White Lies & Wishes by Cathy Bramley

Published by Corgi on January 26, 2017

A new Cathy Bramley book is always something to look forward to. White Lies & Wishes is not a four-part novel like many of Cathy’s other books and it was a nice change to not have to wait for the next part because once I’ve finished one book from Cathy, I’m always eager to read another. This book focuses on three different women, Carrie, Sarah and Jo, who very quickly become friends and make plans to each change an aspect of their lives.

By the end of the first chapter, I was already excited to see how the friendship of Carrie, Sarah and Jo would develop and where the story would take them. They weren’t best of friends from the moment they met though there was a connection there between the three of them. As the story develops, they are still getting to know each other, just like the reader is getting to know them. I struggled to pick a favourite and it took me a while to really warm to any of them. I did like all three of them but I was more interested to learn about their “white lies” and the secrets they were keeping.

The idea to the book is a heart-warming and life affirming one. Three women meet at the funeral of their friend’s young husband. There’s a heat-of-the-moment idea from one of them, caught up in the emotion of the day, to create a list of wishes for them to achieve by September. The January publication day for this book is a timely one, as watching Carrie, Sarah and Jo and their struggles is a bit like how most people approach their New Year’s resolutions, except they tend to last a bit longer than the average New Year’s resolution. Carrie loves her food, but hates her figure, and she wishes to be the kind of person to wear a bikini in public. Sarah’s resolution is career related and Jo’s is phobia related, and whilst they can all be easy resolutions to relate to, as things transpire in the book we learn that there is a lot more than meets the eye with all three women.

There’s a real feel-good factor to White Lies & Wishes. The characters tell little lies, they make mistakes and they face realistic struggles. They’re normal women with normal wishes leading normal lives and trying to achieve the typical kind of things we all wish for at times. It is reassuring to read a book with characters like this who are very human and easy to relate to. Cathy’s writing style is warm and inviting and from the moment I began this book, I knew I didn’t want to do anything else with my day except read it. As their friendship builds with plenty of mishaps and laughter along the way, I was engrossed in the story and the surprises it brought with it.

White Lies & Wishes delivers the best form of comfort-reading. It’s ideal escapism to whisk yourself away with three new fictional friends and their relationships, self-esteem and hopes for the future. You can either forget about your own problems for a few hours or take inspiration from Carrie, Sarah and Jo and try and find your own goals to achieve. As with all of Cathy’s books, White Lies & Wishes is full of humour and warmth and romance and a story that will leave you smiling come the end.