This book is different from the others that I have read by the author, yet it still has that feel good aspect to it. A bit humorous/whimsical and a bit silly in places, but overall a very good read with good characters that are overcoming fears and finding joy. I liked the way the author dealt with school safety, health fears and family relations. A light hearted read that will bring a smile to your face.
Thanks to Netgalley and St Martins Press for the ARC

This book is all fluff. And 6 months ago I probably would not have enjoyed it. At all. Now, in these uncertain times, a book about living joyfully really hits the mark. So kudos to the author for being prescient and creating a warm and joyful story. A welcome read during a difficult time. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Samantha is an elementary school librarian who has made a new life for herself, and a new family, in a small Texas town far away from all she's ever known. Enter Duncan, a teacher from her previous school who she never thought she'd see again... and her biggest crush that she's never gotten over. At first, she's excited but skeptical - she fell in love with him because of his caring nature, his sense of humor, and how wonderful he was with students. But she left town trying to escape him. She never thought she'd have a chance with him and couldn't stand to live a life of unrequited love. Now he's back in her life and she's worried she'll have to leave everything behind again. But the Duncan she remembers isn't the one who shows up at her small charter school. He is cold, aloof, strict, and wants to turn their innovative and creative little school with it's butterfly mural walls into an institution with barred windows and gray walls. Who is this Duncan, and what happened to the man she knew and loved? Duncan's not sharing anything, until he needs Samantha's help. Samantha sees her chance to crack Duncan's veneer to save her school and save the man she still loves.

Thoughts: Now this is what I'm talking about! I LOVED How to Walk Away but was left disappointed by Things You Save in a Fire, so I was a little skeptical going into this one. But I can't say enough good things about it! As a fellow school librarian, it was easy to relate to the main character. And I will say that, while Katherine Center does have a few librarian tropes on display, it's nothing that isn't true nor is any of it insulting in any way. And how passionate Samantha is about fostering a love of reading in her students is like our mission statement. I'm proud of Samantha's character -- thank you, Katherine! And Duncan may be a jerk at first, but once you find out why all you want to do is hug him. When he finally lets his guard down, he is a total sweetheart and says totally swoon-worthy statements. Readers, be prepared to melt! Love this from start to finish!

During the pandemic, I have been finding that I am, more than ever, choosing books with “feel good vibes.” After finishing chapter one of What You Wish For, I literally closed my e-reader and called it a night. A tragedy in the first chapter didn’t sound like a promising read. After a couple of days, I decided to go back and give it a second chance and am so happy I did. Overall, this is a story about coming back from tragedies and choosing to live your life with joy, especially when you are not feeling very joyful. It is a story of facing your fears, finding love, friendship and a sense of family. So perfect for this fear filled time we have been living in this spring. I loved Sam and Duncan, the adorable Kempner school (especially the library stairs) and the setting of Galveston Island. Thank you to Netgalley and to St. Martin’s Press for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an another wonderful book by Katherine Center. She builds such wonderful characters that I didn’t want their story to end. Perfect for a great escape during this unusual time. Thank you NetGalley for approving this ARC.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for my e-arc of What You Wish For by Katherine Center.

This is my first book by Katherine Center. I wasn’t for sure what to expect with this one, but I loved the main character, Sam. She had such a vivid personality. She is the type of person who you want to be friends with. She was so relatable.

Sam and Duncan’s relationship was a slow build, but I was all for it. I loved how their relationship blossomed. I absolutely adored their banter. I could not put the book down once their relationship began to heat up.

I am also a teacher so I felt their fear for students as well as for themselves. I can understand why Duncan made the decisions he did. It is hard to imagine how we live in such a world where we have to think about these things. I thought the author handled this topic very gracefully and appropriately.

I really enjoyed this book. I can’t wait to read it again when it releases. I am going to buy a hardcover copy.

Rating: 3/5⭐️⁣⁣⁣
Rationale: Katherine Center is my go-to for a heartwarming read with substance, but this one wasn’t as emotionally packed as her previous books. Not my favorite by her, but I will still highly anticipate her next release.
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𝗪𝐡𝐨 𝐈’𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐭𝐨: fans of Happiness for Beginners (Helen’s brother Duncan has a lead role in this one!)
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𝗪𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝: Center thrives in developing characters, and in this book the secondary characters were the stars for me. My favorites were Babette, Alice, and little Clay Buckley. Babette is such a wonderfully supportive maternal figure, and Alice seems like a genuinely cool best friend—telling it like it is but also showing up at 2am to make you tea when she knows you’ve had a rough night. I would read a spinoff about Alice in a heartbeat and hope that she will be the next protagonist in this series.

The overall theme of choosing to pursue joy was very hopeful, and I loved the school staff’s dedication to Max’s legacy.
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𝗪𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞: What I usually love about Katherine Center’s novels is that she focuses on a strong female lead. Unfortunately I didn’t feel that connection to Sam in this book. She quite literally runs away from every problem in her life and I found her flightiness to be off-putting. I missed that badass vibe that Center usually captures in her protagonists.

I wanted to feel more connected to the love story, but I felt as though something was missing in the development of Sam and Duncan as a couple. I think one of the things that frustrated me was the lack of communication, and that Sam spent half the book wondering why Duncan was behaving in such a paranoid manner, when the answer seemed obvious (at least to me).

Overall this one felt a bit rushed and I found myself wanting more. I think it tried to accomplish a lot, and I commend it for that, but there were elements that I wish had been fleshed out in more detail.

Samantha Casey loves being a librarian, loves her school and loves the people who began the school...Max and Babette. After the death of the principal, Duncan Carpenter comes to take over and has quite a few changes her wants to make but Samantha and the rest of the staff think he is turning their beloved school into more of a prison than a learning environment. To make matters worse, Samantha worked with Duncan at a previous school and she had a huge crush on him but was sure he didn’t feel the same.

I love the writing style of Katherine Center. She has a way of telling great stories with amazing characters which allows you to totally immerse yourself in the book. This book addresses things like epilepsy, PTSD, relationships and love. Another great one from Center.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I won't be reviewing this online. Although I did complete the book, I found it deeply flawed and prefer not to publish negative reviews. The author signalled the twists too early and too often. It felt overwritten and a bit unsophisticated. Sorry.

I loved the last Center book I read and this one was just as cute and full of heart. I especially adored the quirky librarian at an elementary school heroine who worked hard to find joy in the middle of a challenging life. I adored seeing her bring joy to her new island community- and to the man who originally inspired much of her joy and enthusiasm, but who had lost that spark of his own. Five sweet and brightly colored stars, especially for the line when she says "1, 2" to have her colleagues respond "eyes on you!"... teachers. They're so easy.

Well, teachers are pretty easy. And I loved this enthusiastic librarian (teacher).

I loved this story and was cheering for Samantha the entire time! Made me want to pick up and move to Galveston right away!

This book was an absolute delight. It tells the story of Sam, a funky elementary school librarian, whose old crush comes into her school as principal, but he has completely changed. This is the perfect quarantine read; it is light with deeper themes and has characters you root for. The book is set on the island of Galveston, Texas and has a great sense of place. Overall, this made me want to look more into Katherine Center´s backlist.

The story’s message is, that we should choose joy even in difficult and hard times.
It’s a very uplifting read! I truly loved this book!

3.5 stars. A kind of cheesy rom-com whose characters are a bit too much. I should have rounded down to 3 stars but am feeling generous because it was a good escape and I appreciated the reminder to choose joy and to seek out every little bit you can, even if it's just a pair of crazy socks. Anyway, new school principal arrives and lonely librarian realizes it's someone she knew at a previous job, but his whole personality has done a 180--and not in a good way. You can figure out the rest!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book.

Over use of the word Epic. Ughhh drove me crazy. Good book, not great. Loved her other books. Maybe it was my mood??

I am always anxiously awaiting the next Katherine Center book and this is a good one. It did take me awhile to get into the story and start relating to the characters, but after the first 1/3 I couldn't put it down. It's hard to write a review of this one without spoilers, but while Sam and Duncan both have their flaws, they are likable characters and I found myself rooting for them. I like how the "choose joy" theme is a central part of the story and how the author worked some very heavy material into the plot. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book!

Katherine Center can do no wrong. I knocked this out in less than 24 hours. Another tremendous story with remarkable and unforgettable characters.

What a unique journey that was carefully planned and successfully executed. As always with Center’s books, I didn’t want this to come to an end. I’m excited to recommend this as one of the best books this summer! While you wait for it’s July 14th release, grab a copy of “Things You Save in a Fire” or “How to Walk Away”. You won’t be disappointed.

Thank you so much to the author, St. Martin’s Press, and Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I devour books by Katherine Center. I am a teacher by trade and there were plenty of moments I was scratching my head because it’s just not how the world of teaching works but it was all little things no one outside the profession would need to bother with. She NAILED the culture of the school and I just loved seeing everyone band together for their “people”.

The love story was sweet - not too much - risqué business. Just enough and not over the top. This book is in my top five of the year and I’ve already read over 50! Center’s writing is captivating, makes you think about what’s important and I cannot wait til the next. She nails it every time!

I wanted to love this book. I loved her first book so much but it fell far short. The main character is a simply librarian in a small town who wants everyone to like her. Too much going on-way too many disasters. I couldn’t get much warmth going for any of the characters. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read an early arc in exchange for my honest opinion.66

As much as I enjoy most of the other books I am currently reading, sometimes a 'fluff' read is really what I need! I highly recommend it for anyone else looking for a fast-read romance.

"What You Wish For" had the perfect hook- single, sad woman throws a party for a friend's 60th birthday party and he dies. Actually, when I say it like that, it sounds pretty terrible. But I was hooked from the start. I read "Things You Save In A Fire" by Katherine Center, and her writing style is wonderful. It is engaging, friendly (can writing be described as 'friendly'?) and fun. Kind of like getting together for a cup of coffee with a friend.

When I really think about it, the premise is pretty far-fetched. The ONE person that the female lead liked from the past becomes the principal at her school in a relatively remote school in Texas. Once I put the improbability of that aside, I was able to really enjoy the book.

Katherine Center focuses on the theme of finding joy in life, but also showing kindness. I think a lot of people can relate to the message, especially as this is being published in a time either in quarantine or post-quarantine for most people. The romance is focused on the build-up, but not in an overly dramatic way. There aren't super steamy sex scenes, which may be a pro or a con for some (I thought it was refreshing).

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book. Katherine Center is quickly becoming a favorite romance author- this book was such a nice, fun way to relax at home.