What You Wish For: A Second Chance Romance

Hi Friends!

When I heard that Katherine Center had a new book coming out, I could not wait to get my hands on it. You can imagine my happiness when I saw that Book of the Month had made it one of it's add-on picks. I couldn't wait to dive right in!

I have been loving Katherine Center since I read her 2018 release, How to Walk Away. It quickly became one of my favorite books of 2018, and of all time, and was one of my first books I ever got from BOTM. I fell in love with her writing and her story telling of cheesy, feel good romances.

What You Wish For follows our two main characters, Samantha (Sam) and Duncan. Sam is a school librarian for the local elementary school and adores her job. When the principal of the school, and father figure to Sam, passes away unexpectedly, Duncan Carpenter is brought in to take on the role. Sam knows Duncan from her previous school job, and was madly in love with him to the point where it drove her away to move to Texas. But the Duncan that takes over the school is not the Duncan she remembers, and he begins to make the school less fun and more prison-like, so Sam makes it her mission to get Duncan back to the way he used to be.

It's fun. It's corny. It's hella cute. 

I absolutely loved that Sam was a librarian and getting to see her in that role. I loved her relationship with Duncan and their witty banter, trying to pretend that they didn't remember one another. Their relationship was slow-paced and focused heavily on friendship and re-connecting, before it turned into romance and I loved that. It was refreshing, like taking that first sip of lemonade on a hot day.

This book is also PERFECT for summer. It's a short, quick, and light read at only 306 pages. The romance isn't too much and the story line has a lot of different themes aside from the budding romance that is center stage. We also see the grief of their pasts that Sam and Duncan are working through that made them who they were in the present day. We also get to see the role of family (which does not have to be just blood) and how important our relationships and supports are to get us through the hard times and put us in our place when needed. Sam also has Epilepsy, and I enjoyed getting to hear about that and learn more about it. It made her more vulnerable and less perfect. I liked seeing Duncan start therapy and talk about the importance of going to therapy in his healing process from his PTSD. It was fun seeing Sam work with Babette to try and get Duncan to remember the fun parts of him and help him realize that it is okay to not be so serious all the time and to take some risks, even if you are afraid of what may come, but things are sometimes out of our control entirely no matter what we do. 

Duncan is adorable and should be protected at all costs. He may have a rough exterior but you can tell how much he cares about others, the kids in his school, and how much he adores Sam. (Can't blame him - Sam is a great name). 

It was a fun read. 

I have also heard the Duncan made an appearance in Center's novel, Happiness for Beginners so I would love to pick that up and see what Duncan was like 10 years ago, when that novel is set. Many have called it a prequel to What You Wish For since Duncan and his sister Hope are introduced in Happiness for Beginners and make appearances this time around. 

"It's just hard to hold it in though, because when something like that happens to you - like when you just see someone and a part of your heart just clicks into place like a little puzzle piece you didn't even know was missing - and you don't even think it in words, but something in you just knows, like that's my person, somehow. Or at least, that person could be my person. You know - if they liked the idea, too. If they looked at you and by some crazy miracle thought the same thing back." 

If you are looking for something light, then I highly recommend picking this story up. 

Rating: 5 Stars 

Casting Call:

Samantha Casey: Camilla Luddington 

Duncan Carpenter: Colton Haynes