Thank you, Meg Shaffer, Ballantine Books,  and Netgalley, for the gifted eARC.

Jack Masterson is a famous children's author who hasn't written a book in six years. Unexpectedly , he announced a new book and a competition to win that book. Lucy grew up reading Jack's books. They were her comfort. She especially loved the Clock Island series. Now, at twenty-six years old, Lucy reads the Clock Island books to Christopher, the orphaned boy she hopes to adopt. The only problem is that she doesn't have a good enough paying job or a proper home to qualify to adopt Christopher. When Lucy gets an invitation to be one of four contestants to compete to win the only copy of Masterson's book, it could completely change everything for her and Christopher. If Lucy can beat the other three contestants and not get distracted by the handsome, grumpy illustrator Hugo, all her wishes may come true.

The Wishing Game takes the magic of Willy Wonka and the mystery of the wizard in the Wizard of Oz and mixes it into one fun novel.  There's riddles and puzzles to solve, a mysterious island that is set up like a clock, wishes to be granted, and so much fun to be had. Yet, there are still some heartfelt topics that will have you in tears throughout the book. Jack, Lucy, and Hugo are all fabulous characters, and I loved each of them and their story arcs. After finishing this book, my heart feels so happy and full. I want so much more of these wonderful characters. I didn't want this story or the magic of Clock Island to end.

I really liked this book. It's a little different than what I usually read but it wove together a beautiful storyline about childhood trauma and loss and an escape into the magical lands of literature, in this case Clock Island. Lucy discovered the Clock Island books as a child, when she was left behind and lonely. They became an escape from reality when she needed it most, a chance to wish for more and to know she deserved it. Now as an adult, Lucy is offered the chance to return to Clock Island as an adult to compete in a competition that would allow her to fulfill her greatest wish - to adopt Christopher - a young foster child who she loves as a son.

This book is perfect for the adult who used to escape into the magical lands of books as a child - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Narnia, etc.

I liked the premise - a Mr. Lemoncello’s Library for grown ups - but it just did not come together for me - seemed to wander a bit. Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book!

I loved this book so much! I don't even know what else to say. Preorder a copy now, or grab one on the 30th when it's published. It's so good. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What a wonderful book! Laughed out loud while crying at the same time. I was an adult and a child again while reading this incredible story. There is so much more to be said but not without spoilers. Highly recommend to all !!!!

If you need to remember how magical books are, read this! I think this may be the best book I've read this year. It was just SO captivating and fun. It had all the BEST story lines, a book about books, found family, a touch of romance. I felt like a cross between the Midnight Library and Willy Wonka in the VERY best way! I found myself wishing the series from the book was real so I could read those, too! I am so blown away by the creativity that this book showed, I literally couldn't put it down-- sign me up for the next competition on clock island!

This has a little bit of something for everyone. Highly recommend! 5 Stars!!

Thanks to Netgalley, Meg Shaffer, and Ballentine Books for an advanced copy of this to review!

I knew I would like this book when I read the synopsis. Who doesn’t want to show up on their favorite author's doorstep announcing they are there to be their side kick, have a cup of coffee and not be taken to jail. This book surpassed every expectation I had. It was a reminder of the wonder of reading as a kid, the satisfaction of a caper solved, lessons learned, but with emotional situations and relationships for adults. It kind of felt like a literary hug. I wish I could re-read for the first time over and over again.

This had a very unique and it was a cute story. At first I didn't think I would like it but it turned out okay after I got into it.

The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer is a beautiful, magical tale about Lucy and Christopher. Lucy is a teacher’s aide and Christopher is her student who’s in foster care. They both have traumatic pasts and are desperate to become a family.

A large part of their journey is a Willy Wonka-esque contest on a mysterious island from the reclusive writer of a beloved children’s book series. These books connect the characters in many ways, and the contest is a way for Lucy to make her dreams come true.

My favorite parts of this story were about the wishing game. Shaffer writes about these fictional books, their grandfatherly creator, and his wondrous island in a way that made me desperate to read them. I wanted them to be real. I wanted to go to the island. The writing captured the magic and nostalgia of being a child. It also didn’t shy away from the hard parts of being a kid too, and why, often, the kids who suffer the most, invest the most in fictional stories. I appreciated the thoughtful, nuanced look at the foster care and adoption system.

For me the book suffered a little bit from trying to do too many things, and though the peripheral love story was lovely, I wonder if it was necessary. I think the story may have been tighter and more focused without it.

On a personal note, I was really bothered by the voice of Lucy’s teacher friend, Teresa. I’m not sure if the writing was trying to portray Teresa’s ethnicity or region but it made me uncomfortable. It would be a very easy thing to clean up.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to readers who want feel the magic childhood but in a way that deals with very real, very big issues.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for the ARC.

The Wishing Game releases May 30, 2023. (My review will be posted on @backlistblooms Instagram the week prior to release

I loved this book so much! Was a switch up from my normal genre and I really appreciated that. Definitely would recommend!

This was a wonderful, enjoyable read, and is a little gift for the adults who loved reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Narnia, Harry Potter, or any similarly beloved series as a child. Like those stories, the book series within The Wishing Game, the Clock Island series, transports the young main characters somewhere magical and mysterious that requires curiosity and a healthy dose of bravery.

Our main character is Lucy Hart, a 26-year-old teacher’s assistant who once found comfort in the Clock Island books as a child while feeling unwanted by her family. Now she desperately wants to adopt a boy, Christopher, who lost his parents suddenly, The two have grown incredibly close and Lucy has passed her love of the Clock Island books to him as she tries to get approved for a foster-to-adopt scenario. Unfortunately she can’t get approved until she has a new living situation, a car, and better finances.

Just as all hope seems to be lost, the reclusive author of the Clock Island Series announces a game for only a select few at a chance to win the only copy of the latest installment in the series, and Lucy happens to be one of four invited to compete (but I won’t spoil why that is for you here). So Lucy travels to the real Clock Island, the author’s home he created to mirror the island in his books, in hopes of winning the valuable manuscript, so she and Christopher can be together.

I’ve left out quite a lot of the gist of the story on purpose, as you should get to unravel the story yourself, but overall I enjoyed the way the novel wove together a fantasy children’s series, the lasting impact a good story can have on readers as they age, and real-life issues, both adolescent and adult. Although The Wishing Game isn’t exactly a fantasy novel, the Clock Island books are, and that feeling of fantasy seeps through as you’re along on Lucy’s adventure.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing me a digital copy of this book before it’s official release date.

This started out as a good idea and a unique concept but it just didn’t work for me but I saw lots of good reviews so maybe it just didn’t hit me at the right time. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for review

Lucy Hart grew up with parents who didn't show her any love and a sister who was always sick. At one point she runs away from home determined to find Clock Island and become a sidekick to the Mastermind, the proprietor of Clock Island. However, Jack Masterson the elusive author of the Clock Island books can't let her stay on the island. After all, what would the press think if they found out children were running away to live on clock island with an unmarried bachelor? After running away, Lucy is sent to live with her grandparents and has very minimal contact with her parents or her sister.

Flash forward, Lucy is now an adult working as a teacher aide. She has a student she tutors who is very dear to her heart, seven-year-old Christopher. Christopher had a very traumatic experience and is now left an orphan after finding his parents dead. Lucy is the one person he feels safe around, and she is determined to foster to adopt Christopher. However, the foster agency tells Lucy that unless she has a dramatic change in circumstances, she will likely never be able to adopt Christopher.

As she is poised to break the bad news to Christopher, Jack Masterson announces he’s finally written a new Clock Island book. Not only is there a new book, but he's holding a contest for four lucky contestants. The prize: the single copy of his newest book. Lucy is one of the four lucky contestants, and quickly makes her way to Clock Island. All four contestants have one thing in common: they all wrote to Jack Masterson and ran away from home to Clock Island. The four must play a series of games in order to win. Along the way they must face their fears and learn to break down their walls.

This book was very cute and quirky. I loved the idea of Clock Island and the characters were all so well written.

Lucy is struggling. Her only wish is to foster and adopt one of her students, Christopher. But as a teacher’s aide, she’s barely making ends meet and with no permanent home she has to face giving up her dream of adopting him. When award winning and Lucy’s favorite childhood author, Jack Masterson puts on a contest to win the only copy of his newest book in the famous Clock Island Series, Lucy knows this is her one shot to change her life. Once on the island, Lucy will need to face her fears in order to win, especially since everyone wants to get their hands on Masterson’s newest book.

What an adorable story!

While written for adults, it has a whimsical feel to it which transported me back to my childhood stories. Some readers might find it’s written for a younger audience, but I thought the mix of whimsical and reality was well done and perfect for adult readers. Lucy struggles with abandonment issues, there is discussions around foster care/adoptions, and all our main characters bring plenty of baggage with them. All of these topics make this book more of an adult read versus a young adult read in my opinion.

Primarily told through Lucy’s POV, we occasionally get Hugo’s (the illustrator of the Clock Island books) POV as well. The switch between the two was seamless and added a light romantic aspect to the story. I appreciated that the romance bit was more of a side plot and didn’t overshadow the rest of the story.

As someone who spent countless hours immersed in fictional worlds, I really enjoyed this story. It had a magical feel to it, even though it all takes place in the ‘real world’. Shaffer does a great job of highlighting the importance stories play in our lives and how influential magical worlds can be on a childhood. Highly recommend this lovely debut! 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.


The Wishing Game comes out May 30, 2023. Huge thank you to Ballantine Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof.books.

I love books about books! This book is giving Charlie and the Chocolate Factory if it was about books and I absolutely loved it. Years ago a really famous author quit writing under weird circumstances. know all of the sudden he wrote a book and came up with a competition. Lucy, our main character, is one of the winners of this once in a lifetime competition and of she wins the price could change her life and it could help her with her dream of adopting Christopher. This book was so unique and fun to read.

Thank you net galley for this eARC!!

I almost gave this a 5, it was so good! 4+ stars but not quite a 5. Great storyline that pays homage to readers, authors and fans everywhere. I also loved how everything worked out but not in a predictable way.

3.5/5 ⭐
Lucy grew up loving the Clock Island books. She even ran away to Clock Island once, hoping to get her wish to be the author's sidekick. Years later, her wish is now to adopt Christopher, a kid she works with. However, she doesn't have the money or resources to do so. When there is a competition to win the rights to the long-awaited next Clock Island book, Lucy is one of the few invited to compete.

Things I enjoyed: the setting of Clock Island! I wish there had been more of this. It was such a unique place and did feel straight out of stories. I also enjoyed the clues and riddles aka the competition.

Things I didn't like as much: It took a while to get to those competition bits and then there weren't as many as I was expecting. It was more about Lucy's journey rather than the competition. If you go in with that in mind, you won't be as disappointed with the lack of competition.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an fun, quick read. I would have preferred a little more character development, and maybe a little more depth to some parts of the story but overall neither of those things detracted from my enjoyment of the book. Strongly recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an advanced reader copy.

the setting of the story was great, with a contest for selected adults akin to the once-in-a-lifetime game played in willy wonka's chocolate factory at its center. i really liked the way the author weaved together childhood joys and pains, and adult wishes and hopes. the book left me with a magical and kind of nostalgic feeling, even tho i have nothing to be nostalgic about really, ha!

sadly, i didn't enjoy the characters. i felt like the only difference between characters was the difference in their past trauma. the only time i saw any sort of personality was when the characters talked about their trauma. and even if the author wanted to do that, i thought the execution of it was not handled delicately enough. i couldn't feel the pains of lucy and hugo. (however, i did tear up a bit in chapter 22...)

thank you so much netgalley for this arc!! i screamed when i got approved.

This book took me back to my childhood when I would read for hours and be transported to a magical place. When a famous children’s author writes a novel after six years of silence, he invites four people to his mysterious Clock Island compete in a game- a game to win the only copy of his newest book. For the four contestants, winning the game is everything… They all have a reason why they need to win. and in order to win the game, they must solve puzzles and riddles, (which were so fun to try to solve as a reader.) They also must face their biggest fears. This book had a little bit of everything and I enjoyed it so much. Fantasy romance mystery drama… I couldn’t put it down! Heartwarming and magical from start to finish! 5 stars and a big thank you to Netgalley for giving me a digital copy!