WORTH THE WAIT! If you know me, you know I’ve been (not so) patiently waiting for this book for MONTHS. The pub date is my birthday, and I knew it would be fate.
Katherine Center never disappoints. There is always heartbreak and humor mixed into the perfect package. Sam is the coolest librarian I have ever heard of, living in a small island town off the coast of Texas. Sam works in a hippie school, run by her adoptive parents who are also her landlords.
After some horrible circumstances, Sam finds herself face to face with an old crush, Duncan. Duncan isn’t here for fun, and turns Sam’s world upside down.
There isn’t a slow moment in this book. You’ll fight for the characters, and want to experience the story with them.
Do yourself a favor, and read this freaking book!

This was a quick, fun read. Many of the characters felt a bit like caricatures people, and the end was a bit packed for my taste (similar to Things you Save in a Fire), but overall it was a good book. Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

I almost don't know how to rate What You Wish For. I've been reading so many thrillers, full of gruesome body counts, so making the transition to a book with no murders, just a death by natural causes, seems a bit awkward to me. On one hand, it's an awesome change of pace but on the other hand, I think I almost died of a "too sweet and silly" overdose. I do think it was good to venture off the bloody reading path I've been on lately

Elementary school librarian Samantha Casey left her last school because she was lovingly obsessed with fellow teacher, Duncan Carpenter. Once he became engaged, she couldn't stand to see him anymore, despite the fact that they hardly knew each other and it shouldn't have mattered what Duncan did in his private life. Several years later Duncan is the new principal at Sam's Galveston school and she's sure she'll need to run again, because of her feelings. But the Duncan she used to know, funny, quirky, goofy, Duncan, is gone and instead, Duncan is stoic, dogmatic, and determined to take away everything this is loved at Sam's school. 

What ensues is Sam wondering if Duncan even remembers who she is, misunderstandings, a roller coaster ride, and a cute ten year old boy named Clay, who is interesting enough to star in a book all of his own. Oh, and there is Chuck Norris, Duncan's failure of a security dog labradoodle. Sam has a serious health issue that she knows will keep anyone from loving her and Duncan has something in his near past that has changed him from the wild dressing, sweetheart he used to be, into a heartless hunky body in a gray suit. Sam goes from planning to quit her job to making it her mission to have Duncan fired for all the changes he plans for the school. Both Sam and Duncan have lessons to learn about life before either one of them can find happiness and peace...and maybe a meeting of minds. 

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

I love Katherine Center’s work, and this book is no exception. I especially loved that she set this book in Galveston, our little beach town. So many of the places I love are mentioned in the book so it made it extra special when reading.

Thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advanced read in exchange for this review. I'm a huge fan of Katherine Center, and this book did not disappoint. This book was perfect to read during quarantine. Choose joy! What a powerful read about challenges we face in life. Highly recommend!

After her current principal suddenly passes away , Sam is pleasantly shocked when his replacement shows up at her school. Her new boss is Duncan, a blast from her past. He was one who had a fun zest for life, which was an attraction to her. However, he comes into his new position with a passion for school security and shows no interest in having any fun. In fact, he doesn’t even acknowledge Sam. Is she really that unforgettable? Before she destroys everything that she adores about her school, will she be able to break him down and remember what it was like to live life fully?

I am a big fan of Katherine Center. I can lose myself in the plot of her books and finish them in no time! Her writing, to me, just flows easily like I’m lost in a conversation with friends. This book was no exception. I enjoyed this book and found it to be a quick, joyful read. It was a great book to help escape this time in our lives! Thank you to Netgalley for providing me a copy for an honest review.

@katherinecenter has this magical way of creating an entire world, one that i already feel enveloped in and invested in, from the very first chapter. There's a lightheartedness about it and yet an urgency to continue. There's an ease to reading, and yet substance and depth to each character. Needless to say i very much enjoyed her latest novel🥰

What You Wish For is about Samantha Casey, an elementary school librarian who picked up and moved her life to a small town after years of living her life around a crippling unrequited crush on fellow teacher Duncan Carpenter. When tragedy strikes and a new principal is needed at Sam's current school, guess who is recruited and hired as a replacement? You got it, Duncan Carpenter. Only this Duncan is not at all like the one she remembers. He's hollowed out, serious, stony and all business. What happened to the guy who used to wear vibrant colored pants every day and zany printed ties? Who used to do magic tricks for the children and instituted crazy hat day? While Sam has every intention of getting out of there, unable to fathom reliving that all consuming crush, something about the new Duncan forces her to stay. How could she leave her beloved school in the hands of a man who wants to destroy all the joy and happiness that this school stands for?

It's very easy to lose hours at time reading this novel. It's just so down to earth, the feelings so relatable and it includes a host of characters u just want to hang around with. There's something about her novels, a magical quality that just leaves u feeling self actualized in some small way. Which means I'm always ready and waiting for her next novel.

4-4.5 stars. Love Katherine Center books. She writes beautifully and the story always wraps up nicely loved the librarian and her issues with seizures. The characters were great and taught each other so much.

Katherine Center has written another book with an important message...Choose joy even in the midst of tragedy. You can’t live in fear. This is the message we need to hear in these troubled times.

Ms. Center has created wonderful characters that come off the pages and into the reader’s heart. Duncan is a once beloved quirky teacher who has suddenly become a strict, almost dictatorial principal of a school where the former principal encouraged laughter and joy among the teachers and students. Samantha knew him when he was that fun-loving teacher who inspired joy in his students. What caused such a drastic change in Duncan’s personality?

I recommend What You Wish For. It has a a captivating storyline that held my attention from the first chapter to the end of the book. There was laughter and a lot of tears as I read of Samantha’s journey to discover what caused the change in Duncan.

I received an ARC of What You Wish For from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I received a free copy from NetGalley. Part romance, part cheesy, the idea of just smiling and getting through the day is very much needed right now and was a great little read to escape the seriousness of the current time. Not my usual "type" but just right for the timing.

In exchange for an honest review, I read the advanced readers’ copy of What You Wish For, by Katherine Center, courtesy of St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley. This may be one of Ms. Center’s best books yet. How she weaves so many important issues into one book is both amazing and entertaining.

Samantha “Sam” Casey is a school librarian at a charming school where children are loved and nurtured. After the untimely death of their principal, the one person Sam wants never to see again – Duncan Casey – is hired as principal.

Sam knows Duncan from her last school where she fell in love with him, but felt invisible to him – to everyone, in fact. When Duncan arrives, he is not the man Sam remembers. Stiff, dictatorial, and unmoved by the faculty’s ideas and pleas, he insists on turning the school into a prison for the protection of the kids.

It’s pretty clear he has had a traumatic experience since Same last saw him, but she can’t figure him out. While the faculty is trying to get him fired, Sam works to find out what changed him. It takes a near-tragedy to bring him around.

What You Wish For explores epilepsy, self-esteem, relationships, gifted children, school shootings, fathers who are so absorbed in making money, they ignore their children, even saving whales. This is a book you don’t want to miss.

What made The Grumpy Book Reviewer grumpy?

• Most importantly, the incorrect use of the phrase, “begs the question” when “raises the question” fits the dialogue. They do not have even close to the same meaning.
• Using a word that doesn’t actually exist: “preventatively”. It should be “preventively”.
• Confusing “further” with “farther”.

What You Wish For is a perfect summer time, feel good and happy story. I thoroughly enjoyed Samantha’s life, love, compassion and sense of humor. This is a wonderful story about family, friends and those who keep us going. It takes place on an island, Sam is a librarian at a private school who has lived in her young life with some sorrow along with those who care about her. Of course, there is a bit of love and passion! Thank you #NetGalley#WhatYouWishFor#StMartinsPress

Samantha Casey, school librarian at a close-knit school in Galveston, brings joy to her job every day. She loves her school, is devoted to her students, and has used her joy to move on from childhood issues and her last school. When a crush from her former school, the full-of-joy Duncan Carpenter, shows up as the principal in Galveston with a new all-business attitude, she and her coworkers need to prevent their happy community school from being transformed into another boring, gray, lifeless building.

This was my first Katherine Center read and I was excited to pick it up after hearing so many good things. It did take me a while to get into the story, though. Samantha seemed a bit too quirky for my tastes, and Duncan seemed like someone without a shred of personality. So why did she have a crush on him, and how did she find that same crush returning, even though he had changed for the worse?

About the halfway point, the story turned around for me and I finished the story that same night. Once I had the opportunity to "meet" Duncan outside of the school walls, I found him a more likable character and was pushing for the romance between Samantha and Duncan.

This was a sweet and joyful book. A nice break from the heavy news of today’s headlines. It’s a good reminder that you don’t always choose your family, family can be found when you need it. The love story was inspiring and the characters were well thought out.

Thank you NetGalley for a review copy of this amazing book.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for an early copy of What You Wish For! I really enjoyed Katherine Center's last two novels, and was so excited to read her latest book.

Unfortunately, this wasn't my favorite. What I love about Katherine Center's novels is how she balances humor with more serious storylines. What You Wish For didn't work for me in this aspect. Reading the dialogue between Sam and her fellow teachers felt like a cheesy sitcom at times. The descriptions of her outfits were clownish, rather than zany or goofy. I didn't connect with the love story - it seemed like a high school relationship, fraught with miscommunication and immaturity. I also disliked how Sam, Babette and Alice treated Duncan as a problem to solve rather than helping him deal with his past trauma in a more delicate and compassionate way.I struggled through the first half of the book, it was just too over the top. Although it did get a bit better, I found myself rushing through just to get it over with.

Although What You Wish For was a miss for me, I look forward to Katherine Center's future books.

This is the first book that I have read by this author so I didn't really have any expectations. I was pleasantly surprised and had an overall good experience.
I thought the book had a good pace and interesting characters. The story was dedicated to the idea that people should find joy instead of dwelling on the negative. A very thoughtful and uplifting theme.

Beautifully written, heartfelt book of hope and healing after extreme heartbreak. Sam is a kind hearted librarian at an idyllic elementary school near the ocean. Enter Duncan, the new principal of the school who is hired after the current much loved principal dies. Even though Sam and Duncan have very different views of the world because of their own experiences, they try to see eye to eye for the good of the school. Fast paced, beautiful story of finding joy in life. Highly recommend.

Katherine Center writes another lovely slow burn love story. When Sam's former crush is hired as the new principal of her new school, she's excited and bragged him up to her co-workers, But he shows up in a completely different manner than expected with none of the fun-loving Duncan she remembers from before. In fact, he doesn't even remember her! As Duncan works to lock down the school and implement every safety measure possible, he also manages to ruin the fun and artistic side of the place. Sam has to work hard to get through to Duncan and finds out more than she could've imagined as she unfolds his history.

A beautiful story of love! Katherine Center has such a way with her character and the settings (this one being Galveston Tx) that just draws you in and makes you imagine you are there. This book left me with such joyous feelings long after I was done reading. Highly recommend!

This book had me hooked from the very first chapter! It’s such an easy read and the characters are all so relatable. Loved it and would recommend!