In a word, this book was NUTS!! A little over the top but you should go into this story blindly-quite a roller coaster of a book. I highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

I totally enjoyed this book! I could see it making a good movie and I was picturing it in my head the whole time.

The editor describes it better than I could:

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

Harriet (Harry) is an author, and gets engaged to uber wealthy Edward. He comes from a very powerful family who likes to play games. As Harry gets to know the family more, the games get crazier and crazier. You know someone is up to something, but you are not sure what it going on...

It was about 25% of the way through before anything even started - before she really met the family. But I was still tense and on my toes, because you could SENSE it coming. The writing was that good.

This book was different, it was suspenseful, it was fun.. Reading it was like boarding the crazy train - you didn't know what was going on. Who were the good guys - who was bad?

One sentence that i loved really stuck out. Harry is speaking with a cop friend. The cop says he likes her books because "she made you root for the protagnist even though you know she was bad". This stuck out because you just know Harry did something bad too - but how bad was it? And you like her anyway...

This was 5 stars until the end.. It felt weird - but I am not sure why I felt a little disappointment. Was it a little rushed? Was the endiing too trite? I am not sure- but it didnt live up to the rest of the book. Don't get me wrong - I liked the ending - I just felt like I needed MORE of something.

However, because I was up late because I could not stop turning the pages, and because I immediately looked up the author to see what else she wrote, I have to give it the full 5 stars, right?

I want to thank the author #catherinesteadman the publisher and #netgalley for the ARC which did not impact my review.

I have really enjoyed all of Catherine Steadman's books, and this one did not disappoint. I was hooked in from the start. Harry (Harriet) is a British author with a recent best selling novel, who has recently become engaged to Edward, heir to a wealthy family. Edward has kept Harry away from his family while they dated, but now she is getting to know them. They have some scary family secrets, and they are also digging into Harry's past.

This was a fun romp through a wealthy family's dirty laundry. I couldn't put it down. I think it could have established some of the siblings better, but I did really like Harry's character and how she would stand up for herself and do what she had to do.

This was a real page turner - especially the last quarter of the book! I've been a fan of Catherine Steadman for a while now and this book definitely didn't disappoint. There's really good character development and the story kept me interested all throughout. There were just a few quirky things that made me wonder why they weren't caught in editing (who is able to make a regular doctor's appointment on THANKSGIVING day??). But I would definitely recommend this book. You won't be disappointed!

The Family Game is The Inheritance Games’ older, much darker, slow-burn brother.

This story has Catherine’s signature realistic dialogue and excellent sequence of reveals. While the story was more slow to build than some of her others, it was riveting—so many mundane moments made tense, conversations layered with double-meaning and deceit. It’s a bit of an over-the-top premise, I’ll give it that, but it was masterfully done, and though I don’t entirely understand everything that happened in the end, I was much to invested to be frustrated. I would’ve loved a clearer wrap-up, some details/motives/what characters knew explained, but it was still an excellent idea, and a satisfying execution.

I’d recommend to fans of slow-burn psychological thrillers.

Abounding thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc!

-A

Finally. Harriet, a writer with a best seller, has put the past behind her. Her secrets are safe, and she's engaged to the love of her life, Edward. He's handsome , loving, and has millions. And now she's getting to travel to his family estate for Christmas and take part in festivities, including a game.

If you like rich people behaving badly, trusting no one, and large, isolated estates, this book is for you. It's got Steadman's trademark writing and is maybe my favorite of hers. I enjoyed the secrets coming out and the cat and mouse elements of the game.

This is a suspense novel-Harriet is a novelist, she meets Edward who comes from a VERY rich and powerful family. It all seems too good to be true, and then she meets his family. The family plays crazy/dangerous games, and there are stories of former girlfriends who have disappeared. Who does she need to be afraid of? What is happening in this family? #thefamilygame #catherinesteadman #catherinesteadmanbooks #psychologicalthriller #suspensenovel #bookstagram #booklover #bookblog #booksaremagic #booksbooksbooks #lovetoread #readersofinstagram #bookloversofinstagram #cassettetape

This is my third book by this Author and probably my favorite….. I loved the twists this book took. I really enjoyed her descriptions and characters. While I wasn’t really sure what the back story was or who the real bad guy was I was pleasantly surprised with how it all worked out.

Since thrillers have been my primary genre for well over a decade now, it’s very uncommon for me to find one that’s completely different. A thriller that doesn’t have a plot, trope, characters, twist, etc that’s never been used before is a rarety. So I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered the unique story that is Catherine Steadman’s The Family Game.

The story centers around Harriet aka Harry, a British novelist living in NYC. Harry just releases her debut novel which has become a hit and she is in love with her seemingly perfect boyfriend Edward. Edward comes from the Holbeck family who is uber-rich because of old money(think the Carnegie’s and Guggenheim’s). Edward keeps his family at arm's length but being the eldest son, he is expected to inherit the Holbeck’s fortune. When Harry meets the family, the patriarch Robert slips her a cassette tape which reveals a shocking story that sets a real-life game of cat and mouse into motion.

Going into this one, I expected it to be similar to Good Rich People by Eliza Jane Brazier but it's not! The Family Game is a completely unique and original story. Harry made a very interesting main character and I felt so much empathy for her. I also enjoyed getting to know the morally grey Holbeck family who is a very eccentric bunch with a very dark sense of humor. Of course I revel in thrillers because of the plot twists and there is an unexpected twist towards the end that completely knocked my socks off!

Some parts of the book were a little slower paced but over all this story kept my attention throughout and I found it highly entertaining. This is my second read by Catherine Steadman, the first being Something in the Water, which I also really liked. So I'll definitely be looking into reading more of her work.

The Family Game by Catherine Steadman will be available on November 8. Many thanks to Ballantine Books and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Ballantine!

Harriet is newly engaged to Edward, the heir to a powerful and rich family. His father, Robert, hands her a tape of a book he has been working on. It's about a murder. Is it a confession or fiction? She'll have to play the game to find out.

Alright, I saw this one coming from a mile away. It's still a decent thriller that kept my interests, but the twist was very obvious. And geez, that family was so odd!

Whew, the twists and turns in this book were INTENSE! Our main character, Harriet (called Harry) is a debut novelist engaged to the scion of one of America's wealthiest and oldest families (think Vanderbilt or Carnegie). As soon as the ring is on her finger, her fiance's family swoops in. Poor Harry, an orphan since childhood, is more than a little overwhelmed at the intensity of the attention... and a little concerned about protecting her own secrets, both happy and not so happy. As she spends more time with her soon to be in-laws, she learns that one of their favorite things to do is play games... sometimes very dangerous games, with high stakes. And inevitably, Harry finds herself playing for the highest stakes of all...

What a wild ride this one was! I literally could not put it down and definitely stayed up way too late shoving words into my eyes hand over fist. If gripping thrillers are your jam, get your hands on this book ASAP.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballentine for the opportunity to read this one early!

Guys. I. Couldn’t. Put. This. Thriller. Down.

The story follows Harry (Harriet), a woman who holds a dark secret from when she was 11 years old. She falls in love with Edward Holbeck, a man in a rich with a capital R family (we’re talking old, old, money). Her dark secret comes back to haunt her as she is forced to participate in “family games” in order to win her soon-to-be-husband’s family affection and keep her secret. Will her secret be her downfall, or be the thing to save and redeem her?

Just when I thought I knew what was going on in this book, it took a turn that was unexpected yet not out-of-left-field. Also, as is important to me in a good thriller, the main character isn’t a fool walking head-first into the arms of a murderer absentmindedly.

This was an ARC, graciously provided by @netgalley (my first one, eek!) and it’s out November 8th. Put this in your TBR. For real. Your November 8th self will thank you. It’s also set around Christmastime so it’s a perfect thriller to hunker down with with the Christmas lights twinkling (if you’re like me, and out your Christmas lights up early 😉).

📖 The Family Game
✍️ Catherine Steadman
🔪 Thriller
#️⃣ 336 pages
🗓️ 09/29/22

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you NetGalley + Ballantine Books for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Harry is an up-and-coming novelist on the brink of starting her dream life with her perfect husband-to-be, Edward. The only problem is this next step in their relationship forces a newfound closeness with her husband Edward’s family, the infamous old-money Holbecks. Edward, the eldest and heir to both the family business and the fortune attached, has long-since distanced himself from the family, so no one is more surprised than Harriet that the family seems to be welcoming her with open arms. So much so that Robert, the head of the Holbeck clan, entrusts Harriet with a family secret via an old cassette tape upon their very first meeting with each other. The contents of the tape prove to be inflammatory in more ways than one… so what should Harry do? After all, she’s got secrets of her own she needs to protect.

I am calling it right now, I think this book is going to be the thriller of the year! Cat Steadman has been an auto-buy author from me ever since I read SOMETHING IN THE WATER, but THE FAMILY GAME absolutely takes the cake for my favorite book by her. I thought the premise was instantly gripping and while the pacing was a bit slower in the beginning 30ish%, but the second half of the book was action-packed and I could NOT put it down. I love nothing more than a good cat-and-mouse thriller and this novel was nothing if not that. I especially appreciated that our MC was smart, determined and made (mostly) rational decisions. I LOVED the ending - avid thriller readers might see the *twist* coming, but it’s so well-executed, you won’t even mind. Highly, highly recommend!!

🎲 Single POV
🎲 Domestic thriller
🎲 Short chapters
🎲 Slow burn (second half is faster-paced)
🎲 Cat and mouse thriller
🎲 Twisted games
🎲 Explores class differences, feelings of not belonging
🎲 Action-packed ending

#caitsquietplace #caitsquietplacereviews #cqpthrillers #thefamilygame #catherinesteadman #ballantinebooks #netgalley

The Family Game is a book that catches you from the first chapter which starts as a glimpse of what is to come later in the novel. Harry is a novel writer who is in love with Edward, who comes from a very wealthy and high status family. Throughout the novel Harry is brought to family events to participate in so called family "games" - however everything is never as innocent as it sounds. As Harry is drawn into the dark family secrets she continues to try and keep her dark secret buried. As she realizes these "games" are more dangerous than they seem and the stakes are higher than anyone can imagine. I loved this book start to finish and was pleasantly surprised with the twist at the end! I had actually not seen it coming and I am an avid thriller reader so sometimes I am able to see them in advance. I would definitely recommend this book to those seeking a thriller with a twist!

I loved this psychological thriller by Catherine Steadman and will definitely recommend it! Her first book "Something in the Water" is an all time favorite. "The Family Game" is equally good with a twist you don't see coming. I was glued to this book all last weekend and could barely put it down. Thanks for the ARC!

Who would believe that an orphan from England would by chance meet the eldest son of the rich and powerful American Robert Holbeck and not only fall in love with him, but carry his child and heir to the family fortunes as well? Certainly not Harriet "Harry" Reed; and yet here she is an author with her first bestseller under her belt and a second one due to her publisher any day now. Yet meeting the eccentric Holbeck family and learning their stories has changed the direction of her sophomore effort which brings her dangerously close to secrets she doesn't know and ones she will do anything to protect as will the senior Holbeck. As Harry gets more involved with this strange , wealthy and powerful family author Steadman cranks up the tension. Readers can't help but silently scream, "Run!" to Harry. But she can't run or her own terrible secret will come out. How does one weigh self preservation against love and the future of one's unborn child? The Holbecks are not what they seem and readers ; along with Harry herself, will have to keep forming new hypotheses as to who, what, why, how and when before it all comes unraveled. A great beach read book for those who'd rather skip the romance titles and get submerged in a tangled mystery instead.

Catherine Steadman is a favorite author of mine and her newest book did not disappoint. "The Family Game" pulls you in from the start and doesn't let up until the very end. It has such a unique plot line and I loved the games mixed in throughout the story. This book is absolutely unforgettable with character twists I did not see coming and an ending that absolutely satisfied!

I am a sucker for a good opening bit and The Family Game has it!

Enter Harry, a British author that has recently found love with Edward—dreamy, romantic, smart, rich, handsome Edward. It all seems perfect until Harry meets Edward’s family, the Holbecks.

After the opening chapter, it was a bit slow for me. However, I kept reading and when I say it picked up, I mean it REALLY picked up. I couldn’t put it down. I sat, unmoving except for the occasional shift, and consumed this book.

What an absolutely stunning and thought-provoking example of a morally grey character. I mean, this was so, so, so well-done.

A slight nitpick: toward the end of the book, Harry can smell the “sweet hops” on Edward’s breath. However, hops aren’t sweet. They’re bitter—it balances the sweetness of the malt. Beer bitterness is measured in IBUs and that comes from the hops that are added during the brewing process.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine for the opportunity to read and review The Family Game by Catherine Steadman. It was twisty, intriguing to the max, and I absolutely could not put it down. I’ll be recommending this book to everyone I know. It’s a 5/5 for me!

The absolute most bonkers thriller I’ve read in a while. I honestly kind of loved it but the supposed fantastical elements (that weren’t fantastical after all, just a mirage of wealth) really tripped me up. But holy hell? I loved the last bit of the book so much.

Harriet is a thriller/mystery author who has left London to be with her boyfriend turned fiancé in NYC, who just happens to be a part of an incredibly powerful family. The family members all share deep dark secrets. They are masters at playing games. When one family member tapes and delivers to her a dark confession she must decide who to trust and how far to play along.
I absolutely loved this book and the twists and turns it took. It reminded me a lot of the movie Ready or Not! It kept the suspense and mystery up until the very end. I was hooked right from the beginning.
Thank you to Random House Publishing/Ballantine Books and NetGalley for granting my wishes with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!