Stephanie Sullivan: Review - What You Wish For

TITLE: What You Wish For

RATING: ★★★★★

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Summary (from Goodreads): 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.

With Katherine Center’s sparkling dialogue, unforgettable characters, heart, hope, and humanity, What You Wish For is the author at her most compelling best.

REVIEW: After reading this book, I immediately added Katherine Center to my list of favorite authors, and I can’t wait to read more of her work. This story had me sighing happily at times and laughing out loud more times than I can count. I don’t know what else to say other than it was just wonderfully written. There’s humor, romance, friendship, rivalry, heartbreak - you name it. I also want to commend Katherine for her poignant portrayal of a character living with epilepsy. (Having grown up with a step-parent who has it, I’ve witnessed firsthand how frightening it can be.) An author friend recommended this book, and I’m SO thankful she did. I would recommend it to everyone!