I honestly thought this book was going to be a lot like the movie "ready or not", but it wasn't entirely.

Sometimes the richest families are the ones who the most secrets. A perfect fiance finally had his future wife meet his family. They are very intense, but set on liking her to bring back the prodigal son into the family business.

Unfortunately, his father gives her a tape outlining all his secrets, and hers. She can't tell anyone or her secrets exposed, but there is a way to keep both of them safe.. by playing some weird, kind of fucked up family games.

Honestly, I want sure when I started this book, it seemed very predicable, but it definitely got better. I didn't realize how far I was testing through these pages until dinner time when I was practically done. Needless to say, I stayed up well last my bedtime to finish it, just to put all the pieces together. Totally worth the morning grogginess.

Thank you netGalley for proceeded me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this! There is a movie currently out that had similar vibes. It’s a unique plot and had twists and turns that we’d believable.

Thank you to @randomhouse and @netgalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. It held my attention and I read it almost all in one day. The story was fantastic and kept me on the edge of my seat leaving me unable to stop reading. A must read for thriller fans! @catsteadman hits it out of the park! Book number 69 of the year for me was a hit.

4.5/5 stars (rounded up to 5)

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Ballantine books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

THE RULES
1. Listen carefully
2. Do your research
3. Trust no one
4. Run for your life
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Let me first start by saying that I am having some good luck with the spooky reads so far this year and this one did not disappoint! Steadman’s writing was phenomenal and the atmosphere alone in the book kept me on the edge of my seat. I loved the mystery that was at the core of this story and it kept me wanting to read more to see what was going to happen. While I didn’t love all of the characters, I could definitely understand how their persona fit into the story and helped make it what it is.

I think one thing that I loved about this book is that it was centered around a wealthy family who loves to play family games for various occasions, and I’m not talking about your typical Monopoly or Clue. I feel like the game nights make things so much more interesting and brings out the cut throat vibe from all of the family members and you get to know who they are at their core. Overall, if you enjoyed The Inheritance Games or The Christmas Murder Game, then you are going to LOVE this book!
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This review will be posted to my Instagram blog (read_betweenthecovers) in the near future!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Orphaned Harry (Harriet) is an up and coming writer, working on her second book. Her first is a best-seller, and her life couldn’t be more charmed. She is engaged to a handsome billionaire who loves her completely, and Edward is perfect in every way. They are expecting their first child, and both are ecstatic. While Edward has been estranged from his family, Harry doesn’t know the whole story. Yet, with a baby on the way, the couple decide that family is important and make an effort to rejoin Edward’s family. But then Harry meets his family, and spends an evening terrorized playing a family game. She also receives a tape with a shocking confession from her father-in-law. Harry is warned that her secret will be exposed if she shares the tape’s contents with anyone. She doesn’t share it, and goes along with her father-in-law's insistence that she play a role in the next deadly game.

So, I read two of the author’s previous books, and had a great expectation for this one. Her storylines are good, but the books seem to fall apart at the end. And it takes way too long to get to the end. While her characters are usually portrayed as intelligent and capable women, they make the dumbest choices, even in the face of the truth. Unfortunately, the story was just a long, drawn-out and boring novel to a hurried ending that was so over the top ridiculous you need to suspend all belief. While I appear to be in the minority, I think her books just don’t work for me.

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What a read! I finished it in a day, and while the ending was slightly unsatisfying, I so enjoyed Steadman's newest thriller! I felt invested in every page of this book, and loved the characters. Fantastic read!

WOW! This is my first book by Catherine Steadman and I am BLOWN away! This book was bananas!

I loved how the author immediately demanded your attention. You don't have a choice but to find out how this hot mess express family game ends.......let me tell you that you won't see that ending coming! Holy cow.

Absolutely stellar thriller, I loved it!

This was a great read. Creepy and atmospheric. It's one of those "you shouldn't read while home alone at night" type of books (at least for me, though I'm kind of a big baby when it comes to thrillers). With that said, I very much enjoyed it.

4/5 ⭐

“Games reveal our most base instinct: the instinct to survive.”

The Family Game. And what a game it is! And the family? Well, that’s something else. English born Harriet (Harry), a best selling author, falls in love with Edward Holbeck, son of an incredibly wealthy and powerful family. He seems reluctant to introduce her to his parents and siblings and Harry wonders why. There are good reasons. After their engagement, she’s invited to a family Thursday night dinner. She hasn’t realized it’s Thanksgiving dinner with all its ritual and formal tradition. Score One: Holbecks. That night, Edward’s father Robert hands her a cassette tape and tells her it will help her understand the family. Maybe. (It would make me take the first plane back to England.) Then comes Krampusnacht. Without spoilers, I can’t describe this but England would not be far enough away for me now. Score Two: Holbecks. The final score comes on Christmas at the remote (what else) Holbeck country home. I’ll let you decide who wins this one.

Catherine Steadman, author of the best-selling Something in the Water, is a gifted writer with the ability to make the reader believe in the unbelievable, identify with a flawed character, feel absolute terror (see Krampusnacht above), while she unfolds a unique, engaging plot. The Family Game is a 5 star read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and Catherine Steadman for this ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for sending me an ARC of The Family Game in exchange for an honest review.

Harry seems to have it all. She’s an author whose debut novel just sold a million copies. And she’s just gotten engaged to Edward Holbeck, eldest son and heir of a family that is essentially a fictional version of the Rockefellers or Vanderbilts. But Edward is estranged from his father, Robert, and is reluctant to introduce her to him or the rest of his family. When he finally does, Harry is surprised to find herself drawn to Robert, and even more surprised when he gives her a cassette tape that contains a confession about his past that threatens to both reveal a dark secret from her own past and upend her future.

The Family Game is a cat-and-mouse thriller, but the plot is too reliant on very debatable choices. First and foremost, Harry stretches out listening to Robert’s 90-minute tape into four parts so that she doesn’t listen to the last part until about the 75% mark of the book. While that decision was necessary to plot out the novel—it would have been a novella if Harry had just listened to the whole tape at the start—it is completely unrealistic. Even she eventually, belatedly acknowledges: “It’s clear I should have listened to the entire tape long ago.” The only reason she even has the tape is because Robert is convinced he understands Harry’s nature—and thus gives her his confession—when in fact he is making a guess based upon some very debatable conjecture. Again, it was necessary as a matter of plotting—no tape, no novel—but it was a pretty big leap of logic that required some real suspension of disbelief.

The Family Game has an interesting story, and a decent mystery, at its core. And the book certainly held my attention. But the plot device of the confession tape, and the choices it forces the characters to make to advance the story, were just a bit too unrealistic for me to fully accept.

This story had everything that I love in a mystery thriller - a rich family, a spooky mansion with a maze and a suspenseful cat and mouse game that left me wondering about the sanity of the slew of family members. I felt on edge, as one by one, Harry met her future husband’s wealthy family because something about every single one of them seemed off. Even the children, everyone seemed suspicious! This story kept me guessing all the way to the big reveal, one that I did not see coming!

Much like Something in the Water, this was a lot of fun. Outlandish and tense and entertaining. The family feels so imposing and vaguely sinister, the games they play are insane and ridiculous, and it makes for enjoyable reading.

Towards the end, things really pick up and that sinister feeling is a lot less vague and it is just so much fun.

My one small gripe is that I don’t like when a narrator teases their secret. Either tell it or hold it back until to you want to. The build up of them talking about it repeatedly and then not revealing it.. it seems unnecessary and builds it up too much where it’s hard to live up to. It’s just a small pet peeve of mine when that happens.

If all her future books are like this, count me in.

Overall really enjoyed this Novel. I feel like the character development was great and the twist at the end excellent though I did have my suspicions. Overall 4/5.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I love everything Steadman writes and this was no exception. She knows how to suck you in and bring you along for the ride until the twist is revealed. Readers are going to love this one. I couldn't read it fast enough!

Catherine Steadman really knows how to tell a story and hold readers’ attention. I’ve loved her previous books, but this one was catnip for me: a wealthy family playing twisted games in their Gothic mansions. The ending was maybe a little obvious in retrospect, but the way the author builds the plot made it hard for me to see until the final twist was disclosed. Despite being a successful novelist with a dark secret, Harry Reed is a relatable character and her resourcefulness had me cheering and cringing along with her. I loved the descriptions of her new in-laws, their awesome residences (the Holbecks are ridiculously rich), and their traditions. The games that they play are so well described that it was creepy at times. The plot is insanely good and had me screaming at Harry to just break up with her dream fiancé Edward and go back to England. Harry’s insistence is our gain, since this is a great read!
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine!

https://www.tiktok.com/@bettysbooklist/video/7116978954296134954?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&lang=en

I breezed through this twisty family thriller and definitely didn't guess the final plot twist. Bravo!

Catherine Steadman has done it again with a thriller set around the dangerous games that an influential family plays and what it reveals about each of the players. Harriet is in love with her fiance Edward, the heir to his rich family's fortune. She's alone in the world - increasingly enamored by this family who would do anything for each other. However, bit by bit she starts to realize there is more going on below the surface.

For those who love thrillers of any sort but especially the cat and mouse persuasion, this book is a sure bet. Full of twists and turns, I kept turning pages to know what was happening next. There are a few heavy themes that twist throughout but that were handled delicately by the writer. The ending was chef's kiss and lingered for a few days as I kept mulling over it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Family Game was a fun and twisted ride that I wasn't quite expecting. This was brilliantly written, however the first half of the book moves incredibly slow for my liking. I love how very similar to the movie Ready or Not. There wasn't a lot of thought put into the building of all characters that were in active play, which I wish there had been.

All-in-all I'd recommend this book if you want something that is full of unexpected twists and secrets.

Thank you Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and Catherine Steadman for granting my wish for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

This book is incredibly slow paced. Nothing really happens until 85% into the book.

ARC received via NetGalley.