I had a hard time getting into this book and connecting with the characters; however, if you like cat-mouse chase type of mystery/thriller books. This one will be up your alley.

YA Thrillers always miss the mark a little, for me. This was a pretty quick read at the start. It got a little slow in the middle but picked back up at the end. I’d read something else from this author, the writing was good.

I'm a fan of thriller books, so this was right up my alley. I enjoyed the suspense, the buildup, and the characters. All that being said, I often got confused because of all the gaming terminology. Don't get me wrong, I like playing Pokemon, but I'm not a hardcore gamer, so the use of terms often went right over my head. The overall development and characters of this story also gave me some issues and ended up pulling me out of the story. Even in a story where the main character is a villain, there is still a reason to like them or a character in the story you end up liking. I found no characters I liked in this story, and none of the characters liked each other. There were some plot twists and turns, but there were predictable and I was able to see them long before they were "revealed", which ended up making them boring.
This wasn't a bad story, but it definitely didn't live up to my personal expectations.

A fast paced YA thriller, the twists were pulled off well even though they were mostly predictable. Recommend to fans of Scream, Megan Abbott, or thrillers in general.

Absolutely hooked to the end! Perfect for the spooky season and for those who love a thriller to keep you guessing!

Crystal gets an anonymous message from a mysterious app on her phone accompanied by a video of her sister bound and gagged saying if she didn't play the game, her sister would die. Mundane and odd tasks turn into acts that are malicious and killing off her friends. Now she must choose between her friends and her sister, and find out who is doing this before it is too late.

I was given this ARC by the publisher in return for an honest review. Thank you!!

I really enjoyed Diana Urban's All Your Twisted Secrets, but this one fell really short for me in comparison. I thought the concept and plotline were so cool and the way that the "gamemaker" framed these weird and odd tasks to actually be tasks that were going to hurt her friends were so genius, but I just didn't like writing or the characters. I couldn't stand how much inner monologue there was from Crystal and some of the way she acted knowing her sister was being held captive somewhere. I mean she was legit playing video games and chilling with her friends while her sister was gagged and tied up and possibly being tortured somewhere.. it was so weird! Even if they asked her to play it cool and act normal, I could have never just played with my friends, and she was into it! I also couldn't stand the jump in timeline and it seemed so besides the point the entire book, even though I know it ties in at the end... it just didn't fit at all. I know some people will really enjoy this, just not for me.

these deadly games... more like these obnoxious games. lol.

this story is ‘need’ by joelle charbonneau mixed with ‘the dead list’ by jennifer armentrout. if you havent read these books, then you will probably find the plot of this exciting and jam-packed. but i have read them, so this felt pretty predictable and a little recycled to me.

but mainly, i just couldnt get on board with how ridiculous the story is. like, unrealistic to the nth degree. i mean, i knew it was going to be over-the-top based on the synopsis, but this is all kinds of absurd. and maybe its just me in my old age wanting a more realistic thriller, because im sure teens will have an easier time overlooking this and getting into it (but only if they can get past the highly unlikable and completely unrelatable characters).

so all in all, this was a miss for me personally, but i think thats largely because i know im not in the target demographic for this book. younger readers might find this fresh and engaging?

This book just felt like all the other YA Murder Mysteries I have read in the past. It was super boring and I could not get myself motivated enough to finish reading this book. It also did not help that it was super dry with very unlikable characters.

I really wanted to like this one as much as I liked some other YA Murder Mysteries, but this one was just not for me.

I had a long drive in front of me and decided to pop this one on for the audio. I was completely hooked right from the beginning. It was intriguing, I loved the video game aspect. It's competition but also a fun nerdy plot that gave a good reason why their realationships were so tight.

But the game of forcing Crystal to start doing things or her sister dies - it's quick, sudden and shocking. Good thing Crystal has always loved games so the coded clues that start tough just keep getting more and more difficult until they start pulling in everyone else she loves.

Each twist was pretty shocking and I kept shaking my head, wondering what I would do in her place. You can't tell and you can't help but want her sister to be okay. The additonal timeline, showing back to a day years ago - a part of the history of this group friendship - was an interesting touch and gave the high tension plot a small break as you see the birthday party 5 years after it's over. I had so many guesses along the way and distrusted everyone Crystal also distrusted. I never guessed her ultimate tormentor or how this would all wrap up. I loved it! I need to read more from this author!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

this was definitely a YA thriller and it read like one but it was also just so very enjoyable, i loved all the plot twists and i loved trying to solve the mystery. This book was fun and perfect for fans of thrillers like knives out.

This was such a great read! I really enjoyed her first thriller, and this one sounded really great, so I had to pick it up! I really enjoyed Crystal's story, of the desperation she had to save her sister, the horror of knowing that to do so, she'd had to harm her friends, and the potential that she's just losing her mind. Plus, along the way, we found out about the various secrets that they're keeping. It was such a great read! .It was such a great read!

We meet this gang of friends quickly-and just as quickly, Crystal gets contacted by Anonymous One, to start playing these games. They're high stakes, and games that don't make sense-until some patterns emerge, and Crystal makes attempts to fight back.

I really had a great time with the way the story was told, it was intense, and we'd switch between the present and 5 years ago, when something happened. And we know it's something bad, something that they lied about, but oh, when we found out, that was just so sad!

That reveal of who the bad guy was? And why they did what they did? That was pretty devastating. And I could understand why they're doing what they're doing, but not to the stakes and consequences that they went to. It's unlikely that we'll get a sequel, so I just imagine how things would go down. Unless we got a novella or something! I'd love that!

Loved reading this book, and I can't wait to read more by Diana Urban!

I was gifted this book by the publisher and Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Imagine someone kidnapped your sister and you had to play a game to save her. Imagine as you started this game that horrible things started happening to your closest friends and they were technically your fault. Could you do it? Could you kill and hurt others to save one?

You can't call the cops, you can't tell your friends, you can't show anything about what's happening.

That's the premise of this book. Overall I give it 3.5 stars. I had guessed really early on who the culprit was. Honestly the fact that the MC didn't was kinda frustrating. She just kept plugging along doing everything without really trying to think ahead until over half way through the book.

The writing was good, and the plot was okay. I just wish the twists were actually twists. I'd recommend it if you wanted to read a thriller but with the caveat of predictability. I enjoyed it but it could've been better.

This is a YA thriller and I think if you are a young adult, you will enjoy this book. Unfortunately, I didn't. This is more of a me thing and out growing YA books. The plot was just too much for me to believe (and I'm pretty good at suspending reality). I ended up skimming the book and then DNFing because, again, it was just too much for me. But I think YA readers will enjoy this story.

These Deadly Games is an outstanding rollercoaster ride of a YA mystery filled to the brim with twists and turns. What would you do if you got a message with a picture of your sister bound and gagged. Play the game or she dies. Tell anyone and she dies. Do you do it? Things seem innocent enough at first, such as bake brownies, but she begins to realize each task is meant hurt or kill another person. Is this an attempt to get rid of the competition for an upcoming gaming tournament? Is this a revenge plot for something that happened in the past? The execution of this plot is perfection. Diana Urban has earned her place on my auto-buy author list. Highly recommended! Be sure to check out These Deadly Games today.

I didn't realize this would have so much technical jargon about games, game development and apps. Aside from this book really being outside of my comfort zone, I still had a good time reading it.

I have been looking forward to reading this book for a very long time. Diana Urban’s debut novel All Your Twisted Secrets was the first arc that I ever received. It was also an absolutely stunning thriller and because of this, it will always hold a special place in my heart. Naturally, I was super excited to read These Deadly Games and it turns out that this sophomore novel is another wonderful piece of literature. The reason I’m giving this four stars is partially because I somewhat caught on to some of the plot twists before they came. However, there is more to it, and I would say that this was still worth the read. I must say that this book was more intense than I ever could've imagined before I started reading. It was so hard to put this down and focus on my schoolwork, and I honestly haven't been as into thrillers lately, but if you are thriller fan, then I highly recommend that you give this one a go. It has a group of friends. It has the online gaming community. And it has a super freaky game!!

Urban has really set herself as a force to be reckoned with in the YA Thriller market with her sophomore novel. This is thrillers at it's best. Urban creates an atmosphere so realistic you really feel like you're right there with Crystal as she races against time to save her sister. These Deadly Games has you on the edge of your seat for a thrill ride you'll want (but not want) to end!

This story gave me a lot of anxiety and kept me on the edge of my seat! When Crystal's sister is kidnapped, the kidnapper sends her on a wild game. Follow Crystal throughout the story as she tries to uncover who has her sister and how this game is going to play out. I will not give away any details but this book has me on a rollercoaster of a ride throughout the whole story. Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

I really enjoyed this book! I liked the characters and the several complex themes throughout the book. I was curious to know the group's secrets as the author switched up the timelines between the past and present, which kept me hooked as the book went on. The "games" that Crystal had to play were crazy and well thought out, and I really couldn't wait to find out who was behind everything. I feel like the ending was quite rushed, but nonetheless I was surprised at how everything unfolded.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions contained within are my own.

We all know that I’m a fantasy girl. I love escaping into magical worlds and getting lost in the lore. But my second favorite genre has to be all things spooky. Horror, mysteries, and especially thrillers. I don’t read them nearly enough, though, which is why I was so excited to get an e-ARC for These Deadly Games, a YA thriller that sounded right up my alley!

In this book, we follow a teenager named Crystal. Crystal’s life seems pretty mundane; the most excitement she gets is playing Mortal Dusk with her friends. They’re attempting to select their team to play in a local tournament and Crystal would do anything to claim her spot. Her life is thrown for a loop when she receives a message on a mysterious app showing her a picture of her little sister, tied up and gagged. The kidnapper tells her she can get her sister back… if she plays their game. If not? Her sister dies. But Crystal soon realizes that the games she is forced to play are hurting her friends and she must make a decision: keep playing or somehow fight back against this mysterious gamemaster.

This delivered so many things that I love about a good thriller! The pacing was excellent. It was fast enough that there was never a lag in the action, which makes sense as the game was all supposed to happen within a 24 hour period. But it didn’t move so fast that you’re left confused by what’s going on. It helps that there are chapters detailing past events that kind of slow the breakneck speed of events happening in the present day chapters. To be honest, I probably could have done with less of those chapters because they weren’t nearly as intriguing as what was happening, but I understand their purpose. Either way, Diana Urban’s writing, whether it’s in the past or present day chapters, was so thriller-perfect that it kept me engaged the entire time!

I will say, I had to remind myself over and over again that Crystal and her friends were all teenagers because, oh my god, some of the decisions these kids make 😂 Keep in mind, I’m almost 40 years old, so I’m most certainly not the target audience for YA and I understand that fictional teenagers have every right to be just as flawed as real teenagers. I’m also the kind of person that yells at characters in horror movies (in the comfort of my own home, mind you) because WHO GOES OUT INTO THE CREEPY WOODS TO INVESTIGATE MYSTERIOUS NOISES?!? So there were several moments in this book where the literal words, “What the f#$%, Crystal…” slipped out of my mouth. That being said, all her actions throughout this book, when I look back on them and am not caught up in the moment, were probably exactly how I would have reacted at her age if I were in her shoes. So good on Diana Urban for crafting such a flawed and nuanced character! Even if she frustrated me to no end.

Now, when it comes to the actual game in this book, I will admit I figured out who was behind everything pretty quickly. The game elements were interesting, though, and I was still surprised how the conflict ended! Overall, this was a quick, enjoyable read that kept my interest throughout the story. Were parts of it predictable? Yes. But did I have a great time reading those parts, regardless? Yes! It’s certainly left me interested enough to pick up more books by this author.