Wish Club

by: Kim Strickland

Published by: Three Rivers Press

Jill, Lindsay, Claudia, Gail and Mara are the members of Book Club. Their monthly get together is like many other clubs. The women eat, drink and may even discuss the book they’ve read.

One evening the book club conversation takes a turn, right into the subject of witchcraft, and an innocent chant with a bit of lighted candle thrown in for ambiance, stops the rain. That ‘coincidence’ is tested further and when Tippy the cat is healed of its debilitating diabetes, the women believe they’re on to something.

Several of the women are not sure if they should get mixed up with witchcraft, but their curiosity and peer pressure soon has the five women ‘wishing’ for things that they believe will make their lives perfect. It’s simple enough: the perfect man, social acceptance/involvement, a child, more money (the lottery would be welcomed), to sing, to write, etc. But their well-intentioned chants go more than a little haywire and their romp into the supernatural becomes a head-long dive into disaster.

Ultimately the only person who can come to their aid and put life back on track might be a real witch. Now, where do they find one?

Wish Club is a fast-paced and fun read with a subtle message that isn’t preachy. The book was a slow build (so stay with it) and then takes off like an explosion. I like the idea of five women and a book club, but the drawback is that it is a bit confusing to keep all the characters separate. I didn’t ever feel that I really got to know any of the women, which impacted my willingness to care about the characters enough to really immerse myself in the book.

Armchair Interviews says: A fast, fun beach read. Remember, be careful what you wish for, you just might get it. And then you’ll have to live with the consequences.