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knightylight's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
fast-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy
Minor: Homophobia and Pedophilia
This book feels like a coming of age movie- but if coming of age happened when you were 26+- mixed with the feeling of watching a Hallmark Christmas Movie. There's a lot of heavy themes here, but there's also a lot of heart and fun moments too. A lot of these characters have been through a lot of terrible things- sadly not anything unusual in our day and age. But despite all of it, it's definitely a story about hope, and "finding your village" as the story puts it. This book is a good contemporary fiction for those wanting to be reminded of the importance of community and making wild wishespeytonr's review
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Homophobia, Miscarriage, and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Homophobia, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault
bessadams's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
Minor: Cancer and Homophobia
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.
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
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Moderate: Cancer, Child death, and Miscarriage
Minor: Homophobia, Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual assault
actual_hobbit's review
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book!
I recommend The Wishing Game as a relaxing beach read for any book-lover needing a nostalgic escape.
As a child who spent every waking minute glued to a chapter book, I got pulled so easily into the nostalgia and whimsy of The Wishing Game. Imagine getting to relive your favorite series as an adult! Clock Island’s hidden treasures and mysterious locations felt real to me, and I love how the author captured the sense of childlike wonder with this special setting.
Though I didn’t feel strong ties to the characters themselves, I enjoyed watching Lucy, Hugo, and Jack grow each in their own way. Though painfully naive in the beginning, Lucy learns that hope sometimes means accepting help from others and swallowing a bit of pride. Polar opposites Hugo and Jack learn to balance dreaming and reality.
This book deals with some emotional topics - the foster system, death, and parental neglect to name a few - but it’s not a mood-killer at all. As the reader, you come away a little bit lighter with a hopeful feeling at the end.
Maybe it’s because I got so nostalgic, or maybe it’s just my taste as a reader, but I felt that some portions of this book were underdeveloped. The contest itself feels too quick, and there’s a good bit of pages spent developing a romance that honestly didn’t feel needed. There were times when I felt things were rushed, or maybe edited back from the original copy. I was disappointed by that, but the concept kept me reading until the end.
Listen to my discussion of The Wishing Game on Books Are Magical Podcast. https://linktr.ee/booksaremagical
I recommend The Wishing Game as a relaxing beach read for any book-lover needing a nostalgic escape.
As a child who spent every waking minute glued to a chapter book, I got pulled so easily into the nostalgia and whimsy of The Wishing Game. Imagine getting to relive your favorite series as an adult! Clock Island’s hidden treasures and mysterious locations felt real to me, and I love how the author captured the sense of childlike wonder with this special setting.
Though I didn’t feel strong ties to the characters themselves, I enjoyed watching Lucy, Hugo, and Jack grow each in their own way. Though painfully naive in the beginning, Lucy learns that hope sometimes means accepting help from others and swallowing a bit of pride. Polar opposites Hugo and Jack learn to balance dreaming and reality.
This book deals with some emotional topics - the foster system, death, and parental neglect to name a few - but it’s not a mood-killer at all. As the reader, you come away a little bit lighter with a hopeful feeling at the end.
Maybe it’s because I got so nostalgic, or maybe it’s just my taste as a reader, but I felt that some portions of this book were underdeveloped. The contest itself feels too quick, and there’s a good bit of pages spent developing a romance that honestly didn’t feel needed. There were times when I felt things were rushed, or maybe edited back from the original copy. I was disappointed by that, but the concept kept me reading until the end.
Listen to my discussion of The Wishing Game on Books Are Magical Podcast. https://linktr.ee/booksaremagical
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Chronic illness, and Homophobia
goldenbeebookshop's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
This is a delightfully earnest and incredibly charming novel. While the author cites Willy Wonka as a core influence for the story, it also has a dash of The Westing Game and a sprinkle of Matilda.
There are so many delightful details that it also gave me a little hint of what I loved about my all-time favorite book, The Night Circus. The descriptions are whimsical and magical, and capture the sort of clever ideas that spark joy in the parts of us that love to believe that the well-loved places from our favorite childhood books are somewhere we can really visit.
It’s a book for adults, but the style and content of the story makes it a great read for a wide range of readers.
There are so many delightful details that it also gave me a little hint of what I loved about my all-time favorite book, The Night Circus. The descriptions are whimsical and magical, and capture the sort of clever ideas that spark joy in the parts of us that love to believe that the well-loved places from our favorite childhood books are somewhere we can really visit.
It’s a book for adults, but the style and content of the story makes it a great read for a wide range of readers.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
lastblossom's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
tl;dr
A sometimes tragic, mostly hopeful story about the dreams we had as kids, and the courage it takes to make them come true as adults.
Thoughts
When a mysterious reclusive author invites people to his remote island to compete for a prize, the first thing my mind conjures up is backstabbing, cynically evil people, and a murder or two. And at first, it seems like we might be heading in that direction, but the Wishing Game willfully chooses a more hopeful voice. The competitors are all flawed, but sympathetic, with difficult (sometimes traumatic) and relatable histories that make it very easy to wish the best for everyone involved. The game creator in particular is incredibly human, and potentially the most sympathetic of the entire cast. I normally have a clear favorite character, but I found myself invested in everyone on the island. Hugo the artist perhaps squeaks out as my fave, but only because I have a soft spot in my heart for grumpy rebellious artists. The plot is fairly straightforward - a chocolate factory-esque competition, but for adults (or perhaps for kids who simply got older), and I appreciated the perspective of people who have lived long enough to understand what's really at stake. With the addition of some light romance and a few fun puzzles, this was far from the dark cynical book I expected, and I am immensely grateful for it. Strong recommend for anyone looking for an honest, but hopeful take on being an adult and making your wishes come true.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an advance copy. All thoughts here are my own.
A sometimes tragic, mostly hopeful story about the dreams we had as kids, and the courage it takes to make them come true as adults.
Thoughts
When a mysterious reclusive author invites people to his remote island to compete for a prize, the first thing my mind conjures up is backstabbing, cynically evil people, and a murder or two. And at first, it seems like we might be heading in that direction, but the Wishing Game willfully chooses a more hopeful voice. The competitors are all flawed, but sympathetic, with difficult (sometimes traumatic) and relatable histories that make it very easy to wish the best for everyone involved. The game creator in particular is incredibly human, and potentially the most sympathetic of the entire cast. I normally have a clear favorite character, but I found myself invested in everyone on the island. Hugo the artist perhaps squeaks out as my fave, but only because I have a soft spot in my heart for grumpy rebellious artists. The plot is fairly straightforward - a chocolate factory-esque competition, but for adults (or perhaps for kids who simply got older), and I appreciated the perspective of people who have lived long enough to understand what's really at stake. With the addition of some light romance and a few fun puzzles, this was far from the dark cynical book I expected, and I am immensely grateful for it. Strong recommend for anyone looking for an honest, but hopeful take on being an adult and making your wishes come true.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an advance copy. All thoughts here are my own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Racism, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
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