I always love Katherine Center books. She weaves in drama with every day issues and frustrations of life and a little romance thrown in. The one follows a school librarian in a Texas private school that she loves. The school's beloved principal dies and an aggressive board member forces the hiring of a security focused, anti-fun replacement. Except, our librarian worked with him in California and he was a totally different guy-- a fun loving, silly, engaged teacher that made learning fun. She has to figure out how to navigate the major shift at the school and reconciling the man she knew with the man she's faced with now.

Center draws characters that you can deeply invest with, even the "villain." No one is flat or a caricature. You grow to love the characters and really feel their feelings. The mixture of drama, a little bit of silliness, hope, and romance is deftly written. There's nothing that feels forced or fake, but there's enough real conflict to move the story forward. The ending had a bit of a twist, but you know what you're rooting for as you read. It's not my favorite book of hers, but it's engaging.

Thank you to NetGalley for the electronic copy for review. My opinions are my own.

Ratings: Four stars

Katherine Center books always make my heart happy and What You Wish For is no exception. It's full of lovable and quirky characters, who have real human issues. The book handles tough situations sensitively and carefully and balances the sorrow with the joy. You'll cheer for Duncan and Sam, the two main characters. The book will make you focus on the joy in your own life. It's a perfect read for these times. Now, I have to get a hold of a copy of Happiness for Beginners for more Duncan.

While some of the subject manner in this is very heavy and dark, it's ultimately a good reminder of finding and holding on to the things that bring you joy. Samantha and Duncan both have a lot of trauma they are carrying, and at first it seems like it's going to be too hard for them to see each other's pain and make space for it, but readers will have faith they will make it through.

This book was so fantastic and reminded me of Jess from New Girl! Loved it so much and hope for more with these characters!

Gahhhh this book! So freaking good!! I love Katherine centers books and I cannot wait for even more future releases from her!

I was looking forward to reading this book and unfortunately it fell flat for me. I never really felt invested in the main character and, being a librarian, this was quite surprising for me. Sadly, it was difficult for me to finish this one.

This is my second book from Katherine Center, after loving Things You Save in a Fire, I was immediately intrigued by a new book set in Galveston, Texas (very close to where I live!) With a main character named Samantha (my name!). It definitely felt like a book I needed to get my hands on.

What You Wish For is sort of an enemy to lovers romance. But Sam knew Duncan before (and had a huge crush)… but when he becomes the new principal at Sam’s school, she realizes he has changed completely and needs to figure out why.

While some of Duncan’s frustrating behavior seemed a little outlandish, I still enjoyed seeing the developing relationship between them. There is quite a bittersweet backstory, and despite the cheesiness, the book definitely leaves you with a lingering lesson of choosing happiness.

I’d recommend this for those who enjoy romance that touches on heavier topics.

Thank you #netgalley and @StMartinsPress for my advanced e-gallery in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the character of Babette. Katherine Centers writing always is ripe with emotion and this was no different. Can’t wait to read another one of her novels

Katherine Center does it again! This book was emotionally engaging and I found myself rooting for Samantha from the very beginning.

This was a very enjoyable and light read. The book focuses on finding joy and it is something the world definitely needs right now. I had previously never heard of this author before but will now keep my eyes open for any new books that she comes out with. 4/5 stars.

Typical Katherine Center novel with a little bit of hesitant romance with a big underlying issue kept secret until the end. I found the characters to be a little *too* much in personality - overly quirky (Sam) versus overly uptight (Duncan) equaling a lot of unnecessary and over the top drama. Overall, it does come with a HEA which is always a plus.

This amazing book make me ugly cry. I really don't know why it took me so much to read this maybe it was because last year was a very depressing year for everyone and I didn't want to get right in with a book like this; but im glad I read it.
4 stars
thank you so much for this arc in exchange for an honest review

Katherine Center has a way of writing love stories full of life lessons and they're always perfect. Of course there were some predictable plotlines, but that will never turn me off of a book. Sometimes I like to know where I'm going. There were moments when I really didn't like Duncan too, but I loved him in the end. This is a book I will return to in the future for a hug for sure, and I can't wait until the next Katherine Center book!

This book was so good. I was nervous to read it because i have seen it everywhere and I’ve seen mixed reviews but it was definitely worth it! I highly recommend

This was my favorite Katherine Center book. I loved that it featured teachers. I thought the issue was handled very well. It was a little too cheesy at times (especially towards the end) but overall, I enjoyed it!

This book was not my favorite of Katherine Center’s but it did have great aspects. There were some things that I just didn’t enjoy and felt like they were depended on to heavily for an excuse. All in all this was a good book that I got finished off my TBR but was not one of my favorites of hers.

**3.5 Stars**

Hmmmmmm, I have very mixed feelings about Katherine Center's latest. Overall, I like the message and after a rough beginning where I was annoyed with Sam, I started to like her and got invested in the story. It just didn't flow well with me. Center is great at emotional moments and I did cry during certain points of the book, but some of the characters reactions just didn't feel realistic. There is part where Sam reacts to Duncan in a way that just had me shaking my head.

It's difficult to explain my feelings about this, but the bottomline is it's just okay. It has its emotional moments and the message is one that we should remember, but the story wasn't executed as well as I expected.

What You Wish For is a charming and hopeful romance. Katherine Center dazzles readers with her fascinating characters and engrossing dialogue.

Sam is a librarian at her perfect school. She loves the students, the staff, and the community. Texas feels like home and this is the only place where she feels hopeful. The death of a friend/father figure brings about so much change that she isn't necessarily ready for. Max used to be the principal and when she hears that a former colleague, Duncan, is going to fill in the position she is both excited and nervous. She used to have a huge crush on him and loved his personality so she knows this will be a good thing for everyone.

Duncan is a striking man that commands attention. When he walks into the school to hold a meeting, he isn't like Sam remembered. His happy and goofy attitude is gone and replaced with a strict and stuffy persona. He not only seems to not remember Sam but he is trying to change everything about the school making it seem more secure like a prison.

Sam and Duncan butt heads so many times and when Sam has her breaking point they are both faced with a huge decision. Do they go on ignoring each other or do they open up and try to understand one another?

I am blown away by this book. It is so special with its brilliant mix of tender and vulnerable moments along with the sad and tearful ones too. Katherine's characters are magical and make the story so enjoyable. I feel like readers will fall in love with Sam and Duncan and even get emotional when they learn more about their struggles. The supporting characters were perfect too. Max brought so much joy even after death, his widow Babette gave everyone hope, and a star student's kindness and innocence gave Sam the happiness she needs in some of her toughest moments. The writing continued to bring me joy with every chapter because it showed the ups and downs of life. We all face struggles but we can choose to be happy every day no matter how hard it may be.

I give What You Wish For 5 stars. It is by far my favorite book of Katherine's. This is a heartfelt read about hope, love, loss, and living life to the fullest. The character development is fascinating. I guarantee that you won't be able to put this book down. It will captivate you and pull at your heartstrings.

This was a sweet read with good characters and a positive message. It dealt with some pretty serious issues, so I wouldn't call it a "light" read. I really did not like Duncan at first, but once I understood him, I liked him a lot more. Sam was a good character to read as well. She was a school librarian who put her heart into the job. She was definitely dealing with some baggage from her past dealing with her family, which led to some of her present insecurities.

Small town, free spirit school librarian, stuffy school principle, lovable, eccentric characters, and choosing joy. These are all words to describe this book!

Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for the advanced e-reader copy. All opinions expressed are my own.