Book Review: Wish You Were Here, by Beth Vogt

There are people you learn a little from, and there are people you learn a lot from. For me, Beth Vogt is in the second category.

When I was just starting out in fiction writing a few years ago, Beth graciously volunteered her time to teach a handful of newbies how to critique one another. Month after month, she guided us, instructed us, and encouraged us, until we were ready to continue on our own. That group is still together.

During one of those sessions, Beth brought the first chapter of her novel, Wish You Were Here. I loved the story, and couldn't wait for her to get published so I could read the rest of the story.

That day finally arrived when I received the book in the mail a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, I had to fight my husband over the book, since we were both reading it at the same time. Now my mom is visiting, and she's spending all her time with her nose in the book.

Wish You Were Here is an inspirational novel set in my neck of the woods--Colorado. It was really fun to read about places I've been (my town even makes it into the book!) and new places I'd like to explore. And it has llamas! Here's the back cover copy for the book:

Kissing the wrong guy days before her scheduled wedding leads Allison to become a runaway bride. But can it also lead to happily ever after? Allison Denman is supposed to get married in five days, but everything is all wrong. The huge wedding. The frothy dress. And the groom.

Still, kissing the groom’s brother, Daniel, in an unguarded moment is decidedly not the right thing to do. How could she have made such a mistake? It seems Allison’s life is nothing but mistakes at this point. Daniel’s adventures—chronicled through a collection of postcards—have always appealed to Allison’s well-hidden desire for something more. But how can betraying her fiancé’s trust lead to a true happily ever after?

Can Allison find her way out of this mess? Recognizing she doesn’t have all the answers won’t be easy because she’s used to being in control. To find her way again, she will have to believe that God has a plan for her—one outside her carefully defined comfort zone—and find the strength to let Him lead.

I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. Allison is a character readers can relate to. Her issues are not skin-deep, and I loved discovering her layers right along with her. Both her character arc and Daniel's are so realistic, and the dialogue keeps things moving along in a humorous way.

One of the things Beth does best is keeping the reader off balance with plot twists. Romances are usually so predictable. Not this one. My husband was so worried about how it would end, right up until the last chapter with its wholly satisfying ending.

I'm excited I'll get to go to Beth's book launch this Saturday. If you're in the area, you might want to swing by. And here's a fantastic review of the book by one of Beth's critique partners.