Slow burn read! This book had a lot of potential but the characters seem so dull. Harriet was such a boring lead character, I didn’t find her that much interesting. The big reveal was way too easy to predict. This one just wasn’t for me.

Harriet Reed, a successful novelist, is freshly engaged to Edward Holbeck, the eldest son of an extremely powerful family. After a year of dating in their own blissful bubble, it’s time to meet the infamous Holbeck family, and boy is there a lot to learn about this ultra-wealthy family and its history. Harry gets the chance to meet the family at Thanksgiving, where they welcome her into their lavish home instantly. Edward's father, Robert, gives her a cassette tape and urges her to listen to it, insinuating it’s a novel he’s been working on. As she listens, she discovers this is far from a novel, rather a confession uncovering shocking truths, but doesn’t finish the tape before the family games begin.

Though this took a while to pick up the pace, but once it did, I couldn’t put it down! It was about halfway through before the action really started rolling, along with all the wild events I would have never seen coming. The family in this story was absolutely bonkers, and without giving anything away, I was completely shocked at how normal everyone thought all these games were. Was there plot holes? Sure. Could Harry have handled things differently? Ab-so-freakin-lutely! That said, this was still a great novel with a very unique storyline and if you’re looking for an action packed, unexpected ride, I highly suggest this book! I’ll definitely be looking into more of this author’s work.

“The Family Game” by Catherine Steadman is a psychological thriller that had me hooked from the beginning! Harriet’s fiancé is part of a very prominent family and he is set to inherit everything. His family invites Harriet to glamorous dinners and welcomes her into the family. However, her future father in law slips her a cassette tape in secret one evening, and everything changes. What ensues is Harriet’s quest for the truth, family secrets and dangerous games. Thank you so much NetGalley and publisher for this ARC!

Thank you Net Galley for an ARC of The Family Game by Catherine Steadman. Wow! This was a sit-on-the-edge-of- your-seat thriller. It will go down as one of my all faves. It is an original well thought thriller. I loved it so much!

This book had me on the edge of my seat from the very first page to the final sentence. I absolutely love this wild and twisty ride!

When Harriet, who’s hiding a very dangerous secret of her own, falls in love with and agrees to marry the charming Edward Holbeck, she thinks she’s getting a chance at a fresh start and future along with the family she’s longed for since losing hers to a tragic accident. However, what she didn’t know about this notoriously wealthy, powerful and mysterious family, was that she was also agreeing to their timeless tradition of family games-which turn out to be more sinister than meets the eye and just may put her in a position to have to fight for her very life.

From the elite and luxurious New York setting, the atmospheric Holbeck mansion dubbed The Hydes, the twisted characters with their deadly secrets, and the sinister yet utterly fascinating time-honored family games , it truly all came together to create one fantastically thrilling and unforgettable read! I honestly couldn’t put it down. As an avid thriller reader, The Family Game felt fresh and exciting and I loved everything about it, especially as the conclusion drew near and secrets were finally revealed. Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine books for this gifted eARC copy! I will be recommending this one to all!

You know books that you just can’t put down because you need to know how it all ends? That’s exactly how I felt for about the final third of The Family Game.

The novel starts on Christmas day with our protagonist coming to, faced down on the floor. From there, we are taken back in time to where our story begins. Harriet, or Harry as she is known to friends, is an author coming off a successful first novel and working to meet her deadline for her second. She’s found love with Edward Holbeck, the eldest son of one of America’s wealthiest families. When Harry finally meets the Holbecks, she is gifted a mysterious cassette tape from Edward’s father, Robert. Once Harry begins to listen to the tape, her world is rocked as she learns more and more about the Holbeck’s secrets. She continues to dig for the truth as the tape continues to unveil new information right up until Christmas at the Holbeck family’s remote estate. Once the Christmas Eve family game is afoot, Harry must work out the clues left by Robert before it’s too late. This isn’t just any game… Harry’s own secrets and her life are both on the line.

I believe this is Catherine Steadman’s best book thus far and it really had me flying through to figure out how everything would be wrapped up. This is a solid psychological thriller, very easy to read, and a pretty unique premise. If you’re looking for a book that will have you on your toes from the jump, I would add this to your list. Thank you to Random House – Ballantine and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC.

Not my favorite Catherine Steadman book but still good!

It was a slow burn book but very good. I didn’t love the ending but overall it kept my attention. It wasn’t as thrilling as her other books.

Overall, a good quick read

Catherine Steadman delivers another interesting thriller. The concept is unique as I've found most of her books to be. Harriet (aka Harry) is about to marry into Edward's family. The novel takes place during the holidays where she gathers with Edward's family. His family has these holiday games that are not for the queasy! A definite page turner!

The thrill of this cat n’ mouse, blackmail, murder filled book had everything my f’d up heart desires.

Harriet “Harry”, an author of thriller novels finds herself in love with an extremely wealthy man. This wealthy man, Edward, has a wealthy family, probably one of the wealthiest in the world. Not a bad family to be marrying into and having a child in their bloodline…or is it?

This family gathers on holidays, like most normal families, but what they do to celebrate these holidays is the furthest thing from normal.

They play games and not in the fun sense we did as kids, these games are dangerous and can be deadly.

The body count in this story climbs as you try to discover who in this family is actually the criminal, while Harry is hiding some secrets of her own as well.

It seems like no one can be trusted, and everyone has something to hide, but I guess that is what comes with wealth. Money can cover up anything.

If you need an exciting thriller, with deadly cat and mouse vibes mixed with house vibes and mazes straight out of The Shining, give this a read.

The first half of this was completely uninteresting. It took way too long to get going, and once it did... it was pretty much nonsense. The second half flies by, and I read it all as I was supposed to be sleeping, but it was ultimately underwhelming and, honestly, stupid. I saw the "twist" coming from a mile away, and the way Harry keeps listening to the confessional tape in tiny chunks over the course of a few weeks is insane and existed only for the author's convenience.

🏰📼 The Family Game by Catherine Steadman 🔥🎧

H’s Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5

👉🏼 Publishes 10/18

Genre: Mystery/Thriller
⚠️ TW: Death of parents, murder, mentioning of abortion, mentioning of several weapons

📖 Read if you like…
✍🏼 Unreliable future in-laws
🤫 Family secrets
♟️ Weird family holiday games
❄️ Winter thrillers
💵 Wealthy characters
📺 Dynasty tv series

💭 H’s Thoughts:
This thriller was more of a 🔥 slow burn 🔥, but once it picked up, I could. not. put. it. down!!!! I couldn’t trust anyone, and I had no idea how it would end. This thriller was original and different from others that I have read! I really enjoyed it, and I would definitely recommend it!

Thank you to Random House - Ballantine and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

*I will be posting my review on pub day, 10/18/22. I will update this review with the links to my Instagram and GoodReads reviews once they are posted.

Would you marry into a old money incredibly wealthy family if you had to put up with bizarre mind games and sinister secrets? “Sure!” That’s what our odd main character Harriet says.

The Family Game revolves around a young couple and the dude’s ultra rich, connected, & dangerously crazy family. They are like a totally new level of looney…and they just wanna play with Harriet, that’s all!

Catherine Steadman, you tease! 😜 The author hints at the main character’s dark past SO much, and as a reader, I couldn’t help but wonder… WTF happened?! What are the skeletons in Harry’s closet?! I just had to know about the MCs troubled past. Also, what is up with this family?!

My hang ups with this book that keep it from being 5 stars are that the dialogue felt unnatural at times, or maybe I just didn’t mesh with the main character’s way of conversing? Idk. It felt weird, though. I also did not like how Harriet went about things & her choices really irritated me. I was not rooting for her as much as I was rolling my eyes at her decisions. I also didn’t feel any chemistry between Harriet and her fiancé, Edward, at all. 🫠 I tried to find it, it wasn’t there. If there had been more if a connection in her part I think it would have been impactful in the end.

However, the suspense and wackiness of this thriller kept me engaged and I overall enjoyed the story for what it was: entertainment. There is little to no depth here, but it doesn’t really matter because the mystery element kept me wanting to keep turning the pages. I love a book that can make me yearn for answers!

Wow! This was one heck of a wild ride. Although I have never been on a roller coaster, I imagine I would feel like I did while reading this book - on the edge of my seat, heart in my throat, dizzy and waiting for the final drop.

First and foremost, I must commend Catherine Steadman for the incredible job she did narrating her own work. I have listened to professional narrators not do as great a job as she did. Kudos to her in helping to bring her own story to life. It easily took what was a 3.5 read for me, into a 4 star story.

The authors prose was phenomenal and really set the tone and the atpmosphere in such a way that I was able to feel as though I was a part of it, espcially during the Krampusnacht celebration and Christmas Eve scavenger hunt. I felt all of the fear our MC did as she struggled to figure out what was happening. The character development was good, at least in relation to Harry’s character and what motivates her. I would have liked a little more from some of the supporting characters, though I think the author did this intentionaly to not take away from the whodunnit aspect.

My primary criticsms with this this story are the disappearance of a potentially major plot point and leaving other elements unexplained which caused the ending to fizzle out a bit for me. There was a major element to the story presented to us towads the beginning of the book, that would have significantly changed the conclusion; however, Steadman drops it without expaining why. In addition, there is a pivotal piece of information that is discovered by several characters, however, how this information was obtained was never fully examined which left me frustrated.

This was still an enjoyable thriller, made even more enjoyable via the author narrated audiobook, and perfect for this time of year.

Read if you like:
•psychological thrillers
•domestic suspense
•atmospheric reads
•cat and mouse plots
•single pov

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for an ARC of this book, and PRH Audio for the ALC of it in exchange for my honest review.

4.25 stars!

Harry lives a perfect life. Her novel is a best seller so she is on the brink of stardom. Her fiancé, Edward is exactly what you'd want a partner to be. After getting engaged, she realizes she has to meet Edward's family-the Holbecks. As the firstborn, Edward will inherit everything. Harry is intrigued by the glamour of the Holbecks, and especially interested in the patriarch Robert. Robert gives Harry a tape, which sets off a wild domino of mystery, intrigue, and most of all games.

I thought that this was such a fun novel! Like other reviewers, I thought this novel was very reminiscent of "Ready or Not," and I liked the addition of the different games that the family game. The third act is just a rush of action, and it made me fly through because I had to know what was going to happen. I will definitely go back and read previous works by this author because I love how she constructed this story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing/Ballantine Books for the ARC!

The Family Game is a gripping novel about a young woman marrying into a wealthy, powerful family with secrets where she has to play a deadly game to learn the truth (swipe to see the full description). I loved the characters in this story, even the ones you’re supposed to hate. Steadman writes each of them so well, and because of the characters and their decisions, the plot unfolds seamlessly. The plot is incredibly creative, and I really enjoyed the uniqueness in the storyline - there are so many twists!

What held me back from rating this book 5 stars was the pacing. The action picked up at around 40% of the book, and the ending felt incredibly rushed. I was left with many unanswered questions in the last chapter and epilogue, so I wish the beginning was cut down a bit and the ending was elaborated on. BUT, once I hit 40%, I could not put this book down. I have long been a huge fan of Steadman’s work, and this book is no exception! Nothing has yet beat Something in the Water for me, but I still thoroughly enjoyed this and highly recommend it.

Thank you @netgalley and @randomhouse for graciously giving me an eArc in exchange for my honest review.

While I found myself skimming a lot of the beginning, the story soon sucked me in. A mystery centered around a writer with her own mysterious background, her handsome, rich boyfriend, his very rich and very powerful family and their dark and explosive secrets.
There weren't a lot of twists and turns in this one. It was more like an impressive layering of secrets and clues that builds and builds until you finally get the whole truth and all of the evil it contains.
I would definitely read more of this author's work. 4.5⭐️
Thank you to Netgalley for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

R E V I E W
“There are times in your life when you really do question where it all went wrong; and if scrambling into a pitch-black well at night, in a snow flurry, wearing a Balmain blazer dress, just shy of three months pregnant, with a torch rammed into your mouth, isn’t one of those times then I don’t know what is”
Wow, loved this one! This was a very intriguing thriller. I loved the main character, the writing style and the inner dialog felt authentic. I felt like all aspects of the thriller and themes were well articulated. I really had no idea where the story was going the entire time and was really surprised by the ending. I love the way author chose to uncover some of the plot by using a cassette recording (won’t say more to prevent spoilers) but so confused why it took her so damn long to listen to the whole thing!!! Like I would be listening to the whole audio, call off work, quit my job, etc. lol. For some reason I am just willing to overlook it for this one because it really kept me guessing till the very end.
Star ratings are just a vibe anyways?

The Family Game is one of my favorite suspense books that I have read so far this year! I absolutely loved the premise of a young orphan with something to hide coming into a large well to do family. The ending had a twist that I never saw coming. With an ending that was very rewarding and heart warming for a suspense.

I loved this book! It was the perfect pacing for me to keep me interested and entertained. After reading the synopsis I thought the plot would be a bit tired but luckily I was wrong. Harry was a likeable protagonist. Harry is haunted by her past and a specific moment of losing her parents which plays into why she reacts and moves as she does throughout the book. After she meets Edward and becomes engaged, they finally meet the family he's been keeping her from. This is where it gets juicy, as she experiences all their unique family gatherings and dynamics. The very first time she meets Edward's father, he slips her a tape. With life getting in the way she isn't able to listen to it, but when she does she knows she needs to play the game well to survive this family. No spoilers from me but by the time I got to the reveal it all made complete sense but I really enjoyed the clues dropped throughout the book and it wrapped up really well.

Something about this just didn't work for me -- I have read two other books by this author and I really liked one of them and didn't much care for the other... but the description of this one caught my eye. I was intrigued at first but then it got more and more ridiculous in its plot. It also just did not fit the setting it was supposed to be in. Hope you have better luck!

The Family Game comes out next week on October 18, 2022, and you can purchase HERE.

It's funny having your worst fear realized and the world still spinning.