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What You Wish For
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
Samantha Casey loves everything about her job as an elementary school librarian on the sunny, historic island of Galveston, Texasthe 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 Carpentera former, unrequited crush of Sams from many years before. When Duncan shows up as her new boss, though, hes nothing like the sweet teacher she once swooned over. Hes 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 securityand turn it into nothing short of a prisonSam has to stand up for everyone she cares about before the school thats become her home is gone for good.
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DebinHawaii
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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#SchoolSpirit

The main character in this one is a school librarian & the love interest is a school #Principal from her past.

In other news, last night when I was stopping by & commenting on #5JoysFriday posts, the Litsy app on my iPhone started glitching & now I can‘t see anything on it & have to use Litsy online which is awkward & I hate it, so bear with me. 🤬

DebinHawaii No tagging seems to be happening for me so: @eggs & @alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 2mo
Eggs How unfortunate 😣 Great book choice! I just wrote to you #LL🧡 2mo
49 likes2 comments
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Deblovestoread
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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#SchoolSpirit #Teacher

I‘ve only read one of her books which I liked. This one sits in my Kindle library.

@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks On my shelf! 2mo
Eggs I liked this one❣️ 2mo
49 likes2 comments
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SheReadsAndWrites
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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Pickpick

This wasn't my favorite Katherine Center book, but I still liked it. I prefer ones like The Bodyguard where there are mostly scenes between the two main characters. Although this one is more focused on one MC, it is still filled with heart and strong emotions and lovely writing and all the things that make Katherine Center a fave author. 🤓❤️

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TLuvs
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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One of my top 5 authors! Seem to love everything she writes and so far, this book will be toward the top!

TLuvs I LOVED THIS!!!!! 1y
11 likes1 stack add1 comment
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GinaKButler
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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Spending the next two weeks at St Augustine Beach and hoping to get some reading done. Up first! My July #bookspin pick. It‘s also on my #14books14weeks2023 list!

@TheAromaofBooks
@TheHeartlandBookFairy (5 of 14)

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 1y
27 likes1 stack add2 comments
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GinaKButler
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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Here we go! July‘s #bookspin and #doublespin

Excited to read these two…they are both on my #14books14weeks2023 list!

Thank you for hosting, @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! Enjoy!!! 1y
18 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Pageturner1
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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Thank you for my order. #litsylove @LitsyLove
Can‘t wait to share!

Thank you so much for my book too!
You all are so kindhearted. 💕🤗💕🤗💕

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks ❤️❤️❤️ 2y
36 likes1 comment
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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Thank you Katherine for all of these books!! You are amazing! We will definitely be able to use these for #LitsyLove 📝💌📮♥️📚

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emmaturi
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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Pickpick

I loved this book, such a feel good story, all the characters were lovely. It deals with some difficult subject matters but in a good way.

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Dragon
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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Pickpick

It took me awhile to finish this ebook. - I kept getting distracted with other books. A satisfying modern #romantsy set in a private school in Texas . Gentle and joyful- a good summer read.

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Katie.happens
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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Pickpick

This book is all soft sand and comfy couches. It‘s warm, the steaks are fairly low, and the characters are quirky. The perfect relaxing summer beach read.

10 likes1 stack add
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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My beautiful #flowers and Willow Tree Angel from my Valentine 💙💗

#Ithadtobeyou

maich So pretty❤💕 3y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @maich thank you!! 😍💐 3y
SusanLee Wow so pretty!!! 3y
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Eggs Love the dishes and table cloth too!! Beautiful tableau❣️❣️ 3y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs thank you ❤️ 3y
72 likes2 stack adds6 comments
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DebinHawaii
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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Pickpick

Read earlier in the week for a blog party celebrating the paperback edition publishing, I really enjoyed this book-my 2nd from this author. A good blend of poignancy, humor & hope, about embracing yourself & choosing joy in life despite the ups & downs. I loved Sam & her fight to save her beloved school. Paired with Donut-Fried Apples as my bookish dish from a fruit juggling scene where a character calls them by wrong names to make kids laugh. ⬇️

DebinHawaii I coated apple slices in batter, deep-fried then & dipped them in cinnamon-sugar. So good! 😋🍎🍏🍩❤️ You can find my review & the recipe here: http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/2021/08/donut-fried-apple-rings-for-what-you.... 3y
Bookzombie I may have just spent a minute drooling over your recipe. 🤤 3y
DebinHawaii @Bookzombie They were REALLY good! 😋 3y
65 likes1 stack add3 comments
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DebinHawaii
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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Yesterday was a great #bookmail day! 📚📪
I received my #poetryswap box from @kspenmoll that I am so excited to open! 🤗📦📚I also got two #arcs for a couple of recipe party book tours in August.

#summerpoetryswap

KatieDid927 I received your package today too! I just haven‘t posted it yet, sorry. Will post tomorrow! 3y
DebinHawaii @KatieDid927 No worries. I am glad it made it! 🤗 3y
Chrissyreadit 🙌😍🎉😍💥🙌 3y
kspenmoll Happy it arrived! 3y
57 likes1 stack add4 comments
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JenReadsAlot
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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Pickpick

Probably my least favorite book by Katherine, but still a pick. My #doublespin for July @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 3y
33 likes1 comment
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kanwillcutyou
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
Pickpick

I was looking for something similar to Beach Read by Emily Henry and while it did scratch that enemies-to-lovers itch it was also surprisingly incredibly uplifting! Sometimes we have to choose joy on purpose before we can experience it again and heal. I'm trying to learn how to put that into practice.

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TEArificbooks
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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Pickpick

Center does work place romances well. The books I have read of hers remind me of beach reads with substance. I loved the characters in this. She is now an auto buy author now.

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Allthebookclubs
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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Pickpick

Another amazing novel by the amazing Katherine Center. I guessed a few of the plot twists, but that‘s okay because I loved the characters and the writing. Book 27 in 2021

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MartinaLove
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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Pickpick

4.5 ⭐
I absolutely loved this book.
While both the main characters are going through some difficult times, the story is still sweet, with a little bit of romance. Thought the story was much deeper. Grief and PTSD were two big subjects in this book, even if we don't see the subject being explore at their full expense, it brough so much to the story.
I also really like reading a community coming together to help eachother. ❤

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MartinaLove
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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Currently reading 📚🥰

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Eggs
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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Pickpick

Good story with the message that people should choose joy even (and especially) in difficult and painful times. I love Center‘s characters and writing style! But this one fell a bit short of the quality in How to Walk Away, and Things you save in a Fire.

#bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

Crazeedi Looks like you're on a roll already!! I'm on book 2 for my card so I'm feeling like you're rubbing off on me! But I'll never read the numbers you do!! Have a wonderful Easter dear Sherri🐣 4y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 4y
Eggs @Crazeedi He is Risen! Thanks so much Diane 💛 you have a lovely Easter as well 4y
66 likes4 comments
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HappyCamper
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
Mehso-so

Unlike the first 2 books of Center's I've read and really enjoyed, this one fell flat. Characters were okay, I didn't love the plot.

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BookNAround
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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I‘ve been re-alphabetizing my books (don‘t ask how many I have—even book people gasp when I admit it) and after 4 days, I‘m part way through H. I am a pile of aches and pains so I‘m stopping early today. I‘ve earned sit on the couch and dive into one of the #newyearwhodis books @hes7 chose for me.

Ruthiella 4 days and only part way through H gives us an idea about the total number! Come on, tell us how many! I‘ll go first: have about 1000 books. 4y
BookNAround @Ruthiella According to LibraryThing, I‘m over 15,000. I do need to eventually go in and adjust those I‘ve given away so the number is more correct but this is a decent ballpark number for now. 4y
Ruthiella @BookNAround Awesome! I demand a shelfie when you have finished organizing them. 😸 4y
LeahBergen Wow! I‘m impressed. My books are most definitely NOT alphabetized. 😆 I do have a very hyper organized by genre system, though, and can find a book pretty quickly. 4y
96 likes4 comments
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Kimberlone
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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Pickpick

I‘ve been eagerly awaiting when this book would appear in my library‘s Libby offerings and jumped on this one ASAP. I finished this book in less than 24 hours.

Of the 3 Center books I‘ve read, I‘d rank this above What You Save in a Fire, but below How to Walk Away.

My only con is that both MCs are a little bit dramatic and presumptuous about how others will react to their respective personal issues, to the point of not being realistic.

27 likes1 comment
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GardenJess
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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Pickpick

Read it basically in a day other than the first 15 pages. Simple but enjoyable. Loved the fact that the author was inspired by Joyful. Color and it‘s impact on Joy fascinate me.

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Loveforlit2
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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Mehso-so

I really loved Things You Save in a Fire so I was really excited to read this one especially when I found out it took place in a school. I said it was just okay because Sam‘s need to run away was particularly frustrating. I almost stopped reading after the first 30 pages because I couldn‘t wrap my head around a woman leaving a school because of her crush. I kept going and it was worth it just not my favorite read.

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Eggs
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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Congratulations to @Texreader on her milestone! I‘m dying to read the tagged book bc I adore Katherine Center‘s stories❤️❤️

#karensgiveaway

Texreader Thanks for entering!! 4y
45 likes1 comment
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MaggieCarr
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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Pickpick

Katherine Center is another auto read for me. She takes on tough topics and builds storylines and characters around them to bring a book through to fruition. I loved the build-up in this book but then feel the last 1/3 was too rushed in most of it. Still a great book with a very loveable school librarian, just not my favorite KC to date.

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Read4life
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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Finished 6 books (that was my goal) so far for #SuperSeptember
All 6 check off a spot on #BookSpinBingo too!

robinb What did you think of The Christmas Table and What You Wish For? 4y
TheAromaofBooks Yay!! Awesome progress!! 4y
Andrew65 Fantastic 👏👏👏🍾🥂🍾🥂🍾🥂 4y
Read4life @robinb I really enjoyed them both. I usually reread the entire Christmas series by VanLiere each year & this is a nice addition to the series. As for What You Wish For, I was turned on to her books earlier this year and enjoy her writing. Not super fluffy but a nice change from the mysteries and psychological thrillers I tend to read. 🤓 4y
robinb @Read4life I enjoyed both as well! It was my first VanLiere but would like to read more. And I also enjoy Center‘s writing. This one was not my favorite of hers (really loved How to Walk Away), but it was still a good read. 4y
36 likes5 comments
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JustReadingJess
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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Pickpick

What You Wish For by Katherine Center is a bright story for the difficult times right now. Full review on my blog https://justreadingjess.wordpress.com/2020/09/12/what-you-wish-for/

sharread I loved this book. 🤎💜 4y
JustReadingJess @sharread me too I love Katherine Center‘s books. 4y
70 likes2 comments
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Arvena
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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Pickpick

The characters are a little bit too much, but it is a heartwarming and enjoyable story about finding joy, choosing joy.
“Life. It goes on.“

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cateeeoh
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
Mehso-so

Meh. Kinda incongruous for me - bordering on annoying & flippant, reality-tv like writing thru much it, mixed with deep topics that demand some gravitas. At least for this mom at the start of another bizarre homeschooling year.

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rethier1
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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Pickpick

Katherine Center really knows how to tell a story about relationships, personal growth, troubled pasts, and love. I enjoyed this one and knocked it out in one day. It was much less steamy than some of her more recent books, which I was a bit disappointed about. I also was annoyed a bit by the main character‘s pining. But overall, I appreciated this story and it was well-written. ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 #botm #botmbacklog #beachread

robinb This was not my favorite from her. I also had some issues with the characters...didn‘t connect well with them. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 4y
rethier1 @robinb Agreed - it was not her best 4y
79 likes2 comments
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Jnnlb
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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Mehso-so

3.5⭐️ full review at thejwordpress.wordpress.com

34 likes1 stack add
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Gryffleclaw95
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
This post contains spoilers
show me
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.5/5)

I can now say that I‘m a Katherine Center fan. After reading “How to Walk Away” and loving it, I was looking forward to this read and it did not disappoint. This was a sweet romance that isn‘t super mushy and deals with trauma and gun violence in schools. The only thing that prevented me from giving this book 5 stars was that I wasn‘t a fan of how Sam acted in the end. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and flew through it.

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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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Thank you sooo much Sharon for this beautiful package!! Definitely made my day and cheered me up!! Love it! Thanks so much!! ❤️❤️❤️

#LitsyLove

sharread You're welcome. This book is my favorite this year, was so funny but heart warming. Hope you enjoy it. 😁 4y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @sharread I‘m sure I will!! Thanks so much 💗💗 4y
sharread The Read for Joy journal can't be purchased it only came with the preorders. Just an fyi in case anyone wants to buy it. 4y
See All 6 Comments
catiewithac @sharread and @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks why are you both the best humans? Love and appreciate you both so much! 💗 4y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @catiewithac awww you‘re so sweet!!! We love y‘all 💗💗💗 4y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @catiewithac I just came across this… 💔💔💔 2y
75 likes1 stack add6 comments
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Laughterhp
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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Mehso-so

I have a lot of feelings about this book. I wanted to like it a lot more then I did. This is probably an #UnpopularOpinion but I just didn‘t really like Sam. She really annoyed me. Some of the quotes in this book just rubbed me the wrong way and the way she behaved. Also I found it really weird they were trying to turn an elementary school into a prison like atmosphere. But I have no experience in school like situations.
Full review on GoodReads.

marleed Yea, it was weird that she created a controversy over security for a school as a plot line. 4y
59 likes1 comment
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JHSiess
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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Pickpick

-*~ 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 ~*-

𝐊𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 delivers a charming tale about finding joy in everyday life. 𝗪𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝗪𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐅𝐨𝐫 centers on a quirky librarian who finds a surrogate family, her own voice, & love with a man who re-learns to feel joy after a life-changung event. Funny, feel-good romance for a summer day at the beach or by the pool. ⭐⭐⭐⁣

𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸: https://tinyurl.com/yxqw5ypn

39 likes1 stack add
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marleed
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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Pickpick

Of all the gin joints in all the world, Sam‘s secret teacher crush - four years back in her California librarian days - has been hired as principal for her current school in Galveston. This was my favorite Katherine Center book to date. I love Galveston and was waiting to see if she referenced BOI - and she did! ...Additionally, her book covers are gorgeous!

Laughterhp I‘m about 100 pages in and I find Sam kind of annoying 😬😬 I‘m still planning to finish the book though as I‘m hoping she‘ll grow on me. And I loved the other 2 books by this author. 4y
marleed @Laughterhp yea, I think Katherine‘s MCs are seldom mature in their crushes. It bothered me in the first book but now I think I‘ve accepted it as her style of writing. I hope it picks up for you! I appreciated the setting in a place I love, but atypical of my normal armchair travel. 4y
70 likes2 comments
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The_Heeler_Booklife
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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Pickpick

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What You Wish For is such a good book. I love anything by Katherine Center. I was listening to this on audio and I could not stop listening. I had to devour it. It was cute and gripping. I highly recommend this book and any of her other books.
#botm #bookstagram #bibliophile #litsy #littens

24 likes1 stack add
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Marquis784
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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Mehso-so

No one knows what to expect when Duncan Carpenter takes over. Samantha realizes that she knows him from a prior job where his care free nature enamored her. The Duncan she knew was light hearted and fun. Samantha is horrified when Duncan Carpenter introduces himself and begins to change everything that made the school special. What happened to the Duncan she knew? Will she be able to remind him how to enjoy life like he once did for her?

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Lauren.Archer
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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Pickpick

Katherine Center has become one of my go to authors over the last several years, and this book did not disappoint. She just knows how to write such hopeful stories.

For my full review, please visit my blog at: http://obsessedbookaholic.com/2020/08/05/what-you-wish-for-book-review/

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin‘s Press for an Advanced Reader‘s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Tonidreads328 This book is on my TBR, and everyone else‘s too. The wait is outrageous, and apparently worth it. 4y
66 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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BlueStockingReviews
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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Pickpick

What You Wish For is an emotional and timely story of choosing love and joy. https://www.bluestockingreviews.com/post/what-you-wish-for

LinesUponAPage Holy cow, Joy was the best lesson in this book. I would‘ve loved a whole book of Max and Babbette. Maybe she‘ll give us one if we ask kindly?? 4y
37 likes1 comment
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kstadt929
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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Mehso-so

I wanted to love this one, but it was a little cheesy and predictable for me. It started out strong and I enjoyed getting to know the characters...but it wasn‘t all that believable and I didn‘t like how everything was wrapped up too cleanly in the end. It was disappointing because I have completely loved her latest 2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Junebug17
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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Pickpick

A book about the importance of “choosing joy” even when life gets hard. The story was reminiscent of a Hallmark movie, but I liked it that way. This was the warm hearted pick-me-up that I needed this week. ❤️ 🐋

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intothehallofbooks
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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Mehso-so

An unpopular opinion: I‘m bummed that I did not love this. The idea of choosing joy and happiness no matter what is fine. But Sam (the main character) irritated me. She was so wishy-washy. I couldn‘t take her seriously at all, and I think that made me feel disconnected to the rest of the story, which felt endlessly dramatic. This is unfortunate, because I liked the other characters.

Great audio, though. Narrated by Therese Plummer.

intothehallofbooks Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for providing my review copy. I ended up borrowing the audiobook from my library to supplement the reading. 4y
32 likes1 comment
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intothehallofbooks
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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My current read! ☕️☀️

33 likes1 stack add
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Purrfectpages
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
Pickpick

Sam works for a school library and rents from the beloved principal, Max. Not having family, she loves their relationship. So when Max does suddenly, it‘s jarring. Also shocking, the new principal, Duncan is her old crush. This story focuses on how the big things in life can redefine us. It‘s not hard to figure out Duncan‘s deal, but it‘s still enjoyable. My only wish was to spend more time with them and that school, which sounded pretty kick ass.

39 likes1 stack add
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Purrfectpages
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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Can‘t wait to start this one!

Lovesbooks87 Loved this one so much! 4y
ReadingisMyPassion I loved it too!
4y
45 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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sharread
What You Wish For | Katherine Center
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Pickpick

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ Ten big hearts and 5 💫💫💫💫💫

Relatable characters engrossing storytelling, and downright awesome. The story centers around a Librarian the main character working in a school. I laughed so hard, loved it! Real life situations are all throughout this novel rolled into a fantastic story. Love, love, it, from each character's life challenges that are overcome to the fantastic feel good ending!

TheHeartlandBookFairy I loved this book! Katherine Center This quickly becoming one of my favorite authors 😁 4y
sharread I've read her other books I enjoy her writing style. This is my favorite book so far. 💞💕 4y
35 likes2 stack adds2 comments