O.K. So here is what you get from Katherine Center. Keep in mind at the time of me writing this review, humanity as we know it is neck deep in self isloation. COVID-19 has waged war on anyone who dares to get close to it. There is a global feeling of uncertainty and vulnerability that no one is embarrassed to admit to.

With this in mind a Katherine Center novel is exactly what was needed! A protagonist who makes it her mission to make it all better. Easily supported by characters who need fixing. A perfect recipe when the real life word is preparing for an apocalypse of sorts. The story of Samantha Casey, school librarian. Sam battles life with this vivacious positivity and patience.

There is a sweet cherry on top with swirl of whipped cream to discover characters from previous books are reintroduced in this read, namely Duncan (remember him). Of course if you don't this is absolutely a stand alone.

The book exposes some heavy themes. Yet it doesn't sway from the affirming, lighthearted, cleansing, warm read this author is known for. A must read!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the free review copy. All opinions are my own.

This is my new favorite novel by Center so far. I love the voice in her novels. Each character is so distinct and wonderfully written. Samantha is an awesome character. I loved her style, her job, her passion for her school, and her determination to do what's right - even if that means making an enemy along the way. Duncan's character and backstory were also so realistic and grabbing. He has a lot going on and Center showed his complexities so well. 

I also enjoyed the message of this book of choosing joy in all the moments. You can find joy anywhere as long as you are looking for it.

Sam, a school librarian, loves her job and her life. It wasn't always that way, but after leaving her last job because of unrequited love, she has come to terms with her lot in life, and has surrounded herself with a wonderful group of friends who she considers family. All is going well, until the man she secretly loved comes to town to take over as principal... and he's not the guy she remembers at all.

The romantic tension between Sam and Duncan was amazing. I loved how they both had their personal issues and had to work on opening up to each other. I loved how they both secretly harbored feelings for each other--love when that happens!

Overall, this was a feel good read, and a heartwarming romance. I'm so happy I didn't have to wait until the release date, as all Katherine Center's books are winners, and this was no different.

3.5 stars. I agree with another reviewer who said the characters are generally too much and there is a LOT of cheese factor. But it was a light, easy read that is sorely needed these days, and I enjoyed it well enough.

5 stars / This review will be posted at BookwormishMe.com on 1 July 2020 .


Sam is a librarian at a creative and fabulous school on Galveston Island. She lives in the carriage house of the school founders’ home. Sam is happy and bright and full of life. Though she does have a bit of a secret. Babette and Max started the school. They created a safe space where everyone can learn and be themselves. The hallways are full of beautiful murals, and the teachers are a tight knit group of friends.

Until tragedy strikes and a new principal is hired. Sam knows him. They taught together at a school in California. But the picture she sees isn’t of the man she knew. This man appears straight laced and uptight. That’s not the Duncan of old. Still, she has hopes that he will still be the goofy, lovable man that he was four years ago in California. The man that she fell in love with and fled the state to avoid. Only problem, Duncan never knew how she felt.

Katherine Center has nailed it again. A story that pulls at the heartstrings just enough without being too sappy. A story that makes you laugh and makes you cry. Each character has a unique and realistic life perspective. Center has built a school that any child would love to attend. With the kind of teachers that every parent wishes her own kids had.

The beauty of Katherine Center’s stories is that they do feature realistic tales with the right balance of romance, drama and laughter. She has the ability to pull you in and keep your attention from page one until the end. There isn’t a book she writes that doesn’t give you all the bits and pieces you want, and leaves you wanting more. What You Wish For delivers 100% of what you want. If you can savor it, do. Don’t try to finish it all in one night and then wish you had more!

What You Wish For was exactly the book I needed right now! Katherine Center is one of my absolute favorite authors because of her quirky upbeat style, and this one fits in perfectly with the rest of the "collection".

I had a little bit of trouble getting into this one initially, honestly just because I HATED the person Duncan had become so much! We first met Duncan kind of in passing in Happiness For Beginners and he was a big hearted, slightly immature, fun loving goofball. However, the Duncan that shows up to take over for the late and much beloved principal/school founder at the start of this book bears absolutely no resemblance to the guy we saw before. Even though it's a good ways into the book before we truly find out what happened to Duncan, it's immediately apparent that something big has changed him. Sadly, given the world we live in today, it wasn't hard to guess what that life changing event probably was.

Sam's character on the other hand is a colorful, fun, off-beat elementary librarian; but she wasn't always that way. Sam has her own baggage in the form of a less than ideallic childhood and a chronic illness that threatens to disrupt her life at random times. Prior to moving to Galveston, Sam lived a dull existence of just trying to blend in. Her unrequited crush on her fun-loving co-worker Duncan is the driving force behind her move across the country for a new start in Galveston. Max and Babette (the school's founders and her landlords) become like family to Sam and help her find a new perspective. Sam slowly sheds her neutral, boring existence in exchange for one filled with color and life and happiness, at least until Max passes away very unexpectedly and sends Sam, Babette, and the whole school into a state of shock and mourning. Imagine Sam's surprise when she learns that none other than her unrequited love Duncan has been tapped to take over Max's job as principal. Sam is ready to jump ship and run again rather than have to face Duncan on a daily basis, until she actually SEES Duncan again. The Duncan that comes to Galveston is NOTHING like the Duncan she remembers. This version is rigid, buttoned-up, stoic, and unbelievably cold. Suddenly, her prior feelings for Duncan have take a backseat to trying to save the school they all love from Duncan; and hopefully, in the process, save Duncan from himself too.

This book was an uplifting journey about letting go of the past, finding yourself again, and allowing happiness to find you. Katherine Center's books all have an overriding theme of overcoming tragedy or adversity and CHOOSING joy, and What You Wish For is no exception. I absolutely loved this book, especially in this time of uncertainty and instability. I've had it on pre-order for months already, and still can't wait to get my hands on the hard copy :)

Thank you to Net Galley, St. Martin's Press, and Katherine Center for the e-ARC of this book!

3+ 🤩

I love the cover, it so reflects the joy in this novel. This upcoming release by Katherine Center is nothing like her previous “Things You Save in a Fire,” which I loved, and is the only other novel of hers I have read. The writing style is totally different in this one.

A fun to read dramedy. Told from the perspective of the main character, Samantha, a librarian at a school off of the gulf in Texas, It’s an old school with a lot of history behind it. Sam is the librarian and she recently learned that an old flame of hers is taking over as principal of the school and making radical changes. When he shows up she realizes that Duncan Carpenter is nothing like the person she knew and secretly pined for. He is rigid, cold, and deeply scarred by things Samantha doesn’t know anything about as she hasn’t seen him in years. The novel explores what made the changes in him and how Sam reacts and is affected by them..

The dialogue is fun and very witty at times, but there is plenty of drama here too. I ran hot and cold as far as Samantha’s character. Often times she is like a love-struck teenager, whiney and unsure of herself. She has epilepsy which affects her sense of self-worth. I saw sides of her I loved, and others where I wanted to slap her upside the head, she was so frustrating.

Bottom line the novel has a great supporting cast, positive and joyful messages, and shows us how we can make our own joy, not wait for it to come to you. I think the word “Joy” should have been in the title. Uplifting and fun. Recommended for fans of women’s fiction and romance. I didn’t intend to read this until closer to the release date, July 14th, but once I opened it I kept going back to it. and am happy to recommend it. It will be a great summer 2020 read. My thanks to the following for my complimentary copy.
#St.MartinsPress. #netgalley #katherinecenter #whatyouwishfor

Thinking of joy as an "antidote to fear" is a line that we all need right now in the throes of our current worldwide state of affairs. In this book, Katherine Center points to the fact that no one has a perfect life, even those who appear to have it together. I took away 1-star because I found that there were too many character side-plots and that it detracted from the story overall. That being said, this fun girl-meets-boy book a would make for a fabulous quarantine/rainy day/beach read book.

Joyful

If circumstances were different right now, I probably would be ripping this book apart. The characters are a little bit much and drove me crazy. The cheese factor is through the roof. However, it has a lovely message about finding joy, which is much needed right now. Overall, it served as a pleasant escape during these difficult times.

I absolutely love Katherine Center and all of her books. They are always so heartwarming and feel good. This book does not disappoint. Being a teacher myself, I definitely connected with the characters as well as with the storyline. I loved reading about all of the fun things Duncan did as a teacher and makes me aspire to be like him in my own teaching, and I loved reading about Samantha, school Liberian and her love of books and reading. I would love to work in a library as welcome and inviting as the one Sam created for her children. I love that the message behind this story is to “Choose joy on purpose,” especially since this story also deals with a lot of heavy topics, including school shootings and living in fear due to epilepsy. This book is full of emotion, loss, and heartbreak, love, and happy endings.

"Choose joy on purpose."

I absolutely loved this book by Katherine Center. The plot was great and I thought that she did a great job of developing the characters for the most part. Sam is a librarian at a school in Galveston, TX and Duncan Carpenter is the new principal that they are bringing in after the beloved founder and principal, Max, dies after 30 years of being the face. Sam knows Duncan from California when they worked at another school together and she thought his arrival in TX would be great for the school, but she was wrong. Duncan's joyful spirit had been replaced by one that was killing the fun within the school.

This was a very quick and fun read. It definitely started a little slow for me, but picked up quickly.

I loved Sam and Duncan! Such a heartwarming story! I feel the pace was a little slow in the beginning (not always a bad thing ) and I really got invested around 40%! Then I didn’t want to put the book down. I found myself smiling at a lot of the quirky thoughts Sam. Duncan was definitely a perfect “troubled hero” and I found myself rooting for him the whole time and that Sam wouldn’t give up on him! Parts of the book were 3.5 star and parts were 4.5. I’m going to meet in the middle and give it a 4. I will always trust a Katherine Center novel!

A pretty typical romantic fiction, but with an interesting overall plot and fun characters. A fun beach, or quarantine, read as it is light and has a happy ending.

I've been seeing Katherine Center's beautiful books all over Bookstagram for months, so when I saw her newest was available for automatic download on NetGalley back in March, I jumped on it right away. I'm not a big romance reader, but there's nothing like a worldwide pandemic to make you want to get swept away by your current read. Plus, the main character is a school librarian (heyyooo) and it includes one of my favorite romantic tropes (enemies turned maybe lovers?), so let's give it a go!

First of all, the school library vibes were THE BEST. Our main character Sam works in this magical elementary school that values creativity and joy and curiosity, and her library reflects that. It's a two-story magical land with reading nooks and painted book spine stairs and whimsy exploding from every corner. (Sorry Baby, you're headed to daycare, because Mommy needs to work in this library.) And her explanation of what a librarian does and does not do (you mean they don't just read books all day?) is spot on. I felt very seen by those pages.

Second of all, the romantic trope I was hoping for did appeal to me: after Sam's beloved principal and founder of the school dies suddenly, a new principal is hired and Sam is horrified to learn that it is her former crush from her previous school, Duncan. She had moved four years ago to get away from him when he chose another girl, and now here he is as her boss. To make things worse, the fun-loving, goofy teacher Duncan she remembers has been replaced by a stoic, militaristic, fun-hating principal Duncan. Sam takes it upon herself to get Duncan to back down on all his new changes to the school before he completely kills the whimsy, and their developing relationship kept me sweeping those electronic pages aside through the climax of the story.

However. I felt a huge chunk of this was just fluff and cheese. Like most of the entire first half. I didn't find the characters believable, I didn't really like our protagonist aside from her profession, and there was so much repetitive expounding (this is what Duncan used to be like, blah blah blah, this is what Duncan is like now, blah blah blah, this is why everything is terrible, blah blah blah, oh, and did I tell you I have epilepsy that basically ruined my life?

Plus, and this is a little bit spoilery I guess, there is some discussion of a school shooting (looking back, not in present story chronology), that while was incredibly emotional in those few pages, seemed to then be swept away. I did not like how that was resolved and it felt too happily ever after to me. If you are going to use this incredibly horrifying plot device, I don't think it can end with an HEA.  Make no mistake, I have no problems with HEAs, I am down for a good HEA, but in this case, it made me feel cringey in that one respect.

Okay, so overall, was it a fine read for quarantine time? Yes. Was it wonderful and would I have kept reading it in a non-quarantine stress-free time? Noooooope. I don't know, guys, maybe Katherine Center's just not for me? Have you read any of her other books? Maybe they're better? It just seemed like from the plot/school setting, this would be the  mostly likely Center novel for me, and instead, it was just okay. I think I'm in the minority, but since I read it so far before publication, I guess time will tell!

If you're a Center fan, like so many people are, go for it. If you've read other Center novels and just found them okay, I wouldn't bother with this one either. However, I *would* watch a movie adaptation of this hands-down, if only to see that gorgeous library.

My blog post review is scheduled for closer to publication, and I will update this review with a link to that and my bookstagram post at that time.

Probably my least favorite book by Katherine Center that I've read so far. Something about the characters just didn't work for me. Sam's obsession with Duncan, in the beginning, was a little too intense for me and pretty repetitive. I'm kind of surprised she hadn't been obsessively Googling him over the years and know exactly what had happened to him. I just feel like his actions would have caused anyone to try and figure out what was in his past that made him so obsessed with school safety. I didn't really understand why it was so shocking for her.

I will say, the second half was much better than the first. Once we started moving past how much in love with him she was and started getting into the real story and seeing a hesitant relationship develop between the two, it moved much more quickly for me. There were some cute moments between the two but I also really enjoyed seeing Babette's transformation over the year.

I don't know exactly what it was the kept me from connecting with this one but I think it was just hard for me to get over the intense instalove and obsession she had with this guy she barely spoke to and the martyr vide she put off while they were trying to "fix" Duncan. I get how it can feel when you aren't perfect and don't think you deserve love for some reason, but she went way over the top with it. And for me, it was just too much. Whereas in How to Walk Away and Things You Save in a Fire seemed to deal with some very intense, real-life situations with trauma and death, this one dealt with a 28 yr old who confessed to being completely in love with some she'd barely talked to for 2 years, moved away when he started dating someone, and then deemed her life over when she found out he was moving to her new town. It was all a bit dramatic and almost silly to me.

I think this might be another black sheep moment for me because, based on other reviews, I'm alone with these feelings. And I'm not saying it won't work for you either, it just felt different than her other books and had much less impact on me than they did. But still entirely readable and had some great supporting characters.

Samantha and Duncan are two very capable educators who find themselves connected at a private school in Galveston Texas. Sam is the school librarian and Duncan is the school’s new principal. That in itself is a problem for Sam because only a few weeks before the beginning of school Sam and the other teachers were at a party for the school’s founders when Max, the light that guided the school died suddenly and unexpectedly. Before the dust has settled from that tragedy, the school’s board announces the Duncan’s appointment as Max’s replacement. The kicker is that Sam and Duncan used to work together at a previous school.

The book follows these two troubled individuals as they make their way through the school year. The kicker is that both Sam and Duncan have some major troubled. They are seriously imperfect and cannot seem to connect. As Sam works to “cure” Duncan of the trauma that has haunted him, she becomes more in touch with her own debilitating issues.

I read this book during my “incarceration” related to the Covid-19 outbreak. I was trapped at home, not able to get together with friends and family. Going to the store for groceries was a new and troubling journey.

What I found in What You Wish For was a book is finding courage. Where does one find hope and courage when life takes a new and horrifying turn? The message of this book is that we find it in the love of family and friends—even when we are not able to sit in the same room. We find “joy not in spite of life’s sorrows, but because of them.” And that is a message that moved me immensely!

This is the third book by Katherine Center that I have read and each one impresses me more that the previous. I look forward to reading more of her works. I am grateful to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a review! I highly recommend it!!!

Thank you for this ARC. This was my very first book to ever receive and I am very grateful. Katherine Center has quickly become one of my favorite authors, This book was a lot of fun and a great escape for me personally during this crazy time in the world. Sam was a breath of fresh air. Like in all of Center's books, she takes a character with a tough background and they usually find a way to persevere, find the best in people and in themselves.

Katherine Center has written another great book. It’s full of emotion. You can’t help pulling for all these characters. I cried, smiled. Just a roller coaster of emotions. Really enjoyed it!

Thank you to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for a copy of this book. Katherine Center writes another winner! Her books are just the best feel good books out there. This is even more perfect of a story to read right now as it is light enough but has some deeper topics in it that make you fly through the pages but never feel weighed down. Her writing is just so accessible and the moment I started reading, I felt part of the story. I loved the school setting and friendships between the characters and of course the love connection. If you loved her previous novels, go ahead and preorder this one. It will be the most perfect summer read! 📚💕Also if you have not read Happiness for Beginners (you will recognize some characters in the book) or How to Walk Away...pick them up to read ASAP too! Review posted on Instagram @carolinehoppereads and Goodreads.

I have wanted to read each of Katherine Center’s books and this was the first one I’ve gotten to. The book covers alone are enough to get my attention and the synopsis always seals the deal. And, at least in this instance, the world created inside the book matches the book’s beautiful cover. Ms. Center showed a knack for infusing her words with joy, hope, and color. The bonds between the citizens of the community felt genuine and the pages just oozed with sincerity, family, and love. I enjoyed inhabiting this bright world and community she created, most of the time.

At times the characters and storyline got to be a bit eccentric for me: pink bangs, mismatched bright colorful outfits, and clown socks. Rubber chickens for laughs. Just when I thought it was getting to be too much, the author relented on those details (and ultimately used them sparingly throughout the book). I also had to remind myself that these things may work in a setting centered around small children...something I know nothing about. I haven’t been surrounded by children since I was a child myself. So, that stuff I was able to easily overlook. The storyline was mostly good. I am a sucker for an enemies-turned-lovers trope! However, there were a few moments this story sinks to the level of a Hallmark movie. But, still, I was able to get beyond that, because I can still appreciate some good cheese now and again. And, luckily, these moments were using sparingly by the author. The thing I could not overlook, though, was the main character, Sam/Samantha. She is not someone I would want to be friends with and, at times, I struggled to root for her. First, she uproots her entire life and moves halfway across the country because she believes the man she has a crush on doesn’t even recognize her existence and is about to propose to another woman. Honey, if he doesn’t even know who you are and you have to move to another state because he doesn’t return your feelings, maybe you should talk to someone. Then, to make it worse, later in the book, she tells her love interest to leave her house and then gets mad when he appears to do just that. That. Is. Not. Rational! That was the main aspect to this story I could not overlook. I wish Sam’s reasons for leaving had been a bit stronger to give the protagonist more credibility. It was hard to view her as an adult at times, when such behaviors seemed to lack rationale and logic.

All that said, though, I still liked the book enough that I didn’t want to cast it to the DNF pile. I still thoroughly enjoyed the author’s writing style, even if I didn’t love the particular story. And I still found plenty of moments to enjoy. The whole message of the book: “do joy on purpose. Not in spite of life’s sorrows. But because of them.” What’s not to like about that? And it is because of such messages that I still want to read the author’s other works.