Of course another great book by Catherine Steadman! She always writes a great thriller with excellent characters and a tightly woven plot! I love her books.

This is a story of a rich eccentric family, with a time-honored tradition of a lethal game. Harry is about to find out the cost of joining the 1%. She is a novelist on the edge of making it big, her fiancé Edward appears to be perfect. Edward severed ties with his family but they make a reappearance in his life. Harry is fascinated by the glamour of his family and they welcome her into the family with open arms. When meeting his father Robert for the first time he gives Harry a cassette tape with a shocking confession that sets the game in motion. Why would he give her the tape, knowing it could destroy everything?
I liked this book a lot, it was definitely a wild ride of a book. If you like books full of twists and turns you will definitely like this one. I spent the whole book hoping Harry would win against the family. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

Thanks to NetGalley for granting my wish and making The Family Game by Catherine Steadman, available to me! In exchange I am providing an honest and unbiased review.

The Family Game was so much fun! A dark, super creepy, propulsive and thrilling murder mystery that will make your head spin!
Author Harriet "Harry" Reed is in a loving relationship, yet she has never met her partner Edward's estranged ultra rich, powerful Holbeck family. When they are finally introduced going into a busy holiday season, Harry is ready to get to know them and relieved at how welcoming they are, regardless of the nagging suspicion that she is about to get in way over her head. Enter her In-laws whose family traditions are FAR from traditional (just wait for THAT chapter! You'll know when you get there 😉)
Not to mention the disturbing interaction she has with Edwards father as he shares a tape with a book he's writing. A confession to murder! Intrigue! As Harriet unravels why he has shared this with her and what is all means, she will soon realize how deep she has been drug into the Holbeck family game and losing this game is not an option.
The Family Game is a wild ride and I loved every creeptastic bump, twist and turn! Enjoy!

I was thrilled to read another Steadman novel. This was twisty and engaging and I needed to keep reading!

Featuring ~ single 1st person POV, family secrets, slow burn, suicide, death

A British author is marrying into a prominent wealthy American family that likes to play quite an interesting game.

What a ride this was and I was all for it. There were some heart pounding moments in the final act and the twist was unexpected.

I was able to listen to the final version as well, so I went back and forth reading and listening. I'd definitely recommend listening if you can.

The author narrated for 10 hours and 51 minutes. Y'ALL! is this author American or British?? I think she altered her accent really well and though I can probably guess which is her real one it's almost hard to tell. Also, I liked the added side effects when she was on the phone or we were listening to the tapes. Impressive.

Overall, a tension filled domestic thriller with a clever and engaging plot.

This book had some really good parts and a few parts that made me want to stop reading it all together. I did finish it though, and it was ok—entertaining enough but not as good as other books by this author.

4.5☆ for The Family Game! I can't remember tearing through two thrillers in a row and enjoying them as much as I have these last two! I kind of knew whodunit, but how or why had me puzzled til the final pages. The ancillary characters weren't really well developed, and the setting wasn't anything special, but the pace and twists more than made up for those minor shortcomings for me. I couldn't put down the last half of the book - I can't wait to pass along my copy! Thanks to #netgalley for the opportunity to preview #TheFamily#Game by Catherine Steadman.

I really enjoyed this book!
It took some time to get going- but the writing was so good that I didn't care too much, I was enjoying the story.
I really enjoyed the main character and her development into herself, learning her strength.
The twist was a little predictable but overall, a very enjoyable and fun thriller.

This book was suspenseful, but it was a little weird and at the end got a little too unbelievable for me. Still, I read it fast to see who was good, who was bad, and wat was going on!

Harriett “Harry”, a successful novelist, is thrown into comingiling with her new fiancés incredibly wealthy family for the holiday season. Orphaned as a young adult, Harry is intimidated but excited at the prospect of joining a new family. During her fist visit, she is cornered by her future father in law who provides her with a an audiotape revealing a shocking confession which, sets a game in motion. What does the tape mean? Is her future father-in-law really confessing to his heinous crimes and how does he know about her dark past as well?

This book is very reminiscent of an underrated film “Ready or Not” which, I think had me enjoying from the beginning. While, I will say, it did take a bit to get to the “meeting of the family” and the mysterious cassette tape, there is excellent plot building that you will be thankful for later. A delightful cat and mouse feel with a family that enjoys seriously disturbed versions of Holiday cheer, I highly recommend you pick this one up to read as you embark on your holiday travels.

This was a twisting, thrilling ride from the start. I felt like I needed to wear a seatbelt while reading this. What a fantastic thriller!

Unpopular opinion - I was not a fan of this one.

The first 40% of the book was the MC asking herself, do I think this is weird because my fiancé's family are rich or because I'm pregnant? It caused me to really dislike the MC.

Then she's physically attracted to her fiance's dad and trying to blame that on the pregnancy?! Nope

I didn't like any of that. And who is going to just randomly mess with someone by telling them what types of illegal activities they have done.

None of it made sense. I know it's fiction but, everything just seemed so far fetched and over the top.

What a FUN read!

Fast paced, just how I like 'em and kept me on my toes!

I read this in December for a good "mood read" and it sure did it for me! This book kept me on the edge of my seat and really wanting more the entire time. The Krampusnacht game was easily my favorite part of the book! It was so tense and full of suspense, I loved it.

*Spoilers*
The biggest thing that bugged me was her taking forever with the tape. Why did she not just listen to it already? If it were me, it'd be eating me up to listen. And if she did, then things could have been solved more quickly and played out differently, I get. However, I really did not see the twist coming, so that was great!

The audiobook was also fantastic and I recommend that as well.

Thank you NetGalley and thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC!

I loved this book!! The story was fun and twisting (I'm a sucker for twists)! The only thing I didn't like so much was how negative the main character was... I love sarcasm and underdogs rising above all odds - but, for some reason, it felt more like a drag with this book. Overall, though, I really loved the book and would love to read more by this author!

Catherine Steadman had me in suspense for the entire book. She details the story of a family with old money and their traditions which not everyone might find normal. Her twist and turns of the plot leaves the reader with a giant plot twist at the end and an OMG moment.

This book was so good! I got sucked in right from the beginning, and I just could not put it down. I loved all the twists and turns, and I did not see that ending coming! I loved Harry and figuring things out with her along the way. She was such a badass! And I loved how uncomfortable some of the discussions made you feel when it came up how far you’d go to protect the ones you love. I loved this book!

A damned exciting thriller that made me thankful for my boring, impoverished family. I wouldn't last 1 night with these people, but observing the bizarre traditions and downright bonkers behavior of rich people was a blast. Christmas needs more murderous family games in isolated locations.

👪 BOOK / REVIEW 👪

It always pains me to write a #bookreview when I didn't absolutely love it 🥹 I know there are probably books I have raved about that didn't sit well with my audience, but that is the magic of reading!!

And to add insult to injury, it's always hard when I see fellow friends and #bookstagram accounts love a book when I don't.

That being said, the premise of #thefamilygame was FUN. I felt like this drug on a bit too long though...and I really struggle when a book has too many characters. I can see the intrigue around the plot and it was definitely a unique read ... I just didn't love it 🤷‍♀️ I'm good with a ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 rating!

I've read every book Steadman has written and really enjoyed all of them. While I overall like this book, it took me a bit to get into it. Honestly, if I wasn't committed to Steadman's writing, I probably would have DNF'd because by 100 pages I wasn't really connecting with the story. BUT I'm glad I stuck it out because I ended up liking this one!

I did enjoy this, the middle felt just a little long. I liked Something in the Water much better! I will still recommend this title to others though, it was a unique concept!