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The Right Wrong Number

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Carly Kelly has just been presented with a life-changing business opportunity for tiny nursery and flower store, Plant People. But she only has four days to decide, which means she will most likely have to cancel her weekend trip away. She dials her friends to let them know, and excitedly launches into a speech about the opportunity. But when she pauses, a sexy, inquisitive stranger is on the other end, and he’s eager to hear about her store, her passions and her life. She’s dialed the wrong number--- and the man on the other end, with his deep voice, his charming jokes and his excellent advice, is a surprise she never expected…
Will this wrong number turn out to be right man for Carly?
Featuring an excerpt from Barbara Delinsky’s upcoming novel, Sweet Salt Air.

30 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 2, 2013

517 people are currently reading
1782 people want to read

About the author

Barbara Delinsky

302 books4,348 followers
I was born and raised in suburban Boston. My mother’s death, when I was eight, was the defining event of a childhood that was otherwise ordinary. I took piano lessons and flute lessons. I took ballroom dancing lessons. I went to summer camp through my fifteenth year (in Maine, which explains the setting of so many of my stories), then spent my sixteenth summer learning to type and to drive (two skills that have served me better than all of my other high school courses combined). I earned a B.A. in Psychology at Tufts University and an M.A. in Sociology at Boston College. The motivation behind the M.A. was sheer greed. My husband was just starting law school. We needed the money.

Following graduate school, I worked as a researcher with the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and as a photographer and reporter for the Belmont Herald. I did the newspaper work after my first son was born. Since I was heavily into taking pictures of him, I worked for the paper to support that habit. Initially, I wrote only in a secondary capacity, to provide copy for the pictures I took. In time, I realized that I was better at writing than photography. I used both skills doing volunteer work for hospital groups, and have served on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and on the MGH’s Women’s Cancer Advisory Board.

I became an actual writer by fluke. My twins were four when, by chance, I happened on a newspaper article profiling three female writers. Intrigued, I spent three months researching, plotting, and writing my own book - and it sold.

My niche? I write about the emotional crises that we face in our lives. Readers identify with my characters. They know them. They are them. I'm an everyday woman writing about everyday people facing not-so-everyday challenges.

My novels are character-driven studies of marriage, parenthood, sibling rivalry, and friendship, and I’ve been blessed in having readers who buy them eagerly enough to put them on the major bestseller lists. One of my latest, Sweet Salt Air, came out in 2013.  Blueprints, my second novel with St. Martin’s Press, became my 22nd New York Times bestselling novel soon after its release in June 2015.  Making Up, my work in progress, will be published in 2018.

2018? Yikes. I didn’t think I’d live that long. I thought I’d die of breast cancer back in the 1900's, like my mom. But I didn’t. I was diagnosed nearly twenty years ago, had surgery and treatment, and here I am, stronger than ever and loving having authored yet another book, this one the non-fiction Uplift: Secrets From the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors. First published in 2001, Uplift is a handbook of practical tips and upbeat anecdotes that I compiled with the help of 350 breast cancer survivors, their families and friends. These survivors just ... blew me away! They gave me the book that I wish I’d had way back when I was diagnosed. There is no medical information here, nothing frightening, simply practical advice from friends who’ve had breast cancer. The 10th Anniversary Volume of Uplift is now in print. And the money I’ve made on the book? Every cent has gone to my charitable foundation, which funds an ongoing research fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Connect with me on Facebook: facebook.com/bdelinsky
Look for my photos on Instagram: instagram.com/barbaradelinsky

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 276 reviews
Profile Image for Mo.
1,402 reviews2 followers
November 13, 2022
A freebie and very, very short - cute enough but not a lot of substance to it ... need a few more of these, if I am to make my reading challenge this year. I know, desperate measures are needed. Did I mention that it was very short?

Profile Image for Writer.
287 reviews15 followers
April 20, 2013
WHAT A DELIGHTFUL STORY...and FREE! So what's the ruckus?, April 3, 2013
Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Right Wrong Number: A Short Story (Kindle Edition)
I am really surprised, amazed even at the amount of negative and almost angry reviews this delightful short story garnered. Short as it may be, it elicited so many different emotions. Just by Carly Kelly's short walk from a large home store Mayer's, who's trying to buy her out, to her own little quaint plant shop called Plant People has already provoked a feeling of contentment, a sense of security and belonging where you know almost everyone not just by face but by their name. Talking to her plants as she gently cleanses each individual leaf, almost like cooing them will put a smile to your face. Feeling a little unsure should she merge with Mayer's or not, you feel for her, you can't help commiserate with her. Carly found herself having a heart to heart talk to a total stranger ( Charlie ) on the phone when she accidentally dialed a wrong phone number trying to reach some friends who lives a few hours away from her. With Charlie's smooth warm voice and his open candidness, Carly ended up pouring her heart out eliciting good advice and great wisdom from Charlie. Before they even realized it, they were asking each other personal questions, you can feel the tension through the line, the strong attraction and connection is palpable. Unfortunately Carly dropped her cellphone into a bucket filled with liquid brew for her plants and rendered her cell dead and useless. They got disconnected before they even had a chance to ask for each others phone number, can you imagine that feeling! Like regrets, like a loss of something that might be something wonderful. Not one to easily give up, she ran down the street to the nearest store and bought a new cellphone, she then tried different number combinations, frantic to get connected with him again but no such luck. She relentlessly tried for the next three days and what follows was several different funny responses from those who got her calls, some are hilarious you'll get a real good laugh. At the end of the third day she decided to give it up, turned her open sign to closed, locked the doors and was about to go upstairs to her apartment when her phone rings, she answers ...it's HIM! Just like Carly, Charlie was so taken with her he called all the Mayer's store and a plant shop in the neighboring cities and found her. Wow, it's like serendipity! The first word he says when she answered was "hey"... one word was all it took, her heart stopped, he tells her what he's gone through to find her, drove all the way to her instead of just calling. The ending was even sweeter... He asked her to dinner, she says "when" and he says "in ten seconds", "where are you" she says..."across the street" he says...she looks out her window and saw the only man standing holding a phone to his ear. He was of average height but stood tall, wore jeans and jacket with dark brown hair, wire-rimmed glasses with sweet unsureness on his face that as she looked him over, she fell in love, there and then..."so" he said with a tentative hope "dinner, are you free?"...she smiled and said " yes thank you, I believe I am" and unlocked the door and walked out. That feeling of hope, love and triumph, if this indeed a prequel to a coming book, it needn't be explained to us. After all, it's a short story...delightful, sweet and short, a great beginning to a great book! That is, if Ms. Delinsky decides to write and graces us with one. Short stories have no set length and is a brief work of literature. In terms of word count there is no official demarcation between a short story and a novel, so what's the big ruckus?
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Profile Image for Morgan Wyatt.
Author 20 books310 followers
April 7, 2013
I knew this was a short story. I am unsure why other readers were so shocked by the length. It was a fun read about a woman who had a hard decision to make and accidentally calls the wrong number. She is shocked to find herself talking to a smart, understanding man. Too bad she drops her phone in a bucket of water. The book also includes an excerpt of Barbara's yet to be release novel, which looks like a winner.

Don't be too hard on Barbara, readers. Publishers make the decision to release these short stories and excerpts. As far as being conned, I don't think so. Did you spend any money? No, you didn't and you did get a well written tale for free. That would be a gift, not a con.
Profile Image for Kate McMurry.
Author 1 book124 followers
April 6, 2013
A failure as a marketing ploy, and a failure as a romance short story

Like many others, I frequently try out authors who offer "FREE!" Kindle books. Delinsky is a well-known romance author, but I had never read her work, and the offering of what I assumed would be a complete novel at no cost seemed to be a terrific opportunity to check her out. Unfortunately, The Right Wrong Number is not a novel. It is a short story, and it is not even a very good one, for several reasons:

The "cute meet" of the hero and heroine results from the heroine presumably entering a wrong number in her cell phone. However, in order for that misdial to occur, we are asked to believe that she would choose to laboriously click in every digit for the number of her closest friends every single time she calls them on a regular basis--rather than simply programming their number into her contact list so that she can do one-click dialing when she calls them. This method of making calls digit-by-digit makes even less sense given that the heroine is a sophisticated enough cell-phone user to know how to program the phone so that all her outgoing calls remain anonymous, which makes it impossible for the romantic interest to track her down when she drops her cell in water and loses all its data.

I might have overlooked that non-motivated, key action of the heroine, given that I enjoyed the conversation that resulted between the heroine and her romantic interest, if only it had led to the two of them spending most of the book on stage together--which is what one expects in a romance short story or novel. Inexplicably, though, Delinsky chose to structure her story such that the two of them are in contact with each other only one other time after that single phone call, for a max of maybe 5-10% of the story. The other 90-95% of the story is dedicated to the heroine mulling over and carrying out what--to me anyway--is a boring business deal.

It's clear that the publisher thought this short story would be a good marketing ploy to introduce Ms. Delinsky to new readers. Sadly, it has failed in its intended purpose. It is impossible to tell after reading this short story if Ms. Delinsky is capable of writing an excellent romance novel. It is only possible to determine that she has been ineffective in writing this particular romance short story.

Profile Image for Lyndi W..
2,042 reviews210 followers
Read
April 2, 2013
This is like... the prologue and first chapter of a full story. It stopped so abruptly I thought my Kindle was messed up. I don't know if this is a teaser for an actual book, but it's not much of a story. It's an extended scene of how Carly gets a dinner date.
Profile Image for Joe Prentis.
Author 26 books13 followers
May 12, 2013
The Right Wrong Number
Barbara Delinsky at her finest.

At some time or the other, all of us have been involved in a relationship that didn’t work out. You have been there, done that, and now you want something better. The person you were involved with might not have been a jerk or worse, but there are a million needs and desires, and there are a lot of partners that aren’t capable of making our wishes come true. Barbara Delinsky’s character, Carly Kelly, is vibrant and alive, and she wants someone who is attuned to her needs. She is happy running her flower shop, but when she receives an offer from Mayer’s, a large establishment wanting to purchase her shop, she is torn with indecision. Her significant other isn’t much help, and Carly realizes she needs to make a decision about her business as well as her personal life.
This novel is very predictable, and that is the wonderful thing about it. From the beginning, you know how it is going to end – which isn’t to say there aren’t a few surprises – but you know and you anticipate it happening with a sense of wonder. This novel is Barbara Delinsky at her finest. Grab your copy, slide down in your seat and put your feet up. If you like romance novels, you are going to love this one.
Profile Image for Jen.
3,366 reviews27 followers
September 9, 2015
Cute, extremely short read, at first glance. Then it gets a little creepy with the stalker tendencies of both MCs, BUT since they were BOTH stalkers, I guess their relationship will work out. 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3, because the story was a cute one and didn't take up much time to read. It seems longer than it is because most of the percentage belongs to teasers of other works.
Profile Image for Joan.
2,870 reviews52 followers
June 7, 2021
Review of eBook

Carly Kelly, the sole proprietor of Plant People, has a difficult decision to make. Her business is doing well enough on its own and Carly is satisfied with that. However, Mayers, the large home store at the other end of the block, wants to set up her plant business as a little boutique within their store, not quite a buyout as much as a merger.

But she’s supposed to take this weekend to visit friends, not pore over reports and plans, papers and accounting spreadsheets. So she calls to postpone the weekend visit . . . and somehow manages to dial the wrong number. She finds herself talking to book editor Charlie.

An unexpected accident leaves her phoneless . . . right in the middle of her conversation with Charlie . . . and Carly spends the next couple of days trying to recreate the misdialed call. Needless to say, she has no success with that, managing only to reach a plethora of wrong people.

Will Carly find a way to reconnect with Charlie, the man who gave her the courage to make her decision, or will Charlie remain a mystery forever?

This short story [advertised as a short story, so no surprise there] is reasonably predictable . . . and delightful. Readers are quite likely to guess the ending [even if they also fervently wish there was just a bit more story]. The situation is unique, but believable [everyone doesn’t use speed dial on their phone, after all]; the characters charming and interesting.

All in all, it’s a cute story guaranteed to elicit a smile or two and a hope that Carly and Charlie actually get that happily ever after.

Recommended.
Profile Image for Louise.
322 reviews9 followers
July 30, 2019
3.75*

This was pretty sweet but way too short. I would have liked to read about their first outing for sure!!
Profile Image for Jennifer.
47 reviews3 followers
April 21, 2013
What a delightful little read! I am enamored by it. It's so refreshing - the idea of "dialing" a wrong number. Little incidents like that is what we're missing with our new technology. ;-) I wanted more of this story, I wanted to know what happened next. It is extremely short - like 30 pages - something I wasn't aware of when I downloaded it. I really ought to pay more attention to things like that. All I know is that I was on such a high, and then the book ended, and I couldn't believe it! It was horrible, but great at the same time. I would love for Barbara Delinsky to write about what happens next, but if she doesn't I'm ok with it. I feel maybe this story was just to tease the readers of her talents; kind of show us what she can do. And for that I commend her; for getting me so into the story and so into these characters in such a short amount of time.
Profile Image for Elisabeth.
82 reviews
August 30, 2016
The only redeeming quality I found in this story was that it was free. I found it believable to mis-dial a phone number. I found it believable to launch into a monologue once you realize the phone was answered. I found it hard to believe that after realizing she had dialed the wrong number, she would not have immediately apologized and hung up. Yet, that is what this author wants you to believe.

Not only does the lead character not hang up but she proceeds to tell this random stranger so many other things and after destroying her phone, she uses the knowledge gained from their conversation to try and track the guy down. I don't consider that romantic-I find it stalker type behavior. It ends well for her though since it turns out the guy is just as big a stalker as she is since he tracks her down and invites her on a date. Of course she accepts and that is the end of the story.
Profile Image for Sara.
195 reviews7 followers
May 5, 2013
What a cute cute cute short story.
It's about a plant shop owner who accidentally dials Charlie instead of her friends and when he answers she just dumps on him about how this huge store wants to incorporate her small plant business and what should she do. He laughs and she realizes that she dialed the wrong number. They start chatting about it and then he phone falls into water and it's dead forever. Without her phone to see what number she accidentally dialed and no phone records for 23 days, what will she do? This could have been the man of her dreams or at least the man for right now...
Profile Image for Freda Mans-Labianca.
1,294 reviews122 followers
September 10, 2016
How sweet!
Not only does Carly know how to grow a garden but she also knows how to let love grow. A lesson that is really hard to master when you meet the person of your dreams. Most people have a tendency to go too fast, but she knew to pump the brakes a little.
What a great intro into the series too. It was short, sweet and drew me right in! I hope Sweet Salt Air has the same characters, Carly and Charlie. I need to know where it went from where it was. Like, really NEED to know. They got married and made babies, right?! Please!
Can't wait to read more!
Profile Image for Lorrie.
754 reviews
April 3, 2013
This just appeared on my kindle free of charge so I read it. Short little story but kind of cute. I enjoyed it. I remember reading the idea of this somewhere. It might have been on the GR site as an ad, I'm not sure. The main character is making a phone call but misdials and ends up speaking to the man on the other end of the line that's a wrong number. Instead of hanging up, they continue to talk and really enjoy themselves. Several typos in this story.
Profile Image for Lindsey.
181 reviews18 followers
April 4, 2013
I pre-ordered this ebook a while ago and it just downloaded this morning, I was excited and started reading it immediately, I was finished with it in less than 10 minutes! I do not enjoy short stories and would not have wanted this had I known ahead of time that it was a short story, it had a cute premise but literally nothing happened, it was like reading a long synopsis of a book, maybe if this comes out as a full length story I'll give it a shot but oh well
Profile Image for Demi (Breaking Bookshelves).
104 reviews3 followers
April 7, 2013
Read the synopsis.
Read it?
Good.
Surprise! You've pretty much read the entire story.

Honestly, the writing is easy enough to get through, and the premise is cute, if not a little creepy and far-fetched considering the specifics of the situation. However, this is shorter than I thought it would be. It feels incomplete and unfinished. It reads like the prologue of a much larger story, and I'm rather disappointed that it is not.
Profile Image for Kathryn.
3,403 reviews31 followers
September 22, 2016
The perfect light and fun story to read before dinner. I loved it!
Profile Image for Deliah Lawrence.
Author 3 books23 followers
May 4, 2025
This was my first time reading a romance short story by Barbara Delinsky, and I found her writing to be emphatic and easy to follow. The story centers around Carly Kelly, the owner of Plant People, a nursery and flower shop. She's offered a potentially life-changing opportunity to partner with Mayer’s, a major home store chain.

With only four days to decide, Carly calls her friends Bibi and Hank to share the news—but she accidentally dials the wrong number. On the other end is a stranger named Charlie, whose sexy, intriguing voice catches her off guard. Instead of hanging up, Carly keeps talking. Charlie is kind, curious about her shop, and genuinely supportive. Their conversation flows effortlessly, and she finds herself opening up to him. Just as their connection deepens, disaster strikes—her phone drops into a bucket of water, cutting the call short.

With no way to recover the number, Carly tries various combinations on her new phone but can't reach Charlie again. Still, his advice sticks with her. She consults a lawyer (also a customer) to review the Mayer’s deal, and together they make adjustments that protect her business interests. Yet, Charlie lingers in her thoughts, and she keeps searching for him online.

Then, in a serendipitous twist, on the final night of celebrating her independence as a businesswoman, the store phone rings. The voice on the other end stops her in her tracks—it’s Charlie. He’s been trying to find her too and finally tracked her down. He asks her out to dinner... and that’s where the story ends.

Overall, this was a quick and delightful read. Though the ending felt a bit abrupt (I would’ve loved a glimpse of their dinner!), I enjoyed the story’s charm and simplicity. I especially appreciated the mutual drive between Carly and Charlie to reconnect. I’d definitely read more from Barbara Delinsky.

Some of my favorite lines:

The voice on the other end held an audible smile. “I think I would love that. Who is this?”

That quickly, Carly went from relief that she’d said it all to mortification—because now that he’d spoken more than just a hello, she could hear that the man on the other end wasn’t Hank. This man’s voice was deeper. It was slower and more relaxed. Definitely more sexy.

“Oh dear,” she said, totally mortified. “And my speech was so good.”

He laughed. “It was great. That’s a really neat opportunity you have.”
Profile Image for Julie Barrett.
9,126 reviews201 followers
May 30, 2018
The Right Wrong Number: A Short Story by Barbara Delinsky
Cute short story about Carly Kelly who runs her own shop for plants. It's in a college town and a huge store wants has given her a chance to incorporate with them.
She arrives home and calls to cancel her plans with her family but dials the phone wrong and ends up talking to Charlie who's an editor and they are getting along just great when she drops her phone in a bucket of water.
Like how she tries to find out who he is and attempts to misdial a lot more numbers to get him back on the new phone.
Book also includes an excerpt from Sweet Salt Air. Othe works by the author are highlighted at the end.
About the authoris included.
Profile Image for Terri.
883 reviews8 followers
August 21, 2018
I don't usually read short stories. My preference is usually long involved sagas, the longer the better, but I had a little time to kill and I purposely picked up something short for once. I'd never read anything by Barbara Delinsky. When I read a new author my first test is whether I like the author's writing style because that is "make or break" for me. I immediately became swept up in Ms. Delinsky's writing style! It's a bell ringer! And the story soon pulled me in, in a good way. I was charmed by the characters, charmed by the mysterious wrong number scenario, charmed by the big fail and scramble to figure out how to find Charlie. I will definitely seek out and read more books by this author!
Profile Image for Nitzan Schwarz.
1,164 reviews224 followers
August 14, 2017
Read on August 14, 2017 (Doesn't count toward yearly goal)

I mean, I knew this was a short story coming in, but I found myself thinking that's it? when the last page came at 40% of the kindle edition and the next was an excerpt from another book by the author. That was slightly vexing.

Anyways, it's a sweet short story without a lot of substance. If you're looking for a short, fast read like that, pick it up. If you're looking for more, maybe pick up something else.
Profile Image for Lori.
39 reviews
June 5, 2023
A great short story of a plant store owner who gets an offer to merge with a large department store. She has to cancel plans with friends and accidentally dials a wrong number. A man answers and they discuss her new opportunity when her phone falls into a bucket of water and disconnects. She tries calling him back to no avail. One night after closing up the shop, the phone rings and she picks up the phone. It’s Charlie and he asks her to dinner. What a lovely ending.
Profile Image for Charlotte.
31 reviews
June 19, 2017
This woman was wondering whether or not to sell her flower shop to a bigger store, so, in distress, she phoned a friend. Only it was the wrong number-but it was the right number of her Prince Charming. After a nice chat, she accidentaly dropped her phonein water and spent the next few days trying to re-dial the right wrong number.
Wrily funny, don´t miss this short story by Barbara Delinsky!
Profile Image for TISHA.
193 reviews7 followers
September 9, 2018
This is such a delightful story and I have no idea why some have given it two stars. I have been through a very similar situation, and although I didn't fall for him, he became a good friend. A beautiful voice can make a person wonder.
Profile Image for Melissa Osborne.
155 reviews5 followers
July 23, 2021
Cute story

Great quick read. I enjoyed it very much. Took about 2 hours with breaks to read. It was heart warming and simple. If it were turned into a longer book I'd ready that too.
126 reviews2 followers
November 10, 2022
I loved these stories.

I loved both stories. I'd like to read more of the wrong number story. How about a sequel. I enjoyed the excerpt of Sweet Salt Air and fully intend to read the novel. I enjoy all books by Baebara Delinsky. She is o e of my favorite authors.
Profile Image for Maureen.
3,595 reviews38 followers
April 27, 2023
The best love story ever! This was a beautiful, touching tale. If you enjoy a story that starts off painfully sad, then sweet and romantic, and then so hilarious you're almost wetting yourself (around 76%) then this is the one for you.
Profile Image for Amanda Manns.
127 reviews
March 12, 2024
I have had this on my Kindle for quite a while, and it was completely forgotten about. After decoding to look through all my books, I came across this one. This was a cute little short story about dialing a wrong number and hitting it off with the man on the other end of the line.
Profile Image for Mandy.
96 reviews1 follower
May 15, 2024
Short love story

I have to admit I was a little disappointed in how short the story was. The second story, which was a peek at another book, was longer. I wish there had been a little more depth to the story. Overall, it was okay, short and sweet.
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