What a great book! It's so entertained, fun and quirky. It’s a story of the cute librarian Sam and new principal Duncan. A lot of funny situations but also emotional moments and real-life problems. Katherine Center did it again and I can’t wait for her next book.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for a fair review.

Samantha Casey is a school librarian who loves everything about her life and job. Max, the founder and principal of the private school she works at dies suddenly and things change quickly. Duncan Carpenter is hired to replace Max. Sam knows Duncan from her previous school. In fact, Sam’s crush on Duncan is the reason she moved on. The Duncan Sam loved was funny in a “life of the party” way. This Duncan is stern and unfriendly. In fact, he doesn’t even acknowledge that he knows Sam when they awkwardly meet again. As Duncan changes the entire set up of the school, memo by memo, Sam and Duncan both have to decide who they are and where the joy is in their life.

Samantha Casey loves her job as a school librarian--until a new principal, Duncan Carpenter, arrives as the new principal and begins enforcing rigid regulations. Sam is bewildered by Duncan because she knew him, in another school. He was funny, charming, a goof--not wearing a suit and tie, or obsessed with safety to the point that it's ruining the school she loves.

I did really enjoy the premise of this book, and the "mystery" of what happened to Duncan and how Sam can help save her school community. This book deals with school shootings (one does not happen in "real time" on the page, but it's discussed as a memory), which is obviously a really tough and heartbreaking topic, particularly in the US. This is actually the first book I've read that handles a school shooting situation, and explores the consequences for the survivors. I quite enjoyed it, and actually wish the book had delved further into Duncan's experiences or PTSD.

As it was, Duncan's behaviour is sort of shrugged off once people figure out the reason behind it all. The rest of the novel was rather fluffy--the predictable romance, the sometimes cheesy dialogue. I think there was an opportunity to add complexity to the story and character development.

Its overarching message, though, is to choose joy, which I think is something many of us need.

I can't get enough of Katherine Center! In each of her books that I've read, she has so perfectly captured the emotions and grief behind different circumstances. In What You Wish For, she brings together two people who are mourning in different ways and whose experiences have drastically changed how they show up in the world. Reading from Sam's point of view was delightful - her heart and passion brought me such joy. I loved following Sam's story as she tried to figure out what had changed Duncan so much. I once again fell in love with Katherine Center's characters and words, and I can't wait to read Happiness for Beginners now that I know Duncan made his first appearance in that book!

What You Wish For By Katherine Center is about a school librarian named Sam who gets a new principal, Duncan, after the sudden tragic passing of the prior principal. Sam knew Duncan previously as they had worked together as teachers at another school. What I like about this book is that the author seemed to really understand the mystifying career of school librarian. Contrary to popular opinion, this is not a job that just involves checking books in and out. Kudos to the author for seeing that! This is a fun read with a predictable romance angle that leaves you with a smile upon your face. Read and enjoy!

What You Wish For is about an elementary school librarian named Samantha, whose school recently lost their beloved principal. The new principal is Duncan, a teacher Sam had previously worked with and had a huge crush on. But the man she knew and the man now are very different, and Sam is concerned her school will soon be unrecognizable with all the changes Duncan is making.

As with any Katherine Center book, this was lovely and heartwarming. It was a quick read and full of funny moments, with serious elements sprinkled throughout. I really enjoyed the book and I really liked Sam and how confident and fierce she was. However I didn't entirely feel the relationship between Sam and Duncan. The book was from Sam's POV so we saw all the events through her eyes; her memories of Duncan and her feelings about how he acts in the present, her personal struggles, etc. For a lot of the book Duncan is not exactly seen as the nicest guy, even though Sam knows he used to be. There's a huge secret in his past and after Sam learns it things do get better as she begins to understand him. While we see how Sam's feelings for Duncan change, we also see how she interprets his actions towards her and I didn't really feel the progression of his feelings for Sam. I think they are an adorable couple and I was definitely rooting for them, but I just didn't feel the relationship from Duncan's side. I almost feel the relationship would have come across better if the book switched between their POVs. Overall I really enjoyed the book and loved the story. It was very timely in certain aspects, like school safety, and also featured a surprising amount of whale and marine knowledge.

After reading and loving The Things You Save in a Fire, I jumped at the opportunity to pick up another book by Katherine Center. This cements it for me: I am a fan. Sam is a librarian who is confronted with a past crush when he is assigned as the new principal at her school. He has changed drastically since she last saw him and it's not hard to figure out what might have happened to him, but this book is about the journey these characters go through. I loved Duncan, and felt his struggles profoundly. I felt more frustration toward Sam and her tendency to cut and run. Her situation hit close to home for me, and perhaps because of that I found myself judging her reactions more, but I still felt empathy for her and rooted for her. What You Wish For had it all: it felt relevant, it was emotional, but also funny at times, the pacing was spot.on, and the characters will stay with me.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love Katherine Center’s books and this was no exception. I typically read romance and read a little Women’s fiction. This is definitely my favorite Women’s fiction book I’ve read this year.

Joyful... summing the book up in one word. And we could all use some joy right now.

Sam moves her life to Galveston, TX to take a job as a school librarian at an independent school, where her co-workers become her family. When a new head of school is announced, she is shocked - the man hired is the reason she left her previous job. But, when he arrives, he isn’t white the same person she once new. What does this mean for her and for the school?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book started out really strong. I loved the first few chapters but then it felt like it was a whole different book after that. I personally did not enjoy the plot of this book. It felt a little YA and way too cheesy for my liking. I didn't connect with any of the characters and felt it was a bit all over the place at times. With that said, I did see a lot of great reviews for this one so seems like I'm in the minority for this one and I recommend checking out other reviews!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I read my first Katherine Center book recently, and I knew I needed to read more of her books. I really enjoyed this one, not as much as How To Walk Away, but still a solid 4.5 star read. Being a teacher, I loved the school aspect of this book. The main character is a librarian, and as an avid reader and teacher, I felt like I related to her so much. There was a lot of internal dialogue, but not so much that I got bored. I think the obsession with Duncan was a tad repetitive at the beginning, but I adored their relationship. I could have maybe gone for a little more steam, but I loved the gentle nature of both characters. I also enjoyed the theme of finding joy in this book. I will definitely be recommending this book to friends! A full review is posted on Instagram and goodreads!

The books by Katherine Center I've read have always had strong messages of hope and resilience, despite obstacles and heartbreak, and What You Wish For was no different. I loved the overall theme of finding and creating joy and the impact that mantra has on many of the characters in this story.

However, I often found the main character, Sam, to be a bit unlikable and immature, especially compared to the super strong female characters in Center's previous two novels. I especially found myself annoyed with how Sam handled her crush on Duncan and the changes he was trying to make to the school. The other thing that came up short for me was that I didn't feel like the story dug deep enough into the emotional elements and various obstacles Sam and Duncan were working through. Both with that, and the relationship between Sam and Duncan, I felt the book was too short, with too much going on, to really give everything time to develop and get the attention it needed.

While this wasn't a hit for me, I know many others have loved it, and I'm still eager to read whatever Center writes next.

3.5/5 stars

What You Wish For by Katherine Center is a beautiful tale of second chances, how trauma affects lives, and the ability to overcome our deepest fears. Samantha Casey is a passionate librarian at an eclectic school who is dedicated to enhancing the lives of students and inspiring their minds through books. However, a tragic death leaves the principal’s position open, and Duncan Carpenter is hired to fill it. Duncan was an energetic teacher at Sam’s school, and the man she loved from afar before leaving to take her current position. When he arrives with rule-filled memos and begins to dismantle all the lively, unique aspects of the school, Sam is confused and determined to stop him. Sam cannot reconcile the man she knew and the man who is now the principal of her school and works to understand what changed.

Center’s writing continues to offer memorable characters and unique stories. In the beginning, I found Samantha frustrating. She seemed so against Duncan immediately, that it read too confrontational given how reserved she was at her previous school. Her ability to stand up for the school seemed to align with her newfound ability to stand up for herself, but there were moments when it felt too forceful and not as genuine. However, as I read, I came to love the near-role reversal Sam and Duncan have at the new school. Sam is suddenly the one emphasizing fun, and the ability to just live, whereas Duncan lives in a constant state of anticipating the worst-case-scenario. The shift in the dynamic illustrates how life experiences and trauma affect how people move through the world, and whether trauma should govern one’s life or color it.

Duncan experienced trauma and he now lets it seep into every single moment of every single day. Sam, by contrast, feels trauma should be acknowledged and a person must find ways to cope, but that people cannot stop living and finding joy in everyday life. While I found some plot points predictable, I thoroughly enjoyed this story. What the story sometimes lacked, Center’s writing more than made up for as she pens lovable characters and witty banter that still grabs the reader. The message that humans must choose joy and hope was one I found timely and enduring.

This book came to me at the perfect time. I loved its uplifting story! Any body who needs a little boost in life should read this.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for gifting me a review copy of What You Wish For on audiobook. This was my second Katherine Center book and she's now an auto-buy author for me.

Our leading lady, Sam, becomes an elementary school librarian in Galveston, Texas after moving away from her old school and town. She's started a new life for herself, created a support network and is coming out of her shell to be the person she wants to be. Enter Duncan, from her old life. She had a crush on him back then, but the man who turns up to be their new principal is nothing like the Duncan she used to know. So Sam makes it her mission to bring him back.

Katherine Center has a way of broaching serious topics and situations in a way that will break your heart and make you sob but ultimately leave you feeling hopeful.

This book does talk about school shootings, violence, and post-trauma mental health so do be prepared for that.

I really loved Therese Plummer's narration of this story, and I felt she brought it to life in such a beautiful way. There's also bonus audio at the end with Katherine Center. She talks about how she came to writing and gives a moving account of why she believes stories are so powerful. About how even though we know they aren't true we believe them anyway, so they give us a unique opportunity to see a situation from someone else's perspective and to actually feel their emotions.

This was such a delightful book! As always, Katherine Center has written a wonderfully uplifting story that still manages to tackle incredibly tough topics with the respect and solemnity they deserve. She is the absolute queen of this, and I’ve never read an author who does it as adeptly as she does. What You Wish For is both heartwarming and heartbreaking - a joyful story about living your life without living in fear.

I love Katherine Center! This story was rich with colorful characters even as Duncan paints things grey! And I absolutely love Clay!!! He will charm you into wanting to Google and learn more about whales! This is a fun summer reading adventure!

This was just an okay read for me. I’m disappointed that I did not love this one more. It came off as a little predictable and at times over the top in my opinion. The biggest issue for me was the main characters. Samantha seemed really young and immature, but I couldn’t tell you how old she actually was. Duncan was a hard character to like. While both slightly grew on me by the end, it wasn’t enough for me. I do think there were some good secondary characters and a certain small town charm. It also hit on some important subjects (epilepsy, school shooting, and death), which I thought were handled quite well. I’m definitely in the minority on this one, but I just didn’t love it like I hoped.

* ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Sam Casey, librarian at a private elementary school, is one of many left to pick up the pieces when the school's beloved principal and founder dies unexpectedly over the summer. But when she hears that Max's replacement will be none other than an old crush that she remembers being an awful lot like Max, she's partially excited for him to come, but mostly terrified that her old crush, which is really more like a full-blown obsession, for Duncan Carpenter will rear its ugly head and destroy the nice life she's made in Galveston. So it's kind of a blessing when Duncan turns out to have drastically changed since she saw him. A blessing that becomes a curse when he starts changing everything she loves about the school--everything Max built and stood for.

There was a lot about this book that I wasn't able to connect with, like the hidden pasts of both of the MCs and Sam's life-altering obsession with Duncan. However, I think it's saying something that, even still, I enjoyed the overall story. The burdens and joys the characters went through felt real. Things didn't fall into place easily--they were really worked for.

I strongly suspected Duncan's secret based on the way he was acting; in fact, I'd imagine most would. But that didn't make it any less heart-breaking when it was revealed. Sam's secret seemed to pale in comparison to his, but I don't think that's really fair to her. However, considering the way she spoke and acted throughout the book, she greatly annoyed me near the end. I think that part may have been a bit overdone, but at the same time, I can't say a real person wouldn't have acted just like that. Trauma can affect people in a lot of ways.

Like with the previous book of this author's that I read, Things You Save in a Fire, I liked the slow burn to the romance and the fact that it wasn't so in-your-face as it so often is in these types of books. It was maybe a little bit anticlimactic at the end, but it didn't leave me disappointed. For those who want to know about how clean a book is before reading--it's light on language (but with a couple of f-words), and there is more physical interaction and description than I prefer, but not enough to make me too uncomfortable. (Not even to the detail of what I remember from Things You Save in a Fire.)

The overall theme in this book, as many others have mentioned, is the idea of choosing joy. While that theme didn't really come up until the second half or so of the book, it is heavily focused on in that latter half (not in a bad way). Of course that is always easier said than done, as Sam herself makes clear. I have found that following and trusting God, the giver of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17), is the only way I've ever had true and lasting peace and joy. I appreciated the message here, though as a Christian, I found it a bit empty. This did not factor into my rating, though, and I do recommend this book for anyone looking for a sweet, goofy, mostly uplifting romance (I only say "mostly" because there is definitely some darkness along the way).

Moving to Galveston was one of the best decisions Samantha Casey ever made. She found a home on the island. At the Kempner School where she works as a librarian, kids are encouraged to play and be creative. She has a beautiful library with books painted on the stairs and comfy furniture galore. It's a safe haven for her students and everything Sam could have ever hoped for. So when the school's beloved principal and founder dies suddenly, Sam is devastated. His replacement? Duncan Carpenter, an old, unrequited crush that Sam just can't seem to shake. Duncan is not the same man she remembers though. Gone is the sweet, carefree teacher who would wear funky ties and have random dance parties. The new Duncan is all about school safety, even if it means stifling everything that Sam loves about Kempner. Well, crush or no crush, that's not happening on her watch!

You can never go wrong with Katherine Center, and What You Wish For is no exception (although I might be biased because I'm a librarian). Center's latest novel is all about finding joy in everyday life to counteract the sadness or despair we may be feeling, a lesson we could all use right now. I admit I wanted more scenes with San and Duncan that didn't necessarily revolve around heavy topics, but they were adorable all the same. Highly recommend!