What you wish For by Katherine Center is a nice book. I found it be a quick read, partly because of its predictability. Sam is a teacher at a small school in Galveston and when the principal dies unexpectedly, someone from her past moves in to take his place. The book reads a little too "TV-move-of-the-week" for my taste but it did have some redeeming themes about joy, perseverance, and family. This is a good book, just not too terribly deep.

I loved this one. I was hooked from the beginning I did get a TW from a friend so I knew the big secret reveal but I enjoyed the story progression and the character development nonetheless. Beautifully written.

Katherine Center does it again in What You Wish For!

Book lovers rejoice, the protagonist in this novel is a librarian who has a crush on the new school principal. Before you think this book is a workplace romance trope - think again! This is not Samantha's first encounter with the principal -in fact Sam used to work with Duncan at another school. With this set up, Katherine Center sets the stage for.a great second chance romance story. But, in true Katherine Center fashion, the reader gets roped up brings in topics that make the reader think and appreciate life.

While some of the content was a little heavier than content found in other romance genre novels, this one certainly provided a great to escape.

I just could not get into this book and had to stop reading and move on to something else. I have enjoyed this author's work in the past but I found some of the characters grating and annoying, so much so that I couldn't continue to read. Maybe it was bad timing and I will try picking this one up at a later date. Not every book is for every person. My rating is low simply because I couldn't finish reading.

Long time She’s Full of Lit readers may remember that I love Katherine Center’s earlier books, and so I was pumped to hear that she was releasing another one this summer (yes, I obviously preordered it). This was the story of Sam, a quirky school librarian, and Duncan, her new uptight school principal. Except wait, they knew each other before, and Sam had a massive crush on Duncan, who has changed so much since they knew each other? The romance isn’t the main point of the book here, though I was definitely rooting for Sam and Duncan — it was more about love of a community. It wasn’t sexy or steamy, it was more sweet and silly, and honestly, that feels truer to my personality most of the time.

Yes, the cheese factor is through the roof, and there were times I wanted to shake Sam for being so unobservant, but it was ultimately so heartwarming. I even found myself singing along with a certain moment towards the end of the book and maybe googling Airbnbs in Galveston (I am WFH until January 3, a girl can dream….)

Trigger warning: school shootings

What You Wish For was a page turner book and easy book to read in an afternoon! I liked the sweet love story between the characters and found myself rooting for them. Unfortunately, I thought the story was a little bit cheesy for me and I didn’t enjoy it as much as other Katherine Center books.

I’m a huge fan of this author and she’s managed to wow me again. Tragic but hopeful, this book grabbed my attention from the beginning and I devoured it.

I really love Katherine Center and all her books. I really loved the main storyline, but felt this one lacked focus and had a lot going on. I wish it had been a big tighter and I think it would've been a smoother read.

I loved this story about a librarian and an old flame turned principal. This is a feel good story about growing up, growing apart, and finding love again.

Katherine has become one of my "look for authors". Her stories are thoughtful, emotional, well written stories. The stories are well developed, the characters have depth and they are so well written, you just want to keep reading. So glad I have found this author!

“We made a choice to do joy on purpose. Not in spite of life’s sorrows, but because of them.” 💕⁣
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This is just one of the many nuggets of wisdom that I loved from Katherine Center’s new book What You Wish For. This book was one of my most anticipated releases of 2020, and so needless to say I had high hopes for this book. And oh man, did it deliver! 😍⁣
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The story is about Sam, who is a school librarian at Kempner School. The school community is reeling from the loss of their principal when Duncan Carpenter enters the scene. Sam knows him from another school she worked at before, and had a major crush on him. At this other school, he was fun, quirky, and didn’t take himself too seriously. But when he comes to Kempner to step into the role as principal, his priorities have...changed. He is all about school safety, and turning Kempner into basically a prison. The rest of the teachers turn to Sam to help him see the uniqueness and pride the teachers have for their little school. ⁣
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Of course, I am a teacher 👩🏻‍🏫, and just because of that, I knew I would like this book. However, it became so much more than that for me. It’s about choosing joy, every day, and to not live in fear. Both of these are messages our world needs to hear today, yes? 💙 I was legitimately sad last night when I finished this, and that’s how you know you’ve read a great story. ☺️ 5 very well-deserved stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

While I love all of Katherine Center's books, I struggled with this one a little - I think its because I'm not in a romance place in my life right now, but I thought it was a delightful novel!

★★ 4.5 stars! ★★

2020 was the year I discovered Katherine Center and I am so happy I did.

Her writing reminds me of being cocooned in a warm hug—I know that doesn’t make much sense, but go with me here.

The story in What You Wish For is so heartwarming and endearing, while the writing is so beautiful and hopeful.

If you haven’t read her, I highly recommend starting with this book or Things You Save in a Fire. So good!

Katherine Center's books are a must read for me. This one did not disappoint. There is something so wholesome about the stories she tells. I enjoyed it and can't wait for the next one. Thank you to NetGalley for the free copy.

What I Loved: As a public librarian I cannot say enough about how much I loved this latest novel from Katherine Center featuring an elementary school librarian. It was so fun to read the book and see the similarities between Samantha’s day to day routine and my own experience. The romance at the center of the book was entirely believable and quite complex. Sometimes I struggle with romance novels because they are predictable but there were enough surprises in the story that the book held my attention the entire time. Another facet of Katherine Center’s books that I adore is their tendency to tackle difficult issues without making the story feel dark or bleak. In the case of What You Wish For, Center tackled the subjects of epilepsy (in Sam’s case) and violence in schools (in the case of Duncan). This story of joy and comfort tackled these issues respectfully and effectively. Last but certainly not least, there is a goldendoodle in this book that I wish I could adopt. All of it worked together to make an amazing romance novel.

What I Didn’t Love: Honestly, I really have nothing to complain about. I do wish that we had been given even more of a glimpse into Sam’s experience as a school librarian. But honestly, its a very minor complaint and What You Wish For was one of my favorite romance novels of last year. Overall, I would recommend this to anyone looking for a feel good story

Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center is one of my favorite books of all time so when I heard her newest book would {finally!} have Duncan as the hero, I almost fainted with joy! I LOVED HIM in HfB. The lovable and accident-prone younger brother of the heroine who tries so hard to get things right and always ends up hilariously failing. We do get Duncan but the story follows Sam, an elementary school librarian at one of the best schools in the nation. After their beloved principal passes away, Duncan is the replacement. An unrequited crush from years ago, Sam is so excited to see goofy, fun Duncan as the replacement. But Duncan is no longer fun-loving. He’s strict, obsessed with safety, and the antithesis of what the school stands for…yikes!✏️
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Sam and Duncan were fantastic to me. I loved that Sam and a few other teachers rallied to get him closer to the old him after learning what made him act this way. The little ‘dates’ they had were adorable, I thought their banter was fun and heaped with tension. By and far the ride home and aftermath of a procedure Duncan had while doped up on anesthesia was the highlight of the book.✏️
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I also thought the book dealt with very timely and important matters—school safety—in a way that felt relevant without being preachy. I felt it was important that as a reader I was able to understand both sides to the argument and balance of school safety and creativity. My only critique is a few moments of Sam’s felt a little emotionally overreacted. I could understand why she reacted the way she did and the feelings she had but they also just felt a little off to me. I loved this book, I loved Duncan, AND I LOVED the glimpse of Jake and Helen we got!✏️
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If you’ve loved Center’s other books, you will love this book as well even if it’s only for Duncan!😍

Sam is the happiest she has been in a long time but it's not because she is one of those naturally blissful people, no, it's because every day she chooses joy. With summer coming to a close, soon Sam will be returning to her beloved job as the librarian at the most wonderful elementary school but when Sam finds out who the new head of school is going to be she starts to immediately mentally draft her resignation letter. There is no way she can work...with him. Duncan Carpenter is the reason she left her last school when she realized he would never love her the way she secretly loved him. However, Sam knew Duncan was the perfect fit for their school. His fun-loving, silly tie wearing, carefree personality combined his ability to always put the kids first would blend right in with Kemper's community. Then Duncan arrived for his first faculty meeting wearing a three piece suit and shared his plans of order, reform, remodeling and restructuring leaving Sam very confused. This is not the man she knew. What happened to the old Duncan? Sam makes it her personal mission to stop Duncan from destroying the spirit of Kemper and along the way try and get him to remember who he used to be. "What You Wish For" is filled with uplifting messages of finding joy and celebrating life whenever you can all while fighting through fear. If you are looking for a little sunshine add this book to your TBR list. (Disclosure: this book covers the topic of school violence.) Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Just what I needed during 2020. A hopeful and heartwarming story. I always love this authors stories and how she pulls you in. This was no exception.

I enjoyed this, but hoped for slightly more from the plot. I didn’t feel so connected with any of the characters and found the plot line slightly slow. Wasn’t horrible, but liked some of katherine’s other books better!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The banter was so fresh and fun. The story never felt heavy handed or contrived. I loved the main characters and their chemistry. I'll pick up anything this author writes at this point. Highly recommended for readers of contemporary romance.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley for the purpose of review, but I also purchased a copy for myself.