Sunday 30 October 2016

Book Review - All She Ever Wished For by Claudia Carroll

Amazon UK
Title: All She Ever Wished For
Author: Claudia Carroll
Format reviewed: Ebook
Source: Netgalley
Publisher: Avon 
Publication Date: 6th October 2016
Rating: 4.5 Stars


A gorgeous story of chance meetings and unexpected friendships . . . because sometimes what you’ve always wished for isn’t necessarily what life has in store . . .

Marriage. It’s a dream come true. Isn’t it?

One wet winter night, two women meet on a bridge. One is Tess Taylor, a personal trainer on the way to meet her boyfriend for date night. The other is Kate King, a celebrity married to a handsome billionaire who just happens to make her cry. In the cold dark evening, there is nothing to link them together but the bridge they shiver on. Little do they know they’ll both hold the key to each other’s future marriage…

All She Ever Wished For tells the story of what happens when your dream is about to come true. And what happens when that dream turns into a bit of a nightmare…


I actually have no idea how on earth I am supposed to review this. I want to tell you about the story, which although is briefly mentioned in the blurb, the actual methods used and the way everything is shown to the reader feels quite different, but yet I fear mentioning the specifics could be a spoiler. 

So lets see what I can safely say.. 

Tess and Kate meet briefly on a rainy evening on the Ha'Penny Bridge, and then two years later their lives entwine in an unexpected way. 

The majority of Kate's story is told in flashbacks, often with accompanying newspaper articles, since she is a celebrity. Tess's story is told in the present and we follow on her journey, of wedding planning, the mixing of two sets of parents and the event she just can't get out of, no matter how hard she tries. 

The story telling was intriguing as the whole time there were some unanswered questions about Kate and her husband, and even at the end I still wasn't completely convinced  understood some of the reasoning behind key decisions. Can't help but wonder whether there may just be a sequel to this book. 

All She Ever Wished For is really the story of two relationships, Kate's and Tess' with their respective partners, but also Kate with her best friend, and Tess with her family, as well as a whole group of new strangers, one of which in particular stands out. Over a two week period Tess has a lot of decisions to make, and Kate's life will completely change too. 

I really did enjoy the book, and was hooked early on, and as the story progressed, I just wanted to be reading and not doing other things, as I was very curious as to how everything would turn out in the end. All She Ever Wished For has secured one thought in my mind though, is that the newer Claudia Carroll books are so much more accomplished than her earlier ones.

Thank you to Avon and Netgalley for this review copy. This was my honest opinion. 

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