Thank you so much to Random House Publishing Group and Netgalley for providing me an ARC copy of The Wishing Game! You know how they say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover? Well, as soon as I saw this cover I knew I needed to read it and I'm so glad I did. This was such a whimsical, quirky, fun, magical, heartwarming story. As a child (ok, and an adult too) who found comfort in the pages of books, the story really spoke to me. This is an amazing debut for Meg Shaffer and I will be looking out for anything she writes in the future. 5 big stars!

Did Lucy's wish come true? She needs a very big wish to come true.

Lucy had met Jack Masterson, children's author, when she was a young girl.

Lucy and three other contestants are called back to the Clock House for a game to win his latest and last book.


Will a contest on the famous Clock Island with the famous Jack Masterson and with the prize of Jack’s last book worth six figures if you sell it save her so she can have enough money and a suitable life to adopt Christopher?

The house and the game Jack had for them on Clock Island was very clever, and the book was a magical one filled with books, love, hope, and lovable characters.

THE WISHING GAME is a different read that at times was a bit odd, but you will love Lucy and Christopher and their journey to become a family.

In the beginning, I was curious about the plot, but soon enough you will be part of the warm feelings flowing from the characters and will be rooting for Lucy to achieve her life-long dream of winning the contest and becoming a mother.

A sweet, uplifting read that also addresses the difficulties of the child foster program. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

What an enchanting book! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to preview The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer. I requested this book based on the stellar reviews, and now I'm here to add one of my own.

I was an avid reader of fantasy as a child, and I would have loved if the Clock Island series was real. Clock Island (in the books) became a refuge for children experiencing issues in their lives. Some of these children, like our protagonist Lucy, ran away to the real Clock Island to escape their problems. There lives a WIlly Wonka-esque author who tries his best to make their wishes come true.

This was an easy read and had me engaged immediately. The characters had issues that felt real and reacted to them (usually) like real people would. This is a great first offering from Meg Shaffer, and I can't wait to see what she does next.

THE WISHING GAME is SO MUCH of fun … it’s joyful like a children’s book, but it’s geared for adults. There’s adventure and magic: the kind that lit you up as a kid when you read Nancy Drew books or a Roald Dahl adventure.

Lucy wants nothing more than to have a stable life so she can adopt a little boy who goes to the school where she works as a teacher’s aide. When she gets the chance to compete in a wild game - sponsored by her childhood idol, author Jack Masterson - Lucy jumps at the chance. She is swept to the mysterious and wonky Clock Island, where Masterson lives and writes his iconic Clock Island series. There she meets illustrator and mega-famous artist Hugo Reese, as well as three others who have been carefully selected to play the game. The winner will receive the only copy in existence of Masterson’s latest novel to keep or sell - making them a pile of cash.

Author Meg Schaffer describes Jack Masterson as “Albus Dumbledore, Willy Wonka, and Jesus Christ all rolled into one … if Dumbledore, Wonka, and Christ had depression and drank too much,” and I think that’s a (hilarious) perfect description. I couldn’t help but compare Lucy to Ms. Honey in Dahl’s Matilda. Little Christopher (the boy Lucy wants to adopt) is as sweet as Charlie Bucket. I adored all the characters and rooted for each of them.

THE WISHING GAME is a nod to the wonder of childhood and to the literature that lights up childrens’ lives. It’s perfect for book lovers and those who enjoy riddles and puzzles. I would also compare it to The Inheritance Games series, but I liked THE WISHING GAME much better.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an eARC of THE WISHING GAME and the opportunity to share my honest opinion.

This review is posted on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5410988054 and will be posted on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/watchskyeread the week of publication (Monday, May 29, 2023).

The Wishing Game
By Meg Shaffer
Pub Date May 30
Ballentine
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Fantasy fiction
Years ago a best selling children’s author quit writing under mysterious circumstances. Suddenly he resurfaces with a brand new book and a one of a kind competition. Unique story!
4 stars

A grownup mashup of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Westing Game. This was a pretty fun time, with neat puzzles and good depth. But some gaps made this only a three star for me, that I could see the author improving with future, non-debut novels: too much page space given to internal monologues or repetitive dialogues, some character development jumps/holes, etc.

This book was so sweet and so fun, I absolutely loved it!
The style and story are similar to Willy Wonka, but it also reminded me of Chris Grabestein's Lemoncello books, and Jennifer Chambliss Bertman's Book Scavenger series.
Those books would all be considered YA, but I don't think that book is... it could be, it has all the elements, but it also has a little bit of an older storyline as well.
Our main character Lucy, poor and single in her twenties, wants to adopt orphaned Christopher, a boy at the school where she works, but she can't afford to give them a nice enough place to live, so she is unable to foster or adopt him. Then she receives an invitation to play a game on Clock Island, home to a rich and famous author of children's books. (Lucy had run away to Clock Island when she was young, and had met the author before. It turns out, the four people chosen to play this game had all run away to the island in their youth.) The prize for this game is the rights to the author's new book, which they can sell to make a lot of money. If Lucy wins, she can finally adopt Christopher!
The majority of the book takes place on the island, playing the game, interacting with the author, the other contestants, and Hugo, the artist who paints pictures for all the book covers. Lucy learns and grows, as do most of the other characters.
I won't give away the ending, but I think you can figure it out while you're reading; they all get their happy ever after.
A sweet, sweet story, filled with fun and some adventures.
Great job for a first time author! I hope to see more books by her.

As children, many of us had favorite book series that we read and couldn’t wait until the next book in the series came out. You’d mark it on your calendar.. you’d count down the months,days,minutes,hours until the book was set to be released. Lol… why even restrict this to children, I still do this today! What if you waited years and years and the book never came? And then lo and behold.. finally one day you hear about a contest the author has created for the last book in the series… let the games begin!
Such a fun book from a debut author that will have you flipping the pages until the very end!
Many thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my review

The Wishing Game was such a lovely and interesting concept! It was like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Westing Game mixed together, but much sweeter and the "eccentric" was much more kind and benevolent. I loved all of the characters and Clock Island was such a well thought out place, and though it was whimsical it was also deep and thought-provoking. While I usually speed through books, I savored this one because I didn't want it to end, and yet I was dying to know what happened. So good!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

The Wishing Game is everything you need and more!
Lucy’s connection with her hopefully-soon-to-be-adopted son is the driving force for her entry into a contest hosted by her favorite childhood author.

Told with charm and nuance, this book shares the good (and bad) parts of family relationships as Lucy, Christopher, Hugo, and Jack discover the people they need to create their own family.

This story is sure to warm your heart and wish for your own trip to Clock Island!

The best book I’ve read in a while! The second I finished it, I went to find out what else the author had written. And there’s….NOTHING!? What an amazing and heartwarming first book! I love the way this ended but I would be thrilled to read a sequel! Off to tell my book club all about it!

this book was so beyond charming. the premise of an adult version of willy wonka immediately interested me and i was not let down. it felt like i was reading an elevated version of one of the fantasy books i read as a child. the relationship between lucy and christopher was so heartwarming. i also did tear up at the end. unashamed.

thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the advanced reader copy!

I LOVED this novel so much, even insisting on some quiet reading time during a girls’ getaway weekend because I couldn’t put it down! It starts a bit slow - Lucy is a broke teacher’s aide at an elementary school who really wants to adopt Christopher, an orphan in foster care, with whom she shares a love of reading. But she’s not allowed to do so because of her finances - so when reclusive children’s author Jack Masterson announces a contest to win the only copy of his first book in years, and Lucy gets a sky blue envelope inviting her to play the puzzle game on his private island, she thinks it might solve all her problems. This book is awesomely described as Willy Wonka for book lovers - and it was such a delightful read once the plot got going! The island was magical and whimsical, the riddles and challenges entertaining, the plot was heartfelt (I teared up a few times), and there was even a little romance to make things interesting. This is definitely going to be a smash hit for 2023 - put it on your TBR list and order now!

Absolutely loved this book. As a life long reader I have spent much time dreaming the what ifs of the places I visit in the books. This book takes us there and then some.

The Wishing Game is just the purest of books. Its characters crept right inside my heart to live forever. My only complaint is that it seemed so short! Adult Lucy returns to a man she loved as a child to play a game created by her childhood hero. While obstacles abound and pain rears its ugly head, beauty and goodness overwhelm the book. Its conclusion gave me goosebumps and I feel horribly bereft that I must depart from Clock Island. Stunning debut. I cannot wait for the world to experience this book! Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. What a treat this was!

Imagine if your favorite children's author held a contest to help determine the fate of the long awaited next installment of his beloved series. Now imagine if that contest was invite only and being held on Clock Island, the setting of his stories.

Lucy Hart is struggling to get by on her teacher's aide salary. She is scraping together every penny she can in an attempt to build a more stable life and adopt her favorite student Christopher. Lucy grew up feeling unloved and unwanted and relishes in her memories of the afternoon she ran away and spent the day on Clock Island. She is given the opportunity to return to Clock Island when she is 1 of 4 lucky people who receive an invitation to play "The Wishing Game". The winner of the game chooses what they want to do with the last book in the Clock Island series. They can sell it and keep the winnings, or keep the book to themselves. In order to win the contest they need to solve riddles which are seemingly impossible.

I was sold when this book was described as Willy Wonka with books. That's exactly what it felt like and I loved it from start to finish! The quirky author Jack and magical setting drew me right in and I couldn't wait to get to the end and see who won the contest. I fell in love with Lucy and cheered for her the entire book. You'll definitely want to put this one on your TBR!

I LOVED this book!! It may be my favorite book of 2023. What is not to love about getting to go to a magical place and be like the kids in the books that you loved as a child? Can you imagine being invited to go to the place where you escaped as a child? Whether it was from a book series or even a single book. That is probably ever booklover's dream.

The characters came to life for me. I loved that you truly felt invested in their stories. We get to meet Lucy and Hugo a bit more formally than the other contestants. Hugo is not really a contestant in the game to win to the latest Clock Island book.

Of course I was rooting for Lucy to win so she can adopt Christopher. After learning Lucy and Christopher's stories, you can't help but wish for them to get their happily ever after. Lucy's childhood was far from idyllic. However, even if you don't get first hand knowledge of the other contestants, you feel invested in their stories. By the end of the contest all they contestants wanted each other to win. I loved that it wasn't a cut throat reality show vibe with these four.

I fell in love with Hugo. What other illustrator/artists lives with the author of the books he illustrates for and forms the relationship Hugo and Jack have. I have to say from Hugo perspective I wondered if Jack was mad.

Jack was so good with the "kids" that came to Clock Island to win the book. You could feel his love from the children that read his books and that find comfort in them. I honestly want to read the whole Clock Island series and get a lost in it as these characters did.

The way the contest and the book ended was perfect. I didn't feel slighted. I think it was the best possible outcome for everyone. It is rare to finish a book and not wish something would have gone a bit different. I finished this book wishing I could reread it for the first time again.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book All opinions expressed are my own.

Lucy Hart hasn't had an easy life - she was never the favorite child, she isn't incredibly wealthy, but she does have an incredible mind and such a huge heart. Lucy works with kindergarten children - wishing that she had the resources to adopt and provide a better life for some of the children in her care who don't have that love and support. She struggles with knowing she can provide a good life to these children, but she also has NO car and lives with THREE roommates -- not the ideal environment to raise a child.

Lucy is a bookworm who has loved the Clock Island series by Jack Masterson. Jack has written a new book, but this book is going to be worth $60,000 as it is the ONLY copy in existence. To figure out who will be awarded Jack is holding a special event where contestants will come to his home and solve riddles in order to get closer to the prize.

Lucy, of course, is one of the 4 contestants and she does a darn good job! I had fun solving these riddles and thought that they puzzles were clever and well done. I felt like I was playing along and I got excited when I figured things out before the characters did.

The ending was predictable, but I think that the story was tied together well. I really enjoyed reading through this book and liked the little references that are sprinkled throughout the book -- for example, they discuss Magellan not being particularly lucky in the Philippines. Those who don't know the background may not know this is an allusion to Lapu-Lapu killing Magellan.

This book had some whimsical parts strung into the modern day which I appreciated. The romance was fine and I felt a bond to Lucy as someone who loves books, isn't rich and loves books.

I highly recommend this book to other bookworms who love to solve puzzles!

Thank you so much to Ballantine Books & NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I appreciate Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for allowing me to read and review. Interesting and entertaining.

This was a delightful story with a contest held by the author of a series of beloved children’s books. The idea of a grown-up Willy Wonka style contest for grown-ups is appealing and was the catalyst for all the characters to confront their fears and wish their wishes. It’s a quick, light read, but filled with lots of heart and thoroughly enjoyable!