The Wish List by Jane Costello

The Blurb:

There are six months left of Emma Reiss's twenties...and she has some unfinished business. Emma and her friends are about to turn thirty, and for Emma it's a defining moment. Defined, that is, by her having achieved none of the things she'd imagined she would. Her career is all wrong, her love life is a desert and that penthouse apartment she pictured herself in simply never materialised. Moreover, she's never jumped out of a plane, hasn't met the man she's going to marry, has never slept under the stars, or snogged anyone famous - just some of the aspirations on a list she and her friends compiled fifteen years ago. As an endless round of birthday parties sees Emma hurtle towards her own thirtieth, she sets about addressing these issues. But, as she discovers with hilarious consequences, some of them are trickier to tick off than she'd thought…

 

My Review:

A book all about the concept of someone turning 30 and the things to do before their birthday - perfectly apt for me so thought I had to read it. The story took a while to get going, but once you got into the plot it developed quickly. There was an underlying love story which develops throughout the book. This to me made the book more exciting and interesting to see where it was going.

 

The ideas that the main character Emma had and achieved were not unrealistic. A story like this had the potential to go overboard with ideas but Jane Costello got the balance just right. It showed the struggle of trying to achieve a list like this, yet at the same time it showed how much fun something could be when you put your mind to it!

 

Overall rating: 7/10 - You kind of knew what was going to happen in this book based on the concept. However, it is still a fun-packed book with romance, tears and friendship. Definitely for those who (like me) will be turning a big milestone age - it made me think about what I would want to achieve before my 30th. Great for anyone wanting a light-hearted happy book. A fantastic read for a holiday with friends as it would inspire you to discuss your wish list with them and have a giggle about it!