
What You Wish For
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.
- Spice
- 1/5
- Burn
- Slow
- Pages
- ~336
- Ending
- HEA
HEA means happily ever after: they end up together, for good.
How spicy is What You Wish For?
What You Wish For is a 1 out of 5 on our spice scale: sweet (kisses only). Kissing, longing looks, maybe a fade-to-black. Nothing on the page.
- Steam: Glimpses and kisses
- Burn: Slow burn
- Pairing: One man, one woman
- POV: First person, heroine's POV only
- Ending: Happily ever after
Content warnings
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Show 3 content warnings
- Graphic violence
- Death of a loved one
- Mental illness / anxiety / depression
Our editorial notes, which may be incomplete. If something is a hard limit for you, check the author's own content notes too.
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What You Wish For: quick answers
How spicy is What You Wish For?
What You Wish For is a 1 out of 5 on our spice scale: sweet (kisses only). Kissing, longing looks, maybe a fade-to-black. Nothing on the page.
Is What You Wish For a standalone?
Yes, What You Wish For is a standalone. You can read it on its own.
What tropes are in What You Wish For?
What You Wish For features workplace romance, second chance, grumpy hero. It is a slow burn M/F romance that ends with a happily ever after.
Does What You Wish For have content warnings?
Our notes for What You Wish For include: graphic violence, death of a loved one, mental illness / anxiety / depression. This list may not be complete; check the author's own content notes if anything is a hard limit for you.
What should I read after What You Wish For?
If you loved What You Wish For, try Don't You Forget About Me by Mhairi McFarlane, Luna and the Lie by Mariana Zapata, The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center. They share its workplace romance and second chance energy at a similar spice level.














