In the case of The Wishing Game, I believe this was an "it's not you, it's me" situation. With a premise that inspires the nostalgia of Willy Wonka a la Gene Wilder and a setting full of whimsey, Shaffer's story should have been a home run read for me! However, something about her style of writing didn't mix with my own and I could not get past the 25% despite multiple attempts to revive my reading. Rather than force myself to push on, I'm doing a soft DNF for now and will not be rating this (for the sake of Netgalley, I will give this 4 stars)!

Thank you to Ballantine and Netgalley for providing me with this digital arc :)

The Wishing Game follows Lucy as she returns to her favorite author's island. An island she ran away to as a child as she wished for a different life. This time around, she is there for a contest for which winning would be lifechanging. The book was interesting and a little whimsical. I enjoyed it but it could be a little slow.

The Wishing Game is a whimsical and tender adult Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and I loved every moment of it.

Lucy is a struggling teacher's aide whose only wish is to adopt Christopher, one of the students she works with. They’ve bonded partly over the children's book series Clock Island. Then, the reclusive author of the series announces he's written another book, and he's holding a contest with the manuscript as the prize. Lucy sets out to win with the goal of being able to sell it in order to finally become a family with Christopher.

The characterization in this book was superb. I fell in love with everyone immediately. You won't find any morally grey characters here; they're all lovable and kind, even if slightly grumpy or full of idiosyncrasies. Shaffer managed to make them all feel like real people with flaws, problems, and a whole lived history. What some of them have been through will break your heart, but by the end it will have been put back together again.

The setting was magical. I don't mean that in a literal way—this is contemporary fiction, and there is no real magic—but the island on which the contest takes place is full of locations out of the Clock Island books, which makes it feel like the characters are around every corner and anything could happen.

If I have one complaint, it's that I wanted to see more of the games in the contest. Despite it being the main plot, it took up relatively little page time. The parts we saw were so fun, I would have liked more time devoted to it.

The Wishing Game was one of my most anticipated books of the year, and it exceeded every expectation I had. I turned the last page feeling like I had been through the journey with the characters and came out uplifted on the other side.

4.5/5 and I highly recommend, especially if you like:
-Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
-Books about books
-Whimsical settings & characters
-Riddles
🫶-Lovable characters with heartbreaking stories
-An emotional and cathartic story, but you still feel lighthearted at the end

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley, for the advanced copy of The Wishing Game.

Another fiver, guys. This book deserves each of those five stars. This one will have you smiling, laughing, and crying. It's such a fun story and premise. The book did not disappoint at all. It will keep you hoping and wishing but oh will it break your heart at times. I think it's a great novel for the young and old (or young at heart).

I think there's a novel for most of us when we were kids that captivated us and hold a special place in our hearts. For our protagonist, Lucy Hart, that book series was the Clock Island series by Jack Masterson. Now a teacher's aide in her mid-twenties, Lucy shares her love of these novels with a very special orphan, Christopher Lamb. Lucy and Christopher have a very special bond, and she has promised to do everything she cans to be able to adopt him. But just when that promise seems like it's about to be broken, Lucy is given the chance to win the rights to the newest Clock Island book from Jack Masterson. If Lucy wins, she will be able to give Christopher the life he deserves, but if she loses, their dreams will come to a screeching halt.

I absolutely LOVED this book.

I read someone’s positive review on goodreads.com and thought,”Not my usual genre,, but why not request the ARC from netgalley.com.”?”

I am so glad I did.

This book let me leave my life behind and enter a whimsical, magical world where dreams come true and anything is possible..

Wonderful. Highly recommend.


review on goodreads

Such a a fun read. Cross between Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Westing Game. But muddled as to why the last test didn’t work out, some of the writing was fuzzy. But mostly it worked. Not really a feel good story, lots of darker themes.

I was so excited for this book - everything about the description pulled me in and it has a very high Goodreads score. So I dove in! And unfortunately the execution didn’t work for me at all and I decided to DNF.

Lucy is 26 and a teacher’s aide. She is determined to foster/adopt Christopher - a 7 year old boy and refers to herself as his mother. I feel like maybe I am missing some backstory here of how they met and built their relationship. But where we first meet them - we see Lucy talking openly to Christopher about how she wants to adopt him but needs to raise more money and it will probably take her 2 years. It felt like a lot to put on a 7 year old and it didn’t sit right with me.

Then we see her with his social worker who is explaining to Lucy that it takes more than love to be a great parent and her living situation doesn’t put her in the right place now. I guess this is all to make us truly feel the stakes of why Lucy will need to win the money but it didn’t work for me.

I’m disappointed but this one wasn’t for me. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.

4.5 stars

“The stories write us, you see. We read something that moves us, touches us, speaks to us and it … it changes us.”

This was such an unexpectedly heartwarming novel. It deals with some very serious issues (please see CW’s), but they’re incorporated into the story in such a heartbreakingly beautiful way. I was rooting for Lucy and Christopher’s happily ever after from the moment I met them and the small romantic plot line with Hugo was a sweet surprise.

At its heart, The Wishing Game is a story of hope and resilience. It’s a story that celebrates love and the family we find along the way. The Willy Wonka-esque competition was a lot of fun (didn’t we all dream of finding that golden ticket?) and I loved how all the plot lines came together. This feel good novel will leave your heart full and have you smiling ear to ear.

CW: parental abandonment/neglect, chronically ill sibling, grief, financial and housing insecurity, foster care, mentions of: overdose, sexual abuse, drowning, kidney transplant, financial debt, alcohol abuse, death of sibling, etc)

Jack Masterson, reclusive author of the Clock Island series, is holding a contest - the prize - the only copy of a brand new book. However, those eligible to compete will have to receive an invitation.
The Clock Island series had a great impact on Lucy Hart, now a teacher's assistant. She read the books to connect with seven year old orphan Christopher. The two play the wishing game - the wish to be mother and son. When she receives the invitation, the hope of winning and finally having thefunds for adoption are the driving force.
The other three competitors were also impacted by the Clock Island books. To win, they must solvethe riddles presented. The race is on to see who will win the life changing prize.
Lovely read.
 #TheWishingGame #NetGalley

♥️🙌🏼♥️ 4.5* For those of you who grew up loving Willy Wonka's Charlie & The Chocolate Factory with hope you could win the "Golden Ticket" to help change a winner's life than this one is for you! Who hasn't wanted to meet their favorite author and live out their childhood dream through a book? Everything spilled out as mythical but yet it was strangely real-life fantasy...if you can tie it all together. Jack Masterson is the author of The Clock Island series. A few incidences have occurred in his life which has put him in hiding and not writing anymore. His illustrator Hugo, a very handsome man, is tired of the isolation and being a companion watching over Jack for reasons that will appear near the end of the book.
When Jack decides to write another book for the series, he also decides to have a contest so a winner will be able to make his/her life better. This is when 26 year old Lucy Hart comes into focus. Her life has been one of neglect and she spends her days as a teacher's aide to help other children. One particular 7 year old boy, Christopher, has lost his parents and was placed into foster care. Lucy wants to adopt him, but was not approved due to lack of funds and a home for him. She enters the contest because The Clock Series helped her through life and she has read them to Christopher to help him. She had run away from home to Clock Island when she was 13 years old hoping she could live there with the author and knows everything about the books.
There are so many awakenings in the book! Each character has suffered a loss and lack of stability. With four potential winners chosen to come to the island for the contest, you will have so many moments of anticipation and hope for Lucy.
This was a fun heartfelt book and sometimes tearful due to the plight each character has suffered, but the competition is about to begin. Do not miss out on your "Wish"!!!
Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for this ARC in exchange for my review!

I saw one review describe this book as a "warm hug" and I can't find any better words to express the essence of this book. Enchanting, maybe? I really loved the setting and felt like the vivid, surrealistic descriptions really brought Clock Island to life. The book felt magical and fantastical, despite being neither in nature. It honestly felt like mix between Young Adult and Adult Fiction with almost a romantic feel. I don't mean that in a literal sense either, (although Hugo 😍), but in that hopeful until the end, sort of way.

This book wasn't what I was expecting and I think that worked well in some ways and was a bit disappointing in others. The beginning was a bit slow and nothing really unexpected happen in the game or the plot. On the other hand, I think that is what made it feel like such a warm, fuzzy read. If you need a whimsical break, this will likely work for you. And if you need inspiration to start drawing again, definitely give this a read. Seriously, LOVED the illustrator, Hugo.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House-Ballantine Books for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 rounded up

This book was like a warm hug and I adored it. It's a feel-good tale about a woman who is a bit down on her luck and is trying to adopt a little boy she has been teaching at the school she works at. When the author of her favorite book series has a contest for the only copy of his latest book, she knows it's the chance she needs to get everything she wants.

Touching and cute and charming, I loved going on this journey and meeting quirky authors and illustrators and the other contestants of the contest, which was in and of itself cleverly devised. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants a quick, fun, low-stakes read and a hug in book form.

The novel opens with Lucy living with some stereotypical college roommates with their usual lifestyle. She is a kindergarten teachers aide who wants to adopt one of her students who was orphaned. Into such a sad scenario, Lucy uses a series of children's books, The Clock Island books, that were a lifeline for her during her own childhood. The eccentric author of those books is famous for his riddles, and he sets us a game that brings Lucy and others back to the island. Winning the game, although quite difficult, would solve all of Lucy's problems. Ms. Shaffer skillfully wields the plot around this basic storyline. It will keep you enthralled and waiting to see what will happen next. You won't want to put it down!

The Wishing Game is a fun read that reminds one of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Jack, the author and planner of the game, lives on Clock Island off the Maine coast. He writes a series of children’s books about the clock in which he encourages children to be brave and work to make their wishes into reality. He hasn’t written a new book in many years and devises a game to bring it to light. The winner gets the only copy of the book and all rights to do whatever they choose with it. There are four contestants who had run away to Clock Island as children and are invited to take part. If none of them can solve the puzzles in time the publisher gets the book. Lucy, Melanie, Dustin and Andre all arrive for a week of puzzles, riddles and personal challenges but will any of them get the points to win the big prize?
It is a fun read on one level as one reads on you will experience the very deep emotions of each character. Why has Jack lived so isolated for all the years and why has his illustrator and friend, Hugo, never left either? Are they each hiding their own deep secrets and fears of living in the outside world? I am so glad I read this book and give it 5 stars.
I received an advance copy of this book from the Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

The Wishing Game is so delightful and magical you'll long to be a kid again. But The Wishing Game is for adults, and is filled with many of the challenges-financial struggles, death, family estrangements, heartbreak-that many grown ups know well. The Wishing Game pays homage to Roald Dahl and Willy Wonka-when Jack the "Mastermind" Masterson first appears it feels like Gene Wilder is stepping off the page. Jack is a beloved children's author, and his "Clock Island" books have made him fabulously wealthy. But Jack has spent the last six years hidden away on his private island off the coast of Maine, with only his illustrator Hugo for company. Until Jack writes "A Wish For Clock Island" and invites four long time Clock Island fans (now adults) to compete for the manuscript, knowing it could be worth millions to the winner. And Lucy, who devoured Clock Island books as a child-even running away from home in the hope of meeting Jack Masterson-sees the contest as the key to adopting Christopher, who lost both his parents. Jack's contest is filled with riddles and games much like his books, stumping even the four Clock Island devotees. In between games Hugo (who forfeited true love to stay by Jack's side) and Lucy connect. It's joyful to watch, especially because of all the sadness both have known. The message of The Wishing Game is to keep going even in the face of overwhelming adversity, and is delivered cleverly and poignantly. With stunning visuals (Clock Island is a literal dream come true), and characters who shoulder their pasts like a well worn cloak, it's hard to believe The Wishing Game is Meg Shaffer's debut novel. No one can compare to Mr. Dahl, but Miss Shaffer is a mastermind, and The Wishing Game is a masterpiece.

This was such a fun ride! A contemporary Wizard of Oz meets Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. You just can't help pulling for the heroine as her story unfolds. A beautiful tale of family, love and the ties that bond. My heart was full after reading this book, and Lucy will stay with me for awhile. I highly recommend this book (my first five star review in a long time)!

The Wishing Game is the story of Lucy, who as a 12 year old girl, once ran away to see her favorite author (Jack Masterson, aka The Mastermind) and asked to be his sidekick. Her parents did not love her, but Jack returned Lucy to her grandparents, who did, and they raised her.
Now grown, Lucy works as a kindergarten teacher's aide, living on the edge of poverty. Her one wish is to be able to foster, then adopt a troubled little boy named Christopher. But when his social worker informs Lucy that even though she works two jobs she doesn’t make enough money to adopt Christopher, she is crushed.
Just then, Jack Masterson, who has not produced a novel in years, writes one, and declares a contest. Four lucky former children, who once visited him at his home, will have the opportunity to solve various riddles and puzzles. The winner will win the sole copy of the new book, for which publishers are all too eager to pay hefty sums.
And Lucy is one of the four.

This book is a charming escape. Think of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with books. Jack Masterson is a popular children’s book author who writes about Clock Island. And he lives on Clock Island off the coast of Maine in real life. His stories are about children who escape to his island with a wish. In real life, four children did precisely that.

Jack hasn’t written a book in several years. His cover illustrator, Hugo, and he lives on the island, both dealing with some form of depression. Suddenly, the world learns that he has written a book and called those four children back to the island as contestants in a game where the winner gets sole rights to the book. Sounds fascinating, and it is. Jack is a weird guy who speaks in riddles but has a heart of gold and looks for the best in everyone.

The main character in a book of characters is Lucy Hart. She comes from a family who didn’t want her, and she escaped to the island as a child to find love. She is a great, sympathetic character. Fleeing her life, she moved to California, where she is an assistant kindergarten teacher, and wants to adopt a student named Christopher, who lost his parents. She loves him with all her heart but earns a poor wage and can’t save enough to get a decent apartment that would pass muster in the adoption process. So she enters the competition hoping to win so she can be Christopher’s mom.

The author does a fantastic job creating a scene, characters, and a story that draws you in. Lucy and Hugo are so believable, and the entire contest is clever and fun. I didn’t know what to expect, but I couldn’t put this book down. It is such a wholesome piece of fun literature. Highly recommend.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This enchanting story grabbed me from the beginning. It's both a dreamy, magical fairy tale and a heartfelt story of children, small and grown, searching for belonging, acceptance, and love. The power of stories to heal and even save lives is a constant theme throughout. Kindergarten assistant Lucy, reclusive writer Jack, foster child Christopher, and bitter artist Hugo are all compelling characters, and the setting, the real Clock Island off the coast of Maine, is mysterious, magical, and at times sinister. As winners of a contest, four adults whose childhoods were impacted by the Clock Island children's book series are involved in a sort of scavenger hunt with convoluted riddles as clues. The object is the discovery of a hidden masterpiece--the long-awaited final novel in the series--and if one of them solves the clues to find it, their dearest wish will come true--though not in the way they envision. As the old adage says, be careful what you wish for! I loved everything about the story and will definitely seek out more from this author!

Lucy Hart is struggling. She had an unhappy childhood and now she just wants to provide for a little boy she tutors, but she can barely help herself. Their only respite from the real world together is in reading the popular children’s series, The Clock Island Books, which above all else teaches being brave, wishing for what you want, and working hard towards that wish. The thing is, these books stopped being written mysteriously and abruptly. The author Jack Masterson stopped writing 6 years ago, but now has written a final masterpiece which will only be shared with the winner of a mysterious contest that takes place on his island off the coast of Maine. Shockingly, Lucy is one of only four contestants selected for the contest and she can barely stand to jinx herself by wishing to be the winner.

This book was just amazing. So heartwarming and moving, I haven’t had a book make me feel similar to this since I read The House in the Cerulean Sea. There’s the feeling of magic created by imagination, wonderful characters who encourage being childlike, and the sense of escapism on the bizzare Clock Island. I will absolutely be putting this on my must read 2023 list.

Thank you so much to @netgalley, @randomhouse, and @meg_shaffer for giving me this eARC in exchange for an honest review. My review is posted on my Instagram @hilaryisbooking it