Reviews

What You Wish For by Katherine Center

hammock_and_read's review against another edition

4.0

I was excited to read this one so much as I love Center- she is a one click buy for me. But this one fell a little flat. Duncan we meet in a previous book as a little brother to Helen, so I was even more excited to see what had happened to him. We get a little bit of his sister and BFF/brother in law but not much. Sam and Duncan worked at a old school and she was in love with him hardcore crush so moved away to her new school. Even though they both liked and like each other the chemistry on the pages left me wanting more, it just felt flat. Sam felt a little young and I wanted her to get it together more- along with stop running away. Also, some of the school stuff even for a hippie school was a little too much.

Its a fun and nice Center story but not my favorite and just wanted more. I wanted more scenes like the Whale scene.

Overall, 3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

robinb's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted fast-paced

3.0

wendica's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

muirk128's review against another edition

3.0

Sweet if a little predictable

alexandriatp's review

emotional reflective

3.5

ljoy3's review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

bmorewild's review against another edition

adventurous funny inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

ivesreads's review against another edition

3.0

A have quite a bit of thoughts on this. Probably my least favorite of her books which is disappointing especially because this follows the world of education. Some parts of this book felt completely wild. It was hard to really love the FMC and MMC throughout the first chunk of this book. This definitely focused on heavy topics that as educators we already deal with on the daily. In some ways it seemed ridiculous that when the MMC is the new principal proposing stuff about safety(even if some of it is warranted) the teachers were freaking out as if it shouldn't be talked about. There is some talk about trauma from the MMC. Of course it's fiction so parts of it I loved especially the little boy Clay(sweetest little bean) and Babette! But this one just didn't completely hit like her other books do. Still had its fun moments though. And the romance was still cute.

kle105's review against another edition

4.0

This book certainly brings you on a roller coaster of emotions. It starts off with the loss of the beloved principle of their school. Sam is devastated but even more so when she hears the replacement is her unrequited love that she escaped from just a few years ago.

However, he isn't the man she remembers. Gone is the fun loving happy man, replaced with a stickler for safety. Taking it so overboard as to almost ruin her school. From the butterfly garden, field trips to the ocean for cleanups and the fun murals and bright colors.

Many themes run through the book, including finding joy, happiness and finding balance.

I received a free copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

madyweyman's review against another edition

hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25