This book blew me away. I love the twistiness of each character. I love that everyone is basically unreliable and changes chapter to chapter. This book kept my heart pumping the entire way through.

It definitely gave me hunger games mixed with inheritance games vibes and I loved it.

3.5/5⭐️
“That’s what makes losing it all hurt so bad-it meant nothing to them, but it meant everything to me.”

i saw this book being described as “ace of spades” meets “squid games” with a pinch of “the bachelor”, and i was sold.

i thought i knew which direction this book was going in but i was wrong! i’ve read so many books that it’s genuinely difficult for me to be shocked anymore, but this book did that. i never knew what to expect and i loved it!!

this was definitely the book i needed to read to get me out of my fourth wing reading slump! so so so good! loved the authors writing style and really enjoyed our main characters determination and ability to stay true to herself! would definitely recommend to literally anybody wanting something fast paced and unpredictable!!

thank you to netgalley and Simon and Schuster for an e-arc of this book!!

I absolutely loved this book!! I couldn’t put it down.
I just loved all the characters. I highly recommend this book.

Adina Walker has always been on a scholarship at Edgewater Academy, an upper class (and mostly white) school, because her parents work there. After losing control in a moment with a former friend, Adina had her admission to Yale revoked. Adina will do anything to get that admission back, even compete in a high-stakes game that the Remington family hosts called the Finish. Several young women in Edgewater compete in the Finish to be accepted by the Remington family and have all the advantages of their wealth and power. However, the stakes of this game aren’t what Adina predicted. She must change the rules to survive the Remington’s vicious games.

This was an intense competition story that reminded me of The Hunger Games and Ace of Spades. The game had deadly stakes, which wasn’t what Adina had expected. There was some racism and classism in the story, since Adina was the only Black girl in the game as well as the only girl who didn’t move in the same circles of the Remingtons. I found myself holding my breath while reading this because I didn’t know what twists the games would reveal next.

Their Vicious Games is an intense and twisty story!

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book!

Content warnings: racism, death, murder

This was a fun read. It definitely gave me Hunger Games/All of Us Villains vibes. I really enjoyed Adina’s character and loved her friendship with Saint.

The Finish was twisted and I couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next.

This book is INTENSE.

After a fight ruins Adinas chances of going to any college much less an Ivy that she’s being working so hard for her entire life, she’s desperate to do anything to restore her academic standing. This is where an invite to The Finishing could turn everything around for her. The Finishing is a competition where girls compete in three unknown tasks and the winner gains the favour of the wealthy influential family that hosts the event. And they can get Adina back into school. Unfortunately, this book is a thriller and Adina finds out that the finishing is way more than what she thought she was signing up for.

I was sucked into this story immediately. It’s faced paced and intense. I spent so much of the book being stressed for Adina and rooting for her to make it through. I don’t read a ton of YA Thrillers but I’m glad this made it into my hands.

I love reading books for young adults and it’s always my hope that sex isn’t a topic or at least not in such a blunt, classless way. I am a mom of 2 teens and 2 young adults and feel like they get exposed to such garbage these days. I will not be recommending this book. I could let get through the first 30 pages. If this book was written for the 25 plus group I would say fine but not kids in high school.

This was a violent good time! It was such a wild ride. I liked the main character but honestly the most noticeable part of this book is the plot. It ramps up at the beginning and never slows down. I really liked the way the author wove commentary into the story, and I think this was such a good satire.
I will say, I think the marketing of this book might make people like it a little less. I think it should've been more clear in the description of this book that it was satire. If people go into it not knowing that, it might make them like it less.
That being said, I think this is an awesome satire, full of ridiculous over-the-top antics, strong commentary, and a main character you can root for.

If you’re looking for a book that pits student-against-student with a dark Hunger Games/Squid Game twist, then Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington is for you. Adina has been lucky to attend Edgewater Academy thanks to a scholarship and she has dreams to attend Yale. Those dreams fall apart when she gets in an argument with one of her friends that turns violent. This leads to all of her college offers being rescinded. Now without any prospects, Adina ends up with a mysterious invitation to attend “The Finish” which only a select few female students are invited to. Adina knows that winning will open up doors for her and she will be able to attend her dream college.

The Finish is not what it seems. Girls from local wealthy families are chosen to compete, and what isn’t said is that the competition is to find a wife for the next Remington heir and no one else survives. The heir has a girlfriend who was invited to compete. The competition consists of three challenges, all of which Adina is unprepared for. In this no-holds-barred contest of skill, malice, and luck, who will remain standing at the end to claim her prize?

This book was well-paced, filled with great (albeit morally questionable) characters, and the ending did not disappoint. This book is dark, providing a portrait of the most extreme entitlement I could imagine. Yet somehow, this book remains hopeful. I look forward to more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

😮‍💨
I had to start this review with the heaviest sigh, because what a ride!

This book opens up with us meeting Adina, a young middle-class minority student going to school with the kids of the top 1%. She quickly learns that money can do a lot of things and craves to get the best education, rise in ranks, and never again feel powerless. However, as she joins a competition that she believes to be her saving grace, she quickly faces the reality of the world she wants to join. One where a classist and racist elite can use and abuse others with impunity for their own entertainment!

Someone described this book as Bachelorette meets Squid Game and it couldn’t be more accurate. This book kept me on the edge of my seat with each chapter, constantly trying to discover what each character was hiding behind their mask! As we get toward the end of this book, we see Adina get to the conclusion that the solution to her predicament is to eat the rich. And what a feast it was!!!

This book was a delight and will be recommended by me to all my friends!

This book is marketed as Ace of Spades meets Squid Game meets The Bachelor, and I can’t think of a better way to describe this novel. We follow Adina Walker, a black teen who loses her scholarship to her dream Ivy League school, and the deadly competition she joins as a last ditch effort to reclaim her planned future.

Based on the book's description, I knew I would like this book, and I was right. It’s fast-paced, bloody, with an exploration of class and race directly woven throughout. The book’s ending absolutely blew me away and had me gasping, speeding through and wishing for a good resolution. I also really enjoyed the exploration of friendship, both toxic and supportive. My only complaint was that at times the writing seemed a bit repetitive, going over the same issues without giving much further insight into Adina as a character.

Overall, I liked this one, and I think you will too if you enjoy:
- Survival/competition shows like The Hunger Games and Alice in Borderland
- Plot-based storylines that keep you turning the pages to figure out what happens next
- Tackling systemic discrimination and entrenched privileges

Thank you so much to Simon & Schuster Canada and Netgalley for providing us with an advanced reader copy of this engaging YA thriller.

This was SO GOOD!! so much darker than I'd expected but so so good. I loved the story within and the characters were incredible. It gave me like Hunger Games meets The Inheritance Games with Ace of Spades mixed in heavily. I loved every second of this book

I realize that this type of Mystery Thriller book is not for me. When I read a mystery, I want it to be fast paced, get right into the plot and be able to follow along with the investigation as the MC goes through it. This story felt like it had potential but was lacking in turning that potential into an interesting story.

I think it has good topics like racism, misogyny, and that money can't buy you everything, that could be added into stories a lot more. But I just was not interested in the plot of the story to keep me interested throughout the whole book. I ended up skimming a lot of it unfortunately.

The characters seemed interesting and I think I'd want to get to know them more but the story and plot made it a little hard to continue on. I really didn't like the whole training the girls into the social hierarchy/prep school setting.

If the premise of the story interests you, and I'd definitely recommend reading some other reviews to get a better idea if this story is for you before reading. I'm not saying this was necessarily a bad book just was not for me and my personal interest in books.

"This is why they took our phones."
The rich never play fair and will kill to remain in their closed circles.

From the beginning, as we are introduced to 'The Finish', I had the worst feeling, especially for Adina. As we see her being 1 of 2 people of colour in the game, I just knew that she was going to be targeted because when you have rich white people, they will 'humour' opening up their world but will do everything to stop new/different people from winning and becoming a part of their group.
Chapter 8 confirms the horror we all anticipated, and the fear for Adina reaches a new height.
The fact that she tried to leave got massive applause from me! I know it would be impossible, but I still appreciate her attempt and realize fast she couldn't.

The viciousness & cruelty of the girls was strangely refreshing to see. I like when girls can be cold and calculating when trying to win. The only sad part is that it is always for the benefit of a man, but this book shows that this is a man-benefitting world (much like our world), and the girl's goal is for them, even if it is helping the men. They are taking advantage of a rigged world.
However, it's rigged again and again; through gender, status, and race. Because these girls are at an advantage, they are white & from wealthy families, even while competing with Adina. And at its heart, that is a strong message in this book.

I just couldn’t get into this book. It wouldn’t keep my attention.

Maybe I am just too old to read YA still 🤷🏻‍♀️

Found out about this book through a booktuber I adored and was soo excited when my request went through<33

One of the best YA mystery/thriller I've read yet! I loved how seamless the plot and the writing is, and the author is really good at creating intense scenes that are definitely necessary for the games. There were some parts that I genuinely had to hold my breath because of how intense it was LOL. This book definitely had its moments at making me mad that I have to remember this is supposed to be satire.

I think my only issue with this book was that even though the main character is written perfectly, I didn't really feel the motivation enough out of the other girls and also the Remington boys and I think that could be explored more while I was reading.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

I really enjoyed the story and the wide range of characters it introduced to us.

I was expecting more of a Panic type story, but I was wrong. The constant suspense left me eager to keep reading until the end. Such great writing and diversity is rather hard to find, and I'm here for it..

Their Vicious Games is a satire and I loved it. Adina wants to regain her acceptance into her dream school but has to enter a competition.

This book is Squid Games meets the Bachelor.

I love any book that gives the Eat The Rich vibes.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this arc.

Unfortunately I just couldn’t get into this one. I generally like YA thrillers, but sometimes the characters and the story just don’t work well for me.

Thank you to the publisher for an opportunity to give this one a try

This book was so intense in the best way ever. It was an awesome thriller/mystery. It gave me Hunger games vibes and a little bit of the setting of gossip girl. I really liked it, the author did awesome, I love her writing. It had everything I like in a book. Mystery-Thrill- Adventure- Dark-Bloody, . It was a page turned, I just needed to know what happened next. The main character is pretty bad ass and I love her. I will totally be checking out other books from this author.