Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

A Simple Wish

Rate this book
The perfect Christmas gift from Britain's best-loved saga author.
1885.
Ruby Carter works hard in her parents' bakery. Whilst life isn't easy, she's happy enough - her gentle mother protects young Ruby from her cruel father and loves her unconditionally. So, when her mother falls seriously ill, Ruby is heartbroken. Then, from her deathbed, her mother reveals that Ruby was adopted.
Stricken by grief and alone with the violent man she called her father, Ruby feels she has no choice but to flee. At just fifteen, homeless and alone she is relieved when a kindly stranger named Mrs Bamber takes pity on poor Ruby and welcomes her into her home.
But soon, Ruby learns Mrs Bamber is not as generous as she first seemed - she forces Ruby into a life of crime as a jewel thief in Birmingham's jewellery quarter. With nothing to her name and nowhere to go Ruby has no choice but to go along with it, despite the guilt and shame she feels. But Ruby is determined that she will atone for what she's done, and be reunited with her birth parents.
Ruby's only wish is to find her family.

419 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 28, 2021

129 people are currently reading
194 people want to read

About the author

Rosie Goodwin

100 books367 followers
Before becoming a writer, I was a Placement Support Worker and foster carer, and worked in the social services department after completing a teacher training course. Many children have joined my family over the years. I still live in Nuneaton, where many of my books are set, with my husband, Trevor, and our beloved dogs.

I was thrilled to discover that I'd become one of the top 250 most-borrowed library authors in the UK, and would like to thank all of you who have taken out my books over the last few years! I love meeting my readers and am always pleased to hear from you. I hope you will all continue to get in touch and please do sign up for my newsletter!

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
1,020 (69%)
4 stars
315 (21%)
3 stars
100 (6%)
2 stars
28 (1%)
1 star
14 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
330 reviews14 followers
February 18, 2022
Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant!!!
This is yet another fantastic story by Rosie Goodwin.
The book is set in the Midlands, and is about Ruby, who since she finds out that she was adopted is desperate to find her birth mother. Ruby at only fifteen, leaves home and all she has ever known after the death of her adopted mother and then being raped by her adopted father. Then her adventure begins and she finds herself in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter where everyone she meets are not necessarily who they seem to be.
Loved it
Profile Image for Kamla .
320 reviews
November 22, 2024
So. The Ruby ring never turned up then! That's why this lovely story only gets 3 stars. Too many loose ends. The Matron should have tried to sell the ring and been arrested for theft and attempted murder. None of the baddies seemed to get their come uppance and that REALLY disappointed me.
It's almost put me off investing 12+ hours of my time listening to any more in this series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Kaxxxx.
56 reviews
May 10, 2022
Heartwarming, thrilling and gripping in equal measure. I'm eager to read more from Rosie Goodwin.
56 reviews1 follower
January 26, 2025
excellent

A book I just couldn’t put down. From cover to cover it held me spell bound.highly recommend. Just brilliant awesome
Profile Image for Trudie.
731 reviews2 followers
April 13, 2023
I think this might be my favourite Dilly Court book. Ruby's life was definitely not easy but that added more to the story.
20 reviews3 followers
September 7, 2025
Really good book, but very dark and at times absolutely disgusting.

Only problem is: how did she KNOW for sure that Ruby was her daughter?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for claire manger.
13 reviews
November 19, 2021
Brilliant

I absolutely love all of Rosie's books. Living in Coventry I feel i can relate than the places spoken about in all of her books. Rosie's books are like a comfort blanket to me, like a bit pot of stew on a cold winter's day. They draw me into another world, and whilst I'm reading in whisked away from the dilemmas and mundane of everyday life and swept back into a time gone by. Thank you for giving me that Rosie Goodwin
Profile Image for Stephanie Ng.
85 reviews1 follower
March 3, 2022
Absolutely loved this book! It absorbed me completely and all I wanted to do was to read it. I told myself I was allowed to read as much as I wanted today as it is world book Day 😁
658 reviews1 follower
November 7, 2023
Interesting set in jewellery district but predictable. Ruby was just too goody, goody!
Profile Image for Leigh.
1,159 reviews
December 9, 2021
Despite its thickness a surprisingly quick read although difficult to read at times. It also made me wonder again if Rosie Goodwin is a VC Andrews fan as this book bears some resemblance to her book Ruby. Not a lot but a few things like two red heads named because if their hair by their dying mothers, an evil girl who's jealous of Ruby, the girl's equally evil mother, being locked away against her will meeting a friend while being locked away and Ruby being a trusting idiot in both books as well as Ruby being artistic and turning the head of every man who crosses her path. There's even a killer staircase (sort of). Maybe it's just because I reread a bunch of those books recently and I'm seeing the plotlines everywhere. Anyway you have to dig deep to find the resemblances. It begins with a baby being born. Her mother is dying and it's doubtful she'll survive. The mother asks her girl be called Ruby because of her red hair. The girl is adopted out to a couple who are unable to have children. They run a bakery and it's implied that she miscarries often because her husband is a brute. Ruby works hard at the bakery. On her death bed her mother says she was adopted and tells her to leave. Ruby doesn't listen and her drunken father rapes her. Sick and scared she flees into the night where she's found at the train station by a woman named Maddie. Maddie takes pity on her and brings her into her house. Not long after arriving at her home Ruby becomes convinced that Maddie is her real mother and she will spend most of book waiting for her to confess this. But Maddie is not just a kind hearted citizen who took a poor stranded child under her wing. No she is a thief and Ruby is recruited to steal. She only does two jobs, the second one she hurts her ankle and meets Bill who will play a major role later on. After the second job Maddie's cook sneaks Ruby to work for the Pembroke family. The Pembroke family are jewelers and live well. Ruby is hired to be the maid to Miranda the evil daughter of the family because there is no way else to describe her. She throws tantrums, as soon as Ruby cleans her room she messes it up again. Her mother is equally spoiled and evil. One thing I was glad of was that Mrs. Pembroke, Lydia was not the usual waif little flower confined to bed always on her death bed as the wives of the rich are often described. She is obese and capable of tantrums as strong as her daughter. The only bright spot is when her old friend Bill is hired as a groom at the household. Only Miranda has set her sights on him and jealous boils beneath the surface. After taking abuse from Miranda for months Miranda goes too far and in a jealous rage shoves Ruby down the stairs. Miranda is sent away to school soon after and Lydia ups and leaves until her husband comes to his senses and let's their daughter come back. Once Ruby recovers from her tumble she is sent to live with Hermione the aunt of Mr. Pembroke, Oscar. There she learns she has a talent for designing jewelry and soon her designs are top sellers. During all this Ruby keeps hoping that Maddie will admit to being her real mother and without Miranda around her romance with Bill begins to blossom. There was also a possible romance with a young medical student George who I really liked. It's rare you get two nice guys as possible romantic interests. With Ruby's star on the rise Miranda and her mother plot to bring her down, and this is where the discomfort comes in. Probably because even though this is fiction there's no doubt a lot of what happens to Ruby happened in real life in those places. But all comes out in the end. Unlike the last book which went on a bit to long at the end, this one was perfectly wrapped up. No dwelling on minor things just a good attention grabbing story and I look forward to seeing where the next one will take me.
Profile Image for Amanda.
2,026 reviews54 followers
November 17, 2021
I have been a fan of Rosie’s work for a few years now. I haven’t caught up with everything that she has written to date but I am getting there. I read the synopsis for ‘A Simple Wish’ and it certainly sounded like the sort of read I have to come to expect from Rosie Goodwin – a tense, dramatic and emotional read. Well ‘A Simple Wish’ certainly ticked those boxes and then some. I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘A Simple Wish’ but more about that in a bit.
I was drawn to this book by the fact that Rosie’s name was on the cover of a book that I had never seen before. The synopsis grabbed my attention and the story within the book’s covers sealed the deal as it were. I first picked the book up only intending to read a couple of chapters to say that I had made a start on reading it but I became so engrossed by the story that I was still sat there reading many chapters and an hour later. This was one of those books that got under my skin somewhat. If I wasn’t reading the book then I was thinking about the characters and if I had to put the book to one side for any reason then I would immediately look forward to being able to pick the book up again. I couldn’t turn the pages of the book quickly enough as my desperation to find out what happened steadily grew and grew. All too quickly I reached the end of ‘A Simple Wish’ and I had to say goodbye to the characters. I found ‘ A Simple Wish’ to be an unputdownable page turner of a read, which gripped me from start to finish. The story certainly kept me guessing and kept me on the edge of my seat.
‘A Simple Wish’ is superbly written but then I have come to expect nothing less from Rosie Goodwin. Rosie knows how to grab the reader’s attention and draw the reader into what proves to be one hell of an emotional story and then some. I know that some people might find it strange but whenever I read one of Rosie’s books, I feel as though I am chatting with friends rather than an actual book. I hope that makes sense. For me, the story hit the ground running and maintained a fast pace throughout. Reading 'A Simple Wish’ certainly felt like being on an emotional and unpredictable rollercoaster ride with all the twists and turns, up and downs and so on. I felt as though I was part of the story and that’s thanks to Rosie’s very vivid and realistic storytelling.
In short I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘A Simple Wish’ and I would recommend it to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Rosie’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.
Profile Image for Jaffareadstoo.
2,932 reviews
November 22, 2021
Ruby Carter's young life hasn't got off to the best of starts and when her mother dies a devastating secret is revealed which spirals Ruby's life out of control. Rescued by a woman who, on the surface, seems to have a good heart, it soon becomes obvious that the enigmatic Mrs Bamber wants Ruby for something quite sinister.

What then follows is a lovely rags-to-riches story in which we see young Ruby battle against everything life threw at her and even though her good nature and enthusiasm will be tested to the absolute limit of her endurance what shines throughout is Ruby's simple wish to discover more about her origins.

Beautifully written with all the trademark characteristics which are so reminiscent of this author's popular writing we once again have a story which wrings out every last drop of emotion to leave us wanting only good things for Ruby and also for those who care for her. Bringing the dark side of Victorian Birmingham to life, from the wealthy drawing rooms of the rich, to downright creepy asylums, there is never a moment when the story doesn't draw you into Ruby's world. I especially enjoyed the references to jewellery making and wished I could have seen some of Ruby's clever designs for myself.

I've now read several of this author's heartwarming historical sagas and I think A Simple Wish is one of my favourites.
Profile Image for Steph.
1,006 reviews19 followers
November 29, 2022
A really enjoyable, warm hearted, if somewhat perilous read in the life of Ruby Carter.
It slightly annoyed me at the start when the blurb literally is basically what happens in the first 30 odd pages and so it tells you nothing of what’s to come and the books not really about what the blurb says.
However, it was an easy read and I enjoyed it. Ruby is a likeable character, surrounded by a whole host of people. There are many dramas that seem to befall young Ruby, though the last one was rather out there and you just knew something was coming long before it did, so it felt like I knew the good things wouldn’t last and I was just waiting for the bad thing to happen!

Miranda was such a hateful nasty character and the way Ruby responded to her supposed new leaf, after everything she had done, was rather hard to believe and stupidly naive.
I would have much rather have seen Miranda get her comeuppance too.

The thing that annoyed me throughout, was the amount of times Ruby referred to a certain person as being her mother. How she thought/hoped it was her and every time she appeared she would think now is the time that she would reveal herself to Ruby and confess. But of course she never did, it’s far too obvious to have been this woman.
24 reviews
December 4, 2024
A very very talented writer. It's been a long time since I read a page turner and I'm not really one for romance.

This book was so well written with a story and backdrop that is so compelling I've wondered again and again if this was actually a true story. Characters were very well developed and the story stayed true till the very end.

I love a linear story that doesn't try to be more complicated than it needs to be, just for the sake of adding to the shock factor.

Each chapter of the main heroine's life builds upon the next with you seeing exactly how her life is shaped by each event, whilst still retaining her naive character throughout. Exactly what makes it thrilling.

Although, her decisions are not just naive for the sake of the plot, they are very well thought out and often times I've found myself agreeing with her thoughts, then falling in the same trap as her.

As an aside thought, I love the setting and the fact that it's set in old England, makes the story feel incredibly close to home.

Very compelling book, and I shall be reading more books from this author in the future.
Profile Image for Paradise.
540 reviews23 followers
December 1, 2021
4.5 stars

This was such a beautiful, well-crafted book.

Ruby captures your heart immediately: she’s young, naïve and alone. Her vulnerability and trust makes her an easy target and she is swept up in a way similar to Oliver Twist when he first arrives in London.

Yet Ruby is pure of heart and this young heroine is determined to prove herself and work hard to ensure she gets what she deserves.

At first you think you know where the story is going, but there are so many twists and turns that Goodwin manages to keep you guessing. There are a few coincidences, but nothing too far-fetched to detract from the story as a whole.

And the characters. There is such a variety of personality, heroism and genuineness that it’s impossible not to be swept up in the story. The Pembrokes themselves came from nothing and worked their way up, making it more believable when they took her in and supported her.

Miranda was a great character; both pitiable and conniving, the conclusion to her story was a surprising, but suitable end.

The way Goodwin writes is fantastic, with no excessive fluff. There is plenty of historical fact, and a good insight into the Victorian jewellery business. Language used is contemporary, but not overtly modern, making the story accessible to all.

A charming piece of historical fiction that is a joy to read.

I was provided with a copy of this book by Zaffre Books. All opinions my own.
2,762 reviews9 followers
January 9, 2023
It's 1885 and until now Ruby Carter's life has been hard, but it's about to get a lot harder.
Her mother, her protector from a brutal father is on her deathbed and reveals she was adopted.
After she passes events transpire that out of fear Ruby runs away and meets the enigmatic Mrs. Bamber.
But she is isn't what she seems and tries to draw the innocent Ruby into a life of crime.
Can she escape her fate and fulfil her dearest wish to find her real birth mother?
Such a wonderful story, I loved this and raced through it, haven't read a bad book by her yet and always look forward to her novels.
Think this could be a favourite so far, I just adored Ruby, a very sweet character who didn't deserve all the unhappiness that befell her.
A great read.
Profile Image for Kayleigh.
323 reviews14 followers
January 3, 2023
A captivating historical fiction - I can see why Goodwin is so popular, I was hooked by ruby's story and really felt her pains. Miranda needed a good dressing down! My only niggle is this did feel a little too long, there was an awful lot going on. But enjoyable none the less and I loved the rags to riches element being partially Ruby gaining employment learning a trade- a lovely touch.

Will be looking to pick up some of Goodwin's other titles for definite.
71 reviews
February 26, 2022
Good read

Although I enjoy reading your books, sometimes the details aren't quite rig,ht. The doctor at Hatters hall died of a heart attack but a while later it says that he was too Ill to be charged with all the things that happened there. There needs to be a little more proof reading to make sure everything is correct
3 reviews
November 3, 2021
Fantastic Read!!!!!!!

Great Story full of everything and more loved all the gritty details towards the end making the story twist and turn Well done to such a Brilliant Author xx

Karen
17 reviews
January 11, 2022
Another fantastic read.

I could not put this book down. Like all her other books, it kept me on the edge of my seat hoping things would come right in the end. Another fantastic read. Looking forward to new book in the spring.
213 reviews7 followers
February 2, 2022
I really enjoyed this book and ended up staying up longer than I should of done because I couldn't put it down. There were a few predictable parts in the book towards the end but it didn't spoil the story. All in all a great read.
179 reviews
May 27, 2024
A book I just couldn’t put down, as I followed the life Of Ruby. She deserved so much more happiness than she was getting in her young life, so young and nieve and believed in everyone, A truly well written book.
Profile Image for Kimberley Dean.
55 reviews
July 11, 2024
I enjoyed this book so much, it was utterly heartwarming and had so many lovely characters. Although Miranda was pure evil and what she did to Ruby was horrific, the poor girl. Ruby did get her happy ending in the end though which I was thrilled about.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
15 reviews
August 28, 2025
As always a beautiful book to read

Rosie Goodwin is an amazing author. The stories draw you into the families and make you want to read more about each person after the book has finished
Profile Image for Arlene.
9 reviews
Read
September 7, 2025
I felt it was a tad unbelievable, also, sussed the parents halfway. Moan ,....two much description of rooms /curtains /carpets clothes. And too many cups of tea, have read better Rosie books. A bit to predictive would give4 stars
80 reviews
November 4, 2021
Brilliant.

I absolutely enjoyed this book, I went through so many emotions whilst reading it! It did end as I expected, thankfully!
Would definitely recommend it.
225 reviews3 followers
November 8, 2021
A wish came true

From the first chapter I fell in love with this fabulous story. There have been hard times and good times. This is a must read book.
Profile Image for The Endless Unread.
3,419 reviews63 followers
December 5, 2021
So heartwarming. A perfect festive read. Every book I read by this author just gets better and better. The emotion and the passion are perfect in every single story.
489 reviews1 follower
January 14, 2022
Another great story from Rosie Goodwin which I could not put down and held my attention from start to end. Fully recommended ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ read 📚.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.