This was definitely a very thrilling read, right away it had me hooked and I didn't want to put it down until I knew the answer to 'Who is the victim and who is the monster?'

Loved this book. The main character Jessica is someone who initially is beaten down my convention. She's a larger lady and fed up of being victimised and berated for her weight and the way she looks.

Upon stumbling on Max, a gorgeous specimen of a man she thinks she might be able to change him but there's a dark reason why Max likes his women on the larger side. He is only turned on by fear, something that Jess is able to control and the pair seem to team up, with Jess wanting to give him everything he wants as long as she gets to keep him.

The playroom has some dark themes but is a very entertaining and at times funny read. I could not stop picturing the actress from Baby Reindeer and the comparisons are evident.

Great book and would recommend if you like something darker for the season.

The Playroom
By: Jocelyn Dexter

5 Stars

This book was not at all what I thought it would be. It was better. It gave a creepy twist on an already thrilling and dark story. It can even be a bit gory and chilling. It was a great scare.

Jessica wants a man, but getting close to people is hard. She is used to mistreatment because of her weight, and so when she is abducted, she isn't worried. She knows HE will be her new man. Max doesn't get what he expects when he abducts Jessica. He has met his match. Together, these two twisted individuals feed off of each other in the craziest of ways.

Wow. This was indeed one very twisty and crazy book. The characters were captivating and just made you want more. It was hard to put down. I just wanted to know what would happen next. This was a well written and descriptive book that made me stay up late into the night reading. It had a bit of a dark and crazy storyline that makes you say WHAT a lot. Or it did me. So, be warned. Jessica and Max are quite the couple. ;)

*I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this book in return for my honest review*

Stormi Ellis
Boundless Book Review

I'm not going to lie. This book was actually confusing. One moment she is in a restaurant the next in his car. It says she was kidnapped but really she wasn't. Than they both played head games. It wasn't alot of twist and turns and some parts had run on sentences. I know most don't want to hear anything but positive but this is just my feedback of the book. I did delete it from my kindle because I felt it's not fine to keep a book that I honestly didn't like nor could I even connect with the characters.

Thank you # Netgalley for the advanced copy!

Well, I fell for the don't just judge a book by its cover. In this case I looked at the cover and thought this will be something around a child and wow was I wrong! This is not about children! This is about two individuals who try to outwit each other in this case around kidnapping, raping and killing women. This was such an extreme read with disturbing content. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the read and finished it rather quickly, just was heavier content than I was expecting. It did meet that psychological thriller category though!

Thank you, Net Galley for sending me an advanced reader copy of this book. It was unique to say the least. This book is weird. It’s different; unusual all the way around. The characters are not what you’d expect, the storyline is interesting at first, but then takes a very weird turn that made it just bizarre.

Up to the very last page, you won’t see things coming, you’ll be surprised, grossed out and shocked, but it was too weird for me to enjoy it.

This book is unlike anything else I’ve ever read and I love thrillers. Hopefully someone else will enjoy it more than me.

First I’d like to thank Net Galley and the rest for the chance to read this arc copy. It’s release date is October 4, 2024

This book is odd to say the least. I liked the premise, I liked the idea that Max was crazy and Jess was supposed to be his next victim but she “ruined it.” I figured they’d just start doing it together since she was the only one of his victims to survive. Do they? I’ll never tell. 🤫 I’m giving this book 3 ⭐️ because while the concept is great, I began to feel like some chapters were repetitive. Max talking about how he’s the boss, Jess talking about how she’s the boss, an event, Max talking about how he’s the boss, Jess talking about how she’s the boss….. so on and so on. There were several chapters that could’ve been omitted and the book would still have ended up in the same place. All this to say, the book isn’t bad at all but it could be more. The twist definitely took my by surprise though. I didn’t see that one coming. If you like books about murder, kidnapping and foiled plans.. this one’s for you.

Wow! What a thrilling read! I could not put this book down. ⁣
Alternating between multiple POVs made it really fun and interesting, plus the more I learned about the characters, the more excited I was to see who was going to outsmart and surprise whom. ⁣
This book was darkly compelling, disturbing and twisted. ⁣
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Thank you NetGalley for this ARC that was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

I struggled to finish this book. I found myself really not caring because both main characters are horrible and it seemed like things that are horrible were being taken lightly. Strong trigger warnings. I wasn’t sure what to expect but it wasn’t this.

Jessica wants to find a man who will love her as she is. She finds the attention of Max, a good looking man with a dark secret. He's exactly what Jessica wants. But then Jessica is abducted by Max. Things take a weird turn, because did Max actually abduct Jessica or did Jessica abduct Max?

Wow, this book was absolutely unlike anything I have ever read! Super twisted, kind of weird (in a good way), and very unexpected. Best to go in blind but I will say this is nowhere in the realm of your typical thrillers. I read a LOT (I think this is book 112 of the year and most of those are thrillers) and I have yet to come across one like this. Super crazy and disturbing, I was constantly guessing where this book was going. The author did a really great job of causing doubt around the relationship between Jessica and Max and who is the bad guy. The characters are complex and really well developed.

Highly recommend if you are looking for something outside your traditional thriller.

Thank you Bloodhound Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to netgalley, the author and the publisher for approving my request to read this book.

The Playroom is a dark, atmospheric thriller that ramps up the tension with every page. It's expertly woven and the final chapter took my breath away, needless to say I was expecting that!

I loved the characters in this book, Jessica and Eve in particular really intrigued me.

I absolutely loved this book, 5 stars from me!

Unusual, at times quite disturbing and compelling.

The blurb doesn’t give much away and I’m careful to avoid spoilers. Trust me when I say this is very different and original.

Jessica meets Max, the man of her dreams or a psycho-k*ller hunting for his next victim? She’s convinced she can mould him into Mister Right…

I’d compare it to books like Samantha Downing’s A Twisted Love Story, Robin Roughley’s None, and CJ Skuse’s Sweetpea, and like those it’s hard to know just how seriously you’re supposed to take it, while still being entertaining and really quite compelling.

It’s well written and visceral. It won’t be for everyone, it’s quite an oddity and it’s good to read an unusual and challenging book once in a while.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bloodhound Books

With many thanks to Netgalley for this free arc and I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily.
This has got to be the weirdest book I have ever read -very twisted, warped and disturbing yet totally captivating and addictive. None of the characters are likeable, however the mind games they play make them interesting. The first half of the book is intriguing and you wonder where it’s all going, however in the latter half the story isn’t actually going anywhere but it’s fascinating enough to stick with it. This storyline would not look out of place in a Tarantino movie! If you like your stories warped with truly monstrous characters then this will be the one for you. 3.5⭐️

This was a dark and twisted read. Definitely different from the thrillers I'm used to reading. The author does a great job of having the reader guessing who's the victim and who's the monster. I found myself hating both main characters but I guess that's the point. Would recommend looking up the trigger warnings before diving into this book.

I was not able to put this book down! It was a true page turner.

I did not see that ending coming! Definitely worth a read!

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc

A dark thriller that is different from other books I have read so far. It is twisty and dark with characters who have their own complexities and challenges. Their past driving their present with them often being unlikeable.

Who's the captor and who has the upper hand. Both the characters are out there to beat the other with their own skill sets the other is unaware about. Overall an interesting read!

Thank you Bloodhound Books and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange of my unbiased review.

Well, this was one dark, screwed up story! Who is the victim and who is the monster? This story is full of manipulation and dark secrets. The author did a great job with the character development and several mental health issues. I enjoyed this one because it was twisty and thrilling. If you like dark thrillers, this is a great one!

Wow. Not what I expected but that isn’t a bad thing. I’ve read some jaw dropping and intense books but this one really surprised me and earned every single bit of 5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Well written, full of twists and kept me on the edge of my seat with my heart pounding. I finished it in a couple of hours because I couldn't put it down.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc. This was a VERY intense book! I was kind of bummed that the characters were so unlikable, I normally want to root for someone. However, very interesting plot and different from regular thrillers.