I simply could not put down What You Wish For. I loved the quirky characters,  especially Sam, with her outrageously colorful outfits.  I think the main message to look for joy in your life every day is so important, and something we all need to practice right now. This is a book that I will share with friends and family.

This is my first, and most likely last, Katherine Center book. Maybe because I just read beautiful literary fiction (American Dirt) and this over-the-top tale (the author used the word "douchey" not just once...) just couldn't compare, or maybe because it just wasn't good. 

The story was so ridiculous. The plot was that of an elementary librarian losing her beloved principal/second dad and coincidentally having him replaced with her ex-love interest from across the country. Not only that, but her ex-love interest took a complete 180, and it didn't take the big reveal half way through the book to figure out why he changed so drastically. But the other conflicts thrown in just muddied the already shaky plot. I could only think of this plot and dialogue as extremely cringe-worthy. There was so much murky/ridiculous plot details that I felt like I truly didn't understand the characters. 

So why 2 stars and not 1? The main character was a librarian, and a lot of the plot took place at school. I enjoyed the setting of Galveston Island (never been there--definitely spent some time on Google Images), so the setting alone let me transport to a different place, and I'm enough of a setting person, that it earned at least another star for that. 

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

I read Things We Save in a Fire by Katherine Center last year and enjoyed it. However, I LOVED What You Wish For, it was a well-written romance novel that touched my heart. My full in-depth review will be coming closer to the publish date! Thank you so much for the review copy!
5 out 5 Stars!!!

Fans of Katherine Center know that her books will capture you from the very first chapter, and What You Wish For is no exception. This story is centered around a beloved man’s tragedy and the repercussions that happen in the small town as a result. Throughout the story I found myself rooting for multiple characters to succeed and overcome each of their obstacles. The story is wrapped up in a beautiful way and will still be on your mind long after you finish.

Ahh, how many of you are excited for Katherine Center's upcoming release?! I loved the two previous books I read of hers, so I was over the moon to receive this ARC - a big thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley!⁣⁣⁣
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⁣This book takes us to Galveston, Texas where Samantha Casey works as a librarian in the town's school. She adores her job - from the endearing children to the butterfly garden on campus to the historic school itself, what's not to love?  When they suddenly lose their beloved principal, however, it is announced that Duncan Carpenter will be his replacement. THE Duncan Carpenter - Samantha's unrequited love from years past. When he arrives, though, he is nothing like the goofy, fun guy who stole her heart.  This new Duncan 2.0 is no-nonsense, stern, and obsessed with school safety... and he's destroying everything she loves about her school. Now it's up to Samantha to take a stand against him and save their beloved campus.  But will she lose her heart along the way?⁣⁣⁣
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⁣⁣⁣This book was pure delight!  A common theme that ran through the story was purposefully choosing joy despite whatever you're going through. With the world in the state it's currently in, I found this to be a timely theme, and it resulted in such a refreshing read. I loved the humor in this book and the quirky back-and-forth banter as well. A narrative that makes me laugh out loud is always a win!  The characters were fun and witty, and I found myself looking forward to spending time each day in their company. ⁣⁣⁣Look for this one in stores on July 14th, 2020.
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⁣⁣⁣My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⁣⁣⁣
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Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for making this title available for an early review! Having never before read a book by Katherine Center, I was drawn this to particular story because it had shades of Liane Moriarty in terms of style, topic, and tone. And let's face it, in these dark quarantine times I was in the mood for something light and heartwarming, and this book certainly delivers. 

Samantha Casey, a librarian at the independent Kempner School in Galveston, Texas, loves her job, her students, her best friend Alice, and her parent-surrogate school owners Max and Babette, but she can't seem to find love herself. When Max dies suddenly from a heart attack, Sam's world is thrown for a loop. As luck - or in this case, un-luck - would have it, a former crush from a previous school, Duncan Carpenter (with so much floppy hair I had to wonder if he was a 90s Hugh Grant stand-in), enters the picture as Kempner's new Principal. He's nothing like what Sam remembers as the fun-loving, "free to be you and me" creative force of nature that she obsessed over and eventually left to start a new life in Galveston after her love was seemingly unreturned. Duncan, haunted by a past that's left him coarse and militaristic, wants to make big changes to the school, but as Sam discovers, there's only so much exterior one can change before you are forced to confront and change what's in your heart. 

I would have to say that the first 50 pages of the book are rather bland. Details are slow to emerge as to who Sam really is and what she wants. At first, her crush over the long-lost Duncan Carpenter reads as just a slightly annoying, overly familiar RomCom or a Hallmark Movie of the Week. It took a while for the writing and story to gain any level of depth, but once it did the book absolutely shines. 

What Center does exceptionally well is balance humor and heartache.  I laughed out loud at a few moments, especially at Alice's bad math puns, but I also found myself deeply moved by how the story turned from RomCom into something heartfelt and real. The scenes between Duncan and Sam where he describes what happened at his former school that left him physically and emotionally scarred are truly gripping and so timely. There's a fine line where the story could have transitioned into melodrama, but Center keeps the scenes rooted in specificity and truth. Likewise, there's a scene near the end of the novel featuring a "kid in trouble," which could have evolved into something sappy and predictable. But darn it if she didn't leave me a little misty eyed and jumping for joy! 

Sam's foil to finding and accepting love is rather personal and very unique. How often do we read about a character suffering from epilepsy? Probably not often. I found her backstory to be a bit weak, but I have no doubts as to the person she became due to her own challenges. When Center gets specific, as in her descriptions of the library, the clothes Sam wears, the school environment and surrounding town, the more grounded I feel in the story. It does teeter here and there into predicability (we just know what the ending will be from almost page one), but I appreciated the quick turns within the plot to reveal some surprising depth to these characters. 

While I don't think this is the most complex novel, I did very much enjoy Katherine Center's commitment to the theme of hope and joy. We can certainly use both right about now. Fans of Moriarty might also find this an interesting and pleasant read. 

Thanks again to NetGalley! I received this book free in exchange for an honest review.

This book ended up being really different from what I expected from the blurb. Sam is a librarian in an independent school determined to seek joy and enable her students to love books and school. When the new principal ends up being the person she had a massive crush on from her previous school, she's having trouble separating her experiences today with her memories of who he used to be. The author clearly foreshadows the romance as well as history explaining Duncan's changed behavior, and the evolving relationship between Sam and Duncan is sweet, if not particularly surprising. In the end, almost all the issues and character shifts are pretty suddenly solved, which is a good HEA but also slightly abrupt. I would have loved to see a little bit more complexity and time into the changes, but that's just me. Overall a cute read.

Thank you SO very much to St Martins Press and NetGalley for letting me read and review “What you Wish For” by Katherine Center. She is one of my very favorite authors and I’ve read ALL of her books. And this one did not disappoint. About a school librarian who finds out an unrequited crush/love from her past will be the new principal at the school where she works. But he’s not the same person he was before and she can’t figure out what changed. About love, loss, healing, and loving someone even though you/they aren’t perfect. This book will make you laugh and cry and I couldn’t have loved it more. Ms Center,,,,,,,,I volunteer to always be an advanced reader for you!  Thank you for such a wonderful book!  I highly recommend this book!

4.0 Joyous Stars!! This was my 3rd novel by Katherine Center and I'm starting to think she will be an author I will forever pick-up. Her books are always so lovely to read. They have a quirkiness about them, but always an underlying heartful message. A hint of seriousness and sadness, but in the end, thoughtful happiness that resonates and continues to effect you long after turning the last page. What You Wish For is no different and follows what I have come to love about Ms. Center's works. 

Samantha Casey is a colorful librarian who has had to face few personal struggles in life to get to where she is. But she is a walking talking rainbow, who brings joy and laughter to all her students and colleagues. After unexpectedly losing her mentor and beloved principal Max, her sunny perfect elementary school is forced to find a replacement. Enter Duncan Carpenter, a former coworker of Sam, who is known for having quite the eccentric personality, but also someone she HAD a huge crush on. Duncan however is not the Duncan she remembers, he has changed, something happened to him. He is cold and militant, wanting to change every they love about their school in the name of safety and security. More prison, less playground. Sam is determined to stop Duncan at destroying what she loves most in life and at the same time remind him of his former self. 

I will say initially I wasn't really into this. Sam's earliest emotions were a complete overreaction when hearing of Duncan coming to her school. Her original crush on him had led her to leave her previous school they worked together at, (even though she barely talked to the guy, and was dating someone else) and hearing that he was coming to her new school had her freaking out and ready to immediately quit her new school. Meeting to resign all scheduled. Absolute madness at first from her and I had a few eyeroll moments. Then it all seemed to click into place and I couldn't get enough of these two. Especially, the after surgery scenes, these two were adorable. I did at times have a hard time believing Duncan could turn his personality on and off so quickly, they seemed liked two different characters, but I went with it. Once again, although I loved many of the characters, sweet Clay, caring Babette, the nerdy best friend Alice prevails. I cherished her and want nothing more than a spin-off of Alice and her deployed husband. That book could write itself! And could easily fall into place with Ms. Center trademark novels. There were a lot of quotable moments in this book and I cannot wait to get my hands eventually on a Kindle copy so I can attach them to my Goodreads review. But I will leave you with a few that I found inspiring. In world especially now that has so many uncertainties getting lost in a book that can bring you joy as well as hope is an important thing. 

"Joy is an antidote to fear. To anger. To boredom. To sorrow." 
"But you can't just decided to FEEL joyful.."
"True. But you can decided to DO SOMETHING joyful"

"We made a choice to DO JOY on purpose. Not in spite of life's sorrows. But because of them"

Thank you so much again to NetGalley and the publishers of St. Martin's Press they have given me a few reading opportunities this year. I appreciate the continued approvals and look forward to much more that your authors have to offer.

I loved reading Katherine Center’s latest book. I especially liked how she used characters from a previous novel that I also enjoyed reading. Katherine Center as always has created great characters in a great story line for an enjoyable quick read.

Center's books are perfect for readers of light fiction. I hate to section any books into "women's lit" but Center's work seems to not delve deep enough for my taste. Her characterization tends to be surface level, even when she's discussing topics which I consider to be very important and relevant. I suppose my issue is more with the author's style than the book itself, but this book is good for those who enjoy lighter, easy-to-read books briefly touching on serious topics.

Katherine Center is a marvel. Every single book she writes sparks joy and it was a delight to read that JOY was a central theme of What You Wish For. Center has a gift for crafting characters who are unique and notable, while still easy to relate to. You could find a reason to root for *almost* every single character in What You Wish For and the resolution for the villain of her story was satisfying.

Katherine Center's books are the ones that I press into the hands of every friend. What You Wish For feels especially timely, here in the spring of 2020. We are all looking for reasons to hold onto joy and to be brave in the face of a world that is rapidly growing unrecognizable. Sam and Babette provide brilliant, tangible ideas for hanging on to joy: therapy, human connection, color, flavor, laughter, fun... I want to take their list and tape it to my mirror.

What You Wish For feels like a sigh of relief when you've been holding your breath for too long. I loved it.

4.5 stars.
Inspiring and emotional, “What You Wish For”, by Katherine Center (St. Martin’s Press), is a compelling novel with a wounded hero who has a forgotten, sunny side perhaps crushed forever beneath his deep, hidden scars.
Duncan is a great tortured hero. Katherine Center does a great job of writing the process of Duncan emerging from the dark hole he’s been living, a process even more devastating than the physical effects of his wounds. He sees himself as damaged, ruined, and that’s just heartbreaking. Paradoxically, Duncan is an adorable hero, too, but not in a cheesy way, the charisma prevents that. The “before” and “after” in Duncan are amazingly displayed, and we really miss the old Duncan.
The trope of unrequited love is very well written, with some heartwarming twists, and the heroine’s character, Sam, is so relatable. She made me smile, with her “epic crush”, shyness and generosity.
I also loved the portrayal of teachers, teaching, kids, school librarians and schools, not forgetting the terrible impact of violence.
Some scenes and dialogue parts, such as Duncan post-surgery confessions, are just hilarious.
Great setting (Galveston, Texas) and secondary characters, in an absorbing, very entertaining read.

San is a quirky librarian at one of the most unique elementary schools in the country. Then Duncan, a goofy man that Sam used to have a crush on at her old school, takes over as principal... and isn’t so goofy anymore. He starts making changes to make the school more “safe” and less fun. 

This was a cute and funny read, but it did have some serious issues in there was well (trigger warning for school shootings). I enjoyed Sam and Duncan as characters and could really relate with both of them. And CLAY 😍, what a cute little kid after my own heart!!! 

My only critique is that I didn’t like one part of the book that involves Duncan while under the influence. I’m not going to post spoilers, but I did have issues there (you can DM me if you want to chat about it!).

This is my first book by Katherine Center, and it certainly won’t be my last! Katherine is so kind on Instagram, and was able to help me through an issue with my NetGalley copy, and I’ll be forever grateful!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this book for review! It won’t be out for a while (July 14, 2020), so make sure to put it on your list for summer!

I love Katherine Center's books! This one was just as wonderful as the other ones I have read. I loved that the protagonist was a librarian and the back story with the hero. I have enjoyed every book that I have read by this author. There is always a romantic brewing but always very realistic and not cookie cutter. I really cared about all the characters and hated for the book to end. Looking forward to her next book. Greatly appreciate the Netgalley ARC copy.

I absolutely adored this book, it was fantastic and so well written. It has a great balance of heart, humor, and tragedy. At its core, I think this book is about choosing joy despite your circumstances (which is so incredibly fitting for this moment in time) and not letting fear or trauma overtake you. I loved watching Sam and Duncan's relationship evolve as each one let the other in a little bit at a time. The secondary characters were so perfect, there are a lot, but it wasn't overwhelming, they all fit so perfectly and flowed. Despite some of the serious topics, overall this is a feel-good book (there were a few tears too, but mostly it's happy). Highly recommend

I enjoyed this book.  The main character was kinda quirky, but completely lovable.  The school setting was wonderful , and makes you wish you could either attend or work at a school like that.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review. 
Expected pub date: July 14, 2020
“We made a choice to do joy on purpose. Not in spite of life’s sorrows, but because of them”. 
Katherine Center returns with yet another profound and inspiring love story about two long lost loves reunited, and finding joy in the little things. It is a novel that is so desperately needed, in this time and every other. 
Sam Casey is an elementary school librarian, and she loves to make reading fun, and watching her students light up with the joy of finding new books. When the beloved principal of the school, and Sam’s long time mentor Max, dies, the entire school community is in mourning. But what’s worse is his replacement- uptight, authoritarian Duncan Carpenter. Although Sam worked with Duncan years ago, and had a huge crush on him, she is baffled at this new version of Duncan who shows up on the first day, armed with a huge chip on his shoulder and plans to change the entire environment of the school. Sam questions what happened in the years they’d been apart to turn fun-loving, goofy Duncan into the hard-edged, straight-lined, follow-the-rules guy that has now become her boss. With the help of her dearest friends, Sam sets out to save her lovely school, and help Duncan remember the man he once was. 
I had the pleasure of reading Katherine Center’s books, “Things you Save in a Fire” and “How to Walk Away”, and both of these novels made one hell of a first impression. Center actually had me reading, and enjoying, cheesy romance novels. Her previous novels had, of course, the burning romance, but also, they made a deep connection to me as a reader, and “What you Wish For”, is exactly the novel I needed right now. 
The novel focuses, not only on the relationship between Duncan and Sam, but on finding the joy in the little things. Sam tries to overcome her troubled past by finding joy in her students, and by bringing light and colour into her life through her wardrobe choices. Although dealing with the grief of losing her beloved husband, school founder Babette finds joy through painting, and through bringing love and care to her students. This novel found me at the right time as this week I had fallen into a deep well of depression and was trying to find the brightness in the world around me. “What You Wish For” was a great starting point. If you are looking for ways to enjoy the little things, this novel will remind you of the beauty in the world. 
As usual, thanks to Katherine Center for bringing a little bit of happiness into my life, even if it was through a sappy romance story.

*I received aN ARC in exchange for an honest review.**
I love this author's writing style.  She has such a way with creating beautifully nuanced characters.  Every one of these characters are rich and multidimensional. They are so real and even when they are doing,all these things right, there is something that they are fighting or hiding or trying really hard to ignore.  Loss does not stop a story. It sidelines, derails, alters but it is not the end for all the players This book shows how bringing someone back from unexpected tragedy can show you things that you are avoiding. I was completely engrossed from the very start and I loved all of it.    There is such richness in the connections of anonymity.  Displeasure saved that can wash you into something new but you might feel like you're drowning first.

"What You Wish For" by Katherine Center is a feel-good read in a time when we all need to feel good.  

Samantha (Sam) is a school librarian who moved away from "The One" (Duncan) when it looked like he was settling down permanently with someone else.  However, when Duncan comes back into her life. he is no longer the man she once knew. Then again, Sam is no longer the same person Duncan once knew either. Both of them have lived through trauma, with the mental or physical scars to prove it.  Will they be able to "choose joy" not only for themselves, but with each other?

I had some concerns during the first half of the book with the negative way epilepsy was being portrayed. However, as the story unfolds, this negativity made a lot more sense.  I was in love with Sam and Duncan's love story right up until the end. I have to say I was a bit disappointed with the ending: after building so much anticipation, their final realization felt a bit flat. I also felt the Epilogue mentioned the other characters more than it mentioned Sam and Duncan.  This would have been a 5 star rating for me except for the "fizzle not sizzle" at the end.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review. #NetGalley #WhatYouWishFor