Really enjoyed - liked this one almost as much as How to Walk Away. Cute & unique premise, overall a lovable cast. Sam kind of irked me at times but I could look past it. Would recommend to KC fans.

5 STARS
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Another phenomenal read from Katherine Center!

This was such a quirky, fun, tug-at-your-heartstrings romance that is so sweet and fun! I absolutely loved Sam and Duncan—our MC’s. In true KC fashion, both have some emotional baggage or past trauma and have to try and wade through their troubles to find their way to each other.

Center always knows how to make me smile, laugh out loud and cry all in one book, and that is always the markings of a fabulous book for me.

I also listened to this on audiobook as I read along with the book, and Terese Plummer was a fantastic narrator! She really brought such a lightness and fun energy to the book that I don’t think I could have achieved in my own mind. I highly suggest this one as an audiobook!

If you love to feel all the feels in a book, Katherine Center’s books always do that, and You won’t be disappointed. I always look forward to her next book!

*Special thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Katherine Center and NetGalley for the early copy in exchange only for my honest thoughts and review*

I'm just not sure what to even say about this book because it's mostly not gonna be good. I don't think I've ever rolled my eyes so much while reading. I kept thinking it was like watching a really cheesy version of Footloose only with adults which made no sense. I will say that at least it did send a good message, to live life with joy and not fear.

OMG I LOVE KATHERINE CENTER!!! After reading How to Walk away last year I immediately picked up Things to Save in a Fire which I LOVED. Both are on my all time favorites list. So naturally when I saw another Katherine Center book I immediately requested it.
So let me tell you this did not disappoint. I connected with these characters so much, I have been a Samantha and a Duncan in my life. Ugh the way Samantha listens to Duncan and draws him out.... my heart! You better believe this was a five 5's and that Katherine Center has just confirmed to me that she is an autobuy author!

What You Wish For was my third book by Katherine Center and I just love the author's style. I would classify her genre as chick-lit, but there is so much heart to her writing. In this one Sam is a quirky, private elementary school librarian in an idyllic island location in Texas. We learn that she moved to that town and school in order to flea a crush of hers that seemed to have no interest in her. (That last sentence represents the one overarching theme that was a big weak point for me. Women are too strong to run from crushes without ever even making an effort toward pursuing them. If they are not strong enough to deal with a crush, unrequited or not, its difficult to root for them. However, Sam grew on me.) After the beloved founder and principal of the school suddenly dies, all the teachers are left reeling. A new principal is hired and guess who it just happens to be??? That's right, folks! It is Sam's old crush she fled thousands of miles to escape the heartbreak of his not being hers, Duncan. So Sam has all these memories of Duncan and what a great teacher he was and immediately starts spreading the expectation to her faculty peers that he is going to be the perfect replacement for their beloved former one, but she also starts planning to resign and move away from him again because she assumes he is married and has kids and is still unavailable to her and that she wouldn't be able to live with the disappointment of not having him. (OK, as I am writing this, I had to remove a star. As much as I enjoy Katherine Center's writing and will recommend her books to all fans of chicklit, how can I rate a book with the themes I am describing any higher than 3 stars??????) Well, Duncan arrives and he is a changed man....and not for the better according to Sam and all her peers. He immediately wants to change everything most loved about the school. Sam decides not to leave, but instead to stay and try to get him fired. Then she learns some information about his life between when she last knew him and his arrival to her school and tries to help him ingratiate himself with the staff and their school culture. Meanwhile, through all this, the reader is aware that Sam has epilepsy. It is not debilitating, but it means she can no longer drive since she had a seizure once while driving and wrecked. For various reasons rooted in her own past, she is convinced this condition means she is destined to be lonely and unloved. Frankly, the heroine of What You Wish For has just extremely low self-esteem despite her eccentric hair and attire.

The book has a good message about not letting your past dictate your future and about risking some pain for the reward of true love. There are some really lovable secondary characters such as Sam's best friend who always wears tshirts with math jokes on them, and Babette, the art teacher and widow of the former principal. The villain is so realistic, we will all know someone like him/her. There are decisions and actions that defy conventional logic, but the book never failed to entertain me. And as I wrap up my review, I decided to add that star back that I took away before....I reserve the right to be indecisive! The book is a full-on feel-good book and if that is what one is looking for, it fits that bill exactly, even if it is not perfect. After finishing What You WIsh For, I am firm in my stance that I will still be first in line to get Katherine Center's next book, too.

This was a cute romantic comedy book that I think would do well made into a movie. It had lots of light-hearted fun and the romance parts were very sweet. I liked the book a lot but did get a little bored close to the end. It just seemed to keep going on and on. I finished it but I did skim quite a bit at the end.

I am so happy that I stumbled onto my first Katherine Center novel last summer, her writing brings such depth to the places and people she’s writing about. This book was no exception, it’s smart, romantic and most of all, full of reminders to work hard to bring joy to your life. It’s a message we need so desperately right now, and she has such a light hand so as not to be saccharine or naive about the challenges. Choose books that make you happy!

While this may not be one of my favorite of Center’s books, it was still a wonderful read that I couldn’t put down.

Sam is a librarian at a progressive school in Galveston Texas. A few years ago, she left her previous school because of her unrequited crush on fellow teacher Duncan. When Duncan shows up at the Kempner school in Galveston to replace the recently passed and beloved principal, Sam is not excited. When he shows up as a completely different person than she remembers and starts to crush the spirit that is the Kempner school, she goes from not excited to determined to stopping him from the one thing she loves.

I love Sam. She is exactly what you expect an elementary school librarian to be. Center did a wonderful job of getting the school environment right. She wrote about the start of the school year and how some of the teachers felt about getting things ready as well as the passion good teachers have for their kids and it all resonated with me, as someone who works in an elementary school. I often feel like authors can write a cartoonish version of an elementary school and this is one of the few times that I felt as though I saw my school and my experience in writing. Even when the book started to touch on such heavy topics as school shootings and school security in our current climate in America.

One of the main themes of this book is to “choose joy” and I felt that at my core. I often feel that half the battle of being a positive person is choosing to be positive. The way that Center wrote about Max and his thoughts behind it as well as how Sam put this into practice really resonated with me and I feel like it is something everyone needs to be reminded of.

I always enjoy that Center manages to balance stories with serious issues with love stories. Duncan and Sam’s chemistry was undeniable and I loved reading about them. In the past, Center has managed to stump me when it came to little twists or hidden secrets in a character’s past, but this book I was able to easily predict. I think that’s why I didn’t love it as much as some of her previous novels, but it didn’t diminish my overall enjoyment. The writing still sucks you in and, like I said, the topics that she covers really resonated with me.

If you are a fan of contemporary romance balanced with the seriousness of life, Center’s books are definitely for you. I think this book will especially connect with people who have experience working in a school, but I honestly think anyone will enjoy it. It’s a delightful book and an easy read that will really make you think.

This follow the typical formula of other Katherine Center books I’ve read, and I mean that in a good way. I love knowing that I can rely on her books for a nice balance of romance and seriousness. While this may be my least favorite of the last 2 I’ve read, it’s still a 4 star read! That being said, I wasn’t a huge fan of Samantha at the start. Even halfway through, I wasn’t exactly sure where this story was headed, but I did continue to feel inclined to keep reading. I really enjoyed how everything ended up and connected. Definitely recommend.

Katherine Center is an auto buy author for me, so What You Wish For was no exception.

I love how Katherine writes real, flawed, relatable human beings with fears, problems, and joys. Thats what I love about all of her books.

What You Wish For continued with that, and gave me more characters to fall in love with. This book was a great companion for the past few sleepless nights, and the story focuses a lot on finding joy and happiness despite all of the scary things that could happen in the world, which is a lesson much needed in the world right now! I also loved getting to revisit Galveston, because that is a special place.

This has been the perfect bingeable, feel good read that I needed during all of this wedding craziness.

I did feel a little like the characters weren't as in depth as I felt her others were, but overall still likable. I thought the ending resolved a little quicker than I wanted it to, but I still enjoyed the read and would recommend it to friends.

I was so excited to receive this ARC and audiobook as I loved Katherine Center’s last two books. The story is centered around a unique and awesome elementary school, centered on the school’s feisty librarian, Sam, and new stern principal, Duncan. What makes the school so unique is how it empowers students and teachers to wonder and feel joy every day. When new principal Duncan Carpenter arrives, he seems at odds with the school’s essence and works to strip away what makes it so special under the guise of safety and security. I struggled through the first half of this book as I found the characters a bit annoying and over the top and conflict was predictable at times. However, I’m so glad I kept with it as the last half was fantastic! The last few chapters especially were so captivating and heartwarming. I loved the overall message of the book. Center has a wonderful way of creating lovable, flawed characters who consistently try--and sometimes fail--to improve and become better versions of themselves. I love following the beautiful journey of Katherine Center’s characters.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press / MacMillan Audio for providing this ARC.

3.5 out of 5. I liked this one but honestly wasnt a big fan of the main character Samantha. There was just something about her that I didn't really like. Sorry..

I enjoyed Katherine Center’s new book but it didn’t leave me gushing. It has all the makings of a “feel good read”, and delivers on that, but I was left wanting more from it. I would recommend it if you are looking for a light, easy read, but it definitely wasn’t one of my favorites of hers.

Wonderful! A book about an elementary school librarian is right up my alley. When a former crush becomes the new principal, she discovers what she loves about the former teacher has been destroyed and he’s going to destroy what she loves about her Galveston Texas school. And she’s forced to stand up for what she cares about. Yep, us librarians have been there. It’s a nice summer book to read.

First time reading this author and found it a different sort of writing style. It took me awhile to get into the story as the quirky librarian sometimes rambled as she narrated chain of thought and events. Just before it is about to become mundane a real story emerges and carries you quickly to a nice dramatic wrapped up ending. Quick fun read.

I was provided an Advanced reader copy of the book and was under no obligation to provide a review.The opinions expressed are my own.
Thanks to the author,publisher,and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Sam Casey is a librarian in Galveston, Texas. When the principal at her school, also a father figure and her landlord, suddenly passes away, it impacts her and all the faculty. What throws Sam even more off base is that the man she admired (Duncan) from a distance years ago seems to have transformed and is now taking on the principal role. Each person has their challenges, and this follows how Sam and Duncan both adapt over the school year - there is more to everyone than meets the eye, and things change since they last met a couple of years prior.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, I've struggled to get lost in a book no matter how good. I read this over 2 days - the first I just got through a couple pages, and the second day, I didn't get up until I finished it. Fans of Katherine Center's other books won't be disappointed - it's a must read!

Thank you to Netgalley and to St. Martin's Press for a copy in exchange for an honest review.
#WhatYouWishFor #KatherineCenter #summerread #Galveston #fiction

This book was great because it handled several serious topics but still remained fairly lighthearted. Once I started reading it I could not stop. Some of the storyline was fairly predictable but that didn't take away from my enjoyment. This was actually the first book by Katherine Carter that I have read, so once I finished this I knew I had to read the others.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC to review.

It must be me...because I felt a huge disconnect with this story and these characters. For much of the novel we see Sam’s yearning for the “old Duncan”, but since I didn’t know him I didn’t care. Plus, I never felt a big connection to San and her “wacky” style of dress either. Since Duncan was kind of a dick implementing totally ridiculous things at this school, I also couldn’t fathom why she was still so drawn to him. Sure, the overall message of looking for joy is great. But this covered some serious topics and it felt too light for me. I never had any feeling of emotion.

I can only assume it’s me since there are a plethora of positive reviews, so give this a chance and I hope you love it.

I really do love Katherine Center's work, and I will continue to read her books. I really loved the zany lead character, and I think it's important to have more leading protagonists that have disabilities and invisible illnesses. I really appreciated this aspect of the story (but would love some own-voices feedback!). I couldn't help but feel a little annoyed that the hero had very obvious trauma, the trauma itself was incredibly obvious, and I was just waiting the entire book for the "reveal" to happen. This one felt a little less subtle than her other books.

I still really enjoyed it though, and I will continue to read anything that Center writes. Her books are just easy and light and so much fun!

This was the perfect read during the pandemic. Full of optimism and hope, brimming with the encouragement to live in to who you really are, I could not put this book down. Neither of the main characters used to be the way they are now, and the reader is left wondering why? What happened to them? What is the story? Why? This was my favorite Katherine Center book yet!