This was one of the most fun, warm-hearted, nostalgic books I have read in a long time. The novel centers around a recluse author who had written a big collection of children's stories, a Willy Wonka style competition for a few lucky readers, an underdog teacher determined to win it all, and much more. It was whimsical, full of endearing characters, and had quirky settings and twists. I stayed up late reading it and it reminded me of staying up to finish Nancy Drew books when I was a kid!
This was a debut novel from Meg Shaffer and I can't wait to see what she writes next.

This book is a testament to the power of books and how they can transform someone's life. The Clock Island book series gets Lucy Hart through a rough childhood. Now she is adult looking to adopt a boy whose parents have died, but she doesn't have the resources needed to become his mom until she is invited to take part in a contest on Clock Island to win the latest book in the series. Adventure ensues as Lucy decides to take a risk and travel to Clock Island where she meets the reclusive author of the series and strives to solve the riddles and win the competition. Will Lucy have what it takes to win and become a mom through adoption? You'll have to read the book to find out.

What if Willy Wonka, eccentricities and all, was a children's book author?

I love books about mysterious children's book authors, and this one did NOT disappoint. I stayed up reading this until 3am (on a work night!) because I couldn't put it down.

Jack Masterson is mysterious, full of little riddles, and more than a little kooky. He's a recluse who lives on a circular island that he's designed to match the places in his Clock Island series. But Jack has a big heart and he tries to help the children who write to him. That's how we end up with a big contest with 4 children he helped in the past competing to win the rights to a brand new, long-awaited, Clock Island book. The have to solve riddles, prove their knowledge of the books, and face their biggest fears to win.

Lucy Hart is our main character and while she loves Clock Island, her true purpose in competing is to make some money so she can adopt Christopher, a foster child who already sees her as family. This found family theme carries throughout the book in so many ways for a number of characters. It's beautifully done and doesn't feel forced (as can often happen with found family themes).

If you like riddles, stories about found family, and mysterious children's book authors I highly recommend this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to review this book ahead of publication. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

i adored this. there's nothing so wonderful as a book that exactly meets your expectations. the tone was whimsical but with enough weight to make you care, and had some genuinely emotional moments. excellent.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

All Lucy wants in the world is to have enough money to adopt Christopher. She works her heart out, but isn't making much progress when one day she receives a letter that might just make all her dreams come true. She's been invited to Clock Island, the setting for a series of children's books written by the author Jack Masterson. He's invited her to the island to participate in a game with three other people. Only one can win.

What I loved about this book is that it had such heart. It felt fresh and new to me, There was something almost magical about the tone and voice of the book that it left me wanting to stay wrapped up in it.

I found Lucy, Christopher, Hugo, and Jack to all be well-defined characters. Even the side characters felt substantial and weighty. I knew these people and they all felt distinct. Clock Island is beautifully described and vibrant, a character unto itself.

The book deals with deep issues of why these kids escaped to Clock Island in a way that is both childlike in its innocence but still captures the deeply painful wounds left by what happened to them. It's very clever writing. I initially had this rated at a four, but I think it's more of a 4.5. There's something about it that makes me think I'll revisit this one again.

I loved how this book tied the characters together even though there was no real connection at first. I loved the flow and ease of reading this. It combined whimsy with real societal problems. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC!

Honestly, I didn't think I would really like this book. The synopsis sounded okay and it was the cover that drew me in. However, I'm pleasantly surprised. It was a little hard to get into, a little slow, the story was a little weird but the more I read the more I had to keep going. I liked the characters well enough and the plot was unique (to me.)

I was lucky and was granted permission to read this book early by the publisher and NetGalley. I'm so glad that they did. This book was simply wonderful. I think there's alot of us out there as children escape into books and fictional worked to help avoid reality so this hit home. Now throw in what happens if we follow that book and author that helped us escape and you have this book. 5 stars isn't enough. I will definitely read more from this author.
I just reviewed The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer. #TheWishingGame #NetGalley
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This was incredible. I cannot emphasize how much I loved this. Maybe it's because I love riddles or puzzles, or maybe I've been wishing a scavenger hunt like this would happen to me my whole life, but this was magical. I was sobbing on the airplane as I read the last bit, and I don't think I'll ever stop thinking about how sweet the mother-son dynamic was in this book. Meg Shaffer, you have both my respect and my gratitude for writing this: it was sweet, poignant, and full of magic. I cannot recommend it enough.

Thank you to the publisher and the author for an ARC of this book!

It's not often I come across a fun read about a game this is well written with adults in mind. This is one of those rare books.

When a writer doesn't write it's easy to fade away. That's not what happened to Jack Masterson aka Mastermind. His many children's books are still being read by children and talked about by adults. When he announces he has written a new book and will give it to the winner of a game he has devised, excitement is everywhere. The four contestants he invites must solve riddles and gain points in order to win the book and their long held desires.

A twist comes when what they think they want may not be what they're playing for. Twists, turns, cheating, and an unexpected ending make this book one that should be read.

I enjoyed reading this book. I thought it was heartwarming and the characters were all lovable. The story is just so magical! Great job!!! I can’t wait to read more from this author!!
Thanks so much for the ARC! 😃

[Disclaimer: I received an ARC through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.]

Although not a conventional fantasy -- no magic, no fae, no dragons -- this novel still felt more like fantasy than mainstream to me. And that's a very good thing, in this increasingly bleak
world.

The wishing game itself involves a young elementary classroom aide, Lucy Hart, and the little boy she's hoping to foster / adopt. She has no real chance of qualifying to do this. He has no real chance of becoming her son -- yet both, inspired by a magical children's book series about Clock Island, continue to wish. And, most importantly, to be brave.

The game quickly threatens to become reality. Lucy gets a chance to compete for the first-in-years new Clock Island book. The self-exiled writer of the books finally emerges. His devoted friend and cover artist sees a chance of getting on with his life. Three other players, all with their own compelling back stories, join the competition -- and the plot speeds on, sometimes feeling slightly removed from reality, but mostly delivering exactly what the reader is hoping for, thought seldom as expected.

Admittedly, there's also a sizable helping of darkness in this novel. Child abuse, neglect, and family tragedy figure prominently in all the characters' lives, but so does the comfort and wisdom only beloved books can provide.

Thank you to NetGalley for an arc of The Wishing Game in exchange for an honest review. This review is wholly my own.

WOW!!!! What a spectacular read!!! I know it is extremely early in the year, but this will likely go down as one of my TOP reads of the year!!!

A reclusive author invites 4 lucky fans to compete for the ONE copy of their new book. I know as a book lover, I LIVE for the next book in a series or the new book by an author I love. This takes it to a whole other level!! This totally makes me thing of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.

This is a very endearing story and a page-turner. I was easily invested in the characters and stayed up way too late to finish the amazing read.

PLEASE do yourself a favor and pick this 5 Star book up ASAP!!!

I enjoyed this book of wishes granted to adults grown up from less than stellar childhoods. I loved to see Lucy get her most precious wish granted. It was the best wish of all. The storyline might have been fairly predictable, but who doesn't love a happy ending?

I'm of two minds about this book. There is charm and storytelling, but I can't bring myself to get beyond the creepiness of a teacher's assistant's relationship with and young child and who tells him to keep secrets.

Imagine your favourite children's author invited you to an Island to take part in a fierce competition of games and riddles, just like the books you so loved as a child. The prize? The latest, unpublished book!

I loved the idea behind this story, and it started to get pretty good around the end. Unfortunately,I found the plot dragged a little up until then and it was a challenge just pushing through. I enjoyed the book eventually,but it was hard work getting to that point.

Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy of the book for review.

This book is going to be enjoyed by so many readers! It's a heart-warming story that ends in a happily-ever-after way and centers on a competition with four contestants. The competition is organized by their favorite children's book author and the prize is a new book. I had to rate this book a bit lower because it was too predictable, but for many that won't matter. I'm very impressed with what Meg Shaffer did with this book and will certainly be keeping an eye out for her next one.

This already has lots of high ratings and reviews, so I'll just recommend it to those seeking an engaging, imaginative tale. This one will sell well.

Thanks very much for the free ARC for review!!

This book was an adorable story filled with whimsey and heart.

Lucy Hart is having a tough time. As a teacher's aide, she makes very little money, but dreams of having enough to adopt her favorite student. Those dreams may be answered when Lucy enters into a contest designed by a reclusive best selling children's author set on Clock Island, the very place Lucy ran away to as a little girl.

The book is filled with adorable and engaging characters and fun puzzles as well as fabulous descriptions of a picturesque island brimming with delights.

I found the book a quick, engaging read and loved the story.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House - Ballantine for the e-Arc.

The Wishing Game is a very sweet concept. We have two parties mainly narrating the novel; Hugo and Jack, a reclusive team of illustrator and author of incredibly popular children's book and Lucy Hart a Kindergarten teacher's aide whose heart is set on adopting a former student who has had a very rough childhood.

It's been years since Jack has released a new Clock Island book due to personal trauma, but he has now announced a mysterious competition starting with a riddle. Lucy has always been an avid Clock Island reader and has use those books to find her way out of personal trauma and help her student Christopher find his way out too. As we weave our way through the story we discover that all the main characters have deep seated emotional trauma.

This book is very whimsical, but a few things really kept me from being fully invested. The first was the romantic storyline. The main character met her love interest when she was 13 and he was 21ish. While there wasn't anything inappropriate at the time it still gives me the ick. There's also a few places where the author reiterates the same turn of phrase when listing things either in the same sentence or paragraph. I also thought there was too much going on with the Lucy, like everything was always going wrong and there was no happiness in her life. It was incredibly bleak.

I did enjoy the overall story and found it to be sweet, but this wasn't something I would pick up again.