Have you ever felt that life has got it in for you? Jinnie Cooper certainly does.
Unlucky in love, broke and exiled to a sleepy Scottish village, she really needs to shake things up.
When she gains possession of a battered old lamp, Jinnie’s world changes in ways she could never have imagined. With her affections divided between two men, can her unlikely housemate help – or hinder – the path to … housemate help – or hinder – the path to happiness?
Packed with mystical mayhem and a liberal sprinkling of magic, it’s a laugh-out-loud rollercoaster ride with a cast of characters you’ll take to your heart.
Perfect for fans of Debbie Viggiano, Carole Matthews and Jill Mansell.
‘I loved this wonderful feel-good story with a dash of magic, and I can guarantee it will warm your heart and leave you yearning for more!’
Goodreads Reviewer
‘I absolutely love this author’s writing. If you are ever in need of an escape from the realities of everyday life, then just pick up one of her books.’
Goodreads Reviewer
Prepare to laugh and cry with a romantic comedy you’ll never forget …
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British Chick Lit with a genie? Those just happen to be two of my favorite things, so I had to buy this book the moment I heard about it and I’m so glad I did! A WISH FOR JINNIE takes place in a quaint and quirky Scottish village where Jinnie Cooper goes to lick her wounds after getting dumped by her rich jerk of a fiancé. She gets a part-time job at an antiques shop owned by a charming (and attractive!) writer who kindly gives her an old brass lamp that catches her eye. When Jinnie polishes the lamp, she gets an unexpected house guest in the form of Dhassim, a genie who’s got romantic problems of his own. I really loved the friendship that developed between these two and thought the way the author handled wish-granting in the twenty-first century complete with technical glitches was incredibly clever. Jinnie’s not the only one in Cranley who’s got problems as we meet several other villagers who are struggling with their careers, love lives, and families. I enjoyed getting to know all of these characters and seeing them stumble along the path to figuring things out (with the help of Jinnie and sometimes Dhassim). Magic isn’t a cure-all in this story, but it does open Jinnie’s eyes and heart to new people and experiences and I found her journey to be a very satisfying one to read about. I will definitely be checking out more books by Audrey Davis!
Hard to believe that a story that includes a humiliated thirty-something woman dumped by her arrogant fiancé, a pub owner and his grown son watching Alzheimer’s steal their wife and mother away, a lonely middle-age café owner tempted to cross the line with a married man, a tormented young single mom battling alcoholism and desperate for a break, and… a genie could be a romantic comedy.
But it is… and a good one!
Jinnie Cooper is trying to piece together an existence in the small village of Cranley after her fiancé, Mark, the JERK, calls off their engagement. Embraced by the village’s quirky residents, she soon takes two part-time positions, one at Out of the Attic Antiques—which is one step above a junk store—for Sam Addin and the other for Ken McCroaty at the Jekyll and Hyde Pub.
Determined to avoid getting involved with any man ever again, Jinnie cannot deny her growing attraction to forty-something Sam, but then, there’s also Ken’s handsome son, Ed, who’s closer to her age. She gives herself a reality check, though because Sam is a successful author, has a witchy ex-wife, and a son in college, and Ed has a girlfriend. Besides, there’s no way neither man could be interested in someone like her.
When Jinnie picks out a few items from Sam’s store to fix up her meager flat, her life will never be the same because one of the items is an old, battered lamp.
A Wish for Jinnie is a fun read with much of the laughs provided by Dhassim, a genie of indeterminate age who redefines wish-fulfillment. His manic personality and endless barrage of questions overwhelm Jinnie until she learns even genies aren’t immune from broken hearts.
Story characters are well-developed and easy to relate to but the standout for me was Wilma, Jinnie’s eighty-six-year-old grandmother who lived alone, read tea leaves, and rolled her own cigarettes! Jinnie adores the cantankerous old woman who says and does as she pleases. Wilma is a social media maven and even has thousands of followers on Twitter… and all the headaches that come with it – HA!
But it wouldn’t hurt Jinnie to be more like Wilma. For me, she was a wet rag from the beginning. To be fair, she was unceremoniously dumped by the JERK, who did a number on her self-esteem. But from her recollections, Jinnie had issues before getting involved with the JERK. She was stunned he was attracted to someone like her and shocked he asked her to move in with him and proposed. She never felt worthy of the JERK, and his treatment of her did nothing to build her up. However, her image of herself was contradicted by the residents of Cranley, who called her pretty and even beautiful.
It’s Dhassim who helps Jinnie come into her own though, as she comes to understand him… and herself. She takes another direction with her wish-fulfillment that is life-changing, and not just for her.
I would like to have known more about Dhassim’s past, but not knowing doesn’t take away from the story. However, the sweet ending makes me wonder if I’ll see Jinnie… and Dhassim again.
I recommend this read that’s full of snarky wit and love. But don’t go all in thinking of Robin’s Williams’ genie… Dhassim doesn’t like him.
Enjoy!
You all know how much I loved The Haunting of Hattie Hastings, and a part of me was quite scared to read this book because of it. It happened to me before to like a novel from an author, and the second book not to be as good as the first one. What if my expectations were too high, and I end up giving this book a bad review? To my happiness, none of these happened to me, and I am so very happy I got to be an early reviewer! (I received a free copy from the author in May)
Jinnie was such a well-written character. What I loved about her the most was the not-so-healthy obsession with Jennifer Aniston. Sam was such a great guy, and the chemistry he and Jinnie had warmed my heart with every page I turned. Wilma, Jinnie’s grandmother, was such a savage, but so wise at the same time. Even if she was a bit crazy, I wish I could be like her when I grow old. Every character brought something to the story, and each one of them had a full backstory behind, the only problem was that sometimes I got the names mixed up in my head, and got confused over who’s related to whom.
Recently, fantasy novels grew on me, and the fact that this book had a tint of magic in it, made it ten times better. It was a light read. I finished it in a couple of hours, and the ending WARMED MY HEART! Now I’m a bit sad that I didn’t pick it up earlier, and that I was so scared to read it.
The only thing that bothered me, more or less, was something that never happened to me before. It was hard for me to pick it out, but as soon as I started reading, I was hooked. When I took a break to, I don’t know, eat, and came back to continue reading, it was once again hard for me to start. This is why I took a point off the ‘couldn’t put it down’-ness point. Despite this, A Wish for Jinnie was a great novel and I recommend it for further reading.
If you’re looking for a contemporary women’s lit that is humorous, lighthearted with a dash of fantasy, then you’ll love A Wish for Jinnie by Audrey Davis.
Audrie Davis has a delightful voice that had me giggling through most of the book. The main characters were all relatable and the setting in a village just outside Edinburgh, Scotland was a fun escape for me.
I especially adored the scenes with the grandmother, who may just be my favorite character. Her salty humor, tea leaves readings, and penchant to say the absolutely most irreverent thing at the very best time is perfection. I want to be like her when I grow up!!!
Though the genie was a close second. He was so outrageous and I could totally see him running around in women’s velour joggers with sparkles on the seat. Lol. I actually wanted more of him in the story.
I was definitely able to relate with Jinnie, the main character and even learned to love her and wish her the best. Her sassy humor and inner sweetness were definitely endearing.
Here’s the thing, I love romance, and this had loads of opportunity for it, but the author teased and danced around the romance which left me feeling as though I’d been led on. I wanted to witness everyone fall madly in love but instead I read all the build up and had very little of the romance. And no I’m not talking sex. Lol. I can appreciate a steamy scene but what I wanted and didn’t get were the intense looks, the brushing of the hands, the secret….well I’m sure you get the point.
If I’d read this just for a light read and a good laugh, this would definitely deserve 5 hearts. But since I was teased with romance and left wanting, I’ll have to give this four hearts. That’s okay though! I’m going to definitely buy more of this author’s books. Now I’ll know what to expect!
Thank you, Audrey Davis for the complimentary review copy of this book though Voracious Readers.
If ever there was a book that a doctor would prescribe during lock down or moments of sadness, then this is the one! Clever, witty, feel good and very original. I loved each and every page. Highly recommended.
What a quirky little rom-com this was! Jinne Cooper has moved to a little sleepy Scottish village near Edinburgh to start a fresh after being dumped by her boyfriend. With not much money to her name or a job she ends up getting work in the towns antiques shop, where she picks up some bits and pieces for her new home. Little does she know that the old lamp she picked up is about to turn her life upside down, when a Genie called Dhassim appears before her very eyes whilst she is cleaning the lamp!
Dhassim was a funny character, he was not used to the modern world and see him navigate it was highly amusing, Jinne is a selfless character and when she is armed with the ability to have wishes granted she comes up short and instead uses some to help others in the village.
There is a whole host of characters within this story, and I really would have loved them to have more page time – Jo and Angela especially and maybe there is perhaps a story waiting there for them to come?
This was a quirky feel good rom-com featuring ordinary people with real live struggles mixed with the magical that comes from Dhassim.
4 star read for me.
Before you start this book, you must prepare yourself – you will smile, laugh and probably cry in parts, and this will continue right to the very last page! As a huge fan of Audrey’s books, I had such high hopes for her third novel before I even began. It turned out to be better than I could have ever imagined! I loved the beautifully created characters, each with their own personalities, hopes and dreams, and there is a deep story of both love and friendship with some very unlikely characters. It’s filled with magic, and not the kind that makes you roll your eyes – it flows unexpectedly well with the rest of the story, and I couldn’t have asked for a better adventure to enjoy!