The Secret Ingredient of Wishes: A Novel - Hardcover

Crispell, Susan Bishop

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1250089093 ISBN 13: 9781250089090

Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books, 2016

Synopsis

26-year-old Rachel Monroe has spent her whole life trying to keep a very unusual secret: she can make wishes come true. And sometimes the consequences are disastrous. So when Rachel accidentally grants an outlandish wish for the first time in years, she decides it’s time to leave her hometown―and her past―behind for good.

Rachel isn’t on the road long before she runs out of gas in a town that’s not on her map: Nowhere, North Carolina―also known as the town of “Lost and Found.” In Nowhere, Rachel is taken in by a spit-fire old woman, Catch, who possesses a strange gift of her own: she can bind secrets by baking them into pies. Rachel also meets Catch’s neighbor, Ashe, a Southern gentleman with a complicated past, who makes her want to believe in happily-ever-after for the first time in her life.

As she settles into the small town, Rachel hopes her own secrets will stay hidden, but wishes start piling up everywhere Rachel goes. When the consequences threaten to ruin everything she’s begun to build in Nowhere, Rachel must come to terms with who she is and what she can do, or risk losing the people she’s starting to love―and her chance at happiness―all over again.

About this title

About the Author

SUSAN BISHOP CRISPELL earned a BFA in creative writing from the University of North Carolina – Wilmington. Susan lives and writes near Wilmington, NC with her husband and their two literary-named cats. She is the author of The Secret Ingredient of Wishes.

Review

"The fervent wishes and life-changing secrets at the heart of Crispell's magical tale are as addictive as the mysterious Catch's strawberry pie. I adored this story of romance and friendship, heartache and healing , and the transformative power of hope."

--Loretta Nyhan, author of I'll Be Seeing You and All the Good Parts

"Susan Bishop Crispell delivers a page-turning and moving story of family, love, and second chances complete with touches of humor and heartache. If you don't already believe in magic, you will, when you arrive in Nowhere, North Carolina along with Rachel Monroe, meet the town's charismatic residents, and learn everyone's secrets, hopes, and deepest fears. Fans of Sarah Addison Allen will delight in this bright new voice in romantic magical realism. I know I did!"
---Amy Sue Nathan, author of The Good Neighbor and The Glass Wives

“This is a lovely, lark of a novel filled with imagination and energy. The warm characters, in the most engaging way, learn that you must be careful for what you wish for or live with the consequences.”
--Ann Garvin, author of I Like You Just Fine When You’re Not Around and The Dog Year

"A magical, tenderly-told story about one woman’s journey to embrace a gift she has always feared as she confronts a past she cannot quite remember. A lyrical and imaginative read about the redemptive power of self-acceptance in the wake of heartbreak, and the ways in which new love can blossom even in the darkest, most hidden corners of the human heart."
--Ilie Ruby, author of The Language of Trees

"How I loved this warm hug of a novel about what it means to get what you want most--and how to figure out what that really is."
--Melissa Senate, author of See Jane Date and The Love Goddess' Cooking School

"A romantic confection of pies, wishes, and a spoonful of magic. A delectable read."
--Shelley Noble, New York Times-bestselling author of Whisper Beach

"Susan Bishop Crispell has created a magical world where secrets are baked into pies, wishes do come true, and second chances are possible. Sarah Addison Allen fans will flock to Crispell's charming novel, leaving the last page as satisfied as they would after a slice of homemade peach pie."
-- Karma Brown, author of Come Away with Me

"A truly enchanting tale. One to cherish."
--Menna van Praag, author of The Dress Shop of Dreams

About this edition

• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1250089093
• ISBN 13: 9781250089090
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 304