After having read Bound Feet, I was excited to see that Kelsea Yu was coming out with a new book this year! It’s Only a Game is a YA thriller that pulls you in immediately with its rich characters and complex plot. Yu managed to create a mysterious main character, Marina Chan, without frustrating me as a reader. It felt as if everything hidden had its reasons, and I was absolutely along for the ride!
As a self-professed devourer of books, I truly did devour this one. I finished the vast majority of it on a plane ride and was a bit annoyed at myself for it, because I couldn’t scream at anyone who had read the book as well! It was a smooth and exciting read that consistently demanded I continue on to find out what happens next and who’s keeping what secrets, and what’s going to unfold when they come out. And when those secrets came out, Yu handled them excellently, without playing into unrealistic tropes or glossing over those that were unfair to keep. And, in what I’m finding to be classic Kelsea Yu fashion, I thought I had the mystery figured, but she absolutely got me.
I’d recommend this to anyone looking for a smart, fast-paced thriller that’ll keep the wool over your eyes all the way until the end. It’s an excellent read for YA and adult audiences alike (though certainly appropriate for YA) – Yu is fantastic at creating books with broad appeal!

It's Only a Game by Kelsea Yu is a gripping thriller that seamlessly blends elements of mystery and suspense with the world of online gaming. The protagonist, Marina Chan, is a compelling character whose fear of her past being uncovered drives the narrative forward. Yu expertly portrays Marina's internal struggle as she navigates the challenges of maintaining her false identity while being thrust into the public eye by the invitation to tour her favorite game company. This premise sets the stage for a tense and exhilarating story that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.

The plot takes a dark turn when the creator of the game is murdered, and Marina and her friends are framed for the crime. This twist transforms the tour into a high-stakes game of survival, where they must complete dangerous tasks to clear their names. Yu masterfully builds suspense as the group is forced to lie, trespass, and steal, pushing their moral boundaries and testing their loyalty to one another. The author’s ability to create a palpable sense of urgency and danger makes this novel a page-turner.

Yu’s storytelling is both engaging and thought-provoking, exploring themes of identity, trust, and resilience. Marina's journey is not just about evading her past but also about discovering her true self and the strength she never knew she possessed. The intricate plot, well-developed characters, and fast-paced action make It's Only a Game an exciting read for fans of thrillers and gaming alike. Kelsea Yu has crafted a novel that is as entertaining as it is profound, leaving readers eagerly anticipating her next work.

Now this was pure genius! I never read a book like this before. My first thought once I read the rules of the game was that this is giving Saw vibes. I knew it was going to keep my attention. This story was exhilarating, gripping, and kept me wondering about who killed Ethan and why?! The killer planned on framing Marina and her friends she met online playing a game called Darkitect unless they won 4 rounds of levels created by Cixi. But who is Cixi and why now?

This game dug into Marina’s mysterious past and hidden family secrets as well as threatening to destroy the other players lives. If you’re a gamer you would appreciate this book a lot just like I did. I think it’s every gamers dream to be part of their favorite video game and experience DLCs before anyone else, but not when it comes real life consequences. Overall I really enjoyed this book and would love to read others like it!

Marina has a past that she would like to keep hidden. She's been able to build a new life which includes a very close knit online gaming community but she still has many secrets that she's keeping from them. When the group is invited to a tour of their favorite game company, it feels like a dream come true. Until a murder and threats to frame them make everything become a living nightmare. Marina has to find the culprit before her past catches up to her present.

Hoo boy! What a rollercoaster....or online gaming adventure ride of a book this was to read! There are so many twists and turns in this book that I felt like I was in an online maze trying desperately to figure how to get out. The core group of characters is great. They work well together and sincerely want to help each other figure out what happened.

This is a very fast paced novel with sort of a dual timeline. The reader learns more about Marina's past and how it is connected to everything going on in the present. In addition to all the suspense and action, there is also Asian American culture weaved in and how it affects the overall plot. Also there is queer representation as well.

Even if you're not a gamer, don't worry. This story will still draw you in and you will get hooked. Fans of unique and diverse thrillers will enjoy this one!

First of all, this book is epitome of YA thrillers and why I love the genre so much. The twists and turns in this book are unhinged in the best way. Every time I thought I picked up a thread, it would get ripped apart and something else thrown at me. It was fast-paced, fun, and centered around gaming which was super fun to read about. The friend group was super fun as well, and I think that's important when it comes to characters.

Definitely one of the best thrillers in the YA genre.

Big thank you to Bloomsbury and Netgalley for the e-arc of this book!

It's Only a Game by Kelsea Yu was a killer YA thriller!
I was so eager to jump straight into this book and I’m here to say it did not disappoint!
This is a compulsive, addictive and fast-paced read with a well-crafted plot with interesting and engaging cast of characters.
I can’t thank Bloomsbury YA enough t for this eARC!

Thank You NetGalley and Bloomsbury YA for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

What a twisted tale. One that highlights the path life could take vs what it does take. Life is a game, now are you willing to play it? This book is twisted, dark, and lovely and one that teens are just going to love. I like having the back story laid out slowly throughout the book. It ties everything together so nicely.
Thank you so much to Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books, Blomsbury YA and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

A girl with a dark past finds herself being confronted with it when she and her friends are trapped in a deadly game... and if she doesn't beat it they'll be framed for murder. Marina Chan is on the run from her old life, a life that haunts her every waking moment and has left both mental and physical scars on her. She's managed to carve out some semblance of happiness and when her and her online gaming friends are offered a tour from their favorite game company, she can't resist accepting... even if it means putting her fake identity at risk. Yet things only take a turn for the worse when the creator of the game is murdered during their tour and the killer threatens to frame Marina and her friends unless they find a way to beat all four rounds of the game.... and this game will require them to steal, trespass, lie and worst of all.... the killer seems to be targeting Marina specifically. The longer the game goes on the more Marina's secrets begin to reveal themselves... and the killer might be someone closer than she could have ever imagined. This was definitely an interesting read, the book starts off one way, goes another, and then everything hits the fan in the last third of the book. The entire reveal and motivation behind the killer was definitely something. It's a bit of "All the Girls I've Been" vibe and features a wide cast of characters as well. I think if you are a YA reader who looks mysteries with that unfold between past and present and involve a complicated protagonist, I think this would be a book to add to your tbr.

Release Date: July 9,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Bloomsbury USA Children's Books | Bloomsbury YA for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

3.5 stars rounded up. This book didn't grab me right away. I thought it was interesting enough to keep me reading, but I wasn't really invested in until the last third. Then I couldn't put it down.

I'm not a gamer, so that aspect of the story didn't do much for me. It didn't take away from my overall enjoyment though. I liked the characters and the suspense. The ending wasn't really a surprise, but it was pretty intense. All in all, I'd say this was an entertaining, fast-paced YA thriller. I'm looking forward to seeing what the author does next.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

Immediate 5/5 stars. This books was so fun and different than so many other books I’ve read. It’s a YA book with younger characters, but the plot was fast paced and full of action which didn’t make it feel too young for me! I will definitely be buying a hardcopy of this book on release day! Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for the opportunity to read this eARC!

This was a fun YA thriller with lots of twists and turns. Granted, a lot of the plot was pretty predictable, however, it was still enjoyable. While there is death, there were times that the stakes just didn’t feel as high as they should have been. The issues tended to get resolved quicker than I’d like. Overall, this was an enjoyable read.

2.5/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Everyone knows I love a good murder mystery, so I was excited going into this. But ultimately, this mystery was so complex and hard to follow that I just spent a lot of time feeling like I was mentally doing math.

No spoilers, but the person who orchestrated everything in this book had a plan with so many little moving pieces that it is truly unbelievable to think that it all went off without a single issue.

Ultimately, the biggest issue I had with this book was the lack of stakes. I know each of our 4 main characters were threatened, but I didn’t feel the weight of those threats. And I feel like part of that is that the characters themselves didn’t seem too stressed about it. They took a lot of the events in this book remarkably in stride. These kids should have been way more panicked in my opinion.

Additionally, I didn’t think the side characters were very well developed. To be honest, I couldn’t tell you which of the boys in the main group was which if you described them to me. The bonds between Marina and the rest of the group needed to be seen more for me to truly believe they saw each other as a found family.

But hey, this is a quick, fast-paced book that will keep you guessing if you want a complex mystery!

In It's Only a Game games are made read. The banter takes on an edge with dangerous stakes. And throughout It's Only a Game Marina is constantly looking over her shoulder. Running from her past, with frequent flashbacks we witness just how her past could be coming back to haunt her. At first, the frequent flashbacks took me out of the reading experience, but I soon could see the arching and mirroring of the flashbacks with the plot. They are like breadcrumbs, echoes and fleeting glimpses.

I don't know actually know how I feel about this book. On one hand, it was okay, but on the other hand, I just didn't like it. I requested this book for the mystery aspect, but it fell flat for me. I just couldn't get past that. This wasn't as thrilling as I would have hoped.

This was an okay book. It was really fast paced and a lot going on but I kind of lacked caring about anything going on. Marina was a hard character for me to like. I didn’t understand or care for the way she did things. I also didn’t find her believable. I do feel like a select group of kids would like this book though.

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

Marina is finally set to meet the 3 friends she does online gaming with for a tour of their favorite company. The result is them being forced to play a version of a game just for them or they’ll be framed for murder and worse consequences.

This book is told in third person from Marina’s perspective. There are a few jumps back in time.

I liked the concept, although I wasn’t entirely sold on the execution. The multi-day game seemed to lower the stakes (they were still working and whatnot throughout?!) and it was less intense/high stakes. I also felt it definitely fell on the younger side of YA (FMC is 15 and definitely acts 15). I also hated the usage of the dog in the plot. Mini spoiler I guess: he’s fine.

Overall, if you’re into online gaming, whodunnits, and the early side of YA for the main character, give this one a shot.

It's Only a Game was twist after twist after twist! I loved the way the gaming element was incorporated into the story- it really elevated the stakes of the story within the world of the book. I highly recommend It's Only a Game for those that love gaming in books or just love a solid thriller.

Great premise, love the voice. Kelsea has a fantastic story here! A few wild plot twists that might not completely hang together but highly entertaining and fun.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC! Wow I really loved this book! The characters, the setting, the storyline…everything about it was great and had me hooked immediately! I’d highly recommend this book!

I've known Kelsea on IG for a while now and I was beyond thrilled to see her getting published with Bloombury, especially seeing the topics of her short stories.

I loved Marina and this core group of characters. All four of them are smart and loyal and a great example of found family. There are a lot of characters here and they all serve a purpose.

Plot wise, it was fast paced and a slow unfolding all at the same time. The past and present chapters helped bring the backstory while the "game" provided the present mystery. I loved having so many twists that just when I thought I had it figured out, something shifted.

Overall, it was an intriguing story that kept me captivated from the start. I can't wait to see what Kelsea does next.

**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**