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jfortney23's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Incest, and Death of parent
Minor: Cancer and Miscarriage
ixris's review against another edition
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A very easy read, which would not be a bad thing except that the writer will repeat herself sometimes on the same page, sometimes in the next sentence. The amount of things I had to stop and reread because surely the redundancy was a misread on my part (it wasn't) was more than I care to admit and made the reading unpleasant at times.
The plot focuses on a woman who (to me, a person who spent nine years as a childcare aide) is the least believable depiction of a struggling poverty class worker let alone a childcare worker and how she is enamored with the MPDG of an old man who invites her to return to his Defunctland vibe private island and falling in love with his grumpy live in illustrator (Sorry she's not sunshine tho).
A lot of this was really trite to me but maybe I'm not the right audience. It was a coherent plot and structurally sound, and I quite liked the flirting scenes - our FMC and her MLI really had a good vibe overall.
You could spot this plot from space though.
The plot focuses on a woman who (to me, a person who spent nine years as a childcare aide) is the least believable depiction of a struggling poverty class worker let alone a childcare worker and how she is enamored with the MPDG of an old man who invites her to return to his Defunctland vibe private island and falling in love with his grumpy live in illustrator (Sorry she's not sunshine tho).
A lot of this was really trite to me but maybe I'm not the right audience. It was a coherent plot and structurally sound, and I quite liked the flirting scenes - our FMC and her MLI really had a good vibe overall.
You could spot this plot from space though.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Rape, Terminal illness, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Third act trauma dumpaprilb_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Addiction, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, and Grief
Minor: Child death and Incest
bookcheshirecat's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
3.0
“The stories write us, you see. We read something that moves us, touches us, speaks to us and it…it changes us.”
➽ The Wishing Game sounded so whimsical and magical, but in the end, I expected a bit more from it. I really liked the premise as we follow a young woman called Lucy, who participates in a game hosted by her favorite author. Jack Masterson wrote the famous Clock Island books but stopped writing for years. Now he's back with a new book and the four contestants have a chance of winning the only copy. I love books about books, so I loved getting to see the impact the Clock Island books had. For many kids they were like a safe haven, Lucy included, who grew up in a neglectful household.
➽ My favorite part of the book was the riddles and visiting Jack Masterson's home, an island reminiscent of the book series' main setting. I wish the game had started earlier, as it takes about 40-50% of the story to get to that point. I feel like the competition could have been a bigger focus, as it initially caught my interest. The first riddle was intriguing, but afterwards, we were simply told that they'd competed in the other games without seeing any of them. The final game was honestly a letdown, as it had nothing to do with cleverness or skill.It's literally 5 minutes to call someone and have them read you the words on a specific Clock Island book page. How is that a riddle or test of skill? In the end, no one gets it right because the time runs out, which feels like such a joke to me.
➽ For the most part I liked Lucy, a 26-year-old kindergarten teacher's aide who hopes to adopt a little boy called Christopher. She's trying to give him a loving home but has trouble saving up the money and getting a proper apartment/car for them. I understood why the social worker was sceptical, since Lucy's still living with college-aged people and doesn't have her own apartment. However, I could also understand Lucy's frustration that the system penalized anyone who is too poor. I liked how Lucy and Christopher connected to each other via the Clock Island books, but I felt like she was too intense about him at times. I know she cares about him, but she's calling herself his mother when by this time, she's still his teacher!
➽ I wasn't a fan of how Lucy's sister was handled. She was a sick, immuno-compromised kid and therefore got more attention while Lucy was neglected. However, Lucy still blames Angie for her childhood trauma, even though it was her parents who mistreated them. She doesn't even consider Angie's perspective and only finds out how she felt much later. Sure Angie said something hurtful in the past, but it didn't justify Lucy's years-long resentment, especially as she knew how sick her sister was. Parts of this felt so ableist and it annoyed me how Lucy made everything about herself. The ending also rubbed me the wrong way.Just when the sisters have reconciled, Angie falls ill again and only has a couple of months left to live. Lucy finally forgives her and includes her in her life again. I don't know why the author thought it would be a good idea to essentially use her disabled character to further the protagonist's character development only for them to die in the end.
➽ My favorite part of the book was the riddles and visiting Jack Masterson's home, an island reminiscent of the book series' main setting. I wish the game had started earlier, as it takes about 40-50% of the story to get to that point. I feel like the competition could have been a bigger focus, as it initially caught my interest. The first riddle was intriguing, but afterwards, we were simply told that they'd competed in the other games without seeing any of them. The final game was honestly a letdown, as it had nothing to do with cleverness or skill.
➽ For the most part I liked Lucy, a 26-year-old kindergarten teacher's aide who hopes to adopt a little boy called Christopher. She's trying to give him a loving home but has trouble saving up the money and getting a proper apartment/car for them. I understood why the social worker was sceptical, since Lucy's still living with college-aged people and doesn't have her own apartment. However, I could also understand Lucy's frustration that the system penalized anyone who is too poor. I liked how Lucy and Christopher connected to each other via the Clock Island books, but I felt like she was too intense about him at times. I know she cares about him, but she's calling herself his mother when by this time, she's still his teacher!
➽ I wasn't a fan of how Lucy's sister was handled. She was a sick, immuno-compromised kid and therefore got more attention while Lucy was neglected. However, Lucy still blames Angie for her childhood trauma, even though it was her parents who mistreated them. She doesn't even consider Angie's perspective and only finds out how she felt much later. Sure Angie said something hurtful in the past, but it didn't justify Lucy's years-long resentment, especially as she knew how sick her sister was. Parts of this felt so ableist and it annoyed me how Lucy made everything about herself. The ending also rubbed me the wrong way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Minor: Addiction, Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Grief
kimberleyw12's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Addiction, Cursing, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Abandonment
abbygdickerson's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Addiction, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Medical content, and Abandonment
keelirae113's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The author said it best, “this book is for you and all the kids who, in dark times, find a light shining from the pages of books.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Miscarriage, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Child death, Mental illness, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Minor: Addiction, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
haileyhardcover's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
fast-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
5.0
The Wishing Game is perfection. A perfect blend of heartbreak and hope, wit and whimsy. I laughed, I cried. I raced to solve riddles and braved my own fears. I had so much fun on Clock Island.
I love stories that make you fall even more in love with stories. Books have been such an important part of my life, and I love when authors not only acknowledge what books mean to us, but write whole new stories just to honor and celebrate them! Who would we be without the books we’ve loved? I don’t care to know the answer.
The Wishing Game is like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory but for adults whose inner child is ready to come out. For a book set in the “real world” without any actual magic, it felt like I was reading a fantasy. Clock Island truly felt magical and is certainly a place where wishes do come true if you’re brave enough to ask.
I connected to this story personally on so many levels. You know a book was meant to find you when, halfway through, you’re already thinking about getting quotes and images tattooed on your body forever, because having them branded into your heart just isn’t enough.
The Wishing Game is perfectly paced and easy to binge-read if that’s your thing. It’s a quick read at just under 300 pages. Most of the chapters are quite short and even the longer ones move quickly enough that you don’t notice the difference. If you appreciate a good floppy paperback like I do, the publisher nailed this one - so easy to break in and then lays flat like a dream even from the first page! Also the cover?! Stunning! No notes.
In short, I highly, highly recommend The Wishing Game.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Bullying, Cancer, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, and Outing
margotfoster's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I laughed. I cried. I want to read it again.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse and Chronic illness
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Drug abuse
kjazz20's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
This book was a beautiful story of hope and hardship and how those two tug at each other so often. It is about wishes and bravery. But above all else, this is a story about love in its purest form. Love is the thread that connects each character and storyline. Love is actually the prevailing protagonist of “The Wishing Game.”
The real, life lessons of this story were wrapped in a playful and whimsical tale whose world was a joy to step into. It is artfully and beautifully written, telling the story of a teacher trying to save a child and a writer trying to save the world. Its whimsy reminded me a little of “The House by the Cerulean Sea.”
Sometimes books -like people- find us when we need them. I’m glad this book found me.
The real, life lessons of this story were wrapped in a playful and whimsical tale whose world was a joy to step into. It is artfully and beautifully written, telling the story of a teacher trying to save a child and a writer trying to save the world. Its whimsy reminded me a little of “The House by the Cerulean Sea.”
Sometimes books -like people- find us when we need them. I’m glad this book found me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Grief
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual assault