The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer - Book Review

Publication Date: 30th May 2023 

Genre: Contemporary Fiction 

4.2 Stars 

One Liner: Beautiful but with a few teeny flaws 

Jack Masterson, the best-selling children’s author of the Clock Island series, quit writing under mysterious circumstances. After years of silence and speculation, his announcement stirs the pot. He comes up with a one-of-a-kind game where four contestants participate in a series of challenges to win the only copy of the latest manuscript. 

Lucy Hart is a 26-year-old kindergarten teacher with too many troubles. Growing up as an unloved and unwanted child makes her determined to give the seven-year-old Christopher a permanent loving home as a foster mother. However, her financial position is messy at its best. Lucy learned the hard way that wishes don’t come true… but maybe they will.

Lucy is one of the four participants who go to Clock Island for a week to compete for the prize. She knows it’s her only chance to make things happen and adopt Christopher. However, she has to deal with dangerous book collectors, other participants, and of course, Hugo Resse, the brooding painter and illustrator of the Clock Island books. 

What does Jack Masterson, the Mastermind, have in mind this time? 

The story comes from the third-person POV of Lucy and Hugo. 

My Thoughts: 

I went into the book with high expectations after reading fabulous reviews from friends. And… luckily, I enjoyed most of the book and even got teary-eyed at a couple of places. That’s satisfying, isn’t it?

The pacing is slow in the beginning but gains momentum after a couple of chapters. Then it sustains almost throughout. There are a few scenes from the book written by Jack Masterson, which align with the MC’s character arc. I loved how this is done. 

Lucy, Hugo, and Christopher are pretty much who they are, while Jack has a bit of mystery (but is actually a teddy bear). This suits the writing, which is just as straightforward. 

While we get Lucy and Hugo’s POVs, I wish at least one chapter had Jack’s POV. It would have enhanced the story. An issue with Lucy’s POV is that she sounds like an unrealistic overemotional girl in some scenes. She knows her reality, but the impression we get contradicts this. I put it down to a character flaw as she realizes things towards the end. After all, do we project our vulnerabilities on others in one way or another? 

The book deals with plenty of themes and some of them in passing. There could be triggers, too- parental neglect, child abuse, alcoholism, running away, bullying, etc. None of it is graphic or overwhelming. 

However, the emotional quotient gets too high at the end. It feels like the author tried to create a balance between reality and HEA by adding more elements to the already-heavy themes. Also, certain revelations feel more like an easy way out to deal with a complex issue. Since we don’t get the other party’s perspective, I didn’t really connect with the whole thing.  

The romance isn’t really romance in this one. It is squeaky clean and chaste. I understand the reason for most of it and appreciate the move to keep the focus on the core plot. However, I wouldn’t have minded a bit of it at the end. 

The other contenders are also good people with issues of their own. I like this approach, though it dims the intensity of the game. But the intent of the game goes beyond winning. It’s the Mastermind’s plan, after all! 

Three things I love about the book are the role of fiction in people’s lives, our wishes can get fulfilled in different ways, and the reaffirmation that money indeed buys happiness. 

As a writer who prefers reading lighthearted fiction with HEA (I didn’t say I write it too!), I know how much hope a happy ending in a book can give a reader. We see that here multiple times, and it makes me so so happy! 

To summarize, The Wishing Game is a beautiful story about hope, loss, longing for a family, love, and the power of fiction. A book isn’t just a bunch of pages. It’s a support system that keeps the tiny flame of hope alive despite the adversities. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine, for the eARC. 

#NetGalley #TheWishingGame

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P.S.: I think it helped that I didn’t read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (yes, I know!) and could be free of its influence (and avoid comparisons).