Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer

14 reviews

alanaschulte's review

hopeful inspiring mysterious 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Medical content, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy

kimveach's review

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

Minor: Miscarriage, Cancer, 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: Abandonment, Child death, Bullying, Child abuse, Medical content, and Toxic relationship

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

Minor: Alcoholism, Incest, Pedophilia, and Pregnancy

emilywemily6's review

hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.0

This was a lighthearted, wholesome, easy read. I liked the premise and the general storyline, and fell in love with Hugo and Jack. This book felt very juvenile though, like just a couple changes would have made this a middle grade novel. It touched briefly on a lot of heavy topics but I would have loved more depth and length in those discussions. I didn’t particularly care for Lucy, she also felt immature and irresponsible in a lot of ways- like I was reading about an 18 year old and not a 25/26 year old. Overall this book was sweet but could have been a knockout if it was handled with different aims.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, and Mental illness

Moderate: Cursing, Grief, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Medical trauma, Abandonment, Bullying, and Chronic illness

Minor: Miscarriage, Homophobia, Pedophilia, and Medical content

likethepickle's review

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

breezer's review against another edition

emotional funny 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

5.0

My heart 🥺

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Medical content, and Abandonment

Moderate: Pedophilia

readingwithmeredith's review

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Toxic relationship, and Grief

Minor: Medical content and Miscarriage

Super minor language, child neglect/wounds from parents for multiple characters

kedalrymple's review

lighthearted medium-paced

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

2.5

This was a delightful and easy read.  I couldn’t get over the Willy Wonka plot, and at times it felt like the author was just piling on trauma and grief for character backstories because there isn’t a lot to the plot. Even so it’s a gentle book that’s perfect for a beach or a rainy day. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, and Grief

Moderate: Child abuse, Medical content, Alcoholism, and Drug abuse

Minor: Miscarriage and Pedophilia

jashanac's review

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

This was such a sweet, sad, uplifting, heart-warming book! 

I loved Lucy as a character and that first chapter with her and Christopher hanging out and talking got me teary-eyed right outta the gates. 

The only reason this isn't a solid total 5 star book for me is that there were a couple of things that I wish hadn't been as surface level as they were. I kind of understand why they were more surface level, but I still wish it had been different. 

The main focus of the book, however, was very well explored in my opinion. And that was the theme/message of childhood trauma and children simply needing to feel and be LOVED. To be provided with safety, consistency, healthy discipline, and loving attention. All of that was heart-breaking at times and then heart-warming all the other times. 

The things that I wish had been touched on a BIT more were just

the relationship with Sean that Lucy had. I didn't want to see the relationship, necessarily, but there were little hints at emotional manipulation and abuse there, that weren't really delved into much at all. I know thematic content wasn't the focus of the book so it's not that I wanted us to suddenly shift gears and have that be the focus, but just to get a slightly clearer picture of what went on there. I've been in an abusive relationship and as I said, I saw the hints... but there was nothing that really jumped out and spoke to me emotionally in all of that. And I just wish there had been. A line or two, ya know? And then Lucy and Angie's reunion... that was SO lovely, but it felt a bit quick that we got that one reunion, and then next thing we know, Angie is sick & about to die right about the same time that Lucy officially adopts Christopher. I just wish Angie had been around a bit longer... a year or something, to get some good memories between them.

 

All-in-all, a truly lovely story! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent

Moderate: Abandonment, Medical content, Chronic illness, Child abuse, and Child death

Minor: Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Miscarriage, and Drug abuse

elise_is_writing's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious 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

5.0

Reading this book feels like every child's dream coming true all at once somehow, and I loved every second of it. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but for book lovers — so basically replace all the candy with books? Just read it.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Cancer, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Medical content, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Addiction, and Abandonment