The Wish

A Time Slip Novel #1

by Lena Gibson

Three men. Two timelines. One wish.

Haunted by her choices, including marrying an abusive con man, thirty-five-year-old Elizabeth has been unable to speak for two years. She is further devastated when she learns an old boyfriend has died. Nothing in her life is right.

That night, Elizabeth wishes for a mulligan. When she wakes, to her surprise, it is no longer 2022, but 2017. Though thrilled to have a chance to fix mistakes, the past is not perfect. She has a stalker and is still voiceless. Just like before, her boyfriend slips into a mysterious coma, so she enlists his brother Christopher’s aid to determine the cause. In their investigation, he becomes her staunchest ally and her unexpected soulmate.

Elizabeth’s stalker threatens her happiness, as do those who wish secrets to remain buried. If she can’t reclaim her voice, her former boyfriend will fade away in a coma and her stalker may claim her life.

Don’t miss The Wish, which mixes the mundane with a hint of magic—a romantic and thrilling ride for anyone who imagines they could transform regret into their best decision.

Genres: Romance, Time Travel, Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Adult, Contemporary

Audiobook

First published August 17, 2023

About the author

Award-winning author Lena Gibson is a storyteller as an elementary school teacher and keeper of the family lore. As someone with autism, she often creates characters that reflect this experience.

A voracious reader from childhood onward, Lena seeks wonderful books in which to escape. She loves interesting characters and fast-paced, emotional narratives, leading her to write genre-defying stories in multiple categories. While her books are disaster romance, time slip, dystopian adventure, and sports romance, all are about love, resilience, and hope.

When Lena isn't writing, she reads, practices karate, and drinks a ton of tea. She resides in New Westminster, Canada, with her family and their fuzzy overlord, Ash, the fluffiest of gray cats.

https://linktr.ee/LenaGibsonAuthor

Reviews

[Briar's Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Wish by Lena Gibson is definitely one of my fave time travel books that I've read in a long time.

We all have those memories we hate reliving. Ones that we might feel guilty about, if we would have just done something differently... Our lead, Elizabeth, is mute after being a part of a tragic accident. And to top it off, she just recently learned her ex died years ago. If only she could go back and change everything... Life could be better.

And somehow, she goes back in time, leaving her just enough time to potentially right some wrongs. Her ex-boyfriend is working in a lab and is up to something fishy. He died from a coma in the future and she is determined to stop his death with the help of his brother (who is also her future coworker). Throw in the ex-husband she hated also being there and finding more ways to torment her... She's got a lot going on.

This book is a delight and I happily binged it all in one night. I couldn't help it. The writing style moved fast enough to keep me engaged and I really needed to know what happened. There was also many twists and turns that kept me on my toes. Throw in a dash of R rated romance too... There's a lot going on, in a good way.

My biggest sticking point was that Christopher can read minds. I felt like that didn't need to be in the story, as it just felt out of place. Sure, it's a fantasy and a lot of the story is out there, but that one just didn't fit. That's my only negative out of the whole book. The rest was a fun, binge-worthy read that left me wanting more books by Lena Gibson in my hands stat.

Five out of five stars.

I received this book for free from the author, Lena Gibson, in exchange for an honest review.

[Diane Nagatomo · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Wish" by Lena Gibson is a wonderful story that has a perfect blend of just about everything: romance, suspense, mystery, time travel, and even a bit of magic. Elizabeth Bergstrom is traumatized after an accident that left her abusive husband dead. If only she could go back and do everything different--she wouldn't let the love of her life slip through her hands and make the awful mistakes that put her into her current situation. Her wish is granted and she wakes up five years earlier. This time, things would be different! And they are. Just not the way Elizabeth had envisioned. With dozens of surprising twists and turns, this novel will keep readers guessing.

Thank you to Net Galley for providing an ARC of this exceptional, Five Star book.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Wish by Lena Gibson
Three men. Two timelines. One wish. This book grab me from the first line and never lets up. It's a thriller and a hint of magic and romance, time traveler.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book deserves five stars because it has it all, time travel, mystery, thriller, magic and love. Elizabeth has lived through a bad time and now has a chance to start all over again. However the past is not what she expected. This author had me turning the pages and wanting to know what was going to happen next. Finding out about Eric and what he wanted from Elizabeth was creepy, no matter what she does he wants her and plans on winning. I really enjoyed this book and cannot wait to read more from this author. I received a free book and the views and opinions are my own.

[Sasha Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Wish is a whimsical, dramatic, romantic page-turner involving time travel. The traumatized protagonist, Elizabeth, makes a wish for a do-over and wakes up five years before she made her wish. Lena Gibson, an author with a beautifully unique voice, writes about selective mutism through Elizabeth's emotional journey of finding her voice. Gibson knits words together in a smooth, fun, dramatic, surprising way that left me on an up note.

[Denice Langley · Rating 5 out of 5]

When her life is out of her control and it seems as if she'll never be able to speak again, Elizabeth makes a wish. If she could just go back, she'd "fix" everything that is broken in her life. Her wish is granted, she wakes up the next morning 5 years in the past, before everything went wrong. But can you really fix something before it's broken?

This book is very skillfully written. The characters "fit" the story perfectly. You just want to show them what is wrong and tell them how to fix it, but Lena Gibson does an excellent job of guiding them through the trials in front of them. They must figure out how everything went wrong in order to keep it from repeating. But their actions will change the future, just maybe not the way they predicted. An excellent read for me, no slow chapters, no "what did I just read" events and an ending that makes the thrill of the chase all worth it.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trigger warning : domestic violence , stocking

I have discovered a fabulous new writer —I loved this book ! — This is a great time traveling science fiction —love story. It drew me in right from the beginning and it was hard to put down and go back to regular everyday life. Lots of twists and turns in this book —it is full of mystery, it has thriller moments , a romance , and has conspiracy theory — I really got attached to the main character and I began to feel her anxiety and other emotions with her—by chapter 15 I was on the edge of my seat and I really had to know what was gonna happen — Highly recommend !

Thank-you to Netgalley and Black Rose Writing publishing for the ARC , this is my honest review.

[SH · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 2022, Elizabeth finds herself confronted with the news that her ex-boyfriend, Brandon has died years ago. Traumatised by her life choices. Elizabeth finds herself back in time to 2017 where she is no longer married and Brandon is alive. With the help of Brandon’s brother Christopher, they work together to uncover the mystery behind Brandon’s death.
This story has it all with plenty of mystery, suspense and romance. I was so consumed by it all, reading every chance that I could.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Valeria · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wish I could rate this less than one star.

It was just a big mess. It contradicted itself every three pages, Im shocked this was edited before coming out. The story made little to no sense at all, it made it very unpredictable but at the same time completely predictable because of the way the author wrote everything. The million plot twist it had were just not very interesting and it was unnecessarily long.
The FMC was very annoying too.

I liked the other book by this same author so I expected this to be good but it just wasn’t the case.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounding up.
Picking this book up, I was expecting a cheesy romance story. While that was in there, this book was more than that. There were mystery elements as well as some thriller moments. It was an easy read that kept me interested until the very end. There are a couple of trigger warnings that you might want to look into before reading if you have some things you don't want to read. I'm not going to spoil anything listing them here.

[Jeffrey Levin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Wish is a romantic, fast-paced, magical trip through love and terror. You’ll care about the characters and be on the edge of your seat as you hold on through the rollercoaster ride of their lives. Enjoy the ride!

[Janalyn, the blind reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Due to a tragic accident that took the life of her husband Eric Elizabeth no longer has the ability to talk but that doesn’t stop her ex boyfriend Brandon‘s brother from constantly talking to her even doing her voice if necessary. Elizabeth never let him know but it kind of amuses her but on this day he has something very important to ask her and although she would usually say no for some reason she says yes. Elizabeth and Brandon broke up because he basically ghosted her but her and Chris work in the same building for the same company in must interact. That night at dinner Elizabeth finds out some very upsetting things like for example her ex and Chris’s brother is dead due to an overdose but according to Chris he thinks someone murdered him and he wants Elizabeth to help find out what happened. He says he will give her time to think about it but that night before going to sleep she gets her Amber rock that her therapist gave her and just and jest tells her cat Ember she wishes she could have a do over. Imagine her surprise when she wakes up the next morning and Emeril is a kitten and everything is the way it was five years ago before she met Eric and before Brandon left her unfortunately she still has to attend her sister‘s wedding where she met Eric but since Chris invited himself to the event she thinks she’ll be able to avoid him but I guess when you are meant to cross someone’s path you’re going to no matter how many do overs you get. This time however she won’t be married to him but the plague of Eric it’s still horrible and it spreads to Chris. They still want to find out what is happening with his brother Brandon Bowen Eric set it up to make Chris look like a theme and a felon and he gets arrested things couldn’t get worse but they do! This book was so good I love love love Chris and wish they were men like that in real life he was so awesome this is a great book by an author I have read before and she never disappoints what a great mystery romance. I want to thank Blackrose riding and net galley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

[Lynne Macdonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book.
It has been a real longtime since I really loved a story and this is it.

[Lorraine Berry · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love a good time travel story and the main plot of this book sees Elizabeth making a wish for a do-over. She then wakes up five years before she made her wish and she immediately jumps to a time travel conclusion, without even checking her phone or TV for the date! We then have Christopher who believes her without any pushback, which is a little odd until you find out his secret. In addition, her Therapist has witchy ‘powers’ and she hires a PI firm who have an invisible cloak. In truth, I would have preferred the story without all the side characters’ ‘special powers’ - it all felt a little too convenient and it took the story from being semi credible/imaginable, to an absolute farce. The story is readable enough if you can overlook, or accept the weirdness which accompanies the side characters: Unfortunately, I could not. Many thanks however to NetGallery and White Rose Writing for allowing me to get a copy of the book.

[Nomadic Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blending elements of romance, magical realism, mystery and science fiction, Gibson has crafted a unique story that grabs your attention right from the start and never lets go.

Autistic-coded Elizabeth Bergstrom has suffered from selective mutism for 2 years following the death of her abusive ex-husband in a car accident she survived. She met him shortly after her ex-boyfriend Brandon broke up with her and married him on the rebound. As the story opens, we meet Brandon’s brother Christopher who works with her at the Portland Museum of Natural History where he takes pleasure in charmingly goading her, in the hopes he’ll get her to talk. Soon after, she learns that Brandon died many years before and wishes for a do-over. Be careful what you wish for because she wakes up five years in the past. Almost immediately, Elizabeth begins to see past events from a different perspective, but she also has to decide what actions she’ll take to rewrite her future. Surprisingly, she’s still mute, but when she reconnects with Christopher to try to save Brandon, she learns that he can read her thoughts and believes that she’s from the future, making the entire process easier.

There’s never a dull moment in this story, from the ex-husband who is so much worse than she ever knew to her sister who acts as if Elizabeth is incapable of rational thought because she can’t speak (and makes selfish, damaging decisions as a result). The reason behind Brandon’s coma reads like a combination of science fiction and a bloody, psychological thriller, but there’s also a beautiful romance and a few dashes of magical realism with an invisible cloak, time travel, and mind-reading. Gibson also sensitively tackles grief, guilt, scientific ethics, ableism, and domestic violence without these heavy topics weighing down or stalling the narrative.

If you’re looking for a complex story that will keep you riveted and at the edge of your seat, pick this one up. This would be an excellent choice for a book club given how much fodder there is for discussion. I only wish that a major publisher was behind this book because it deserves a wider audience. Highly recommended.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are strictly my own.

[Adelle Powers · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Wish is a highly original thriller that keeps you up long past your bedtime. It is a romantic, empowering, and action-packed time travel story that transcends all of those labels. Finding herself in a rut, young widow Elizabeth makes a wish and is shocked to find herself five years in the past with an opportunity to right the wrongs of her past. Avoiding all of the traps of time travel literature, the author takes the reader on a different kind of journey - a journey in which perception is everything, and perception changes based on every piece of new evidence. Neither timeline presents easy choices, and Elizabeth will have to rely on her gut in order to figure out who to trust and who to toss in an increasingly complicated version of her life. It is an absolute delight from start to finish, and breezes right along, despite tackling violence against women and other traumas, which - try though we might - are harder to avoid than we might think. It is as hopeful as it is real, however, and deftly manages a tricky balance of romance and danger. Couldn't put it down.

[Cam Torrens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another blockbuster in the making! Lena Gibson is the writing community's hottest new multi-genre author. I've read her romance writing, her upcoming dystopian series, and now The Wish--a magical, time-traveling, romance-thriller. She's nailing home runs with every new release!

Elizabeth faces insurmountable challenges in 2022--the love of her life is dead and she suffers from selective mutism. Unexpectedly transported five years into the past, her lover still lives, but Elizabeth remains mute. Will she seize this opportunity to change the future?

The Wish is a perfect blend of romance and magic--a thrilling journey of transformation and redemption, where the pursuit of happiness may threaten everything. A must-read!

[Renee Jolly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of those books I stayed up way too late most nights to binge. I think we all want Christopher to be our lover after this story. What an emotional rollercoaster of love,lust, nausea, sadness, and everything else that comes with every relationship possible. I was pleasantly surprised not having to read thru how absolutely no one believed Elizabeth time traveled, but rather, her therapist was there throughout the journey and Christopher could read her mind - amazing writing; Lena had me questioning what I thought I knew, then brought me back to reality over and over again. Thank you, Netgalley, for allowing me to review this title; I regret not having read it sooner.

[Heather Beal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Time travel, mysterious scientific research, steamy forbidden romantic relationships, AND danger around every corner? Check, check, check, and check! If you have every asked “what if” or wondered about second chances, you are going to LOVE The Wish! Raw and real, you will find yourself drawn into the intrigue and madly turning the pages to see what happens next!

- Heather Beal, author of Extinguishing Shadows

[Ashley Nussman-Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites

I am sad that I put off reading this book for so long! I read every other book by this author and was afraid this one would be "too different." Turns out, it was the best kind of different! I cannot recommend it more! Anything by Lena is perfection. You can feel Lena's love of writing in every page!

[Debbie Gorse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. So many twists and turns, a few times I thought I knew what was going to happen and surprise it did not. This book keep me guessing and interested right to the very end.

[K Bise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Great book. Had a hard time putting it down. Only complaint: two characters were introduced. Their backstory was mentioned in passing. To me, it made it seem like this was a sequel instead of a standalone. Looked for the other characters' story, but they don't have one.

[Holly Mavigliano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read

This was a very interesting book. Contemporary romance, Action, Mystery, And even a thriller. There is even a dose Of fairy tale/paranormal. This is a great book to read! It's longer than a beach read, but is a stand-alone novel. Recommended!!

[Aurelie Jobin · Rating 2 out of 5]

No, just no. Until the end, I was waiting for a twist, for SOME KIND of explanation, for it to be CLEVER! No. Nothing. It's kind a badly written too... the characters accept things too willingly and everything feels random. It's hard to explain how it is at times too easy, and at times too painfully hard to get the story moving. In the end, there was no structure and no payoff...

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this down. Great time travel book with a different sort of plot, a bit of mystery and some romance thrown in. The character is trying to save her ex boyfriend and things change in the past, in unexpected ways!

[Rachelle LeBlanc · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a dual time story with time travel with a while you were sleeping vibe.

Summary:

Elizabeth works in a museum with Christopher. She dated his brother, Brandon who ghosted her without any explanation. Elizabeth ended up married to Eric who was abusive. He dies in a care wreck when she was driving him to the hospital and loses the ability to speak due to the trauma. At work one day (three years after Brandon disappeared), Christopher breaks the news to her that Brandon went into a coma and had died a few months after he disappeared from what was labeled a drug overdose. That night she goes home and makes a wish to go back in time to try and save Brandon. It works and she is transported back to 2017. In 2017, she enlist the help of Christopher to help save Brandon's life while putting their own lives in danger. Eric is this timeline becomes a stalker (but she doesn't marry him).


My thoughts:

The Wish held my captivated the whole way through. It kept me reading because I wanted to know what would happen with Eric, with Brandon and would they be able to save him with losing their own lives, what would happen between Christopher and Elizabeth and would she ever be able to speak again. There was so much action that I never lost interest and I never saw the ending coming. It made sense but I just think there would be a connection between Eric and Brandon.

I will definitely read more from Lena Gibson and plan to buy The Wish as a physical copy when I can so I can read it again and again.
Thank you NetGalley, Black Rose Writing and Lena Gibson for the complimentary copy of The Wish.

[Jennifer Ferber · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would actually give this book 31/2 stars as it was a good, interesting thriller story. I just felt at times it dragged on a bit too much with filler. I like the concept of the story though. Contemporary romance, mystery suspense and a hint of fairytale elements. I like that it is a one and done story, no cliffhangers

[Abby · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF 24%, then skimmed some (to 73%) before reading other reviews. I usually like time travel, but when all of the convenient other magical powers get involved, it gets too contrived. The FMC annoyed me, and the MMC was too perfect (does my super protectiveness, defending you against danger scare you?), so I was eye rolling or irritated a lot. The detailed sex scene was cringy, and didn’t fit with the rest- it had too many themes trying to work into the same book- time travel, overly-convenient magical abilities when needed, intrigue/thriller, etc. Unlike other reviewers, I didn’t feel the writing was very good- it was like a lot of good ideas with an ok writer. I liked the idea of this book, but not the execution.

Trigger warnings - domestic abuse, attempted rape

[Lisa Scott Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

Compelling enough characters and storyline. Didn't like being hit with too-long sex scenes in the middle of the book. Not a prude, but don't read books for sex. It wasn't in keeping with the rest of the plot, IMHO. Story would not suffer in any way without such drawn out scenes.

[Lisa Müller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly well written!

A very well-written, finely tuned story with suspense that doesn't quit.

As an editor, there were a few grammatical nits I noticed, but nothing glaring.

A fantastic read. Well worth a few hours of my time.