Simple Wishes

Adele Matin is a woman with a problem. She made a careless mistake that cost her job in New York City at an art gallery. Without a job, her apartment soon followed. She returned home to Grumble Knot on Notch Lane (don't you just love these names!), a house which her mother Marge had left to her in her will. She hadn't been back to rural Pennsylvania since she was seventeen - when she had left with these thoughts - to make it in New York City and be rid of her past and her demanding and unloving mother for good. So her return to Grumble Knot seemed to her the worst possible thing that could happen, but she had no where else to go. Jay Westvelt had been taking care of the cabin in the years since her mother had died. He was a recluse and an artist who lived in a cabin called Tarpaper - next to Grumble Knot. He and Adele soon become close, even though they both seem to have issues from the past that are threatening their future. Beatrice is Adele's Korean neighbor who was also Marge's friend. She knows the secret that Marge did not want her daughter to find out. She also has a secret of her own. She does her best to keep Adele from digging into the past. As Adele and Jay grow closer, Adele also begins closing in on the secrets that she is sure everyone is keeping from her. When she finally uncovers the truth, will it send her back to New York City where a new job in a new art gallery awaits? Or will she finally learn to trust and believe in love? I enjoyed this book very much. It had conflict, romance, mystery, heartache. The characters were great and I felt like they were people I could actually meet! They were dealing with issues that are relevant today - conflicts between mothers and daughters, teenage sex, family skeletons. As for the romance factor, I enjoyed reading a book that wasn't "love at first sight - sparks flying" and then "happily ever after". Jay and Adele had to learn to trust each other and had fights and misunderstandings along the way. This was a good read for right before Valentine's Day!

Never in my life have I read a book in 24hrs. THIS was the book that I did, with no effort. (And I was sorry to have it end!) I felt so many emotions! It kept my interest and I felt deeply for each character. My love for reading has been reignighted with this book! I recommended it to a local Literature Club and I can't wait to discuss it with them. Thank you Lisa for a wonderful book that was a "today" story with a perfect mix of emotions. I look forward to more of your books!

Simple Wishes Lisa Dale Forever, 2009 ISBN: 0446406899 Reviewed by Debra Gaynor [...], 1/09 5 Stars Deep emotions... After the death of her mother, Adele leaves the big city to return to the cottage where she grew up. Adele has a lot of emotional baggage to work through. Jay Westvelt is her next-door neighbor; she finds herself talking to him in a way she has never felt comfortable doing before. Simple Wishes by Lisa Dale is a touching read. The romance is secondary to the emotional maturing of Adele. The secondary characters were an intricate part of the plot. Dale adds twists and turns that keep the reader interested. Lisa Dale was a new name to me. I will eagerly away her next offering.

I am impressed with Simple Wishes, by Lisa Dale. Admittedly, I haven't heard her name before doing this review, but I won't hesitate to recommend her. Simple Wishes and Seeds of Affection are her two titles, though I am unsure which came first. Lisa Dale grew up in rural Northwestern New Jersey before attending McDaniel College in Westminster , Maryland . She worked briefly in publishing before going back to school to get an MFA in fiction at Fairleigh Dickinson University . Lisa resides in New Jersey with her boyfriend. Adele Matin moved to New York years before to escape a lonely childhood and small hometown life. She built a life for herself and appreciated the anonymity the city gave her, until one horrible mistake brought all that contentment crumbling down at her feet. Fleeing to the rural cottage she inherited from her mother in Pennsylvania , Adele determines that the situation is only temporary, and as soon as she is back on stable ground she'll go back and resume her life again. However, her extremely attractive green-eyed artist neighbor, Jay Westvelt, is proving that living in the country has its perks. As Adele begins to soften and dare to hope for a normal life, secrets from her mother's past resurface, making her want to flee once again and get swallowed up by the big city. Can she get over the past to truly move on? And can Jay convince her to stay with him and take the risk to love someone? It's pretty rare, even for the most gifted of writers, to genuinely and effortlessly invoke powerful emotions in the reader. Lisa Dale throws you into the characters heads and hearts, making you feel their pain, their joy, and their triumph. There wasn't a dead spot in the whole book where I lost interest and, this is saying a lot because I'm a quick reader, I had this done in no time as I couldn't put it down. The setting was superb and I adored the secondary characters greatly. I especially liked the little bit of Korean culture she snuck in there, too, through Beatrice's character. Lisa Dale was very good at dropping bombshells throughout the storyline, as well. I think in this genre, you always root for a happy ending, even when you know it's coming. But this book makes you stand up and shout, growl with frustration, and almost needs an applause at the end. Simple Wishes, by Lisa Dale, is a well-written, emotionally packed, blissful read and unlike others of its kind. Kelly Moran, Author and Reviewer

Lisa Dale's debut novel is absolutely darling and soul-enriching. I relate so much to the heroine so much that it's creepy, especially when it comes to falling for a guy named Jay and the constant struggle between city and country life. All of the characters in here are so real that you'll feel like a part of them are living with you, even after you've finished (at least that's how I felt). If you're looking for a coming-of-age novel for a thirtysomething woman, then this is definitely for you! Looking forward to Dale's next novel!