This was a cute romantic comedy book that I think would do well made into a movie. It had lots of light-hearted fun and the romance parts were very sweet. I liked the book a lot but did get a little bored close to the end. It just seemed to keep going on and on. I finished it but I did skim quite a bit at the end.

I am so happy that I stumbled onto my first Katherine Center novel last summer, her writing brings such depth to the places and people she’s writing about. This book was no exception, it’s smart, romantic and most of all, full of reminders to work hard to bring joy to your life. It’s a message we need so desperately right now, and she has such a light hand so as not to be saccharine or naive about the challenges. Choose books that make you happy!

While this may not be one of my favorite of Center’s books, it was still a wonderful read that I couldn’t put down.

Sam is a librarian at a progressive school in Galveston Texas. A few years ago, she left her previous school because of her unrequited crush on fellow teacher Duncan. When Duncan shows up at the Kempner school in Galveston to replace the recently passed and beloved principal, Sam is not excited. When he shows up as a completely different person than she remembers and starts to crush the spirit that is the Kempner school, she goes from not excited to determined to stopping him from the one thing she loves.

I love Sam. She is exactly what you expect an elementary school librarian to be. Center did a wonderful job of getting the school environment right. She wrote about the start of the school year and how some of the teachers felt about getting things ready as well as the passion good teachers have for their kids and it all resonated with me, as someone who works in an elementary school. I often feel like authors can write a cartoonish version of an elementary school and this is one of the few times that I felt as though I saw my school and my experience in writing. Even when the book started to touch on such heavy topics as school shootings and school security in our current climate in America.

One of the main themes of this book is to “choose joy” and I felt that at my core. I often feel that half the battle of being a positive person is choosing to be positive. The way that Center wrote about Max and his thoughts behind it as well as how Sam put this into practice really resonated with me and I feel like it is something everyone needs to be reminded of.

I always enjoy that Center manages to balance stories with serious issues with love stories. Duncan and Sam’s chemistry was undeniable and I loved reading about them. In the past, Center has managed to stump me when it came to little twists or hidden secrets in a character’s past, but this book I was able to easily predict. I think that’s why I didn’t love it as much as some of her previous novels, but it didn’t diminish my overall enjoyment. The writing still sucks you in and, like I said, the topics that she covers really resonated with me.

If you are a fan of contemporary romance balanced with the seriousness of life, Center’s books are definitely for you. I think this book will especially connect with people who have experience working in a school, but I honestly think anyone will enjoy it. It’s a delightful book and an easy read that will really make you think.

This follow the typical formula of other Katherine Center books I’ve read, and I mean that in a good way. I love knowing that I can rely on her books for a nice balance of romance and seriousness. While this may be my least favorite of the last 2 I’ve read, it’s still a 4 star read! That being said, I wasn’t a huge fan of Samantha at the start. Even halfway through, I wasn’t exactly sure where this story was headed, but I did continue to feel inclined to keep reading. I really enjoyed how everything ended up and connected. Definitely recommend.

Katherine Center is an auto buy author for me, so What You Wish For was no exception.

I love how Katherine writes real, flawed, relatable human beings with fears, problems, and joys. Thats what I love about all of her books.

What You Wish For continued with that, and gave me more characters to fall in love with. This book was a great companion for the past few sleepless nights, and the story focuses a lot on finding joy and happiness despite all of the scary things that could happen in the world, which is a lesson much needed in the world right now! I also loved getting to revisit Galveston, because that is a special place.

This has been the perfect bingeable, feel good read that I needed during all of this wedding craziness.

I did feel a little like the characters weren't as in depth as I felt her others were, but overall still likable. I thought the ending resolved a little quicker than I wanted it to, but I still enjoyed the read and would recommend it to friends.

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.

3.5 out of 5. I liked this one but honestly wasnt a big fan of the main character Samantha. There was just something about her that I didn't really like. Sorry..

I enjoyed Katherine Center’s new book but it didn’t leave me gushing. It has all the makings of a “feel good read”, and delivers on that, but I was left wanting more from it. I would recommend it if you are looking for a light, easy read, but it definitely wasn’t one of my favorites of hers.

First time reading this author and found it a different sort of writing style. It took me awhile to get into the story as the quirky librarian sometimes rambled as she narrated chain of thought and events. Just before it is about to become mundane a real story emerges and carries you quickly to a nice dramatic wrapped up ending. Quick fun read.

I was provided an Advanced reader copy of the book and was under no obligation to provide a review.The opinions expressed are my own.
Thanks to the author,publisher,and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Sam Casey is a librarian in Galveston, Texas. When the principal at her school, also a father figure and her landlord, suddenly passes away, it impacts her and all the faculty. What throws Sam even more off base is that the man she admired (Duncan) from a distance years ago seems to have transformed and is now taking on the principal role. Each person has their challenges, and this follows how Sam and Duncan both adapt over the school year - there is more to everyone than meets the eye, and things change since they last met a couple of years prior.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, I've struggled to get lost in a book no matter how good. I read this over 2 days - the first I just got through a couple pages, and the second day, I didn't get up until I finished it. Fans of Katherine Center's other books won't be disappointed - it's a must read!

Thank you to Netgalley and to St. Martin's Press for a copy in exchange for an honest review.
#WhatYouWishFor #KatherineCenter #summerread #Galveston #fiction

This book was great because it handled several serious topics but still remained fairly lighthearted. Once I started reading it I could not stop. Some of the storyline was fairly predictable but that didn't take away from my enjoyment. This was actually the first book by Katherine Carter that I have read, so once I finished this I knew I had to read the others.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC to review.

It must be me...because I felt a huge disconnect with this story and these characters. For much of the novel we see Sam’s yearning for the “old Duncan”, but since I didn’t know him I didn’t care. Plus, I never felt a big connection to San and her “wacky” style of dress either. Since Duncan was kind of a dick implementing totally ridiculous things at this school, I also couldn’t fathom why she was still so drawn to him. Sure, the overall message of looking for joy is great. But this covered some serious topics and it felt too light for me. I never had any feeling of emotion.

I can only assume it’s me since there are a plethora of positive reviews, so give this a chance and I hope you love it.

I really do love Katherine Center's work, and I will continue to read her books. I really loved the zany lead character, and I think it's important to have more leading protagonists that have disabilities and invisible illnesses. I really appreciated this aspect of the story (but would love some own-voices feedback!). I couldn't help but feel a little annoyed that the hero had very obvious trauma, the trauma itself was incredibly obvious, and I was just waiting the entire book for the "reveal" to happen. This one felt a little less subtle than her other books.

I still really enjoyed it though, and I will continue to read anything that Center writes. Her books are just easy and light and so much fun!

This was the perfect read during the pandemic. Full of optimism and hope, brimming with the encouragement to live in to who you really are, I could not put this book down. Neither of the main characters used to be the way they are now, and the reader is left wondering why? What happened to them? What is the story? Why? This was my favorite Katherine Center book yet!

Katherine Center has done it again!! She is quickly becoming one of my new favorite authors.

This book was equally heartwarming and heart wrenching. I loved Sam and Duncan’s story, and the fact that Duncan is based off of Center’s husband is the sweetest thing EVER. I can’t recommend this enough if you love simple, wholesome romances. This just made my heart SO happy!

**Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!**

Samantha Casey is a school librarian, who absolutely loves her job and the kids at the school. She had a troubled past, but has since reinvented herself in Galveston. Due to an unexpected tragedy, the school is hiring a new principal. The new principal ends up being Duncan Carpenter. She knew Duncan from school and had the biggest crush on him. But, Duncan is no longer the free spirit she used to know. He is very uptight and sticks to playing by the rules. Can Sam help him remember the joyful person he used to be?

I am a huge fan of Katherine Center’s books, so I was so excited to read this one! I really enjoyed this book a lot. I liked the characters in the book, especially some of the side characters. I felt connected to Sam’s joy and passion for doing what she loved. The only thing that bothered me with this book is, it was very repetitive. Overall though, I thought it was a great book with a good message in it, to choose joy over fear, sorrow, and anger. It’s a quick read, and good timing for everything that is going on in this world right now.

I love Katherine Center’s books so much. There is something about them that make me so happy. This book had a mantra of sorts- ‘choose joy’, which is appropriate since Center’s books always seem to bring me joy when I read them.

What You Wish For follows Samantha Casey, school librarian. Her school radiates joy and she loves her job so much. When she loses someone close to her who happens to be her school’s principal, she’s not sure how the school will go on. But then she hears his replacement is Duncan Carpenter, the Duncan she knew and loved who was so much fun at a past job and she just knows things will be okay.

The Duncan Carpenter who shows up to work is not the same Duncan she once knew. He is not carefree, fun, and full of laughter. He’s serious, focused on safety and safety only and is willing to take away her place of joy to make the school a ‘safe place’ which seems more and more like a prison.

There is more than Duncan that meets the eye, and though I guessed much of his back story fairly early on, it was still heartbreaking. The first half of this book was good for me, but the second half is where it really shined. Duncan and Sam balanced each other out so perfectly. I loved them together. Also, if you’ve read ‘Happiness for Beginners’, you’ll get a little glimpse into Helen and Jake’s future (Duncan is Helen’s younger brother and Jake’s best friend) which was great!

Overall, this book made me happy. It had emotional moments, but I had such a big smile on my face while reading. I love people that are unapologetically themselves and live life to the fullest. This was just the book I needed right now and I’m so glad I read it!

I completely loved this story. Sam is a librarian in a wonderful school, owned and managed by Max and Babette. She also lives in their carriage house and they are very close friends. She has come into her own in this new position, having been very shy and hanging out in the background. When Max suddenly passes away during his birthday party, everyone is lost. A new principal is announced, and it turns out that the new principal is from her former school. Duncan was fun loving, related well to the students and Sam had a huge crush on him. Her crush was the main reason she left there and now she is facing the decision to leave again. When Duncan arrives at the school, he doesn’t act at all like the same person. No joy, no personality and he is obsessed with security. He is all the things their beloved Max was not. Can Sam and Max ever learn to coexist at the school? Very enjoyable characters with a strong story.

Also reviewed on B&N and Kobo

What a fun book! As a teacher I was not sure about the "extra school security" angle that was written in the school setting but I was pleasantly surprised of how well it was written and how important it was to this story. In a time when it is hard to focus on things because of what is going on in the world, this book was needed. I am not usually a fan of romance books unless they are written by Katherine Center. Her books have never disappointed and always put a smile in my face even when everything around you makes it hard to do so. Go get this book! You won't regret it:)

This is my favorite Katherine Center book so far! As an educator, I loved the school setting and teachers as characters. While this did deal with some heavy topics, it was a fun and fast read. I immediately fell in love with the characters and their personalities. I can’t wait to read more by this author! #NetGalley #WhatYouWishFor