I had no recollection of requesting this but I did read it and couldn't figure out which book is was on my list because I wasn't looking for a bright cover with people one it. This was surprisingly good for a book I has no idea I requested. Definitely check this one out!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me access to the free advanced digital copy of this book.

This book was quite a ride and ended up being so much more than I originally thought it would be. It is an excellent debut, with amazing writing and an engaging story that tackling real world issues.

I found the characters very engaging and their stories to be very compelling, which really drove the story forward for me. The murder mystery aspect was engaging at the same time as being a very serious story components. There are a number of subplots that are sprinkled in, most were good contributions to the story but perhaps there could have been a little more focus on the main aspects of the story and less subplots.

I feel like the discussions of loss, the criminal justice system and especially racism were well handled and written and very important conversations to have. All in all I would definitely recommend this book as it's a fantastic read.

Play the Game read like a suspenseful teenage who-dunnit about truth, loyalty, betrayal and justice. The characters that make up the group of 17-year-olds are vividly drawn and relatable. They find themselves dealing with some gritty real world issues that intrude into their teenage lives, the details of which create a palpable world for me as a reader. Like any good noir mystery, the narrator is wracked with anxiety and guilty feelings about how he had failed his best friend who had been murdered, and is determined to set things right. I enjoyed the additional layer of the "clues" the narrator sees while playing the computer game his friend had been creating before he was inexplicably shot. It adds a layer of boyish humor that reveals the nature of the connection the boys shared and the depth of the loss. The obvious killer had gone unpunished by the law. Now, that killer has been found dead in the same spot, and another of his friends has gone into hiding. Could his friend be a vengeful murderer? Will his sleuthing reveal a truth he can live with? I loved that Play the Game addresses heavy issues with skill, shining light into dark places.

Play the Game is a very well written YA mystery by Charlene Allen. Due out 31st Jan 2023 from HarperCollins on their Katherine Tegen imprint, it's 304 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a powerhouse of a YA coming of age novel. The writing is unvarnished and often emotionally raw. One of a trio of teenaged friends in NYC has been murdered in a racist attack. When the murderer is found dead in the same spot, evidence points at Jack, one of the two left behind. VZ, the third friend, has more than enough to deal with at the moment, still reeling and trying to process the loss of Ed, his best friend. He's also trying to navigate a crush at his job, keep his grades up, find his way with his family problems, as well as a last tribute to his friend, to finish writing the game Ed left behind and enter it into a game programming contest.

Much of the plot is given over to the process of restorative justice. It's a fascinating process and the author expends quite a lot of effort to make it relatable and understandable to the reading audience. The language is R-rated, and there is some frank discussion of gender identity and nonconformity, as well as light sexual content (nothing explicit).

This is an important book, very well written and relevant. It would be a good choice for public and school library acquisition (with codicils for rough language), as well as for book club or classroom discussion.

Four and a half stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

A great restorative justice themed book to recommend to YA readers. This has incredible characters that we can weave ourselves into with real life situations that they face. Bringing many emotions to you through the ups and downs and not always the way life thinks it will be this book is a winning debut.

Loved the premise, but the execution didn't completely meet my expectations. I also agree with another reviewer that it didn't feel like there was much tension or mystery. While I definitely was touched by VZ's desire to finish the game his friend created and work through his grief, I didn't feel that there was enough tension to sustain the length, and the mystery wasn't well paced.

Not much of a mystery, the bulk of this story was given over to VZ, our main character, who is grieving his friend Ed, who was killed a few months before. When the man (Singer) who killed Ed is found dead, the police suspect VZ's friend Jack, who goes on the ruin (not a good look for someone who is claiming innocence). The story pretty much focuses on VZ playing and trying to beat the video game that Ed had created, so that he can enter it in a gaming contest. Instead of chapter after chapter of VZ playing the game, I would have preferred for more focus on the mystery of who killed Singer.