The first 100ish pages were a bit slow for me, but then it picked up and I flew through it. I really, really enjoyed this one. It went a few places I didn't expect - which is rare as I pride myself on being able to predict plots, but it was really lovely. A delightful book that left my heart happy.

I'm very delayed in posting this, but shortly after I finished I suggested this book to a number of friends, particularly those looking for a pick me up in a hard time.

This book was so stinkin' enjoyable for me! I'd heard mixed reviews, mostly peeps saying it was nowhere near as good as "THINGS YOU SAVE IN A FIRE", so I put off reading this one because I assumed I'd be disappointed. Wrong-o! I had nothing to worry about. If I had to use single words to describe it, they would be COMPELLING, IMMERSIVE, and CHARMING. The enemies to lovers and pining secret love tropes were so well done, and the chemistry between the MCs is exquisite. The storytelling is top-notch, the characters are believable, relatable, stirring, and entertaining, the dialogue is often genuinely laugh-out-loud funny, and there is a delicious HEA.

Prudie™ Ratings: Scores rank from 0-10. For craft, 0 is "I can't get those hours of my life back", 10 is best of the best. For wholesome ratings, the scores are backward: 10 is atomic bomb, 0 is non-existent.

Craft ratings:
-> Writing: 10/10
I loved everything about the writing style and narrative. So, so good! Utterly captivating.
-> Plot: 8/10
Kept me hooked! Got to hang out in lots of different places around the Galveston-neighboring, seaside city, which I loved.
-> Characterization: 10/10
This is one of my absolute favorite aspects of reading Katherine Center's stories! She does such an incredible job of shaping well-rounded characters that feel so real they could leap right off the page at you! I miss them by the time the story is over. I especially loved this MC -- her voice was so relatable to me, and I just found her so engaging and memorable. And the mysterious circumstances surrounding the male lead was also SO gripping!

Wholesome ratings:
-> Language: 6/10
The crass language was my least favorite part of the book. Quite a bit of profanity, including the F-bomb and GD.
-> Steaminess: 2/10
No sex scenes, but a little bit of macking. ;) No overly sexualized language.
-> Positive theme(s): 6/10
Found family, hard work ethic, small town community, helping others, adults challenging themselves to have fun in silly ways and not take themselves too seriously, teachers making a point to meaningfully engage students, second chances, communication, boldness and bravery, stepping out of one's comfort zone, standing up for what you believe is right, the positive results that can come from professional therapy, building healthy vulnerability in relationships, accepting loved ones despite unusual or challenging characteristics, living life with a disease or physical injury, the joy of letting others love you through your own hang-ups about yourself.
-> Political correctness: 4/10
Super progressive idealist views on ecology and education, but there was a careful rein on it, interestingly. Sex-positive discussions and outlooks with a positive stance on cohabitation and premarital sex. Some pointed feminist remarks. Divorce was handled with an uncomfortable lightness as if it was an inevitable thing, that the marriage was doomed to begin with, no matter what. Unclear stance on guns, but there was an undercurrent that I took as liberal.
-> Violence: 2/10
A live-action death that is non-violent but may be disturbing for some if they've ever witnessed a death up close. There's a personal recounting of a school shooting. A guy gets punched in the stomach.

Overall score for enjoyment/appreciation: 8/10 for 5 out of 5 stars.

Big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

As a teacher, it took me a little bit to get going. I was struggling with the behavior of the principal and his obsessive need for school security. I agree that school security is important, I just think Duncan was going a little overboard. I'm glad that Sam was able to reign him in. After that, I had a hard time putting the book down!

Really enjoy Katherine’s writing style and this book proved no different. At some points I had trouble connecting to Sam but overall really liked both characters.

(3.5/5 stars) What You Wish For was my first Katherine Center novel. I was thrilled to see a book set near my hometown! Galveston was described perfectly. The book was a little too predictable, but the writing was solid! It was the perfect band-aid for my homesickness.

Anyone who has come to love Katherine Center will not be disappointed! A great story with depth and arc.

This book grabbed me and pulled me right in! The timing of the message of finding joy was not only timely but hit so close to home. My first Katherine Center book sent me down the rabbit hole of reading all of this author's works that I could get my hands on!

This is my second book read by this author and like the first one, I enjoyed it. I enjoyed this one even more. I did the audiobook on this one and enjoyed the narrators. They did such a wonderful job in demonstrating the funny parts of the story and the serious ones. Katherine Center is an author I will be looking forward to reading all her books.

Not surprisingly, I devoured this book in one day. Katherine Center is one of my favorite authors, and for good reason; she creates authentic, flawed, lovable characters. Not only did I fall in love with Sam and Duncan, but I also loved quirky Alice, Babette, and the rest of the characters in this novel. As a teacher, I loved the setting of this novel and the concept of the school librarian falling in love with her principal, but this book not only shed light on the fun sides of working in a school, but also the troubling aspects. Overall, this novel is my favorite one by Center thus far!

One of the things I love the most about Katherine Center is her unique way of writing characters that are always relatable, lovable, and full of joy and zeal.

One I started reading What You Wish For was an easy and fast read, I found myself picking the book back up because I wanted to know what happens next. . Thoughtful. Emotional. Enjoyable. It was a novel about loving yourself as you are, finding the joy in small things, and enjoying life to the fullest.


Thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read and give an honest review.

What You Wish For is beautifully written!! I loved listening to the MC go through her journey. Katherine Center always manages to pull me in as a reader and leave me wanting to not put the book down.

I have previously read How to walk away and knew immediately that this wouldn’t be the last book by Katherine Center I read. And here we are with yet another stunning novel!

The protagonists are again very well built and absolutely believable. I felt like I was right there with them, walking through those school corridors. Especially Sam grew close to my heart. Finding your true self, not hiding behind who you feel like you should be but instead just be who you really are can be tougher than it sounds. This book gets this feeling across better than any other I have read so far. I love how Katherine Center described the changing relationship between the protagonists.

The author’s writing is impressive and the storyline fabulous ­– I finished the book in just two days. So, which of her books shall I read next?

Katherine Center has this really unique ability to build in many of the saddest plot lines I’ve ever read in a book, but with so much care and delicacy that it lessens the sting. Her books are a therapeutic kind of hurt & I find her characters to generally be lovable. I do wish there was a bit more sweet with the bitter, but this was a really solid read that I think many would love.

What You Wish For
by Katherine Center
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 3.5

I enjoyed reading this book but I didn't love it as much as her previous works (How to Walk Away and Things We Save in a Fire). I love this author's writing style and how she makes us feel good while reading the stories. The characters were easy to like, the stories were motivational, and the romance was cute.

Samantha Casey (Sam) is a librarian that loves her job and loves the school where she works and all the people that works there like family. But before coming to this school she was invisible. When the principal/founder of the school died, a new principal came to the school. When Sam heard that Duncan Carpenter, the reason why she left her previous job and moved to this town, was going to be the next principal she had mixed feelings: she was excited to see him again but she was also horrified of seeing the guy she used to love. She knew how nice, funny and happy (the kind that would always be joking around, dancing, and juggling) he was but that with him around, she just couldn't stay. But when Duncan arrived in a suit-and-tie, serious and rule-enforcing with plans to make the school a safer place, she believes he's going to destroy the school. He seems like he doesn't recognize her at all, even though it's only been 4 years since she left. While Sam and the rest of the school try to stop Duncan, Sam finds out his reason to be so "safety oriented', and with that information, they try to help Duncan find joy in life again and find love. But the process of helping Duncan was also beneficial for Sam and her friends. They all had to learn how to deal with their own traumas and find joy in life.

The story was very sweet and easy to read. But the things that bugged me was how many times "like hell" was used in this book. I don't mind them using it, but it it's just that it got repetitive, almost every page had something "like hell". The other thing was the fact that a guy that talks about safety would bring a dog inside a school, not thinking about the fact that some people have deadly allergies, that just doesn't make sense. Overall, I enjoyed it and I love the author's works.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

I am a big fan of Katherine Center and have really loved her other books but this one just fell flat for me. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great either.
“What You Wish For” by Katherine Center is a story with a meaningful message to it- finding joy in your life.
The message behind the story was supposed to be heartwarming and joyful, however the characters drove me crazy and I found it a bit cheesy.

The story centres (no pun attended) around a “quirky” school librarian and a stuffy school principal and how they learn to “find joy” within themselves and each other and fall in love.

Although this wasn’t a hit for me I will still read anything that Katherine Center write and I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to review this book.

Every Katherine Center book becomes my favorite Katherine Center book. She outdoes herself every time. Whenever I need to feel something, this is the kind of book I will reach for.

This book really tugged at my heartstrings, Katherine Center writes such amazing books, and this was no different. I felt the characters were very well developed, and I really felt myself rooting for them. I would recommend that everyone read this!

I absolutely loved this book, despite its predictability. I didn't want it to end! I highly recommend the audiobook version. The narrator does a superb job and her inflection at times had me laughing out loud!

I used to love Katherine Center books, but they have somewhat lost their luster & appeal to me over the years.

All-in-all, I had a little trouble starting with this one. I felt that normally connection that I like to have with the main characters, lacking a bit. 

But, the plot of the story was intriguing and I was excited to see where the end took me. 

I found more than I was rooting for a romance, however, I was rooting for Samantha to befriend Tina--who seems to hate her from the very beginning. I don't know if this is normal, but--that's the truth of it. 

This is my first Katherine Center, and I've heard that it's not her best, so I intend to read more from her!