The WishThe Wish
What it's about
In 1996, Maggie Dawes is sixteen and pregnant, and her parents send her away to live with an aunt in Ocracoke, a remote village on North Carolina's Outer Banks. She expects to be miserable, until she meets Bryce. Twenty-three years later, Maggie is a famous photographer in New York, seriously ill, and at Christmas she tells her young assistant the story she has never told anyone.
Why it's worth reading
It hit #1 on the New York Times list and was a Goodreads Choice finalist. It's one of Sparks's most emotional books.
You'll love it if you liked
The Last Song
The Lucky One
The Fault in Our StarsGood to know
It's sad, with terminal illness at its center. Have tissues ready.
By the numbers
- Readers85 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller61 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving
More by Nicholas Sparks
The Last SongThe Lucky One
The Rescue
Dear JohnIf you like this, read next
Fourth Wing
The Housemaid
Quicksilver
Atmosphere
Lessons in Chemistry
The Four WindsExplore the best-of lists
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Quick answers
Is The Wish worth reading?
Yes. It hit #1 on the New York Times list and was a Goodreads Choice finalist. It ranks #467 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 78.8 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Wish about?
In 1996, Maggie Dawes is sixteen and pregnant, and her parents send her away to live with an aunt in Ocracoke, a remote village on North Carolina's Outer Banks. She expects to be miserable, until she meets Bryce. Twenty-three years later, Maggie is a famous photographer in New York, seriously ill, and at Christmas she tells her young assistant the story she has never told anyone.
How long does it take to read The Wish?
About 10 hours (386 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Wish?
If you liked it, try The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks, The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks or The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.