Book Review: One Wish in Manhattan

3,5 stars for One Wish in Manhattan by Mandy Baggot.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… to fall in love
The temperature is dropping, snow is on its way and Hayley Walker is heading for New York with one wish on her mind…to start over.

With her nine year-old daughter Angel, Hayley is ready for an adventure. From hot chocolates and horse-drawn carriage rides in Central Park, to ice-skating at the Rockefeller Centre, and Christmas shopping on 5th Avenue – they soon fall in love with the city that never sleeps.

But there’s more to New York than the bright twinkly lights and breathtaking skyscrapers. Angel has a Christmas wish of her own – to find her real dad.

While Hayley tries to fufil her daughter’s wish, she crosses paths with Billionaire Oliver Drummond. Restless and bored with fast living, there’s something intriguing about him that has Hayley hooked.

Determined to make her daughter’s dream come true, can Hayley dare to think her own dreams might turn into reality – could A New York Christmas turn into a New York Forever?

Travel to the Big Apple this Christmas and join Hayley and Oliver as they both realise that life isn’t just about filling the minutes…it’s about making every moment count. 

Source: Goodreads

 

I was kindly given a copy through netgalley, with many thanks to the publisher.

I'm going to be honest, I think the slow start of this book might have clouded my judgement a little. It wasn't until I was almost halfway that I really started to feel like I was completely sucked in.

It's not even the book's fault. It's just that the last few books I have read were quite head on, pulling me in from the start, so I got used to that. Now that I bumped into a book that had me slowly ease into it, I got a little impatient.

But that doesn't change the fact that story has some very strong positives. The characters are a big one! I loved each and every single one of them. They all had their very own quirky and charming traits that made them an absolute delight to read about.

We follow Hayley as she and her nine year old daughter, Angel, are about to leave for New York on a Christmas holiday. Only what Angel doesn't know is that Hayley plans on finding her father, a man she had a one night stand with ten years ago. Aside from granting her daughter's secret wish, Hayley is hoping that New York will bring her something better than what England has to offer her right now. If only she knew what it would have stored for her...

This story touches so many different topics. From finding the father of your daughter, to dating a billionaire, to losing loved ones. It is true, honest and filled with love the characters have for one another. It's the perfect Christmas book to read with a hot drink and some Christmas music in the background. Fair warning: this book might give you a big desire to spend Christmas in New York.

I mentioned earlier that I found the start a little slow but it was made up by the fact that our male hero, Oliver, was irresistible. The relaxed banter between Oliver and Hayley, their constant teasing and their undeniable connection made this story pick up pace and kept it exciting. It put a smile on my face reading about the two of them and as much as I loved every other character in this book, I probably wouldn't have minded if the 300-odd pages had been about just the two of them. That's how much I liked their chemistry. 

A great read that fills your heart with love and is packed with the spirit of Christmas.