What You Wish For by Katherine Center / joyful, emotional, relevant

What You Wish For by Katherine Center

Katherine Center has become an author I’m looking forward to. Ever since her 2018 release How to Walk Away I’ve been reading her books as soon as they become available.

This post contains affiliate links. That means I receive a small commission from any purchases you make through these links. 

Samantha Casey loves everything about her job as an elementary school librarian on the sunny, historic island of Galveston, Texas—the goofy kids, the stately Victorian building, the butterfly garden. But when the school suddenly loses its beloved principal, it turns out his replacement will be none other than Duncan Carpenter—a former, unrequited crush of Sam’s from many years before. 

When Duncan shows up as her new boss, though, he’s nothing like the sweet teacher she once swooned over. He’s become stiff, and humorless, and obsessed with school safety. Now, with Duncan determined to destroy everything Sam loves about her school in the name of security—and turn it into nothing short of a prison—Sam has to stand up for everyone she cares about before the school that’s become her home is gone for good.

What You Wish For by Katherine Center

MY THOUGHTS

I was told that reading Happiness for Beginners would help me understand Duncan better, and I must say I’m glad I read it first. JUST TO be clear, Reading HFB is not a requirement. The author’s books are standalone novels. And the only reason why it was suggested to me was because Duncan’s backstory is part of HFB.

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 received a copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press for free.
My opinions have not been influenced by the publisher or the author.

ADD IT TO YOUR GOODREADS TBR || GET THE BOOK

What You Wish For by Katherine Center