I almost don’t know where to begin with this review because there was so much I loved about this book. You need to read it.
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Katherine Center won me over with the fact that the main character has epilepsy. I have epilepsy so I found Sam completely relatable and it means a lot to me to see an accurate portrayal of epilepsy in a book. I love that she’s a school librarian and helps kids learn to love to read.
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This book explores some important topics that I believe could help so many; it’s a bright spot and an escape. The overall theme is that we all have fears: we have fears about the unknown, fears stemming from things that have happened to us, fear because we feel a lack of control over situations in our lives. My favorite statements from this book were “never miss a chance to celebrate” and “confront fear with joy”. Think about those. They’re actually related to each other. There’s so much in life we can choose to celebrate if only we look for them; those things can help us confront our fears with joy and overcome them. To the best of your ability, don’t let fear control you.
There’s also pretty cute love story and some good laughs!
But that message about fear just spoke to me.
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I read this as a digital copy but I’ll be buying a physical copy because it’s a special book and so relevant. Do yourself a favor and get this book when it comes out! I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Samantha Casey is a delightful character with enthusiasm for her school and library. She is happy go lucky until their school and the mission of the school is jeopardized by a new principal.

Her mission was to get the new principal fired, however in the process she began to unravel his story and began to understand him better, as well as herself. During this whole process and unexpected events all the characters learned from each other and had an impact on each other. Samantha found love that she had felt she did not deserve, because of circumstances in her past.

Katherine Center's writing flows well. There is intrigue in every scene making it hard to put this book down.

You will want to read this book.

I absolutely love Katherine Center’s books. The characters in this story are so sweet. I highly recommend!

Thank you St. Martins Press and Netgalley for my review copy.

There are so many things running through my mind as of late. This novel....it was a breath of fresh air. It's that novel that makes you smile. Makes you escape....for just a bit.

I adore second chance romances....and although this is not the traditional second chance romance....I feel like that is the category that best describes it. Lots of other stuff weaving in and out, but at the end it brought me to five stars.

I love Katherine Center. She is a must read author for me. In What You Wish For she cemented that.

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. I was so excited to see Katherine Center had a new book because her last two have been great. Her books are easy to read in a single sitting. This one is about secrets and vulnerabilities and ultimately love. Very enjoyable.

Review also posted on GoodReads.

I enjoy Katherine Center’s books. Her characters are always fun, and I’m sucked right in to the plot. This one, forthcoming in July, is no exception. Samantha is a school librarian and her former crush has been brought in to replace a beloved principal. Shenanigans ensue. Much of the plot was predictable, but this was a lovely vacation, escapist read. #arc #netgalley

Once again Katherine Center has stolen my heart!

Of course, when you share the same first name as the main character of a book, it's easy to find yourself particularly attached to them and their drama. But in this case, the main character of Sam is so genuinely easy to like and to root for.

I also found it incredibly refreshing and important that the main character was living with a chronic illness, and we as readers experience the reality of her life with epilepsy. Everyone's experiences are different, and Sam's fears and struggles might be vastly different than others dealing with the same illness, but it was wonderful to see that kind of representation in this book.

I think this author is incredible at making her characters feel grounded and real and down to earth. These are just common, everyday people that you know. They're teachers, police officers, fire fighters, librarians. They live seemingly normal lives, but they all have their own challenges and stories. This book is no exception.

This book also explores themes of gun violence and school safety which is an important topic in our society right now. It was great to see the author tackle these issues head-on, rather than shy away from it or paint over it with a fictional fantasy-land kind of brush. By dealing with these topics, the story feels so grounded in reality and thus it has more weight. It feels relevant and important.


Now getting to the plot:

I love the idea of looking at the past with rosy coloured glasses, and coming to terms with the reality of the present not matching your memories or feelings from the past.

When Duncan arrives on the island, he is just awful. But Sam gives us glimpses of the past version of Duncan; the one she knew years ago that exists now only in memory. And you feel that same longing for him to snap out of it and be "old Duncan" again. But from his first meeting with the teachers, its obvious that there's some kind of trauma affecting his present self. So, it becomes pretty easy to feel empathy for him, despite his terrible decisions. Especially after we get the explanation as to what happened to make him change.

Of course, like all novels in this genre, we're generally skewing towards a happy ending. But the author makes a point to identify that happy endings are work. And we have to choose joy for ourselves whenever possible. (honestly, I teared up at several points throughout this book at the premise of choosing joy, and I absolutely highlighted a few sections to save for later)

Katherine Center is easily setting a new standard for the romance genre, and I'm absolutely loving it. More please!!!

I am a big fan of Katherine Center's work. I certainly was not disappointed by What You Wish For. I don't know if the fact that I was sitting at home on the first day of my CO-VID 19 quarantine had anything to do with my feelings toward the book but I was definitely getting all the emotions. I loved that this book addressed the issue of fear and how the characters dealt with that fear. The book stated at one point that we don't have to wait for joy to happen, we can make it happen. That really turned my day around.

The pace of the book was quick and smooth. I liked most of the characters and probably would like to get to know a few of them a little better.

Do yourself a favor and read this book. I don't think you will be disappointed.

I read Katherine Center's book Things You Save in a Fire last year and really loved it, so I was excited to get an ARC of her newest book What You Wish For. As a fan of Center, I was not disappointed! I loved this book, and here's why:
1) I'm a teacher, and the book was set in a school. with the main character, Sam being a teacher/librarian. I was able to connect with her more because of this.
2) The book was about several of the characters healing from tragedies, and I enjoyed reading about their growth and change throughout the story. It's a great story, that I would classify as Up Lit.
3) There's a cute romance between two of the characters that started off as "enemies", and who doesn't love the hate-turned-love type romance?!

I would say if you read Katherine Center's book Things You Save in a Fire, you will enjoy this one, as it has a similar appeal.

Katherine Centers books have always brought a smile to my face and this was the perfect amount of positive energy that I desperately needed during this crazy time. Something about the characters and the story she writes make you want all the good things to happen. Anyway...

Following the death of Max, Samantha's (Sam) school principle/roommate, Samantha and the entire elementary school are at a loss. Who could possibly take his place? When Sam finds out it is none other than Duncan Carpenter, an old colleague of hers she can't help but feel he is the perfect man. He was nothing but humorous, energetic, and a ball of energy when she worked with him last and okay she may have also had the biggest crush on him ever.

When school finally starts and Duncan gives the pep talk for the year, Sam cannot believe this is the same man she knew before. Duncan is now stiff and only concerned about the safety of the school. Sam is determined to bring back the old Duncan no matter what it takes before he destroys the school.

I would recommend this book for those looking for a light and feel good story. Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and author Katherine Center for this ARC!

Gah!!! The reason I love Katherine Center’s books so much is because the characters she writes are so real that they become friends. You cheer their successes, you empathize with their sorrows, and you’re bereft when their stories come to an end. What You Wish For tackles s some timely and important societal issues and examines how trauma in one’s past can impact who they are in the future. No spoilers, so I’ll be vague. But move this one to the top of your summer reading list!

Another wonderful book by Center. Filled with quirky characters, a creative school community, a lovely small town seaside setting...And as always, Center's kind of crazy and hilarious humor mingled in with serious social issues. I did laugh out loud a few times, and choked up as well.

What happens when you have to be around your firmer crush? Of course sparks will fly and mishaps happen, but also you discover that love can be found when you least expect it. What a charming and engaging read this was. Thank you NetGalley.

I don't know what it is about Katherine Center but I devour her books like candy! Each of them emotional without manipulation. I absolutely adored this book and its quirky librarian heroine. I emphatically recommend this book for anyone especially those that might be going through a dark spot. This book reminds us what it means to be alive.

Katherine Center knocks it out of the park again! What You Wish For is another wonderful read with lovable characters. I fell in love with Sam and couldn't help but cheer her on. Duncan's story is one that hit me straight down to the core as I teach every single day in a school system, never knowing what the next day will bring. A beautiful story with wonderfully written characters. I loved every minute.

This is a charming and uplifting book, just like the previous Katherine Center books that I've read. (How to Walk Away, Things You Save in a Fire).

When the book opens, Samantha Casey, school librarian, is grieving along with the rest of the community at the tragic loss of the school's beloved principal. The Gavelston, Texas school is fun and imaginative and unique. Along comes Duncan Carpenter to fill the principal's shoes, a man who Samantha used to work with....and was madly in love with. Not that Duncan ever knew. That was a secret Samantha kept to herself. Samantha believes Duncan will make the perfect principal....joyful, childlike, creative. When Duncan shows up however, it's clear that he is not the same man she used to know. He is businesslike and wants the campus locked down, everything designed for safety and only safety.

Samantha's not sure what has made Duncan into the paranoid unhappy man he is, but she won't let him turn her school into a prison without a fight. In the meantime, she is keeping a secret of her own, something that makes her feel vulnerable and unwilling to let people into her life.

The town of Gavelston is a central figure in this book, with its heat, history, and beaches. Center blends humor, heart, and romance again for another winning novel.

I love Katherine Center! Her last two books were so cute and uplifting and (right during the COVID-19 panic) What You Wish For is exactly the sweet, heartwarming read I needed. Obviously, this is an ARC and the book isn’t finished, so any typos or confusing bits are easily forgiven. I can’t wait to read the final product, too!

** A huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-ARC of this book! **

Sadly, this was a DNF (at 8%) for me, which I always struggle with doing, but I couldn't continue with this book. I have read two other books by this author, and really enjoyed them, but this one was different.

The book is written in the first person from the stance of the main character - within a chapter, I already strongly disliked the main character and her observations of the world around her. There was a lot of telling in what I read and not a lot of showing, which is a personal reading pet peeve.

I hope that others are able to make it through the book and enjoy it a lot more than I did. This one just wasn't for me.

Another great read from one of my favorite authors, thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy!

This book follows the life of Sam, a librarian at a local private school in Texas. Sam developed a very close relationship with the founders and teachers at the school, they all became family. When her family suddenly experiences a devastating loss, a new leader steps in to take over the school. Sam has to learn how to work with this new leader while keeping the schools history and uniqure culture intact.

I really enjoyed Katherine Center's other books, but I unfortunately could not get very far into this one. The main character completely turned me off. I found her actions and motivations to be extremely unrealistic. She uprooted and moved out of state to avoid someone she had a crush on? She is hiding a medical condition because she was uninvited to a party when she was a kid? I don't think real life works this way, and maybe the rest of the book smooths out, but I could not identify with this person as a character at all.