Lucy Hart wasn't wanted. She had a mother, father, and older sister. The problem is that her sister is in the hospital constantly with an undiagnosed illness. Her parents focus all their attention on her sister to the point that Lucy has to be raised by her grandparents. Lucy finds a book in the Clock Island book series. While reading these books, she is able to escape from her troubles. Lucy believes these books have saved her. As an adult, Lucy has moved to California from Maine to escape a toxic relationship/breakup. She is delighted to hear that the author of the Clock Island series is finally writing another book. He will give this book to the winner of a contest that he is devising. How can Lucy get invited to participate?

This book has something you can't quite put your finger on. It is magical. Meg Shaffer is an excellent author with the ability to tell a fascinating story inhabited by completely relatable characters. She describes Clock Island so vividly that it is easy to picture in your mind. The main character, Lucy, is someone you would like to have as a friend. Life for her has been hard and readers will want her to have a good outcome. This story touched me and the pages seemed to turn themselves. This is Meg Shaffer's debut novel and I so thoroughly enjoyed reading this book that I can't wait to read her next book.

The opening felt extremely disjointed. We opened with a story about Hugo/Jack, then Astrid, then Lucy, and we are barely past the 3% mark. It felt quite disjointed and I contemplated stopping. I decided to continue because the premise really intrigued me.

I really liked Lucy and Christopher. They were sweet. At the end of chapter 1 (which was the start of their story, ~8%), I decided to continue. Then we switched back to Hugo/Jack for chapter 2 with another disjointed story but it felt very different from our opening which was Hugo/Jack. I realize it will all connect later, but it felt like too much for now. I stopped at 10%.

I feel like, as the reader, I need a more solid footing before we move to the fantasy. I don’t need to know how the clock island was named/built. Instead, I need to understand why I care.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Lucy is a teachers aid who shares her love of reading with tge students. When one of her favorite authors is having a contest, she is hoping tobwinbthe top prize if she can outsmart the other finalists. This book was a quick read.

This book is entirely charming, and so "Wonka-esque" that it's not even funny.

Like Willy Wonka, there won't be big surprises in this book. (No one goes into Wonky thinking, "I bet Charlie Bucket loses it all") but the journey presented here is still delightful.

I liked the characters in this story (though the book struggles to create a classic villain). I liked the challenges in the quest. I liked the relationships between the adult children and author (and why they've been invited to the island in the first place.) I liked the love story. I liked the idea of "meet me at 2:00 at 5:00."I liked the clockwork stories that open each chapter.

Overall this book is clever and goes down like hot cocoa on a cold evening.

Yes, it's a tad derivative, and the stakes never feel that high, but I appreciated that the book did have some darker elements to lend it gravitas. I liked that this "mysterious genius" was more fleshed out as a character.

Basically, if you're a book nerd, you'll likely adore The Wishing Game. Thank you to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

A delightful and charming story about 26 yr old Lucy who only wants one thing, and that is to adopt foster child, Charlie, becoming his mother. She knows what it is to feel unloved by her parents and sister, so much so as a thirteen year old she runs away to clock island hoping to become the sidekick of revered children's author Jack Masterson. His books have saved her time and again with the wisdom of make a wish for what you want but be prepared to be brave for it to come true.
Lucy is completely broke with no money to take care of Christopher, so when Masterson announces he has a new unpublished book and will throw a contest with select invitations, Lucy travels to Clock Island to see Jack and win the completion.

Every once in a while, you read a book that just stays with you. It affects the way you view life, family, love, friendships. This is that book. Beautiful, thought provoking and full of life lessons, this is a modern day Alice in Wonderland!

Lucy Hart spent her childhood unloved, in the shadow of her sickly older sister. She found comfort in the Clock Island series by Jack Masterson. In those books, she found the power of wishes and she wished she could have a family who loved her. Over a decade later, Lucy is living across the country, desperate to adopt 7 year old Christopher, one of her students at the school she helps teach at. Unfortunately, adoption seems out of the question as she doesn't have a steady income, a home suitable for a young child or reliable transportation.

Then she receives the invitation of a lifetime: a contest held by Jack Masterson on Clock Island. Taking a chance to win this contest could change her and Christopher's life. What she doesn't realize is how much it will change her.

Beautiful, moving, lush landscapes, quirky characters. This book was falling into my favorite childhood fairytale. Many thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine for the ARC.

The Wishing Game is really unique, and it's well written. I'm not a huge fan of the sappy, perfect chick-lit-type thing, so this wasn't the book for me, but I did like how different it was.

The idea of Clock Island, and the books, was fun. However, the game felt a little silly, and I did not understand how Jack thought that no one could get 10 points. One of the challenges was literally monopoly. The love story was fine. The ending dragged.

Overall, just not my type of book.

Quickly! Mark your calendars and put this book on your TBR list! If you've ever been a kid and loved reading as a kid, you won't want to miss this wonderful debut novel by Meg Shaffer. It's like Willie Wonka for adults, except you'll be cheering for Christopher and Lucy, instead of Charlie and his grandpa, until the very end.

I was as excited as a little kid in a candy store while I was reading this story and I couldn't put it down. It's full of hopes and dreams and wishes, as well as riddles and games. Add in a reclusive author, a talented artist, a private island, a competition for a valuable manuscript, plus a little mystery and romance, and then you will have the recipe for this awesome novel.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Ballantine for giving me the opportunity to read and review a digital ARC of this fantastic book. Publication date: May 30, 2023.

I absolutely adored this book! Everything about it was phenomenal. The writing, the characters and how the book tugged at your heart strings but still made you happy and hopeful. I loved that this was comparable to a modern day Charlie and the chocolate factory but with adults competing and the prize a book and a chance to change your life. Grab some tissues and grab this book when it comes out because you are not going to want to miss it.

(I will post review online 2 weeks before pub date)

The Wishing Game is the book I never knew I needed— and now that I’ve read it, I can't believe I was able to wait this long to read it.

I laughed. I cried. I texted my librarian aunt immediately upon finishing to make sure she had the book on her list. The book is a play on Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory for book-loving adults. Lucy loved reading Jack Masterson’s books as a child. Growing up with a sick sister and parents who didn’t love her, his mysterious character Master Mastermind, who lived on Clock Island, seemed far better suited to raise her. Unfortunately, her childhood attempt at moving in failed. Now, Lucy is all grown up, and she’s trying to adopt a child of her own. With insurmountable debt and a sub-par living situation, it seems like Lucy and Christopher will never be a family. Then, Jack announces an invitation-only game to win the sole copy of his latest book, and Lucy receives a letter from Clock Island. Can she beat the other child runaways for her chance at happiness?

Beautifully woven tale of heartbreak and the power of a magical world. I smiled and cried through most of the book! Heartwarming and wholesome.

I loved this book! This is such a clever, charming, well-written book. Lucy travels to a Maine island from California to enter a contest, which is put on by the famous and eccentric author of Lucy’s favorite children’s books.
Highly recommended!

I really enjoyed the Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer - her characters were well developed and I enjoyed the storyline. I loved the mystery elements of the book and I cried at some parts. At times it felt more YA than women's fiction, but I still enjoyed the book.



Thank you to the author, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and NetGalley for providing a copy to review!

What a sweet, sweet read! I am so, so impressed with debut authors these days. If your heart needs filling, pick this book up. It's a grown-up mash-up of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and the whimsy of The House in the Cerulean Sea. Jack Masterson is an odd author full of riddles. In his earlier years, he writes to the children who write him, and tries to help them. Years later, he is re-inspired after a creative drought and hosts a contests for the children he helped, who are now adults. The main character, Lily, is offered a spot to compete. She desperately wants and needs the winning pot to be able to adopt a foster child she teaches. Thanks for this ARC, NetGalley and Ballantine Books!

A very unique story with lots of surprises. the characters are interesting and very human. It is a heartwarming mystery with some suspense.

“The Wishing Game” is an adorable book by Meg Shaffer. Ms. Shaffer drew inspiration from Gene Wilder in the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and it shows. If Willy Wonka had been a children’s book author instead of a chocolate maker - this possibly is the type of magical, loving, slightly crazy, maddening, yet precious person he would be. I was hooked by the premise of the book, yet fell in love with Christopher’s story (yes, he’s not the main character, but my goodness does he play a huge part). The theme of family is prevalent in this book but it doesn’t get too forced or bogged down (for the most part). Overall, I found this book to be sweet - in a good way. The word play is great and the “game” riddles good ones. For a debut novel, this was an amazingly creative one and I look forward to Ms. Shaffer’s next book.

A best selling author who is reclusive had quit writing children’s books. He decides to start again by making a contest out of it. Lucy is a teachers aide who really wants to adopt 7 year old Christopher, a little orphan in her class. She has no money, no support, so she enters the contest to try to win the prize. This read as a YA fantasy book to me.

I cannot say enough good things about this book. This is the story I would have adored living. It brings the characters to life in a way that is appealing and heartrending all at once. The protagonist is a wonderful human being and I was rooting for her the entire book. The side characters are loving and supportive and fun and interesting. I have read many stories and this one has one of my all time favorite endings. I love it!

This story centers around a highly successful children’s author, Jack Masterson, who mysteriously quit writing after writing many stories that impacted children’s lives and imaginations. Some of the children he influenced are now adults, and a few got invited to an ultimate contest on Masterson’s private island.

I absolutely loved this book. When I first got the book and looked at the premise, I was very intrigued and wanted to start the book right away. Once I started the story, I was hooked by its original and heartfelt plot and the story's nostalgia for Willy Wonka. I loved that this book brought back memories of my childhood authors and how their stories brought me to a magical place every time. Authors like Roald Dahl and A.A. Milne came to mind while reading this book. I also loved how Shaffer incorporated a fun twist with a contest involving riddles. I loved the game's high stakes, and I could not wait to see if Lucy or other contest goers would win. The Wishing Game is a heartfelt story about gaining family and one of my favorites I read In 2022.

Thank you to both NetGallery and to Random House Publishing Company for giving me a copy of the book.

A wonderful book about a famous children's writer, his illustrator, and some of the grown-up children whose lives were changed by his series of children's books. A contest is announced where four lucky contestants will compete to win the only copy of the author’s new book after many years of silence. You learn the background of each of the four chosen, especially Lucy who is trying desperately to foster and adopt her own child. Just a lovely story ~ full of magic! Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for my copy of this whimsical tale.