirks responsibility one too many times and announces she’s off to the Caribbean (again!), Juliet finally snaps. Gemma offers her sister the perfect solution—to swap Christmases. She’ll stay home and cook the turkey (how hard can it be?) and Juliet can fly off into the sun and have a restorative break.

In the midst of all the chaos, there’s Will, Juliet’s dishy neighbor who’s far too nice to float Gemma’s boat and may secretly harbor feelings for her sister; and Marco, the suave Italian in the villa next door who has his own ideas about the best way to help Juliet unwind.

Will the sisters abandon caution and make this a Christmas swap to remember?

BREVE FICHA TÉCNICA DEL LIBRO

Formato del ebook: Kindle PDF EPUB MOBI
Tamaño del archivo: 513 KB
Editorial/Editado por: Harlequin HQN (3 de noviembre de 2014)
Idioma: Inglés

OPINIONES:

A heartwarming and festive novel
I was very pleasantly surprised by Fiona Harper’s Make My Wish Come True. I admit that initially when I was offered a review copy I felt a bit sceptical as I wrongly assumed that a novel published by Mills & Boon would always be a smut or erotica read. And while there is nothing wrong with that, it isn’t what I generally enjoy reading myself. So I was ready to decline the kind offer, until I read the book’s blurb and saw its enticing festive cover (I adore Christmas, so festive books are pretty much my favourite thing in the world), which made it sound much more like a chick lit novel and right up my alley – and I am very glad I gave this book a go!
Fairly recently I read Jane Green’s excellent novel Life Swap and the premise to Make My Wish Come True rang very similar, even if in this case it’s two sisters swapping lives and not two strangers. It’s always so easy to believe that the grass is greener on the other side when you’re swamped down by the problems in your own hectic life but when experiencing the other person’s day to day routine, as both Gemma and Juliet get the chance to do, it not only shows that perhaps the other side isn’t quite as perfect as you think it is, but it also gives the sisters some much-needed perspective on their own actions. The sisters have a very forced relationship and by not being able to get past old issues and misconceptions this doesn’t ever get a chance to change, until they step into each other’s shoes and for the first time can see what it’s like to be on the other of the accusations.
Both Gemma and Juliet were well-rounded characters who became very real people with each page that I turned. As the story progressed I became more and more invested in their lives and the burdens they’ve been carrying with them for so long. Juliet’s children were a joy to read about; the sullen teenager Violet who perhaps felt more responsibility than she should have on her young shoulders, the incredibly wise Polly who usually sounded like a 40-year-old instead of the 10-year-old she is, and the young twins boys who brought some much-needed joy and mischief into the house. And let’s not forget Will, the gentleman neighbour who is quite a dish to look at too, I wouldn’t mind having a neighbour like that myself!
Despite being a fairly light and flirty read for the most part, the sisterly relationship was quite intense at times and as the story unfolded and secrets unraveled some of the revelations made it a heart-breaking and though-provoking novel too. Thankfully the Christmas setting also added a lot of warmth to the story and author Fiona Harper truly managed to paint that hectic but oh so wonderful atmosphere that goes hand in hand with crazy Christmas cooking schedules and eclectic gatherings of friends and family members who under any other circumstance would have been unable to spend more than a few minutes in the same room.
Harper describes the complicated family dynamics central to the story with a lot of heart, and with her witty writing style she also adds a charm which turns a novel which could so easily have been too intense or dull, into something engaging and heartfelt. And after reading Make My Wish Come True I’m not only very keen to check out one of her other books, but she’s also single-handedly changed my perspective on Mills & Boons novels, which are definitely worth checking out – even if, like me, you’re not a big reader of their more traditional romantic titles.

The grass isn’t always greener on the other side….
This is the perfect read for a little contemplation about family and the way we perceive them and perhaps how we fail to understand how we are perceived by others. The thought behind the story fits well with the Xmas centred plot.
Two sisters who couldn’t be more different even if they tried. Juliet is a mother to four with an ex husband and. She lives and plans each day with detailed minutiae of a mathematician solving a quantum physics problem.
Her sister Gemma is the younger and more carefree of the two. Not bound by husband or child, she roams the world and leaves the details of family life to her elder sibling.
Not surprisingly neither one understands the needs, dreams and character of the other very well.
As is often the case with older siblings, Juliet has kept certain events from her sister to keep her safe and free to live her life without the burden of the past.
In difficult family situations the eldest often takes on the role as the pseudo-parent when the actual parents are unable to care for their children or they are unaware of how their behaviour is affecting their children. Juliet sees herself as that stand-in parent but at the same time wants to be acknowledged for the child she actually is.
When you take over part of the adult role in the family dynamics people tend to expect more from you. Somewhere in the midst of that the child in the situation loses out on a part of their childhood.
So it is no wonder that Juliet has trouble breaking a habit of a lifetime. She still tries to mother her sister and to make it right for everyone around her. That sounds good in theory but in practice everyone has their breaking point.
That breaking point is at the heart of this story and how the family copes with it.
I liked the fact that Harper didn’t end the book with sugar, spice and all things nice. She managed to leave the reader with a sense of contentment and at the same time kept it realistic.
A very good read.

Be careful what you wish for
Juliet has always been the good and dutiful daughter, hiding her mother’s depressions from her younger sister, and taking care of her when their mother was unable to. She is now divorced, with four children, and she is cracking. She lives for her children and their pleasure it seems, driving them to and from school, their sport clubs, and whatever, participating in their schools and clubs and other social things. Taking care of her aunt who is getting worse and worse with Alzheimer. And the most important thing of all: Christmas has to be perfect.
Her younger sister Gemma is working for a movie company, and Juliet does not think too highly about that, but Gemma is really good at her job, and it is exhausting. Long hours, difficult people to work with and to cajole and look after. And Gemma is not up for a Christmas feeling unwanted and unappreciated at her sisters. She knows she has promised to help this year, but she just can’t deal with it. She needs a vacation. She does not need her sisters constant messages and innuendos. But when she visits her sister to drop off all the presents for her nieces and nephews, her sister blows up. And Gemma offers to swap Christmases with her. She will take care of everything, and Juliet should go on holiday on her own. At first Juliet refuses, how can she ever leave her children behind for Christmas, especially after what their mother did, so many years ago. But her children vote for her to swap with their aunt, they also suffer under the strain their mother dealing with. She never has time to just be with them.
And so the sisters swap. Gemma thinks it will all be a piece of cake, how hard can it be? She really does not need her sisters elaborate notebook full of to-do-lists. But she finds out the hard way how hard her sister’s life is.
And Juliet needs to learn how to relax, and not schedule her vacation to death. She is pleasantly surprised by the luxurious resort she ends up at, but seeing all the couples is making her stand out and feel lonely. But she is determined to see it through. And when her sexy younger neighbour shows interest in her, instead of all the beautiful younger women vying for his attention, she pretends to be her sister. How can he be interested in a boring house wife with four children?
This really could be a fun book, but instead, it made me really sad. Both Gemma and Juliet have serious issues to deal with, both thinking the other the favoured child. When they finally, finally got to talking, their eyes opened, and they became more appreciative of the other. But still, I think they need a lot of therapy to work this through.
Especially as Gemma “poaches” on neighbour Will, who has previously shown some romantic interest in Juliet.
The four children, well, they were brats. I am very happy they are not mine. The oldest daughter is a lot like Gemma, and Juliet sees that and resents it, while the second daughter is a spitting image of Juliet, and way too serious already. The twin boys are just a disaster.
Yes, being a mother is very hard work, and this book shows it. But the overall feeling I had when I finished it, was depressed.
Still, Fiona Harper did make me finish the book, and I was a bit surprised by that myself. Normally it would have been an early DNF. Women’s fiction is really not my genre I need a huge dose of humor in it, and here that is really not the case. The story was a good one, although not very original, sisters swapping lives, but just too sad for me.