I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley on behalf of the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

First off let me say I enjoyed, this book. It kept me hooked. But wooooooo was there some major drama. I mean it's a book about rumors so of course there is going to be drama. First off it was super hard to like any of the characters. I liked the side characters way more than the main characters. Cora was wow, prissy. Bryn thought she should have consequences in what seemed light and OMG Georgie no one changes that much that quickly.

Halfway through the book, you finally figure out who was throwing fuel on the fire which instantly made me hate them with a fiery passion. Then it just compounded from there. More fuel on the fire over and over until the bonfire was just out of control. Things compounded which then caused one of the characters to literally be assaulted. All I could think through this is OMG stuff like this happens and thank god we did not have social media like this in the 90s my young and dumb gets to stay that way.

I did enjoy how it was wrapped up. I think another good read for high school to understand that consequences have actions and rumors can run out of control and ruin people's lives.

Thank you to Netgalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for an eARC of this book. I am including my honest review.

Rumor. Lies. Game. Truth.
Rumor Game is set amongst the Washington DC elite - high school students of the rich, the powerful, the famous, the connected. These teens grew up in a world that is cutthroat - full of manipulation and people trying to outdo each other to make it to the top. A well-placed whisper or verbal nudge in a certain direction can be the catalyst for somebody's downfall.. These teens are very much a product of that world.

Bryn is currently at a low point in her social status after a disastrous incident over the summer. Bryn is desperate to get her old life back. She starts paying attention to her neighbor of many years, Georgie, a girl who has kept her head down throughout high school and was not on the radar of the social scene at all. Until now. Bryn guides Georgie into the social world, and that is when the rumors begin. Through the use of text threads, social media posts, emails, and news articles, we see how a few whispers that start after Georgie's party debut ignite into a situation that careens wildly out of control, hurting many people along the way.

I appreciate the content note at the beginning of the book. It is noted that weight loss, body image, and fatphobia are themes. Georgie starts the book fresh out of a stint at "fat camp". There are many references to her size, bullying she's faced, the pressure to stay thin, how "better" her life is now. Disordered eating is also a theme. It is especially prevalent in the first third of the book. I know this may be a stressful book for some people, so I wanted to make a note in my review.

I think teens will like this book. I liked having the different POVs of Bryn, Georgie, and Cora. I thought the ending was a bit rushed - I would have liked to explore the consequences and aftermath more than a sentence or two per character. I gave this four stars, leaning more toward a 3.75.

CN: bullying, cyberbullying, sexual assault, weight loss, body image, fatphobia, disordered eating, racism

The Rumor Game can best be described as a modern day Gossip Girl, only without the blogess to spill the tea. Utalizing Instagram posts complete with comments, email documents, new paper articles, and a sticky note rumor board set up by the antagonist we watch helplessly as the story unfolds. First, there's Bryn. Once popular and madly(literally) in love with her then-boyfriend, Jase she finds herself the pariah after causing a car crash that involved many students. Second, Cora; Bryn's former best friend and leader of the cheer team. Boo'd up with her boyfriend Baez who just happens to be at the center of all these rumors. And last but certainly not least, former invisible girl turned it girl Georgie. After a summer away at a camp set to regulate her eating habits, Georgie comes to school fresh faced and bikini ready. What terrors await our three online, and how will their lives change forever?

This was a heavy read. Content warnings in the beginning include but aren't limited to: sexual assault, self harm, body/fat shaming, slut shaming, and victim blaming. The layout of the story itself reads like a who dunnit mystery, with all the posts and the growing rumor board laid out for the reader between chapters. The evolution of the story is one that was hard to swallow, but can also serve as an outlet for those going through these same circumstances. The way the authors handle these tough topics aren't preachy or unrealistic, and it isn't just in the story for shock value. I really enjoyed seeing how it was all layed out for the reader.

Overall, 4 stars for this read, even with addressing tough topics. I recommend this for anyone 14+ as the topics are depicted in a real light, but as I said could be helpful for someone going through the same thing. I was really impressed with The Rumor Game, let me know if you feel the same

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Life at one of the leading prep schools in the Washington DC area should be a dream. It is, after all, the alumni school of many powerful men and women and is now the school to the people in power's children. One bad decision made by one privileged teen leads to a string of events that upend many lives and brings scandal after scandal to the renowned academy.

There is always something captivating to books about how the privileged life is actually pretty tarnished; I think one reason being is that it is always good to be reminded that money cannot actually be happiness. This book also had another good reminder, though, and that is the power of social media to shape a fake reality. Quiet comments and sharing assumptions based on little to nothing can inexplicably lead to people believing anything, which is what happens in this book. A teen, trying to veer the spotlight from her own poor decisions, initiates and fuels rumors that ends up coming close to ruining the lives of other classmates.

Good YA book to add to a high school library collection.

This was great- minus a few formatting issues that made things not clear when sentences got rearranged.
I may have been in high school before everyone had Facebook in their pocket, but I can still relate to how quickly a rumor can get out of control and I’m sure everyone else can, too.
It was a little slow in the middle but that last 1/3 had me not wanting to set the book down at all.

It’s the beginning of the school year for the kids of Washington DC’s elite at Foxham Preparatory Academy, and rumors abound.
Bryn Colburn is attempting to recover her social status after an incident that occurred at the end of the summer.
Cora Davidson, Bryn’s former bestie, is finishing her high school career as queen bee of Foxham Prep while trying to decide what the future holds for her and her longtime boyfriend Baez.
Georgie (Jashan) Khalra has felt invisible since moving from her native India, but is ready to find a new identity after shedding pounds at weight-loss camp the previous summer.
This story grabbed my attention easily from page one. The further I got into it, the more the suspense built, and the quicker I wanted to turn the pages to see what happened next. I loved the writing style of switching between each of the three characters, as well as adding in the social media posts, texts, and occasional documents (such as e-mail, flyer, etc). The different cultural background of each character offered diversity while also helping to keep the voices separate from one another. I would definitely recommend this book!
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide/Hyperion for this ARC!

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Disney Publishing Worldwide and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

This one is hard to stay focused on. It’s broken up oddly, hard to connect with characters. The premise is great unfortunately it’s impossible to stay with a character long enough to bond.

Rumors in high school are nothing new and they've always been a kind of bullying. In the digital age, this age old activity is ramped up to a degree unimaginable even 20 years ago. "The Rumor Game" follows a diverse group of kids at a exclusive high school in Washington DC where the children of the rich and politically connected attend.

The novel opens with a spurious rumor that Cora's boyfriend is being unfaithful. Cora is the coach of the cheerleading squad and generally revered by all. This rumor, which many online are eager to believe spirals downward and has devastating effects on many in Cora's orbit.

A thoughtful and engrossing read, this novel would have benefitted by some serious editing. At times a little too farfetched and repetitive, it nevertheless imparts an important message and shows the challenges of coming into one's own during turbulent teenaged years.

I made it to 50% and have decided to dnf this one. I really tried to get through but I found it absolutely boring. I felt like it was useless information from page to page. I made it this far and realized this was just useless to me. I didn’t like any or the characters I didn’t really care for the plot or the rich people vibes in this. I’m sorry that I’m having to dnf this book because I really wanted to like it and I give a 3 stars of the first half I read because I was interested just not enough.

I love a good YA book and the the premise of this book was what really drew me in since I happened to have issues with social media in high school myself, so i was intersted in seeing how this would play out for these students. I really loved the way this book covered gossip and rumors, we get a clear picture of how innocent seeming
The authors really delve into the rumors, how they come to be, how they are perpetuated, how they can get squashed, and the huge roll social media currently takes in all of the above

I think the story is very relevant for students in today's society. Social media is so powerful that rumors can really take a hold. Showing how sexual violence and bullying can run rampant in social media was clearly evident in the story. I believe students can really relate to many of the characters in the story.

The Rumor Game is an exploration of how rumors start, spread like wild fire and sometimes have devastating consequences. The topics explored in this novel are intense and important, but I think that the choppy nature of it didn't allow for the issues to be explored as well as they could have been. I think the choppiness was because we had the story told through three different perspectives: Bryn, Cora and Georgie, and those three characters, though connected were going through three very different things, which led the split of chapters leaving parts of the story behind.

I found that the last 25% of the book was the "meat" of the story and that, though it was an important message and story, it got lost in the first 75% that was just not pieced together well.

I also found a lot of the characters unbelievable, and unrelatable. I don't mind disliking characters in a book, but I want to see growth of characters. There was very little character growth for our three main characters (or anyone for that matter) if anything the characters reversed course and maybe didn't learn anything from what happened.

I get what this book was trying to do, but in the end I don't think it did it. With how choppy the book was, and how jarring the characters action, I just don't think got it's message across. It felt that it was telling me how to feel, rather than think of things in a different way and then make my own opinions on it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an open and honest review. All opinions are 100% mine.

A very timely topic- having gone to high school at the very start of social media's takeover of the world, I can safely say I'm glad I didn't grow up with the pressures kids today now face, especially in a world where everything on the internet can live forever. I think an honest attempt in this book was made to really dive deep into the lasting impacts of social media. The mixed-media style was also very refreshing and kept the book interesting.

Unfortunately, that's the only nice thing I really have to say about this book. It should have been at least 100 pages shorter and could have benefited from another chop from a copyeditor. All the characters were beyond unlikeable and hard to root for. Teens were involved in completely unrealistic scenarios. What is the message that teens today should take away from reading this book? Bullies get away with whatever they want?

Timely topic and a solid premise but the setup dragged on causing me to find myself incredibly bored in the first half of the book. I appreciate the diversity of the characters but none of them were likeable enough for me to root for them. I'm usually a fan of private school gossip and books that deal with the topics of cyberbullying but this one fell flat for me.

I was excited to receive this book, but was sorely disappointed. The only words I can think of are vapid and unrealistic. Let’s take Cora, for example, who allegedly has very strict parents yet somehow gets away with throwing expensive ragers several times during this book. Then we have Georgie, who finds her voice at the end of the novel, and her parents instantly understand her frustration and back off after previously driving her to go to fat camp. What?!?!

I didn’t understand what the book was even trying to be (putting aside how utterly impossible the e-ARC was to even comprehend) as the “story” hardly happens until the very end. This novel seems like a gross over exaggeration of what happens in school. I found no growth from *any* character and feel very concerned that none of the serious issues mentioned in the book were not even remotely handled/given an inkling these kids were getting help. If a teen were reading this, I’d be concerned they thought this was ok.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story about whispers & message boards.

I’m torn on this because I felt the writing was compelling & the characters were well developed and interesting.. But I didn’t love the twist, and I can’t elaborate without spoilers. I did appreciate the manner in which the mixed media format conveyed the impact of social media contact as a force that essentially augments bullying. Definitely an interesting read!

Thank you so much Disney Publishing Worldwide, Hyperion & Netgalley for the eArc!

After reading The Rumor Game, I'm grateful to have gone to high school before social media. This book is about the power of words and what people choose to believe or say. The story is like a game of telephone where every time someone repeats it, the story changes, or more misinformation is added.

The topic is pretty intense. I was not too fond of the main character Bryn. She used people and did not have any redeeming qualities.

I know this is a proof copy, but the formatting was off in several pages, and the sentences did not match up, so it was difficult to read some passages.

Overall, this was a good YA book and one that can open the door to more discussion about bullying, shaming, and social media.

#TheRumorGame #NetGalley

WOW!! What a great look into how rumors get started and can spin out of control and how social media can be used for good or bad. Navigating high school is like navigating a mine field and the students at Foxham Prep are blowing up their senior year. From relationship obsessions to break ups to car crashes to nude pictures, these seniors are learning a lot about who they are and who their friends are. I enjoyed the snapshots of online posts and chats and the multiple points of view story telling with realistic characters. Definitely a must read for young adults!
Thanks NetGalley!

A powerful story of how the rumour mill can change people and change lives. While this is a very serious situation in the end, I think that this story is relatable as most people have been impacted by a rumour before - be it minor or more serious - regardless, rumours hurt.

I'm not sure where to start with this review. When I went into this book, I was expecting a fun, Pretty Little Liars-tyle read with juicy drama and an exciting plot. I think this expectation caused some of my disappointment with the book, because what the book really is is social commentary on victim blaming and how a rumor can ruin your life. The book is actually extremely serious and deals with very heavy, upsetting topics that many readers will likely find triggering. Instead of a fun thriller with light social commentary, this book is a viscerally upsetting look at topics including eating disorders, rape, sexual assault, and racism. I think many readers will be surprised by the events in this book based on how it is marketed, the cover, and the title.


Unfortunately, though this book deals with serious topics, the way they are handled leaves a lot to be desired. Many of the issues are glossed over due to the choppy pacing of the book. There are three points of view in this novel: Cora, Georgie, and Bryn. Each chapter is very short, which makes it hard to connect with any character for very long. The authors would often introduce an issue with one character and make the reader think they would cover it in later chapters, but by the time we returned to the narrator, we would already be moved on to another problem.

The choppy writing also made the character development suffer. I felt I never fully understood what each character's main motivation was, so I wasn't sure who I should root for or like. Cora and Bryn are also extremely unlikeable, and the authors' reasoning for their behavior felt weak to me. None of the characters seemed to grow through the story, and most actually got meaner as the book went on. Bad things were happening to each character, but since I didn't know why these things mattered in relation to their personal goals and desires, I wasn't sure what the point of any of it was.

A lot of the events in the book felt confusing and rushed, especially the main event in the last 30% of the book. While reading, I felt as though the authors had created a bunch of plot points and put them on a wheel, and chose whatever the spinner landed on as they started a new chapter. There wasn't a clear direction to the story other than to prove that "rumors are bad." Because I didn't connect with the characters and there was so little character development, the book ended up feeling extremely preachy. Teens reading the book will know that rumors are bad and damaging. This book doesn't reinvent the wheel on that in any way or empower readers who might be suffering because of rumors. The characters who have done wrong barely receive any consequences, and the culture of the school stays the same.

In the end, this book failed to deliver the social commentary that may have been its intent. With its messy plotting and choppy execution, THE RUMOR GAME did not pack the punch its shocking events intended. The message of the book lacked nuance and dimension, and felt overly preachy. The serious topics were not handled well and often made the plot lose focus. If you're looking for a thriller that deals with social commentary well, I'd recommend Tiffany Jackson's books or ACE OF SPADES by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé.