A Black teen desperate to regain her Ivy League acceptance enters an elite competition only to discover the stakes aren’t just high, they’re deadly, in this searing thriller that’s Ace of Spades meets Squid Game with a sprinkling of The Bachelor.

Wow this book was good. Think Hunger Games but young women competing for Ivy League status and the hand of a millionaire heir. I absolutely loved all of the characters even the evil ones. Everyone was so complex and really fleshed out. I found the games horrifying which was the purpose. The finish was amazing and really the best way for the book to end. Highly recommend for Young Adult fans.

Thank you @netgalley and @simonandshuster for allowing me to read and review this book.

"You must work twice as hard to get half as much. "

It's not often that YA scares me - but oh god this book had me so scared, and YET I KEPT READING because I was so insanely hooked by this book. This book is the perfect blend of squid games x the bachelor x ace of spades!

Their Vicious Games follows Adina, a hard working middle class girl at an elite school where money rules all. After an altercation with a mean girl gets her Yale offer rescinded, she knows her only chance is an offer to the Finish - an elite selection process of the best and brightest girls held by the Remington's, the family that founded this land where the winning girl gets invited into their fold.

3 events, the Ride, the Raid and the Royale. 3 chances to prove herself as the best, while having less resources than any of the other girls that were raised from birth for this. But after one girl dies opening night, Adina learns this isn't just a game for a prize, it's the prize of survival - and that she's against impossible odds.

As Adina fights to survive, she knows that this game isn't worth the ending - but she can't seem to escape. This is such a good satirical look on the rich, racism and the upper echelon of New England. I read this in one day and I have to say it's truly brilliant. Suspend your disbelief and read this.

rep// Black MC

cw// guns, violence, blood, murder, death, racism, classism, trauma, PTSD, misogyny

Thank you to the publisher for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 Stars. Was it entertaining? Sure. Basically a matchup of Gossip Girl & Squid Games. But it was also unrealistic to the point of being cringy (the dialogue, the plot, all of it) -- I'm really supposed to be believe that if a dozen daughters from some of a close-knit community's richest families turned up dead or went missing, nobody would look into it? I don't care how rich you are. I don't buy it. Other than that, the characters felt very formulaic and the author had so much potential to explore interesting questions of class and race but from my perspective, failed to do so. I recognize that it was a YA novel but that doesn't have to translate into one-dimensional characterizations or stereotypical narratives.

Their Vicious Games is a promising and compelling thriller debut. It has all the drama, fanatics, rich white people being annoying as usual and unlikeable characters. Adina stood out throughout the story, with her morals in sight and determination to come out alive of the game.

"You must work twice as hard to get half as much."

Special thank you for this ARC to @netgalley @jowellington @simonandschuster

➡️SWIPE for synopsis👉🏼

MY REVIEW::
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I've been really getting into YA Thrillers lately, and this was another great one.

This book reminds me of a cross between Hunger Games 🎮 and The Bachelor 🌹. I loved it❤️!!!! Originally, it doesn't start out that way, Adina is under the impression this is just a contest of smarts🧠, but finds out it is more different than she is led to believe🤺.

This book is full of twists🎢, turns, unusual comradery🫂, and even some steamy love affairs.😘

I don't want to give much more away, but if you like anything you've read above, definitely check this book out. It did not disappoint!

ℙ𝕌𝔹 𝔻𝔸𝕋𝔼:
OUT NOW!

QOTD❓️⁉️❓️ What are you currently reading? What's a genre that's surprised you lately?

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#thrillerbooks #suspensethriller #thrillerreader #thrillerlover #thrillerobsessed #bookrecs #bookreview #bookstagram #bookaholic #booklover #bookstagrammer #booklove #bookcommunity #bookobsessed #bookworm #booksofig #booksofinstagram #bookish #bookishfeatures #tbr #bookbuzz #mysteryandthrills #BookstaBFF23 #thrillerbooklovers
#yathriller #theirviciousgames #joellewellington
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wowowowow this book was so good! I loved the plot and the suspense and action kept getting better and better!

thank you for granting me early access to this book. I finished it on the plane and couldn't put it down.

I really liked the main character and how it kind of reminded me of "the purge" but crazy pyscho family edition.

I also liked how it touched on classists and more.

Deff recommend! :)

This book is chaos in the most delicious way possible. Think The Selection by Kiera Cass meets Hunger Games and you'll come close to the overall vibe of this YA mystery.

rating: 4.5 STARS (rounded up for GR)
genre: ya thriller, ya mystery
release date: Out Now (7/25/2023)

Adina Walker has had everything taken away from her after raging at the daughter of a powerful family at her elite private school. Suddenly, her future no longer involves getting out of her hometown and the Ivy League - but there's a solution. Get an invitation to The Finishing - a competition held by the reigning family of her town. The winner sees all of their dreams come true...but what about the losers?

This book was a WILD RIDE. No one is what they seem, you're not sure who to root for or who to trust, your allegiances will change more than once. Basically, by the end, I decided to trust no one and just hope that the characters I liked turned out to not be absolute trash human beings - and mostly I was right!

Honestly, highly recommend if you're looking for a fast-paced, suspend reality kind of thriller.

Read If You Like:
Teenage competitions
Cultural main characters
Opposites Attract
Cultish stories

Desperate to reclaim the future she lost after one moment of lost control, Adina Walker, joins the Finish, a high-stakes competition put on by the Remington Family, founders of the prestigious Edgewater Academy that Adina just graduated from. But secrets are deep as Adina learns that nothing is as she expected and there is something not quite right within the Remington family. And the cost of reclaiming her future may be more than she is willing to pay.
The description was spot on with the Squid Games vibe. With a POC main character and elements of elitism, racism, and social commentary you just can’t put this down it is so thrilling.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book reads something like an upper-class LORD OF THE FLIES. At first, the girls committed to the game called the Finish believe it’s a week of puzzles and games. At the end, a powerful, well-connected, wealthy family grants the winner’s wish. Once the game begins, they learn they’ll be expected to play hard, sabotage one another, and even kill the other competitors.

At first, they seem reluctant. But as the game progresses and the stakes ratchet higher, it seems that Adina, who is determined to survive without killing anyone, maybe the only one unwilling to shed blood.

The pacing is quick, with challenges and social games often happening in back-to-back scenes. At times, the characters seemed a bit caricature-like. However, that exaggerated style lent itself well to the kind of twisted, psychologically on-edge story told here.

I liked Adina’s character and her determination to stay true to herself despite the chaos and danger around her. I also liked the way the romantic elements were handled in the book. If things had wrapped up neatly, I think it would have been unbelievable or too easy.

On the whole, I think readers looking for a dark, twisty game with a commentary on classism will find a lot to like in this book. Readers who enjoyed THE MARVELOUS by Claire Kann or TO BEST THE BOYS by Mary Weber will also want to check out THEIR VICIOUS GAMES.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.

I have actually skimmed through the book because reading it was a bit boring for me. Especially the audiobook.

Maybe I am over the age limit to read and truly enjoy this book. But, I believe that Middle School me would've ate this up, and I hope my students also enjoy this book as well.

5 Stars

Their Vicious Games quite literally can be described as a rollercoaster. A plot driven story filled with heart stopping reveals and action-packed scenes where the reader will be on the edge of their seat desperately wanting to know how it will all end. Wellington uses a more exaggerated plot filled with gore and praise, where the reader will have to suspend their disbelief, adding to the satirical nature she creates.

Wellington’s writing is beautiful allowing the reader to truly be immersed in the story. Many books tend to struggle with pacing, but Wellington is able to pull off the right speed at the exact moment it’s needed.

The story effortlessly explores themes of privilege, racism, power, and class relevant to the capitalist world we all live in. Their Vicious Games touches on how in society teenage girls often have to fight for power in a male dominated world that wants to remake them into a man’s idealized version of how a woman should act. Wellington very much plays on female rage in this story as each girl participating in the finish has anger built up towards, a male governed, society that they desperately try to shrink into.

Adina is written to be an unlikable and flawed character — often making questionable decisions while her life was on the line. Having an unlikable character, like Adina, for this story adds to the dark nature of this story. She’s determined to make it out of the finish alive, but she isn’t afraid to tell people the truth. Unlike most of the other girls competing in the finish, she’s compassionate but soon realizes that she must carry out unspeakable things to make it out alive.

Adina is given the room to make said mistakes — which is important for Adina as a black woman who is held to extremely high standards already. Some stories need unlikable characters, like this one and I’m hoping in the future we can see this more of this character archetype in young adult literature.

While Their Vicious Games features a romance it serves a different purpose compared to other YA stories. For Adina, it’s a way for her to keep her humanity in an intense and high stakes situation. Her love interest provides a safe space for her to get away from the horrific nature of the finish, but ultimately causes her more strife and pain.

With its action-packed plot, an unlikable main character, and beautiful writing, Their Vicious Games is a thrilling and captivating story that manages to artfully highlight social commentary extremely relevant to our own world. Joelle Wellington is an author to surely look out for and I’m quite excited to see what she writes next.

Listen to me good and well…this 👏🏾 book 👏🏾 was 👏🏾 PHENOMENAL! Check the trigger warnings before reading, and if it’s for you, go buy it now!

🃏 Joelle put her FOOT in her debut novel and I am so proud of her for creating this masterpiece of a book! If you liked Squid Game, then you will definitely love this book! As a matter of fact, the reason I was drawn into this book was because there is part of the synopsis that read “searing thriller that’s Ace of Spades meets Squid Game with a sprinkling of The Bachelor”. I didn’t think much of the bachelor part, but oh, was it a nice added bit of razzle dazzle!

🃏 The thrill was definitely present all throughout the book! I caught myself laughing aloud, gasping, screaming “oh nah, eff that”, saying“Pew Pew” 😂 and adding sound effects to certain scenes.

🃏 The characters were lovable and hatable, and a definitely saw through some of their shenanigans (Remember, if they shenan once, they’ll shenanigan)! Saint was a favorite of mine, and I chuckled everytime she intentionally messed up Penthesilea’s name. Pen was also an interesting character, especially when her true colors finally showed 🙃 really, many of the characters ulterior motives were rather….interesting to read about. These people were wild!

This is a thriller!!!

As a horror girlie and self-dubbed final girl, this was right up my alley.
Joelle Wellington does an amazing job of building tension throughout the novel. It makes for a page-turning read and even as some of the most gruesome things happen on page you cannot look away.
I devoured this is in little over 24 hours, the first I've done for a physical book all year. It was riveting.
If you are a fan of horror thrillers like Scream or Ready or Not then this is for you.

I spoke about this book on an instagram live and needless to say, I highly recommended it! This book is phenomenal and I think EVERYONE needs to read it! Schedules need to be cleared because they won't be able to think about or do anything else until they finish this book.

*4.25 Stars*

Adina Walker is one of the few Black students in Edgewater Acamedy, an elite school. And she's in there because her parents are part of the faculty. After she got into a fight with her ex-friend, Esme, she almost gets expelled and her acceptance to Yale is rescinded. So, she doesn't have a choice anymore, she has to find a way to get into The Finish. Organized by the Remingtons, the family who owns her school, The Finish is a competition where 12 girls compete to get access to the family's bank accounts and connections. But Adina doesn't know that this year is a special one and things are about to get even more vicious...

I loved the concept of this book. The author has mentioned that it's most of all a satire and I get that. But after a while it became a little too much and I had trouble staying into the story.
It was still a hit for me though. I really enjoyed Adina's character and just how complex and vicious all the characters were. It was captivating from beginning to end and I had actually no idea how it would end. Everything was so unexpected. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, it completely stressed me out, in the best way.
So yes, this was a great debut by Joelle Wellington and I cannot wait to see what she writes next.

I really enjoyed this one! The plot is fast paced and intriguing with well rounded characters. It tackles many topics through a darkly funny lens.

The concept of the book definitely got my heart. I found it to be such an incredible mix of The Hunger Games, The Bachelor and Ace of Spades, I just, woah. I really loved how I found some of these influences in this story. Yet, Their Vicious Games wasn’t a copycat of books / tv shows we all already binged. It stood on its own, with its own spin, its twists and fierce characters.
This story is told from Adina’s point of view, a Black girl from a middle class family, ready to do anything to get the Yale spot that belonged to her back… even participate in the Finish, this competition where the winner gets everything they want. I loved how driven, determined and bold she was and I rooted for her, right from the very start. She’s a bit messy, sometimes makes questionable decisions and certainly won’t be everyone’s favorite, but… I don’t know. She was just flawed, real and I really loved that.
The relationships between these characters are obviously messy, given the particular situation they’re in. Still, I absolutely adored Saint, another girl in the competition and Adina’s roommate. She was such an excellent addition to the story, I loved her drive and the friendship these two girls had. I would have loved getting to know her even more.
Their Vicious Games was an incredibly entertaining book. It was both exciting and terrifying (sometimes downright BRUTAL, really) to read. It’s filled with twists and turns you never see coming. It’s a book that grabs you from page one and just does not let you go.
Lastly, I loved the underlying critiques woven into the story, about classes, privilege, misogyny.

If you’re looking for a highly entertaining – and slightly brutal, but unputdownable YA thriller, I recommend Their Vicious Games. I’m looking forward to seeing whatever the author will come up with, next!

Wow, this book is an absolute wild ride from the very beginning until the end. Wellington really doesn't hold back and we're all the luckier for it! This is like Hunger Games without the dystopia with a little Bachelor thrown in and I'm here for all of it. Adina is a sympathetic determined hero who's easy to root for. I loved her friendship with Saint, another cool character who deserves an entire book of her own. The villains are deliciously bad. Top notch debut!

I loved every second of this book! The suspense had me on the edge of my seat and I loved the protagonist so much!

When the description said that this was a mix between Ace of Spades and Squid Games, with a smidge of The Bachelor, it wasn’t lying.

Their Vicious Games follows Adina Walker, a Black girl, that loses her Yale acceptance and any chance of getting into another Ivy all because she got into with the wrong person. Adina, along with her friend Toni, believe that the only way she can get it all back is by completing The Finish. Except The Finish isn’t what she thought it was.

I really enjoyed this book, I was hooked from the first page and I think Wellington did a great job constructing this story. The rich people in this book are disgustingly unhinged and Adina is like a deer caught in headlights once she realizes what’s going on. There were part of the book where Adina annoyed me because it seemed like she couldn’t see how Pierce and his Aunt Leighton were using her, but I also think that was the point. Adina is a very kind person and she wants to see the good in people, even the girl that caused her to lose everything.

My favorite part about the book is the relationship between Adina and Saint. Adina goes into The Finish blind but Saint did her research and they stick together. At first, I thought Saint was going to be shady and turn on Adina but I was happy that it was a genuine friendship.

I gave this book 4.5 stars and I cannot wait to read what Wellington writes next.

**Thank you to netgalley and Simon and Schuster Publishing for this arc***