I loved this book. The world is a dark place right now and this book was a reminder to choose joy. It also captures the struggles of educators trying to do what they feel is best for their students, vs administrators who think they know better. This book gives a happy ending with compromise I wish we could see in more schools.

It’s a community that comes together when the beloved Principal and Founder of their school, Max, passes away-
And, those who replace him, including Duncan Carpenter, try to “fix what isn’t broken”.

One where friends ARE YOUR family, and they are there for Max’s widow, Babette. And, others along the way...

Sadly, I could not make it past the halfway point of this book. I usually love Katherine Center's stories, but the "quirky" characters were not grabbing me and felt overdone. Honestly I keep forgetting the main character's name and that seems like a huge issue. When she and Alice and Babette decide to invent this list of tasks for Duncan to do to snap him out of his "funk," I just couldn't read any further. It all seems so contrived and so far from reality, I just lost interest.

I loved so many things in this book. It made me want to fill my life and wardrobe with color everywhere. I adored the scene where Duncan was on painkillers and started spilling everything like he was on truth serum. However, I found a lot of the book a little unrealistic. It was so obvious that Duncan has been through something traumatic but it never seemed to dawn on the main character. It also seemed strange that she went from being so mousy to mouthing off quite a bit, especially to her boss who really should have fired her the first day. Did this keep me from enjoying the book? Not at all.

This is exactly the kind of book most of us need right now. It features kind, relatable characters who are trying - despite circumstances - to find happiness and joy. I have loved Katherine Center’s previous books - there is always a PG romantic situation and a gentler covering of tougher subjects (in this book epilepsy, reference to a school shooting, and unexpected death of a beloved principal). The sideline characters are often the most endearing (in this book, Alice with her math joke t-shirts and sweet, book-loving Clay) and there is always a feel-good ending. I read this book in a day and loved it. My only critique is that in order to believe in the story you need to suspend doubts that a principal could be hired by a single board member of this independent school and then authorized to make such drastic changes without buy-in from teachers and parents. I was ok to let that go. The story was good enough not to get caught up too much in the details. The messages were spot on. The school was idyllic - I would love to have sent my kids there. It is the kind of book that is good for the soul. You can’t help but root for Sam and Duncan and Kempner School.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my ARC! What You Wish For comes out on July 14, 2020. Highly recommend! And if you haven’t yet read her earlier book Happiness for Beginners, Duncan Carpenter first appears in that one. (Both are stand alone books.)

Sometimes your life can change in an instant, that happened to Duncan. Fortunately he has been able to tuck that event away and move forward making sure nothing like this ever happens again.

Samantha knew Duncan, well, she taught in the same school and adored him from afar. When she realizes she is never going to have a future with him she does what she considers the wise option and moves away.

Imagine her surprise when the new principal of her current school is introduced, and he has definitely not changed for the better.

The interplay between Sam and Duncan is dynamic and poignant at the same time. Both feel they have unacceptable flaws.

Read this charming book about real life and how we need each other to survive and prosper.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of What You Wish For. This is the second book I read from this author and I find her writing style to be very enjoyable. She gives just enough details and tells the story thoughtfully. All but one of the main characters are likable. It is a light read, which at first I was disappointed with, but then I focused on the author's message that is very relevant at this snapshot in time. Life is not easy. There are many events that bring us down, but the main characters focus on being positive. Finding happiness is important and doing what makes you feel good is important. Dance, sing, dress in colorful clothing, paint, read.....just have a positive attitude. It is a story filled with hope, a little romance along with some serious issues. I recommend this book and author.

Thoroughly enjoyed this story. I picked up on some plot points early on, but still appreciated how the author got there. Happy to have found a new author and will have to dig into her back catalogue.

ARC provided from publisher via Netgalley but opinions are solely my own.

The first Katherine Center book that I ever read was Happiness For Beginners and with that one book, I was hooked! Center’s writing is light, but well-crafted, and pulls her readers into stories that are alway much deeper, on many more levels, than you expect them to be.

What You Wish For is no exception to this! I didn’t know much about her newest novel, but it was available as a Read Now on NetGalley and since her books are always a must read for me, I grabbed it when I saw that I could. This story takes us to Galveston, Texas (a town that has fascinated me ever since I read Erik Larson's book Isaac's Storm) and to the community of a small private day school after its long time principal passes away. It focuses on the school’s librarian, Samantha, and as an old colleague/crush from her last school shows up to make some changes to the school, Sam must grapple with who she was, and who she has become, to save the life (and the school!) that she loves.

There was so much in this book about joy - finding joy and more importantly, CHOOSING joy, in spite of any given circumstances. This was exactly the book that I needed to read right now and I love the whole belief that we can find joy on purpose. As we experience this unprecedented crisis in history, I think it’s important to focus on finding the joy wherever we can. Center helps reinforce this idea through this beautifully told story and I cannot wait for it to be released in July so that you can all read it!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the free electronic ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book really touched my heart and I felt for Sam as she was reeling from the death of their school principal/father figure in her life.
I found that some parts were predictable, but I found that I was surprised throughout also.
Sam and Duncan deal with a lot of things separately and together. I think they had a good dynamic together and I felt that their relationship as colleagues and romantically had lots of depth.
A very lovely book and I loved the representation of reading and libraries and it was set in Texas!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This is a charming modern day romance novel. The two main characters, Duncan and Samantha are written with both flaws and redeeming qualities that are woven through out the story line. I appreciated how Katherine Center incorporated very real life school safety situations in the novel's plot while also showing the push and pull of keeping an elementary school's creative school culture present.

Overall, I would recommend this novel as an enjoyable summer or vacation read.

This was a sweet story and kept me engaged for the most part. It does tackle a difficult subject but for me I don't think the author dug deep enough for me to really take that too seriously. The actions by some of the characters just made it seem like it wasn't a big deal. Some of the characters were great, others got on my nerves a little. All in all an enjoyable book but I don't know that I will be thinking about this one much as I move forward.

What a joy to read What you Wish for. Katherine Center never disappoints! I feel into the skin of Sam, the main character in the book. She's got a dream job as a school librarian (as I would have LOVED to have been one!) and she loves working with kids. Her life is turned upside down, along with all her friends, school's employees and the school's children. After this tragedy, things seem to be getting even worse at the school. Love and patience prevail and lives that were once so far apart learn to accept the possibility of happily ever after. I really do enjoy Katherine's writing. Anyone who can have me melt into a book so easily is a winning author in my books. Looking forward to her next book!

This is so not the kind of book I normally read, but it was perfect for the current situation. Light, mindless, fluffy, predictable...it was a breeze. Near the end, I was ready for it to be done. And it was, in a satisfying way. Why can't life always have a happy ending?

Found this charming at first but just too predictable for me. The lead character was not very realistic and the story had too many things going on at once to be the relaxing read I needed. Bit over the top for me.
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A novel that really embraces Katherine Center as an author. The story line is indescribably absorbing. Center’s writing alone has a quality that quickly has you drawn in and half way through the book. The plot itself is about life. Center touches on all the small, brief, sometimes intense moments that change people and the paths they are on and lead them where they are supposed to be. In between all this, she throws a love story in. Very cute and heart felt.

Thank you to a#NetGalley for the ARC of #WhatYouWishFor which was read and reviewed voluntarily.

Wow. What a beautiful story. First let me say, I normally would not read what I consider a romantic novel. Katherine Center’s writing is so absorbing. This story has it all, life, death, heart ache, love, mental health, physical health and everything in between. Plus, the story is so relevant on some many different levels. Thank you NetGalley and Katherine Center for the ARC.

This book, like Centers other books, sucked me right in and had me not wanting to put it down. The characters were fun and quirky, and at times over the top, but with realistic issues. The story line kept me wanting to know more. This book is about finding joy and felt like the perfect theme for what we’re all going through right now.

I loved the story of Samantha and Duncan. Samantha knew Duncan from a previous job. When Duncan becomes the new Principal at her new school, Duncan he is no longer the carefree man she used to know. You can feel Samantha's disappointment and heartache. I really enjoyed the way Katherine Center wrote this book.
This book is a 5 out of 5 stars for me. It was a really enjoyable read with some interesting character you get to meet along the way. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers of this book for an opportunity to read this book for my honest review. I always like finding a new author to read. I will be reading more books by Katherine Center.

“What you Wish for” is about a librarian who has found her dream town and dream school, will she give it all up for “that guy”? A heartfelt story of how time and events change us, this is a great read for a lazy weekend.