I received this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

A solid but not too different YA murder mystery. It's fast enough and easy to fly through as you race to figure it all out. I enjoyed the way the mystery played out and how Luke handled it all.

3 stars. If you like the genre, definitely worth a look.

I love young adult mystery thrillers. This one had a lot of twists and turns I didn’t see coming, and I loved the mysterious aspect.

This was a really interesting novel. I enjoyed the twists and the characters were well developed. Overall, it kept me guessing and that’s all I want from a murder mystery.
The setting was a plus for me however, giving it almost a dark academia feel, which I love.

This was a fairly easy quick read, but unfortunately it needed a bit more. The story felt a bit rushed and the ending didn't feel fulfilling.

While there is no game in this book and I’m baffled by the title, everything else about it kept me reading. It keeps you guessing and trying to find clues all the way to the end when everything comes together.

3.5 stars. I honestly think this is one of the lowest ratings I've given a Sourcebooks Fire book. It wasn't terrible I just didn't love it as much as I hoped I would. I am ALL about school settings so not liking this made me even more sad.

Luke and Oscar are roommates at a boarding school. One night they sneak out of the dorm to meet up with a couple of girls in the woods. While in the woods they hear people talking. Later they hear a thud and something being dragged through the leaves. The next day they are told the headmaster’s wife was found dead in the woods. Will they come forward to report what they heard and risk suspension or will they become the next victim?

I couldn’t put this book down! There was constant action, so I never got bored with the story. I loved the complex characters. It made it challenging to guess who the prime suspect was. The murderer was not even on my radar, so the reveal was a total surprise! I highly recommend this book to YA readers that love looking for clues and solving puzzles!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I have elected not to read and review this book due to time constraints. Thank you for the opportunity.

This was a great read! I was able to finish it in one sitting! I am such a sucker for prep school thrillers/mysteries. This one definitely did not disappoint!

Luke Chase, the main character in this thriller is an exceptional strong and independent main character – especially for a young school lad. Probably given the age the top of the list of what I have read. He is fearless, and an all round good guy.

Can you imagine being in school, faced with a murder and having to solve it… because I really can’t.

This book follows the journey of Luke trying to figure out who the hell could have murdered one of the teachers, while being on the edge of wondering if he could be next. No he didn’t find out until it was pretty much too late, but where would have been the fun if he had.

This book was as hooking as you can imagine, with plenty of little twists along the way and one shocking revelation to who done it!!

Absolutely amazing novel. I was hooked from the first chapter until it was entirely taken aback that it was over. I’m officially a follower of this author, and will preorder anything that they release. The writing style is so pleasing to read I find myself telling all of my friends to pick up this book, and keep an eye on upcoming works.

I am a sucker for boarding school mystery/thrillers. The Murder Game weaves a very complicated web of lies and deceit. Characters are well-fleshed out, and readers will get invested in the story quickly.

I absolutely loved this book, set in a private prep school, four kids sneak out in the woods after lights out to drink and mess about, they hear people having an argument but don’t know who, they also think someone is out there watching them, with their hearts in their mouths, they make a run for it back to the dorm, breathless and afraid they sneak back into the building only to wake next morning to the new that one of their teachers has been murdered… in the woods!!! And so ensues a perfect who dunnit scenario with everyone in the frame students and faculty alike, what would you do if you knew there was a killer amongst you! A clever twisty plot that spins you off in all directions, never knowing who to trust or who to believe and the reveal…!!!

I am rather confused by the title and cover of this book, as I still fail to see it's relevance to the actual story.
This was not what I expected because of this, and for that I feel a little cheated! It screams thrilling suspense, and while there was promise in the premise, I felt it a little forgettable, unfortunately.
While some readers will enjoy it, and certainly YA readers, I wanted and expected more.

Four kids sneak out of their fancy prep school dorm to drink and maybe fool around in the woods. There they hear a couple of fighting, and the next day, one of their teachers, the one that was out there, Mrs. Heckler, is dead. Of these four, three are notorious: Oscar Weymouth is a smooth heartbreaker, rumored to fool around with female teachers. The British girl, Pippa, was involved in England with another mysterious death, and our protagonist, Luke Chase, survived an ordeal when he was kidnapped and had to escape through the woods. This puts them in an impossible position; they heard the strange voice of the killer but can never tell what they witnessed for fear of becoming suspects themselves. But Luke is a feisty dogged investigator, and to save his friends, he starts to question the faculty, even going so far as dropping in at their homes to discover the ugly truths behind most of the marriages on campus. One of the teachers intrigued by Luke and, in awe of his previous displayed resilience and nature smarts, is cheering him on. The other will do anything to block the search. Paranoia descends on campus; hired guards are all around, rumors of a famous serial killer resurfacing is all the students talk about. When his best friend Oscar seems to be the one that is going down for this, Luke intensifies his quest, even when all the evidence point towards him being deceived by his buddy's charm.

This is the kind of book that I wish I could read all over again for the first time. I adored this book. I knew I would. There's never been a fancy prep school murder drama that I haven't loved. They could be all kinds of awful, and I will still devour them. But seriously, this one is utterly compelling. Atmospheric, adventurous, brimming with great conversations, intrigue, misdirection. A deceptively grown-up for a YA mystery. Honestly, I only realized when it was finished, it was YA. It's the kind of book that raises certain expectations; by the first scene, by example, my husband was convinced he knew who the killer was and said it was predictable, and he was completely off track. Read this, especially now; it is a perfect book for fall.

The Murder Game will be a must-read for my students. As a high school teacher, I am looking for more of this in my classroom library.

The Murder Game is a fast paced YA thriller that was entertaining and full of twists. I enjoyed the boarding school setting with a cast of suspects which included faculty and students. My interest was sustained because of the twisty plot that kept me guessing. This book would make a great Netflix mini series with the original characters and intriguing plot. Thank you Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for my digital copy.

The Murder Game is a bit of a misleading title I think as others have mentioned. I did like the story and the mystery of it all but it became pretty predictable and I figured out the murderer almost immediately. It was a little repetitive, but the character building was good (even if their stories seemed really improbable) I had a hard time believing that parents of two children with traumatic pasts like theirs would send them off to boarding schools but okay.
Full review to come on my YouTube channel.

Felt very "Killing Mr. Griffen". An easy beginning mystery for new mystery readers, but also felt very predictable for veteran mystery readers. I would have loved more substance. Felt like I had read this plot many times before.

The Murder Game is a horrible title. There’s no game at all. What you do have is a boarding school murder and a student sleuth, intent on solving the case to prove his friend isn’t a murderer. For all that, the story was pretty bland. There was no suspense and a big lack of action. The pacing was incredibly slow.

The writing is bothersome. Some characters sound like college professors with an inflated sense of self-importance. Others sound robotic, and others still sound like caricatures of people. Overall, it makes them incredibly unrealistic. I don’t know if the author has ever heard a conversation between teens, but this writing isn’t it. I would come across one of these strange word choices and just have to stop reading because it was so ridiculous. Major case in point: instead of using something like “hooking up” the word “coitus” is used. What? No one would say that. It continue throughout the whole book, really impacting the reading experience and enjoyment.

Overall, I didn’t really enjoy this one. The end allows for a sequel, but I’ll pass.