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shellosgang's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
notinvain's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
3.5
amanda_ryan's review against another edition
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
eyreibreathe's review against another edition
4.0
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!
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?
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.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
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?
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.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
kellymh's review against another edition
4.0
I only recently discovered Katherine Center's books. I've liked that they are light, a little fluffy, but also with some meat to them. What You Wish For follows that same feel, but throw in a little extra cheese factor.
If you've enjoyed the author's other books, you'll likely enjoy this one as well, but it probably won't rank as your favorite. This book was super predictable, not that I expected major plot twists, but you could see what was coming a mile ahead. I had a little trouble connecting with the main character at the beginning of the story. I was frustrated with her, at times, childish behaviors. (i.e. moving away from a city/job you love because of a crush). But she grew on me and I was cheering for her by the end.
This book tried to tackle a few harder topics: illnesses, gun safety, emotional abuse, military deployments but didn't dive too far into any of them. It might have been just a little too many deep topics for one book.
However, I did stay up much later than I had intended to finish the book and I finished it in a day - so it kept me engaged and in the end I was glad I read it. I liked a lot of the supporting characters and was hoping to hear even more from them. I was thinking a few would even make great spin-off books. Especially Alice and then Tina.
If you've enjoyed the author's other books, you'll likely enjoy this one as well, but it probably won't rank as your favorite. This book was super predictable, not that I expected major plot twists, but you could see what was coming a mile ahead. I had a little trouble connecting with the main character at the beginning of the story. I was frustrated with her, at times, childish behaviors. (i.e. moving away from a city/job you love because of a crush). But she grew on me and I was cheering for her by the end.
This book tried to tackle a few harder topics: illnesses, gun safety, emotional abuse, military deployments but didn't dive too far into any of them. It might have been just a little too many deep topics for one book.
However, I did stay up much later than I had intended to finish the book and I finished it in a day - so it kept me engaged and in the end I was glad I read it. I liked a lot of the supporting characters and was hoping to hear even more from them. I was thinking a few would even make great spin-off books. Especially Alice and then Tina.
ebtdean's review against another edition
4.0
It was really sweet and heartfelt. I liked all the characters, and their growth. But it didn’t keep me super engaged.