Review of 'Wish You Were Here' by Bernadette Eden
Release date: Dec 1, 2026
Publisher: HQ Fiction
REVIEW
Wish You Were Here by Bernadette Eden is an impressive debut that tackles a difficult topic of unexpected death and associated guilt. Yet balanced with plenty of wit and wisdom to keep a reader calm and connected—especially since the struggles our two main characters grapple with are definitely realistic and relatable. There are major secrets that, once known, throw some massive twists into the plot as yes, these are surprises you may not see coming. So it is not a predictable storyline by any means. There is a fresh take on romance, too, with a bit of hidden yearning and unrealised forbidden love. Plus another unexpected relationship. It also showcases the trials of a country business, a crumbling caravan park and the fear of losing it, along with the memories and dreams connected to it after one woman’s husband dies in a questionable accident leaving her to care for two children.
Sally is juggling a number of life events and struggling with financial woes since her husband’s death. Her husband’s best friend, Jagger, tried to help and initially she found comfort in his care of her and her children. But then his job took him away and a lot happened in between. Until years later he arrives back in town and turns Sally’s world upside down with his revelations. Old emotions surface and blame and guilt magnify. But also unexpected feelings of attraction awaken. And secrets rise to the surface that now must be dealt with.
As Sally takes a long hard look at her life and location, and what Mount Mirabella has meant to her: ‘safety and knowing people’, ‘comfort and community’, she wonders if she ‘sold that community down the river’ when she closed the bike tracks after her loss. Though the familiarity of that mountain provided safety and strength after her husband Mark’s death “somewhere in there, perhaps the mountain had trapped me in its safety. Held me tight and given me an excuse not to be brave.’ We see the opposite in her son who is going away to school and feels he needs to board instead of living with his mother. It will be scary leaving the comfort of the familiar but he knows it is something he must do— to spread his wings and be brave.
This is a story about grief—the blame, the pain, damaged identity, feeling lost but it is also about forgiveness, love, healing, hope, independence, perspective and second chances. Yet one theme looms large above all that, that strangely was in a book I just read before this one. And that is the need for change. Just as Sally says, ‘I had to accept that nothing would change if I didn’t change.’ Basically to get a different outcome, we must change our actions, because repeating the same behaviour will only lead to the same results. Sally cannot hide from the world and those who care about her, indefinitely. She must deal with what happened in her husband, in order for her to move on—to move forward out the shadows of the past into the light of a positive future. Where love and freedom are waiting for her. 4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 💫
Thanks to HQ Fiction and HQ Insiders for a review copy.
