A children's book author lives on Clock Island and creates the wishing game. I love how the author shows the impact books can make on the lives of young readers who need comfort. This is heartbreaking and sweet and beautiful.

First, a thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read a copy of this eARC.

I feel a bit like I am taking crazy pills, I won't lie.

Most of the reviews I read are rave reviews. Most of my friends and the people I follow here on GRs gave this four or five stars.

Y'all, be honest - what did you see that I didn't see!?

Overall, the premise is very sweet. It's a very wholesome pitch. I don't fundamentally disagree with this book's proposition statement. Or what it aimed to make readers feel.

But the execution? I am not sure that was four or five star-worthy for me.

In no particular order, some thoughts:

1. The relationship between Hugo and Lucy felt kind of creepy to me. I don't care that they are both adults! The vibes were just not it for me.
2. The way this book was written was very children's book-esque. And listen, maybe that was exactly the point! To replicate the cadence and style of a children's book, but for adults... is pretty on theme for the overall story, no? But to me, it just came off as... Condescending? I don't know, maybe that isn't exactly the word I am going for, but it did feel a little awww what a cute lil guy and cheek-pinching.
3. I understand part of the idea of this book was moving past trauma and pain and working toward a brighter future. Once again, not necessarily bad, but jesus h. christ - all of the "softcore" horrible things that weren't horror book/thriller book level happened to the main characters in this book (or to people they cared about). It's like Shaffer was like okay what are some horrible things that could happen that people would go oh my god, that's horrible! at but also won't cause anyone to toss their cookies? Ah okay, literally ALL of those are going to make it into my novel!
4. There was something almost... like... white savior-esque about Lucy's relationship with Christopher? Like clearly it was just convenient for the storytelling for him to have literally zero family outside of his two parents who, although only one became addicted to drugs due to a work accident, somehow also the other one got addicted and they happened to die at the same time, the same fateful moment? Like listen, I get it, this is a fiction book, anything can happen, but it just felt... Lazy to me.

Trust me - all fiction requires us to suspend our disbelief to some amount, and sometimes it really isn't that serious - for fuck's sake, I just recently read The Ex Hex and that book was pretty damn unserious - but this just didn't land for me. Often, there isn't a rubric you can grade a book on and for everyone, it will score the same - which also, totally fine. But man... this was definitely not a win for me. I just didn't vibe with it from the start.

This is not to mean that if you liked it, I think you have bad taste, and I don't even necessarily know that objectively, it's a bad book... But I do feel a little like the one dude in the crowd shouting the king's butt-ass naked! In a sea of people oohing and aahing the king's clothes.

I think I would give Shaffer's next book a go - I mean, there's something there. I just don't know if I think it's ALL the way there yet.

Am I really the only person who feels this way!? I just... y'all. Taking crazy pills.

I wasn’t sure what to think of this book going in, but goodness did I enjoy it. It reminds me a bit of the bookish version of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. It was such a fun book filled with magic, wishes, love (both platonic and a little of the other kind), stories, just all the wonderful things. It started out a little slow for me, but once I was about 15-20% in….I was in hard and couldn’t stop.

When Lucy was thirteen years old she ran away to “Clock Island”. This was the setting for the most wonderful books she ever read. She needed someone to love and to love her back.
Now years later she is reading those same books to a little foster boy, Christopher, who she wants to adopt with all of her heart but she needs a miracle.
One day a letter arrives inviting her back to Clock Island for a special game and the prize could be what she was wanting and needing.
Jack, the Mastermind, and the author of the “Cloud Island “ books has more riddles for them to solve to be able to win. Can Lucy figure out the rhymes and will she be brave enough!
This book was very suspenseful and heartwarming.

In The Wishing Game, 26-year-old Lucy Hart has been chosen to compete in a contest for the chance to win the only copy of Jack Masterson’s long-awaited continuation of his popular Clock Island book series. If she can win, the profit from selling the novel will be life-changing for both her and 7-year-old Christopher, who Lucy is hoping to adopt once she sufficiently improves her living environment. A book full of mystery and magic...very heartwarming!

*Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is SO heartwarming and is a must-read for anyone who was really into books as a child. The plot is engaging and it was so fun to escape to Clock Island and try to solve the riddles alongside the characters. That being said, I raised my eyebrows at the adoption plot between Lucy and Christopher--there were definitely some ethical questions raised by Lucy treating a student at her school like that. But I tried to just ignore how that plotline would play out in the real world and enjoy the story.

Thank you to Random House - Ballantine for the free eARC of this book!

I was positively intrigued by the concept of a Willy Wonka-esque story where readers compete for a chance to receive the only copy of a highly anticipated story! I'm sad it took me so long to get to it!

The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer is a fun story based on a competition on a mystical island. When down on her luck Lucy is selected to compete in a competition she can't pass the opportunity up.
The characters are fun, even though they and the ending were a little predictable.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and the journey that the author took us on.

This book was heart-warming, magical, and so cozy. It kind of felt like Knives Out: Glass Onion, but with way less murder, and much more likeable characters.

It's the kind of book that I seriously did not want to put down and I was so rooting for the main character the whole time. I love competition based books, but this one was especially great. It made me feel like I was a kid staying up past my bedtime to see what happens next and how it ended. The last 25% of the book I was sobbing because it's just so perfect.

Perfect for lovers of Glass Onion, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and cozy mysteries. I seriously loved this book and will read whatever Meg writes next. HIGHLY recommend.

📚 What an endearing story this is! It is such a feel-good read and I really enjoyed it.

📚 There is a competition element in the story – 4 contestants are competing for the only copy of their favorite childhood author’s last book. I do wish the story included more challenges for the contestants… I felt like that part of the story was a little anemic. However, the emotional connections in the book were so incredibly real and heartfelt that, in the end, I didn’t even care that the competition was overshadowed.

📚 Lucy and Christopher are awesome characters. I fell in love with them immediately and so will you.

📚 There is a budding romance in the story as well, and it is so sweet. I was literally rooting for everyone in this story.

📚 When it boils down to it, this story is a love letter to books, particularly the books that impacted us when we were kids. It is a master class in perseverance and striving for what you need while helping others. It is also a lesson in loving others and being selfless. You may even shed a tear or two. It is a wonderful story and worth reading.

Thank you @netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books for an eARC of this book, which I have read and reviewed voluntarily.

If you're like me, Charlie and Chocolate Factory was one of your favorite books/movies. This book was like the adult version.

Jack "the Mastermind" Masterson has written a series of books, but stopped writing after awhile. When he announced the he was writing one more book, he also stated that he was holding a contest on his island to see who would own the only copy of this book.

Lucy, a teacher's aide, loved his books, and read all of them to Christopher, a student who tragically lost his parents. In Lucy's hope to adopt Christopher, she needed the money by selling Jack Masterson's one and only copy of his new book.

This is where the contest comes into place, and why it's like Charlie and Chocolate Factory. This was a beautiful story filled with interesting characters. It's a feel-good book that I would recommend to others.

I gave this book five stars! I was given this book for my honest review.

Overall, this was okay for me. I liked the concept of a Willy Wonka-esque competition but for books...but I didn't like it as much as I wanted to. The characters didn't make me feel particularly strong one way or another which made it a bit slow for me.

A book for adults that love middle grade fiction and mysteries. This was a sweet story with a mild bit of peril.

What an absolutely perfect book. I couldn’t keep it together the last 50 pages. Utterly beautifully and heartbreaking at the same time.

Lucy is a 26-year-old teacher's aide that is trying everything to be able to adopt Christopher. Until one day she gets an opportunity that can make their wishes come true.

The story is pretty cozy and it feels like a warm hug. It is pretty clear what's going to happen from page 1. But the characters make the whole story worthwhile. It delivers exactly what one might expect from the summary, nothing more and nothing less.

I felt the romance was pretty cute too.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC.

This book was delightful and adorable!

Lucy is a TA. She mentors Christopher and really wants to adopt him, but cannot afford to. She has a book series that she read through her childhood and she gets Christopher hooked as well.

The author hasn't written in years and is a bit of a recluse. But he announces a surprise competition that has fans going nuts.

I don't want to give more details. But read this one!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Random House for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks, NetGalley and Ballantine Books, for the digital review copy.

“Years ago, a reclusive mega-bestselling children’s author quit writing under mysterious circumstances. Suddenly, he resurfaces with a brand-new book and a one-of-a-kind competition, offering a prize that will change the winner’s life in this absorbing and whimsical novel.”

I was excited about this refreshing story idea, but some mixed reviews put me off. I knew I wanted to read it but I needed the right mindset to pick it up. I chose correctly (a lovely palate cleanser after a disappointing book), and it kept me turning pages late into the night. Happily, I enjoyed it. Was it simplistic in places and implausible in others? Yes. Did I mind? No. I just relaxed into the story, secure in a happy ending and appreciating the fun.

It's absorbing and whimsical, just like the blurb says. Sometimes, you get precisely what the author offers and exactly what you need. I win!

Such a sweet read!! Learning that wishes and dreams really do matter and can come true if you are brave enough.

Lucy is down on her luck but really wants to adopt a former student. She is selected for a contest by one of her favorite authors to win a copy of an unpublished book that everyone has been waiting years for. If she wins the contest, she might finally have the money to adopt Christopher. During the contest, she is pushed not only intellectually but also emotionally and is forced to face some horrible things that she had dealt with in the past.

I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion

THis was. a whimsical book tht took me back to my younger days. It was a sute book but di have some slow places, however i wanted to see what happened so I continued to read. In the end it made me happy.

Years ago, a reclusive mega-bestselling children’s author quit writing under mysterious circumstances. Suddenly he resurfaces with a brand-new book and a one-of-a-kind competition, offering a prize that will change the winner’s life in this absorbing and whimsical novel.

Make a wish. . . .

Lucy Hart knows better than anyone what it’s like to grow up without parents who loved her. In a childhood marked by neglect and loneliness, Lucy found her solace in books, namely the Clock Island series by Jack Masterson. Now a twenty-six-year-old teacher’s aide, she is able to share her love of reading with bright, young students, especially seven-year-old Christopher Lamb, who was left orphaned after the tragic death of his parents. Lucy would give anything to adopt Christopher, but even the idea of becoming a family seems like an impossible dream without proper funds and stability. But be careful what you wish for. . . . Just when Lucy is about to give up, Jack Masterson announces he’s finally written a new book. Even better, he’s holding a contest at his home on the real Clock Island, and Lucy is one of the four lucky contestants chosen to compete to win the one and only copy. For Lucy, the chance of winning the most sought-after book in the world means everything to her and Christopher. But first she must contend with ruthless book collectors, wily opponents, and the distractingly handsome (and grumpy) Hugo Reese, the illustrator of the Clock Island books. Meanwhile, Jack “the Mastermind” Masterson is plotting the ultimate twist ending that could change all their lives forever.. . . You might just get it.

This was such a wholesome book. It was giving me Willy Wonka vibes had it not been creepy and instead of terrorized children it was willing adults. This book has a little bit of something for everyone. Lots of family drama, a little romance subplot and a big mystery game on who will win the rights to the next and final book in the popular children's series. I ended up listening to the audio and really enjoyed it. The story itself was a little slow, so I felt the audio helped bring it along.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.