What a beautifully written book this is! I loved reading this one, I finished it in 2 days, I just couldn't get enough of the characters or the the plot. Would highly recommend.

Katherine Center did it again. How does each of her books keep getting better and better? Before starting this one, I was in a massive reading slump but this book warmed my heart.

Reading this book feels like you're wrapping yourself up in a giant blanket. It's familiar and the characters feel like people you know and adore. The feel like family. You're rooting them on every step but there is a lot of true human flaws and real life shines through the perfect life in this book. However, the raw struggles of life are done well and very tastefully.

Be warned, this book will break your heart, maybe a few times but it will also put it back together and leave you smiling. This is exactly the kind of book I needed, thank you Katherine Center, Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for letting me review this beautiful book.

This book was the perfect lovely little romance, and it was exactly what I needed right now. Sam and Duncan were fascinating characters, and the community of the school was maybe the star of the entire book. Center's writing feels like a warm hug!

Katherine Center does it again. What You Wish For was everything that I needed during this coronavirus quarantine! This book filled me with hope, positivity and happiness, and reminded be that love is at the center. Katherine is the absolute best at building characters with deep and complex relationships that I fall in love with. I couldn’t put it down! 5 stars for me.

I loved this book. This is the third book that I have read from Katherine Center and I have adored every one. Her writing is simple and relaxing. There aren’t a lot of characters to keep track of or storylines that seem forced.
When I was reading this book I felt like I was there tagging along with Sam. Katherine’s descriptions are so vivid, her characters so genuine. I felt a connection to them and wanted to join their tight-knit group.
I liked the element of surprise not knowing what happened to Duncan and why he changed so much from when Sam knew him previously...and it made perfect sense.
Katherine Center is quickly becoming a favorite of mine and I can’t wait to check out more of her books.
If you haven’t read any of her books yet, put them on your TBR list! You won’t regret it!

I received an electronic copy of this book from Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press.

I simply adore all of Katherine Center’s books and this did not disappoint! It’s quirky, silly, poignant and different. It makes me want to know and hang out with the author because the characters were lovable and weird and relatable in an unusual way. . Such a joy to read. Samantha is one of a kind but has come to terms with that. She has found her true passion in teaching and would be a gift to any child. When Duncan comes back into her life in unexpected ways, he is completely different than the person she knew... unrecognizable actually. As the story unfolds there are life lessons. Love deeply, be compassionate and realize that everyone has a back story we are unaware of. #netgalley #stmartinspress #katherinecenter

Another Katherine Center book that delights and offers blissful escape. This covers relevant issues from gun safety, romance, educators, school policy and family relationships. I could not put it down. The setting on Galveston Island was brought to life, so much so, I added to bucket list of places in the US to visit.
Full review soon.

Thanks to netgalley, St. Martin Press and Katherine Center for the advance copy.
This is a book about overcoming the past, facing your fears and choosing to be happy in life. I have read Things You Save In A Fire by the same author. Although I liked that one better this one is still a very nice book.

I loved the geography of this book. Katherine Center captures Galveston Island, however, the pace and the plot was not her typical style. I was left wanting more from the characters, perhaps an additional character. An additional plot line would have make this a favorite.

This is THE PERFECT beach read. I devoured it. I love Katherine Center's easy-to-read writing style. She creates characters that you fall in love with and it was the perfect way to escape reality. It's everything you want in a fun, fast, easy read.

This book got me out of my covid reading slump! While not a genre I normally read, it was the perfect quarantine read to lift my spirits and distract me. Normally I think I would be more critical of the writing, character development and plot, but because it was a comforting outlet in a difficult emotional time I found it to be a joyful read. The message of 'intentionally choosing joy' resonated with me right now. I often read Center's books as a buffer between heavier titles and I knew I could rely on her again with What You Wish For. Thanks for the chance to read it in advance!

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review. This is a very light and enjoyable romance novel about lost love and unexpectedly finding it again . The plot revolves around a school librarian who resettles in a new community to escape from a relationship that never developed and to start a new life. Life goes on until the new principal is the librarian’s lost love. There are several plots developed throughout the book. The characters are interesting. Parts of the dialogue were very slow and repetitive. Overall, it was an enjoyable story, but, very predictable.

Katherine Center is really the end-all, be-all for me. This book was so perfectly adorable, and an excellent way to bust a quarantine-influenced reading slump. Her most recent books have been my most-recommended titles, and What You Wish For will definitely follow suit.

First of all, I love Katherine Center’s writing and her books! This one was a little slow to start for me, but it ended up picking up and then I was pulled in. A great read while i was stuck at home during quarantine. I give this one 3.5 stars. Liked the storyline and the setting of the school, but felt like the author tried to hard to force the love connection. It was a little much for me. Not my favorite Katherine center book, but worth the read. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to read this prior to release!!

Sam is an elementary school librarian. She moved to Texas from California a few years ago and finally found her place: the perfect school, a great friend, and her bosses who are more like second parents.
Her life changes in an instant when Max, her school's principal and second father, dies.
His replacement? Duncan Carpenter...who Sam never thought she'd see again.

What I liked:
Katherine Center has such a great way of writing not just a story, but introspective characters. You really love them, or you really don't. And I appreciate that! My favorite part of the book was how Duncan totally handled Sam's epileptic episode....and due to their misunderstanding it made their connection so much stronger.

What I didn't like:
In the beginning, I had a hard time seeing where this story was going. Also, I found it a bit farfetched that Sam, after knowing Duncan was to be the new principal, just wanted to entertain the idea of quitting her job.....just because of a crush on Duncan? Come on.

Not my favorite Katherine Center novel.....

I read and loved “How to walk away” and “Things you save in a fire”, I even gave as gift “How..” to my sister and so I was excited to receive a digital copy from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley but this time the book didn’t convince me, I gave it 3.5 stars and I would divide between first half of the book (two stars) and second half of it (five stars). I was almost giving up and do not finish the book; then I read some of the reviews saying the second half was better and I gave a try and they are right.
My problem with the first twelve chapters of the book is that the main character seems to be saying always the same thing Duncan was different, he changed, he was so funny, so happy now he is not. Then everything changed and I loved the end of the book, there was more action and it was more interesting.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book is a such a great story about Samantha, a librarian in a small Texas elementary school who finds out a man she had moved there to get away from was coming to be the new principal of her school! But things are not as she expects them to be. He seems like a different person. I loved this book! I cared about the characters and rooted for them to overcome their challenges. I loved the relationships between the characters and didn’t want to stop reading. It’s a great story but also gives you some ideas to think about and even apply to your own life.

Katherine Center delivers yet another good book with a great underlying message. This book was super fast, feel good read for me and I enjoyed it a lot. The message of the book is overcoming fear and choosing joy. Joy is a choice and we all have that choice to make. It was a good reminder.

Sam Casey is an elementary school librarian in Galveston, Texas. When the school loses their beloved principal, the replacement is a former crush of Sam's, Duncan. When she realizes that Duncan is not who he used to be, she sets out with the help of others to help him find who he used to be and save her beloved school. Along the way there is love, friendship and losing and finding yourself.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me an advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Don't miss picking up this book when it releases in July 2020.

I enjoyed this book so much! Katherine Center has become one of my favorite authors after getting lost in my first of her books a few weeks ago. What You Wish For is a story that makes you feel everything. Sam is a relatable character who, like everyone else, is simply trying to find a way to cope with her past and move forward; something she learned after running from it. This novel also touches on the current issue of safety in schools. As someone who works in a school with children every day, I experienced understanding and heartbreak along with the characters. During such an uncertain and uncomfortable time, I finished the book feeling at peace. It's healing. It's full of reminders to find the joy in the little things, and in the world, and to make an active choice to do it every day.

"Joy was cumulative. It wasn't about finding one big thing - but about collecting as many tiny pieces as you could."

Delightful, heartfelt and filled with joy and hope, What You Wish For by Katherine Center was exactly the kind of story I needed in my life right now. And since this was my first book by Center, I am already excited about all of those back titles that I now need to catch up on. 

It is easy to understand why this author is so well loved. She writes simply, but beneath those simple sentences, much deeper meanings are hidden. She tackles extremely heavy topics with an ease and grace that resonates and makes the reader think. And alongside those profound life lessons, there is a light heartedness to her storytelling that just makes us readers feel good.

"I am not happy because it comes easily to me. I bite and scratch and claw my way toward happiness everyday. "

Life hasn't been very kind to Samantha Casey, but she's finally found her place in the sunny town of Galveston, Texas, and as an elementary school librarian she is trying to be as happy and contented as humanly possible. When the beloved school principal Max suddenly passes away, his replacement turns out to be Duncan Carpenter - Sam's long time ago, unrequited crush. Now, Sam is both giddy and nervous at the prospect of seeing Duncan again. But after just a few days working with him, she is absolutely dumbstruck. Who is this rigid, unsmiling and unapproachable guy? The Duncan she fell in love with used to be one of the nicest and kindest person she knew. Where did he go? What happened? How can a person change so much in a matter of years? As the story unfolds, we gradually get all the answers.

I loved the characters in this story so much. From Max's wise words to Babette's calm demeanor, Alice's nerdy jokes to little Clay's trivia knowledge, the absolutely adorable Chuck Norris, and of course our main characters Sam and Duncan. There's also the right amount of romance in the story that I savored. Some might say that the characters were a bit overblown, and you know what, maybe they were, but it was totally fine. I loved them in all their quirkiness. And there's a beach scene towards the end that added so much to this book. Personally, I think that when heavier and more serious topics are dealt with plain simple words they are more impactful rather than when they are made an absolute big deal of. Really, I deeply admire Katherine Center's emotional intelligence and her way of making her reader feel good.

"I know all about darkness. That's why I am so hell bent, every damn day, on looking for the light. "

The underlying theme in this book is choosing joy, prioritizing happiness and opting to leave pain behind when doing that doesn't even seem like an option. And it all comes down to having the courage to live joyfully and celebrate life despite all its sufferings and heartbreaks. All in all a wonderful story that I highly recommend.

"But that's the thing about joy. You don't have to wait for it to happen. You can make it happen."