It took me a few chapters before I settled in with this fantastical, "Willy Wonka" type story which isn't my typical read. With that in mind, the quirky and unbelievable situations creates a fairy tale type story. It opens with a well-known children's author who wrote many stories which fascinated his readers with the mysteries on Clock Island. Jack Masterson was nicknamed the "Mastermind" which eluded to the protagonist who was the Mastermind in the books granting wishes with his cunning games.

It's been 15 years since he had secluded himself on his Clock Island where he struggles to ever write another book. His illustrator, Hugo Reese, has been his loyal companion not wanting to leave his long time friend alone on the island. Little does he know, Jack has been working on what would be his final novel but not for mass publication. He proses a "special" wishing game on the island with personally selected competitors. The prize is the one and only copy of his final book which the person can do with as they wish. The people chosen are thinking about how the publication of the book would help their financial situations.

Lucy Hart chooses to leave her home and controlling boyfriend, Sean, in Maine after she graduates college. She is desperate is leave her family behind and what she felt was a lonely childhood. She found respite in the Clock Island books. Her sister Angie was a sickly child with her parents focusing primarily on her and leaving Lucy feeling neglected. As a result she has always resented her sister who managed to become a lawyer in Maine.

As an adult, Lucy is a 26-year-old woman working as a teacher's aide at an elementary school in California. She is well liked by the teachers and students but she seems to form a bond with 7-year-old Christopher Lamb who is living with a foster family. Her connection to him sometimes feels "cringe-worthy" given that Christopher is being cared for by a caring family. Lucy desperately wants to adopt him even to the extent that she expresses this to the young boy. He is aware of her financial insecurity and wants to "help" Lucy raise money so she can afford to adopt him. They discuss what the future would look like when Lucy can provide a stable and financially stable home for Christopher.

When Lucy is notified about the Wishing Game opportunity, she is excited to think that she may be able to reach her financial goals sooner than she expected. But, winning the Wishing Game proves to be more challenging than she could've imagined.

The magical realism in this was lovely, and I felt like I was reading something so whimsical and soft and heartwarming. Some parts were unrealistic, but I am always willing to handwave away things that don't quite make sense in favor of a good feeling.

This book was fun to read. I enjoyed the story. It's easy to read through quickly and was a fun escape from reality.

The Wishing Game is a book inspired by Willie Wonka and it gave me those vibes when I was reading this book. It was so much fun playing a game for a grand prize. I really enjoyed the characters in this book. I enjoyed how the story took place on an island. I suggest anybody who just wants a fun read to pick this up!!!!

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Ballantine books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. This was on my shelf for a bit and I had tried a few times to read it. I couldn't get into this and DNF.

Lucy is one of four who are chosen to compete in a Wonka-esque competition for the new manuscript of beloved children's author, Jack Masterson.

I absolutely loved this book. I finished it in one sitting, and it was my first 5 star read of the year. Lucy was relatable, easy to root for, and her relationship with Christopher was adorable. Jack was just the kind of kooky you expect from a Wonka type. Having loved Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as a child, this plot was right up my alley, and it lived up to it. I'm just sorry I let it sit on my TBR so long.

Thanks to Meg Shaffer, Ballentine Books, and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really good book that I didn't see coming. I see why it was a national bestseller. I'll definitely be reading more of Meg Shaffer in the future!

"The Wishing Game" is a heartwarming and enchanting novel that follows the story of Lucy Hart, a young woman who is struggling to make ends meet and yearns to adopt a child. Meg Shaffer's writing is captivating and vivid, transporting readers to the fantastical world she has created. The characters are well-crafted and relatable, making it easy for readers to become invested in their stories. The themes of love, family, and the power of hope are expertly woven throughout the narrative, making for a truly uplifting read.

Overall, "The Wishing Game" is a delightful and enchanting tale that will leave readers feeling inspired and hopeful. It's a perfect read for anyone looking for a bit of magic and wonder in their lives. I will be recommending this to patrons fond of Erin Morgenstern and V. E. Schwab.

Thank you to Meg Shaffer, Penguin Randomhouse, and NetGalley for sending me the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

What if you were encouraged to wish? Maybe your wishes might not come true today but maybe twenty years from now. One author promotes wishing through his children’s books that have made him richer than anyone can imagine. After a personal issue that stopped him writing, he decides to write the last book of his series, but it comes with a catch. It will only be given to a winner of a series games that he will create just for the contestants. They can win the only copy of the final book and do with it what they will. If they lose, it goes to the publisher. Four lifelong fans get a change to make all their wishes come true. But they will have to face several challenges that prompt them to grow and face their fears.

This book turned out very different than what I had been expecting. It is not a children’s book. It is not even a young adult book. It is a book for adults who need to remember their childhood dreams. Children wish for things all the time. Sometimes they outgrow their wishes. Others stay buried deep within their hearts and are revisited during the dark times. Adults might wish, but the believe in wishes in non-existent. The hope has become jaded. This book says that those wishes could really come true. It could depend on what we do to achieve those wishes.

As I read it, I felt myself opening up my stash of wishes that have been stuffed away. As the characters revisited theirs, I went along for the journey. They explored their childhood, faced their fears and their deep desires. Then they faced their lives as they are now and what they wanted most. You would think that made the book dark and depressing. It was quite the opposite.

The character development was great. The Mastermind was quirky, fun, while dealing with his own issues and wishes. He gave them games to play to win the prize. Those games included riddles. This led to me trying to solve them and watching the characters get the answers. These times lightened the mood of the book along with the quirkiness of the Mastermind. I found myself smiling between the deep thoughts. The other characters were real and relatable with desires and flaws that we can all understand.

When the book ended, I had mixed feelings, but I can say that I enjoyed the book immensely. I wanted to enter their world so bad just to experience some of it. A great read that will have you hooked till the end and leave you thinking about your own wishes long after.

The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer was everything I had hoped it would be. I have wanted to read this book for so long that I was afraid I might have been disappointed by the time I actually got to read it. No chance! It was full of hope, longing, magical realism, a touch of romance and a set of books that helped shape, guide and influence so many children during their childhood years. It was obvious from the beginning that the initial premise for The Wishing Game was borrowed from Willy Wonker and the Chocolate factory but Meg Shaffer masterfully steered The Wishing Game towards its own heartfelt story. The characters were thoughtfully crafted and so well executed. I switched between reading The Wishing Game and listening to the audiobook that was narrated extremely well by Paul Boehmer and Rachel L. Jacobs.

Lucy Hart grew up overshadowed by her older sister who was a very sick child. Even though Lucy loved her big sister, she was forbidden to be around her in fear of her sister catching something. Lucy’s parents only had time and love for her older sister. They never showed Lucy any affection. Lucy craved their attention and affection but was never shown any. One time when Lucy was about eight years old, her sister had to be taken to the hospital. Since her parents couldn’t find anyone to watch Lucy, she accompanied her parents to the hospital. Lucy was left all by herself in the waiting room of the hospital for hours on end. Lucy could not go to the room where her sister had been taken. She was too young. In all that time that Lucy sat in the waiting room, her parents never came to check on her. Two things happened that day. The first thing was that Lucy discovered a book in the waiting room at the hospital. It was part of The Clock Island series and it would transform her life in a way that she never would have dreamed of. Over the course of the next several years, Lucy read every one of the books in the Clock Island series. The second thing that happened that day was that she went to live with her grandparents. Her parents never even came down from her sister’s room to say goodbye to Lucy or explain why she was going to be living with her grandparents from then on. Lucy’s grandparents just showed up and took her to their home to live. Lucy never lived in the home where her parents and sister lived again.

Lucy was now a twenty-six year old kindergarten teacher aide in California. She was having a hard time financially. Lucy lived in a home with three other tenants to make her rent more affordable. She relied on public transportation because she did not have enough money to purchase a car. To supplement her meager salary as a teacher aide, Lucy knitted scarves and sold them on Etsy. The one bright spot in her life was her love for a little seven year old boy named Christopher Lamb. When Christopher lost both of his parents to a drug overdose, Lucy had stepped in and gave Christopher a place to stay until a foster placement was arranged for him. Christopher wound himself around and into Lucy’s heart. That first night that Christopher stayed with Lucy, she introduced Christopher to The Clock Island books. Christopher instantly became a fan. Lucy and Christopher read every book in the series over the next few weeks. Christopher believed in and looked up to the Mastermind in The Clock Island series. For some reason, the author, Jack Masterson, had not written any new books for the past five or six years. No one knew the reason why Jack Masterson stopped writing. He just did.

Lucy wanted to foster and then adopt Christopher more than anything in the world but her circumstances prevented it. The foster agency told Lucy over and over again that she was not in a position to be approved to foster Christopher no less adopt him. Lucy needed money, a lot of it so she could provide Christopher with the things he needed. Lucy was about to let Christopher know that the chances of her ever becoming his mother were not very hopeful.

Then one day, a blue envelope was delivered to Lucy. To everyone’s surprise, especially Lucy’s, Jack Masterson had written a new book and he was holding a contest on Clock Island. There were four people that Jack had chosen to be the contestants in the contest. The prize for winning the contest was the original copy of the new Jack Masterson’s book. The winner of the contest was permitted to sell the rights to the book to either the publisher or anyone else the winner desired. If Lucy was able to win, the sale of the book would provide Lucy with all the money she needed and then some to foster and adopt Christopher. Lucy had been chosen as one of the four candidates eligible to compete in the contest. Could Lucy win the contest? What would she have to do to win?

I really enjoyed Lucy’s character. She had such a difficult childhood and now she had the chance to show young Christopher the love and affection that she was denied as a child. I was really rooting for Lucy to succeed. Most of The Wishing Game was told from Lucy’s perspective. Lucy developed a true kinship with Hugo Reese, the illustrator of The Clock Island books and famous artist in his own right, early on when she first arrived on Clock Island for the contest. I enjoyed the banter Lucy and Hugo shared together, how they began to confide in one another and when their feelings for one another began to develop. The Wishing Game touched every one of my emotions. It was a magical and beautiful story. I loved the setting on Clock Island with the raging sea, dense forests and the unique home Jack Masterson lived in. It was heartbreaking yet uplifting. The Wishing Game focused on the themes of family, self confidence, romance, the perils of being a child in situations that were far from ideal, the art of imagination and partaking in solving riddles, losses and sacrifices. I am so glad that I had the chance to read The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer and look forward to reading the books she writes in the future. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Ballantine Books for allowing me to read The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Having recently finished the previously published “The Wishing Game" by Meg Shaffer, I am happy to have had the chance to read the Advanced Reader’s Edition e-copy; thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine!

This was an emotional story full of riddles and challenges set on the mysterious, straight from the pages of a fairy tale, Clock Island, Maine. As the memorable cast of characters shared when telling their stories, hopes and dreams and wishes are something most of us hold on to, to get us through hard moments in life. This ultimate happily ever after ending led to a forever family, and the gift of a special book given from the heart of a true father to his… sidekick. ❤️

"Writing that book changed my life. Reading it changed yours.”

This was an interesting adult novel! (I really like the cover of it!)

I received an e-ARC from the publisher

The Wishing Game was absolutely fantastic. While reading I was getting Wonka and Hunger Games vibes with a bookish twist and by the end of the book I just felt good.

The title and the cover did it for me. I picked it completely based on that and I'm glad I did. I really enjoyed this story. The Wishing Game is a great story that will make you feel nostalgic for your childhood. It is a heartfelt story about growing up and the challenges some kids face and how they escape that with books and stories like so many of us did as well. It's that relatable feeling of hope and wishing that really drew me in. The characters are just as endearing as you would think. The narration was done beautifully. I highly recommend this book if you just want to daydream for a little bit!

This book was so magical & wholesome. All the feel goods & all heartwarming moments. It left me feeling nostalgic for books I read as a child where I could escape for a little while ✨

So I admit, I was very confused, the description says scifi/fantasy but this was just fiction. I could not find the fantasy. That being said I really enjoyed this book. It gave me warm feels. I liked the characters and their quirks. I definitely got a Gene Wilder Willy Wonka vibe from Jack, but that is one of my comfort movies so I didn’t mind at all. I think if i hadn’t been expecting a fantasy storyline, this would have gotten 5 stars. But I was distracted waiting for them to disappear into a book or something to magically come alive or some other fantasy trope and it reduced my enjoyment.

* I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.*

This was a tricky one...I liked some things about the book, but the main character is kind of problematic and I didn't love the writing. It was just alright.

This is the most fun I’ve had reading a book in so long. It hit my emotions and tapped into my childhood imagination and love for books like The Chronicles of Narnia. Meg creates characters you want to root for and be friends with. I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to read this!

This was a really feel-good novel that contains so much love for books and the nostalgia of loving them in your childhood. I'm giving this 4 stars because while it was enjoyable, it was almost TOO sappy-sweet at times. Still a good book, and I'll read whatever the author writes next!

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. Some of it was almost too sappy sweet, but even that was enjoyable. If you were a book lover as a child, this will appeal to you. Sort of reminded me of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library.

I liked the characters and the story moved along well.