This was a fun and quick read! Katie True is stuck working dead end job after dead end job. Her real talent is tarot card readings- that and her friend, Marley, a fellow mall employee, are the only things in her life that she really seems to enjoy. One day, a disheveled man stumbles into her shop and skittishly agrees to a reading - and when he is in the bathroom, she sneaks a peak at his phone and sees a picture of her friend, Marley, dead. Who is this man? And why does he have a picture of a dead Marley on his phone? Katie seems to be the only person who believes this story, and wants to figure out what happened to her friend- aside from a detective named Jamie, who gets sucked into this mess with her. This was a cozy mystery, with some humor sprinkled in as well. It started a bit slower for me, but really picked up as the book went along, and I enjoyed it! I liked the unique aspect of tarot card readings being mixed in as a theme as well. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for an ARC of this book!

Play the Fool is a cute mystery about Katie True, her tarot card and people reading skills, and how she solves the murder of her friend Marley. This story was quite entertaining, and I found myself really enjoying seeing where the story was going and how Katie was going to save the day by solving the crime. While the ending wasn’t as overwhelming as I hoped for, I enjoyed this story overall and though it was a great debut novel.
Thank you to Netgalley and Bantam for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest opinion.

I so enjoyed and loved this book!! I enjoyed the characters and loved Katie True (and lover her name!). I liked her humor and how she did own herself flaws and all. I found some messes she got herself in while trying to find out what happened to her friend hilarious and laughed out loud (the library, lol). I liked her friendship with Jamie and how he seemed to just get her. Her brother Owen was my favorite character and I loved her relationship with him and the friendship he developed with Jamie. I am secretly hoping we get a second Katie True book with a new adventure and all the characters again…Katie, Jamie, Owen, Bear, Jessie.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Linda Chern for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

I really think I liked the set of up Play the Fool but at the end of the day, the execution wasn't my favorite.

I was definitely intriguied at how the main character saw people as different cards, and I originally picked up this book with the mindset that she was going to mainly use her tarot card experience to help her crack the case. Which I suppose she did, but after a while, we slide straight into "amateur detective who gains the interest of a detective working the case and they work together despite the fact that I'm pretty sure that isn't ...okay." Yeah! No, I should've realized we were going there.

It also felt whacky in a way that isn't terrible (I've read whackier and those enrage me), but I definitely thought where the plot went to was a little... figured out too neatly.

Overall a fine read. Not my fav, but it was fine. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

Thank you to Ballentine/Bantam and NetGalley for a chance to read and review.

An attention-grabbing romp with street smart Katie True as she attempts to uncover what happened/who killed her friend Marley. I enjoyed Katie’s loyalty to her friend Marley, along with her Gen Z skills as she gets herself right into Marley's murder scene. Katie uses her skill/manipulation of Tarot card readings to dive headfirst into a path she never saw coming. Katie reaches out to law enforcement where she meets a detective who is both cynical and helpful to Katie. So many, I didn't see coming surprises. Enjoyed reading.

Play the Fool has such a great cover, it immediately draws you in. Katie True is a loner gal who is not very successful in life, working in a Russian knick-knack shop in a dead end mall whose only friend works across from her in a goth store. The only thing Katie is good at is reading Tarot cards. When her friend doesn't show for work and then a strange man enters her shop, things begin to happen. Katie peaks his curiosity when he sees her playing with the Tarot cards and asks her to do a reading for him. Trying to get the edge (or con) the man, she reads his phone while he steps away and sees a picture of her friend, dead near a dumpster. Katie sets out to discover how this man is connected and as she follows him, gets more than she bargained for her. In this crime thriller mystery, Katie's life is now at risk and there are twists and turns that may surprise you or not. However, it is so far-fetched and truthfully, not very exciting to become invested in the story. Katie True is not an admirable character that I really cared about. I found myself skipping through just to see how it ends. So, I have to give this just a s0-so rating of 3 out of 5.

Play the Fool by Lina Chern ⭐️⭐️💫

Many thanks to @netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. This one came out yesterday!

I struggled with this one, but there were some really cool elements. First - my struggles. I didn’t like the characters. Katie came off as a mess and playing the victim card. If you’ve read many of my reviews, you’ll know I don’t enjoy amateur detectives, and Katie fell into that trope quickly. Jamie felt like he was thrown in there just because someone else was needed.

I also struggled with the realism. Everything was so outlandish. Once I realized we weren’t coming back to the land of actuality, I was able to enjoy it a bit more. But so many things just felt forced and not realistic.

I really enjoyed the tarot cards and how they played into the first third of the book. If that would have continued, I would have enjoyed it much more. I also enjoyed some of the witty descriptions; they made me giggle. I also found the cover amazing!

All in all, if you’re looking for a cozy mystery with some very flawed characters, this one would be enjoyable!

Thank you to NetGalley, author Lina Chern, and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

This was, unfortunately, a major let down for me. I was drawn to this book both based on the stunning cover (I love the neon witchy vibes!!) and the description; I dabble a bit in tarot myself, and a murder mystery that a tarot reader uses the cards to solve sounded so intriguing. I do give Chern big props for writing a unique story because I did enjoy that this book wasn't as cut and dry as other mysteries out right now. I felt that the integration of the tarot cards were a bit too on the nose, but I do commend the creativity overall. There were also a few twists I wasn't expecting that I appreciated! However, that's about where my enjoyment of the novel came to an end sadly. I simply could not get past the main character, Katie, and her "quirkiness". She was practically insufferable to read between her self-proclaimed "lazy and aimless" tendencies and sheer stupidity of behavior that is exhibited in her actions trying to solve the case independently. I could not connect to her as a reader and wish that Chern would have made her a little more likable and/or relatable; instead, I just ended up kind of pitying her, which is not a good feeling as a reader. At the very least, I wish her and Marley's relationship was established a bit better and/or deeper because the fact they were barely acquaintances made it really hard for me to believe that Katie would literally risk her life for this person. The relationship between her and Jamie was a bit strange too, and I didn't like how much she got away with overall. Not everything has to be super realistic, but the things she got away with as a normal citizen just because she had a budding romance with a cop didn't make sense in terms of the story. If you're looking for an easy mystery read, this might interest you, but if you're looking for mysteries with better developed characters, then I would suggest trying something else out.

When Katie attempts to pull one over on a frazzled & skeptic customer, she gets more than she bargained for. She decides to snoop through his phone for leveraging her tarot reading when she discovers a picture of her friend Marley- dead- from an unknown number. The questions start flying through her brain- who is this man and did he kill Marley? The questions can't contain themselves and of course Katie now must stick her nose in business that she'll find does not belong to her. Cast with a techy brother, a guilt-ridden policeman, and family drama - Play the Fool was a delightful and witty whodunnit.

I thought this was such a fun and fast read- I can't say I found a lot of it plausible and had to suspend belief a bit, but the snarky and clever banter and dialogue really had me chuckling anyway. I always love when we have MCs who just can't help themselves and get caught up in situations that are disastrous. It's almost like watching a horror movie and screaming at the girl not to go into the abandoned house by herself- when you know she is going to get chopped up- like, come on...amiright? These amateur sleuth-type narrators are almost so bad that they're good? Katie is quirky and nosy and doesn't care what she says or who she says it to. She's pretty bold and BadA in that respect and I loved her for it.

I REALLY enjoyed this one and it was a fun change of pace for me.

This promising mystery thriller with the use of tarot cards closely intertwined features a down on her luck main character determined to get to the bottom of her friend's death.

While the premise of this story was promising and intriguing, it veered to much into the unbelievable for me in a title not marketed with magical realism or fantasy where I would have allowed a lot more wiggle room.

It started of really strong and enticing but after awhile I felt like it burnt out quickly. It just didn't hold my attention as closely as other mysteries have and while I like a nicely wrapped up ending this one felt a bit too perfect.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the eARC for an honest review.

Katie True is quick witted. She has to be for failing so much in life. She’s loved back in with her parents and works a dead end job, but all that changes when Marley comes into her life. She’s a mysterious person with a mystery to solve.

I liked getting to know the characters and the story plot was interesting. Towards the end though it felt a bit aloof and wasn’t much for suspense.

This is more of a cozy mystery than the thriller the marketing suggests, but I still found some moments a little terrifying. The actual unraveling of the mystery of who killed Marley and why is genuinely compelling; the twist at the end genuinely surprised me too. Protagonist Katie is stubborn, which I liked most of the time but makes her frustrating during parts of the investigation. I also wished some of the side characters had been fleshed out more. (I appreciate that Owen's neurodivergence isn't TOTALLY stereotypical, but even more nuance here would have been great.) I don't feel like a sequel is necessary, but I'm sure Lina Chern will write one to further explore Katie's relationship with Jamie.

I thought this book sounded interesting from the blurb but wasn’t sure if I would really get into it since it didn’t sounded gripping or addictive, but… I low-key obsessed over this book! It's a murder-mystery without being your typical psychological thriller but also not a cozy mystery. And it's full of complicated characters that give plenty of depth to the story without relying on lots of twists and turns or unreliable narrators or other unbelievable elements. Just raw, real characters in an unclear situation having normal reactions.

Katie True is a jaded, unambitious tarot card reader in a Russian tchotchke shop at a dead mall. Her parents and sister think she's wasting her potential and keep asking her what her big plan for life will be. Feeling a little lost and she makes friends with Marley, a girl who works in the punk shop across the way at the mall. in Katie's mind, they're best friends, bonding over their shared work breaks and one memorable night out. When Marley disappears and a strange man walks disoriented into her shop, Katie uses her "psychic" skills to try to make a few bucks bucks on a reading, but accidentally finds out that Marley is dead - shot in the head and left next to a dumpster outside the mall. What ensues is a strange but entertaining trip along with Katie while she amateurky but effectively investigates Marley's disappearance... From the disoriented thug in the shop to Marley's boss, her boyfriend, a cop that wants to help even though there really isn't a case, Katie’s brother, and a whole lot of brash confidence, she finds out that she never eve knew the person she thought was her best friend.

I love the cover of this book! The neon colors really drew me in. I wanted to love this book and thought it had so much potential. I found beginning of the book was good but then it just fell flat for me.

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC!

This was cute and overall enjoyable but at times felt a bit disconnected. I couldn’t tell at first if it was trying to be serious or quirky and in the end it kind of felt like a dark episode of a Disney channel sitcom. The characters were a bit over-exaggerated and were quick to get familiar with each other which made them seem all the more unbelievable but we’re overall loveable.

That being said it was a fun, easy read. There were elements of it that reminded me a bit of the Finlay Donovan series, so if you’re a fan of those I’d recommend checking this one out!

Oh how I had fun with this one..

From the moment I started I was hooked. An engaging murder mystery that had me saying “just one more chapter” because I wanted to get to the bottom of it. With a dash of comedic relief. And a plot twist.

I loved Katie. She was hilarious, and a wild ride. And her partnership with Jamie made it even better. Their sarcasm and banter added a nice touch. Truly couldn’t get an enough of them.

Overall it was an easy, intriguing read that I did not put down until I finished it. I wish the ending wasn’t so abrupt. It could’ve used a little bit more of a spark. BUT it didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment. And it’s a great spooky season book.

Katie True returned home from Chicago and now jumps from job to job. When she meets Marley, they immediately form a bond. Marley encourages Katie to continue with the tarot, but Katie soon reads the cards for a man who has a picture of Marley with a gunshot wound to the head. This was something her tarot cards couldn't predict, and Katie is determined to figure out what happened. This puts Katie in the middle of a much larger threat.

We start with the tarot reading in her store, then see how the friendship with Marley developed. She doesn't leave well enough alone, following the man from the mall, and continues to stay involved even after the police point out the failing in such a decision. If she stayed home we wouldn't have much of a story, but everything she does is well within the range of a normal twentysomething. She isn't super-powered or especially gifted at detection, though she's very good at reading people. She cares deeply about her family and friends, even though she doesn't have many of those. Her genuine desire to help isn't always appreciated by the police, though they realize she was caught up in circumstances she couldn't help. It's a really fun book to read and I enjoyed how the end pulled it all together.

I wasn't sure how I felt about a tarot-themed book, but I really liked this one!

It's not a classic cozy, but has a bit of the cozy feel with an amateur detective getting in the way of an attractive police officer.

Katie was a great character, an underemployed underachiever in her family but who has a talent at reading people like tarot cards.

Overall I thought Play the Fool had a great blend of character development, suspense, and even a little romance. Hoping this will be a series!

Play the Fool gave me Poker Face vibes (a show I just love). I feel like I want to know more about the characters, so if this is going to be the first in a series, it's a great start. As a stand alone, it doesn't satisfy in character development. I want Katie to continue finding herself. I want to see her learn and grow. I wasn't as attached to Marley. But the feelings Katie had for her and the loss of her made me really feel for her.

This was a quick read. It was a bit all over the place but enjoyable nonetheless. Katie was an interesting MC and I am curious as to why the author made her such a hapless and messy person. I wished we got more from Jamie as I found him the most interesting with his backstory and general vibe. I enjoy that there were some darker moments in this but it is definitely on the cozier side. Overall, if you are in the mood for a mystery this will fit the bill!