Reviews tagging 'Child death'

The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer

156 reviews

lovelymisanthrope's review

emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

This was a Book of the Month selection, and the one sentence pitch really sucked me in.
"The Wishing Game" follows Lucy Hart. Lucy is a struggling twenty-six year old who is trying everything in her power to save up enough money to be able to provide for herself and prove that she is worthy of adopting seven-year-old Christopher. Both of Christopher's parents are dead, and Christopher just cannot seem to find stability in foster care. Lucy is the one person Christopher really trusts, and they bond over a beloved children's series, Clock Island, written by Jack Masterson. When opportunity presents itself to solve riddles and win Jack's latest book, Lucy enters the challenge, and she wishes with all her might that she can win for her and Christopher.
This was a really beautiful story that highlights how important it is that children grow up with love, and that they are encouraged to never stop believing in the power of a wish. It was devastating to see Lucy struggle to build a life "good enough" for her to adopt Christopher. She has such a pure heart, and she has devoted her whole life to trying to make this happen. It really saddens me that someone with such amazing intentions is denied the right to adopt. Why shouldn't her heart be of bigger consideration? Why are there no programs to help assist her in the process?
I loved that the majority of the book centers around riddles, and not just any riddles, but riddles that are centered around a children's book series. What made it all the more fun was that the reader could play along with Lucy and try to figure out the riddles with her.
I felt like this book was well written and had an interesting plotline, but ultimately the characters were a little flat to me. I think it is great that Lucy wants so badly to adopt Christopher, but I think realistically a twenty-six-year-old would have more "fun" in her life. Jack also seemed kind of one dimensional to me. Yeah, he is eclectic, but something just felt "too much" for me AND "too little".
The *almost* ending broke my heart, and then the true ending seemed too good to be true, but I was happy to see where the characters ultimately ended up.
I enjoyed my time reading this book, and I would recommend it to book lovers who like to read about book lovers. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Child death and Death of parent

Minor: Child abuse

blewballoon's review

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

If you love the idea of a story where the kids who toured Willy Wonka's factory as kids get to return as adults, then this might be for you. Replace Willy Wonka's chocolate factory with a private island owned by a famous children's book author. Replace the character flaws and fantasy punishments with real, hopeful children who are seeking love and support in the face of genuine human struggles. Replace the physics defying candy factory locations with riddles, logic games, and self growth. If you're still on board for a story that is overtly about confronting trauma and learning to move forward through your fears, then I think you'll really like this.

I will admit that I did find some of the trauma aspects  to be hammered a little too hard, and the resolutions to be a little too quick and easy.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, and Death of parent

tcameron85's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

Jack gives a bit of a Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder) impression but with the best of intentions for his "kids."

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Terminal illness

desana75's review

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death and Death of parent

jlusk523's review

adventurous hopeful mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Like my favorite children's books growing up, but made for adults. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child abuse and Child death

clr00's review

emotional hopeful inspiring

• Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, and Death of parent

Minor: Sexual violence

bookcasey's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, and Abandonment

Moderate: Grief and Death of parent

Minor: Cancer, Child death, Medical content, and Medical trauma

bringmybooks's review

adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

tl;dr → as a middle grade novel, this would have been fantastic

B̷R̷I̷N̷G̷ B̷O̷R̷R̷O̷W̷ ✨ 𝗕𝗬𝗣𝗔𝗦𝗦 ✨

I loved the idea of this novel, I loved the characters, I loved the island setting, I …. liked the book okay enough. 

That being said, I truly don’t think it should have been marketed for adult readers. 

Hear me out! Every element that felt weaker could have been stayed exactly the way they were if the elements around the children and the original book series had been emphasized. (For example, a lot of the relationships and interactions between the adults seemed oversimplified in ways that I would have expected from books geared towards a younger audience.)

I think that the pure simplicity of loving books and how much magic books hold for us will make this book work for a lot of people, and there are parts that brought a huge smile to my face, but it just missed the mark a bit overall. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent

Moderate: Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Abandonment

Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy

kitausu's review

emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This book had me crying by page 16 and kept me emotional throughout the entire thing. What an absolute lovely gut punch of a book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, and Suicide attempt

infjkiki's review

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I very rarely write reviews but this was one of the best books I have ever read. 

I highly recommend it to anyone who found solace in books to escape childhood trauma. 

The author does a beautiful job of highlighting the role that books can play in a person's life especially during their darkest points. I've said it before and I'll say it again, books saved my life. This book shows the life changing effects that a book can have on many people's lives and I just think that is so amazing. 

I cannot count the number of times I cried while reading this book. It was so beautifully written and I cannot wait to read another book by this author. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Moderate: Cancer, Child death, and Miscarriage

Minor: Homophobia, Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual assault