Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - The Wishing Game

What a wonderful book for those of us that grew up with or as adults loved Willy Wonka, Charlie and the chocolate factory, and reading our favorite book series and wishing that we could be a part of the story.

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booklvrkat's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

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

5.0

A mix between The Wizard of Oz, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and the Chronicles of Narnia. That’s where my mind went when we travelled to Clock Island, the home of reclusive author Jack Masterson, otherwise known as “the mastermind”. He has finally finished authoring a new book and has decided that he will gift the unpublished book to the winner in an exclusive competition. There are obstacles, riddles, and many clues that the contestants will have to solve in order to win. (This part gives me thoughts of the Inheritance Games Series).

Jack lives on a secluded island, a ferry ride away from the coast of Maine, with his book illustrator, Hugo. The four chosen contestants are all adults now, but when they were children, they ran away from their homes to the island in hopes that they could stay with Jack and the magical world he had created for them.

Lucy, a kindergarten TA, is desperate to adopt a young boy, Christopher. They connected through the Clock Island books when she read them to him during her short fostering of him after a horrible trauma in his life. Adopting him would be both their dreams come true. When the invite to participate in the Clock Island game is received, she knows that she has the will to win. You’re going to want to cheer Lucy on.

I adored this lovely, inspiring book. It’s written with heart, love and caring. While the story is mostly optimistic, there are some emotional, hard moments, which were unexpected, but made the story more genuine to me. Secondary to the main story is a small slow burn attraction between two characters that filled my heart to bursting. I’d recommend this story to anyone looking to get out of a reading funk, or just looking for that easy read that makes you happy.

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gholdreith's review

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adventurous challenging dark fast-paced

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

1.0

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mjadeh's review

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emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

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srivalli's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

4.25

4.2 Stars

One Liner: Beautiful but with a few teeny flaws

Jack Masterson, the best-selling children’s author of the Clock Island series, quit writing under mysterious circumstances. After years of silence and speculation, his announcement stirs the pot. He comes up with a one-of-a-kind game where four contestants participate in a series of challenges to win the only copy of the latest manuscript.

Lucy Hart is a 26-year-old kindergarten teacher with too many troubles. Growing up as an unloved and unwanted child makes her determined to give the seven-year-old Christopher a permanent loving home as a foster mother. However, her financial position is messy at its best. Lucy learned the hard way that wishes don’t come true… but maybe they will.

Lucy is one of the four participants who go to Clock Island for a week to compete for the prize. She knows it’s her only chance to make things happen and adopt Christopher. However, she has to deal with dangerous book collectors, other participants, and of course, Hugo Resse, the brooding painter and illustrator of the Clock Island books.

What does Jack Masterson, the Mastermind, have in mind this time?

The story comes from the third-person POV of Lucy and Hugo.

My Thoughts:

I went into the book with high expectations after reading fabulous reviews from friends. And… luckily, I enjoyed most of the book and even got teary-eyed at a couple of places. That’s satisfying, isn’t it?

The pacing is slow in the beginning but gains momentum after a couple of chapters. Then it sustains almost throughout. There are a few scenes from the book written by Jack Masterson, which align with the MC’s character arc. I loved how this is done.

Lucy, Hugo, and Christopher are pretty much who they are, while Jack has a bit of mystery (but is actually a teddy bear). This suits the writing, which is just as straightforward.

While we get Lucy and Hugo’s POVs, I wish at least one chapter had Jack’s POV. It would have enhanced the story. An issue with Lucy’s POV is that she sounds like an unrealistic overemotional girl in some scenes. She knows her reality, but the impression we get contradicts this. I put it down to a character flaw as she realizes things towards the end. After all, do we project our vulnerabilities on others in one way or another?

The book deals with plenty of themes and some of them in passing. There could be triggers, too- parental neglect, child abuse, alcoholism, running away, bullying, etc. None of it is graphic or overwhelming.

However, the emotional quotient gets too high at the end. It feels like the author tried to create a balance between reality and HEA by adding more elements to the already-heavy themes. Also, certain revelations feel more like an easy way out to deal with a complex issue. Since we don’t get the other party’s perspective, I didn’t really connect with the whole thing.

The romance isn’t really romance in this one. It is squeaky clean and chaste. I understand the reason for most of it and appreciate the move to keep the focus on the core plot. However, I wouldn’t have minded a bit of it at the end.

The other contenders are also good people with issues of their own. I like this approach, though it dims the intensity of the game. But the intent of the game goes beyond winning. It’s the Mastermind’s plan, after all!

Three things I love about the book are the role of fiction in people’s lives, our wishes can get fulfilled in different ways, and the reaffirmation that money indeed buys happiness.

As a writer who prefers reading lighthearted fiction with HEA (I didn’t say I write it too!), I know how much hope a happy ending in a book can give a reader. We see that here multiple times, and it makes me so so happy!

To summarize, The Wishing Game is a beautiful story about hope, loss, longing for a family, love, and the power of fiction. A book isn’t just a bunch of pages. It’s a support system that keeps the tiny flame of hope alive despite the adversities.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House- Ballantine, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

#NetGalley #TheWishingGame

***

P.S.: I think it helped that I didn’t read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (yes, I know!) and could be free of its influence (and avoid comparisons).

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gummifrog's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious fast-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

4.25

The Wishing Game is delightfully whimsical. Lucy, the main character goes on an adventure where the stakes are real and adult, the character development comes from trauma being realized and worked through, understanding that the bravery to overcome your fears can be something that comes from within.

The prose is easy to read and inventive in its use of metaphor, and made me feel very nostalgic for the feel of books I read as a child. The games within were riddles and puzzles which were fun to try and figure out on my own as I read - just like I used to as a kid! I adored this interactive aspect and thought the author executed it brilliantly.

The relationships feel so real and fleshed out, and all the characters are very witty and playful with each other. This works so well between Lucy and Christopher, the child she wishes to adopt, with their banter really showing a closeness and understanding between them. And it also works great in scenes between Lucy and Hugo, whose flirtations always brought a smile to my face.

The only place the character writing fell flat for me was when, every once in a while, Lucy would get inordinately angry at some perceived slight and fly off the handle at another character, only to want to immediately apologize the next scene. It felt like it was a bit of emotional up-and-down just for the sake of it. But it wasn't enough to sour the book for me overall, just a small nitpick.

Also: I saw another reviewer being icked out by the age difference between Lucy and Hugo, her love interest, but she is 26 and he is 34, so only an eight-year difference between two consenting adults (albeit they met once, only very briefly, when she was 13, and nothing untoward occurred). This book is very romance-lite, with the two characters mostly connecting emotionally over their similar trauma and love of art. Do with that information what you will.

The happy ending was extremely heartwarming. I flew through this book which surprised me, since I tend to like more fantasy in my literary fiction! Highly recommend for anyone who needs a hopeful, positive book with a bit of substance.

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megansoetaert's review

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hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

can't decide if this is a 3.75 or 4 star book for me!

The Wishing Game is an endearing and whimsical--albeit predictable--novel about a woman named Lucy who gets chosen to compete in a game hosted by her favorite author from childhood with a prize that could change her life. this book is about finding yourself, childhood curiosity and trauma, found family, and figuring out how to 'make it'.

i really enjoyed this book! i would love to be able to visit the setting of my favorite books from childhood and meet the authors and illustrators behind them. it also wouldn't hurt for the prize to be being able to provide for my loved ones, as Lucy wants to do for Christopher. this book wasn't revolutionary or anything, but was a good read that dealt with serious topics in an approachable way, always keeping the whimsy of the setting intact. I'd recommend this to older YA audiences or fans of new adult books who want a grown up, less creepy version of Willy Wonka!

thank you to the publisher, Ballantine Books, and the author, Meg Shaffer, for providing this ARE. expected publication date is may 30, 2023 :)

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