Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's for an advanced copy of this book.

Sam loved everything about her life in Galveston. She enjoyed her job as a librarian, the kids and her coworkers, her charming old school building and the carriage house she lived in in the backyard of two of the town's favorite people: Max, the schools principal and his wife Babette, the schools art teacher.

But when Max passes away suddenly, a new principal needs to be brought in to start the new school year. As luck, or lack thereof, would have it the new principal is someone from Sam's past. Duncan Carpenter was always full of fun and excitement and to say Sam had a crush would be an understatement, but Duncan never really noticed her. Sam was terrified but also looking forward to Duncan seeing the new her.

The Duncan that arrives is not the Duncan that Sam fell for all those years ago, and suddenly Sam has to work not to hide her feelings like she initially feared but to save her school and everything that she's come to love about her new life.

To say that I'm completely in love with this book wouldn't even do it justice!! This is my second read by Katherine Center and I can't get enough. All her characters and story lines are completely relatable. They are the perfect love stories because they're realistic. She does a wonderful job of balancing heartbreak and trying to just figure out life and all it's challenges. It's arguments and disagreements with friends, family and partners but being able to work past them and love one another; it's not all grand gestures and things being perfect and living happily ever after. This book is being published in July and if you don't preorder it right this minute you're making a huge mistake! I can't wait to read more of her books!!

So... I had such high hopes for this one, but unfortunately it was not my favorite Katherine Center book. The cheesiness was REAL and I found it pretty predictable. I was honestly bored through much of the book. What I did enjoy was the message of finding joy and Center's excellent characterizations. I definitely felt connected to the characters and I did like the ending.
This book will probably be for a lot of people, just not for me. Sorry I cannot give a more positive review. 3.5 stars.

I went in with pretty high expectations - I loved Center's last two novels - and this didn't disappoint.
And what a timely book - a big emphasis of the novel is choosing to find joy in life, even through its hardest moments. This was just what I needed to read during this pandemic. I also really loved the relationship between Sam and Duncan - was it a little cheesy? Maybe - but I LOVED it.

If you read only one book this summer, read this one, because Katherine Center knows how to play with your emotions, ya’ll.  I will be as spoiler free as possible. I cannot review the book without giving away some plot elements. What You Wish For is a must read if you loved How To Walk Away and Things You Save In A Fire. 
The book follows Samantha Casey, a school librarian who after a life-changing event re-invents herself. Sam as her friends call her has built a new amazing life for herself. She loves her job and her co-workers are her new family. When tragedy strikes Sam thinks her former co-worker Duncan Carpenter will help the school and be the change everyone needs.

Sadly, Sam learns that Duncan has changed and not for the better. Duncan appears to be a stone cold, rigid man. The amazing, charming, and loveable teacher is no longer there. I knew conflict portion of the plot that involved Duncan. It was easy to guess. Later in the book when Duncans conflict is revealed, many of you will think I knew it! I think that element was obvious because of Duncan’s introduction.


The subplot with Duncan may seem like it is the heart of the story, but it is not. The true heart is Sam’s backstory, which may wreck you when you read it. This may appear to be a romance novel t, but it is not. You will know what I am talking about when you read What You Wish For and if it doesn't make you cry, I don't know what will. Sam’s childhood trauma has a significant impact on her current situation. It ties into all five components of the plot. Sam’s trauma is everything and the key to helping Duncan reveal his conflict.


At 72% through this book Sam says something that resonated with me and Duncan. “Dude-I’m not happy because it comes easily to me. I bite and scratch and claw my way towards happiness every day.” I many ways we all can relate to Sam. We all have something we work to towards getting past. We may not be characters in a Katherine Center novel, but the theme of trauma and recovery is something we can all relate to. 

The actual gift that What You Wish For gives is insight on blame. Mainly how blaming ourselves for things we have no control over can cripple us emotionally. I took away the message of the power of letting go of blame can transform your life. Katherine Center writes books that always have an underlying life lesson or two. In How To Walk Away loss is a major theme. In Things You Save In A Fire, forgiveness and reconciliation are major themes. I feel that What You Wish For finds a fresh way to spin the theme of forgiveness this time not others but yourself. You need to let go of blame. You must make your own happiness, not wait for happiness to come to you. 

I rated What You Wish For five stars on Goodreads. As always, Katherine Center knows how to write an irresistible story you cannot put down. As a bonus, you learn a life lesson or two. I recommend you read this book when it comes out on July 14th.

Katherine Center's newest book"What You Wish For" is a great blend of romance, engaging characters,, and current day topics. I found myself wanting to visit with the Samantha, Duncan, and the small town characters each of whom were distinctive. I appreciate that no one is all good or all bad and that there are not magical solutions to every problem. This is another enjoyable summer read by Katherine Center-- a 4.5 for me rounded up. I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.65 Stars

As this story begins, Samantha Casey is a librarian at the Kempner School, a school founded by Max and Babette Kempner. A school founded on educational principles, as well as an environment, that foster creativity, encompass a love of teaching as well as learning, and place that both the students and teachers love.

Max and Babette have just returned from a recent trip to celebrate their anniversary, and are surrounded by friends and family at a party to celebrate his sixtieth birthday. A party that Samantha has put together, as she has considered them her family, they were the closest she had to a family, living in their carriage house. A mother that died when she was ten years old, no siblings, just a father that left years before her mother died, unable to deal with her epilepsy, her seizures. Friends she had, but none as close as Max and Babette. And then, at this party Max collapses after dancing with her, and dies. And Max’s position as principle needs to be filled.

When Samantha finds out who the replacement will be, she realizes it is someone she knew from the last school she taught at, someone she had a crush on, and more than that, perhaps, someone who helped her shed her timid self, and embrace a more colourful self. Only, when he arrives, he’s nothing like the man she thought she knew. He wants to turn their school into something without any semblance of joy. Something more like a prison.

In an effort to figure out what has made him change, she begins to slowly try to find glimpses of the old Duncan Carpenter, the man she considered super goofy, who knew how to have fun.

I had read, and enjoyed, Katherine Center’s last book, Things You Save in a Fire, so when I was offered an opportunity to read this, I took it. I didn’t expect it to be more or less enjoyable, but I began to wonder where it was headed when it seemed to be taking a turn in a direction with seemingly little light.

Slowly the light seemed to filter through, though, and I truly loved the ending, although I felt it remained a little too long in the darker side until then. The message, one of choosing joy even when it doesn’t seem as easy to find, was a good one for these days, as well as the message of fighting for a worthy cause.



Pub Date: 14 July 2020


Many thanks for the ARC provided by St. Martin’s Press

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC provided in exchange for an honest review.  
This book came along for me at the right time.  There is something so comforting about a romance read that makes you feel all the feels.  I was drawn into the main character because she is a quirky elementary school librarian who is happy at her school and content in her life.  Well things change when a former crush becomes the new principal of the school.  Things from his past have led him to make many unpopular changes to how things are done.  The story does a good job showing how past traumas influence our current behaviors and relationships.  Overall this book makes for easy enjoyable reading.

Oh how I love a book by Katherine Center. I was really debating on this one at first because it really took me quite a while before I liked Duncan at all-not even a little bit. This book has a really quirky cast of characters and I wasn't quite sure about them for a good bit of the book but I'm happy to say that the storyline just ended up so amazing that I couldn't help but love this book. I loved how Center wove some really serious things into this book and blended in some humor and life lessons. Center has been a favorite author of mine since reading How to Walk Away. Her writing is just so easy to read and I have enjoyed each and every book I have read by her. Being from Texas - I liked that the setting was in Galveston. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Started out a little too breezy for me, but still worth the read. Entertaining and light - a perfect recipe for a relaxing read. Thanks to the the publisher for an ARC copy!

"It's one of the secrets to life that no one ever tells you. Joy cures everything... Joy is an antidote to fear. To anger. To boredom. To sorrow."

"But you can't just decide to feel joyful."

"True. But you can decide to do something joyful."

Samantha Casey loves her position as an elementary school librarian. Her school appears to be nurturing, fun-filled, and community-focused - a dream!

Sadly, the school's beloved principal passes away over the summer, and a replacement needs to be hired. Enter, Duncan Carpenter.

Duncan Carpenter isn't just anyone though. He's Sam's former colleague who she had a major crush on. While hesitant to see him again, Sam remembers him fondly as a bigger-than-life teacher who always thought outside of the box, and feels that he'll be a great fit for her little school. That is, until he arrives in a suit, spouting statistics on gun violence in schools and new security measures he plans to put in place immediately.

What happened to Duncan, and why did he change? Sam knows all about change since she's undergone her own reinvention in recent years, but hers made her happier, while Duncan appears void of all joy.

What You Wish For takes a look at the personal traumas so many of us experience, and the journey we can take to find our way back to joy. It is nothing short of delightful, with its quirky characters, honesty, and mishaps.

Thank you to Netgalley for this free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an electronic ARC through NetGalley.

This is an uplifting story reminding us of the importance to always look for joy. I loved each character, and appreciated the positive messages at a time like this. I highly recommend this book, just like I do with all of Katherine Center’s books.

Samantha Casey loves her job and her life as a librarian in Galveston, Texas. That is until a horrible tragedy and a blast from the past (in the form of an unrequited love) comes to maybe take it all away. Do to her circumstances, Samantha has to step up for her self, her job, and the people in her life.
I loved reading about Samantha's growth from when she lived in California to her being in Texas, but I do wish we could have seen more from the before Samantha in order to appreciate more the new, colorful Sam.hate the concept of a woman leaving her life because a man didn't return her feelings but I get that it showed how much Sam had grown as a person.

I really enjoyed this story about a long-time crush and love/hate relationship between the librarian of an elementary school and the principal. The little town and all the other characters in the school were a nice touch, too. Katherine Center always writes a novel that keeps me up too late. Thank you to netgalley.com and St. Martin's Press for the review copy.

I absolutely adore the author Katherine Center so was so thrilled to be allowed to read her new one as an ARC from Netgalley. This story is a bit different in that the main character and the counterpart male hero have known each other before and get reunited as he becomes the principal to the school that she is a librarian of. I am not sure if the relationship is unbelievable or the characters seem to be polar opposites to be considered having a love interest. This story moved slower than the last two books I read from the same author. The romance was not as exciting but the storyline was enjoyable if not realistic set in a smaller town. . I think this one is a little bit different from her other stories but happy to have read it.

I’ve only read one other Katherine Center book, but this was keeping in what I got from the other one as well. It has the background of a cute romcom but there were some much deeper stories told there as well. It seemed to be a little darker than I thought it would be, but Things You Save in a Fire was as well. People should be prepared for some triggering content. That being said I enjoyed the back and forth between Sam and Duncan and enjoyed the story. It took about halfway for me to be fully invested, and then I was in all of the characters. A sweet romance with a deeper story for the characters.

I’ve read all of Centers books, and I will say they are all “cute”. This is a lighthearted story about a librarian who rediscovers herself in the wake of a failed crush, only to discover the crush now becomes the principal at her new school. It deals with themes of loss, trauma, and finding the joy in life. I teared up a bit at the end because of a sweet child. ⁣
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You know the phrase “show don’t tell” in regards to writing? Center isn’t a “shower”, she’s a “teller”, and that’s the one problem I have with her books. They’re fun; their feel good; they’re HEA books- there’s just something tell-y instead of show-y about them.

First off, thank you to St. Martin's Press for giving me a chance to read this book prior to the release. I have been a fan of Katherine Center's since I read her book, "How to Walk Away" and have been hooked on her writing since! "What You Wish For" did NOT disappoint!

The story starts out painting a picture of a school librarian named Samantha who loves her job, her community, and everyone she works with. Suddenly, the principle of the school dies and leaves everyone wondering who will be his replacement? His wife whom everyone thinks will take over, or someone that they don't know? The principle ends of being not being the wife of the deceased principle, but someone from Samantha's former life. Someone who Samantha had a crush on and ran away from years ago.

Although Samantha remembers the new principle (Duncan) as a fun loving, care-free teacher, he is nothing that he use to be. Duncan comes into the school and tries to change everything about the school that community has grown to love and make the school into a "prison". The guy that Samantha use to love seems to no longer be the same Duncan. Samantha is forced to find and change Duncan back to who he use to be, or leave the school she has grown to love over the years.

Even though the story started out slow, I was quickly engaged and had a hard time putting down this book. If you are looking for a quick, fun loving story, this is your book! The characters become like friends and leaving you rooting for them throughout the book!

I was drawn to this book because of the author. I've recently discovered Katherine Center and have enjoyed everything I've read including What You Wish For.

The book had a great cast of supporting characters that I would love to learn even more about. (Hoping for some spin-offs). The story begins with a tragedy in a close-knit community. This is the beginning of many difficult topics throughout the book. However, the topics were not covered in-depth so did not feel too heavy. I did feel that maybe too many topics were touched upon (illness, gun safety, military deployment, death, emotional abuse) and I would have liked to see less of them and dive a little deeper

If you've enjoyed the author's other books, you'll likely enjoy this one as well, but it probably won't rank as your favorite. This book was super predictable, not that I expected major plot twists, but you could see what was coming a mile ahead. I had a little trouble connecting with the main character at the beginning of the story. I was frustrated with her, at times, childish behaviors. (i.e. moving away from a city/job you love because of a crush). But she grew on me and I was cheering for her by the end.

However, I did stay up much later than I had intended to finish the book and I finished it in a day - so it kept me engaged and in the end I was glad I read it.

Samantha Casey is a school librarian who loves her job, the kids, and her school family with passion and joy for living.
But she wasn’t always that way.
Duncan Carpenter is the new school principal who lives by rules and regulations, guided by the knowledge that bad things can happen.
But he wasn’t always that way.

Samantha has a transformation when she moves on from her past school. The Duncan Carpenter she knew in her past was fun and entertaining and is now serious and stiff. Samantha is determined to get the old Duncan back before she loses her school and her pride and joy. I wasn't expecting what happened to Duncan to be revealed but it makes sense. I loved losing myself in these two and I was hoping they could both work out their issues together. The author painted such a picture of the school you could picture every design on the wall and the library. I loved it and wished it hadn't ended.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you #netgalley

ARC kindly provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I'm so excited to talk about this book!
This story had unforgettable characters who were dealing with realistic and raw matters that unfortunately we don't see enough in books these days!
I loved the story line and without sugar coating anything, it leaves you satisfied and happy!
I highly recommend you this book!
Katherine Center is an amazing storyteller!