What You Wish For
This was my first time reading a book by the very popular author, Katherine Center, and I’m so glad I finally decided to check out one of her romances. What You Wish For was the perfect little read for me. I flew through it in a day and truly enjoyed the romance and fell in love with the characters.
Samantha Casey is a school librarian who loves her job, the kids, and her school family with passion and joy for living. But she wasn’t always that way.
Duncan Carpenter is the new school principal who lives by rules and regulations, guided by the knowledge that bad things can happen. But he wasn’t always that way.
And Sam knows it. Because she knew him before―at another school, in a different life. Back then, she loved him―but she was invisible. To him. To everyone. Even to herself. She escaped to a new school, a new job, a new chance at living. But when Duncan, of all people, gets hired as the new principal there, it feels like the best thing that could possibly happen to the school―and the worst thing that could possibly happen to Sam. Until the opposite turns out to be true. The lovable Duncan she’d known is now a suit-and-tie wearing, rule-enforcing tough guy so hell-bent on protecting the school that he’s willing to destroy it.
As the school community spirals into chaos, and danger from all corners looms large, Sam and Duncan must find their way to who they really are, what it means to be brave, and how to take a chance on love―which is the riskiest move of all.
I loved the strong message woven throughout the story…Find joy even in the little things and experiences in life. This is something that I truly believe in, and it made this story even more enduring. Choosing to find joy even when things are difficult can make life less daunting.
Oh, and how I loved the supporting characters in this book and the community they created! They are the kind of close friends that feel more like family, and they brought even more vibrancy into the storyline. Each character helped to inspire, create atmosphere and keep levity. I found myself caring about what happened to them just as much as Samantha and Duncan.
This book was a joyful, light and slightly predictable read that was a perfect break from the heavy world we currently live in. Don’t get me wrong, several heavy subjects were covered (epilepsy, death, school violence), but Center was able to address them in a way that did not bog the plot down.
If you are looking for a carefree, heartfelt story with strong bonds of friendship running through it, than this book is for you!
Disclaimer to Reader: As a teacher I kept finding myself saying, “There is no way in the world that could possibly ever be allowed to happen in a school system.” So, I feel the need to point out that this fictional story contains happenings that are not plausible at all. If you are someone who wants the majority of the situations presented in the book to be possible, then you may want to avoid this story, especially if you work in a school system.
