This was my first Katherine Centre, so I was very excited to get started!

Overall a cute, sweet but predictable book set in a small town school in the US.

Sam is a librarian at a small town school.
A new principal comes in after their beloved principal passes away suddenly. Even though it’s a man Sam knew in the past, this version of him feels like a completely different man. What is he hiding?

There were a few plot points that I felt dragged things out unnecessarily. Hard to say without providing spoilers. It did feel long, and a little overly dramatic at times. I haven’t read any of her other books so I’m not sure if this is just the author’s style?

I am fast becoming a fan of Katherine Center. What You Wish For was a great story with memorable characters. Samantha is a school librarian ( My former job) at a small private school in Texas. She has epilepsy and hides this from just about everyone she knows. Her principal and mentor, has a heart attack at his birthday party and dies, leaving the school searching for new leadership. Enter new principal Duncan Carpenter, a former teacher and colleague of Samantha's whom she had a huge crush on. But this new Duncan is nothing like her old Duncan, who was fun personified. This one is boring and scared of everything. Sam makes it her business to find out why and when she does, she understands the new Duncan more. But she and the faculty are still not happy with all of the changes he is determined to make. It takes the disappearance of a child to bring Duncan, Sam and the school together. This is a wonderful, fun love story.

This book- just was the perfect blend of lighthearted read to suit the moment while reminding us all of the profound message that we can choose to embrace joy. Even in trying circumstances. We have the power to find the joy, and bring little elements of joy to the people around us. A truly wonderful message that feels so important during these days of self isolating at home. Being kind can always bring us comfort and it’s an easy gift to give the world. We can choose to believe in the best in people and believe that they mean things with the best intent...

Katherine Center has done it again. I absolutely adored this book! Not only is her writing beautiful and poignant, I felt like this book was so relatable. Although I don't have personal experience with either of Duncan and Sam's traumas, I understand their grief and fear. I was rooting for them, personally and together, throughout the entire book and was pleasantly surprised with how this book ended. The supporting characters were written with purpose, but didn't overshadow the MCs. Katherine Center always takes you on a personal journey in her books, and I learned to always choose joy after reading this one.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a happy ending and second chance reads.

Perhaps this novel should be subtitled How to Survive Trauma. Caring friends, an open mind, a willing spirit, courage. All of these come into play for several characters in What You Wish For. Galveston Island serves as the background for the story and its descriptions are spot on. The main characters, the school librarian and the new school principal, are engaging, funny, and heartbreaking. Katherine Center does a wonderful job introducing them and peeling away the layers as we get to know them.

This was a really sweet and gentle book that had greater depths than I had originally thought. The two main characters are really lovely but the way the story dealt with past trauma was beautifully done. I was really rooting for them to get together and really enjoyed every page. A lovely, feel-good book that comes highly recommended.

I started out this book questioning whether I would like it. She introduces a character early on that felt like a caricature rather than a person who could be real. As I read on, this character began to come alive and the relationship that unfold between him and the man character, Sam, quickly became a favorite. Sam is darling and you can’t help but root for her. There are some moments that were a bit over the top for me but overall I felt the author did a beautiful job dealing with some heavy issues while bringing the reader back to the importance of joy, courage and friendship. PS if we could make the school they work at a reality that would be great. Thank you #netgalley for the ARC of #whatyouwishfor

Oh Katherine! You hit it out of the park yet again! I haven’t read a book by you that hasn’t left me happy and this one did not disappoint!

I received What You Wish For by Katherine Center as an ARC from NetGalley. Things You Save In A Fire was the first novel I read by Center and I also received it from NetGalley. I loved that book and wanted to read more from her. What You Wish For is another great book! Katherine Center stories are very unique and have characters that you fall in love with. Samantha is a school librarian in Galveston, TX. She had some struggles in her life but she's found her happy place in Galveston. Then Duncan becomes her new school principal. She worked with him at another school but he has changed completely since that time. Her characters are so real and it makes me love her books so much!

This was a quick story for me, it drew me in right away.
The two main characters annoyed me at first but they both became more likeable as the story went on. This was a fun, breezy sort of book. I enjoyed it. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy

Each Katherine Center book seems to be better than the last, this is very impressive for any author to do! I really enjoyed this story, (and like all her others), had never read anything quite like it. I love that Center creates characters with jobs and in scenarios that are really unique, yet also familiar. It makes you realize that everyone has a life with lots of ups and downs, and stories we will never know.

Sam is a lovably quirky librarian who is in for a surprise when a man from her past is hired as the school’s new principal. However, he is nothing like she remembers and threatens to ruin her beloved school.

I really enjoyed this author’s last two books, so I was excited to read this one. I really enjoyed the characters and the school setting. I could vividly picture this amazing school and it’s library. What You Wish For was a nice heartwarming escape, but the cheesiness factor was a little high at times. There were a couple of sections in the book that I thought dragged on and were a bit too over the top. There are some heavier themes in the book that provide some balance. This wasn’t my favorite work of Center’s, but overall I enjoyed it, and it was a nice escape from the real world.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion!

After reading Things You Save In A Fire, I had high expectations for this book by the same author, and she did not disappoint. Sam is a librarian in a coastal city in Texas. She moved there to start fresh and get over a guy she had a crush on at her former school. After a few years of living there and falling in love with the school and people she works with, she finds out that her old crush is coming to her new school and is about to shake things up as principal.

This book is a great, feel-good story. If you liked Katherine Center's other novels, you will not be disappointed by this one!

I really enjoyed this latest book by Katherine Center! She hasn’t disappointed me yet, though my favorite book by her is still How to Walk away. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.

4.5/5

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martins press and the Author, Katherine Center for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Yet another fabulous book by Katherine, who has become one of my favorite authors.
I loved the settings and characters who were very charming, quirky and loveable especially the main protagonist "Sam".
This was a very enjoyable and heartwarming story.

4,5 it won’t be my last by this author’s stars!
“You’ll never fix all your problems.” “Well, that’s encouraging.” “The point is to be happy anyway. As often as you can.”



This was my first book by Katherine Center and I really want to thank St Martin’s Press for gifting me this copy. It had no influence on me reviewing that book but played a major role on me having one of the most wonderful times reading a book!

I wanted to try one of Katherine Center’s books since I read raving reviews months ago for Things You’d Save in a Fire.

Every reader was so enthusiastic that I was intrigued. The moment I read the blurb for What You Wish For, I knew that I wanted to try it.



First thing: Katherine’s penmanship is flawless. She made me fall into her story from the first sentences, walking in Sam’s shoes with ease and falling for that school filled with amazing and dedicated teachers. I really relished in witnessing this story unfold, also outraged at what Duncan’s did but later, going all emotional when some veil on his and Sam’s past trauma were lifted.

I am a character driven kind of reader and the author built amazing characters I would have loved to befriend.

You will have the characters you’ll despise like Kent Bukley.

He was the chairman of the school’s board and once the school’s founder and director, Max, died het jumped on the occasion to put his man at the head of the school. The one that would “set things right” as in: more discipline, more security, less poetry and much less freedom and joy!
“So while Max dying was a crushing loss for everybody else, for Kent Buckley it was—as he’d kind of confessed in the meeting today . . . an opportunity."

Of course, opposed to Kent Bukley, you have all the teachers and our heroine: Samantha.



Samantha was a breeze of fresh air. She had my dream work: she was a librarian! I loved how Katherine Center made her library a dream for kids and readers. With staircase painted like books, with nests to read, filled with joy!

Samantha had a “condition” that I won’t speak about here as I don’t wat to spoil your fun. But what I loved about her is that she chose to overcome her fear. She chose to be happy, joyful.

And she made a 180° transformation going for a pink bang, polka dots skirts, plateau shoes and bright colors! She is a truly courageous and warm person.

And when Duncan will arrive in her school, dead set on making it a high security school, choosing grey for the walls and covering gorgeous butterfly murals, Samantha will lead the teachers and go to war with Duncan!



That story was filled with humor and comic scenes. I laughed when Sam hid in the grocery store, crouching low behind her cart as she was so not prepared to meet Duncan!

I smiled at all of Alice’s T shirts. She is the math teacher and Samantha’s best friend, always having math quotes and jokes on her T shirts!

But the humor was used to alleviate some very moving scenes, some topics like PTSD and illness that can really poison your life and engulf you in dark clouds if you don’t react.

There is lots of wisdom here. Thoughts about how you don’t choose some things in your life but that you choose how you react to these.
“Faced with darkness, I had chosen flowers. And polka dots. And light.”



Duncan was the character that you’ll love at first when Samantha will talk about how he was in her old school then you’ll be horrified by what he’ll do. I too wanted to grab a pitch fork and join the teacher’s mob! But then, he’ll change and you’ll also learn what happened to change him so deeply. That’s when you’ll understand. That’s when you’ll want to help him.



Going from laughter to outrage all while breezing through angst and sadness, this book was a roller coaster of emotion. I am amazed at how Katherine Center transitioned my mood from one extreme to the other without overdoing anything! Granted, the one thing that prevented me from giving five stars was the ending a little bit too “overplayed” if I may say so. But that read remains one of the best woman fiction that I have read in recent years.

One final favorite quote here before I let you go:


“Dude—I’m not happy because it comes easily to me. I bite and scratch and claw my way toward happiness every day.”

I recently discovered and have fallen in love with her books. I was lucky enough to receive ARC. I couldn't put it down. I loved the story, the characters, everything about it!

Enjoyed this book. Cute, quick read. Felt slightly cheesy at times and not my favorite of Katherine Center’s for that reason, but still liked it and would recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I've really enjoyed the last two books from Katherine Center so I was really excited to read this one. The story was okay, I liked the theme of finding joy, but I had a really hard time reading Sam's voice. It felt very choppy and unpolished which I found didn't for with my image of her as a young passionate children's librarian. There were also many repetitive filler words such as "just" that distracted me. None of the characters felt very real to me and the whole thing fell kind of flat and I found myself not really caring very much what happened.

I hope this was just a blip for Center because I really like her other recent work.
*I received a free digital copy from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

What You Wish For by Katherine Center takes place in Galveston Texas. Main character Samantha Casey is an elementary school librarian, who absolutely loves her job, her students and her friends. When the school suddenly loses it’s beloved principal, a replacement is quickly chosen by the school board...Duncan Carpenter...aka, Sam’s former crush from her former school and reason for leaving that school. Sam is torn when the announcement is made. Duncan was a fun loving, goofy, man child teacher that everyone loved. When Duncan shows up on his first day, everyone is shocked by the bland, stoic, ‘gray’ version of the person before them. Duncan is no longer wearing his bright clothes, he’s no longer juggling, and fun...he’s a ‘Mission Impossible’ style person with only one thing on his mind, school security. The school Sam once loved with it’s butterfly mural, butterfly garden, hideaway library cubbies is going to be turned into a lack of color prison. As Sam and her co-workers try to bring out the old Duncan, the secrets of their past comes to the surface and their hope to make Duncan fun again may be more difficult than they thought.

This was the first book I’ve read by Katherine Center. I need to start with the characters, they are so much more than just like-able. Sam’s relationship with friends Alice and Babette are truly jealous worthy. Every girl should have friends like them. I love Alice, math-nerd, level headed, fun, honest, always there. She really needs her own book! When they are trying to help Duncan deal with his painful past, it brings him and Sam closer than just friends...and you understand the depth of their relationship. So many emotions are felt while reading, I was cheering for Sam and Duncan, sad for Babette at losing the love of her life, angry at Sam for not trusting someone to love her even with her medical condition she tries to hide. I felt every word as I read it. One word to describe this book, JOY...it’s what Sam is determined to feel and make sure others do to. This was really a feel good book. It may take a little while to work through all the different emotions, but you will feel JOY when you are finished.

I would like to thank Netgalley, St Martin’s Press, and Katherine Center for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. As we are currently dealing with this pandemic, this is the perfect book for anyone to lose yourself a little and come out with a better feeling of every day life.