This thriller has a twist that took me by surprise, and I can usually see them coming and predict them. Catherine Steadman has a best-seller on her hands!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for this ARC!

This book was not what I expected it to be, but I ended up enjoying it way more than I thought it would. The first chapters pull you in, but then the author takes time to build the characters and the plot. I appreciated this because most thrillers are just constant twists and turns. This was a steady, dark, nail biting adventure until the very end. And I really didn’t see the twist coming! Will definitely be recommending when it comes out!

I wanted this book because I've enjoyed Catherine Steadman's other books and it did not disappoint. The Family Game starts off with a straightforward scenario: Harry, an author, gets engaged to Edward Holbeck and gets introduced to his family. But this is no ordinary family. The Holbecks are wealthy and have influence everywhere. Harry soon realizes that there is more to the Holbecks than just money. They have secrets that they will do anything to protect. She becomes tangled in a web of secrets, lies and family games as she tries desperately to figure out what is going on. The twists and turns of the story kept me reading well into the night. Steadman is a fantastic writer. I look forward to her next book! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I've read all of Steadman's books so was delighted to get this one and wow, was it good! Harriet and Edward are engaged when his family wants to meet her and they are invited to Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Krampusnacht (the devilish version of St. Nick). Sounds fine to Harriet as she's an orphan now but as Edward's family is wealthy beyond belief, she is worried she won't fit in. Enough said. This book is diabolical, creepy, and over-the-top fun to read (and I may have devoured it in one sitting)? Secrets, lies, family history, revenge, privilege, and crazy traditions all add up to an awesome novel; but hey, don't read in the dark--just a warning! Absolutely loved it!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

This Book - 5 Star!! This is a must read for anyone who loves a good mystery/thriller. Easy read, had me hooked the entire time. I read this very fast, couldn't put it down.

Summary: This story is about Harry (Harriet) and Edward who fall in love and get engaged. Edward comes from a powerful and very wealthy family. Harry's family died in a car accident when she was younger and she became an orphan. Even though they are engaged, Harry has never met Edwards family. She slowly starts getting involved in his family little by little uncovering some of their very odd traditions. She comes to realize just how powerful and wealthy this family really is. There are secrets on both Edward and Harry's side, but in the end all of those secrets will now be out in the open. Buy this book to figure out if their love and other entanglements can withstand the secrets that unfold.

The way Catherine Steadman's writing gets you to really know and understand the characters is so great. I felt like I knew them all, I felt like I was in the book. I would have never guessed the ending. The author gives just enough throughout the book to make you think you know what will happen, but you don't. Books that keep me guessing and wondering all the while keeping me intrigued in the story itself are considered an A+ book for me. The whole time I wanted to know what was coming next, what twisted reality was around the corner. It takes a great mind not only to write the story, but to come up with the story itself well before the writing occurs.

Very easy to understand and follow along, I did not get confused or have to reread like some thriller books I have ready in the past. I will be buying all of Catherine Steadman's books! Obsessed with her writing. This book is going to be a top mystery/thriller as soon as it comes out!

I knew it would be great! Another twisty story from Catherine Steadman. What starts with a fiancée that dreams are made of,,,had to be too good to be true? Don't get engaged before you meet the family lol.

Whoa..this was great! I could not put it down..fast paced, twisty and I NEEDED to know what was going on with this family. I really loved the games, the twists and turns and figuring out who was going to "win" in these impossible situations.

Wow, this was a fun, twisty read with a fast-paced plot! I enjoyed it more than I thought I would after reading the first couple chapters and feeling it was too similar to the movie Ready or Not (a movie I love). Thankfully this had plenty of surprises to keep me invested in the story. Steadman was masterful with delivering all the clues to slowly piece together what’s going on and I loved how everything connected! My absolute favorite scene was the Krampusnacht celebration. Sooooo good! I think any fan of cat-mouse thrillers with sinister secrets, intriguing side characters, and family drama will enjoy this.

Favorite Quotes:

“I’m sure you’re surprised that a family like ours plays so many childish games, but, Harriet, that is the common misconception about the nature of games. Games take us as close as is acceptable to the strategies we use in life. Games reveal our most base instinct: the instinct to survive.”

“You can tell a lot about a person from the mess they leave behind.”

“A girl with a past tries to marry into money and all hell breaks loose. We all know how that story ends.”

I have read all of Steadman’s books so far and The Family Game was my favorite out of the 4. The novel centers around a woman with a past who becomes engaged to the son of a wealthy tycoon. After not meeting the family during the length of their relationship, she is invited to spend the holidays with them and begins to pick up on ominous vibes and realizes all is not what it appears. Harry herself is not who she appears to be so she knows all too well the secrets that can lurk beneath surfaces. I won’t go into more detail, so as not to spoil the plot.
This book has a unique tone and mixes some of the popular contemporary domestic suspense genre with a throwback gothic vibe. The tension builds slowly and the plot appears straightforward but there are some last minute twists that throw it into a different direction. The characters are engaging and Harry’s secrets begin to add to the dark tone. A very enjoyable and fast-paced read!

thrilling and full of attention grabbing scenes. completely upputdownable and diffidently recommend to others

The Family Game was made available for me to preview by the publisher. Harriet (or Harry, as she is known) is about to marry the man of her dreams, who happens to come from a very wealthy family.. A mystery author with her own dark past, Harry is lured into trying to understand the secrets underlying the family’s strange relationships and rituals, without having her own exposed. The Family Game is a fun, page-turner. Harry is a likeable character, and her account of the challenges of joining a close knit family is relatable and engaging, even before the creepiness begins to show up. I enjoyed some of the detailing of the rarified world in which Harry finds herself. There are some side threads and secondary characters that could have been cu, and the “twist” is less than surprising, but I still wanted to read to the end to see how the story would play out.

✨ "A girl with a past tries to marry into money and all hell breaks loose. We all know how that story ends."

True... until you read this book, that is.

The Family Game is so much fun and totally unputdownable! If you're worried about the synopsis sounding similar to other movies or books like I was — don't be. I'm pretty impressed at how the author has created a wholly original tale while drawing inspiration from existing cult favourites.

I was engrossed the whole time and this book was so worth staying up till 4am for. It has all the ingredients I enjoy in a thriller: A substantial cast of shady characters, a morally grey protagonist with an intriguing backstory, long-buried secrets, family drama, vivid settings and more!

I've read two other Catherine Steadman novels but this one is hands down my favourite so far!

Games are always played best when the stakes matter. The Family Game was an incredible story of a woman finding love, and wanting to be favored by an immensely powerful family her love is tethered to. When a tape of an alleged idea of a book is handed to her, it’s a question of whether it’s fact to Murder, or pure fiction.

The book was well thought out, and it was like watching a movie with its vivid descriptions & genuine relationships between characters. Harry, our lead was relatable to wanting to be liked by her love’s family, and being lonely after traumas. I did feel that the lead was guilted into quite a few situations where she should have been more insistent, and state boundaries. Her relationship to Edward seemed almost desperate, and wanted to keep him no matter what. There are also trigger warning content such as drug use, violence, and mental health.

I did eventually see the twist coming but it did not disappoint me personally. The last half of the novel had enough tension to have me enthralled til the end.

This reminded me of films like Ready or Not with its history with murder and games, and other media. I’m so grateful to Ballantine Books, Netgalley, the lovely Catherine Steadman, and random house for my ARC ebook of The Family Game. I look forward to November 2022 for the finished novel. 💫 #thefamilygame #netgalley

Thank you so much for allowing me to read and review your titles. I really not the opportunity!

I do appreciate it and continue to review books that I get the chance to read.
Thanks again!

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for the advanced copy. First time reading Catherine Steadman and throughly enjoyed The Family Gamel. Real page turner and some of it scenes I guess a mile away. Overall I will recommend reading it to pass a lazy day.

Rating: 3.75

I was immediately drawn in starting from the prologue and really enjoyed Steadman's writing style. She has a way of taking simple words and coating them in glitter. That is what kept me reading through to the end.
Although there were some likable traits with the protagonist, I didn't quite connect as deeply with her as I would have liked to. She was described as being strong willed, however her actions portrayed more of a pushover until the end. Character development was just a bit lacking for my taste.
It was a slow burn thriller and I felt some chapters could have been removed altogether. There were subplots that were too drawn out that I was hoping would end sooner.
The last 20% of the book was a page turner and when the action finally happened. The ending was just great and I'm glad I stuck through to the end.
My favorite part of this book was her writing style and the ending.
Going to give her other books a try!
Many thanks to Catherine Steadman and Ballantine Books for allowing me to read this advanced copy. Expected release date of September 29, 2022.

Omg what a twisted read! If you like thrillers that keep you on the edge of your seat trying to guess what is coming next, this is the book for you. It’s all in the family, love, secrets, terrifying family games. How far would you go to keep your secrets safe?

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you NetGalley Catherine Steadman and Ballantine Books for this edition and hearing my honest review. Looking forward to reading more with you
#partner

Tension. That is how it starts and continues until the end of this book with a plot full of secrets.

Daily events appeared to be normal for Harriet with a wildly successful first novel and a happy life with her adoring finance in NYC. Then she met Edward’s family for the first time. The Holbeck lineage was “generations of wealth, woven into the fabric of America since the Gilded Age.” She knew they were worth billions with huge connections and maybe a tad crazy but she didn’t think much of it until the day she stepped inside their circle.

Edward’s father, Robert, sent her home after a private chat with a personal message on a tiny cassette tape. She had to find a store that still carried a cassette player just to listen to it. And then she had to squeeze in time to hear his words. Her life was on the edge of being totally absorbed by finishing her second novel. That wasn’t all. Family members started calling. They were eager to get together during the holiday season. They loved to play games at gatherings -- terrifying ones without a lot of advanced warning. When she finally found a private place to listen to the tape, she found herself caught in his web.

I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough with an abundance of twists and turns from the first page forward. The author did a great job creating a mind-blowing plot with characters that one could easily see. I just wanted to hug the little boy, Billy, who seemed very sweet. The reader had to pay careful attention to the hints of who in the family had her back. It’s a different kind of holiday book; one full of surprises.

My thanks to Catherine Steadman, Ballantine Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy with the expected release date of September 29, 2022.

When I first read the synopsis of this book it reminded me of Slasher: Flesh & Blood, so of course I had to have it!
While this isn't quite a dark as the tv show, this is still a dark and suspense-filled wild ride.
There's family drama, there's bloodshed, and there's twisted good fun.

This book is an intricate cat and mouse game that starts off with a bang and will leave you second guessing until the end. That's all I'm going to say though because I don't want to give anything away.
I highly recommend it to anyone who's a fan of thrillers.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was absolutely amazing - I have a few qualms with it (ie some choices the main made frustrated me - being TOLD the main not recording something is frustrating but then not doing it? It felt like a cop out, and I was yelling at her to finish the tapes in one setting). I initially requested this book because it sounded like Ready or Not - and while there are some elements there, it’s definitely it’s own individual book.

I really enjoyed the main character - she was fun to read and was strong and (for the most part) pretty smart. I think one of the subplots where she’s attracted to another character was weird and unnecessary, and ultimately didn’t seem to serve any purpose, and I wish one of the reveals had more of a buildup or hints throughout the book - it’s something I felt like would play wonderfully onscreen, but on text felt a tiny bit random, though not completely out of the blue. I guess in hindsight writing this review maybe I should put this at a 3.5-7 with the critiques I have but the book was so fun that I can’t bring myself to make it any less than a 4.

I’d definitely read this book again though, and it was a fun time! I kept saying “okay just one more chapter” and then kept on going to kudos for the author for having such an engaging story.