What You Wish for

Rating:
Summary: WHAT YOU WISH FOR is average effort
Review: After nearly being bludgeoned to death by her husband Daniel, Helen Ward decides to take her destiny into her hands - when her husband breaks off her tolerance with a vicious attack on her pet dog Lucie. She escapes and seeks refuge in a secret shelter operated by Isabel Tyger, a heiress who with her will decides to keep abused women safe by changing their identity. Helen is touched - and she assumes the identity of Nancy Baker to start a new life. Everything turns out fine as Sam Tolliver enters her life and her Internet business is taking flight - but the embittered Daniel is tenacious - for his job is lost and he wants to get his hands on the fortune that Helen has inherited after Isabel's death....

WHAT YOU WISH FOR approaches spousal abuse with sensitivity - from the gritty fate of Helen, but fails to engage with insight. The nightmarish encounter and the fears are related with intensity but the interest flags - after Ms. Michaels shifts focus on Isabel. The story is predictible and it's only till the ending showdown things progresses - there is little excitement to sustain interest. The romance is light and fluffy but not enough to spice up the situation.

It is an average effort from Ms. Michaels - the middle part of the story is monotonous and drags without any climax - but for those who experiences spousal abuse, it is likely to reflect your situation - while other readers may feel distant. Sometimes stories need a dose of reality as well as some drama to enliven the atmosphere - and probably more of that is what readers wish for.

Rating:
Summary: Awful......I put it down!
Review: After reading a previous book by Michaels called "Celebration" which I would give 2 stars, I decided to read this one, what a bore! I never even finished it! Don't even care how it ended. I will not be reading anymore books by Michaels.

Rating:
Summary: Fern Michaels is one of our best writers
Review: Helen Wood seems to have it all. She owns an exquisite home, beautiful clothing, and tasteful furniture. In reality, Helen lives the life of horror, a long time victim of spousal abuse. Her injuries have been so numerous, Helen wonders when he will kill her. Helen's sole companion and friend is her Yorkshire Terrier Lucie. This time her husband Daniel goes too far, hurting Lucie. Helen fights back by knocking him out with a poker. Grabbing Lucie, she flees to a vet to obtain care for her injured canine's leg.

The vet calls wealthy Isabel Tyger who runs shelters and an underground railroad for battered women. Taking one look at Helen and Lucie, Isabel knows. She places the Californian and her dog in New Jersey where they meet Sam. Sam and Helen fall in love, but she knows the dangerous Daniel still searches to find her to enact a most brutal punishment for what he regards as her betrayal.

Spousal abuse is rarely the centerpiece of a romance novel as it is considered to harsh of a topic. However, the adept Fern Michaels succeeds in showcasing the horrors of abuse without preaching pat solutions to a complex problem. Helen is not only ashamed... but so humiliated that she struggles with the concept of happiness. That is part of Ms. Michaels' message: abuse is more than physical, it is mental and emotional hitting the entire community. WHAT YOU WISH FOR is a deep and complex contemporary tale that combines an in-depth look at a troubling social issue with a bit of romance to takes some of the edge off it. Only the incomparable Ms. Michaels could make that combo work.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Compelling
Review: I agree with one of the previous reviewers that Fern Michaels is one of our best writers. What You Wish For is a story of a woman in an abusive marriage who overcomes many obstacles including shame and humiliation to take back control of her life and eventually find happiness. I was so moved by this story that I've been checking out various womens' shelters in the area with a view toward volunteering my time to help out others in similar situations.

Rating:
Summary: Loved It
Review: I am glad I did not let the previous negative reviews stop me from reading this book. I found it to a very good read. The book begins with,Helen, a beat-down battered wife who is married to a controling over bearing abusive husband(Daniel). Daniel has destroyed Helen's self-confidence, her self-worth, her self-esteem, among many other things. He finally almost kills her dog,Lucie. Helen loves her pet like Lucie was Helen's child. One of the turning point of the the story is when Helen runs from Daniel to protect Lucie's life.

Helen comes in contact with people who can help her rebuild her life. They give her the opportunity to regain all Daniel has taken from her. I love the parts of the book that show how strong Helen becomes. The ending is equal to a fair tale story of love and happiness.

Rating:
Summary: Be careful
Review: I am not familiar with the abused wife syndrome. It was chilling to read about what Helen was going through with her husband when he attacked her. It was heartbreaking to read how she felt worthless, and he felt justified. But the story around them did not hold up. Interesting, but not plausible. All the pieces fit together too neatly, and the ending was just a fairy tale. (Poor girl inherits millions and makes up with her estranged mother.) The characters' relationships with each other were not clearly explored. We understood why Helen's benefactor loved animals, but we had no clue why she befriended battered women. And Helen's decisions when trying to flee her husband are just plain stupid. I like stories with happy endings, but I want them to be believable. This book was a good read, but the ending was just too tidy. By the way, I lived in NJ for many years and it almost never snows before Christmas.

Rating:
Summary: Be careful
Review: I am not familiar with the abused wife syndrome. It was chilling to read about what Helen was going through with her husband when he attacked her. It was heartbreaking to read how she felt worthless, and he felt justified. But the story around them did not hold up. Interesting, but not plausible. All the pieces fit together too neatly, and the ending was just a fairy tale. (Poor girl inherits millions and makes up with her estranged mother.) The characters' relationships with each other were not clearly explored. We understood why Helen's benefactor loved animals, but we had no clue why she befriended battered women. And Helen's decisions when trying to flee her husband are just plain stupid. I like stories with happy endings, but I want them to be believable. This book was a good read, but the ending was just too tidy. By the way, I lived in NJ for many years and it almost never snows before Christmas.

Rating:
Summary: Just What I Wished For in a Good Read!!!
Review: I really enjoyed this book. It grabbed my attention right at the start and I still didn't want to put it down at 2:30 a.m. This book had a lot of the things that I look for in a novel - suspense, romance, lighter moments, plus the villain was her husband (aren't they always?) I really felt for our heroine and her little dog in their predicament. I read bestsellers, favorite authors, just about anything out there, and I enjoyed this book more than anything else I've read this year.

Rating:
Summary: A Definite Dog
Review: I usually LOVE Fern Michaels. However, this is not one of her best efforts. The dialogue and characters fall flat somehow. She somehow just "missed" with this book and even the dogs couldn't save the day.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: I was stunned when I finished this book. This author took a genuinely, serious issue and incorporated it into a magnificient book without losing a beat. The story was warm, it was humorous and it was serious. For those who know nothing about white collar abuse, this is a must read. I also shed a few tears. To me that adds up to another wonderful book by this author who never seems to fail. I love her portrayal of strong women who never give up and win in the end