I give this book a 4.5 star rating. It is an eye opening view of the monstrous evil that social media can be. Also how teenagers (and this could have been written about other ages too) get caught up in lies and rumors and make poor decisions all in the name of self preservation. I thought this was a very well written contemporary YA fiction.

I listened to the audiobook version with multiple narrators and I thought it was a well done audiobook.

Trigger warnings: sexual abuse, child pornography, drinking, drug use, slut shaming and this could be very triggering if you were a victim of bullying or sexual abuse.

A bunch of rich kids who don't care about being horrible to others until it affects them personally. Every generation think they have this horrible time that no one else can understand. However, everyone who came before knows that you bring a lot of it on yourself. This is The Rumor Game. Shallow pretending to be deep. Or just deep for people who haven't found the drop-off yet. Probably will appeal to gen z.

This was such a high school drama gone wrong, but done oh so well. It's like a TV show/movie for the teens that everyone will love to watch.

I'm not big on contemporary reads, it's rare that I read them, but I enjoy the Gossip Girl/Pretty Little Liars vibes any day.

First let's start with Trigger Warnings - this book is loaded. It even lists them right in the beginning:
bullying, cyber bullying, sexual abuse, assault, weight loss, body image and fatphobia, racism, sexis, gaslighting, alcohol and drug use. If I missed anything, it's my own fault.

This had it all, lots of drama, lots of bad characters that are actually good, a lot of real life issues that teens go through in their HS careers, and I just loved every minute of it. It scares the crap out of me when I think about the fact that I have two kids that will have to go to a high school in this day of age, where cyber bullying is big. This book shows exactly how one lie, one person, can make something small so big it can destroy lives. And that's exactly what kept me glued to this book.

The most popular girl has fallen from graces. She is now someone everyone talks about, but not in a good way. But she has a plan to fix it all. And that's where the drama starts. The fat girl came back from fat summer camp, and now is hot. Everyone seems interested in her, so why not make her the star of the show, and start something juicy for people to talk about - she's trying to steal the man of the current most popular couple from school. Is it true? Who knows, but people see what they want to see, and the little lie starts to snowball into revenge games.

It is set in DC (don't ask me if it's any accurate, I have no idea, and it is mostly set in school, or someone's house), within a highschool of the most elite people of the area. Ambassadors, secretaries of state, speaker of the house, etc. You get the point, the money isn't the problem, the parties are grand, the bad publicity though... Not something you want, and something that could ruin not only these kids' futures but their parents careers.

Like I said, this had the glossy vibes of Gossip Girl, but dark and secretive vibes of Pretty Little Liars, It brought so many good messages, and explored taboo topics of high school lives. It would be such a great book to have a discussion with a teenager over. This will stick with me for a very long time, and ill definitely be recommending it to others.

Thank you to Disney Hyperion for my review copy. 4.5 rounded up

This is a HIGH 3-stars for me, the ending felt a little abrupt and I wanted more repercussions/closure for Brynn. Overall, I loved the narrators and the characters. This was also very fast-paced, which I'm always a fan of...especially for audiobooks.

I can see the teen crowd truly loving this book as it has lots of Freeform, Pretty Little Liars vibes. It just wasn't for me. I an easily see this becoming a tv show though.

I couldn’t get very far at all. Narrator voice and plot were ridiculously annoying and young. I didn’t recall this being YA and my apologies if I missed it. I don’t care for much YA and would have steered clear. Perhaps very relatable for younger reader.

Wow! What a ride. This YA Suspense Thriller is told from multiple perspectives. The characters are diverse which is fitting because the story takes place at a prep school in Washington, DC. The story examines the intersectionality of gender, beauty, race, and privilege; it also explores how Social Media and misinformation can exacerbate conflicts amongst teens in today's society. This book will resonate well with fans of shows like Thirteen Reasons Why and Gossip Girl.

The Rumor Game
by Dhonielle Clayton & Sona Charaipotra
Narrated by Taylor Meskimen

Stars: 3.9 Stars
Trigger warning: Sexual Assault, Drugs, Bullying

Where to begin with The Rumor Game? This isn't a happy story. It's a sad testament to the impact of social media on teens and how bad bullying has gotten in the present day. This is the story of a well-off group of kids whose parents all have important, high-ranking jobs in DC or are quite wealthy. This is the story about the toxciticy that social media can be. This is the story of immature, spoiled high schoolers that don't think about how their actions can ultimately affect others. Truthfully, I wasn't expecting this novel to be so heavy. I kind of makes me sad for my kids. Social media is such a powerful, relatively new medium that kids are growing up with and this story is a testament to what can be a negative consequence of it all.

All of that being said, I think that this is an important tale to be told. Younger readers will get a lot out of it, as it's a cautionary tale of what can happen with bullying, rumors, drugs, alcohol, and social media. In the same respect, I think older readers, especially parents, will realize how very important it is to make sure that their kids treat others, social media, etc. with kindness and care.

The Rumor Game is the story of the lengths that some will go to for their own benefit. Bryn was one of the most popular girls at school until she miscalculated and the whole school pretty much turned against her. She befriends her neighbor Georgie, who returned from weight loss camp and all of the sudden is on the radar of the popular boys. Cora, Bryn's former best friend whose boyfriend may or may not have something going on with Georgie. Jase, Bryn's ex-boyfriend who, well, I'll let you find out. There's a whole cast of unique characters and the story is written well. In audiobook form, there is one list that gets repeated over and over as different things occur and that got a little redundant. I would have skipped over that had it been in a print book. Other than that, the story, though tough to listen to at times, was well written and the narration was spot on. I've listed to other books narrated by Ms. Clayton and she's spectacular.

Thanks so much to #NetGalley #DisneyAudiobooks and the author for letting me listen to and review this ARC!

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 audiobooks for the ALC!

This is a phenomenal, disturbing book for today's teens (and their parents, like me). This book comes with many trigger warnings--and rightfully so--but tackles important issues that today's middle and high schoolers face in regard to the dark side of social media and cameras readily available, privilege, racial systems, incidences of fat shaming, and awareness of consent and sexual assault. I think the story carries even more weight as an audiobook, and I appreciate Disney Audiobooks and Netgalley allowing me the opportunity to preview this title. It's one that will stay with me for a long time.

I listened to The Rumor Game by Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charapotra and it is an in-depth look at the pressures that teens face today. With the advent of social media and smart phones, hardly anything gets by in today’s world. Literally. Nothing. Get drunk and act stupid at a party, you can bet it’s been recorded by at least one person, if not more. Got in a fight with your boyfriend? Yep, it’s all over the social networks by the end of the day. It’s a lot of added pressure to be perfect – All. The. Damn. Time.

In The Rumor Game, Brynn used to have it all. All the coolest friends and everything that went with it. One mistake at the end of summer cost her everything and nobody will let her forget it. Enter Georgie, Brynn’s next-door neighbor and newly hot girl. Georgie’s in the rumor mill except for her, it’s only upped her cool factor but it’s also got queen bee Cora, Brynn’s ex-bestie, gunning for her. Rumors, rumors everywhere but all these rumors start somewhere and to get to the root of them, the girls will have to be smarter than the anonymous rumor starter.

Something to consider when reading/listening is the many issues brought to the forefront: cyberbullying, fat-shaming, eating-disorders, sexual assault, racism, classism, slut shaming, to name a few ... I’m sure there’s more but these are the ones that stand out the most. The authors hit these issues head-on and realistically.
The book is written/told in a multi-media format giving it a realistic feel and plays out as a cautionary tale of just how bad things can get and how once something is written, it becomes truth no matter its accuracy. Rumors can destroy lives, true or not.

The narrators are absolutely fantastic, it made for an amazing listening experience.

Definitely a well-written book with a bit of a mystery at its core, one that handles crucial social issues and has a lot of drama!

My thanks to Disney Audiobooks for this gifted ALC.

If you go into The Rumor Game expecting a fast-paced, page-turning thriller, you're probably going to be disappointed. That said, I think this book does a fantastic job of examining the social pressures modern teenagers face with social media, online bullying, and the digital rumor mill.

Featuring a diverse cast of characters, we get a fairly deep look at how these dynamics can play out not just in privileged white families, but also in conservative families of immigrants, in an African-American family, for queer kids, etc. But this is also a book about trauma responses, rape culture, mental health, white privilege, misogyny, and fatphobia. It can be quite intense at times, but personally I thought things were pretty well-handled.

Are the characters likeable? No, not really. But they feel real. They are messy, complicated young people trying to figure out who they are and where they fit in the world, struggling with morality, social pressures, and their own trauma. I could see this really hitting with actual teenagers.

I want to speak to the plotline on weight and fatphobia because I think it's important. This book features a character who was sent to fat camp over the summer and is suddenly getting all this attention after losing a significant amount of weight. But she's struggling. With disordered eating linked to past trauma, with how to conceptualize this new identity and manage people's expectations with uncertainty of who she wants to be, with body dysmorphia, and with navigating new sexual pressures from people who might fetishize her as a woman of color and ignore her consent or lack thereof. As a currently (and happily) fat person who has has the experience of losing a lot of weight and being treated very differently, I found this to be a really nuanced, well-done handling of these issues. It's painful and messy to read, but it feels very true, especially for a high school context. I appreciate how they took on this story, and that the ultimate message is not that thinness should be the goal.

This is more of a slow-burn book, there are moments that can feel repetitive, and I can't say any of the "twists" were super surprising. But that's where I think you really need to go in with the right expectations, not anticipating a thriller. Overall, I really liked this and appreciate what it's doing. AND they have content warnings at the beginning of the book! Which I applaud. Those include fatphobia, sexual assault, bullying, disordered eating, drug use (consensual and non-consensual), drinking, mention of self harm, panic attacks, racism, graphic OCD depictions...

The audiobook includes a full cast and is really well done! Though I could see some of the social media parts working better in a physical copy. There are posts and comments with number of likes etc.

I received an advance copy of this book for review via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Jealous, lies, and rumors are destroying friendships and ruining lies at the private Foxham prep, home to the kids of DC’s elite. It all started with Bryn’s terrible mistake and things just snowballed. The stories may be untrue, but the drama is real.
This felt like a parody of teen melodramas. It utilizes all the tropes-mean cheerleaders, a geek girl makeover, slut shaming, revenge, and rich kid parties. On top of that there’s a mixed bag of “issues”-strict immigrant parents, overbearing parents, racism, sexual assault, and eating disorders. Unfortunately, it was just all too much. None of the characters are particularly likeable and the resolution is unsatisfying. This one wasn’t for me.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me an audiobook ARC for an honest review. This is my review. 4 Stars

Brynn had it all until one event that started a terrible rumor.

Before I go too far I'm gonna lay down the Triggers now: cyber bullying, body dysmorphia, talk of murder, eating disorders...just to name a few for you. Please read with caution. 16+

Have you ever had a rumor started about you that ended your school reputation? Did you know even the higher class have problems like this too?! Well that's exactly what happened to Brynn.
Her supposed best friend Cora took advantage of an accident that happened after her breakup with Jase (Brynn's boyfriend). The Queen of Mean A.K.A. Cora, juiced up a horrible rumor after an accident that involved Brynn, Jase, and Jases' new girlfriend.
Brynn didn't really try to kill Jase and his new girl, that's just a rumor. This book is full of nothing but IMs, rumors, a school board, etc. Bullying, you bet ya!

The setting if you didn't already realize is a school. However, it's not just any school but a prepatory. Foxham Prep to be exact where high profile parents send their wealthy children.

Though our main character is Brynn... We also are visited by three females in all....Brynn, Georgie, and Cora. They are the talk of the school, and it's a fight for popularity. Things are about to spiral out of control and real people are actually getting hurt.
Who can be trusted?
*3 POVs
*Social media platforms-cyberbullying
*News articles
*Texts and IMs

Time to get your blood boiling and plant yourself on the edge of your seat from Page 1....are you in? If so, lets get reading !

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

I would highly recommend this book for any kids in high school or college to show social media and rumors gone wrong. The narrators were fantastic throughout and the emotions they were feeling gave me chills at a few parts! I really liked how it switch from Cora to Georgie to Brynn so you could see all the main players sides of the story. The characters had great backstories and I like how diverse and accepting the majority of the characters were portrayed to be. I will definitely be buying a copy for my 15 year old daughter when this book comes out!

This book felt so long but, in a good way. In a very heartbreaking way.
Georgie knows what it's like to be the fat girl in school but after she went to camp and came back skinny.
Bryn was the popular girl at Foxham prep and then one mistake is all it took to make her part of that rumor mill of high school. She was pitted against her best friend Cora and then Georgie took the spotlight.

All I can say is, high school was NEVER like this for me and I'm so grateful because I have heard stories like the ones in this book. While it is fiction, it also feels absolutely REAL. It's not far from what actually happens in our everyday life not just in school but in life. Rumors hurt.

This book had me just gasping for air and in shock left and right at how kids can treat one another like this.

I could not finish this book. I had to DNF it. I don't do that often but it was not my kind of book.

I got about 3/4 through the book and just couldn’t handle reading any more. With a name like Dhonielle Clayton, I was expecting SO MUCH. This book really disappointed me for many reason but the few below are the main ones.

1.) the blatant fatphobia. One of the MCs goes to “fat camp” over the summer and when she gets back, all people are talking about is how she is so hot now. The fact that she is now skinny is the only reason she is suddenly sprung to popular girl levels. Not to mention, she loses touch with her previous best friend. Because her friend isn’t hot enough for her and “too boring”. Like yikes on bikes.

2.) the slut shaming. So many slit shamey comments. Too much. It’s just so uncomfortable. And the constant repeating of the slit shaming rumours is just irksome.

3.) they mention one of the MCs ex BF got into an accident after exiting a party. He doesn’t get in trouble for causing the accident because he was drunk (they literally mention him wobbling and tossing a can of beer before getting into the car). Instead, the girl is the one becoming a social pariah for being in the other car involved in the accident. Drunk driving is serious and the fact that it isn’t mentioned again is problematic.

While I didn’t finish the book, I think I got far enough in to leave this review because of all the problems mentioned above.

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. My biggest complaint about the audiobook is that you didn't get to see the content as it was layed out in the physical book.

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 AudioARCin exchange for an honest review.

The Rumor Game is a book about cyberbullying, rumors, and the way that things spiral out of control, and I think the premise has a lot of potential, but I also think it missed the mark a little bit.
The characters are complex, which I liked, and utterly unlikeable, which I also kind of liked, but I couldn't tell if I was supposed to like them or not (especially Bryn, who was one of the narrators but did a lot of unbelievably and irredeemably bad things). It felt like I was supposed to forgive them, but they were just doing so many bad things and not even remotely understanding how their actions had consequences. There were a lot of characters and they were all very diverse, which is a definite plus. I will say that the characters were painted as incredibly intelligent (since they all attend a very elite private school), but some of the things they did were incredibly dumb. But overall, I thought that the three main characters were interesting and complex and I liked the way the story skipped between the three different perspectives.
This book had a lot of potential, and I think it hits on a lot of important and poignant issues, but a lot of the portrayal just felt unrealistic. Especially with the way some of the teenagers were talking - a lot of it read like adults trying to sound like teenagers, which took me out of the story. It felt a little directionless for the first third of the book, and the whole book ran a little long, but it definitely picked up by the end and I was on the edge of my seat.
I was a little wary of the audiobook form, since I had heard that this book had a lot of multimedia elements to it, but I think that the way that the social media posts were integrated into audio form was done incredibly well. The narrators also did a really good job, and I think I probably liked Georgie and Cora more because I liked the narrators that read their parts (I liked Bryn's narrator as well, I just think her actions were just so bad that I couldn't forgive her).
Overall, this book was entertaining and I think it handled a lot of important issues really well, but it was just a little unrealistic and ran a little long. Definitely worth the read, though!