Initially I had a hard time getting into this book, but before I knew it I was 70% through.
Harry has a secret she's never shared with anyone and if it gets out, she will spend the rest of her life in prison. She has just been proposed to after a whirlwind romance to a man from a powerful family, and is certain that if her secret is found out, it will be the end of her relationship.
Turns out, her secret is already out and the family has secrets of their own - unsure what will be asked of her, she attends the family Christmas celebration to find out.

The Family Game positions itself very obviously in the vein of movies like Ready or Not. However, the key to a good thriller is a satisfying pay-off or grand reveal. The Family Game does not have to reinvent the thriller, but it should at the very least hit the aforementioned goals.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thanks to Ballantine, Catherine, and Netgalley for an ARC of The Family Game.

When up and coming author Harry falls, quite literally, into Edward’s arms, she thinks her life might be coming fully together finally. Edward is everything any woman could want, and his old money with new ambition lifestyle is just icing on the cake. Of course, with old money comes family. And Edward’s family is eccentric to say the least. The Holbeck family has been in the headlines for centuries, but that’s never really been Edward’s game, so he’s quietly made his own money and forged his own path. However, with Harry in the picture, the family is back in Edward’s life, curious about the new addition to the heir’s life…Harry is intrigued by the family and obliges meetings and some more forward meddling in her life with grace, but when when Edward’s father Robert slips a tape into Harry’s hands with explicit instructions not to alert any of the other family members of it, Harry is pulled into a weird and dangerous game (one of many she’ll play if she wants to make it in the Holbeck’s intoxicating world).

I mean, the premise of this book is fantastic. Old money is a fascinating topic to me, so I’m always in on that. Add in another one of my favorite current trends – neon on book covers – and I’m 150% in. This book had me hooked and kept me hooked the entire time. I had no idea what direction it was going to take, but I was waiting for it with bated breath.

It was an interesting choice to have Harry be an up-and-coming author as opposed to either 1) a total nobody or 2) already prominent in the book world; it really begged the question of ‘is this her ticket to shoot up the ladder or is she for real?’ It wasn’t a necessary piece to keep things moving and confusing, but it was definitely a nice addition.

The family was big, but I felt like we got to adequately know the key players well enough. The plot moved quick, starting with a current scene and then backtracking to make our way to that point again which I love as a good way to get me immediately invested – might be a cheap trick, but it always works. The games the family played were fucked up in the best and most bizarre ways.

This was my second Catherine Steadman book, the first being Something in the Water. While I enjoyed that one well enough, I wasn’t struck to go out and pick up her other releases despite them being on my TBR. The Family Game, however, has convinced me that I need to put The Disappearing Act and Mr. Nobody higher on my list.

It's difficult to review this book without giving it away. I had a theory from the get go that I think would have been a more interesting twist. My theory was wrong and it could have possibly detracted from my enjoyment of this book. That being said, it took a lot for me to get into this book and in fact, I considered DNFing it throughout the first half. And then throughout the second half, I wished I had. The characters just weren't that interesting and I think the twist was pretty contrived. I preferred my theory instead. lol

A well-written, twisty thriller, full of dark humor. The comparisons to Ready or Not can't be avoided, but it doesn't feel like an imitation.

This is my favorite book of the month!! I even chose it as my "Book of the month" pick because I NEEDED the physical copy. I loved the story, I loved the twists and turns, I loved and hated the twisted family and could not stop reading. I felt like I was right there with Harriet, the author did an amazing job of writing our main character.

This book kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I knew there was some big family secret that would eventually be revealed, but I was completely thrown for a loop when it was. I liked how the author herself narrated the audiobook, and it was very well done. In this story, we have a young lady named Harriet (Harry) from England who moves to the US to be with her fiancé, Edward. Edward's family is ridiculously rich, and it's old money. Harry is a bit nervous to meet them, but soon she finds herself feeling a bit welcomed into their orbit. But as she spends more time with the Holbeck family, she realizes that some of the family members know more about her past than she would like. The Holbecks are not the only ones trying to keep things secret, and Harry can't afford to let anyone find out her own dark secret. The story is quick paced and well-written. Loved the atmospheric sense of place, as much of it takes place in stately historic mansions with many rooms and corridors.

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.