I’m not sure I have the correct words to describe my love for this book. It’s beautiful and tragic and happy and sad and magical all rolled into one. It reminded me how much I loved reading as a kid and how I have found that over again as an adult. Highly recommend. ( )

I loved it. "Children's books for adults" is an amazing genre. ( )

Representation: N/A
Trigger warnings: Munchausen by proxy, death of a child in the past and others by overdosing, grief and loss depiction
Score: Six out of ten.

The Wishing Game was an okay debut from Meg Shaffer but could have been better.

It starts with a prologue that is part of the Clock Island series by fictional author Jack Masterson. Then, it cuts to Lucy, who wants to adopt one of the foster children, Christopher. Jack has quit writing for years until he wants to write one last book in the series and start a challenge on his island named Clock Island. The Wishing Game is a book about books and a contemporary urban fantasy steeped in magical realism.

The writing style is accessible but too simplistic and lacks sophistication and detailed descriptions for an adult audience. The pacing is enough to keep The Wishing Game going at 300 pages but feels tedious to read sometimes. Some scenes are swift, while others are slower and more dialogue-heavy but removing those would help.

Lucy lacks relatability value, depth or development but more would help as her only characteristic is the fact that she wants to start a family despite her low financial status by adopting Christopher.

Lucy has a traumatic childhood as her parents used her to seek attention but that wasn't that grabbing.

The conclusion was okay.

( )

This was a book I never new I needed. It healed a part of my inner child I didn't realize needed healing. I think many of us have been in a situation so desperate for magic to be real and learning it isn't. However, kindness is a kind of magic we all have. ( )

Lucy is a kindergarten teacher's assistant who is desperate to adopt a traumatized little boy, if only she could afford to do it. Then she gets an invitation to a game being held on the private island of her favorite children's book author, featuring a prize that could make all her dreams come true.

This sort of seemed like it should be up my alley, as someone who very much appreciates the spell woven by the books we love as kids and the effect they can have on our lives. But, well... I am absolutely certain that this one will be someone's ideal feel-good read, but I'm afraid I can't say it's mine. It's a bit hard to say why. The only way I can think of to put it is that, even while I was reading, it never seemed true. Everything about it: the characters' various sad backstories, the sweet little kid, the blossoming romance, the writer's bits of verbal whimsey, it all just felt so carefully, conspicuously crafted to evoke the right kind of sentiment that it got in the way of me actually feeling the right kind of sentiment. I also just can't quite sink into the wish-fulfillment fantasy of an eccentric but lovable rich person swooping in to solve one's problems, being far too keenly aware of how much that doesn't happen in reality. It might be appropriate that I read this over Christmas, because I can't help feeling that the novel reminds me of nothing quite so much as a Hallmark Channel movie. At least, I think it does. I haven't actually watched those much, because they're really not my kind of thing.

Which isn't to say it was bad, really. There were things about it I appreciated. The ending is predictable enough, but it manages to avoid feeling too cliche in the process of getting there. I really like the fact that the romance subplot wasn't forced or speedrun, which I fully expected it to be. And even my apparently cold, dead heart responded a bit to the themes of found-family parental love. Still, overall, it wasn't really what I was hoping for. ( )

"Time to face your fears, my dears."

What a wonderful read! Sometimes it's nice to crawl into a comfy read and be reminded of the magic of reading words on a page (or listening to an audio) and being pulled into another world. To remember why we started reading, why we continue to read, and sharing that magic with others!

I loved the island and the photo. I love how, through the story, I slowly got to know Jack and the stories he'd created and given to children. But I also got to know his fears and his troubled past (and very sad current). For so few pages, we get to know a whole cast of characters and their hopes, dreams and even their fears. We learn their struggles (and remember that no matter how perfect appearances are, everyone is struggling with something!) and we see them hold hands and wish for others even though they are competing for their own dreams.

It's an amazing, magical read, one that I will definitely pick up again one day. This is the highest compliment I can give a book (as I don't re-read unless it's Stephen King!) ( )

(I picked this up on impulse while visiting the library, then came to find it's already on my to-read shelf. Yay.)

About 1/3 in. So far so charming. Kind of like a [b:Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library|16054808|Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library (Mr. Lemoncello's Library, #1)|Chris Grabenstein|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1379335670l/16054808._SY75_.jpg|21839952] for adults or new adults, especially those of us young-at-heart who treasure memories of favorite childhood books.

" the house was a grand Victorian, the house of someone too rich and a little bit wacky. Turrets and towers and stained-glass windows, oh my."

" *hope is the thing with feathers,* the lovely Miss Emily Dickinson once wrote. Well, if that's the case, then a wish is a thing with *black* feathers.... black feathers, a sharp beak, and talons. Dangerous things, wishes."

I'm beginning to think that the main theme of the book is that being brave, being hopeful, and working hard will make wishes come true.
---
There are some dark bits, including child abuse. If I'd known ahead of time, I'd've skipped the book. But I sense a happy ending coming, so now I have to finish.
---
"Hate is a knife without a handle."

"... the supposedly great but mostly incomprehensible Søren Kierkegaard..."
(Insert several famous writers or artists there; I'm glad someone else is willing to admit that they can't see the supposedly fine clothes on the emperor.)

If I were discussing this in book club, I would ask why her favorite sweater is one that Sean (her ex, an arsehole) gave her. When I break up with someone, I don't want reminders of them around at all. Do you?
---
Done. Yes, more dark bits, but a happy ending. ( )

4.25 stars

I love a book that can highlight the power of a good read while still giving you a full-fledged journey of its own. So meta, but so perceptive. There are some stories that we live in, some that feel lived in, and some that come to live with us, and this is one of those rare books that gave me a taste of it all. I may have left Clock Island when I turned that last page, but there are lessons I learned & there is magic I found there that I will always carry with me.

The Wishing Game was a cosy, wrenching, whimsical read with some fun banter and a whole lot of heart. I think there was a good balance between "life is crap and crap is hard" but also, we wish & we hope & we dream till we find the silver linings that make it all worth staying the course.

The writing had a very atmospheric quality to it which wasn't something I was expecting going in, but which I ended up noting & enjoying consistently. Lucy and Christopher's bonding won me over from the start, and there are not enough words I know to describe the absolute joy it was getting to know Jack and Hugo. They were profound in their emotion and relatable in their mannerisms in a way that spoke to my soul, and I distinctly remember annotating about my love for Hugo several times so...do with that what you will.

As for things that could've gone a bit better - Theresa was a terrific friend, and I wish that both her & Lucy's sister had gotten more airtime. Those were two important but severely underrated relationships that I would have loved to learn more about. Also, Lucy was mildly annoying on and off, but the supporting cast was SO good that it didn't distract too much from the overall charm of the book.

All in all, this was a wonderful, well-written, quotable gem of a book that I would happily recommend to anyone and everyone that could use a reminder to keep an eye on those silver linings we're all so frustratingly keen on forgetting about.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group/ Ballantine Books & NetGalley for the DRC! ( )

Twenty-six-year-old Lucy Hart is at a crossroads. She is an assistant teacher who longs to adopt seven-year-old Christopher, an orphan who is in foster care. The only obstacle that stands in the way of Lucy and Christopher becoming a family is money. Lucy has none. She is deeply in debt and cannot afford a proper home or car. However, in "The Wishing Game," by Meg Shaffer, we learn that Lucy has a chance to reach her goal. She and three other people have been invited to participate in a contest that will be held on Clock Island, Maine.

Jack Masterson, who owns Clock Island, is a revered and reclusive author who will put his four contestants through their paces. Whoever successfully meets the challenges that Jack poses will win the only copy of Masterson's much-awaited new book. "The Wishing Game" touches on such themes as how we are shaped by our childhood experiences; the ways in which nurturing relationships can give us the strength to endure hard times; the value of forgiveness; and the power of dreams to motivate us, even when the chances of fulfilling them are slim.

Although this bittersweet story has elements of fantasy, it is grounded in the angst of disappointment, regret, and bereavement. Some of Shaffer's characters have experienced grief; fallen prey to alcoholism and addiction; and were rejected by those who should have cherished them. Jack is the genius behind the bestselling Clock Island series that is acclaimed for its whimsy, cleverness, and lasting appeal to countless youngsters. Even Masterson, who is wealthy and world famous, has suffered from depression, and his illustrator, Hugo Reese, struggles to find the peace of mind that has eluded him. When Lucy and her competitors converge on Clock Island, secrets will be revealed; confidences will be exchanged; and there is the possibility of redemption for those who want to make amends for past mistakes. Although this novel is sentimental and a bit predictable, it is also moving, heartwarming, and uplifting. ( )

Oh how I loved this one! It's been a long time since I read a book in one day because I couldn't put it down. Lucy Hart wants to adopt an orphaned boy who was one of her students. The eccentric author of a beloved book series offers his favorite readers the chance to win an unbelievable prize if they compete in his Willy Wonka-style contest. Hart finds herself traveling to Clock Island off the coast of Maine where the author lives with his irascible illustrator. The book was so charming and lovely. It deals with some dark issues like addiction and parental neglect, but does so gently without making them the main focus. I loved the world created on the island and the unexpected sweet romance. The whole book just made me smile. I have a feeling you'd need to be in the right mood to read it, but it hit the spot for me. ( )

In a Nutshell: ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ without the “wonkiness”. [Pun intended.] I loved this book almost till the end. A sweet and beautiful read that will warm the cockles of your heart despite some sappy elements.

Story Synopsis:

Six years ago came the last book in the long-running Clock Island series. Since then, children’s book author Jack Masterson has stayed reclusive. Until now, when he has announced a brand-new Clock Island book and a special competition, offering the winner a mind-blowing prize.
Lucy Hart has always been a huge fan of the Clock Island series and of its author. As a teacher’s aide, the twenty-six year old shares her love of reading with her little charges, especially with seven year old Christopher, an orphaned child who loves his teacher more than anyone else. Lucy dreams of adopting Christopher, but her financial situation doesn’t allow her to fulfil her dream.
Masterson’s competition seems like a dream come true, and all Lucy has to do is to win his competition. But as we all know, dreams go hand in hand with perils.
The story comes to us in the limited third person perspective of mostly of Lucy and Hugo, Jack’s illustrator.

Bookish Yays:
( )

I enjoyed this but it's quite hard to describe - a fairy tale for adults is as close as it gets. A contemporary setting take on "cosy" fantasy? I suspect a "Marmite" book - you'll either love it or absolutely hate it. I am more on the love side but not overwhelmingly so. ( )

3 1/2 stars: Good

From the back cover:

Make a wish. . . .

Lucy Hart knows better than anyone what it’s like to grow up without parents who loved her. In a childhood marked by neglect and loneliness, Lucy found her solace in books, namely the Clock Island series by Jack Masterson. Now a twenty-six-year-old teacher’s aide, she is able to share her love of reading with bright, young students, especially seven-year-old Christopher Lamb, who was left orphaned after the tragic death of his parents. Lucy would give anything to adopt Christopher, but even the idea of becoming a family seems like an impossible dream without proper funds and stability.

But be careful what you wish for. . . .

Just when Lucy is about to give up, Jack Masterson announces he’s finally written a new book. Even better, he’s holding a contest at his home on the real Clock Island, and Lucy is one of the four lucky contestants chosen to compete to win the one and only copy.

For Lucy, the chance of winning the most sought-after book in the world means everything to her and Christopher. But first she must contend with ruthless book collectors, wily opponents, and the distractingly handsome (and grumpy) Hugo Reese, the illustrator of the Clock Island books. Meanwhile, Jack “the Mastermind” Masterson is plotting the ultimate twist ending that could change all their lives forever.

. . . You might just get it.

-------------------

I read this via Book of the Month club. Its a familiar tale, of the Ready Player One variety, only this time with books, an author, a young woman and a good looking man. I enjoyed it quite well, it was fun and no "horror" aspect to it at all. It was very predictable and nothing bad happens to anyone, even the "losers" in the game who are all just fine and nice. It was very sweet, perfect for grade school kids. Plus its all about a love of books!

I'm going to give this away to a librarian (NG) for her school library.

A few quotes I liked:

"Hugo, always be quiet when a heart is breaking."

"Four kids came here because they read a book that inspired them to be brave enough to ask for help. There is nothing braver tha a child asking for help. And bravery like that deserves rewarding."

"Another thing I learned in therapy. The kids in dysfunctional families who act out and rebel are the ones who are healthiest mentally. They're the ones who see something wrong. That's why they act out. Because they see the house is burning down and they're screaming for help. "

Hate is a knife without a handle. You can't cut something with it without cutting yourself. ( )

This book reminds of TJ Klune with the whimsical tone of it. The main location of this book is Clock Island where Lucy, as a child, ran away to meet the author of her favorite books to get away from her family life. Years later, she was not the only child who did that and the author invited all the people back to the island for a contest. And the winner would get the solo copy of the last book in the series. It just had such a fun nature to this. Lucy was also low on cash and she wanted to adopt a little boy. I don't remember now if she got the book, but I do know she ended up with the author's assistant and was able to adopt the little boy and they lived on Clock Island. I read this a few months ago, so the whole story isn't as fresh. But I just remember loving the whimsical feel of this book. The author has a new book coming out this month that I'm excited to read! I would definitely own this if I came across this at a book sale! ( )

Such a great concept! We've all written to our favorite authors as kids (okay, I have), but have you ever run away to find that author? And what if that author invited his runaway kids back to his private island as adults for the chance to have a wish granted?

No perfect lives here. Past secrets. Deepest desires. And, of course, not everything is as it seems on the surface.

Fabulous as a beach (or anytime) read. ( )

Best bok I have read in a very long time. Made me weep for last 40 pages ( )

Excellent book! The story line was fresh and I've never read anything like it before. The Clock Island Adventures are an awesome series that this book revolves around. I think this might be Meg Shaffer's first book and if so I can't wait to read more from her. ( )

I can see that they were trying for a Miss Honey and Matilda vibe but it just gave me the ick and Lucy was being overly critical of his current foster placement and was also being completely irrational in regards to her financial and living arrangements in regards to being a foster herself. This was not for me.

Lucy didn’t have a wonderful childhood, but she found some solace in a wonderful series of books for children. She even ran away to the island where her beloved author lived. Now, years later, Lucy is a teacher’s aid, and has come to love a little boy in her class whose parents have died. She wants to foster him, a prelude to adoption, but she doesn’t qualify. She needs a home, more income, and a car. She needs money. In a miraculous turn of events, she and three others have been invited to the island of the famous author, in the hopes of winning a contest. The prize? His latest novel, which will be worth enough money to make her dream come true. Is it too much to wish for, or will her wish come true? This novel is quite clever, with its riddles and twists along the way. The characters are endearing, and even the competitors in the contest are likable. And it even has a lesson in the end. You may not get what you wished for, you may get something even better. Intriguing and entertaining, this well-written book is highly recommended. ( )

This book reads like a young adult book and covers issues of foster care, adoption, bad parents, sexual content (really very mild). It also gives a lot of mentions to other children's books. It's also a romance. I would fault the book for trying to do too much. I think the author borrowed from a other writers such as using the name Astrid, the parents who have a daughter as a organ donor (Piccoult), I found some good things; the listing of other great reads, the feel good ending. Not very original. ( )

It seems that people either loved this book or hated it. It was one of the five finalists for book of the year 2023 with Book of the Month Club. Since I had read the other four, I took a chance on it. While I did like parts of the story, there were other parts that made me roll my eyes. I finished the book but my eyes are a little sore. ( )

It took me a few chapters before I settled in with this fantastical, "Willy Wonka" type story which isn't my typical read. With that in mind, the quirky and unbelievable situations creates a fairy tale type story. It opens with a well-known children's author who wrote many stories which fascinated his readers with the mysteries on Clock Island. Jack Masterson was nicknamed the "Mastermind" which eluded to the protagonist who was the Mastermind in the books granting wishes with his cunning games.

It's been 15 years since he had secluded himself on his Clock Island where he struggles to ever write another book. His illustrator, Hugo Reese, has been his loyal companion not wanting to leave his long time friend alone on the island. Little does he know, Jack has been working on what would be his final novel but not for mass publication. He proses a "special" wishing game on the island with personally selected competitors. The prize is the one and only copy of his final book which the person can do with as they wish. The people chosen are thinking about how the publication of the book would help their financial situations.

Lucy Hart chooses to leave her home and controlling boyfriend, Sean, in Maine after she graduates college. She is desperate is leave her family behind and what she felt was a lonely childhood. She found respite in the Clock Island books. Her sister Angie was a sickly child with her parents focusing primarily on her and leaving Lucy feeling neglected. As a result she has always resented her sister who managed to become a lawyer in Maine.

As an adult, Lucy is a 26-year-old woman working as a teacher's aide at an elementary school in California. She is well liked by the teachers and students but she seems to form a bond with 7-year-old Christopher Lamb who is living with a foster family. Her connection to him sometimes feels "cringe-worthy" given that Christopher is being cared for by a caring family. Lucy desperately wants to adopt him even to the extent that she expresses this to the young boy. He is aware of her financial insecurity and wants to "help" Lucy raise money so she can afford to adopt him. They discuss what the future would look like when Lucy can provide a stable and financially stable home for Christopher.

When Lucy is notified about the Wishing Game opportunity, she is excited to think that she may be able to reach her financial goals sooner than she expected. But, winning the Wishing Game proves to be more challenging than she could've imagined. ( )

Read 26% of this book weeks ago but haven’t been in the mood to read it since.

Dnf for now

DNF at 80%. I feel gross listening to any more of this. At first the age fetish hints were subtle but they really ramped up in the second half. It was the reveal of a past trauma for our MC that finally convinced me I should’ve DNF’d back around the 10% mark when those feelings started.

Lucy is obsessed with a 9-year-old, and wants to be his mother. She is 26. She was intensely attracted to a 21-year-old artist when she was 13. She was even more attracted to said artist when they met again 13 years later. That now-34-year-old didn’t find it weird that he was amicably attracted to the no-longer-13-year-old. Lucy’s ex-boyfriend was her college professor. And there’s SA discussed with minor characters… who are also minors.

Actual quotes from this dumpster fire:
“Guess I’m just a big kid…” [said flirtatiously]
“Sorry that [moan] was a little pornographic…” [said after a spoonful of soup]
“No! You look *good* ‘bizarre’ [without your glasses]. Like, really young.”

Just watch Willy Wonka. Or read Mr. Lemoncello’s Library. Both are far superior works surrounding adults making a game surrounding kids that isn’t disgusting. And one of the adults was clearly disposing of the losers along the way. ( )

In all fairness, while I did give this book two stars I did not read the whole thing. Someone, somewhere described it as "a warm hug" and that should have been warning enough. Still, I forced myself to read several chapters because fans of "The Wishing Game" are very dedicated and very convincing. But from the get-go I did not like the main character, Lucy, who essentially believes that "love is all you need." Some might find her determination to adopt a young boy charming, but I found it arrogant. She has no money, no parental experience, no training as a psychologist. What she does have with the boy is shared childhood trauma and that will, what, make her capable of healing him? Then the story spins into a bit of fantasy which, as many before me have already pointed out, is pretty much a reworking of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." If Lifetime Programming for Women is your cup of tea, you may like this. I just could not take the page after page of cuteness (even its most devoted admirers often describe the book as "cute") and the cloying quality of both the story and the writing. ( )