Wishing You Were Here by Catherine Chant

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 

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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.