This is my second book that I've read by Katherine Center and I really enjoyed this book. I feel that the message for this story is to choose joy, even during difficult times. I'm going to attempt to write my review without giving away too much. I don't enjoy reading reviews that give the twists away so hopefully that won't happen here!
Samantha (Sam) works as a school librarian and has chosen to live with color and fun in her life. She has a medical issue that she deals with and it definitely causes her to be apprehensive at times. Sam's 'crush', Duncan, from a previous school ends up coming to her current school as the new principal. The Duncan that comes to the school is not what Sam remembers and as you read the story you will find out why. I'm a teacher and reading this book was definitely difficult at times because some of the events that happened are an unfortunate possibility for me to experience, however, I am so glad I read this story and the events didn't overshadow the joy that was clearly in this book.
I originally received this book as an ARC and ended up not being able to read it immediately (again... teacher here and I was adjusting to teaching my elementary students online due to Covid so life was a little crazy!). The day that this book was published (July 14, 2020) I decided to purchase the Audible version, and I must tell you, I am SO GLAD that I did!! The narrator pulled me into the story & I listened to it within a day and half. I couldn't put it down!! At the end of the audible story, Katherine Center had a portion that she shared with the listeners, Reading for Joy. The words she said were not written in the Kindle version that I have, however, I am beyond glad I listened to the book!! I have no idea if what she said is available written somewhere, however, I want to share some of the points she made. The following things she said struck me in such a way that I wrote them down on the closest thing I had... a napkin... and I'm keeping them with my reading materials. Statements from her that I'd like to share: "Reading for Joy is Reading from your Heart", A good story makes you feel what is happening to the character & makes you feel empathy. As a reader you feel the characters feelings as if you're the character and experiencing it yourself. When reading/watching t.v. or a movie you know it's not real or true but you believe it anyways as if it is really happening & a true story. I loved when Katherine Center said "... twinkling unfathomable milky way of possibilities..." Readers should Read for Joy & that stories can save you.
All of the things I just said in the previous paragraphs are directly from Katherine Center. I tried to write it exactly like she said, however, some of it may not be quite exact. All of the things she stated are exactly how I felt when reading this story. She had me feeling empathy for the characters, laughing, crying, afraid, worried, and I felt like I was reading (actually listening to since I was listening to the Audible version) the right story at the right moment in my life. Kudos to Katherine Center for writing an amazing book filled with LOTS of feels. I've only read 2 books of hers now, however, time permitting I plan to look into more books of hers so I can 'Read for Joy' and experience things I never thought possible. Thank you so very much to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press & Katherine Center for ARC. Although I ended up listening to the Audible, I think this book is amazing!!
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Popular Highlights in this book
“It’s a choice,” I went on, feeling like I needed to make him see. “A choice to value the good things that matter. A choice to rise above everything that could pull you down. A choice to look misery right in the eyes … and then give it the finger.”Highlighted by 924 Kindle readers- “Dude—I’m not happy because it comes easily to me. I bite and scratch and claw my way toward happiness every day.”Highlighted by 807 Kindle readers
- “It’s one of the secrets to life that no one ever tells you. Joy cures everything.”Highlighted by 743 Kindle readers
- “Okay. Listen close. Pay attention to the things that connect you with joy.”Highlighted by 549 Kindle readers
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What a BEAUTIFUL book!!! Must read!
What You Wish For is categorized as romance, and I would agree, there is definitely a romance element, but it felt like SO much more than that. There is hope, grief, inspiration, and friendship all mixed into this beautiful story! The descriptions that are used to help the reader visualize the world are amazing. I bounced back and forth between reading and listening, and in both cases, the level of detail was still exquisite. There are so many moments where I felt descriptions were extremely important to the story, and Katherine Center nailed it each time! There’s a hat at one moment in the story, and it’s just a hat. But it’s so much more than that when you read the book, and without the lovely descriptions, that moment would have fallen flat for me, but instead, it completely warmed my heart! The characters are fabulous. Each one is built with thought and detail to give them a full life, not just a moment in time during this story. Sam is so full of love, for reading, for children, for her school, and I could FEEL just how much she loved each thing. Especially her unrequited love for Duncan. Sam was someone I connected to immediately, and I loved her story. Duncan tugged at my heartstrings again and again. I literally cried during moments of his story because they were so filled with emotion. Amazing!! Overall, I clearly loved this book. It was written beautifully and brought amazing characters to life. I cannot wait to get my hands on another one of her books!! Content Warnings: !!SPOILER!! I need to add this content warning, but if you don’t care, nothing ever bothers you when reading a book, then skip to the “To Read or Not to Read” section please!! —— On to the spoiler/content warning – There is a character in this book that was involved in a school shooting. There are descriptions of their experience in the shooting, the injuries, the medical recovery, the mental and physical scars. This could be a trigger for some people. To Read or Not To Read: I would recommend What You Wish For to readers that enjoy falling into a character’s life and truly living their experiences and surroundings! I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.
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Top reviews from other countries
- AnneReviewed in Canada on October 24, 2024
Great characters and storyline.
Format: KindleVerified Purchase - Sarah Skeet-BureReviewed in France on August 3, 2023
Another brilliant novel by Katherine Center
Format: KindleVerified Purchase - luciluno2Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 17, 2021
Really Enjoyed
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
