Always, find JOY.

In my opinion, all Katherine Center books are must reads - relatable characters overcoming obstacles, with great detail & supporting characters, what's not to love?

In my opinion, all Katherine Center books are must reads - relatable characters overcoming obstacles, with great detail & supporting characters, what's not to love?

I received an in hand advance reader copy  of What You Wish For by Katherine Center thanks to a swap with my friend, Jeremy of @darkthrillsandchills but I also got to listen along thanks to the new Netgalley app - if you haven't already downloaded it, it's a must for busy book reviewers on the go! It has been SO convenient to have my books all organized with easy access to read my titles from anywhere! I am SO thankful to Macmillan Audio for the incredible titles I’ve already received on this app that has already become a favorite. 

This book grabs you in at the get go, then is a bit more of a slow burn until the incredible ending, I was totally here for this book, I'd never read anything quite like it. What I liked most was how it took tough issues - disabilities, loss of a loved one, school shootings, family drama and wove it together in a relatable story about community and learning to find the JOY.

Sam is the school librarian, who came to Galveston to start new, with no one knowing the problems she has had in the past with her disability. Adapting a world of color from her fun attire to teaching style, who truly loves what she does, she has found a family in her friends, founders of the school Babette & Max. 

Morning over the loss of Max, the community is heartbroken. 

Then Duncan, a teacher from Sam’s past becomes the new principal, and he is nothing like the man she knew. 

The supporting characters really just filled out the story in an incredible way, this book just made me happy. Heartbreaking at times, but full of hope, this one’s a must read for sure! 4.5 stars from me!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook in exchange for my personal review, I loved being able to listen along with this one!

This is my second book by Katherine Center, and I loved it just as much as the first. Her new book is about two people who have each had very difficult circumstances in their past. Although Samantha (Sam) and Duncan seem to be attracted to each other, they keep tripping over their own baggage. While Sam’s past is discussed early in the book, Duncan’s problems are revealed suddenly and unexpectedly. I was completely knocked off my feet by this, and suddenly everything made sense. As you read, you meet Sam’s co-worker’s, who are also her friends and family. As you get to know them, you realize that these are the type of friends that everyone wants. They are the type of people who “get you” and love you unconditionally. They will do anything for you, but they also let you know if you screw up, albeit in a very loving way. They are there for Sam and help her find her way. I listened to the audio book, which was read by Therese Plummer. She does a masterful job of bringing all of these characters to life. This was a great read, and I highly recommend it. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in return for an honest review.

Sam Casey is a school librarian at a quirky and lovable private school on Galveston Island. When the favorite principal suddenly dies, Sam is stunned to find out the replacement principal is none other than her long-cherished crush from a former school--Duncan Carpenter. But this Duncan is nothing like the fun-loving, goofy guy she remembered from her former life; this Duncan is deadly somber--obsessed with safety and security measures, the antithesis of the man she remembered. Sam is determined to make him her enemy as he attempts to change the school into a place of safety, but not of laughter or life. Can she stand up for herself and the school faculty in the face of all the changes Duncan wishes to implement? Joyfully and warmly narrated by Therese Plummer, this audio rendition tells a beautiful story about grasping happiness and joy alongside immense sorrow and pain. Plummer’s dialogue is filled with witty nuances, and the romantic banter and passionate arguments between Duncan and Sam are intense and sparkling. Her voice for Sam is perfectly pitched with the right amount of joie de vivre and enthusiasm for her librarian profession and the children she serves. A warm-hearted listen with an energetic narrator creates a genuinely emotional story that will connect with listeners of all ages.

I have liked other Katherine Center books, but I really enjoyed this one as her best so far. It might be that I listened to the audiobook, which I found to be very engaging, or that it is set in Galveston.
This would be great for a summer or fall book club choice.

Samantha has found her place at an idyllic school on Galveston Island, on the Texas coast. She loves being a librarian and the school family she has found. When the school unexpectedly losses it's founder and leader, a man from her past is brought in with unexpected consequences.
Duncan is a very different person now and Sam is set on figuring out why and protecting her school from his radical ideas.

I enjoyed the lighter tone and quirky main character. I loved how she created her family from her community and their relationships. I felt that the author did a nice job of weaving in heavier themes and making me outraged with some characters, while still giving me a satisfying book.

The audiobook version I listened to perfectly cast the narrator with an appropriate Southern accent but also her phrasing made the book funnier to listen to. She seemed a bit zany at times and really made the it stand out.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance audiobook for review.

5 STARS
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Another phenomenal read from Katherine Center!

This was such a quirky, fun, tug-at-your-heartstrings romance that is so sweet and fun! I absolutely loved Sam and Duncan—our MC’s. In true KC fashion, both have some emotional baggage or past trauma and have to try and wade through their troubles to find their way to each other.

Center always knows how to make me smile, laugh out loud and cry all in one book, and that is always the markings of a fabulous book for me.

I also listened to this on audiobook as I read along with the book, and Terese Plummer was a fantastic narrator! She really brought such a lightness and fun energy to the book that I don’t think I could have achieved in my own mind. I highly suggest this one as an audiobook!

If you love to feel all the feels in a book, Katherine Center’s books always do that, and You won’t be disappointed. I always look forward to her next book!

*Special thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Katherine Center and NetGalley for the early copy in exchange only for my honest thoughts and review*

I loved the audiobook for "What You Wish For" by Katherine Center. I just wanted to keep listening and power through to the end. The narration and story line about Samantha and Duncan and the private school they both work for is excellent. There is a theme throughout of overcoming and moving past trauma that many readers will connect with from various character standpoints.

This book has drama, heartache, loss and love in it to create a wonderful story that tugs at the reader. It was also great to hear the author of the book as one of the narrators!

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan audio for the chance to listen to this audiobook ARC. The receipt of the ARC does not influence my review in any way.

I was so excited when I saw this audiobook on Netgalley-- I love Katherine Center's books so was a looking forward to this one. This one had such a great story and the characters were well developed. Great narration as well. Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC.

I received a free digital audio ARC of this book through NetGalley. I have been enjoying Katherine Center's other books via audio over the past few weeks and was excited when I was able to get my hands on this one. This is my favorite so far.

The storyline of What You Wish For was good and I think I would have really enjoyed it if not for the narrator. I've since learned that the narrator is the author but it really ruined the experience for me. Having the author narrate a personal story or nonfiction book makes a lot of sense but the voice, expressions, and tone didn't match what was written which made for a somewhat painful 10+ hours. NetGalley provided an audiobook ARC but these are my honest opinions.

What You Wish For is my first experience of reading Katherine Center's work (even though I own Things You Save in a Fire). We read the story of Sam who sought refuge in Galveston, Texas (near my hometown of Houston). Just when she found herself dealing with the stress of her father-figure, she had come face-to-face with the love of her life, a former coworker. Readers follow the story of how Sam and the other teachers deal with this new principal, Duncan (the love interest), and a desire to "fix" him.

This story seemed as if it would be predictable, but it kept me on my toes. I can appreciate a good story that lets me think I know what would happen next, then surprise me. What You Wish For was the story that I did not know I needed. I will definitely be reading Center's other books and I look forward to any other works. I will be recommending this book to others.

I was so excited when I received the audiobook for Katherine Center’s new novel What You Wish For. I love her books and this one was no exception. I absolutely loved the story and the characters were so well written. For me there were a lot of laugh out loud moments. Just let me say that the narrator Therese Plummer was amazing, she made the characters and the story come to life. Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC.

I have many emotions and thoughts after listening to this book on audio, many of which are competing. I'll start with my thoughts on the narrator of the audio. First, the narrator is an EXCELLENT voice actor. There are so many emotional conversations and dramatic moments in this book requiring a multitude of inflections and moods, which the narrator conveys perfectly. She also did an excellent job in doing this all in the voices of different characters, including men of varying ages, children, multiple women--just so many characters. That's certainly a challenge, and she excelled. However, I believe the narrator has what I think is a Midwestern accent, which just really didn't seem to fit her character? I believe she was California? I found it so confusing. And maybe I'm wrong, but there was just something there, that didn't seem to fit.

Moving on to the protagonist. I found her extremely difficult to relate to. She's extremely eccentric, obsessive/stalkerish, and just generally fairly strange with her choices. Her level of obsession with Duncan was honestly just bizarre and troubling, and if Duncan hadn't secretly felt the same one, would have been a little disturbing. I just don't understand so many of her choices (not talking to what Duncan said on meds, jumping off the pier, not telling Clay's parents he was taking him to the library?????).

Setting aside the protagonist, I actually really enjoyed the plot. All the characters except for the protagonist were extremely lovable (Max, Babette, Alice, Duncan, Clay--I love them all. I even kind of love Tina). The plot is fascinating story of PTSD, education, modern America, grief, education, finding oneself, and love. There is so much there, and it really hooks you in after a slightly slow start. The pacing was a little strange, given how far into the story we met Duncan (I wish it had been sooner), but once we got past that, it was a truly excellent story. By halfway I was truly hooked, and powered through the last couple hours in one sitting. Overally, I genuinely enjoyed this book, and am curious as to what it would have been like to read it. It makes me excited to try other work by this author!

Trigger warning re. school shootings and missing children.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with a free copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 Stars bumped to 4 because of the topic

In NY Times bestselling author Katherine Center's latest outing, we meet Samantha Casey, aka Sam, an elementary school librarian who has made a great life for herself in Galveston, Texas at the Kempner School. Before that she'd been at Andrews Prep in California. She left after coming to terms with an unrequited crush on a fellow faculty member, Duncan Carpenter. Duncan was a very colorful and fun character but Samantha thought he barely noticed her. After pet sitting for him and reading a notebook of his that was left lying out in the kitchen from cover to cover, Samantha decided that she needed to leave, in part because of feelings of embarrassment over what she'd done. It's now four years later and she lives in the carriage house of her school principal and his wife, Max and Babette Kempner, and she's become firmly ensconced in their lives. They love her and she loves them and it totally infuriates their daughter Tina, who is often too busy to spend time with them. After a fateful birthday celebration as the novel opens, Kempner School is looking for a new principal. And of course, that new principal will be none other than Duncan Carpenter. Only, Sam finds he's almost unrecognizable! Gone are the Hawaiian shirts and wild humor. When he shows up in a three-piece suit and starts talking about big changes, she can't figure out what's going on. Then Babette's colorful cafeteria mural is painted gray because it's "easier to see what's going on clearly" and Sam declares war. But the problem is that she still cares for Duncan. What happened to change such a joyful man into a security-mad obsessive? In this day and age, in America, it doesn't take much to figure out why. But watching Sam and Duncan unravel the reasons was a diverting read.

I enjoyed this book more than Center's last outing. Her style of writing characters remains engaging and this is a fast, enjoyable read, considering the seriousness of the topic that forms the underpinning of the story, which is (view spoiler)

Updated 07/26/20:

I received a courtesy copy of the audiobook of What You Wish For, narrated by Therese Plummer from Macmillan Audio. The audiobook also has a fabulous audio author's note "Reading for Joy." from Katherine Center about how stories can save you. For anyone who has read a number of her books, it offers a great insight into her novels and why she writes about people overcoming trauma and hardship. "Stories are constructed like memories." So true. This generous 21-minute author discussion really adds a dimension to reading her novels.


I received a digital review copy and a paper review copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to receive this ARC and audiobook as I loved Katherine Center’s last two books. The story is centered around a unique and awesome elementary school, centered on the school’s feisty librarian, Sam, and new stern principal, Duncan. What makes the school so unique is how it empowers students and teachers to wonder and feel joy every day. When new principal Duncan Carpenter arrives, he seems at odds with the school’s essence and works to strip away what makes it so special under the guise of safety and security. I struggled through the first half of this book as I found the characters a bit annoying and over the top and conflict was predictable at times. However, I’m so glad I kept with it as the last half was fantastic! The last few chapters especially were so captivating and heartwarming. I loved the overall message of the book. Center has a wonderful way of creating lovable, flawed characters who consistently try--and sometimes fail--to improve and become better versions of themselves. I love following the beautiful journey of Katherine Center’s characters.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press / MacMillan Audio for providing this ARC.

I've read several of Katherine Center's recent books, and I particularly loved How to Walk Away. In What You Wish For, Samantha had a crush on Duncan for a long time, but he seemingly didn't know she existed. Fast forward several years, and Duncan is back to run the school where Samantha works as a librarian. He used to be a fun loving guy, but he no longer is so carefree. I listened to What You Wish For, and there were parts that made me laugh out loud. This story made me forget real life for a little while as some of the best books do. It is clear how much Katherine Center loves to write stories that make you feel something and bring you joy. I loved the note that was included at the end of the audiobook. It told the story of how she started writing and why she does it. She perfectly captured what it is that I love about reading.

I have to admit at the very beginning I thought the book was going to drag too much, but as it got going I really enjoyed it. This is a romance with a lot of substance. There's several hard concepts incorporated into the story that are handled well to give the characters substance. I feel like often rom-coms make all the characters seems like life is all happy go lucky, or you wonder why these college students never seem to be going to school, or does anyone in the story actually work, but this isn't that. This is real life with complex characters and relationships coming together in a small town. While the end isn't strictly happy, it's hopeful, characters show a lot of personal growth, the good guys win, and even if you think 'hm, that part didn't exactly turn out happy' you can definitely see that maybe it's the best option given the situation.
One of the key elements in this story that I love in so many is the idea of two people coming from different places of hurt or trauma coming together to heal each other, but also finding family in unconventional ways.
The narrator does a fantastic job!

Katherine Center did it again. Its a quick story with sweet characters and a cute storyline. Especially with everything that’s going on in our lives, this was a wonderful break from reality. There were several cheesy parts in this story vs her other two books but with everything going on it didn’t bug me. I also felt like she thinks all teachers are like Mrs. Frizzle (magic school bus) with how animated/eccentric they are.

Audio: I enjoyed this story but found it even BETTER in the audio version. The narrator has a way of bringing the words on the page alive and would be a great start for anyone who’s trying to start getting into audiobooks. She’s also the same reader as Things You Save In A Fire and How To Walk Away. After seeing it was Therese Plummer, I HAD to request this.

So I listened along while I read along. I loved this one! I do realize that some of the story was really predictable at times. The book starts out with the main character Sam trying to make the best birthday party for her landlord/boss Max. She had some help from his wife Babette but during that birthday party Max falls and while he thinks he’s fine and dehydrated he passes away. So while Sam is trying to come to terms with his death she finds out an old coworker is going to be her new boss. While she remembers Duncan to be a fun guy he ends up being the worst he is basically turning this school into a grey walled prison.
While things go on Sam and Max end up spending time together because Sam, Babette and a few other teachers want to help him. And push comes to shove and there is a unexpected love scene and the book does have a happy ending.
I think my favorite character of the whole book was Clay, Babette’s and Max’s grandson. He is very smart and he is soo sweet! I enjoyed this book and will definitely check out other books by the author!!!

What You Wish For by Katherine Center was a huge disappointment for me. I had liked some of her previous other books but this one.. was terrible. At first I thought it was the narrator because she had so much emphasis and overreaction and it drove me crazy. Then I realized it was a mix of both the narrator and the storyline. Samantha is dramatic and annoying and tried too hard to be quirky and cute and it drove me insane. I didn't care about anything or anyone. I don't know if I listened to the same book as everyone else... I liked how community and family was a big theme in the book rather than only romance but it wasn't enough to save it. It's unfortunate that this didn't work out for me but thank you to Macmillan audio and Netgalley for the audiobook!

I thoroughly enjoyed Centers last two novels; How to Walk Away and Things you save in a fire. Her stories always appear to be light and romantic on the surface but actually have quite depth and thoughtfulness. I’ve always had a bit of a problem with the women in the stories being a tad love sick for my sake. Unfortunately Sam takes the cake here and I just cannot stand listening to her anymore. At 40% in I have to throw in the towel. I wasn’t anxious to keep reading/listening. Way too much of a slow start for me. By this point i expect the story to progress. I will definitely give the author another try. My patience is just not suited for this book at this time.