Reviews with content warning for Terminal illness - The Wishing Game

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 He has finally finished authoring a new book and has decided that he will gift the unpublished book to the winner in an exclusive competition.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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luverbyrd's review

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emotional hopeful reflective 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? It's complicated

4.0

A little slow start to introduce you to Lucy, but once it was competition time it was a super fast read.
There are very difficult themes to this book, a lot of dealing with fear as an adult and the different complications that adulthood brings versus when you are a child. Plus the trauma you can bring from your childhood.
This was beautiful, whimsical and heart-string tugging.
The ending was perfect.

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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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katiemack's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I requested the book because of the premise--a reclusive best-selling author offers the only copy of his latest book to the person who wins a series of games, which reminded me of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Westing Game--but this ended up veering into saccharine-yet-tragic territory. There are also some characters I wish had been explored further--Lucy's sister, Hugo's brother, Christopher, even Jack--that made the story feel more surface-level. I did enjoy the games and wish more of those had been included, and I got a little emotional toward the end, so the story did work for me overall. I just wish it had been better executed.

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lastblossom's review

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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.

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