This book was great at creating a spooky feel and painting a picture of this family. Steadman did a great job at making the main character explain what a new details means for the overall theory. The twist at the end was not a huge surprise, however it was still a great and enjoyable read!

Harry, an author, is already engaged to the love of her life, Edward, when she finally meets the family that he is largely estranged from. Edward's family is intimidating (to put it mildly); one of those filthy rich, old money, household name types. At the first big family event that Harry attends, everyone is welcoming and Harry is excited to join the family. But then, her future father-in-law slips her a cassette tape of a book that he's been working on and asks her for feedback. The honor of being asked to review his work quickly dissipates as she realizes that the cassette actually contains the detailed confession of a terrible crime.

I really liked this book! Catherine Steadman's writing style made it near impossible to put the book down. I had some issues with Harry's character for the majority of the book-- largely due to the fact that somehow it took her six weeks to listen to the full cassette tape. While this obviously built up the tension, it seemed unrealistic to me that someone would have trouble find the time to listen to a 30 minute confession from a future family member.

The last 20% of this book was insane-- in a great way. I didn't see it coming and it was so intense. I'm already itching to reread this!

Thank you to Netgalley and and the publisher for an early release copy of this book!

This was entertaining, and I wanted to find out how it was going to end...but the whole setup felt extrememly far-fetched, even more than the usual domestic thriller, which detracted from my enjoyment.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC of this book, Catherine Steadman’s The Family Game. All opinions are my own.

The Family Game is a compelling thriller very much in the style of the movie Ready or Not. Harry (Harriet), a successful British author, has met and is now engaged to handsome and wildly successful Edward Holbeck. But Edward is not just anyone - his family is incredibly wealthy and powerful, with their history going back decades. Think Rockefeller or Vanderbilt, if you’re American. Kennedy would also not be far from the mark, except the Kennedys are much more visible publicly, with many of them running for political parties and offices. The Holbecks are much quieter and more private; they like keeping their cards, and any favors owed, close to their chest.

Harry has rose colored glasses on when it comes to her fiancé, and when his previously estranged family comes knocking and wants to develop ties with her, well, she can’t shut off the fantasy in her mind of loud, bright, family filled holidays. She was orphaned at a young age, and is very much used to being on her own. But Harry has secrets herself, and she isn’t willing to give those up for anyone. What are the Holbecks hiding, and just how dangerous are these games they like to play anyway?

This book was well plotted, but I had a few issues with the pacing. The book builds tension, but it doesn’t truly light up until its third and final act at the remote Holbeck compound. Many of the twists were too loudly telegraphed, such as Harriet’s pregnancy - I know this sounds like a spoiler, but it’s revealed quite early on. I wish there had been more suspense and that there had been a bit more mystery. Most of the “twists” like the heavily hinted at backstory of Harriet, were just not surprises at all. Even the final twist when the real villain is revealed is not much of a shock when you already saw the writing on the wall.

It is clear from the start that Harriet is way out of her depths with the Holbecks; just how out of her depth, we don’t quite know. I did not find the videotape very convincing and felt it needed more polishing to be believable. As is, it felt rather rushed and was quickly pushed to the sidelines in the third act.

If the publisher is able to address a few of these issues, I would give this a solid 5/5. As it is now, I’d give it a 3.5/5.

Harry is engaged to Edward, and is set to join the Holbeck family. But this billionaire society family is guaranteed not to be your average in-laws.The Holbecks hold immense generational wealth and a multitude of secrets. To add to the mystery, these relatives also love playing games. As Harry makes her way into the Holbeck inner circle, she's put through the wringer, with outlandish family competitions testing her character, tenacity and loyalty. But when patriarch Robert Holbeck issues Harry the ultimate secret challenge, will she accept her fate or leave her future Holbeck life behind? While the family games in this book were pretty over the top, I found them entertaining and enjoyable. Another "rich family with secrets" storyline, this one kept me hooked trying to figure out Robert's angle and the true motives of the Holbecks. Four stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing--Ballantine for an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest feedback.

From reading the plot, this was giving me Ready or Not vibes but it was so much more than that. Really enjoyed this one.


Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Family Game might just be my favorite thriller of 2022...this deadly cat-and-mouse story is one I won't soon forget. Steadman ingeniously walks the reader through a plot that feels like a house of cards that could fall over at any given moment. This book is a tale of family drama; however, at its core, it remains a whodunnit that intrigued me up to the final page. Pick up The Family Game, buckle your seat belt, and prepare for a wild, unpredictable ride!

Harriet "Harry" Reed is an ordinary Brit living in New York with her completely unordinary fiancé, Edward Holbeck. While Harry is a mystery writer, Ed comes from an old-money family and runs a multi-billion dollar tech company. The two's seemingly vastly different backgrounds don't stop them from getting along marvelously. In fact, their life together was fairly normal until Harry is introduced to the rest of Edward's family. The Holbecks are unimaginably rich and they hold high standards for any potential addition to their clan. When Harry meets the family, she soon discovers they have an obsession with twisted games. She's immediately sucked in when her father-in-law-to-be exposes what she believed to be a secret from her past. He holds this information over her and forces her to participate in a series of dark, terrifying family games to see if she can handle herself in the Holbeck family. While Harry isn't one to back down from a challenge, the contests she's put through threaten not only her pride but also her life.

There's not a dull chapter or moment in The Family Game. This plot is expertly crafted to make you question and second-guess everything you thought you had figured out. Each member of the Holbeck family is like a piece in a dangerous game of chess with extremely high stakes. One wrong move and you may not live to tell the tale. Harry is a dynamic, clever protagonist who you'll be rooting for the entire time. Will she or won't she be permitted to be a member of the Holbeck family? And at what cost? Read it to find out! Steadman knocked this one out of the park and I look forward to reading everything else she has and will publish!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and Catherine Steadman for this ARC of The Family Game in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of “The Family Game” in exchange for an honest review. I read Steadman’s latest in one sitting. I think it was her best yet. I enjoyed the pacing, atmosphere, and character development. I thought it was great—and well written!

Meeting your future in-laws has never been so scary

I was not ready for how enthralled I became with this novel. This is the best story I have read in a while honestly. I was engaged the entire time, there was no lagging. I did not want to put it down, I AM NOT JUST SAYING THAT.

The influential family, with all the hidden secrets. And Harriet of course has secrets of her own she’s trying to protect. Everything is unleashed upon her engagement to the next in line to the Holbeck estate. His family is aggressive and intimidating, and into the most terrifying family games. After Harriet discovers some news of her own there is so much more at stake, than just her life.

“Just don’t change your mind about me after all this, that’s all I ask,” he says, then kisses the ring on my finger lightly and grins.”

This book comes out at the perfect time to read over Christmas time. Pre-order it for yourself and for all your reader friends. They will love you for it!

Thank you #NetGalley and #RandonHouse for this Advanced Reader Copy of #TheFamilyGame by @catsteadman

What a fun ride! The pacing was a tad slow for me in the beginning, but it really started to pick up about half way through and from there I could hardly put it down. I loved the dynamic between the main character and her dysfunctional future in laws. The ending did take me by surprise, although it wasn’t super shocking. What I also enjoyed was the fact that our main character was hiding something as well and you were trying to figure out more than just the family mystery.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Randomhouse for sharing this digital copy with me!

I am extremely picky about thrillers, and out of ~70 thrillers I’ve read in the past year and a half or so, this one has been one of my favorites. If you enjoyed Ready or Not and Knives Out I do think you’ll enjoy this. In terms of comparable thrillers, In My Dreams I Hold a Knife and Not a Happy Family have a similar vibe, but I think this story is more gripping and fast-paced.

In true “thriller” fashion, the suspense and thrill never let us in this story. The mystery is compelling on its own, and it’s well supported with a likeable protagonist, atmospheric writing, and good pacing.

Our MC Harriet has a troubled past as an orphan. She has seen recent success as a thriller author, and not to mention her new billionaire fiancé. All starts to take a darker turn when she is invited to meet her fiancé’s eccentric family who lives to play games with one another.

Note this book has several different games within it, but there is a more terrifying, deadly “game” that the patriarch is playing with our main character that dominates the whole story, which I liked. Not necessarily a “shocking” ending, but I enjoyed nonetheless.

Another winning creepy thriller from author/actor Catherine Steadman!

British thriller writer Harriet “Harry” Reed is engaged to swoony Edward and has moved to be with him in New York. Now all she has to do is meet his family, the uber rich and powerful Holbecks. We know right from the terrific opening that things go horribly awry at Christmas and then we zip back to late November to find out what happened.

The Holbecks are a deliciously awful family, who like playing games - but not of the football or Bananagrams variety. Oh no, their “games” include the truly terrifying Krampusnacht in which a half goat half demon chases the children (and Harry) around a darkened brownstone.

The patriarch, Robert, seems to take a bit of a shine to Harry and wants to share some family secrets with her, but Harry isn’t sure she wants to know them. And Harry herself has a secret from long ago that she is convinced nobody can know, but do the Holbecks have ways of digging up information that she might want to stay buried?

The plot is niftily put together, with a few red herrings thrown in, some watertight explanations for why Harry doesn’t do everything you might want her to, and some seriously atmospheric set pieces. Highly recommended for those who like their thrillers fast-paced with a flawed protagonist with agency.

Thanks to Ballantine and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

YES!!! This reminded me of the movie Ready or Not which I loved! I love this premise and loved the MC. I felt like I was there with Harry every step of the way.

A fantastic experience about how foky cam twist and turn, and what mothers might do for their children. A page turner for sure!

3.5 stars rounding up. Spoiler: I enjoyed the story; parts of it were original but the whole evil lover disguised as a saint thing is starting to feel old. Also a lot of the protagonist’s actions felt overreached - like assumptions made were just beyond believable. The characters were fun, though, and I liked the changes in settings! Overall a fun summer read.

Harriet Reed aka Harry believes she has found her happy with New York scion Edward Holbeck. But before she officially call herself a member of the clan she’s forced to play a series of “games” that leads to a deadly prize.

This book was quite a ride. Initially, it took a couple a couple chapters before I was really hooked but once I was I could not put this book down. The chapters may seem a little long at first but they do read fairly quick once the plot picks up.

If you’re familiar with her last book “Something in the Water” then you know she can give you whiplash with the twists and turns in her books. This book is no different. There were quite a few times when I thought I had the ending figured out but it ended up not being quite what I expected (in a good way!).

Since this book reads quick it would make for a great rainy weekend or beach read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

The perfect page turner that keeps you wanting more! Loved this fast paced whodunnit about family, wealth, and secrets. Definitely recommend to any thriller fans looking for a fast paced read.

A tape recorder. A cat and mouse game. And a family whose games might not be so harmless. Are you willing to play?

Wow. Just wow. The Family Game explores how far a person is willing to go to protect their family from those who might destroy it from within. This book is genius on so many levels and keeps you guessing with every twist. Finally a thriller that isn’t just a boilerplate of all the others! I highly recommend. I promise it’s not like anything you’ve seen before!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Amazing new thriller, fast paced & with a twist I didn’t see coming. The characters were engaging & believable; the events described were vivid & kept me engaged

A weird and wild tale of a dysfunctional family that starts as a quirky romp and ends in total terror. Another page-turning "can't look away" twister by Catherine Steadman.

We begin with a sort of fairytale, where our heroine Harriet ("Harry" for short) is proposed to in a magical New York scene by her wealthy and charming boyfriend Edward. Edward, as his name hints, comes from an old and liberal Kennedyesque New York family of rich and influential old-money scions. Which is a little bit weird at first, but has to be a wonderful opportunity for a girl, right?

Well, maybe not. The family is exceedingly weird, especially Edward's dad, Robert (yes, I see you and your Kennedy winks, Ms. Steadman!). And they engage in bizarre traditions of games at the holidays, including one prolonged exceptionally strange celebratory Christmas game called "Krampusnacht" that really has to be read to be believed. (This part of the book was incredibly weird, but still had me riveted.)

As Harry gets in deeper with the family, she learns that their secrets may in fact include murder, and as the genes continue, she has to decide whether she is willing to pay the apparently high price of being a part of Edward's influential family.

I love Catherine Steadman, and have yet to come upon a book of hers I don't like, but I have to say the plot of this one was incredibly weird. I was fascinated by it and totally drawn in, but it is very much not a traditional thriller mystery, even though things got more traditionally thriller-like (and also completely crazy) by the end. You'll definitely have to suspend your disbelief for this one, and I can think of a few of my book friends for whom this one will be way too wild and woolly. But if you like your mysteries weird with a little bit of historical and political satire and speculation, this one will be as fun for you as it was for me. Catherine Steadman is a total favorite of mine, and her writing style always draws me in and hooks me from the first page, making for a fun and fascinating reading experience every time. Even if I'm reading about a Krampusnacht monster.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. I only just finished and yet am already eagerly awaiting Steadman's next effort.