I don't typically read ebooks, but it was my only chance to get my hands on Katherine Center's newest title before the summer. This was exactly what I needed to read with the world the way it is today. None of the characters are perfect, but I had to keep reading to see what happened. She's done it again and written another book that I couldn't stop reading, but hated to finish.

I stayed up late yesterday finishing What You Wish For by Katherine Center and it was awesome. It was a bit predictable on one main plot point but I think that might have been intentionally obvious. I loved the colorfulness of the characters in this novel, the evolution of Sam and Duncan’s relationship, and the emotionally intense moments between the two of them that were written so well you felt like a bystander right there. I also appreciated the detailed visuals throughout the book like the murals or the patterns on socks or t-shirts or the feel of the sand on your toes or the wind in your hair at the top of the roller coaster. I just really enjoyed everything about it and it was a good book to read to remind you that there is so much joy in the everyday if we allow ourselves to live without being paralyzed by the what if. Highly recommend. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.

I wasn't really a fan. I usually like this kind of lighthearted fare, but it was a bit too silly for me even for a beach read.

4.5 stars.
I loved the whimsy, colourful school and characters and the small town folksy vibe that emanated from this book.
I love small town close knit community type books. The characters were lovable and their joy and stresses palpable. Sam was sweet and relatable.
I had a hard time putting this down; I wanted to see how Duncan's storyline progressed. I can only imagine how PTSD might change a person and how much a person would have to overcome to feel normal again.
I enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend.

I can easily pick up any book by Katherine Center and love it without reading the back. Though this story seemed to start a little slow at first it grabbed me and pulled me in full force. I knew from the beginning that Duncan had a story and that Sam was meant to be part of it. I loved this book and highly recommend it to readers everywhere. It takes a topic that has affected a lot of people and shows the other side of it.....the human side.

What You Wish For was my second book from Katherine Center and unfortunately I think it will be my last. There were aspects to the book that I enjoyed but overall it just was not for me.

The premise of the book was very juvenile. Our main character was in so in love with a man she never dated that when he started dating someone else she moved across the country. I found myself frustrated with this grown woman for acting like a teenager. There were other plot points where I was left scratching my head like, “What just happened?!”

Despite this, I truly did enjoy the setting and atmosphere of the book. The island was a great backdrop and gave a beautiful community feeling. I loved many of the characters in the book as well.

Overall, the bad outweighed the good for me. I can see how people will just love this one, but I sadly am not one of them.

In What You Wish For, Samantha is an elementary school librarian. She loves where she lives, has great friends, loves her job, and is incredibly close to the Principal of the school, who is her mentor and father figure. When he unexpectedly dies, the board brings in Duncan, a blast from the past she ran away from, and he wants to change everything she loves about the school. Can she put aside their past and work with him so that he sees the school doesn’t need to change?

I absolutely adored this book! I flew through it in one day, which is no surprise. I love how Katherine Center weaves her stories together and this was no exception. I was rooting for all of the characters - not just the main ones! And I found the end very moving. I highly recommend this - especially if you’ve liked Katherine Center’s other books!

I had really high hopes for this read, and sadly I think my expectations were just too high. I loved Katherine's past two books and I really wanted to like this one just as much. I did like it, just didn't love it. It was hard to read parts of it because I am a teacher and it felt too close to a lot of fears I have. I liked both main characters, but wish it wouldn't have taken them so long to get together! I did find it to be a very unique plot. I also wouldn't have minded more of a flashback to when they knew each other before. I did enjoy the secondary characters!

I've been eagerly awaiting Katherine Center's latest book. She's a wonderful storyteller, and this book was just the heart-warming story I needed. It's not all rainbows and butterflies though (although there are beautifully described butterflies); these characters are realistic and don't always act how you want them to act. The characters grapple with some heavy issues, but the story is crafted with such a delicate hand that those parts of the plot feel natural and less weighty.

“Life doesn't ever give you what you want just the way you want it. Life doesn't ever make things easy... Love makes you better because it's hard... Joy is fleeting. Nothing lasts.” It's very apropos for the world many of us are facing currently. So many moments in the story made me smile, made me happy, made me believe good people are out there. I would have liked certain parts to be expanded, but loose ends were brought together for a satisfying ending.

As a fellow Texan, I really appreciate that this novel is set in Galveston. It's a special place for many Texans, and Center clearly spent time there making sure she got the spirit and details just right.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Samantha is a librarian at a small school in Galveston Texas. She loves her job and the students. When the director/founder of the school dies suddenly and leaves a hole in the school community.
A new principal arrives. The new principal is Duncan Carter. Samantha worked with him before, but know he is different. Duncan used to be fun, but now he is serious. And Samantha doesn't understand what happened to the man she knew. As the story unfolds the reader and Samantha learns what happened to Duncan.

The question is, can Samantha change Duncan so he can remember how to have fun, and save her beloved school?

Told from Samantha 's point of view this was a fun story with

engaging characters. The plot is timely with a mixture of current events and romance.

This book was fantastic! Katherine Center books make me happy! Thank you netgalley for sharing this wonderful book!

I don't have enough exciting words to express how much I enjoyed Katherine Center's latest book, "What You Wish For". Librarian Sam and Principal Duncan are possibly the best characters Author Center has ever created. Their story, written using beautiful Galveston, Texas as a backdrop, was exactly what I needed right now.

I always enjoy Katherine Center’s books because each time I read one, I not only get a magically captivating story, but I am also reminded of what’s truly important in my world. Author Center has quickly become one of my favorite authors. She shows the weaknesses of her characters with great clarity, and shows how they work and learn their way through them. Each book I read changes me for the better as a human being.. Her books fill my world with gratitude, and remind me to choose joy on purpose.

"What You Wish For" is storytelling at its finest. There's a perfect blend of hardships and happiness, with characters that readers will not only root for, but deeply understand. Author Katherine Center is truly making the this reader's world a better place, one book at a time.

Samantha meets Duncan while they are both teaching at school. She’s so obsessed with his engaging and funny ways that she decides that to break the obsession, she has to move away from him. It’s been 3-4 years since she’s seen him, and after her new schools beloved principal dies, Duncan comes in as the new principal. But he’s not the same funny Duncan who used to juggle and wear funny clothes. No, this new guy wears suits and is ready to change her beloved school for the worse, making it into a prison for children. Can Sam figure out where the old Duncan is hiding and why he’s no longer that fun loving guy she used to know?

I have to admit, it took me a few chapters to really get into this. I didn’t connect with Sam at all, and I wish it was told from both Sam and Duncan’s POVs, I think it would’ve given us a lot more into his back story. Other than that, I did enjoy the book. I enjoyed watching Sam, Babette and Alice work their magic to help Duncan work through a tough patch in his life and find the joy he was missing.

Reading a Katherine Center novel is so much more than enjoying a finely-crafted plot with memorable characters—when you are reading any one of her books you are LIVING it, and FEELING it—becoming completely involved in all that happens. In What You Wish For, I was enraptured, I was charmed, I was sad, and even scared and angry at times. I felt so connected to Sam and Duncan—their pain-filled pasts, their loves, their fears, and their joys. Each page of this book is brimming with heart and hope and wisdom. Reading this book during the pandemic made it even more meaningful, as each character opens themselves up to the possibility of true happiness and joy, working together to achieve something meaningful and worthwhile. “This is what it means to be fully alive. To feel it all—the joy and the sorrow—the hope and the fear. This is what life demands of us. You just have to stay, and try, and let life break your heart.”

I needed this! I was thoroughly entertained by this book. In these trying days, this is the perfect book to spend time with to help lift your spirits and learn to live normally again. The premise of the book lends itself in a different way to this very theme as Samantha (Sam) learns to embrace herself even as she tries to heal others. There are a lot of bright colors in this multi-layered story about discovering ourselves and figuring out how to navigate through our lives even though we are scared sometimes. Meanwhile, these lessons are learned in a very pleasant way due to Katherine Center's entertaining storytelling skills, and most especially, the way she writes the personal interactions between characters. I loved the crazy labradoodle, a failed guard dog, that peppered the story here and there. And I appreciated the various rescues that occured throughout the book in different ways and circumstances, involving adults, kids, and animals. I'm a new fan and will be reading more of her books. I would highly recommend this book at any time, but especially now when we can use all the uplifting stories we can get. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for making this advance readers' copy available to me. And thank you to Katherine Center for making my day so much better.

This novel was a happy respite for this quarantined reader! The lovable characters in Ms. Center’s latest feel good novel all have their scars, both literal and figurative. They each move beyond heartbreak and painful memories by finding new ways to insert joy into their lives; quite a timely reminder!

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Publishing for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

What You Wish for by Katherine Center ~ Reviewed on April 10, 2020

This novel is due to be released in July however there are already 767 ARC reviews. It has got to be great ~ Right?
This is my second Katherine Center novel. My first read was “Things you Save in a Fire”.
Story starts off with Elementary school librarian Samantha Casey who lives in the small cottages behind the home of delightful 60 year old couple Max and Babette. Max is the Principal of the school where Sam works and his wife Babette is a teacher. Samantha totally loves her job and happy that she moved to Texas from California after her break-up. But when Max, the beloved principal dies, who could have guessed that former crush Duncan Carpenter would be the new principal?
Sam finds Duncan is nothing like the guy she swooned over six years ago and wonders if she should once again move.

This is basically a “finding joy’ story; I figured it was going to be a “feel good” story ~ and a nice escape from the news during this pandemic.
However, I recently read several other “feel good” stories so probably should have waited a week or two before jumping into another similar story.
I guess I just wasn’t in the right mood and found this only okay. So of the 767 now 768 readers I am one of the few sitting in the outlier table.

I do want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this early release granted in exchange for an honest professional review. Publishing date scheduled for July 14, 2020

Sweet but kind of predictable. Lots of good dialogue - lots of chasing joy even when you’re having a bad day. I like that advice, it’s extremely important and relevant to our world today. Don’t give up.

This is a well written feel good book detailing the life and eventual romance of a school librarian. The characters are both likeable and believable. I really enjoyed this one.

Samantha Casey loves her job as the local elementary school librarian and is devastated when the school loses its principal. The replacement is Duncan Carpenter, a teacher Sam never thought she'd see again in her life. Sam had a major crush on Duncan back in the day, and she's worried the feelings will come back with a vengeance for her new boss. Not only that, but Duncan is nothing like she remembers, and it seems he's out to change their school for the worse.