Book review: Wildest Dreams by Meridith Claire

Wildest Dreams by Meridith Claire

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Review is also available on my site: https://roxannacross.com/2025/01/28/b...

NetGalley provided this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

American-born Filipina Mackenzie Almazan and golden Jewish boy Samson Madden have been joined at the hip since she was eight and he ten. Even after the devastating death of her uncle Deano, the man who raised her, it should be the happiest time in Mac’s life as she is planning her wedding to Sam, the center of her heart. Sam’s trajectory in the corporate world moves fast; he doesn’t realize he’s fallen into the “White Man Privilege” rabbit hole until one look exchanged between him and Mac shatters the oneness they once shared. Admittedly, the emotions felt stiff in this situation, being the catalyst that propelled each character on the path of self-discovery, it sorely lacked the gut-punch factor.

Chaoxiang Zhou, or Hunter, is a guy who seems to come out of nowhere, yet he is precisely what Mac needs. Hunter is terminally ill, and with the last few weeks of his life, he wants to help someone create their wildest dreams list and see if he can make them come true. The two of them and his assistant, Ollie, embark on a whirlwind journey where Mac learns about herself, crosses items off her dream list, and helps Hunter complete his. The friendships Mac knits with Hunter, Ollie, and Parker are steadfast, and the hardships of being with a loved one in their final days, those emotions rang true and hit the emotional chords.

Sam’s journey is a bit disjointed. Claire wrote the book in a dual POV; however, Mackenzie is the prominent voice. Still, readers get to know Sam, understand him, and see all the wrong turns he took while climbing that corporate ladder, and the idiom hard pill to swallow comes to mind. Still good on him for taking the time, with his mother’s and best friend’s help, to evaluate his changes and realize they weren’t necessarily for the better and what truly matters going forward.

Claire’s writing can go from active to passive, bordering on info dumps. It’s the show vs. tell conundrum. Maybe showing readers all the beautiful things Claire wanted would have turned this book into an eight-hundred-page monster. Who knows? However, the tight-knit friendships, the sense of community, and the values and honoring of loved ones passed through music, art, jewelry, and other little things are what mattered and what readers retained the most. The ending is original, gut-wrenching, and hopeful, all rolled into one. This book is a definite 3-star read.



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