Wish upon a Star

by Tina Reilly

It's hard for Lucy, being the sister of super- model Tracy, especially now that Tracy has landed a part in a major Hollywood movie and all Lucy ever wanted to do is act. Worse than that, Lucy's daughter wants to get to know her father - only Lucy never told him that she was pregnant. So, against the advice of her best friends and her doom-laden mother, Lucy begins the search to trace the boy she has tried so hard to forget ...

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance

432 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Jacqueline · Rating 4 out of 5]

i made the mistake of judging this book by the cover so when i picked it up to read it i thought it was going to be frothy and silly,it is neither of those things.i really enjoyed this book,even if it does have a predictable love story element to it, it deals with so many other relatable issues,starring a woman who has difficult relationships with her mother and sister and who is trying to raise a young girl alone. it manages to deal with these issues in a really funny way, i thought it was hilarious,and sort of in the style of marian keyes humour,definitely will be buying more from this author!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this a real feel good book believable characters.

[Shameez Papathanasiou · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started reading this book a few years ago and after the first few pages, I was bored of it. So I put it down and read a few other books. Recently, I decided I wanted to finish it and once I got through the first few chapters, I really enjoyed it.

It is a very light read, easy, funny and has some heart wrenching moments.

WARNING: Do not read other reviews on here, as I did and the biggest plot twist was revealed and NOT labelled as a spoiler.

[Lynn Hutchinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book, interesting look at relationships of families and friends. Looking forward to reading another of hers.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

The begining was rough, but it turned out ok in the end

[PrettyFlamingo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a great read! Not your usual chick-lit, but had depth and meaning, and explores yes, romance, but it doesn’t take over, it isn’t silly (though there are a lot of amusing moments in the book) and it’s more an exploration of someone’s life in a realistic context.

Briefly, our heroine Lucy is a stressed-out, hardworking single mum with no time for romance, has always lived in the shadow of her more attractive, more accomplished and more successful sister Tracy and doesn’t have the best relationship with her mum. Bringing up her daughter Fainne without a father, working as a receptionist at a veterinary clinic and giving up on her initial dream of acting, Lucy is running through life at breakneck speed. Then her daughter starts to ask about her father, and this sets off a train of events that are amusing, embarrassing and poignant by turns.

I read the book 15 years after publication, and I always like this because of the book being of its time for cultural references. For example, Lucy reflects that her dates run away like Linford Christie when they find out she has a little girl, her sister Tracy sends letters, and there is no mention of Facebook. Lucy looks back on how she met Jason, and the ending of their relationship through flashbacks that illuminate the present story. It’s a thoughtful and absorbing story but fun at the same time. A sign of a good author!

Looking at family dynamics, making sense of the past, friendships, fun and following your dreams, I both thoroughly enjoyed and thoroughly recommend this as a great summer read. I’ve not read anything by this author before, but I certainly will again!

[Fiona · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this fantastic read , Lucy, Gray and Maddie have been friends forever , the story starts in the past with a 19 year old Lucy giving birth to her daughter, Jason the father has done a runner and doesn't realise he has a daughter.
The novel then flits between present day and Lucy's teenage years explaining how things have evolved to her current situation. She is an aspiring actress with a drama qualification so why is she working as a receptionist at the local vets? And how come her sister with no qualification is a famous model and landed a role in a major movie? Why can't Lucy make her parents proud of her? Then to top if off Lucy's daughter wants to meet her father and so the quest begins to track Jason down, Lucy's friends supporting her every step of the way.
This is a tale of love, friendship and self discovery and I loved every minute of it, emotion pours from every page and there was not a character I didn't enjoy in it.

[Angeline Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book thinking it would be some kind of chick-lit book but it's so much better. I cried so hard when I found out that Jason died.
It was so romantic in the end(when Doug and Lucy end up together).
I was very dissapointed when Lucy wanted to get out of her big role in a movie. Well, I understand that she didn't want that kind of life but still,she's a actress and she deserves to be in a movie.That's the only thing I hate about this book but overall it was so emotional and romantic.This book deserves to be a movie.

[Redfox5 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. Sibling rivalry was a core topic here. Something I don't have to deal with as the perk of being the odd one out of 3 children. My other two sisters fight like cats and dogs but they are closer. Loved Lucy as a character and her daughter came across as very adorable. Last couple of chapters had me in floods of tears but it all wrapped up nicely at the end. I'm a sucker for happy endings :)

[Preet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first book by Martina Reilly and I loved it. It captured me from page one and I couldn't put it down until I finished. The flashbacks were inspired and it helped to understand why Lucy and everyone around her was so upset with her decision to find Jason. All the characters are easy to relate to and they're complex, so you can understand connect with all of them. I am really looking forward to picking up more of her back list and reading more from her in the future.

[MrsPeel · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of those books that moved me to tears....
I keep seeing this *chick lit* thing.... I don't have a clue what that is, but as I have seen Alexandra Potter and Reilly categorized as it, it must be good....
If you are a single mum, you'll love this book.
I did.

[Lesley Halliday · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have read previous books by this author and have always enjoyed. This one didn't disappoint! Laugh out loud parts, lump in throat parts and parts where you can totally sympathise with main character. Really enjoyed this!

[Kim Niazi · Rating 5 out of 5]

very nice and light story. i really liked it.awesome

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wish Upon A Star is definitely a dream come true for anyone interested in reading a really good book. It's had me reading on and on because I couldn't manage to shut the book.

[Deyara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny, with great characters.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Book