I was so excited to be able to read Katherine Center’s new book. I devoured her other two books & thought that this one would be similar. Unfortunately this story & its characters really fell flat with me. I just could not get in to it and I didn’t seem to connect with Sam or Ducan. I really liked some of the supporting characters but it wasn’t enough to make me want to find out more about the storyline. I kept having to push myself to read one more page and when I got to the ending, it really seemed like a stretch. Not a fan of this one but I am a fan of Katherine Center.

Sam is a librarian at an elementary school in Texas and she loves everything about her job - the students, the wonderful principal and his wife, the funky old building. When the school's principal suddenly dies, the replacement happens to be someone from Sam's past, someone she used to be madly in love with. Duncan Carpenter shows up and he is nothing like Sam remembers. Instead of the fun-loving, gregarious teacher she fell for, Principal Carpenter is frigid, obsessed with safety, and apparently doesn't remember Sam at all. Determined to save the one good thing in her life and in the lives of so many of her students, Sam fights Duncan at every turn. She will stop at nothing to keep him from turning her beloved school into a characterless prison.

Katherine Center is an auto-buy author for me. I love the worlds she creates and the characters she invents. I feel like I am immersed in the town she is describing and the people in the story are my real life friends. What could be considered cliche in other stories just feels SO RIGHT in a Katherine Center book. I always laugh, I always cry, and I always finish the book feeling so full of encouragement and hope.

What You Wish For is especially poignant in this regard. The overall message is to seek joy, to actively look for the good and the beautiful in a world that is so full of evil - to find, as Center calls it, a "deliberate kind of joy...joy on purpose."

Highly recommend this beautiful read, especially during such an uncertain time in our world.

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC of this book for an honest review. This was a very predictable story that had a romcom feeling throughout. The main character was likable but also a bit frustrating as she kept (literally) away from the main interest in the story when she questioned her and his feelings. The story itself was on the light side which is probably what many people need at this time.

Thanks to @stmartinspress for a copy of this book! This story is about Sam and Duncan. After the sudden death of the school principal, Duncan is hired to take his place. Sam is surprised to work with him again. They had worked together before but he is totally different now. I am loving @katherinecenter new book!! (All of her books have been amazing.) I love how they all have a sense of healing in them. As a teacher, I enjoy the school setting in this one. I also loved the dog Chuck Norris. This book is full of great characters you can related to.

First many thanks for Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the copy of What You Wish For.
3.5 stars. I did enjoy reading this book very much; however, that said it was very predictible and at times far fetched and as another reader commented a little over the top. But I still liked the story and plan on reading more by Katherine Center. This was my first book by her . If you want a nice feel good story, this is a lovely read. Recommended!

I received a copy of WHAT YOU WISH FOR on NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to the publisher and author.

Five stars and here’s why:

I love it. Given that we’re isolated as a society due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I was so excited to receive a copy of this book because I believe people will really connect with this story. The idea to choose joy on purpose resonates with me. It’s been days since I finished reading the book and I’m still thinking about it. Samantha is a main character that tugs on the heartstrings and as she and her friends deal with a monumental loss, I’m reminded that it’s hard to find the joy amongst so much upheaval, but it’s certainly worth a try. I loved the writing and the pace was super fast. Highly recommend.

Since I really liked Katherine Center’s last book, Things You Save in. Fire, I was really looking forward to this and was hoping for another feel-good romance. Well, this fell way short for me. In fact it was so juvenile that I just couldn’t go on after about a quarter of the way through. With so many other books on my TBR calling me I basically skimmed to the end and called it a day. Sorry I can’t say much more for this one, but it just was not for me, which doesn’t mean most will not love this as a light summer read.

After reading Katherine Center's last two books, I was so excited to read this one. And it did not disappoint. The first part of the book was a little frustrating for me because I had such a hard time with Duncan! I think that could probably have been toned down a little. But sticking with it paid off. I so enjoyed spending time with these characters. This was a great reminder that there can be joy, even after trauma. Definitely recommend.

St. Martin's Press - here you go giving me an early copy of Katherine Center's newest book and I don't have enough self control to pace myself while reading it. Now, I have to wait until the next newest book of hers comes out to read. Why do I always do this?!

Guys, I love Katherine Center's books. She is one of my all time favorite authors. Her books seem to take difficult situations, quirky characters and present a story that is uplifting and hopeful. I'm not sure how she does it, but I just love these books and What You Wish For is just as fantastic as the others.

Sam Casey is a school librarian at the Kempner School, a progressive educational institution revered for its unique environment that fosters a warm, creative and familial learning atmosphere. As the librarian, Sam enjoys her role in fostering the reading lives of her students and strives to make her library a colorful room of literature and whimsy - her library is a reflection of herself. But when a sudden death results in the appointment of a new school principal, the culture of Sam's beloved school is threatened.

Duncan Carpenter used to be everyone's favorite, goofy, fun loving, eccentric teacher. When Sam realizes that the new principal is a former co-worker from another school, she has trouble reconciling the Duncan she used to know with the new grey-suited, serious and (frankly) scary version. It seems that everything Duncan used to stand for has been erased and she doesn't recognize the stranger who wants to turn her beloved learning sanctuary into a maximum security prison of education. But as Sam and Duncan reconnect, she begins to realize that Duncan might be hiding things that could shed light on his sudden personality change.

Katherine Center once again has written a book that balances the way her characters handle trauma with a hopeful, uplifting message. Her books always seem to highlight that in the face of sadness, there is always a sliver lining and whenever possible, we should choose joy.

I took a long time to begin reading this book. With all the turmoil in our lives right now I really haven’t wanted to read anything that would make me think too much. Putting it off was a mistake. I loved this life affirming book. The message of purposely deciding to choose joy was just what I needed. I really liked the characters. I would like to be a teacher in that school where the joy of childhood, of life, is celebrated. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC. I will be looking for more by Katherine Center.

I truly enjoyed this story. Full disclosure, I am a school-librarian myself. The main character, Samantha, resonated with me on many levels. Her love for her school library, her students, and her school community was infectious. The characters were relatable and realistic, flawed and beautiful. This story contained a sweet love story, full of hope and transformation. These characters give you hope of healing, love, and second chances. I would highly recommend this story!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51168993-what-you-wish-for

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book. My reviews can be read on my GoodReads account here: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1335387-kelly

This is the 3rd book from this author that I've read and I've loved every single one! I want to read them all now! This isn't just a fluff romance book, it's so much more and has a great message as well. Everyone should be reminded to "choose joy on purpose".

Just like everyone else, I absolutely loved What You Wish For by Katherine Center. It was exactly the book I needed right now, and I am so grateful to @katherinecenter, @netgalley, and @stmartinspress for letting me read an advance copy. It was really a gift.

Samantha wears her fun and joyful spirit, literally, with bright colors and flowered hats and polka dots. She works as a librarian at a dream school where she considers the faculty family, but she hasn’t always been this way. She had to learn not to hide, and she still harbors some deep insecurities. When tragedy strikes, new principal, Duncan Carpenter, is brought in to run the school. Samantha worked with Duncan years ago. In fact, she was secretly, paralyzingly in love with him, in great part because of his zest for life and fun spirit. But the Duncan that shows up now is a completely different man. Can Samantha remind him who he used to be?

I fell head over heels in love with Duncan. Possibly my first non-YA book boyfriend which is really a relief. I also love Katherine Center’s voice. It feel like we’ve been friends for years. She writes imperfect characters that remind me of myself. Some of the things Samantha does are insane and ridiculous and absolutely the sort of stupid thing a real human being might do (not necessarily me, but quite possibly). This book is filled with joy and hope even though it tackles some tough subjects, it feels light. If I had any gripes, it would be that I think there were a few too many examples of all the ways Duncan was wild and crazy back in the day. To fit all that in, I started to wonder if he was eighty years old. It also seemed like Samantha should have been able to figure out why Duncan had changed. It was the first thing I thought when we met him, and I longed for a little bit more info about their joint history. None of these things took away from how much I loved this book. I really wanted to stay in the world of What You Wish For a lot longer.

This one will be released on July 14, 2020. I definitely recommend picking it up!

Katherine Center has the ability to make me laugh and cry within the same book, sometimes even within the same chapter, and she succeeds again with What You Wish For. I can't say that I loved this one as much as its predecessor, Things You Save in a Fire, but she still creates real, messy, lovable protagonists in Sam and Duncan that are rounded out with supporting characters like Alice, Babette, Clay, Tina and Keith that feel real instead of contrived.

After Sam flees California because she has a unrequited crush on fellow teacher Duncan, she lands in a community on the island of Galveston where local community leaders and spouses Max and Babette take her in and inspire to experience joy and be her full self. But something unexpected happens to Max early on in the story that leads his noxious son-in-law Keith to appoint Sam's old crush Duncan as the new principal of the school where she, best friend Alice and Babette work. Sam is excited at first, because she can't wait for Duncan to reinvigorate spirits with his quirky personality. Except Duncan has changed too, and not for the better. So it's up to Sam and her friends to help him find himself again before his dour spirits bring down the school they love. Plus throw-in bonus in Center style: baby sperm whale rescue! I love her books!

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. This book had all the feels. This was a great story, with fabulous characters that you couldn't help but love. As she did in her previous books Katherine Center wrote a magical book that is easy and enjoyable. I love her writing style, love her characters, love her stories. I am so grateful for the change to read this book and highly recommend it to Katherine Center fans, you will not be disappointed!

What You Wish For was my first book by this author and it won’t be the last. This cute, charming story introduces you to characters you don’t want to leave and fills a bit of the Stars Hollow hole in my heart (I dare you to not make the connection with a character named Babette!). Taking place in Galveston Texas, the author does a great job setting the scene and introducing a school that plays a pivotal role in the lives of the characters. We learn very early that the school is changing and with these changes comes a familiar face for our main character, Samantha. After leaving Duncan miles behind, will Samantha be able to adjust to seeing him again? What happens next had me staying up past my bedtime!

Katherine Center has become one of my absolute favorite authors and this one did not disappoint! As usual, her writing is so warm and engaging and she creates such lovable characters. The issues in this book felt realistic and the chemistry between the two main characters was perfect. My only issue with her is that I wish Center would write twice as quickly as I am always eagerly awaiting her next release.

This was a beautiful story in many ways. I have only read one other by Katherine Center before, but I knew she was a very good writer with creative storylines. This book did not disappoint. There is a lot going on in the story and it was slower to develop for me, but I love the way she brought everything together. At first, the premise of the main character Sam running away from a job and a whole life because of a man she hadn't developed a relationship with seemed quite farfetched, but it made more sense as it went along. I loved the relationship between Sam and Duncan - they both saw themselves as having "something disqualifying" that would prevent them from having a joyful life and love. Both characters felt they were ruined, but learned great lessons about the strength of both friendship and love. I may have removed a few elements from the story, as I think there were some that could have been cleared without altering the power of what was being said. 3.5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley for my ARC of this book! All opinions are my own.

A well written story, that was entertaining. Brought out different emotions as you read it. This book would make a great beach read!