I wouldn't say I'm the biggest fan of magical realism - the genre of fiction where the world is completely like ours, but with small twists to magic. THE SECRET INGREDIENT OF WISHES by Susan Bishop Crispell, however, worked for me. The charming way the characters interacted with each other won me over. A few things were a little too convenient, but overall, a delightful read that would serve well as a companion on a rainy day with a big mug of hot chocolate.

Rachel, our heroine, has the power to grant wishes, but not like a genie, and not in a way she can always control. And there have been lots of consequences to her "gift", as people wish for things all the time that have negative effects on their lives. Like someone saying "I wish my mom wasn't my mom" in a fit of anger; being in Rachel's presence is a big risk. At the beginning of our story, she's run out of gas while fleeing a particular mess and finds herself with the tantalizing ability of having a fresh start. Until she realizes her gift doesn't have an off-switch.

I'm honestly going to ignore the things that didn't work for me, because I have a feeling they're genre specific and I'm not super familiar with magical realism's rules. So let me tell you what did work. The relationships between the hero and heroine, the way the town reacted to the magic, the nuances of different ideas about hope. These all worked. I also really appreciated the way the novel dealt with ideas of family and the pain that family sometimes inflicts on others. There's sticky situations in this book, lies and assumptions that for too long have gone unaddressed. The unravelling of those takes time and pain.

If you're in the mood for a story of someone finding herself, coming to grips with who she is, dealing with the past, and choosing to live a life not powered by fear, I'd recommend THE SECRET INGREDIENT OF WISHES by Susan Bishop Crispell.