A light, quirky, feel-good love story with a strong female heroine.

Samantha Casey, a librarian at an alternative school, is going through some major changes. Sainted principal Max has passed away, and his replacement Duncan is not quite up to task. Funny thing is - Samantha knew a very different Duncan when they taught together previously. Can she help him recapture his old magic?

I loved Katherine Center's last two books - she knows how to write strong, complex female characters. I found myself rooting for Samantha in this novel, and I related to her struggles with illness and her feelings of inadequacy. I also loved seeing her commitment to her students, even if she was a bit "extra" at times.

Unfortunately, the other characters were more difficult to connect with. Because Max dies at the beginning of the novel, we don't get to see what made him so great and so important to Sam. Duncan's character complexity doesn't begin to be fleshed out until about 50% of the way through the book; until that information is revealed, he seems a bit like a caricature. I am glad I kept reading as Center develops the characters more at the end of the book.

Although this wasn't my favorite book by Katherine Center, there's still a lot here that readers can enjoy. If you need a quick, zany, over the top light read to forget about the struggles of daily life, this may be a good choice for you!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When their beloved principle passes away unexpectedly, the faculty at Kempner
School is horrified that a cut throat businessmen will be choosing the replacement. When they announce it will be Duncan Carpenter, Sam Casey can’t believe her ears! Having worked with him previously (and having a huge crush on him) she assured her colleagues his fun & caring teaching style will fit perfectly at their school. However, when Duncan arrives he is hardened, has no idea who she is, and only cares about security. Seeing the changes to the school and Duncan break Sam’s heart, she is driven to find out what hardened Duncan, and hopes to help bring back the man she once knew.


Katherine Center has an uncanny ability to take difficult, heart wrenching topics and turn them into the most heart warming stories. What You Wish For has a ton of heavy content, yet almost feels like a romcom without taking the seriousness out of issues. I am already impatiently waiting for What You Wish For to be turned into a movie (seriously where are the people that make these things happen? This would be the besssst movie). The dancing scene is probably my top feel good book moment of 2020. I can seriously see it on the big screen already.


Centers writing is also just so devour-able (is that even a word? I don’t care it’s accurate) that you just can’t help but what to hang out with her stories all day. Her writing and characters truly come to life off the page.

Make sure to keep your eyes peeled for this one coming July 14, 2020. You won’t be disappointed.

“She knew that joy and sorrow walked side by side. She knew that being alive meant risking one for the other. And she also knew, as I was starting to understand in a whole new way, that it was always better to dance than to refuse.“

I really enjoyed this book! It was a quick, easy read, for me. The plot was good and I connected with many of the characters. There was a little of everything; friendship, love, tragedy, comedy, adventure and it ended on a feel-good note. The moral of the story is one that will stick with me.

The story centers around Sam Casey, who is a librarian at a local school. She has found a place there, surrounded with friends whom she loves. And then, tragedy strikes and a man from her past, the ONE who got away, is hired as the principal at her school. Except, he has completely changed. He is hardened, unrelenting about security and safety and cold towards her. This version of Duncan is completely unlike the man she had known before. He comes in and tries to make changes to their little school community and the plans they had for it, and Sam and her friends aren’t having it. So, they hatch a plan to get him in touch with his old self and bring him back into a joy-filled life. You’ll have to read the rest to find out what happens on that journey...

“But that’s the thing about joy. You don’t have to wait for it to happen. You can make it happen.”

Samantha Casey cultivates quirkiness in her professional life as a private school librarian on Galveston Island, Texas. She loves her job, her environment and her colleagues. But when the school’s founder and beloved principal suddenly dies, all that may be in jeopardy. Or maybe there is a glimmer of hope. The new principal is Sam’s former colleague. Sam remembers him as being creative, fun, and handsome. She had a major crush on him. So, what could go wrong?

When Duncan Carpenter arrives, Sam is taken aback. He is the same person but not at all as she remembers. Gone is his warmth, humor and playfulness. Worst of all he is on a mission to change everything in the school that she holds dear. What’s a girl to do?

Sam can still sense a glimmer of the old Duncan, so does she want to try to build upon that? Or is it easier just to sabotage him? Once Sam embarks on her rescue mission, she not only unearths clues about Duncan but about herself. Recommended as a great beach read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this book to me.

I really wanted to love this book after reading Things You Save In a Fire. However this one missed the mark for me. The protagonist is crazy annoying! She’s an adult woman who acts like a teenager who obsessively crushes on a co-worker. When she finds he may be engaged she drops everything and moves to Galveston, Texas for a whole new life. Is it really that devastating? Yes, for her. Ladies, if your crush ain’t feeling you, it’s not the end of the world, move on. You don’t have to move thousands of miles away to do that.
Then we meet this supposed to be amazing, out of this world man, Duncan, and he’s a complete dick to her and everyone else around him! That annoyed me even more.
There were some cute parts of this story and other characters such as Babette and Max that I liked but overall this book was just OK. The love story wasn’t epic, and I felt that’s what was missing here.

I enjoyed this book but I wasn’t super excited about where the story went. The writing flows well and is easy and quick to read. It was good but not very memorable.
Thank you for the ARC!

Make a choice to do joy in purpose! This book while long on the descriptive has an amazingly sweet, tender, very real story. The way the story is written, you can feel the emotions, good and bad. A great weekend read!

As always Katherine Center wrote another novel that will give you all the feels! This was the perfect book for me right now. I was able to get lost in it and enjoy the characters, the story and the setting,
This is filled with so much hope, so much joy and even the secondary characters are adorable! Another home run from Katherine Center!
Thank you so much to #netgalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.
A light, fluffy read (which I expect when I pick up a Center novel.) This isn't a bad thing; however, I will say this was one of my least favorite of Center's books. I liked the premise of the story (love story, set in a school) but I think her other stories have more depth.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley.

I thoroughly enjoyed this engrossing novel. The premise hit close to home - safe schools, happy children, and effective education. The characters were flawed and human. Life should be more about finding the joys.

A sweet, entertaining read about intentionally seeking happiness. It's packed with goodness for anyone who's a fan of libraries, dogs, the ocean, and the cottagecore aesthetic. There's a scene with a whale that will make you cry! As a former teacher, I loved how the book captures the way a school is its own special universe--reading it made me miss working with kids and getting together with fellow teachers to problem-solve or just laugh about the hilarious (annnd frustrating) things kids say and do.

Katherine Center is becoming one of my new favorite author's to recommend. I love the way she develops the characters in her book. I thought Samantha was so likable and someone I would have wanted to be friends with. This book made me laugh out loud and smile while I was reading. Katherine Center hooks me in and doesn't disappoint. Highly recommend!

I love Katherine Center. Her writing style is remarkable. She easily creates characters with whom I want to be best friends. In this book, I was able to relate to the main character, but I also related in some ways to the principal of the school, as I am a school principal. The book dealt with a heavy but relevant topic, but the author was able to write about it with respect, but not make it feel heavy and scary. The principal goes through a transformation rather quickly in the book, which felt a bit rushed, but I was so happy with how it ended. Three cheers for Katherine Center...she has done it again.
My ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Net Galley for providing a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As much as it pains me, I have to go with 2.5 stars. The last two books I read by this author (HTWA and TYSiaF) I absolutely loved. I went into this one with high hopes, but I just didn’t get as much enjoyment out of it. Despite being a teacher myself, I couldn’t connect with either of the two main characters and I wasn’t sold on them being together as a couple either. I particularly felt like parts of Duncan’s story weren’t explored fully and didn’t make sense. Perhaps I just didn’t read this one at the right time, because I’ve always loved books by this author. While this one wasn’t a fave, I will continue to read her new releases!

Loved and devoured What You Wish For, as I do with all Katherine Center's books! I could not put this one down, and I have already recommended to both friends and my book club!

Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for an advance copy of this book. This is the third book that I've read by this author. I have enjoyed each one. The story grabbed me from the beginning and held my interest throughout the book. I am looking forward to reading the next book by Katherine Center.

4.5 stars

Some books just hit all the right notes. I don't know if I've every used the term "swoonworthy" in one of my reviews but I'm going to bust it out now. This was one of those reading experiences in which I caught myself multiple times with a big, cheesy grin on my face because I loved the characters and their chemistry. Other than a teeny, tiny part of the ending I thought was unnecessary, this was a perfect read.

Samantha Casey is a librarian at an elementary school. When the time comes to hire a new principal, Samantha is stunned to learn her former co-worker, Duncan Carpenter, will be filling the position. She had a huge crush on Duncan at their old school but never confessed her feelings to him. Unfortunately Principal Duncan is a lot different. While he used to be a lovable goofball, he is now so obsessed with rules and regulations, it's like he's a dictator. Well, this should be an interesting school year.

If I had to pick my favorite romance novels of the last year or so, this one ranks pretty high up there on the list. Everything just seemed to work and I felt invested in the characters. However, while I liked Duncan, it would not shock me if other readers have a completely different opinion of him. To be a good read this genre for me is really dependent on how well I like the two leads and whether I buy into the fact they belong together. I couldn't help but root for Samantha and Duncan to find happiness. The author did a good job giving them interesting backstories so even if you aren't quite as enamored with them as I was, this still is a decent read.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing me with an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

While I enjoyed this book as a whole, it read like the script of a cheesy Hallmark movie, and I think the saccharine writing might turn off some readers. However, I appreciated the author’s handling of sensitive topics such as school shootings and PTSD.

A fun, quirky, and believable read moving on, after life happens. I found the characters and their story to be funny, loving, kind and believable.

Thank you, Katherine Center, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the ARC.

I was so excited for this one after loving Katherine Center's previous books, but this was sadly a 3 star for me.

This was a quick & easy read and definitely provided a good distraction for our current times. However I didn't connect with the characters and love story the way I usually do with Katherine's books. I wanted a chance to see Sam & Duncan's relationship develop more, but it felt forced and I didn't buy their relationship.

It also touched on a lot of serious topics: epilepsy, school shootings, death, and PTSD, but none of them really had a chance to develop. It may have been better to pick one or two and fully explore them rather than rush through all of them.

However looking at the ratings I may be in the minority here so if you liked her previous books it might be worth a read! If you haven't read anything by Katherine Center, I also really recommend her previous books How To Walk Away and Things to Save in a Fire.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press & NetGalley for providing a review copy in exchange for an honest review.