A review by haley313
The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer

adventurous hopeful inspiring mysterious slow-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

2.0

This was an October 2024 book club read. Definitely not for me, unfortunately. This felt like a YA novel, geared towards tweens and teens. It’s a mostly lighthearted tale of growth, perseverance, and found family.

I think some of the descriptions of or insinuations about foster care were problematic and weird. In the real world, I think some of Lucy’s behavior regarding Christopher, one of her students, would be concerning.
One of the biggest reasons I felt like this book skewed YA was that there was a romance between Lucy and Hugo. Yikes!!! She was a child when they first met. Just felt really icky. Additionally, I felt like the entire situation with Lucy’s parents and sisters was poorly explained, shallow, and resolved too quickly.


The story was predictable, but I’m glad it had a happy ending. The writing was decent, and I liked the idea of there being a real world place from childhood stories, but I just don’t think this is the genre for me.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings