I received a free copy from NetGalley. You have secrets in your own past, so you understand your soon to be husband not wanting you to know his family. But he's rich, and you can't avoid them forever. But they play strange games and your life might be on the line. Slow the first half, it picks up in the second, but it is hard to like or relate to any of the characters.

There are family games and then there are the games that some families like to play. To say that this is a thriller is being modest. Catherine Steadman's Harry (Harriet) is the epitome of bold, inquisitive and adventurous women. Characteristics that are shown to be quite necessary to deal with the family that she will be marrying into. A unique twist to a thriller. One not to be missed.
Thank you @NetGalley for the advanced of #TheFamilyGame.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy.

I felt the book was dumb, a little overdone and I was bored halfway through it. It picked up a little I’m the end but I still didn’t care what the game was.

Harriet Reed (also known as Harry) seems to have it all. She’s sold over a million copies of her first book, she’s working on her second book which should be another best seller, and she has a wonderfully amazing boyfriend who’s handsome and rich and practically perfect for her. Harry’s boyfriend is from a famously wealthy American family, old money. Edward Holbeck doesn’t talk to his family much, they can be a bit much. Harry ends up having to meet Edward’s family when he proposes to her, he warns her once again that his family has a tendency to be a bit much but Harry wants to meet her new family, to be a part of them. Meeting the family is scary, they have some traditions that can come off as odd to an outsider and Harry is already going through a lot because as it turns out, she’s pregnant with Ed’s baby. Edward’s father Robert is especially terrifying, even more so when he gives Harry a tape with disturbing confessions on it in his own voice. Even more scary is that it seems like he might know Harry’s ultimate secret, a secret she has never told anyone about, of something terrible that she did when she was younger. How will pregnant Harry keep her secret safe? What would Robert do with her secret? How will she keep her family safe? Because for Harriet Reed, she has proven time and time again that she will do what she has to do for her family.

This is an absolutely gripping thriller, definitely unputdownable. I figured it out pretty quickly but it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of reading it. Harry may not have many friends in the book, but she is someone I would enjoy being friends with. She’s so smart and strong and funny! I loved this domestic thriller.

What a book! First, thank you to Catherine Steadman and Ballentine Books for the copy to review..

I read this book in 10 hours flat. I got mad if I had to put it down. Steadman weaves an intricate web and you can't help but did yourself stuck in it's glorious mess. Ready or Not meets Get Out.

A tape, a story, and a desperate father. How far are you willing to go to protect your darkest secrets? How far are you willing to go to protect the ones you love most, even if you know their most heinous acts?
4.5 stars! Absolutely bloody brilliant!

Another fabulous read by Steadman! Twists and turns taking you all the way through, only finding out what really happened in the last few pages! I was glued to this book since I started it!

The big question I had to answer as I finished reading this book was "Is a novel that is engaging and engrossing through the first 9/10s but fails to stick the landing worthy of a recommendation?" In this particular case, the answer is yes. The concept of novel incorporated plenty of mystery (related to our protagonist's page and how that relates to her current situation) and intrigue such that the first 9/10s of the novel flew by. It is in the ending (the "twist") that Steadman's novel really blows it. It is nonsensical and just doesn't fit thematically with the novel as a whole.

This is my first Catherin Steadman book and WOW! I have always been a huge fan of thrillers, but I think it’s safe to say this book will be in my top 5 favorites of 2022.

Here’s what you can expect from The Family Game:
• Family drama
• Filthy rich lifestyle
• Twists and turns
• Unexpected culprit
• Fast paced
• Comparable to the movie ‘Ready Or Not’
The last chapter will leave you asking yourself “did that just really happen?” I cannot recommend this book enough!

** a huge thank you to NetGalley, and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion**

I loved how Catherine Steadman managed to create a unique storyline with influences from some of my favorite movies. Too often I find comparisons between movies end up giving too much away or leave me disappointed. This books hit the perfect middle spot and kept me guessing until the end.

Steadman chips away at the secrets of this family bit by bit so the reader is never quite sure what's going on but knows something is very, VERY wrong. This book is a little slower paced than her other novels but it needs to be in order to introduce the characters properly and ramp up the tension with this family.

Any one who loved "Ready or Not" will enjoy this book.

WOW. What a THRILLER of a book. The Family game had my attention captured from start to finish, never being able to figure out where it was going. The twist and turns were mind blowing, and I was unsure down to the last chapter. I highly recommend this book, definitely a contender for thriller of 2022.

This was pretty wild. It definitely requires a suspension of disbelief on a level I couldn't quite get to. Maybe a little too over the top for me. But fun!

I absolutely loved this book! While the twist was predictable, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time along all the twists and turns. Can’t wait to recommend this to others

Talk about the in-laws from hell! Harriet is engaged to an extremely rich man from an extremely rich family with lots of dark secrets. Harriet is harboring her own dark secret, but hers does not compare with the twisted freak show this family is. When Harriet becomes pregnant and had a surprise meeting with her fiancés father during a visit, she realizes just how high the stakes are when the family introduces her to their twisted games. Fast paced, totally original thriller! Clear your day before you start this book because it is impossible to put down.

The Family Game is a nail-biting thrill ride! I could not put it down, Catherine Steadman's latest novel is about Harriet, a successful author who finds herself engaged to the heir of a mega rich family. Games, both mental and physical (all of them strange) ensue. Harriet does her best to impress Edward's family so they would deem her worthy of him and the family name. The novel is dark and takes many turns that leave you wondering who she can trust and who she can't. This is the second novel I have read by the author, and I highly recommend this book! Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC!

Thank you NetGalley for this e-ARC! I’ve never read anything by this author before so I was excited and WOW! This book had me hooked!
Harriet (Harry) is a British author living in NYC with her fiancée after a whirlwind romance. She’s finally meeting his family for the holidays and discovers they have some odd traditions. At Thanksgiving Robert, the family patriarch, gives Harry a tape he recorded. The story on the tape leads Harry into a fast paced game on the family’s estate.
This book had everything I like in a thriller and I couldn’t put it down!

I was HOOKED by this premise from the start. It so dark and sinister and interesting. The blurb reminded me of Ready or Not, which is one of my favorite movies, so I had to read it. It was engaging and completely twisted. I've never read anything by this author but I'll start now! The story was great and I'd highly recommend it!

Thank you @netgalley for granting my wish and sending this e-arc my way. Talk about a twisted story! If you love a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat, this is it. The Holbeck family loves to play games, and Harriet Reed, newly engaged to Edward Holbeck, is just about ready to join this family and play the game of her life! After receiving a cassette tape from Edwards Dad, the more she listens, the more the tape seems to be some sort of confession... or is it? The rules: Listen carefully, do your research, trust no one & run for your life!!! This story was quite the ride. Keep your eye out for this one, it publishes on 11/8/22.

I love the movie Ready or Not so I was all in on this premise. The first half is very slow. I found myself not really excited to keep reading. I know we needed something to drag things out but the subplot about needing time to write felt random. I also thought the entire portion about krampus was just odd. The final 20% was the best of the book, although some of the final moments didn’t really add up. Overall a very unique story that is well written. I have a soft spot for rich people behaving poorly but this wasn’t a hit for me.

The Family Game by Catherine Steadman brings dysfunctional families to a whole new level. Harriet “Harry,” Reed is living her best life. An up and coming author, Harry is riding the wave of success from her first best selling thriller, and is blissfully engaged to Edward Holbeck, son of the prestigious Holbeck family, members of the 1%, with unimaginable wealth, and the power to keep even the darkest secrets hidden. Harry knows a little something about secrets herself, but when she embarks on mysterious game with her soon to be father-in-law, she soon realizes life with her future family is stranger, and more dangerous, than the fiction she writes, and the the games are just beginning.

This was a fast paced, exciting read and is worthy of a spot on 2022 must read thrillers lists. I can definitely envision this being developed into a movie and am looking forward to reading more of Catherine Steadman in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Such a fun and exciting book about a powerful and wealthy family and their coverups over the years that are uncovered by an orphan marrying into the family. So many fun twists and turns!