Not my favorite from this author but still a great read. I enjoyed the story, liked the characters. I love that it brings some touchy subjects and harsh realities to the front of the story.

Katherine Center is one of my favorite authors and it may not be fair but I judged this one against “How to Walk Away” and “Things You Save in a Fire”...two of my ALL TIME favorites. This one was wonderful, but it was not as good as the other two.

This is yet another great novel by Katherine Center. There are complex characters and a terrific plot to capture and hold your interest.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As always Kathleen Center delivers a fun book that makes an enjoyable read. If there’s a way to make “chick flicks” cool again and create a chick flick in the form of a book, she does it. I’d never want to leave a review for one of her books that didn’t sing praise for her chick flick booking skills, but... This book just isn’t clicking for me like her others have. I’m not feeling emotionally drawn to the character development. I love the message, but this is falling flatter than her normal books.

The first half of the book could be cut back to 1/4 of the story. It’s pretty wordy. It feels like this story could still use some organizing and a bit more planning. Hopefully by the time it gets to print it will be as good as her other books, but it’s not there yet. Still a cute, girlie, carefree read.

I received a free digital copy of this book from Netgalley for review. It was about a private school although not a murder mystery, what would happen became a mystery. There did not seem to be one major theme in the book as it bounced from the death of a loved one, divorce, illness, school shootings to greed. The protagonist was a lively character with secrets of her own. This is a light quick read for an adternoon’s pasttime. There was a caring quality to some of the characters which made the book one too finish. Some of the language could have been left out and it would have been a cozy mystery.

Is it OK to fall in love with an author? 😊
Or is her writing so beautiful that I feel such a connection to Katherine Center?
From the first book of hers I read - Things you save in a Fire--I was so hooked to her writing style.

Everything is written and carried in this book with such a seemless flow. 🌸
Her seemingly easy writing just takes you through the storyline and after every chapter I had to stop for a minute and savour all those delicious sentences, all those character dwellings, all those ideas I just read about and I could so clearly see everything, every detail from the story. Katherine's way with words just transfers you in this imaginative world where you wish you were a part of.

Following the story of Samantha (Sam), librarian in a private school that is famous for its creativity, and all the chaos that comes along the sudden death of the beloved principal Max has been my wonderful escape in today's craziness.

I particularly like the way the author deals with tough topics. She doesn't picture the world perfect, but doesn't throw you to depression neither. That is the same writing that applies to both the first book I read and this one. The topics that she explores here are epilepsy and school shootings. Very awful stuff by any's measure. But author somehow conveys those horrible things, shows us the bad side of them, tries to make us see some of the positive autcomes. And you are thinking - are there any? Well, the story explores that and makes us see that somehow, somewhere while you are digging deep something good might come out of somewhere.

The characters! Oh - they are so beautifully embroidered in the whole narrative. I felt that Every and each one of them just had to be in the book and that the side characters held as much importance as the main ones.

The profiles, the interests, the ideas of each character, even the douche bag ones got me to love this book. They all completed an amazing array of people that just carried the loveliness of the community throughout all the happenings - the bad, good and great ones the same!

You will find yourself crying at those 'saving a' marine mammal ' descriptions and you would like to integrate yourself to their community so badly! And that's a great thing!
Because it got me thinking - what can I do to help, even a tiny little bit, at least, in my nearest community?

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this amazing novel.

This was wonderful! I felt like I seamlessly fell into the story and enjoyed it all. Katherine Center is definitely one of my favorites for a reason! I love the librarian, Sam, and all the characters at the school. I root for her to save her space and have the life she wants and deserves. The only problem I have is that now I have to wait AGAIN for the next novel!!

I absolutely loved this book. A few quotes that I loved: "Dude-I'm not happy because it comes easily to me. I bite and scratch and claw my way toward happiness every day." "She knew that joy and sorry walked side by side. She knew that being alive meant risking one for the other. And she also knew, as I was starting to understand in a whole new way, that it was always better to dance than to refuse." The book had a trigger for me about seizures that hit close to home but it didn't make me love it any less. I'd highly recommend this book when it comes out on July 14, 2020. I've read her last two books and I really want to go back further and read all of her books now. Thank you for to #stmartinspress and #NetGalley for an #advancedreaderscopy for an honest review.

I loved this book! It was amazing to see the character development and real world connections. I am a school teacher myself and really connected with this book. School shootings are very real but that can’t keep us from finding joy.

First let me get one thing out of the way....I love Katherine Center!

I was introduced to her books last year and have devoured everything she has written, so you can only imagine how over the moon I was to get an ARC of What You Wish For.

There is nothing worse than anticipating a book and being disappointed..nothing!
My expectations for What You Wish For were SO. BEYOND. EXCEEDED!

Once again, in that voice that feels like you are sitting down with Katherine Center and a glass of wine while she tells you a story. The story line was brilliant, the way she used Galveston was smashing, the one liners that make you snort-laugh...all there! She once again weaves the people and city into it's own story.

I highly recommend this book..HIGHLY! ...and if you haven't read Happiness for Beginners, stop what you are doing right now and read it, trust me!

What a timely, personal, and honest story. As an educator myself, I feel that the themes and conflicts within this story are so true to what our lives are actually like. We are a family. We are a family that depends on each other emotionally, physically, and mentally. In her latest novel, Katherine Center tells the story of a school teacher who gets up and goes to work, loves on the children, encourages her colleagues, supports her community. Yet deep down she is doing it all the deflect facing the issues in her own past. In trying to help someone else deal with their issues, the main character is hit square between the eyes with the fact that to truly live one has to face their fears, even if they seem warranted, head-on. Thank you @stmartinpress for the ARC of this amazing book!

Loved the setting and the characters. The Galveston beaches actually play a role in the story and add to the beauty of the setting.

Love, love, love this book! Another wonderful book by Katherine Center, full of vibrant characters and witty banter. A basic story of girl meets boy, lusts after boy for three years or so, moves away to a new job and then boy comes to work at the same place as girl... but as her boss. And finding that boy is now completely different than he was before. It was light, funny.. and at times serious. A tad predictable - but again, what story isn't? - but that didn't stop me from loving Samantha and Duncan (and Chuck Norris).

Choose joy - choose to read this book.

I just read my first Katherine Center book last year and I’m so happy I did! Her books are so good and What You Wish For is no exception! I love how she tackles different subjects and provides a new perspective. I definitely recommend this book!

I am a huge fan of Katherine Center and her previous novels, so I was absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity via Net Galley and St. Martin's Press to read her newest release, “What You Wish For” a bit early (pub date- July 14, 2020) and I’m happy to report that I loved this one just as much as I’ve loved her other books that I’ve read!

Although this book dealt with a couple of subjects that can tend to be anxiety triggers for me, I still finished this book and found it to be a really delightful story...which is really a testament to Katherine Center’s ability to write complex characters that the reader comes to love and care about! I always end her books wishing that I had more time with the characters, and this book was no different—I loved Sam and Duncan, and wished the book was longer just so that I could have had a bit more time with them there at the end.

I think it’s also worth noting that this was a closed door romance (the steam happens off page), which I know many of you prefer and have been waiting for! Overall, I really loved this book, and think it will be a perfect beach read when it releases this summer! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (4.5 out of 5 stars)

Katherine  Center has done it again!  Not that I had any doubts whatsoever!  I love her writing because there is always a deeper story than your typical romantic connection.  Lets begin.

I loved Sam's character.  She is everything you would want and more in a elementary school librarian. Books are her jam, and that's probably why I love her.  I love a character I can connect with.  Now Center's books always come with some sort of loss, and in this story it's the beloved principal.  A guy everyone adored.  However, the school is in for a real treat per Sam!  They hired Duncan, Sam's old co-worker to be the new principal.  He was Mr. Fun Guy!  The guy who made everyday fun at their old school.  The guy Sam left her old school to get away from because she couldn't bring herself to tell him how she felt before someone else snatched him up!

However, what Sam doesn't know, but is quick to learn, the Duncan she once knew is gone.  The Duncan she used to have a crush is now someone who repels her.  His make life fun attitude has been replaced with more of a prison ward attitude.  Paint the walls gray, hire security, cancel all field trips, new rules, etc....  What has changed him into this person that Sam doesn't even recognize?

I will tell you the reasoning behind Duncan's drastic change is tear jerking.  It's this reason Sam fights to bring out the old Duncan even more.  She's falling in love again, but is it too late to save Duncan?  You'll have to grab your copy on July 14, 2020 to find out.  If you love Katherine's writing as much as I do, you don't want to miss this.

Book Rating: 4/5

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

For the grand finale this would pair nicely with a very chilled St Supéry Sauvignon Blanc 2017.

I love when I get an email inviting me to read an arc of Katherine Center’s book since she has become one of my favorite authors! What You Wish For did not disappoint, it has everything I love of Center’s books, characters you root for mixed in with some drama and of course love. And like Center’s previous books, this quickly drew me in and it was hard to put down.

I really enjoyed the character of Samantha, she is flawed and doesn’t shy away from it. She is someone you would want to be friends with and have on your side. And Duncan, as much as you want to dislike him at first, you just can’t when you find out more about what he experienced in the years him and Sam we’re apart.

Highly recommend reading What You Wish For. Throughout the book, Sam talks about finding joy, which is what reading this book does. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for a digital arc.

4.5 stars

I have loved every Katherine Center book I have had the pleasure of reading. The characters are so endearing and often wonderfully adorkable. They encounter relatable issues and obstacles that will have readers rooting for them from the start. What You Wish For is no exception. After reading Happiness for Beginners, I was so excited to learn that loveably goofy Duncan would be getting his own book. I dropped all my other reading commitments and dove right into What You Wish For. Though it's not necessary to read Happiness for Beginners prior to this book, I do recommend it because it's wonderful and I think it will really enrich the experience.

I loved the overall message of choosing joy, even in the face of fear and adversity. The book deals with some very serious, but timely topics (TW: school and gun violence), that may be extremely difficult for readers. It sometimes felt too in your face, but at the same time I can understand why the author chose to show these two extreme sides to the issue. I enjoyed the contrast between bright and sunny Sam and doom and gloom Duncan, especially after seeing him so dramatically different in Happiness for Beginners. Yes, they both make some poor over the top choices, but I could understand that for the most part, their hearts were in the right place. It was fairly clear from the start what Duncan's history would entail, but it didn't take away the impact of his past when all was revealed. Sam and Duncan have a lot of emotional scars to process and deal with, but I loved how they ended up helping each other (and the entire school community) heal. It's a slow burn, second chance-ish romance between them and I have to say that one of my favorite parts of the book is when Duncan is high on pain killers ("The opiates never lie." LOL).

I really enjoyed Sam's inner monologue/voice. The story is told completely in her POV, but her little jokes and quirks were so endearing. Her friendship with Alice was the best and I loved all the math jokes and connections. One of my favorite parts of the book however, was when a few familiar characters popped up during a beach scene. I couldn't wipe the HUGE smile off my face and I may have let out a contented sigh. It really was the tiny bit of epilogue my heart needed for those characters. Another highlight was Chuck Norris and the few easter eggs/nods to Happiness for Beginners. Overall, this was another fantastic read by Katherine Center and is sure to be one of my top reads of 2020!

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

I received an ARC ebook of "What You Wish For" courtesy of Netgalley. This is the 3rd Katherine Center novel I've read and it is written in her signature snarky, witty style.

The story begins with the sudden death of the beloved founder and principal of the Kempner School, a private primary school known for its unconventional approach to teaching and spirit of positivity and fun.

When a new principal (Duncan) is chosen, he arrives intending to change the culture of the school which puts the faculty into a spin, especially the young librarian, Sam (Samantha). How Sam and Duncan learn where each other is coming from and fall in love while finding common ground makes for an easy, satisfying, romantic read that's perfect for an airplane ride or a day at the beach.

One note: In one part of the story, there is a reference to "Beefeaters" guarding Kensington Palace. In reality, there are no guards outside Kensington Palace. (In fact, if you've never seen it, it really isn't all that impressive...just like a plain, brick mansion at the edge of a huge, lovely park.) The "Beefeaters", more accurately referred to as 'yeoman warders', are actually stationed at the Tower of London. I hope the author is able to correct this before "What You Wish For" goes to print. Wouldn't want the Brits thinking we Americans don't know what's what! Cheers!

I can always count on Katherine Center to write a book in which I can lose myself. This story has great characters, an amazing school, and a colorfully dressed librarian named Sam who purposefully chooses joy.

California Duncan is almost too much and comes off as a caricature (like, we get it, he was cool, goofy, and fun). When he comes to Sam's school as the new, security-conscious, and stern principal, she tries to remind him of his old self.

The library sounds like a slice of utopia!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC!