Wish You Weren't Here by Christy Schillig

New cover & paperback version!

In this immersive debut, a woman spending the summer in Italy finds her carefully ordered life turned upside down—only to discover it might be exactly what she needs to uncover who she truly wants to become. Perfect for fans of Rebecca Serle and Tessa Bailey.

Ava Graham has always had a plan. She heads to Italy determined to finish her final law school credits and honor a promise she made to her late mother five years earlier. She fully expects her longtime boyfriend to propose before she leaves—but instead of a ring, he suggests they take a “break” during her time abroad.

When James Massini shows up late to the airport—doing a favor for his aunt and uncle—he doesn’t expect Ava to be a poised, almost-thirty woman with a sharp edge and a tendency to underestimate him. When she’s assigned as a TA in his class, James sets out to prove that life is more than rigid plans and checklists—no matter how much she resists, or how much he secretly enjoys their back-and-forth.

With her life suddenly in disarray, even ultra-organized Ava starts to find herself falling for Italy’s charm—if only the infuriatingly laid-back James weren’t part of the package. But as she begins to embrace the beauty of unpredictability, just as things start to make sense again, her past resurfaces.

Featuring a witty, relatable heroine and a vividly drawn Italian backdrop, this debut is both a delightful escape and a reminder that life rarely follows the script we’ve written.