The Family Game was one of the weirdest but most interesting books I read. Like who thinks of these plots?!! It was intriguing enough for me to keep reading—as in, a weirdo family who likes to play Christmas monster games??—but the whole time I was thinking what on earth is happening? It’s fast paced and suspenseful. Don’t get me wrong— I liked it a lot and somehow it worked for me!

I found myself absolutely racing through this book - I couldn't keep turning pages fast enough - as I was obsessed with figuring out this creative cat-and-mouse game. When Harriet Reed meets her fiancé Edward's family, it's immediately apparent that the Holbeck family is not what they seem. But as the story unravels and we get closer to the ultimate Christmas 'game' - I was absolutely holding my breath!

I also highly recommend the audiobook version of this book as well since it's narrated by the author herself!

This was a thriller I was really excited about because it centered around a rich family, possibly a creepy game, and the holidays.

The main character gets a tape from her soon to be father in law that tells her secrets about awful things someone committed.

I enjoyed the you never know who’s watching you aspect of the plot but I felt it was more of an investigation/mystery than a true thriller.

I wasn’t ever sucked in the way I wanted to be where you were really rooting for one character. I also felt the most thriller-esque part of the book was only one chapterish.

The ending was suppose to be the huge reveal and I genuinely felt let down by it all. It was a tad boring and weird? I don’t know how to explain it.

I’d give this 2 or 2 1/2 stars but I just wasn’t very invested enough and the ending wasn’t as big a production I thought it would have been considering how the tape the main character was given made it seem.

Bummer. ☹️

This thriller had everything I look for. Crazy family dynamics, twisted games, a gothic atmosphere, and wild cat and mouse antics.
Set during the holiday season, it is the perfect read to make your family seem normal this time of year. I felt like there was a new clue or twist at every turn here. Just when we thought these characters could not get anymore controlling or unhinged...guess again. Poor Harriett had no idea what she was getting herself into with this one. If you are a thriller lover, pick this one up!

I absolutely LOVED this book! I had been waiting to read after hearing that it was set at Christmas time and boy, it did not disappoint!! I loved all the settings of the book and the fast pace. The first few pages had me hooked right away and I flew through it.! I am going to have to check out more of this author’s backlist titles!

I was expecting something completely different than what I read. However, I am pleasantly surprised with the path this book took. I think a lot of it was pretty predictable but sometimes the journey is so much more fun and entertaining than the destination. There were so many atmospheric settings in this story. It also read like a movie and I was eagerly waiting for the next thing to happen. I really loved the Christmas setting as well as the Krampus game.

Wow now this is a thriller! I loved the entire premise of this book and the characters were incredible!
Harriet or Harry as she’s called is an author , and she believes she has met the man of her dreams his name is Edward. Edward comes from an incredibly wealthy family who has a ton of connections. Harriet meets his family for the first time over Thanksgiving, they appear to welcome her and are friendly. When she has a one on one meeting with Edwards father Robert. Harriet is a bit surprised when Robert gives her a cassette tape to listen to, he gives no hint with what’s on the tape just tells her to listen to it. When she listens she’s shocked the tape appears to be confession to a grisly crime possibly a murder. The more time she spends with this family their traditions literally have her running for her life. Will she survive their family games or will she be the next victim on the tape? I loved this book it reminded me a bit of the movie Ready Or Not. I can’t imagine being Harriet at times one part gave me anxiety. Highly recommend!!

I enjoyed this read, it wasn’t anything mind blowing but it was a fun read and I enjoyed the ending immensely. Definitely intriguing for sure!

Harriet/Harry has just gotten engaged to Edward. He’s been fairly estranged from his family so Harry hasn’t met them yet but the engagement seems like a time to possibly mend some fences. Edward’s family isn’t just rich - they are rich rich. Harry is a little nervous to meet them but also excited to get to know her future in-laws.

However - quickly after meeting them - things start to get strange. Edward’s father gives Harry a cassette tape to listen to - and when she does, she’s drawn into a strange game.

This one took a little bit for me to get into it but once I got to that point, it was impossible to stop until the end. I really enjoyed this - a mix of family drama, the power of the extremely wealthy, and some mystery. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.

I absolutely loved this one. It was such a fun family thriller/drama. It reminded me of Knives Out and the Westing Game, both of which I loved.

What a great book! I love everything by this author and this book was no different! I couldn't put this down and was up all night waiting to see how it ended!

Wowowowow WOW this was such a fun ride! While a lot of this was kind of predictable, I'm obsessed with mystery/thrillers centered around super rich, old money families and those who have just had their first taste of the craziness that is their world. Harriett is such a fun protagonist to follow, even if she is a bit morally grey. My main critique is that I wish we had learned more backstories on the Holbeck family members just so I could feel even more invested, but I'm okay with the amount of information that we DID learn.

This feels very much like the movie Ready or Not, and I love it. Even though the end of the book is the tiniest bit of a letdown, overall I really enjoyed this and would definitely recommend it to someone else.

3.5 stars

“A game is only a game if you do not fully understand it.”

Maybe because I don't read a lot of thrillers, my standards for them aren't too high?

I think this one has low ratings, but I was into it! The weird background of this family and the absolutely bizarre games they play had me freaked out.

Did I think they were a little (ok, a lot) outlandish? Yes.

Did I figure out the big twist before the reveal? Also, yes.

But this was the perfect distraction - and the Christmas time setting was the icing on the cake!

✨Book Review✨
The Family Game by Catherine Steadman
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
.
A low four. This book took me a little to get into, but it really picked up the pace about 25 percent in. It was an intriguing thriller and I flew through the second half. I switched to audio at about 25 percent and I think that helped a lot, too. I definitely recommend the audiobook. It's not the most memorable of books, but I would recommend it to anyone who wants a quick entertaining read.

One of the best thrillers I've read in a while! Unpredictable and fast-paced. I really enjoyed the characters, the surprises, and learning what really happens in Steadman's newest release.

Harriet visits her fiance's rich family for the holidays. But their traditions seen so... odd. They don't sit around and play silly board games, oh no.. their idea of fun is dangerous and deadly. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, turning pages as fast as i could.

Wow! This was an absolute roller coaster of craziness and I enjoyed it. Thanks to the publisher kindly granting my wish for this book I had it in my TBR pile for months before it was published, but am glad I finally read it this month since it takes place between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Harriet is a novelist who is pregnant and marrying into a wealthy family with a lot of secrets, one of which may or may not include the fact that one of them has killed several women. It sounds bad, but Harriet has her own horrible secret that's she's been keeping for decades, so she's not quite sure how awful these folks really are in comparison to her. The snotty rich people like to play family games, hence the title, that include a bizarre Krampus-themed tradition that scares the crap out of their kids and Harriet. But Krampusnacht shenanigans are nothing compared with their Christmas game, and that's where all hell breaks loose. I've read previous books by Steadman and this one was fast-paced like those, which I like, but it also had a few too many family members who didn't add much to the story. Overall, highly recommended as a fun, Christmas-y thriller. Thanks to Netgalley, and especially the publisher, who saw my wish for this book and granted it.

I’ve read everything by Catherine Steadman and this was by far my favorite. I highly recommend this book. I even gifted a copy to my bookworm friends.

I absolutely loved everything about this book! The hype is real. I wanted to read it immediately after I heard it was being compared to the movie Ready or Not. There were some lulls in the book, like there is for most of them, but the action made up for it. Brava!

Solid thriller if you can suspend your disbelief. Read it in one sitting and super entertaining. Recommend for around the holidays as well!