Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer

60 reviews

kimveach's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective 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? Yes

4.0

This was such a lovely book. I wish I could explain why I liked it so much, but it's really more of a feeling. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Minor: Cancer, Miscarriage, and Terminal illness

lillypad827's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I absolutely loved this book. I devoured it in two days, stayed up til midnight two nights in a row to finish it. It had drama, intrigue, tragic backgrounds, love, and so much more. Gave me TJ Klune vibes, very heartfelt, and made me tear up at the end. Sometimes books that end with everything tied up neatly in a bow and everyone happy can fall flat for me, but not with this.

I wanted everyone to have a happy ending and that’s just what happened.

Definitely excited for the author’s second book to come out later this year!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death and Death of parent

Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Medical trauma

someryarns's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted sad medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Moderate: Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

Minor: Cancer, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Terminal illness

l1brarygirl's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

 1.5 stars - I did shed a tear for that extra half a star....

I wasn't too aware of what this book was about and I read so many thrillers, that I kept expecting a twist that never came. I could NOT connect with the MC Lucy at all and it made it very difficult to stay engaged. I also just was creeped out by a lot of the adults actions in this book. 

I think Jack's actions were fatherly in the end but for most of it, I just was kinda icked out by his actions. I couldn't get over Lucy's obsession with Christopher (highly inappropriate behavior for a teacher). The weird attraction between Lucy & Hugo (I'm okay with large age gaps but not when you first meet your SO as a CHILD). I also think Lucy was very unfair to her sister and completely glossed over her grandparents taking care of her. Also a slap in the face that everyone else in this story got a HEA except her sister.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Toxic relationship, Medical content, and Abandonment

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Gaslighting, and Classism

Minor: Alcoholism, Incest, Pedophilia, and Pregnancy

repunzee's review against another edition

adventurous challenging medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.5

I loved Clock Island as a setting and wish we'd gotten to explore the island more, but I didn't click with any of the characters since everyone made me uncomfortable. Our main character Lucy is a kindergarten teacher's aide who is determined to adopt Christopher, one of her former students. She tutors him at school and gives him many hugs, kisses, and false promises of being his mother. She lives with three roommates, no car, and has credit card debt, so she has been told that she is unable to foster and likely never will be able to.  Lucy is also very whiney, both about the situation with Christopher and that it's her parents gave all their attention to Lucy's extremely ill older sister.
Then, there's the issue of Lucy's relationship with Hugo. While they don't start their romance until both are adults, Lucy was thirteen when they first met and Hugo was in his mid twenties.

Jack, a beloved children's author, also left me feeling weird and uncomfortable. The book briefly addresses that he lures kids to his island, though they claim that is not what's happening. However, he writes back to every kid who writes him and encourages them to come to Clock Island, wishing they could be his kid. Five of these children do run away to Clock Island, though one drowns in the process. The book takes place much later to take part in a contest to win the only copy of his final book. There is hardly any time spent actually participating in the games, rather most of it is just mentioned in passing.

If any of the issues this book attempts to address had been explored with any level of depth or nuance I probably would have liked this much better.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Terminal illness, and Death of parent

Moderate: Miscarriage

beckalette's review against another edition

hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

giraffesandaudiobooks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment

Moderate: Chronic illness, Terminal illness, and Death of parent

Minor: Cancer, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, and Pedophilia

likethepickle's review against another edition

mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Medical content, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, and Abandonment

junekay's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

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

3.75

This book was really sweet, great for anyone in a fandom desperately wishing to go to the fantasy world.  It gave me Narnia mixed with old school Hardy Boys vibes.  I enjoyed being able to play along with the puzzles, but there were a few character choices I could not get behind.  It got a little too close to adult/minor relationship with the main character and her love interests.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse and Abandonment

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Terminal illness

shugentobler's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

This book is a big dollop of nostalgic beauty. I found myself ensnared in the silly mystery just like when I was a child and then slipping into huge crocodile tears finishing this book as an adult. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Terminal illness, and Death of parent