“But that’s the thing about joy. You don’t have to wait for it to happen. You can make it happen.” - Katherine Center.

Wow. Just wow. What a compelling, feel-good read.

Katherine Center takes some difficult topics and sprinkles them with love, hope, optimism and strength. This is the first book that I have read by Katherine Center and it definitely won’t be the last.

This story deals with the complexities of relationships and how things out of your control can cause lasting damage and change in someone - sometimes for the better and sometimes not.

The novel is centred around the female protagonist, Sam. Having felt stuck in a job, where her unrequited crush consumed her thoughts and took over her life, she decided to take up a new job as a librarian at an elementary school some miles away, so that she could stop obsessing over him.

This change does the world of good for her. Sam loves her school; she loves her job; she loves her colleagues - they’re like family to her. They have taught her how to live and to love and they have given her the strength to move on from a difficult past.

This all changes when their beloved principal dies, unexpectedly, bringing about grief and much disruption to their lives and to their school community. Keeping things the same for the children is massively important to the teachers and staff at the school and they all rally around to make things are as normal as possible.

This calmness doesn’t last long, when the new principal is introduced as Duncan Carpenter, Sam’s unrequited crush - the one she moved to get away from. Duncan is much changed - and not in a good way. Sam once obsessed over him, but now she is obsessed with wanting him to stop interfering with the way things are done - she wants to hold on to the previous principal’s memory - as does everyone else. Sam is adamant that he needs to change or he needs to ship out because she isn’t prepared for her school to become like a prison.

The chemistry between all of the characters are exuberant and Katherine Center has a real talent in make them believable and relatable: you instinctively feel their pain. Their stories had me reaching for the tissues on many occasion and I was gutted when the book came to a close, although happy with the ending.

Make joy happen and read this book; you won’t regret it!

Thank you to Katherine Center for a fabulous read and thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for affording me the opportunity to read an ARC of this memorable book.

I have been totally charmed by both Katherine Center's books that I've read (Things You Save in a Fire was my first one)! The beginning of this dragged a little bit for me, and I do wish that the book's central couple had connected just a little bit sooner.

Our narrator and main character Sam was so lovely. I could just imagine her in her brightly-colored outfits at home in her two-story library. I loved their Texas island school community, and felt similar good vibes toward the supporting characters as I did for the firefighters in Things You Save in a Fire. Just a really fun read overall - I'd recommend picking this one up in July!

I received a free PDF version of this book when the world started shutting down and sheltering in place due to COVID19. I was thrilled to receive the copy and I thank Katherine Center for her generosity and kindness. I have read two of Katherine's prior books and absolutely loved them both.

This book was hard for me to get into. Was it the book or was it the rough times we are in and my inability to concentrate? Either way, at about the halfway point in the book I was finally fully interested and I wanted to read to the end to find out what happened between Duncan and Sam. As with all of Katherine's books, there is an underlying life lesson in the book, and for this book it is choosing joy and love over fear. I love this life lesson and I feel like she did a good job with it. I liked how both Duncan and Sam chose to share their vulnerabilities and to listen and learn from the other, and in the process they also both chose joy and love, and found a way to meet in the middle.

I really enjoyed Clay and his wisdom, and I found myself wanting to visit Sam's library, which sounded like a book lover's dream.

While I liked this book, it didn't have the same WOW factor that her other books had for me. I will still be recommending it to others as I feel like the life lesson of choosing joy several times each day is one worth learning.

I will read anything Katherine Center writes. I find her books to have a mix of light sweetness and slightly heavy drama. They are compulsively readable.

This is the 4th title of Center’s that I’ve read. I enjoyed it- it was a solid 3 ⭐️read. But there were elements that I wish had been fleshed out in more detail and with a gentler hand. Perhaps the final version will have those elements. It could very well be my reading mindset during the current state of the world (covid-19) as well. While it was not my favorite- it was still worth the read.

Like all of Katherine Center's books, this book had an amazing feel-good vibe to it. I thought the plot was a little small but the overall theme of the book was just so amazing.

Sam Casey works as a librarian at an elementary school. She has so much for her school and colleagues because they helped her blossom into her true self and help her get over past experiences. But when the beloved principal dies, who will step in and continue making the school a great place for learning? Sam's old crush, Duncan Carpenter. Except, he's not the fun loving guy she used to know. He's closed off and cynical and obsessed with school safety. So her and her colleagues design a plan to get him back to his old self while Sam learns about her own self and letting people in.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. And honestly, guys, get a copy of this book. Enter giveaways, find it on Netgalley, talk to the publisher. If you are a fan of Katherine Center, you need to read this story. During this time of stress and uncertainty with the Coronavirus, this book helped alleviate some of that pressure. Self-isolate and read this book. And while you are isolating yourself, read more from Katherine Center. Her stories have a way of giving off positive vibes and giving you a great outlook on life.

School librarian, Samantha Casey, finds herself unexpectedly working with a former unrequited "crush," when he comes to be the new principal of her school in Galveston, Texas. This is the premise that launches a story that reads like an old favorite rom-com movie. Center weaves in tension, tough subjects, and a whole lot of fun to keep you turning the pages. At the outset, the tone is a little on the melodramatic side, but once I had leaned into the tone and suspended my disbelief, the story became a wonderful, escapist read. Especially appreciated were her themes of choosing joy and extending kindness to widen the circle of chosen family. Most days we could all use a little more joy and kindness, but reading this during the season of "sheltering-in-place" was yet another reminder that we may need them now more than ever.

Katharine Center was able to deliver another wonderful story of a protagonist with past trauma, the story of how someone pushes thorough and learns to cope with l pain, and a sprinkle of a love story. As I sit here during the COVID-19 quarantine, this was the perfect book to read that embodied strength, yet also provided a lot of light-hearted moments and fun. Definitely would recommend!

Thank you #netgalley #stmartinspress for my free advanced copy! This will be published in July. I was so excited to get an advanced copy of this because last year I loved Things You Save in a Fire. I loved this story. The themes of resilience and dealing with trauma in different forms were so timely right now. The characters have (many) flaws, but the author does a good job of showing the reader the depth of the main characters and the reasons for their attitudes and decisions. Throw in a little romance and it was a great read perfect for the weekend and reading on my porch. There was laughter, a story that held my interest and lots of feels.

What You Wish For was a quick, enjoyable weekend read. As with previous Katherine Center novels, I fell in love with the characters and their complicated but beautiful stories, personalities, and emotions. The story highlighted a number of intricate but relatable journeys on tragedy, loss, and love. The end of the novel brought together everyone's stories perfectly and I left feeling satisfied and hopeful. A great feeling to get from a book right now! Thank you for the advanced copy to dive into a lovely story!

If you like Hallmark movies, you’ll love Katherine Center’s newest book, “What You Wish For.” Its a heartwarming love story of a quirky librarian Sam who unexpectedly finds herself back with “ the guy” that compelled her to leave her last school. What You Wish For reminds us to find joy in life. This timely tale with stay with you long after you read the last line.

I am a big fan of Katherine Center and her strong female protagonists. The characters seemed a bit much and a little silly at times (not what I am used to with Center) but Sam was definitely lovable and as a reader I just wanted her to find peace. Duncan's backstory was a little predictable but not as dark as I was imaging. A pleasant read.

Katherine Center is one of those authors who manages to impress me with each new book she releases. Somehow, she is able to take the saddest, most serious topics and write an inspirational and upbeat story about them. That's what she did with What You Wish For.

Sam Casey is someone who has been through a ton of crap in her life. She's finally managed to get to a point in her life where she's truly happy with her situation and then everything changes. I loved Sam's positive outlook on (almost) everything and how she's willing to take charge and fight for what is most important. Sam was quirky, but her quirkiness wasn't odd or crazy. It was relatable in the way she explained herself. I loved how she accepted herself and her insecurities. I especially loved how she dealt with her feelings for Duncan, then and now.

There's so much more to this story than just Sam's life. There's a huge part of this story that involves her school community. I won't go into it because I don't want to spoil anything, but I loved it. I loved how Duncan was woven into that, how Sam and her friends came together. It was all fun to read about.

I honestly am not sure what else to say about What to Wish For. It was just such a good reading experience. It shows once again how talented of an author Katherine Center is and why I will continue to reach for her books when they are released.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a nice surprise. The relationships with the characters were well thought out and you felt engaged throughout the book.

Sam loves her job as the librarian for an exceptional school. The owner of the school dies suddenly and a replacement is brought in to lead the staff and students. Sam realizes she knows the new principle as her crush from a previous job. She feels hopeful that Duncan will help heal the staff and students while they are grieving, but she discovers that Duncan has changed and he wants to apply serious changes to the school. The changes make him unpopular and many on the staff hatch a plan to get rid of him. But Sam soon learns that Duncan has been keeping a part of his past from her and the school that has ignited his behavior. She modifies the plan to get rid of him and decides she must help him. Will he accept her help? Will she share her secret with him?

The story felt complete with the host of supporting characters that brought alot of dimension to the two main characters. I started this book this morning and could not put it down. I loved each character, with their flaws, and how the ending had such a fearless ending.

I really enjoyed Katherine Center's Things You Save in A Fire. This book did not disappoint.
Katherine Center's book, as with all of her books, are fun and touching. You find yourself drawn in to quirky worlds of imperfection and warmth.

Samantha is a school librarian that moves to Galveston from Cali in hopes to forget her love interest. She moves into a garage apt. being the schools principal and art instructor. Many events occur and soon Sam's love Duncan is working at the school. Yet, now he is into her?? Will they be able to let go of their past??

This book was truly wonderful. It had me feeling all the mixed emotions. Thank you for the chance to read it.

Usually I don't read a lot of romance books unless there's a mystery or something else going on in the book and the romance is more in addition to, rather than being the main event. However, with all the current stress in the world, this book was very appealing to me in both cover, description, and the actual book. What can happen when we aren't afraid to show our vulnerable places and open up to those around us?

Thanks to Netgalley for giving me this book in exchange for an honest review. I don't know at what point something goes to press and it becomes too late to make edits... but any school librarian worth her salt does say not MY library. She says _our_ library. That is School Librarianship 101. Sam said MY library a lot throughout the text. While I may take a break from Katherine Center in the future, that doesn't mean I don't appreciate her contributions to this emerging genre of contemporary romance... or maybe the genre always been there, and I haven't been paying attention.

Kempner school is a place every student would love to attend. The owners are amazing and the teachers are some of the best and put student needs first. When one of the owners, Max, dies this changes everything.
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One of the teachers at the school is Samantha, and she is like a daughter to the owners of the school. She came to the school after having to move from her old job because she had a crush on her colleague, Duncan.
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When Max dies a new principal is hired at Kempner and it turns out to be Duncan. Samantha could not be more nervous/ excited as she never stopped thinking about Duncan. He was such a fun, care free guy but now he is an uptight, straight lace person and Samantha needs to figure out what changed.
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This will be an unpopular opinion but I definitely enjoyed this one the least of her 3 books. I didn’t get hooked in right from the start and I thought the book at a confusing beginning and took some time to figure out what was happening. I think the overall premise was not very interesting to me but I did like character Samantha a lot and her math nerd friend, Alice, was a great character. I also liked the character development of Duncan. The part of the story dealing with why Duncan changed was also really well done. The book had a happy ending which is always nice. Overall this one was just okay for me.

As a teacher, I enjoyed this book. I liked the characters and felt invested in their journeys. This school reminded me of my own in terms of the community feel. The library sounds like the most magical place! I especially loved all of Alice’s math t-shirts.
The only thing that bothered me was that in this day and age of technology, it seemed unrealistic that no one at the school (especially Sam or Alice) would Google Duncan to find out what happened in his past.

This is one of my favorite books written by Katherine Center. Her characters are brought to life through incredibly written dialogue and descriptions. It is a story of perseverance, triumph and love.

I have been an avid Katherine Center fan and was so excited to read her third book! This story follows Samantha Casey, an elementary school teacher who loves her job on Galveston Island, Texas. Her life changes when one summer, her dear friend and the principal of the school dies, leaving the position open. They hire Duncan, a man Samantha worked with in the past and had an enormous crush on, and she worries that she won't be able to handle working with him again. Come to find out, Duncan has changed a lot since the days Samantha worked with him and is no longer a fun-loving principal, but rather a very strict, no nonsense, terse man. Samantha makes it her mission to bring back the fun Duncan she once knew and save the school she loves. This book has a cast of quirky and fun characters that are easy to appreciate. I also love the setting and reading about their life on Galveston Island. The subject matter ends up being quite heavy in this one, but I thought it was handled really well. I wish the romance happened a little sooner in the novel, as I felt like the middle of the book felt a little flat as it was building towards the end. Katherine Center is an author I will continue to read over and over again!