I absolutely loved Katherine Center’s last book Things you Save in a Fire so I was excited to have the chance to read her latest book What you Wish For! What you Wish For is the story of Samantha, a librarian at an idyllic school. After the tragic death of the beloved head of school a person from her past takes the school over. The novel revolves around the changes he makes in the school and their relationship. Unfortunately this story was not as compelling as her previous work. I struggled to connect to the characters. She set the bar so high with her previous work that this one fell flat for me. Thank you for the opportunity to review this book.

What You Wish For was not what I expected at all. I went into this thinking it'd be the perfect sweet, feel-good read, but for me, this was not the case.

I seriously couldn't get into this book until about the 50% mark, and frankly, I'm surprised I stuck it out that long. None of the characters drew me in. Samantha was mostly annoying that first half; Duncan was difficult to understand until a past experience comes to light. I may have liked the book a little more with dual perspectives.

After the scene with Helen and Jake (who I actually enjoyed), I thought the book was finally going to pick up, turn around, do something. It started to for a couple of chapters but then ultimately fizzled for me again.

What You Wish For was mostly a strange and silly book. That being said, I did enjoy a few humorous moments, and I can appreciate the topics and issues Katherine Center addressed in the book.

***I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley.***

I enjoyed this book. It is definitely one of my favorite Katherine Center books. She has a way of making you feel transported to her special little towns where her books take place. It feels like magic! I didn't love that the book seemed slightly far fetched and cheesy. However, that tends to be a theme with her books. Either way, it was a good book to read during quarantine!

I loved it! I read two other books by this author and I personally favor this book out of the other two I read. It was cute, fluffy, and all the feels. It makes the book that much better when you can relate with one of the characters. Love Sam and Duncan!

Thank you St. martins press and Netgalley for a free eARC in exchange for my honest review.

A book about finding the happy times amidst times of chaos, which seems very fitting right now. Samantha (Sam) is an elementary school librarian who loves er job, the school, and the kids. A new principal comes on the scene and it just happens to be Duncan, a man that Sam liked years before. But he seems very stiff and different than the man she remembers. A book that will leave you turning every last page to make sure you're right about how it will all turn out.

I absolutely love Katherine Center and this does not disappoint. It is a heartfelt novel that's not cheesy. It's well written and grabs you from the start. I think everyone is going to adore this book and get sucked into the lives of the characters. I will continue reading Katherine Center books and recommend them to everyone!

Wow! Pure Joy. This book is about facing fears to find and receive happiness. Finding joy in the everyday, even when you can’t. Especially when you can’t. I loved the relationship and back and forth with Sam and Duncan. Max sounds like he could be anyone’s best friend. The characters are warm, funny. with so much personality. There were parts of the book I read with a huge smile on my face. Pure entertainment from beginning to end.

Another hit for Katherine Center! This book was full of light and whimsy while managing some heavy discussions around death, love, and the safety of children. The characters were well developed and full of conflict, but were still down to earth and loveable. Katherine's use of language and the way she describes something so simple as a man's suit is nothing short of magical.

The author presents an number of interesting, engaging threads in this 'easy read' book. Many of the characters are well developed and some are great caricatures. And, she also helps us think about and focus on things we wish we didn't have to - school shootings, epilepsy, bullying,. Unfortunately, I just didn't feel it all held together as well as I hoped.

Katherine Center's newest novel, What You Wish For, focuses on a young Librarian named Samantha who is working at a private school. When her boss, who is also a mentor and friend, passes away unexpectedly, Sam's life is thrown for a loop. She's barely recovered from the funeral when she gets the news that the replacement principal for her school is a man that she had a major crush on several years back. As in, a crush that was so bad that she fled the state to get over him. She remembers him as a goofy and lovable guy who was a great teacher, but she worries that once she sees him again, all of the old feelings are going to come rushing back.

As Sam struggles to adjust to so many changes in her life, Duncan (her former heartthrob and current boss) settles into his new position. This Duncan, however, is nothing like the person Sam remembers. This Duncan is hyper-focused on school security, increasing the school's security measures at the expense of everything else. As Sam realizes that the school she loves and her mentor's legacy is in danger of being destroyed by Duncan, she prepares to fight the battle of her life. She works to forget the man that she once knew so that she can stand up to the “new Duncan” and convince him that his efforts are misguided when it comes to this school. She's ready to fight for her students and her colleagues, but when she discovers some things in Duncan's past that help explain his demeanor now, she'll have to fight just as hard to save the person he once was before he's gone forever.

This book covers a lot of ground in a relatively short period of time. It's a quick read with a lot of emotional depth. The characters are all dealing with grief in different forms and both Samantha and Duncan have experience major transformations over the course of the story. The setting is a big part of the story, since most of the action takes place within the private school, but descriptions of the school and its history do not bog down the narrative. There's even a lovable canine for readers who like that kind of thing.

Center's books tend to focus on emotional development and characters who survive and thrive when the deck is stacked against them. The main character, Samantha, has epilepsy, and I appreciated how her emotional responses to how people treated her as a result of her epilepsy were just as important to the story as the disorder itself was. At the same time, the story only narrowly focuses on that plot line and thankfully doesn't try to deeply educate the reader on the medical aspects of epilepsy (there's a time and a place for that kind of reading.)

I've read Katherine Center's last two books, How to Walk Away and Things You Save in a Fire, so I had an idea of what I was in for. This book doesn't rank as high for me as her previous two did. Samantha's story did still pull at my heart strings, and I made it almost all the way through the story before I was reduced to tears (a feat that happened much earlier in the previous novels). Ultimately, I felt that we spent too long being primed to hate Duncan in this book. He is portrayed and cold and isolated for more than half of the book and it made it hard for me as a reader to want to root for him in the end. This was partially due to how the passage of time was utilized in the book because the first half of the book took place over the course of a few weeks while the second half of the book, especially the parts regarding the efforts to rehabilitate the old Duncan, felt like we were fast-forwarding through weeks and months to reach the conclusion. I also really liked the drama that Tina and Kent's characters added to the story, but I felt like their conclusions were rushed as well. It seemed unlikely that Tina would have such a significant change of heart regarding Samantha.

Honestly though, those issues are minor. This was a great read that is an easy recommendation to patrons. Center's backlist constitutes solid recommendations as well and I fully expect that Katherine Center will remain an author whose releases are go-tos for me.

Samantha Casey has transformed herself from mousy and timid girl to colorful and bold librarian/lioness. She loves everything about her school: the students, her colleagues, and her beloved principal, Max, who also acts as a father figure. The devastating death of Max Kempner has left her and her entire community reeling. But when Duncan Carpenter, a former colleague from her old school and previous love interest, is hired as the new principal, things start to drastically change for Sam.

First, let me say that I adored Sam’s character and the evolving relationship between her and Duncan. But I wanted more... I wanted a deeper glimpse into Duncan, as well as Tina’s marriage with Kent. 3.75 🌟

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy of this book! I really enjoyed this book! It is a sweet, PG rated romance with great characters and a unique story. The main character, a school librarian, is reunited with an old flame when he becomes her principal. The problem is he is a totally different man from the one she used to know. The story follows her and her colleagues as they work to breakdown his hard exterior and find out what makes him tick. This isn't typically my first choice of reading, but it was a light, YA, feel good romance. During these crazy times, it was the perfect light "beach read" type of story.

This book had a rocky start for me. Up until about 40% in, I had trouble liking Sam or Duncan at all. But after they started going into their back stories and they started to get to know each other I was all in. The last 60% of the book made remember why I love Katherine Center’s books so much. Sam and Duncan’s story of overcoming troubled pasts and focusing each day on joy was exactly what we all need to remember every day! Don’t postpone joy!

I was given an ARC of this book by NetGalley for an honest review.

Amazing novel and especially important message we can all ascribe to. Sam is a whimsical librarian at a special school, when her mentor dies unexpectedly the new principal is someone she thought she knew several years before. The characters were so real and developed. The legacy and wisdom left behind by Max helps students , teachers and a town cope. It is inspirational!

This was a cute and funny read, but it did have some serious issues in there was as well


Sam is a quirky librarian at one of the most unique elementary schools in the country. Then Duncan, a goofy man that Sam used to have a crush on at her old school, takes over as principal... and isn’t so goofy anymore. He starts making changes to make the school more “safe” and less fun.

Never miss a chance to celebrate.

Sam is a school librarian and loves her job. After the unfortunate passing of the principal, she gets a blast from the past. Duncan, her former crush is the new principal, and he is not who she remembers, at all. He jeopardizes everything they’ve worked hard for and she’s determined to stop him at all costs.

I need this to be a movie ASAP. I know there are people that don’t or can’t read, and they need to see this movie so they can experience such an amazing story. Go ahead and sign up a Miles Teller or Michael B Jordan for Duncan and a Jennifer Lawrence Rachel McAdams for Sam. Alice has the best tshirts, hands down. She is so punny, that I definitely did an ugly snort from laughing. I need Melissa McCarthy
Or Kate McKinnon ad Alice

This was probably my favorite read of the year so far. This entire book is about refusing to let fear make you small, about growing and finding joy in every situation. That, my friends, is such a beautiful thing. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was offered the chance to read an ARC of this book by the publisher (via NetGalley). I typically enjoy books featuring librarians, so I was excited to read this one.

It started a bit slow for me. I struggled to connect with the main character, Samantha. She just seemed a bit too naive at first, and her level of quirky cuteness was not super appealing. However, the more I read, the more she seemed to grow, and the better I could understand her.

Duncan was pretty much a certified asshole at first, but also grew on me the more I got to know him. The conflict between these two was interesting, and I liked how they worked things out over time.

A big redeeming factor for me was the unique cast of supporting characters - including the school itself. I loved Sam's BFF, Alice. Duncan's sister, Helen, seemed really kind, caring, and grounded in the brief cameo appearance she made. Babette was a wonderful mentor/surrogate mother. And precocious little Clay was the kind of kid that every librarian adores.

The best moment for me was toward the end, the big climactic scene on the beach (I promise, no spoilers). This had me tearing up and silently cheering along with everyone else.

A cute, quirky, heartfelt romance that I would definitely recommend to fans of the genre

Yes! Finally, another book in a school setting. As a teacher I love reading about other school scenarios and having the connection/relatability to the settings and characters; yet, for some reason I have trouble finding novels about this. This school is lucky to have the quirky, colorful librarian, Samantha Casey. Samantha is good at hiding her vulnerability from others with flashy hats and brightly polka-dotted outfits, until a long-ago crush enters her school as the new principal. Duncan has lost his purpose as an educator after a horrific event. He sees the school but only sees a death trap that needs less windows and less color. Samantha and the other teachers make it their mission to help him heal.

This novel was lighthearted and radiated positivity. Make joy happen! I enjoyed reading about the myriad of characters, the plotted events to make Duncan happy, the banter and growing attraction between the main characters, and seeing them overcome events that left mental and physical scars. The beginning of the novel started a bit slow for me, there were some cheesy moments, and occurrences where I wanted to shake Duncan or Samantha because they didn’t always make the best choices or reacted in an over the top way, but overall I enjoyed this heartfelt story. I recommend What You Wish For to anyone who wants a bit of silliness, positivity, and romance in their life!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me a copy in return for an honest review.

I love how the main characters have lives that intersect. I will definitely read more books by Katherine Center-her writing style is captivating.

Usually I read thrillers and mysteries but I picked this one up because, honestly, I thought the cover was fun. Yes, I judged the book by its cover!

Samantha is a librarian at a small private school in Galveston, TX. This school is what every parent hopes to send their kid to and every teacher would love to work at—and Katherine Center got the inner life of the school world on point. A cast of interesting and fun characters, some of whom I would have liked to know more, made this book so much fun. And the message that comes through this book is perfect for our current situation: find joy!

When a series of events occur (in the first couple of chapters), the school hires a new principal who needs to follow in the footsteps of the great, warm, joyful man who started the school with his wife. A man who’s credo was “make time to celebrate.” The man the Board hires is someone Sam used to work with—and had feelings for. But he’s not the way he used to be, and along with her friends, Sam works to help him rediscover joy. And she finds more joy along the way.

I loved this book and couldn’t put it down—seriously, I read it last night! It comes out in July, and I encourage everyone to pick it up. It’s light, but there are some dark bits in it. Overall, the message is incredible and offers hope—which we all need right now.