Author Katherine Center grabbed my attention with Things You Save in a Fire. She has a knack for thoroughly developed characters, and her latest novel is no exception. Both the characters and the world they inhabit are impeccably crafted. Maybe too well, as it sent me virtually house hunting in Galveston! It may or may not have made me regret every decision that has led to me not being a school librarian at this utopia of a school three blocks away from a beach.

School librarian Sam is confronted with the past she fled four years ago when a former colleague begins teaching at her school in the aftermath of a personal tragedy. When he begins transforming their beautiful haven of a school with over the top security measures, Sam must overcome her past to stand up to him.

This novel is a light hearted read with more serious undertones touched on. Though tragic and heart-wrenching events have taken place prior to the novel’s timeline, they serve to provide emotional strife the characters must work through. Hard issues are tackled, but not in an overly heavy way.

I didn’t connect as deeply with the protagonist Sam as I did with the protagonist in Things You Save in a Fire, but an author deserves for their work to be evaluated on its own and not constantly compared with their prior work, so that’s more on me than anything else. I loved the secondary characters in this new novel, and hope a full novel about Babette or Alice is in the works!

The world these characters inhabit is lovingly crafted and feels realistic. From their beloved school to the unique cast of characters that make up the staff, I loved this fictional environment. It’s always enjoyable to watch characters learn and grow, even when they don’t realize its what they need.

The story is well paced and engaging; I wouldn’t be surprised to see the film rights optioned soon as well, as I think it would translate well to the screen. Warning: a side effect of this book is that you’ll be mentally shopping for clothes just like Sam’s. I loved her brightly colored ensembles and the metaphor that she had to believe in herself to transform from her old, beige and navy self into the colorful butterfly she was meant to be.

With a story full of growth, an adorable dog, and a precocious nine year old, Center’s What You Wish For is an enjoyable read that will leave you longing for a coastal lifestyle.

What You Wish For will be released July 14, 2020.

I’m grateful to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for providing an advanced reader’s copy such that I could write this review. Thank you!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Netgalley, and Katherine Center for my gifted copy of What You Wish For. Netgalley and St. Martin’s made it available during the Covid-19 quarantine, which brought joy to a lot of readers.

Quick synopsis: Samantha Casey loves everything about her job as an elementary school librarian on the sunny, historic island of Galveston, Texas—the goofy kids, the stately Victorian building, the butterfly garden. But when the school suddenly loses its beloved principal, it turns out his replacement will be none other than Duncan Carpenter—a former, unrequited crush of Sam’s from many years before.
When Duncan shows up as her new boss, though, he’s nothing like the sweet teacher she once swooned over. He’s become stiff, and humorless, and obsessed with school safety. Now, with Duncan determined to destroy everything Sam loves about her school in the name of security—and turn it into nothing short of a prison—Sam has to stand up for everyone she cares about before the school that’s become her home is gone for good.

I have a lot of thoughts on this book. Overall, I thought that What You Wish For tackled difficult issues with the right amount of depth, substance, and grace. School shootings, epilepsy, death, and seizures all come up, and Center gives each topic the respect and depth it deserves within the plot. They don’t detract from the plot, they add to it. It’s very impressive, and adds to a plot that draws you in, and hooks you from the beginning.

Educators will enjoy the fact that the setting and much of the plot revolves around a school. What teacher hasn’t had an administrator that tries to change everything, awesome coworkers that become close friends, and a student that you absolutely adore? I love Sam’s character development, along with her backstory. She’s a delightful, well rounded woman.

The drawback to this book, for me, is that Center’s writing started to come across as formulaic for me. The last third of the book, in terms of events, reminded me of How to Walk Away. In addition, the ending seemed very rushed. It didn’t leave the best taste in my mouth.

If you liked Katherine Center’s prior books, you’ll love What You Wish For.

I absolutely loved Katherine Center’s new book, What You Wish For. I’ve come to expect a fun, delightful read, from Center, that somehow will also cover very dark, heavy topics. This was a feel good book, that will make your heart very heavy, at times. The characters are absolutely lovable. I wish I knew a real life Duncan, Max, or Alice! Until then, I’ll have to settle for rereading What You Wish For.
Thanks NetGalley for the early copy! It was absolutely my pleasure!

Katherine Center's books have a special power for transporting me from reality - allowing me to ignore the horrors of the current pandemic and truly immerse myself in great writing and a fabulous story. What You Wish For follows How to Walk Away & Things You Save in a Fire for me in Center's books that have been knockouts!

WYWF centers on school librarian Sam and the crazy turn her life takes when her former crush, Duncan Carpenter, becomes her new principal, but he is nothing like the fun loving Duncan that Sam remembers from her past. Sam and Duncan are both characters I wanted to root for and I had such a good time following their story and learning what made them who they are.

Thank you to Katherine Center for always giving me exactly what I need in the best way when I open her books. I think it's time for me to make my way through her backlist now.

Thus was a sweet book that was heartwarming and perfect for these times. Well written. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley!!

Cute, fun romance that was slightly predictable. What bumped it up for me was the lovely life lessons:
Don't let fear ruin your chance to live.
Be brave.
Choose things that will cause joy (like flower hats).
Very enjoyable read.

Wow! This book was fantastic! I had never read a book by Katherine Center before this book, and now I’m hooked!
I loved that this book was about a teacher and a school. I loved that this book discussed some serious topics that educators, and people in general, are dealing with right now.

I quickly fell in love with the characters and felt many emotions while reading this book!

I highly recommend this book and will suggest it to many of my teacher friends!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, for the advanced copy of this book!

OMG.....this story was just what I needed right now.....it was sheer book nirvana ......I did in fact receive an ARC from Netgalley but I have would gladly payed for this one.
Thank you so much Karla for putting this author on my radar. I still need to read "Things You Save in a Fire" but that title has just skyrocketed up my list of books that I want to read after finishing this delightful story.

I LOVED THIS AUTHOR'S WRITING SO MUCH.

A MOST HEAVENLY READ INDEED.

5 "shining" stars.🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
This is my first novel by Katherine Center and honestly I was a little surprised by how strongly her writing hit me squarely in the "feeling good and loving it" department.
I guess, that I had no "real" idea what to expect from this writer but I have to say that she has the most amazing and "positive" effect on your psyche....this book was an absolute joy to read and a total mood elevator for me...not only was I positively beaming after I finished reading but thoughts about this sweet and engaging storyline continued to make me smile and keep me going throughout the rest of the day....which is a very good thing in this current climate of fear and unrest.
Stay healthy and safe - my dear book friends and fellow readers.

Synopsis:
Samantha Casey loves everything about her job as an elementary school librarian on the sunny, historic island of Galveston, Texas—the goofy kids, the stately Victorian building, the butterfly garden. But when the school suddenly loses its beloved principal, it turns out his replacement will be none other than Duncan Carpenter—a former, unrequited crush of Sam’s from many years before.

When Duncan shows up as her new boss, though, he’s nothing like the sweet teacher she once swooned over. He’s become stiff, and humorless, and obsessed with school safety. Now, with Duncan determined to destroy everything Sam loves about her school in the name of security—and turn it into nothing short of a prison—Sam has to stand up for everyone she cares about before the school that’s become her home is gone for good.

This story was perfectly interwoven with humor and generosity, love and romance, joy and sadness....the writing was seriously wonderful.....I will be reading a lot more by Katherine Center

What You Wish For was a sweet story with some characters you really want to root for. This is my third Katherine Center book and I think she managed to pull off, again, her signature sweet story that deals with some really tough subject matter along the way.
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Isn’t this a beautiful cover? Whoever is doing her covers for her books these days is really just killing it with the designs.
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Thanks to Netgalley for the eARC. It was a delightful moment when I was able to download this one. Certainly a good quarantine read. Just plowed through it in 24 hours.

I was so delighted to get my hands on an early release of this book, having thoroughly enjoyed the author's two most recent works -- How to Walk Away and Things You Save in a Fire. Like its' predecessors, What You Wish For was a light read romance with a HEA.

The protagonist has a great back story of struggling with a medical issue, and I enjoyed reading about how she went from wanting to be "invisible" to a woman of confidence. Samantha is a librarian at an idyllic school in Texas, and she is quirky without straying into "manic pixie dream girl" territory, and the author does a great job fleshing out her character and her motivations. The same can be said for our leading man in the novel -- Duncan, and many of the supporting characters.

However, there is one supporting character who is almost cartoon-like in his villany. I half expected to encounter a chapter where he was tying a maiden to a railroad track and twirling a mustache. A line uttered by this character pulled right out of my book cocoon, and had to go back and read it several times again to make sure I hadn't misread.

It is a small misstep in an otherwise utterly charming and delightful book. I was earnestly rooting for several of these characters by the end of the book, and was overall satisfied with the ending, The best part about this book is a message imparted by the character behind the inciting incident -- beloved school principal, Max. His message of "choose joy" is a beautiful sentiment, and I found myself thinking about it for days after I had finished reading.

I encourage anyone who enjoys the romance genre to pick up a copy, and fans of Center's other works certainly will not be disappointed!

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC,

I absolutely adored this book!

Katherine Center writes my favorite kind of romance - sweet and not too steamy, with some sort of lesson or deeper meaning within the book. The lesson in What You Wish For - choose joy on purpose! This was an excellent reminder that I think everyone can use from time to time.

The main character, Sam was extremely lovable. Duncan from Happiness For Beginners (my favorite of Katherine Center's books) is another character, one I rooted for throughout the whole story.

Read this book. You won't regret it.

I enjoyed this uplifting book. It is about a woman who moves away from a man who she obsessed over years ago, to have a fresh start. She works in a job that she loves, as a school librarian at a truly wonderful school, run by her friend. When that friend, who is like a father to her, passes away, she and the rest of the school staff are grief stricken. The head of the board of the school unexpectedly hires the man who Samantha was obsessed with years ago, she is both elated and terrified. But it turns out that Duncan is nothing like how he was before. Instead of being a playful, warmhearted man, he appears cold, stand-offish, very serious, and oddly obsessed with changing the school and making it more secure, with no care about what the school is all about.

This a wonderful and warmhearted look at how people change and why, and whether and how armor can be lifted and trauma can be healed. It is a love story at its heart. Ultimately it is somewhat predictable, but it is enjoyable and immensely readable just the same. I am a fan of Katherine Center's (this is the third of her books that I've read), and this book gave me more of what I've come to expect from her writing.

I loved this book! The main characters were fabulously created and made you really like them and root for them the entire book. I enjoyed the beginning, middle and end! The events that transpire are “real-life” happenings in our world right now…. So the story REALLY hit home for me! I really enjoyed reading this early copy! Thank you to all that made it possible!

An easy 5 stars for What You Wish For! I have been a huge Katherine Center fan (biggest fan ever maybe?) since I read her 2018 release How To Walk Away, so you could say I was counting down the days until I could get my hands on her newest release. What You Wish For exceeded all of my expectations!

Reading this story through Samantha's eyes was wonderful - her lighthearted, joyful approach was so refreshing. I loved that she wasn't whiny despite her personal struggles. I loved her commitment to her school, her students, and her makeshift family. Samantha and Duncan grew both together and separately, and I adored the way their story played out.

My only bit of negative feedback is that the story did take a while to pick up, but I find that typical of Katherine Center's books. Once I got through the first few chapters, however, this was an easy page turner that I finished in less than 24 hours. It's now my second favorite Katherine Center book, closely behind How To Walk Away.

Trigger warnings for PTSD, school shooting, death of a parent/grandparent, epilepsy

This is a book about Sam, an elementary school librarian, and how a new principal takes over her beloved school and changes her life. She has to learn to stand up for what she believes in before everything she loves about her school comes crashing down. The characters in this book sucked me right in and I was totally invested in what happened to them. Alice, Sam's best friend, fills the book with humerous math jokes. There's a little bit of mystery, humor, romance, and drama in this wonderful book.

4.5 ⭐️s rounded up! This is the third Katherine Center novel I’ve read, and I do believe this is her best yet! This story gave me all the feels, plus a few more I didn’t know existed! The storyline sucked me in right from the beginning. At first I found both lead characters almost too eccentric to root for, but that was quickly dissolved within the first few chapters. By the story’s end, I found myself laughing out loud, cursing at Sam, and welling up with tears. At a time when our country is experiencing a global pandemic, this story gives hope, joy, and love to those who choose it. Three of my favorite things from this story are (in no particular order): Alice’s math t-shirts, naming a pet Chuck Norris, and choosing joy on purpose! Thank you Katherine Center, Netgalley, and St Martin’s Press for the ARC!!

Sam (Samantha Casey) is living her dream life as a librarian at an innovative and creative elementary school, where her style of injecting fun and color into every day is accepted by all--the entire faculty feels more like family.

But at a birthday party for one of the school leaders, tragedy strikes. A new principal has to be found--and as happens in the World of RomCom, the replacement, Duncan Carpenter, is her former crush. Only this isn't the creative, amazing Duncan who never noticed her. This new iteration of Duncan is unsmiling, repaints the murals gray for obscure reasons having to do with school safety, which is his obsession. Duncan now notices her, but with the deadly fish-eye of RomCom Conflict. . . until she discovers that she's listed as his ride after a medical procedure.

We know what's going to happen, and it does with plenty of heart and appreciation for joy. For a romance novel, this book packs in a lot of dark stuff--school shootings, abusive marriages, epilepsy, bullying, a missing child being just a few. But Center deals with these issues with compassion and at times a very broad brush; the resolution of the missing child turns into one of the book's best scenes.

This was my first encounter with this author. Won't be my last.

“I’m not happy because it comes easily to me. I bite and scratch and claw my way towards happiness everyday.”

In Katherine Center’s new novel, What You Wish For, we encounter Samantha “Sam” Causey, a plucky, colorful, joy-seeking school librarian. She’s young, she’s whimsical, she’s in love with her school, her life, and her lovely island town. When an unrequited crush named Duncan Carpenter comes crashing into her school, a place that Sam’s entire life revolves around, you would think it would be a wonderful, miraculous time of joy. But Duncan is different. And Sam is different too. Is there room for people to grow, to change? What if they change in a way that is completely unexpected?

Sam and Duncan appear to have somehow swapped places in life: the once vibrant one is now clad in gray and is as serious as a cinderblock, while the wallflower, mousey librarian is now a rainbow incarnate. Will this work? Will they find their way to each other? What painful secrets are they keeping from each other? What hurts keep them guarded?

“The world keeps hanging on to this idea that love is for the gullible. But nothing could be more wrong. Love is only for the brave.”

Yes, the essential plot of this is a love story, but the true heart is about the courage it takes to be vulnerable with someone. To trust someone. To love someone. And even more so, the courage to choose JOY when things are dark are hurtful and raw and frightening.

Center has this wonderful style of writing that sets the reader right in the middle of the action. I don’t find myself sitting in the audience, watching it all unfold before me. I am on the stage, in the scene, experiencing every moment of the character alongside her. In What You Wish For I find myself laughing and relating to the over-analytical thoughts of Sam, full of truth and folly simultaneously. I cheer for her even when I know she is making false assumptions because I can soooooooo very much relate to that runaway train of thoughts that a woman can experience, especially in those years of new adulthood.

I loved seeing Duncan Carpenter appear, though I must admit I didn’t imagine this life path for him after his appearance in Happiness for Beginners. I wished there was more, but loved what was given, seeing each reveal as a gift.

This was a beautiful, sweet little postcard/ode to Galveston as well. Being a ‘local’ girl, I loved the inclusion of some of my favorite places and historical stories.

Center has once again filled my heart and found yet another way to encourage and inspire me.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Katherine Center for dropping this ARC to bolster our spirits.

Wow, where to begin. Sam is a wonderful librarian that has moved to Galveston because of a man that she can't watch fall in love with someone else. Due to the man, Duncan, she ran from and health issues she struggled with finding JOY in her life. Thanks to Max, the school principle, he was able to help her find JOY in the little things in life. Then the next thing she knows the man she ran from is back in her life. But what she doesn't know is the past he is coming from that can change them both. Can she over come her feelings or give in?
This was such a good book that I read it in one day because I couldn't put it down. You will be in love with this book and how the characters come together.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Another day in lock down and another book finished 🙌 thanks to #Netgalley I received #katherinecenter #whatyouwishfor you may remember she also released #thingsyousaveinafire well this cute little love story of two people is just the recipe you need to forget the world. #Sam who has left her previous school. Met a family who has taken her in. Then. #tragedy and #Duncan arrives. Is he the same as she remembers? Will he remember her? Be ready to take a ride and follow these two to see what happens when old crushes reunite. #bookreader #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #reader #netgalleyreview #arc #thisisfortyone #covid_19 #lifewithautoimmunediseases