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!!!

How excited was I to get approved on Netgalley for this? Words can't express...it bumped everything else right off the TBR!

This is the story of Sam, a school librarian who has a quirky little life in Galveston living in the garage apartment of the principle of her school. When he suddenly passes away, the school board goes in a different direction and hires a new young principle dedicated to "fixing" the school. His methods are not appreciated by the staff and are a real surprise to Sam who has quite the history with him, even if it's one mostly made up in her head. In her previous job across the country, she once worked with him and was quite obsessed with him. Back then he was fun and quirky like her, now not only does he seemingly not remember her but he's a serious, dour person nothing like the man she remembers.

As the story progresses we uncover more about each of their back stories and their actions and motives make much more sense. There is a lot of beautiful pieces of history of the area throughout the book. I enjoyed the descriptions of that history as much as I did the unveiling story. I will say generally I don't love a first person novel so it took me a little while to get past that as well as the obsessive aspects of Sam's personality towards a man she barely knew. But the banter and interactions between the two got better throughout and reminded me a little of some of the relationships in the Virgin River series. Like that story, the real life challenges each of the characters are dealing with and how they overcome them reads as true rather than some of the fluffier romances. I'm generally not one to mention trigger warnings but there are lots of them in this work but the growth of the characters in trying to overcome their trauma and embrace their emotions is cathartic. Add it to your TBR it's out in July!

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.

This storyline felt very familiar to me. I think it’s a bit formulaic. Katherine Center writes likeable contemporary fiction. But, this one was not a favorite.

I was SO excited when I was able to grab this ARC because Katherine Center is one of my new favorites! This book was so good and had a little bit of everything in it - which I love. Even though you can guess where the story is going at times, the author always added more, and even threw a curve or two in along the way. Highly recommend this read!

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel from the first word til the last. What I like about Katherine Center’s books is that they aren’t just simple silly romances, they are full of meaning about what it means to live authentic, joyful lives, and this one is no exception. I loved our heroine, Sam, from the getgo, as well as our hero Duncan (he doesn’t turn out to be a hero til later, but I digress).

I especially loved third grader, Clay, and the scene with the stranded whale was especially meaningful for me. Just the right amount of spirit wafting through the story. I felt like I was right there in the midst of them all.

As a former elementary teacher, I loved that this love story was set in a school!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is the third book I have read from Katherine Center and it is my favorite! The characters immediately drew me in, I loved the plot, and I love the clean nature of her writing. This book was exactly what I needed and I've already told people to be on the lookout for it when it comes out.

Katherine Center is very good at writing characters that you really root for, and she quickly won me over with the heroine of What You Wish For.

Center does a good job with her signature style of weaving in serious matters that ultimately provide opportunities for the characters to grow and for readers to get insight into serious challenges, but ultimately this is a feel-good, easy-read story.

Thank you to the publisher for an opportunity to What You Wish For as an early review ebook. This is my 3rd Katherine Center novel. I really enjoyed this novel - the setting was excellent (small island life, yes please!) with a really fun female lead, Samantha Casey. There are some really great secondary characters here including Samantha's landlady. I highly recommend this book! Enjoy!!!

Thank you so much Katherine Center and St Martins Press for releasing this ebook early for everyone to read! I have to say, although my TBR stack is high, I pretty much dropped it all to read this one! It did not disappoint! A romance set at an elementary school in Galveston (shoutout Texas girls!), this book had the cutest characters, the sweetest kids, and enough tough topics to make me cry! It was a can't-put-it-downer for me, and while I read it so quickly, I loved every minute of it. Thank you again Katherine Center for writing a book to lift our spirits in this crazy time!

This is a book that took me by surprise. I mean that in a very positive way. The biggest take aways for me come from Max Kempner, a character who is easy to love, "Never miss a chance to celebrate." With everything going on in the world today that struck me as an excellent way to live. His second axiom is just as important. Pay attention to what connects you to joy.

What You Wish For is a pleasure to read. The characters are engaging and well developed. The above mentioned Max and his wife Babette run a legendary school on Galveston Island called the Kempner School.
Samantha Casey is the librarian and lives in the Kempner's carriage house. The love shown in the characters interactions feels real and is uplifting. There is plenty is tension caused by the death of Max in the opening pages of the story. This is a well balanced story. It easily earns a five star rating.

I received an Advanced Reader's Copy from St Martin's Press through NetGalley.The opinions expressed are completely my own.
#WhatYouWishFor #NetGalley

One of the things I love the most about Katherine Center is her unique way of writing characters that are always relatable, lovable, and full of joy and zeal.

Samantha was utterly enjoyable. She had a big heart and was full of passion and love for her job, and the school that became a second home to her. She was vibrant, cheerful, and incredibly down to earth. Her and Duncan’s story was heartwarming, and uplifting. Although, Duncan was on my naughty list for some time, but he redeemed himself midway through the book. I also thought, that Samantha and Duncan knowing each other, worked really well for this particular story. It gave additional depth to the book, and a shared history to built on.

It’s not surprising that the book tackled topics that were interesting but also totally unexpected. It also didn’t take me long to tear up at one particular heartfelt scene. There were actually many scenes that were so well done that I wanted to applaud the author for working her magic in a very gracious and compassionate way.

I ended up reading the book in one sitting, during a time when concentrating on new books has become quite hard. What You Wish For was an easy and fast read. Thoughtful. Emotional. Enjoyable. It was a novel about loving yourself as you are, finding the joy in small things, and enjoying life to the fullest.

I had heard about this author, but actually never read her previous novel, How To Walk Away. But now, I think I need to read that one, as well. Why? Because I honestly devoured What You Wish For in about two days. I just couldn’t put it down. See the story of Samantha Casey and Duncan Carpenter was heartwarming and endearing. Without spoiling this for anyone who hasn’t read it just yet, the plot honestly made my heart swell and was such a feel good read, especially during this current time right now. I just couldn’t help, but root for both of these characters to heal and find happiness. So, thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me an ADR to read.

Galveston, TX school librarian Samantha's new boss is the guy she had a crush on 4 years ago - but now he's very different. No longer happy-go-lucky, Duncan is only concerned with school safety and seems bent on ridding the school of everything that brought joy to students and staff. A terrific romance and story of the varying effects of trauma on people of all ages. Great read.
(Netgalley review)

An enjoyable book for all. Katherine Center really knows how to tell a love story and her positive spin on life is very much needed right now.

Loved this book just as much as Katherine Center's other books!!! So excited I had a chance to read an early copy!