Thanks to NetGalley for a free advance ereader copy of “The Wishing Game.”
It’s been a very long time since I finished a book with a smile so wide it hurt my face. Part Willy Wonka, part Mathilda (the protagonist, Lucy, reminded me of Miss Honey), part Wizard of Oz, “The Wishing Game” is a love letter to children’s literature and how its messages have the power to change the lives of its young readers. This book is a marvel and I hope it becomes an instant classic. Five stars and I wish it could be ten. Kudos to author Meg Shaffer. I’ll read anything you write. Go pre-order or reserve this book now. You won’t be sorry.

This was an absolutely beautiful novel! It’s about the depth of the human spirit - longing for the future and the past simultaneously. It’s about love, and how friendship and family can be intricately linked.

The setting for this novel was fantastic! Clock Island is a beautiful yet mysterious island where the author of The Clock Island children’s books lives. It is also the setting for the children’s book series. It is easy to visualize all of the minute details of the island through Lucy’s eyes.

Lucy had visited the island once as a child, hoping to have her wish granted. She is back on the island as an adult to participate in a game, also in the hopes to have a wish fulfilled. Lucy is a likable character whose story is easy to become vested in. The reader will want to root for her from the beginning.

This book had the perfect combination of adventure, drama, mystery, and love. It was a quick read!

Thank you to #NetGalley and #BallantineBooks for an eARC of #TheWishingGame by #MegShaffer - 5 stars

I adored this book!! The characters were well written, the plot was extraordinary. The Wishing Game was an absolute joy to read. Meg Shaffer created such “real” characters that made you want to cheer for their success. I was sad to have it end and that it’s a debut book for this author because I want more!

‘The only wishes ever granted—’ ” “ ‘—are the wishes of brave children who keep on wishing even when it seems no one’s listening because someone somewhere always is,’ ”

Thank you to NetGalley, Meg Shaffer, and Random House Ballantine Publishing for the ARC.

ARC provided by NetGalley

The Wishing Game is a lovely and charming story. A Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory-esque story about a young woman, Lucy, desperately trying to make ends meet to adopt her student, she gets the chance of a lifetime to compete for the final book of a reclusive, eccentric author on a whimsical island with several twists.

My first pleasant surprise from this book was the dual point of views from Lucy and Hugo, the book illustrator. I felt Lucy was so sweet and earnest it almost because treacly, but Hugo’s sarcastic English personality balanced it wonderfully. As the book continued and we saw more of the tension between her and Hugo, I began to like Lucy more and more, and I was rooting for her the whole way.

While the first half of the book was a bit slow, I think the book really hit its stride the second half when the game begun and we got to see more of the reclusive author, Jack, and his island. My main critique is I wanted more! I could have spent forever reading about the little eccentricities of the island, I feel it would have made the book feel much more atmospheric. I also think the story would have benefitted from getting to know the other contenders a bit more. They seemed a bit two-dimensional, as did some of the the other secondary characters. There is one character in the beginning of the novel that used “Baby Girl” in nearly every sentence, it seemed to be her only defining trait.

Small flaws aside, I really enjoyed my time with this book and have the nostalgic, bittersweet feeling that comes from revisiting a beloved childhood classic. This book has so much heart and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for something charming and easy to read.

My heart is so full! I had anticipated liking this book because the synopsis held the promise of something that could grab hold of my heart, but this was even better than what I imagined.

As a reader, I loved the idea of a book series that made such an impact on so many people. Even better was the fact that the author had a connection to several of the readers, and they made quite an impression on him as well. After many years of silence, Jack was back with a new book and an opportunity for these fans.

The contest was a fun element. I love that Jack was putting "his children" through events similar to that of the characters in his books, but there was so much more. Big themes of healing, forgiveness, and what makes a family were what not only tugged, but rather, yanked at my heartstrings. I grew to love Jack, Hugo, Lucy, and Christopher. I wanted this win for all of them, as I knew they were better together than apart.

Overall, this was a beautiful tale of love and family that was told with a touch of whimsy and lots of heart.

The plot sounded so appealing but I wasn't pulled into the story. It's entirely possible that I picked this book up at the wrong moment for me to read it and I'll go back at some point and realise that this is wonderful. Until then, I DNF this one.

3.5- This book is like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but for books. It’s a little bit of magic, a little bit of whimsy, and a little bit of fun, all rolled up together.
Lucy is 26 and a Kindergarten Aide; her life revolves around her job, and sweet second grader, Christopher, who is in foster care. Both Lucy and Christopher have the same wish- for Lucy to adopt Christopher. Lucy introduced Christopher to her favorite childhood book series, Clock Island by Jack Masterson, in which every book features a child who goes to Clock Island to get their greatest wish granted. When Lucy is invited to enter a contest on the real Clock Island, she and Christopher know this is her chance to make their wish come true.
This book seems like a cross between Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library. It combines the magic Willy Wonka has with the games Mr. Lemoncello creates and I feel like it had a lot of potential.
NetGalley has this characterized as Women’s Fiction and Sci Fi & Fantasy but it reads so much more juvenile than that. I wanted to be wowed by this, but it just fell flat. I really enjoyed the riddles that were strewn throughout, but they weren’t nearly as hard as the characters made them out to be.
Had this been marketed to young adults, I would have given it 4 stars, but given the fact that it’s being marketed to adults I feel like I have to knock off half a star because the writing just isn’t up to par for an adult style. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House- Ballentine for an advanced copy of this. This hits the shelves May 30th.

It's like Wonka for adults and book lovers alike. But beyond the game and magical books it is a heartwarming story of found family, forgiveness, and moving forward. Very charming story

Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to pre-read this book and share my opinions on it.

This book was just about as mediocre as you can get. It's not that it was bad or anything. Just... not particularly memorable. It was like <i>Charlie and the Chocolate Factory</i> if <i>Charlie and the Chocolate Factory</i> was all so very twee and squishy and sentimental. The stakes never felt particularly high. None of the characters suffered from seemingly insurmountable flaws, which made everyone seem, well, boring.

Well, okay, I have to admit something about Jack - who is supposed to be the good-hearted Mastermind behind everything - gave me the heebs. Something about the way he chose to speak to his very young fans made me distinctly uncomfortable. But... I think he was supposed to be this sweet old man? Not the creepy dude I thought he was.

Anyways.

This was also supposed to be about a game/competition, right? I guess I never quite understood the rules of the games, nor how it was supposed to work. None of the competitors seemed particularly competitive, except for that one dude who got kicked off of the game right away. So again. Pretty dull.

Also, this might make me seem like a jerk, but when Lucy was trying to tell Christopher's case manager how she was the only suitable person to be his foster mom, despite her squalid living conditions, all I could think was, "I gotta agree with the case manager on this one." It's important to love a child, but you have to be able to provide for him as well.

*sigh* I don't know, I guess this just didn't land with me, but it was sweet and heartwarming and all that jazz, so if that's your jam, you'll probably like this book. It just wasn't my thing.

Like Wily Wonka but with an author and his island based on his children’s book series. There’s a little bit of grumpy-sunshine romance and heart aching situations for characters, but all in all it was a cozy read that pulls in your heartstrings.

I absolutely adored this book. I love the balance of the lightheartedness of Jack and the world of Clock Island and the more serious conversation about familial relationships (and found families). I think the writing is very digestible for a wide age group, and I think for folks around my age, Clock Island gives the nostalgic vibes of Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys. I would absolutely devour the Clock Island books, even now.

Thanks so much to NetGalley & the author for the advanced copy.

This book completely transported me back to my childhood. I remember just spending hours laying in the hallway by the bookshelf reading book after book and wishing I could escape into the worlds that were created inside of them. This book brings those wishes to life, literally! It was such a heartbreaking yet heartfelt read at the same time. I really didn’t think I would get very invested in this book because it’s not the typical genre I usually go for but I was pleasantly surprised. I think anyone who used to use books as an escape as a kid should read this!

"The Wishing Game" is a beautiful story. Sometimes, with a little work and some luck, wishes do come true. If you are prone to cry with emotional books, keep a handkerchief or Kleenex handy, as you will need it.

The story centers around the Clock Island series by Jack Masterson. This beloved children's series featured the mysterious Master Mastermind, who lived on Clock Island, and granted wishes to brave children. Masterson wrote sixty-five books and then stopped writing, with no one knowing why; except for Hugo Reese, the illustrator of the books, who lives on Clock Island with Masterson and serves as a caretaker of sorts. Yes, there is a Clock Island -- a small private island off the coast of Maine that Masterson has fashioned to resemble the Clock Island of his books.

Ever since the first book was published, children have been writing letters to Master Mastermind sharing their wishes (often of a heartbreaking nature). Some of the children have even run away to Clock Island, albeit only temporarily. One of those children was Lucy Hart, who felt lonely and unwanted; her older sister, Angie, was very sick (compromised immune system), often in the hospital, and doted upon by their parents, who neglected the healthy Lucy, eventually sending her off to live with her grandparents. Lucy identified with Astrid, the heroine in the first book, and ran away to Clock Island hoping to be Mastermind's sidekick. Lucy is now grown-up and works as a teacher's aide in California. She has bonded with a student, Christopher, who is in the foster care system following the overdose death of his parents. She started reading him the Clock Island books to help him cope, and she wants to become his foster parent and eventually adopt him, but she lacks the necessary financial stability to qualify as a foster parent; she is single, lives with roommates, and has no vehicle. She is scrimping and saving but it will be at least two years before she has enough money saved for an apartment and a vehicle. Neither of them wants to wait that long, and there is the fear that Christopher will be placed with a foster family who will want to adopt him; his current foster mother is not interested in a permanent arrangement. Having another family adopt him would not necessarily be a bad thing, but it is not what Lucy or Christopher want.

Masterson has written a new book -- A Wish for Clock Island -- and he plans to give the sole copy of the book to someone "very brave, very clever, and who knows how to make wishes." He invites four children, now adults, who ran away to Clock Island to return and compete for the book, which, if sold, will bring a tidy sum of money to help them grant their wishes. Each person had significant issues as children that led them to Clock Island and each has significant stressors/fears now. To win, the person will have to answer riddles, play games, and face their fears. Lucy, of course, is one of the contestants.

The characters are great, especially Lucy, Christopher, Hugo, and Jack. The author has created intricate and somewhat tragic backstories for these characters but has also created outlets for them to overcome their obstacles, if they can only recognize the opportunities. She also shows the power of hope, love, and unconventional families. The book has some good surprises, and the ending is quite fitting.

This was a DNF for me, as it was miscategorized, and the belabored angst made it drag. I do not publicly review DNFs.

3.5
This is an ARC from NetGalley.

I enjoyed this story, but it was listed as “Sci-Fi/Fantasy” and it was definitely none of that. Like other reviews say, it does read more like YA. I kept expecting some kind of magic, and maybe if I had known there was no magic, I would have enjoyed it more, because I was waiting for the magic to be real! It was a lovely and quick read, but I feel like it should have been longer, which isn’t something I usually desire in books.

In conclusion: I enjoyed the book, I only wish it had been fleshed out more so I could see more of the interesting world created. I would read another book by this author.

I adored this book!! Such wonderful characters, great writing, and a fun but meaningful plot. The Wishing Game reminded me of favorite childhood books (I’m thinking Charlie and the Chocolate Factory among others) with a grown up spin. Thank you to NetGalley, Meg Shaffer, and Random House Ballantine Publishing for the ARC.

I adored this book! I am sad that it is a debut novel because I want to read more by this author and now I will have to wait. I also wish that the Clock Island books were real and I could read them too! This enchanting book is a Willy Wonka style game where several contestants return to the private island of a beloved children's book author each with something in their lives that needs fixing. The main character is a kindergarten TA who wants to adopt a former student. I loved the parts where the book talks about that because I teach kindergarten and it was funny and accurate! Watching each character on their healing journey made me laugh and cry and cheer. I can't wait for the audio of this book to come out.
Cheers to all the brave wishers in the world!

Many many thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC of this delightful book in exchange for an honest review.

4 what would you wish for stars

Do you have a favorite childhood author? Or have you seen your children fall in love with a series of books? This one reminded me of both of those situations as we have author Jack Masterson, beloved author of the Clock Island series of books. He’s created a magical world for children and so many love his books.

It’s been years since he’s written a new book and the mystery swirls around him. Out of nowhere, he announces a competition around a new book he’s written. One lucky winner will receive the sole copy of the book and likely become wealthy as a result by selling it to a publisher.

The main character in this one is Lucy Hart; she had a terrible childhood but loved the Clock Island books. Now that she’s working in a school, she can introduce other children to the books. One such student is Christopher Lamb, an orphan that Lucy would love to adopt someday. However, she earns a meager salary, lives in a house with many roommates, and needs to have more stability before she would ever be granted first a foster situation and then adoption.

We also get to know Hugo, the illustrator of Jack’s books and who lives on the island with Jack. Why has he stayed all these years? Whatever happened to Jack to cause him to stop writing?

Just as it seems ultra bleak for Lucy, she’s invited to be one of the contestants in Jack’s contest. Could all her wishes come true? She will have to be the cleverest of the group to win the ultimate prize.

This heartwarming and whimsical tale had the right mix of magic, romance, and books!

Can’t say how much I love books about books. The nostalgia makes this book. Will
Be recommending to all my book friends. So fun!

Everyone has that magical childhood book they loved and read over and over again and dreamed that they could somehow be in the book instead of their own lives...well for Lucy Hart that dream comes true, sort of. As an adult she and three others are invited to Clock Island by the author of the beloved Clock Island book series to complete for the ownership of his long overdue new book. And Lucy has a special reason for wanting to win raising the stakes to higher level.

I just loved the premise, but I wish the book had been a little less romance novel and a little less "sweet". I would have liked more on the competition and the riddles and the magic of clock island. But still a very enjoyable book.