This started off a little slow for me at first, but man, once she turned the jets on, I couldn't put it down. Harriet is thrilled to be engaged to Edward, but the thought of meeting his prestigious family is daunting. Having money is one thing, but being overly wealthy and powerful is another.
Once she meets them and is given a "gift" by Edward's father that turns out to be a confession, she's unsure of what her next move should be and why he entrusted her with this.
In a prominent family full of games and mystery, will she be able to make the right decision or is she in way over her head?

Catherine Steadman's books just keep getting better and this one is no exception. In this suspenseful page-turner, Harry needs to figure out if her fiance's family game is just a simple family tradition or if she is in serious danger.

The Family Game by Catherine Steadman is when family game night turns deadly!

THE RULES
1. Listen carefully
2. Do your research
3. Trust no one
4. Run for your life

Some parts of the book were a bit slow, and I found myself skimming some pages, but most of the story kept my interest and had some good twists and creepy parts. This book really defines "dysfunctional family."

For a creepy, twisty novel, I would recommend this book. I would rate this a 3.5/4 out of 5 stars.

#TheFamilyGame #NetGalley @atrandom

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the digital ARC of this book.

It’s rare for a mystery/thriller to surprise me. I typically see the culprit, the ending, the twist. Or at the very least I have a list of theories and the truth is somewhere in my list. But I truly didn’t figure this one out!

Our main character, Harriet, is a successful thriller author who is marrying a wonderful, wealthy man named Edward with a powerful family. Everything seems to be going perfectly until she actually meets her future in-laws. Edward’s father gives her a cassette tape whose contents are criminal and she suddenly does not know what to do or who to trust.

I thought I could outline this book’s plot before I ever even began reading. I expected it to go a very certain way and it simply did not. There were lots of twists and turns, and some truly tense scenes scattered throughout. The mind games alone were enough to make my stomach do cartwheels! This is a book I would recommend to fans of domestic and psychological thrillers any day.

I am a fan of Catherine Steadman's books, and while a couple of them haven't been as good to me, her latest, The Family Game, was difficult for me to put down! I finished the last half of it in one sitting!

Harry Smith, a renowned author of a best-selling thriller, thinks she has hit the jackpot when her handsome and successful boyfriend Edward pops the question in an over-the-top proposal. She knows, however, that this means she will have to get to know Edward's estranged family, a family so wealthy and privileged that even Edward has distanced himself from them. When Edward's father, a man with a hushed-up shady past, reveals a secret about the family while also threatening to reveal a dark secret about her past, Harry has to decide how to make this potential future work for her...and her unborn baby.

I loved Harry and how tough she was. She definitely would be someone I would want to have as a friend. Edward's family was very well-described, and if you are married, you are reminded of how true the adage of marrying your partner's family can be as well. I truly think this slow-burn is worth the read as long as you know going into it that there is not a ton of action until the last third of the book.

Harry, a novelist, just got engaged to the love of her life, Edward. As an orphan she's very excited to join his large and loving family. Little does she know this family is not what it seems.

I expected more of a horror story...similar to Ready or Not...and while there were plenty of creepy secrets within the Holbeck family this book fell a bit flat. The first half of the book did a lot of set up and then when the action exploded it was like it was being crammed in. I found myself growing bored and skimming towards the end...an end that was very unsatisfying.

I was given this book in exhchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine Books- and NetGalley for this ARC.

I loved Catherine Steadman's previous book The Disappearing Act. so I was very happy to get an arc of The Family Game. Harry (Harriet) is engaged to Edward of the generational wealthy, powerful Holbeck family. Harriet is an orphan. Her parents died when she was very young. So now that she is pregnant with Edward's child, all she wants is a family of her own. But Harry has a secret that could make her lose everything.. Upon meeting the Holbeck family, Robert, the patriarch, slips Harry a tape. The tape contains surprising family secrets. Also Robert may know Harry's secret. Robert warns that the family has eyes and ears everywhere. No one can be trusted. If Harry plays the Holbeck wicked family Christmas games and wins her secrets could be covered up forever, and she can find out more dangerous secrets that the Holbecks have been hiding. Because everyone has secrets in this family.
I really enjoyed this fast-paced, thriller and was surprised with the twist at the end. Harry is a likable, smart, sharp, and crafty main character that I rooted for.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Have you seen the movie Ready or Not? because that is what made me request this book!
It was such a spooky and thrilling read - not knowing if you can trust people who are suppose to be your family.
This makes such a dark room, read when its raining read.
I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.

The Family Game had me on the edge of my seat for the entire book! This is a fast-moving thriller about an author, Harriett, who is joining an extremely wealthy family by dating one of the family's sons. This is not your typical family. The family is known for playing games - and not the fun kind. The kind where you might feel like you're running for your life! I totally didn't guess the twist at the end. I really loved this book and can't wait for another book by Catherine Steadman.

This book was a let down for me. I felt like there was way to many characters to connect with, which made it hard to really know who was doing what and where. The plot was good, it just seemed to take forever to get there.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc copy!

Thank you to the publisher for free Netgalley.

This one was fun. Loved Harry and the crazy large family. Love that there were secrets and twists. The tape Harry receives made the story intriguing to read because I needed to know what was going to happen!

But I really enjoyed the ending as well! Definitely recommend!

Harry has everything going for her - she's recently written a massively popular book and she's engaged to be married to Edward, who's from an old money, American-royalty type family. When the The Family Game begins, Edward is estranged from his family after some kind of incident that happened the year before. The couple begins seeing the family, and all is going well except for the mind games and meddling. The patriarch of the family pulls Harry aside and gives her a confessional recording of himself that he says is his attempt at a book - this sets Harry off on a quest to discover all the families' secrets. The other problem with Edward's family is they have strange traditions that verge on dangerous. It's a perfect storm of extreme wealth, untrustworthy family members, and wild, risky games. A fun, fast-paced read!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

This book is so seriously messed up, I love it! Catherine Steadman never fails to come through with something that will keep me engaged, turning pages, and guessing until the very end. Well played!

This is a Must Read if you love thrillers!!
We open with an author (Harriet) who is engaged to a man (Edward) that comes from a prestigious family. Harriet is a successful novelist and Edward is a businessman. The book opens with Harriet finding her way in New York City after moving
from London. The couple finds themselves expecting and from there his family interjects themselves.


This family likes to play games both literally and figuratively. The players are not always what they appear to be and the game is for keeps!
This book is filled with twists and turns and the ending that I certainly didn't see.
Thank-you to Catherine Steadman, Net Galley, and Random House for an Advanced Reader Copy.

✨Book Review - The Family Game by Catherine Steadman✨

If you haven’t seen the movie ‘Ready or Not’, go watch it because it will instantly remind you of this book. Here’s the premise: Harriet is set to marry Edward but had never met his family. Edward is from a very old money type family and has an estranged relationship with them. But now, the family wants back in Edwards life and Harriet is willing to help do that. But at what cost? Lots of secrets, lots of lies, lots of drama.

I was very engaged with this book and wanted to know what was going to happen. The beginning was a little slow moving but the ending was where it shined. There were a few things about the main character, Harry, that I was like ‘come on girl’ but I was rooting for her the whole time. It’s a dark, twisted, family drama and I enjoyed it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️STARS

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Harriett gets a little more than she bargained for when she agrees to marry her rich boyfriend, Edward. Edward is kind, thoughtful and generous, but he’s apprehensive of her meeting his family and she doesn’t know why. When she finally meets them, Harry finds that not only are they rich and powerful, they’re kind of strange. They play extremely weird games around the holidays that have even crazier prizes and some pretty steep consequences- some that could even mean life or death. Harry is now being blackmailed about something horrible she did many years ago by her soon to be father-in-law and has to play the game to find out the secrets the family is keeping, keep her own secret safe, and escape with her life.

The Family Game had me going back and forth on who I thought it was and how it was going to end. If you enjoy a slow burn thriller, pick this one up! The Family Game will be published October 18th. Thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for my review copy.

Get your popcorn ready to enter the crazy world of the Holbeck family where everyone seems more mysterious and weirder than possible. Harriet falls in love with Edward, the prodigal son and heir of this rich family that seems to control a piece of the world by itself. She is anxious to meet his family and every meeting things become crazier than the previous one. But it keeps haunting her why her fiance is not helping or preparing her when facing these absolutely bizarre situations.

Then the ultimate game is played by this family which is definitely obssessed with weird games, and this game is literally endgame for a lot of family members as it invovles reveeal of all intimate secrets murders and revealing of true identities! This is juicy, bizarre, intriguing and wild without a doubt!

Oh, I am such a fan. This is my fourth read by the author, and time after time, Steadman produces the exactly perfect popcorn thriller: exciting, completely absorbing, fun.
Is it hyperbolic? Is it over-the-top at times? Well, yeah, sure, but that’s just part of the fun.
It never insults your intelligence, never panders to the lowest hanging fruit of the audience, instead it just reaches out from page one, grabs you, and takes you on a wild ride.
It’s the best possible version of the beach thriller, albeit one good enough to actually make you forget where you are.
Some of Steadman’s book have been summery, this one is definitively wintery. In fact, so much of it is set around Christmas that it almost made me wish I’d held off reading it until then. But of course, by then I had read the first chapter and wasn’t going to put it down.
So, true to its title, this story revolves around family. A very particular very wealthy kind of family that our young albeit not so innocent protagonist is about to marry into. And true enough, this family likes to play games. Dangerous, dangerous games.
And our protagonist didn’t sign up for that. She’s a humble English orphan who has found some measure of success with a best-selling debut novel when she meets her Prince Charming. Edward.
Edward proceeds to literally sweep her off her feet and into a New York fairy tale. Edward’s family is insanely intimidatingly old world moneyed, but one can only put off meeting the (future) in-laws for so long and now it’s time.
The family is welcoming, excited, but also complicated, secretive, and manipulative. And then of course, their penchant for games.
The novel’s first pages find our protagonist desperately trying to survive one of those games, then rewinds in time to see how she got there. And then, of course, how she gets out of it, complete with a delicious ending plot twist for genre connoisseurs.
And is it far-fetched? Sure, somewhat, but who cares. It’s so fun. Original. Mostly unpredictable. Riveting. Magnetic. Unputdownable. All one can ever want in a thriller, really. And all, most of the thrillers out there are aspiring to and failing at being. In other words, very, very good.
Popcorn thriller, sure, but gourmet popcorn, all the way. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

"The Family Game", by Catherine Steadman, centers around the Holbeck family: a wealthy, mysterious, and highly disturbed group of individuals. Harriet falls in love with Edward Holbeck and imagines a happily ever after. However, when she gets pulled into the Holbeck's (literal party) games, she has to fight to survive.

I had a hard time really liking much of anybody in this story. I wanted to root for Harriet, but she was foolhardy and kept putting herself into harm's way. However, I thought this book was very suspenseful and did a fairly good job of keeping your attention. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballentine Books for an eARC of The Family Game by Catherine Steadman in exchange for an honest review.

CW: suicide, murder, drug misuse, violence, blood, fire, death of a parent, pregnancy, see growing list on StoryGraph

Cozy mystery author Harriet "Harry" Reed is in a long-term relationship with American royalty, Edward Holbeck, first born and heir to the family fortune. When they get engaged and subsequently find out that Harry is pregnant, she is finally permitted to meet the rest of the family. However, meeting the family also means being invited into their strange and horrifying traditions. Soon, Harry finds herself embroiled in the family secrets and trying desperately to keep her own.

This was exhilarating! I was so intrigued by the mysteries at play here and was engaged from start to finish. However, the ending is where things started to fall apart for me. I thought the author was leading us in one direction, and then within the final few chapters flipped the script 180 in a way that I found less interesting than where I thought we were going. The final scenes were kind of a mess, honestly. I was left feeling unsatisfied. Despite its intriguing nature, there were several aspects of this book that I found extremely cringey, namely the sexual tension between Harry and her soon-to-be-father-in-law and Harry's pregnancy. The former never came of anything, but I think it would have made for a more interesting story if it had. The latter raised the stakes and was intended to be an integral plot point, but we truly didn't find that out until the end. I would have preferred that the pregnancy have been left out all together, as I don't think it would have significantly changed the dramatic outcome.

Overall, this was alright, but not the most cleanly constructed domestic thriller. I recommend to fans of Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley.