Catherine Steadman ups her game with each and every novel she writes. With The Family Game I was hooked from page one. Two dynamic characters and the marriage of the century- what could possibly go wrong? Each of the Holbeck family members is described in complete detail; I feel like I could picture each and every one of them. I love that the female protagonist is an author and can stand on her own. Her torrid past and family heartbreak make her a likable character who you root for from page one. Each of the Holbeck's also comes with their own dirty laundry... something I loved watching unravel throughout the plot. From Thanksgiving to Krampus (something totally new to me!) to the horrors of Christmas night, this might be one of the top contenders for my top 5 list of 2022!

Thank you for the opportunity to preview The Family Game. Streadman is a great novelist and she writes with such authority that you are hooked immediately
The family game is one of the top books this year and readers will not be disappointed with this endeavor by Streadman

The Family Game initially intrigued me. I loved the synopsis and it reminded me of one of my favorite horror movies. I was excited to read this one but that wore off quickly. I saw the entire plot pretty quickly into reading. I didn’t enjoy any of the twist because I saw them coming miles away. I know people will enjoy this one but it wasn’t for me sadly. 2 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This one started a bit slow for me, however, it picked up and was one twist after another. The characters were mostly unlikable. It didn’t make me want to stop reading, in fact a lot of the dislike was what made the story work so well. I really enjoyed this book and plan to red the Authors other ovens soon.

Catherine Steadman just keeps getting better and better! I thought for sure I’d like this book but that there was no way she could top The Disappearing Act, but I could not have been more wrong. The buildup… the secrets… the misdirection… plus this reminded me so much of one of my favorite movies Ready or Not (a criminally underrated dark comedy/thriller movie) and J.T. Ellison’s Her Dark Lies.

Harriet Reed is a new bestselling author. She has recently become engaged to Edward Holbeck, who comes from an extremely wealthy family. She has never met his family as they have been somewhat estranged. Edward, as the eldest son, was slated to become the head of the family empire. He refused and began his own path with a startup. Harriet has no family and a serious secret in her past. After the engagement, Ed wants her to meet the family. Harriet is quite intimidated, but the family seems to be very welcoming. They are hoping she will be able to bring Ed back to a good relationship with his family. All is not as it seems on the surface. There are many twists and turns with the family dynamics. The author leads you down a path to a shocking ending. I was engrossed in this story and stayed up half the night to finish it. This is a must read!

Also reviewed on B&N under 1IrishEyes430 and Kobo under IrishEyes430

I liked this book, it seemed to be a pretty generic thriller but it had enough changes that I still was a little surprised by the ending. I liked the main character Harriet but I still got a little frustrated with her character because it seemed like at times she was a little too dumb as to what was going on.

As I read this book, I was reminded of the movie Ready or Not and the ending line:
Police Officer: What happened to you?
Grace: In-Laws

This was my favorite Catherine Steadman book so far. It's wild, quite over the top, but still pretty enjoyable and a fun read. So glad I'm not a member of this family.

Harriet, or Harry as she is called, is a writer, and she meets wealthy business tycoon Edward and they eventually get engaged. He has kept his extended family at bay, but the engagement has brought them to the forefront and they want to meet Harry and bring the two into their fold. And what a fold it is, these people are steeped in old money privilege. And this family is not what you'd call normal--they operate under their own rules and the games they play are more than a bit unusual. Does Harry have what it takes to become one of them--even if their lives are darker than she first imagines?

It took me a while to get into the story, I thought some of Harry's decisions were odd and slowed down the pacing, and some of the details slowed things down too (like how many details did we really need to have about Harry trying to find a way to listen to the tape, almost losing the tape, etc.) However once things got going (starting with the Krampusnacht game) it was full speed ahead with the unbelievable, yet engrossing events that speed toward an explosive conclusion.

I did enjoy the tension and suspense of finding out just what was going on. It's not really a mystery, but it's definitely a suspenseful thriller that will keep you turning pages. I was rooting for Harry's success against this weird family.

If you liked Ready or Not, you will likely enjoy The Family Game. It's definitely not the same story, but the vibes are similar, especially with those in-laws.

The Family Game was one of my recent BOTM choices, and I jumped on it because, well, I'm a sucker for thriller novels. Written by Catherine Steadman, this novel promises an eccentric family, traditions, and twisted games. What more could you ask for?

Harry is an up-and-coming author, with one book turning into an instant bestseller. With the second book in progress (sort of), it seemed like everything in Harry's life couldn't be more perfect. Then she met Edward, the love of her life.

Now the two are engaged to be married, and that means finally meeting his eccentric (and infamously rich) family. That would be intimidating enough on its own, if the family didn't have a love of twisted games...

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

So I went into The Family Game with pretty high expectations. I was hoping for a mix of domestic thriller and Most Dangerous Game. And that is what I got – yet I struggled to get into this one for some reason. Might it have been the mood I was in?

We have all heard of horrible in-law stories, but I'm pretty sure any story Harry tells will take the cake. This familiar setting is the perfect foundation, as Catherine Steadman stretches it to horrifying new limits.

I enjoyed two parts of this story: the mystery and the games. One could say that the two go hand-in-hand, but they feel distinct from one another. On the one hand, we have the mystery that Harry has been thrown into. On the other hand, we have family games, which serve as a dark reminder of what is at risk.

At the end of the day, I think The Family Game focused too much on family details (who is related to who & what their backstory is) and not enough on the more compelling parts of the story. I think a slightly tighter version of the novel would have been haunting! But still, I respect the potential The Family Game had, and I can't wait to see what Catherine Steadman writes next.

What a fun time! I was so worried that this would be a regurgitation of the film Ready of Not and I was so pleasantly surprised when it wasn't. I really loved this one -it made for such a fun time. I did listen to a chunk of it on audio and the narration was so well done regarding phone calls and tape transcripts.

There are games in this book for sure, but it's not always what you expect - in a good way, but I can see how some readers might not like what the games end of being.

This book is perfect for the holiday season as it takes place from Thanksgiving to Christmas!

I throughly enjoyed this novel. In fact, it’s one of the few lately that has held my attention throughout the entire story. While I could see a few things coming, I never felt like rushing though it. I would definitely recommend it to friends.

I quite liked this thriller - I didn't see the twist until the very end and it was quite good. This is my second novel by Catherine Steadman, and I am a fan!

4.5 stars
I really enjoy Catherine Steadman's books, for the twists and the quality of her writing. The Family Game was no exception.
Nothing in this book is as it seems, and can anyone be trusted? Harry has a perfect fiance and is a successful author. She's moved to New York from England. As the holidays approach, her fiance's family, who he's been keeping her away from, suddenly shows a bunch of interest in meeting her. Lots of invitations to holiday events, starting with Thanksgiving, come up, and Harry is thrust into the Holbecks' unconventional and sometimes disturbing traditions, which include multiple nights playing complicated games.
Through it all, Harry tries to decipher the clues her future father-in-law is giving her while protecting her own past secrets.
I especially enjoyed that this suspenseful book takes place between early November and Christmas. Great holiday season thriller/family drama.

Wow what a thrill ride! The twists of this book and I did not expect that ending. I would have liked a bit more of fleshing out of the characters and I feel like the ending was a bit of strange choice for the character, not necessarily in line with what we knew about her. But overall, I enjoyed it. Good domestic suspense!

Harriet (Harry) Reed's thriller writing career is taking off, along with her love life to the heir of the Holbeck family fortune. Newly relocated to America, engaged, and pregnant Harry enters her first stateside holiday season among a family with more secrets than lights on the Rockefeller Christmas tree. When she gets involved with the patriarch of the family, and potential serial killer, Robert Holbeck, can she use her creative skills to get to the bottom of their secrets while keeping her own from derailing her now almost perfect life?

This book was so well paced it made for a quick and captivating read. The story took twists and turns and soon it was easy to predict who the real bad guy was, although how the author got you there and to the ending was a rollercoaster of wild chaos. As we get a glimpse into the lifestyles of the rich and famous Holbecks, the games they play will shock and partially traumatize even the reader as they did for Harry. I didn't know where the ending was going to take me until the final paragraph and it was just as bizarre and winding as the lives of these mysterious people up to that point. Beauty and love woven into tragedy and murder makes for a delightfully twisty, and somewhat messed up, read.

This was a pretty good one. I will say that I did not see the twist at the end.

Harry is a best selling author who is recently engaged to her perfect fiance, Edward. He is from the Holbeck family, the embodiment of American old money. Edward has been estranged from his family for a few years now, but with the impending I do's, it's time for a reunion.

This family is so weird. Every encounter Harry had with them made my skin crawl. From tricking Harry into a Thanksgiving invitation, to scary traditional Christmas games, to the worst Christmas ever I'm sure. I don't want to give anything away. I would definitely recommend to fans of thriller, filthy rich people, and mystery.

My review is going to be in the minority, as I have read so many 4-5 star reviews for The Family Game. Honestly, until I got to about 60% into the story, I was ready to give it a solid 4-4.5 star. However, at this point in the book, things got VERY repetitive. I actually considered DNF'ing at that point, but kept going, again, based on the reviews, because I wanted to see what the big twist would be and how it ended. Well, things continued to get weirder and more far fetched than I could have ever imagined. I did not enjoy the final "twist". The main character, Harry, who I really liked just completely fell apart for me. I wish, in fact, that I would have stopped this book WAY before the point where I considered doing so. I am sorry to say that the last 40% of the book, particularly the last two chapters, dropped my rating all the way to a 2.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Family Game by Catherine Steadman.

Harriet (Harry) cannot be more thrilled with her life. She is on the cusp of her writing career blowing up, and she's also engaged to a beautiful, wealthy man named Edward. And although Harry is anxious to meet her new inlaws-to-be, Edward has his reservations. He has been estranged from the family for some time now, and unsure if he is ready to subject his fiance to them.

Surprisingly, Edward's family finds her, and Harry is thrilled to learn that they are lovely, enthusiastic, and supportive of her. They also can't wait to have her join in on their family holidays, complete with family games. But after Harriet plays the first game for Krampus Nacht (look it up), she is horrified at the types of games they subject themselves to. What is the purpose, and how deep do these games go?

I just wasn't a fan of this story. It tried too hard, and it did too much. I could never quite get into the creepy weird family traditions and vibes, and I hated the dynamic between Harry and Edward's dad Robert.

A wonderful and suspenseful thriller that had been white knuckling the book the entire time. This was everything I want in a tense read with twists and drama that had me hooked.

Highly recommend for thriller lovers or anyone wanting to get into the genre. This can be read all year long but I especially enjoyed this during spooky season.

Catherine Steadman delivers a fun cat-and-mouse game with a juicy twist, but with an ending that ultimately felt rushed and disjointed. Harriet - or Harry - is engaged to Edward Holbeck, the eldest son of an incredibly rich "old money" family that's been accumulating wealth for generations. Until they got engaged, Harry hadn't met anyone from Edward's family, and she's certainly intimidated by this intense, tradition-oriented clan. Over the span of just two months, she meets the Holbecks and is introduced to their strange games - literally, they play games at every family gathering, all of the games serving as a twisted test of the players' aptitude and ruthlessness.

I enjoyed the build up of the novel so much. Harry is a mostly likeable character, and you enjoy rooting for her against this Succession-like family that seems to set her up to fail. The mystery unfolding, the research, and the games all added so much to the story and family lore - the unfolding of Krampusnacht was brilliant and gripping. But the story fell apart for me when Edward and Harry to go "The Hydes" for Christmas. I saw so many glaring plot holes and gaps that couldn't be explained, and the left field twist was somewhat poorly executed, with way too much action trying to be packed in a sparse number of pages. This would have been a five-star read for me if not for the rushed and head-scratching ending.

Thank you to Ballantine for the ARC via Netgalley!