3.8 rounded 4

It’s pretty hard to describe this book. Cute and heartbreaking? Emotional but also fun? A light read but also relevant? If you read the author’s previous books, you know what I mean. It was a quick read and I really liked it.

Sam Casey lives in a rural town in Texas where she works as an elementary school librarian. The town is small and everyone knows each other. The two people she loves the most are the closest thing she has ever had to a family. Babette and Max are like royalty in their city. The elderly couple founded the beloved school where she works. They are genuinely good people and they always act in the best interest of the community.
When Max passes away, the chairman of the school brings in Duncan Carpenter to be the new principal. Sam almost passes out when she hears his name. She used to have a major crush on him years ago and now he’s going to be her boss.

But Duncan is nothing like she remembered. He is weird and not fun at all. He doesn't understand that the small town values the legacy Max established and he just wants to change everything around. He has an obsession for safety in the school. But their town is so small and safe, why is he so worried about it?

Samantha is trying to understand what the heck happened to the nice guy she once had a crush on. And when she finds out, she’ll try to bring the old Duncan back. Meanwhile, she must figure out her own feelings. Sam is extremely insecure because of a health condition that made her dad reject her. How can she ever be loved by someone if not even her dad could love her?

I really liked the story and the characters are remarkable. I highly recommend it.

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Katherine Center for the chance to read and review this book. I was very excited to read this book. I recently discovered this authors stories and have loved them all up until this one. This one just did not do it for me. It may be all the chaos that is going on in the world right now but the story just didn’t flow the way her others do. It had a lot of parts that were “over the top”. The general story line was interesting. I just feel that some of the reactions in the story were a little unbelievable, like Kent Buckley throwing punches at Duncan during the final faculty meeting...really? Now I know that unfortunately some adults do act like this but it is not something I care to read about because it was absolutely ridiculous. I loved Max and Babette, I enjoyed Sam and her friend Alice. I thought that Chuck Norris and Clay were both adorable. All in all the book was ok...not one I would save to read over but I am glad I finished it and even though it was not my favorite of hers, I will look forward to reading her next story.

Just when I thought I had the characters figured out, a detail or two was thrown in to totally change my mind. So much of this novel mimics the way in which life changes course over and over—sometimes resulting in a happy ending and sometimes not. It took a few pages to get engaged with this novel, but once I got into it, I couldn’t stop reading until I knew how everything turned out.

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Samantha Casey adores her job as an elementary school librarian at a private school on Galveston island in Texas. She also adores the couple who run the school, Max and Babette, who are like parents to her. When Max dies suddenly, Samantha is shocked to learn the school board is bringing in Duncan Carpenter to replace him. Samantha left her last job 4 years ago because of her huge, unrequited crush on him. Unfortunately, when she meets him again, Duncan is stiff, uptight, and total focused on destroying all aspects of fun in the school for the sake of safety – the complete opposite of the Duncan she used to know! Sam decides she has to stand up to Duncan to save the community she loves.

This escapist read was exactly what I needed right now. Katherine Center has written another home run. I devoured the book in one day. As usual, with her words, Center makes you feel all the feelings the main characters do. It was funny, heartwarming, and sad at times. Personally, I would love to see a sequel about Samantha's best friend, Alice.

This was just dreadful. The author is my go-to for a heartwarming, lighter read with substance, but this book was so silly and over-the-top I thought my eyes would roll out of my head.

I'm a huge fan of the author's and look forward to her next book.

What a <i>joyful</i> story! Once you've read it, you'll get what I did there ;)

I don't know if it had something to do with being cooped up inside these days, but I DNF'd the last four books I picked up. This was the one to break the streak! Perhaps it was the overall theme, perhaps it was the writing, perhaps it was the characters. Frankly, I think it was all three, but I am super grateful. This didn't beat my favorite of Center's, which was [book:Things You Save in a Fire|41150382], but this was a close second.

A few things felt a little heavy handed about this story, but overall, it was carried through on some great characters, the obvious one being Sam, our sole POV, and a slow burn romance. One thing I love about her characters, Sam being no exception, is that though they have had challenges or struggles in their lives, they never fall into the romance trope of being "tragic." They've experienced some stuff, but they get up and continue living their lives on their terms.

This book is another great example of Center's strong writing and uplifting themes and stories. It features a strong romance, but that is hardly the only thing going on. So if you like a romance with some meat to the characters and their lives, look no further.

<i>arc received from netgalley in exchange for honest review</i>

What a cute, heartwarming novel! I’ve read Center’s two most recent novels and knew I had to read another. Of the three I have read so far, this one would perhaps be my least favorite. But, it this does not mean What You Wish For was any less enjoyable. I feel the beginning was a little overly-descriptive on small matters. It picked up in the latter half, though. I appreciated the character development that occurred throughout and the descriptions of why Sam and Duncan reacted the way they did in certain situations. Overall it was a pleasant read that I definitely devoured!

This is the first book by Katherine Center I've read and I liked it.

When Sam is unexpectedly reunited with her former crush, Duncan, her already shook up world is tilted a little further out of balance. Especially when Duncan is not at all the man she remembers him being. I did not like Duncan when he first appeared in the book but I did end up really liking his character.
The characters were realistic and human and this book provided a positive message while not being sappy.

This may be the best book I’ve read this year. I couldn’t put it down. It is evident the author knows what it is like to work in an elementary school. I will recommend this to all my friends.

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

Wow. Just wow. What a compelling, feel-good read.

Katherine Center takes some difficult topics and sprinkles them with love, hope, optimism and strength. This is the first book that I have read by Katherine Center and it definitely won’t be the last.

This story deals with the complexities of relationships and how things out of your control can cause lasting damage and change in someone - sometimes for the better and sometimes not.

The novel is centred around the female protagonist, Sam. Having felt stuck in a job, where her unrequited crush consumed her thoughts and took over her life, she decided to take up a new job as a librarian at an elementary school some miles away, so that she could stop obsessing over him.

This change does the world of good for her. Sam loves her school; she loves her job; she loves her colleagues - they’re like family to her. They have taught her how to live and to love and they have given her the strength to move on from a difficult past.

This all changes when their beloved principal dies, unexpectedly, bringing about grief and much disruption to their lives and to their school community. Keeping things the same for the children is massively important to the teachers and staff at the school and they all rally around to make things are as normal as possible.

This calmness doesn’t last long, when the new principal is introduced as Duncan Carpenter, Sam’s unrequited crush - the one she moved to get away from. Duncan is much changed - and not in a good way. Sam once obsessed over him, but now she is obsessed with wanting him to stop interfering with the way things are done - she wants to hold on to the previous principal’s memory - as does everyone else. Sam is adamant that he needs to change or he needs to ship out because she isn’t prepared for her school to become like a prison.

The chemistry between all of the characters are exuberant and Katherine Center has a real talent in make them believable and relatable: you instinctively feel their pain. Their stories had me reaching for the tissues on many occasion and I was gutted when the book came to a close, although happy with the ending.

Make joy happen and read this book; you won’t regret it!

Thank you to Katherine Center for a fabulous read and thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for affording me the opportunity to read an ARC of this memorable book.

I have been totally charmed by both Katherine Center's books that I've read (Things You Save in a Fire was my first one)! The beginning of this dragged a little bit for me, and I do wish that the book's central couple had connected just a little bit sooner.

Our narrator and main character Sam was so lovely. I could just imagine her in her brightly-colored outfits at home in her two-story library. I loved their Texas island school community, and felt similar good vibes toward the supporting characters as I did for the firefighters in Things You Save in a Fire. Just a really fun read overall - I'd recommend picking this one up in July!

I received a free PDF version of this book when the world started shutting down and sheltering in place due to COVID19. I was thrilled to receive the copy and I thank Katherine Center for her generosity and kindness. I have read two of Katherine's prior books and absolutely loved them both.

This book was hard for me to get into. Was it the book or was it the rough times we are in and my inability to concentrate? Either way, at about the halfway point in the book I was finally fully interested and I wanted to read to the end to find out what happened between Duncan and Sam. As with all of Katherine's books, there is an underlying life lesson in the book, and for this book it is choosing joy and love over fear. I love this life lesson and I feel like she did a good job with it. I liked how both Duncan and Sam chose to share their vulnerabilities and to listen and learn from the other, and in the process they also both chose joy and love, and found a way to meet in the middle.

I really enjoyed Clay and his wisdom, and I found myself wanting to visit Sam's library, which sounded like a book lover's dream.

While I liked this book, it didn't have the same WOW factor that her other books had for me. I will still be recommending it to others as I feel like the life lesson of choosing joy several times each day is one worth learning.

I will read anything Katherine Center writes. I find her books to have a mix of light sweetness and slightly heavy drama. They are compulsively readable.

This is the 4th title of Center’s that I’ve read. I enjoyed it- it was a solid 3 ⭐️read. But there were elements that I wish had been fleshed out in more detail and with a gentler hand. Perhaps the final version will have those elements. It could very well be my reading mindset during the current state of the world (covid-19) as well. While it was not my favorite- it was still worth the read.

Like all of Katherine Center's books, this book had an amazing feel-good vibe to it. I thought the plot was a little small but the overall theme of the book was just so amazing.

Sam Casey works as a librarian at an elementary school. She has so much for her school and colleagues because they helped her blossom into her true self and help her get over past experiences. But when the beloved principal dies, who will step in and continue making the school a great place for learning? Sam's old crush, Duncan Carpenter. Except, he's not the fun loving guy she used to know. He's closed off and cynical and obsessed with school safety. So her and her colleagues design a plan to get him back to his old self while Sam learns about her own self and letting people in.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. And honestly, guys, get a copy of this book. Enter giveaways, find it on Netgalley, talk to the publisher. If you are a fan of Katherine Center, you need to read this story. During this time of stress and uncertainty with the Coronavirus, this book helped alleviate some of that pressure. Self-isolate and read this book. And while you are isolating yourself, read more from Katherine Center. Her stories have a way of giving off positive vibes and giving you a great outlook on life.

School librarian, Samantha Casey, finds herself unexpectedly working with a former unrequited "crush," when he comes to be the new principal of her school in Galveston, Texas. This is the premise that launches a story that reads like an old favorite rom-com movie. Center weaves in tension, tough subjects, and a whole lot of fun to keep you turning the pages. At the outset, the tone is a little on the melodramatic side, but once I had leaned into the tone and suspended my disbelief, the story became a wonderful, escapist read. Especially appreciated were her themes of choosing joy and extending kindness to widen the circle of chosen family. Most days we could all use a little more joy and kindness, but reading this during the season of "sheltering-in-place" was yet another reminder that we may need them now more than ever.

Katharine Center was able to deliver another wonderful story of a protagonist with past trauma, the story of how someone pushes thorough and learns to cope with l pain, and a sprinkle of a love story. As I sit here during the COVID-19 quarantine, this was the perfect book to read that embodied strength, yet also provided a lot of light-hearted moments and fun. Definitely would recommend!

I've been excited about this book since I first heard about it, and it did not disappoint. The characters sucked you into the story and the story kept you turning pages as fast as you could. I devoured it in a day. I loved it.

Thank you #netgalley #stmartinspress for my free advanced copy! This will be published in July. I was so excited to get an advanced copy of this because last year I loved Things You Save in a Fire. I loved this story. The themes of resilience and dealing with trauma in different forms were so timely right now. The characters have (many) flaws, but the author does a good job of showing the reader the depth of the main characters and the reasons for their attitudes and decisions. Throw in a little romance and it was a great read perfect for the weekend and reading on my porch. There was laughter, a story that held my interest and lots of feels.

What You Wish For was a quick, enjoyable weekend read. As with previous Katherine Center novels, I fell in love with the characters and their complicated but beautiful stories, personalities, and emotions. The story highlighted a number of intricate but relatable journeys on tragedy, loss, and love. The end of the novel brought together everyone's stories perfectly and I left feeling satisfied and hopeful. A great feeling to get from a book right now! Thank you for the advanced copy to dive into a lovely story!

If you like Hallmark movies, you’ll love Katherine Center’s newest book, “What You Wish For.” Its a heartwarming love story of a quirky librarian Sam who unexpectedly finds herself back with “ the guy” that compelled her to leave her last school. What You Wish For reminds us to find joy in life. This timely tale with stay with you long after you read the last line.