Printable Book Club Questions for What You Wish For by Katherine Center

The story opens up with a party that’s gone tragic—Max, the beloved founder of the Kempner School died. Let’s talk about the beginning.
Sam comes from a broken family—her mother died when she was young and she has no relationship with her father. Why do you think Galveston, TX became the right place for her?
Max and Babette become like surrogate parents to Sam. But their daughter Tina does not hide her disdain for Sam. What do you think was behind Tina’s anger toward Sam?
We learn that Sam was in California prior to moving to Texas. But she moved because she couldn’t handle working with her crush, Duncan, every day. When it talked about Sam having a past with Duncan, did you think it was interesting it was just a crush? Or did you expect them to have had more of a relationship?
What was your initial thoughts about Duncan when he came in very militant about wanting to change the school’s security?
When it seems like Duncan doesn’t remember Sam, she decides not to mention their shared past at the beginning. How would you have handled it if you were Sam?
Sam and Duncan have an icy relationship to begin with. What was some of the key events that changed this relationship?
Let’s talk about the night that Sam took care of Duncan and he left his guard down (due to meds).
What did you think when you found out that Duncan had been in a school shooting? Did you understand why he was so strict in the beginning?
Sam suffers from epilepsy. When she was a child, she heard her father say that Sam’s condition ruined their marriage. Let’s talk about the long-term impact of hearing this.
In what ways are Sam and Duncan similar? What did you think about their love story overall?
How does the title relate to the subject matter of this story?
If they made a movie or TV version of this story, who would you cast in the main roles?