Like many of us, I fell in love with Katherine Center's writing last year. She has a fantastic way of making an evocative novel lots of fun to read. I admire her writing and her delightful characters. Naturally, What You Wish For was one of my most anticipated reads for 2020. 

I loved the slow burn relationship between Sam and Duncan in this story. They were full of angst from the get-go, thanks to the huge change Sam notices in Duncan, along with the added component of their past working relationship. The continued suspense of attempting to figure out what caused Duncan's personality to do a 180 kept me eagerly turning the pages. I was exceptionally excited to see how the characters would fall together, and the post-surgery scene was to die for. I greatly appreciated the modern issues Katherine addressed in this story without being heavy-handed in politics. Instead of feeling burdened by the heavy topics, I felt hopeful and eager to live a more joyful lifestyle after I finished reading. I think authors have the ability to change the world for the better in that way, and Katherine Center certainly uses her talents in doing so.

"Life doesn't ever give you what you want just the way you want it. Life doesn't even make things easy. How dare you demand that happiness should be yours without any sacrifice -- without any courage?"

As I was reading, I routinely forgot whose book I was reading, as strange as that may sound. I'm a big fan of another author, R.S. Grey, who frequently uses Texas locales as settings for her stories. The Galveston setting and angsty flirtation between the two main characters was reminiscent of her writing, which is certainly not a complaint by me. I loved getting lost on the island, easily picturing the beaches and town, having visited there last summer. 

My only real issue with the story pertains to a few unbelievable moments. I struggled to see how certain scenes could happen in real life, which made the story, at times, feel cheesy. 

Though What You Wish For didn't hit as high of a mark as Center's previous two books for me, it was still a worthwhile read. She has made a fan of me and I will eagerly read anything she releases in the future.

Katherine Center is easily one of my favorite current writers. There’s something about her writing that invites me in, keeps my attention, and lulls me.

She has this knack of creating characters that I care about. In What You Wish For there were so many I cared about beyond the main ones of Sam and Duncan. The secondary characters are nuanced and memorable.

Truly though, I loved Sam and Duncan. Sam comes across as a free-spirit, wearing bright colors, crazy socks, fun dyed hair, but she wasn’t always that way, certainly not when she first knew Duncan, the one she loved four years earlier. As Duncan returns to her life, it’s obvious that he’s changed as well. And for her, not in a good way. What happened to the fun Duncan? The one everyone loved? It’s very easy for her not to love the new Duncan.

Despite the fact that Max, who has been like a father to Sam since her move to Galveston Island, is only alive for one scene at the beginning of the book, he is a guiding force, his is the philosophy that people live by. Choosing joy. Although it’s never said, choosing joy is like faking it until you make it. You dress in brightly flowered hat, which not only makes you smile but makes the ones around you smile too. Joy building on joy.

Although I smiled a lot while reading What You Wish For, I also cried and just felt– a lot. Center’s superpower is making the reader feel but not in a heavy handed way. She’s super gifted at this.

While the theme is certainly “joy,” it’s also the power of love, getting up each day even when it’s hard, taking risks, humanity, environmental conservation, friendship, trust, and allowing yourself to be vulnerable and asking for help.

Like all good books, I wanted to speed read through this one and yet wanted to linger over it. My self-control was not abundant so I almost finished it in an evening. There are very few fictional worlds that I would ever want to be a part of, but this one? Oh, yeah. The smiles and the feels. They’re still with me.

If you are a reader of women’s fiction, I very highly recommend What You Wish For.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! I love everything KC writes so I knew this would be no different. I loved a book about Duncan and I especially loved his transformation! Sam was a realist but knowing her why made it all the sweeter to watch the character growth in the book. Its hard to give a review with no spoilers so take my recommendation and read this one! Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc.

Who doesn't love Katherine Center books? I have devoured every page of the book she has ever written. My favorites are How to walk away and things you save in a fire. Now adding what you wish for into that pile. This book is amazing and cannot be explained in words. I will post my review in my blog nearing to the publishing date of this book and will make sure to get a hardcopy of this one too. This has such a pretty book cover that I do not want to miss it.

Enjoyed this book a lot. It was a perfect book to read while quarantining, and was a happy distraction. I loved the theme of healing and confronting your fears (especially of loss). I enjoyed the Sam and Duncan plot, though there was a little less climax/conflict compared to her other books. Lovely story about a community coming together.

💫What You Wish For💫
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How can this be the very first Katherine Center book I’ve ever read? I can’t believe I’ve went this long not reading her books. This was an enjoyable and mostly light-hearted romcom. I typically stay away from romance because I can’t handle the Hallmark-channel-cheese-factor but this was a genuinely good story about two very flawed people who are determined to see the good in each other.
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Underneath the love story the concept of safety was explored. Are there extremes in safety-is there such thing as “being too safe”? How do we keep ourselves safe without allowing fear to prevent us from living a full life? This was particularly interesting to me because I have an especially hard time fighting fear and allowing myself to lose control(especially when it comes to my children). Protecting them and allowing them to make mistakes and get hurt is a fine line I struggle with often. I think the book landed in a good place regarding this issue and it played out well in the love story.
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4/5 ⭐️

The heart of this story and the overall message is sweet and heart warming. It was a quick read with fun and quirky characters. It was easy to figure out how some of the plot points would unfold but it did not take away from the story. Another great book from Katherine Center!

Katherine Center's newest book was a great quarantine read. Her writing isn't highly complex, nor does it have literary depth; but it is a light-hearted story with lovable characters, something we all need during these times of uncertainty. It was predictable, but heart-warming. In general, not something I would necessarily pick up, but great for this time.

Another hit from Katherine Center! This sweet story focuses on a group of teachers trying to save their beautiful, creative school from a new straight-laced principal, but at it's heart its about overcoming fear to find joy. Sam has settled into a wonderful life as her cherished school's librarian and she doesn't think (much) about the crush she ran away from. When that same guy is hired as the new principal, she is terrified but excited to see him again. At least until he shows up with a completely different personality.

The carefree spirit is gone and he's putting safety above everything they love at their school, so the teachers start to fight back. Sam and her friends come up with a plan to fix Duncan and remind him what happiness feels like. But Sam must learn to open up her heart too...

I was so excited to pick up this book every night! It deals with a few heavy topics like grief, school safety, and epilepsy but they're handled with just the right amount of delicacy. Overall this story is about love and joy and it shines through in every page.

There is a ton of great life advice thrown in among the sweet love story and sometimes silly plan to save Duncan. It's a must read for everyone looking for a pick me up or anyone who enjoys a delightful novel.

Another lovely title from Katherine Center. I love how she weaves difficult topics into the traditional romance plot.

I finished this book in a few hours and if I do that you know it is either a really short book or a really good one...in this case it was the latter.

When the man who is like a father to Samantha Casey dies and Duncan Carpenter, a new principal of the school she works at is hired, Samantha is worried. This fun loving and goofy man is someone she had such a big crush on that it drove her to quit her previous job and move to her new home. However, Samantha's worries soon are altered as the man before her is one who not only barely remembers her, but barely seems to resemble his old self as he is now a no nonsense principal with an obsession with school safety and security. Samantha was planning to quit, but now she feels it is her duty to her town, her coworkers, students, and friends to help fight Duncan on his rules and help keep the school a happy and fun loving place. While trying to change Duncan though, she may start to see some changes in herself as well...changes that include the return of old romantic feelings for Duncan.

I really love Katherine Center's writing. She makes the story and characters especially come alive. I can picture every person, setting, and even the colors so vibrantly and realistically. It felt like I was reading about real people at some points rather than a fiction novel. Center's books are perfect for anyone craving a good romantic comedy.

This novel also does a good job for the most part with balancing drama, comedy, romance, and family. The book tackles some darker themes, but it does so in a really mature and respectful way (similar to Center's other books). This book handles the balancing of different themes splendidly. You will definitely find yourself getting both heartbroken and happy at different times while reading this book. There is no denying that.

There are only 2 reasons I did not give this book 5 stars. The first is I felt the build up at the beginning regarding why Samantha left was a bit of a let down. It felt like it was building up to something a little more than what happened and I felt a little disappointed especially since previous books by Center featured plot lines that felt a little more dramatic regarding why the main character was in the predicament they were in.

The second reason is I wanted a little more with the ending. I have read some of Center's other novels and I felt like books like Things You Save In a Fire or How To Walk Away had epilogues with a little more finality and explanations regarding the future of the characters. There were some, but Center usually really ties up every loose ends and leaves the audience with everything tied up in a neat little bow. That is one of my biggest appeals for her and I did not really feel that when it came to this book. I'd like to point out that this is just an ARC and not the finished copy. A lot could changed between then and now, but I did just want to note this was my initial reaction after reading the ARC.

Overall, I really liked this book. I am not sure if I enjoyed it as much as Things You Save in a Fire or How To Walk Away, but I did like it. The characters are unique, the writing really helps the story come to life, and theme balance is done brilliantly. Besides those two little points (that again may be altered by the time the finished copy comes out), I really liked this book. If you are a fan of Katherine's then I think this book will be a great addition to your collection. If you are a new fan of Katherine's and wish to see what her books are like, then I think this may be potentially a good place to start. Whichever type of fan you are (or even if you are not a fan at all), this is one book you won't want to miss out on come July.


Check for this review on my blog on May 18, 2020.

This one started off a little predictable, but that didn’t even matter because I ended up loving the characters, the story, and most of all the themes. This novel was especially timely because it tackles the idea of choosing joy amid fear. Life isn’t easy and it can be hard to fight for joy in the hard times. This book is the perfect read if you are looking for a little love, laughter, and hope. ⁣
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𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘞𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘍𝘰𝘳 is a sweet story about Samantha Casey, a librarian, at a small school in Galveston, Texas. When the beloved school principal passes away, another one is hired to take his place. Enter Duncan Carpenter who comes to the school with his own agenda and issues. You will also fall in love with the great cast of side characters and teachers. I love how she emphasizes the importance of community. ⁣
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This book made me laugh, cry, and long for more. I read it in less than 24 hours, and I will probably pick it up again in the future. I would definitely recommend it!

As an educator this book was great! It accurately represents the struggle and joy of modern day school. This would be great beach read in august right before going back to school! It made me laugh out loud, smile, and my heart go pitter patter. Wasn't my first Katherine Center book and definitely won't be my last! Highly recommend for a quick beach summer read.

Samantha is such a breath of fresh air...I loved her! As a librarian in a school with an unrequited love for a fellow teacher, she moved to start over. Loving the new school and her fellow employees she is loving life until... The characters were well developed (loved Alice) and the plot kept me enthusiastically reading, both laughing and crying. Her writing made me feel as if I was right in the midst of what was going on, which made it a 5 star book for me. Having formerly worked at a private school I appreciated the drama inherent in a different director with very different ideas. I am now on a quest to read her other books as I enjoyed this one so much. Many many thanks to Katherine Center, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for affording me the delightful opportunity to read this book, to be published in July. Don’t miss this one!

This book was just okay for me. I loved the premise, But unfortunately I just couldn’t get into it.

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

First of all, thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC!

I loved this book. It's exactly what I needed, because the world is a scary place right now, but this novel made me feel comforted. Sam is a children's librarian with a difficult past, and a history of running away from her problems. Luckily, she ends up in a great town, has a job at a great elementary school, and has a wonderful found family. Tragedy strikes, and the new principal of the school turns out to be none other than her old crush, Duncan Carpenter. But Duncan isn't the same man Sam used to know. He dresses in drab colors, no longer juggles or plays with the students, and seems hellbent on stripping all joy from the colorful, quaint school - all in the name of safety.

And that's ultimately what this book is about: joy, the absence of joy, and mindfully accepting joy back into your life. I loved both Sam and Duncan equally, and their journey toward happiness (and yes, toward each other) was delightful. It reminded me to let more joy into my own life, and to embrace colors, silliness, and dancing. Despite everything, we can still embrace joy.

Samantha Casey, an elementary school librarian in Galveston, is mortified to find that her school's beloved principal is being replaced by her former crush, Duncan Carpenter, a once joyful, carefree teacher who is now obsessed with safety and seemingly against all joy.

I started this book on Sunday night and spent the entire morning finishing it on Monday. I found myself immediately engaged in the story and didn't want to put it down. Sam has gone through a lot of tragedy and sorrow and her life yet she isn't whiny and chooses to live her life with color and creativity. Despite the book focusing on the spark between Sam and Duncan, all of the characters were so lovable and integral to the story.

This book is all about choosing joy despite our circumstances and I think we could all use that reminder right now! It was the perfect escape from reality for me this week.

This was a one day read for me. The characters were endearing and the story moved very fast. Would recommend .

The book is lighthearted at times, which is typical of Center's stories. The book involves overcoming traumas, dealing with illnesses and death but the author handled all of these wonderfully.

I loved this book! I loved the characters and this story really had a lot of heart. It was definitely a book i needed to read during this time! Thanks for the opportunity to read this! I look forward to reading more by this author!