Well I certainly wasn’t expecting what this was. I was rooting for Harriet the whole time and waiting for her to disappoint me but she didn’t! While there seemed to be quite a few names and characters to keep track of but in the end, the ones that mattered made sense. I actually had to pause and look up Krampus because it seemed too wild to not be real! Not only did I enjoy this wild ride of a thriller, I learned something I didn’t know too. Great book!

I read Catherine Steadman’s first novel, Something in the Water, and was an instant fan. The Family Game is Steadman’s latest thriller, and she has definitely not taken her foot off the gas. It’s terrific!!

The story begins with the protagonist, Harriet/Harry, coming to consciousness in the entryway of a Gothic mansion known as The Hydes. The Hydes is the home of a family that reminded me a lot of the Roy family of TV’s Succession, but more refined. It’s Christmas, and Harry is in trouble, but she is no damsel in distress. She is strong; she is pregnant; and she is determined to make it out of this house alive.

We then go back in time to a few days before Thanksgiving. Harry is a best-selling author, and she is about to become engaged to Edward/Ed, the eldest son of the extremely wealthy Holbeck family. Edward is handsome, athletic, and hugely successful. One strange thing though – Edward has not introduced Harry to his extended family from whom he is mostly estranged. He’s afraid they’ll scare her off. But that’s about to change. Now that they’re engaged the family really wants to meet Harry. They start slowly. First, she has afternoon tea with Ed’s sister, Matilda, who has been chosen to ease her into the family. Things go great, so Harry and Ed agree to join the family for a dinner where she will meet the others. The toughest nut to crack will be Ed’s father, Robert Holbeck. Robert is intimidating, but he seems to like Harry. He lets her know that she will be happily accepted into the family because they want to bring Edward back into the fold. At the end of the evening, he slips Harry a Dictaphone tape, which he says is his idea for a new novel, a thriller.
When Thanksgiving arrives, Harry learns that her soon-to-be in-laws have a bizarre love of games, and not the normal Monopoly or charades. The Holbeck family games are vicious and scary. Thankfully, Harry is a warrior queen and is not about to be run off by some rich family. She is, however, perplexed when she finally has a chance to listen to the cassette tape Robert gave her. It appears to be a tale of multiple murders, and Harry thinks that Robert may be a real-life murderer.

The Family Game is a thrill ride with cat and mouse games and a roller coaster pace. It all comes to a head at Christmas at The Hydes, and Harry will have to be on her toes to survive the holiday – literally. Steadman writes smart, twisty novels, and I loved this one.

My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me an eGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Book rating: 4/5
Audiobook rating: 5/5

Don't ask me why I keep collecting books by Catherine Steadman and not reading them, but after finishing The Family Game I will no longer be waiting to read them! I heard so many great things about this one on Bookstagram so I figured it was going to be good, but I didn't expect just HOW good it would be. The story is told from Harriet's viewpoint which I really liked, and I LOVED Steadman's chapter titles. It is such a nice touch when there's that something extra added in (besides just chapters 1, 2, etc.) and I also found them rather entertaining at times. Edward's family and his estrangement from them is all very mysterious, and that is only enhanced once Harry starts listening to the tape his dad gives her, and she gets to know them more and more.

There were a few parts in The Family Game that were downright terrifying, and I could 100% feel for Harry's character and what she's going through with this bunch as future in-laws. They have some weird family traditions, and I would honestly recommend reading this based on them alone! And I don't know why I didn't know this, but apparently, Steadman narrates all of her own audiobooks, and that is yet ANOTHER reason why I am no longer going to wait to get to her others. She clearly had a vision of how she wanted everyone to sound, and she is one of the best narrators I have ever listened to! She also made the tape parts incredibly amazing, and I cannot recommend the audiobook enough. The only downside to The Family Game for me was that I did figure out what was going on before it was revealed, and I wish I could have had more of a shock factor. Other than that, this was a SUPER wild book and I highly recommend it to all thriller and mystery readers!

Thank you to the publishers for my complimentary listening and reader copies of this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

This really is the definition of unputdownable. Although the characters are mostly unlikeable doing ugly things, I was hooked. Didn’t see the twists coming and the ending was satisfying, Highly recommend. Thank you netgalley and publisher for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

Novelist Harry has picked up her life and moved from London to New York because she fell in love with Edward. Edward is estranged from his old money family. Even with the estrangement, Harry is welcomed into the Holbeck family. She meets them all at Thanksgiving dinner, where is is instantly drawn to Edward's charismatic father. Robert gives Harry a cassette tape with a shocking confession, and Harry doesn't know what to do with what she has learned.

This book was so much fun to read. The "games" the family take part in over the Christmas holiday are truly "you have to read it to believe it," and I was biting my fingers all they way to the crazy twist at the end!

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the copy to review. The Family Game is out now.

A rich, eccentric family. A time-honored tradition. Or a lethal game of survival? This was an unputdownable thriller! I was hooked from the first chapter. I loved the cat-and-mouse game aspect and the crazy family traditions. Remind me to never marry into a family that celebrates Krampusnacht! Catherine Steadman continues to deliver another amazing read. Enthusiastically recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this ARC.

Harriet is a writer who recently got engaged to Edward, a man who comes from an old money New York family that he has distanced himself from. They both have secrets that they are hoping to keep hidden. After Harriet meets Edward's family and experiences first-hand the type of games they like to play, all bets are off on keeping those secrets hidden for much longer.

Rich people behaving badly plus a game of cat and mouse? Yup, sign me up. This is the type of thriller I really enjoy. Fast paced with twists that I didn't see coming. Overall, I loved this one and plan on diving into Steadman's backlist soon.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine books for the digital advanced readers copy of The Family Game for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

What a fun and vicious read. The only reason I didn't fly through this in one sitting is that I had to (grudgingly) charge my Kindle.

Starts off with an intense prologue and then barrels on into a fast-paced thriller! I really enjoyed this one. A cast of mostly unlikable characters, awful rich people who do cruel things, but I was so captivated. I didn't see -anything- coming and I wasn't sure I was going to like where it ended up but I did! This was my first Catherine Steadman novel but will surely not be my last.

This book was a chaotic whirlwind and I couldn't put it down. It's not perfect, but it was a unique storyline despite a somewhat predictable twist.

Phew. The Family Game will draw you in and keep you reading as you cringe in horror. A great, entertaining read. Although I was able to correctly guess some of the plot, it kept me reading late into the night to "watch" it unravel.

After reading some reviews, it came to my attention that my opinion is very unpopular on this one.

Novelist Harriet Reed finds herself engaged to Edward Holbeck, an heir of a very powerful family. It doesn't take her long to realize this family is...strange. When Edwards father hands Harriet a tape explaining it is a book he is working and would love her opinion, she is happy to feel as though she is a part of something. However, once listening to the tape, she realizes this is a confession, of a murder, and the game begins.

This had so much potential. I am all about some fun family games and traditions. This was so far-fetched for me I could not relate to any of it. And holy crap, was it slow. S L O W... I would have ran home and tore into that tape immediately. But not Harriet, nope. Days, and even when she understood what was going on, she still took her time listening to the rest of it.

The family games were games out of nightmares. The whole thing was just way to odd for me. Honestly, I got 80% in and begged my buddies who read it to tell me the end and put me out of my misery.

And I moved on....

Take this whole review with a grain of salt because clearly not many felt as I did.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Ballantine for my E-ARC of this in exchange for my honest review.

Harriet, who has just published a wildly successful novel, has emigrated to the United States to be with the love of her life, Edward. Edward comes from a very wealthy “old money” family from whom he has been estranged. The family hopes that Harriet will bring Edward back into the fold. But, they are a family who likes dangerous games, starting with a tape that the patriarch gives her. Will Harriet succeed at the games and will her long held secret remain just that….secret?

A lot of readers really liked this book. I liked the atmospheric writing and enjoyed that it was a quick, engrossing read. However, I thought the storyline a bit much. There is a saying “the rich are different”. Are they really THAT different? As the action spirals downward to the ending, which was not a surprise, I felt the entire story deteriorated. And don’t get me started on Harriet’s careless treatment of the tape.

I have to point out that I am a reader who does not like to suspend belief when I read. Those who are comfortable doing this will probably like the book much more than I did. I have enjoyed Steadman’s books in the past and will certainly seek out her next one.

Really had me on the edge of my seat. I could not put this book down. It was geniusly written with well thought out characters, plots, and suspense. Catherine Steadman has a fan in me for life. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next. Bravo on a great read!

Holy moly, this book is all kinds of crazy! Completely out of the norm, The Family Game takes the ‘meet the parents’ trope, adds some locked room horror and a dash of Holiday spirit to create one of the most talked about books of the year! The game played by the family is definitely not one you can add to your Amazon cart, and I promise you won’t want to!

I swear, I was totally immersed in this one. The two main characters, Harry (Harriette) and Edward are easy to like and have a seemingly perfect relationship but you can tell from the very beginning that something sinister lies beneath.

Catherine writes these characters so vividly, it is easy to believe they could be a real family…making what happens even more horrific. Upon meeting her, Ed’s father, Richard, gives Harry a tape to listen to. Richard is surprisingly warm and welcoming although Harry has heard he will be the hardest of the brood to win over. Because Harry is a novelist, Richard says the tape is a novel he has been working on and he wants her to listen to it and let him know what she thinks. The only catch is, no one else can know about it…not even Edward.

As Harry listens to Richard describe a murder, she realizes this is definitely not a novel — it’s a confession. What has she gotten herself into? The more time she spends with the family, the crazier this book gets. I was intrigued by the different traditional games they play together and how they think they could be normal. They’re definitely NOT.

All the twists and turns leading up to the heart-pounding finale could not prepare me for what happened. It absolutely blew me away! I really hope this one gets picked up for a movie adaptation and soon! I’m ready!


#qotd - Do you have any family traditions you participate in over the Holidays?

The Family Game, by Catherine Steadman, is a spell-binding, absolutely captivating thriller that is wholly unique, pulse-pounding, and well-written. I find some mysteries to be convoluted at times, and complex to the point of confusing. The Family Game is not that way. It’s layered and intricate, full of secrets and surprises, but also easy to follow and understand. It is loaded with twists and turns and I was riveted to every page of this fast-paced mystery.

Harriet is an author who is newly engaged to uber-wealthy magnate, Edward Holbreck. As close as they are, she has yet to meet his family. Edward has warned her that not only is he somewhat estranged from his family, but they also are highly unusual and like to play games…games that are more than good old fun. As Harriet gets to know the family, she finds them eccentric, but rather delightful and a much needed stand-in for the family she lost long ago. However, the more time she spends with them, the more disturbing and dangerous these unconventional games seem to be, and merely covers for secrets that are much, much darker.

Suspenseful to the last, I found this novel to be thoroughly entertaining, unusual and fun. It’s definitely one of my favorites of the year!

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free ebook ARC of this title in exchange for my review.

I think it's time for me to 'break up' with this author. I've tried her previous books and haven't really enjoyed them, and only chose this one for the hype and the fact that it was supposed to be DIFFERENT from the others. IT really wasn't. I'm not a fan.

I'm not sure what this book wants to be. It feels a bit like a romance and a little like a thriller, but doesn't really pull of either genre. I suppose it's ok, maybe if you don't read a lot of thrillers, but for me it felt like a waste of time.

2 stars for 'it was ok'.

The Family Game by Catherine Steadman is a real page-turner and a game that I do not want to play! Get your copy now! Thanks to Net Galley for the copy.

Read/Listen If You Like:
🔪 Mysteries and Thrillers
📖 Short Chapters
👨‍👩‍👧‍👧 Messy Family Dynamics
🧩 Scary Games
⏳ Cat and Mouse
💰 Powerful & Rich Families
🗽 Books Set in New York

Book Review:
This book absolutely had me on the edge of my seat for basically the entirety of the book! It was just so well done!

We get introduced to our main character Harry (Harriet) who is newly engaged to Edward which means it is time to meet his wildly rich, eccentric, and possibly murderous family… and on top of that, she finds out she is pregnant… and has secrets of her own she wants to stay hidden.

I loved the absolutely well done game of cat and mouse that she finds herself in and how you think you are putting all the pieces of this insane family together to realize that you didn’t really have anything figured out… the twist at the end was one I never saw coming and that is a tribute to how well this was written and all the deniability but with none of the concerns about plot holes.

I will absolutely be reading more from this author in the future as this is one of my recent favorites! Thank you Ballantine books for the ARC of this one in exchange for my honest review!

The Family Gams

I really liked this…. I thought I had The Who done it aspect figured out but then halfway through I kind of lost it.

I thought there were so many creepy parts to this story that left me on edge which is exactly what you want in a thriller like this.

I think it’s one of the best thrillers I’ve read/listened to in a while and honestly the first I have read in a bit. But it was so fast paced and a lot happening it drew me in and made me want to keep listening.

I thought the narration and directing of the audio was great! I loved how for the parts of the recording they made it sound as if a tape player was being played as well as the phone calls were muffled in sense as if listening to someone else answering a call. It really brought the whole book to life in a new way.

I will say the “games” and the ending felt a bit far fetched / unbelievable but sometimes with thrillers I don’t mind that.

I liked the aspect of this person coming into a family with loads of money that can easily make any problem go away.

I loved that she was a writer and it gave me Verity vibes.

I will say this is definitely a favorite of mine by this author.