Sam contemplates leaving her job and her life when someone from her past becomes the new principal of her school. She remembers him as easygoing, but he's changed, and not for the better. Center has a way with characters that makes them endearing, funny, and so real and relatable. When they finally face their challenges, readers yearn for them to succeed. She's a must-read for me without even needing to see the summary. A new Katherine Center book automatically goes on my TBR list. I was fortunate to receive a digital copy of this heartwarming story from the publisher St. Martin's Press through NetGalley.

This story focuses on Sam a quirky librarian and Duncan a former colleague who takes a job at Sam's school as the head Principal. It follows their journey through a school setting in a small town in Texas. This was everything I was expecting and hoping from a Katherine Center novel. It gave me a warm fuzzy feeling all the way through. There are a couple of rough themes discussed within the book, but I loved it the most as it focused on finding the JOY! The romance wasn't a surprise but still had me rooting for them up until the end. The writing was beautiful and the characters normal and relatable.

It was a great pick me up book and a super quick read. Definitely recommend this one.

Katherine Center does an amazing job with What You Wish For!! I loved this book and couldn't put it down. Everyone can relate to Sam, Duncan and Clay. Center brings these characters to life!

I love all of Katherine Center's books- her books are always well thought out and has great characters, and this book is the same.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.

I have read this author before - I preferred Things You Save in a Fire over this title. This book was fine? I recommend if you’re looking for a lightly romantic heartwarming tale. The book centers around a teacher Sam and her principal Duncan. Duncan’s “secret” was pretty obvious to me but it didn’t stop me from enjoying his evolution.

What You Wish For begins with a tragedy, as the man who runs the Galveston Island school where librarian Samantha Casey works dies unexpectedly. Max and his wife were beloved leaders of the school and were surrogate parents for Sam, who lost her mother at a young age and who was never close to her father. She and the other employees are still reeling from the loss when a new principal is announced. She is stunned to discover it is Duncan Carpenter.

With “equal parts horror and ecstasy,” Sam realizes that the man she fell in love with and fled across the country to forget is coming back into her life. She knew Duncan when they worked together in California. He was a warm, funny, free-spirited teacher who had no idea Sam was infatuated with him. Too shy and quiet to step forward and declare her feelings, she left the school when he started dating another woman. While apprehensive about seeing Duncan again, Sam is glad that such a great teacher is coming to lead the school.

But when Duncan finally shows up, he is nothing like the Duncan she knew. Sure, he may have been even more handsome, but he is wearing a suit and tie and talking about all the changes he is going to make to the school. And worst of all, he doesn’t even recognize Sam.

Around this new Duncan, Sam is no-longer tongue-tied and she speaks out against the new policies he is instituting, especially about the school’s security. While Duncan has changed, so has Sam. She has grown since she last knew him, and has developed her own style and voice and is no longer so painfully shy and timid. As she once again works with Duncan, the two of them slowly grow closer and she eventually learns the devastating reason why he has changed so much. Can Sam find the bravery to overcome her own fears and take a chance on real love? Funny and moving, What You Wish For will have you engrossed until the end.

I loved this book but I've loved every Katherine Center book written. Typical rom com with a couple fun twists. No graphic sex. Cute and entertaining. What a fast, happy read!

Not my favorite of her stuff. Often times it seemed far fetched and was slow to get going. I wasn’t sure where it was headed when I first started.

Katherine is always an auto-buy author for me. Her writing is just insurmountable! This is a simple romance story, I feel a little different than her other books. I think what really makes this story is the love of a community! That truly was what made this story special.

I really enjoy Katherine Center. Her books are great for those wanting something a little harder hitting with a dash of romance, and this one is no different. I loved the main character and related with their struggles. I think character development is her definite strong point. Highly recommend.

It took a little too long (for me) until the reason for Duncan's personality change was revealed. However, I liked that it was a life-enriching story about joy and love and friendship, and what makes a family. And about taking chances and making choices to be there, to stay. 3.5 stars

Have not had a chance to read this yet, but will keep it on my list for a rainy day! Appreciate being offered the reading copy!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced read copy of this story in exchange for an unbiased review.
I loved this book. Loved loved loved this book. Because it was an advanced read, it did have some editing flaws that I hope were fixed before it went to official print, but that couldn’t take away from the beautiful message that this book shouted from the hill sides. The characters were all well developed and multi-faceted. They were human and you couldn’t help but hope for their happily ever after. This book was about family, and courage, love and most importantly, Joy. This book is amazingly good because it had a profound effect on how I look at things and has made me want to bring more joy into my life and cherish those joyful moments.

While normally I love Katherine Center books, especially her last two, this one was a miss. The plot and setting sounded so promising - a quirky librarian, the principal or the school, a school family- it all ended up being jumbled and juvenile. Sam annoyed me. I did not like her character. Seriously, who up and quite their job and moves to another state because they can't stand to see their crush at work anymore? Then considers doing it AGAIN. I could already tell what happened to Duncan, for the most part, before they revealed it. And their "love story/relationship" was just pretty ridiculous. There was a lot going on everywhere, and it never felt like a solid story. It was overall enjoyable, but I didn't love it.

I’ll keep this short since I seem to be in the minority here. I found the book to be trite, the characters immature and infantile save Duncan, the plot was all over the place, and the way she casually injects trauma into her characters in order to drive the plot to be lazy and careless. I gave this author a second shot but no more.

2.5 rounded up to 3
Katherine Center takes reader to school where she shows what happens when the staff unite against a new principle:

Samantha Casey loves her job as a school librarian and is trying to live her life to the fullest, but this was not always the case. She left her last school as she realized that she had fallen for another teacher and a relationship with him was never going to happen. Instead she left and went to find herself. Sam is about to get some exciting but frightening new, Duncan Carpenter (the guy from previous school) was just hired as the new principle as her school. Sam is very nervous but excited as well, he will be a perfect addition there. But the Duncan that walks in is not the man she remembers, he is strict, brings a gun to the first teachers meeting, and is all about sterile walls. Sam doesn't know what happened to him but is determine to help him remember the man and teacher he used to be.


This is the second book that I have read by Center and while I appreciate the story that Center tells here, I did not feel like I was as engaged with the overall plot and characters as I was with her other book Things You Save in a Fire. I thought the plot was just not very interesting, people trying to save the way of life as a small school, from someone who wants to make changes for security reasons, it's a little lacking on substance if I'm being honest. Granted I do not read in this genre very often so maybe that has something to do with my opinion about this book.

I liked Sam as a character with all her heart that goes towards the school, the children and the Library there, but there were times when she felt very naive as well, not quite the woman that you expect her to be but getting there as there is some growth that occurs in the book. I think this book is not only about her growth but Duncan's as well. Duncan is very different from Sam, he's all hard edges, no shades of grey and wants to keep everyone safe. His reasons for this are very understandable and I am shocked that it takes Sam so long to figure it out, you think she would have thought to see why there was such a change in him sooner.

Their relationship growth is very cute and I like the set up the other ladies in the book did. They realized that they really were good for each other that the other person could bring something else out of the other. I just feel like you knew where their relationship was going and how it was going to end that it just seemed more typical to. It was kind of like hurry up and get there as we all know what is going to happen, I guess in a way i was missing some suspense from within the usual genres I read.

I do like Center's writing style and her ability to tell a story. If I do read in the romance, chick lit, contemporary genres, she will be the author I go to now. Although, I did not enjoy this book as much as her other one that I have read, it was a nice break to read something not so dark and serious. I think fans or frequent readers of these genres would enjoy this book also if you like the Hallmark Movie Channel.

Enjoy!!!!!

What You Wish For was an amazing quick read! I read it last evening and couldn’t put it down until the last page. At first, I thought I had the twist all figured out from the beginning but I was shocked! Center brought each character to life so beautifully I felt like they were old friends. My favorite imagery was of Babette’s back yard-I want to spend my Friday evenings there! Once again, I was completely invested in Center’s novel. Definitely recommend!

I received this novel as an ARC courtesy of #NetGalley and the publisher.
#WhatYouWishFor #KatherineCenter

I adore Katherine Center. What You Wish For is a story about a school. It is a story about the people and things that make an elementary school beautiful. But more importantly, What You Wish For is about fear. It is a story about being afraid and doing the scary things anyway. Taking chances when taking a chance is the last thing you want to do. I absolutely loved this book. I will read anything she writes.

This author is not for me and I did not finish this one. I am not the right reader for the direction this one was going with its predictable characters who were what you would expect from a feel-good story.

I struggled with this one and only finished because it was an ARC. It didn't make sense to me that Sam would leave her job because of unrequited love, only to end up working together again years later. Then her crush Duncan pretends to not know her after getting a job at her current school. Sam was too cheesy and some of their predicaments were not believable. The way she pined after Duncan while thinking he was married was just plain sad.