I never sent the review for this book. i found this book fasinating and at times hard to read. What this lady dealt with was so uncalled for. I applaud her strength and for sharing her story with us. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review.

I very much enjoyed this story. It was wonderfully written. I look forward to the author’s next book!

Sometimes secrets are better left unsaid. This was an intriguing and sad story that I'm not sure I enjoyed reading.

Beautiful memoir that reads like a novel. Extraordinary memoir and story of being raised by a narcissist

NOTE: I received a free Advanced Reader's Copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Memoirs like this are the reasons I love memoirs. Because truth is stranger than fiction. The story begins when mom Malabar wakes up 14-year old Rennie to tell her that Ben, Malabar's husband's best friend, just kissed her. And Rennie becomes entwined in Ben & Malabar's secret (or not-so-secret) affair, creating a twisted mother/daughter relationship that will damage Rennie well into adulthood.

With wonderful writing, we are introduced to lots of secondary characters of friends, lovers, siblings, and more. And, even better, get an inside look into the privileged life of Cap Cod's elite world where any day is an excuse for cocktails and gourmet dinner parties.

This would make an excellent choice for book club - touching upon the issues of secrets/transparency, a myriad of family relationships (mother/daughter, siblings, husband/wife), the legacies that impact our childhoods and formative years, and more.

Also note - while most names are changed for privacy, it only takes about two minutes of Googling to find out who Ben and Charles are, but I recommend you hold off doing so until you finish the book.

This memoire will grab you from the start. With a premise like nothing I've ever read before, "Wild Game" is a real in-depth look at the relationship between mother and daughter and how it can change from generation to generation. Fabulous!

I received a free copy of Wild Game from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Wild Game is a memoir that largely centers around the author's mother's affair with a family friend and the role the author played in facilitating that deception. The book begins by describing the family's wealth and summer home in Cape Cod. The first couple of chapters of this book, really put me off. I did not like this family and of course, I especially didn't like the mother. The inappropriate relationship between the mother and daughter sounded like it would be an interesting subject, which is why I wanted to read this book. However, the awful, selfish, narcissistic mother coupled with privilege, wealth, and snobbery was extremely unlikeable and unrelatable for me. To be honest, I probably would have put the book down early on if I were not reviewing it for NetGalley. It's clear that the author's mother Malabar is the type of woman that thinks having wealth somehow makes her better, more interesting or more elegant. In reality though, the woman was classless and trashy. The privilege and lack of awareness was just a bit gross to me. The author includes details bout elaborate meals, their 17 bedroom home, her stepfather's ancestors coming over on the Mayflower. Those things don't interest me.

I will say the book is well written, so that made it easier to continue reading and there were some interesting parts to the book. The book is split into three parts and by the time I made it to part 2, I was actually interested in how the affair would play out. I wanted to know if they would continue carrying on, would they get it away with it? Things also are even more complicated at that point when the author adds another layer of complexity to the situation with her own lover. I won't go into too much detail on that point so as to not spoil it for future readers. All I will say is that it adds a lot more awkwardness into the family dinners. Part 2 answered my questions and wrapped up the interesting bits in my opinion, so when I made it to part 3 I didn't really care much anymore. Part 3 is mostly just the author letting us know how she reconciled the deceptions of her past with her present and future self and comes to find her own happily ever after. Overall, this book wasn't really for me.

At the age of 14, Adrienne is awoken in the middle of the night by her mother, Malabar. Malabar tells her that their longtime family friend, Ben, has kissed her after their dinner party. Ben is best friends with Malabar’s husband and Adrienne’s stepfather, the godfather to her stepfather’s children and also married. Adrienne is pulled in as she becomes privy to Malabar and Ben’s illicit affair that spans decades. Teenage Adrienne doesn’t realize the ripple effect her duplicity in their affair will have over the course of her own life, as well as many others’ lives.

Brodeur’s depictions of her mother and herself are very in depth and I loved her writing style in her memoir. It is very descriptive and well written as you get pulled into the cat and mouse game that Malabar and Ben created for their families. Adrienne is asked to provide alibis and fabricate situations in order to provide them with more opportunities to be together. Adrienne and Malabar’s mother daughter relationship is explored and the consequences of lacking boundaries between parent and child. I found the chronology of this memoir to be great as well, as the reader gets the whole story across the lives of the subjects instead of just a snapshot. I really enjoyed this memoir that explores what it means to be faithful in romantic as well as familial relationships.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this memoir. The book was beautifully written and engrossing but I had to keep putting it down because I could not stand the narcissist mom. I kept reading to find out if/ when the author would free herself from her mom’s emotional hold. I am glad I read the book but I was really glad when it ended.

I'm so thankful I read this book, it was really inspiring. It made me feel like a better person for reading it. This book was absolutely amazing!

I absolutely devoured this incredibly well-written memoir that explores the inappropriate relationship a mother develops with her daughter by molding her into confidante, co-conspirator, and secret-keeper as she embarks on a years-long affair with her husband's long time friend.

The author explores the mother-daughter bond carefully by describing her own experience as a child, and when older, how she wished to define it as an adult and mother herself. My heart broke for young Rennie and the position her mother constantly put her in while she lied to so many she loved.

This was a quick summer read for me, and a memoir I would highly recommend.

I put this book on my list after Gretchen Rubin adopted it for her Happier Book Club. It did not disappoint! I don't want to give too much away but I will say this is a fantastical story of the life of a young girl sucked into a crazy world of her mother's choices. This is a memoir and wow does it deliver! Highly recommend.

Heartbreakingly beautiful. This book blew me away! I was unable to but it down. Perfect, dazzlingly, very well written. The details the author described throughout the book was so amazing. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers.

3.5 stars. Wild Game is a well-written, very accessible memoir of the damage a mother can do to her daughter. I read this book in one sitting and thought the author did a brilliant job in presenting a balanced narrative of her relationship with her mother. Although she is aware that her mother making her an accomplice in her extra-marital affair was wrong and extremely selfish, she can also include more positive moments in their relationship.

I also liked how she allowed us to go on her journey of self-discovery with her. We see her grow from a teenager into a mindful adult.

An quick, entertaining, thought-provoking read.

Thank you NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for an ARC for an honest book review.
Adrienne Brodeur has written a gripping memoir that evokes insightful moments and a myriad of emotion.
Rennie is a 14 year old girl, sleeping soundly on a summer’s night when her mother (Malabar) wakes her to reveal that she has just been kissed by her husband’s best friend. Deeply attached, Rennie is thrilled to be her mother’s confidante. In that moment and with that decision, Malabar’s manipulation will become unfathomable and very difficult to accept. Rennie’s complete devotion and love for her mother will break your heart as the reader sees Rennie lose her childhood as Malabar manipulates and uses her as a cover and provider of excuses and alibis so this secret affair can continue.
This is a beautifully written saga of generational dysfunction, of wealth and mistakes. After many years of struggle, Ms. Brodeur’s breaks the chain and makes the conscious choice to walk a different path. With healing, self-discovery and reflection Ms. Brodeur has finally found her well deserved peace.

This was a very intriguing tale about how a young girl got caught up in her mom's affair starrinf at age 14. It was a very quick read, well written and engaging. I found myself wanting to know what happened and NOT know what happened at the same time; I felt so bad for the author. 3.5 stars, rounded up.to 4.

Wild Game is a vivid, insightful daughter-mother memoir that explores the author's journey to know, understand and accept her beautiful, dynamic and unusual mother. Though the story is steeped in the unique details of the author's experience--a mother who commands attention and adoration but seems always just a step away from her daughter--it tells a universal story.

I enjoyed the style of writing, and taking me back to another time. It is refreshing to see a daughter who went through a lot of soul searching to find the way to love a mother for who she was, even if it meant recognizing that the person who was her ‘mother’ was not quite what you would expect. Adrienne Brodeur writes the book without contempt. As she peels away the layers of illusion and drama surrounding her mother, the author grows into her strong and talented womanhood. Loved the book...Highly recommend.

I absolutely love memoirs that detail the author's murky/unique/disturbing past, so I was of course excited to read "Wild Game" by Adrienne Brodeur,

Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy the detached form of writing - in a memoir, I want to be able to feel what the author was feeling, or at the very least empathize with them. Due to the hollow writing, I found empathizing with Ms. Brodeur to be tricky.

In exquisite detail, Adrienne Brodeur recounts her childhood, which was marred by secrets, unhealthy boundaries, and manipulation imposed upon her by her mother. The reader is then immersed in the author’s journey as an adult as she struggles to differentiate herself from her mother and to form her own identity. Her description of her mental health, anguish, and guilt is incredibly raw and honest. Although this is not an action-packed memoir and can be somewhat slow at times, the reader is allowed an intimate glimpse into the author’s experience that makes it gripping and emotionally impactful. Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Brodeur's writing is expressive and captivating. Her memoir follows a young Adrienne who is thrust into the confidant position by her mother and must live the knowledge of the affair her mother admitted to. Not just admitted to, but gleefully shared with her 14-year-old daughter that she is cheating on her husband. Her future life experiences, difficult choices, and emotional turmoil all boil down to that moment her mother confides in her.

I felt this memoir. The narcissistic mother, the guilt and unintended consequences of trying to do the right thing but constantly feeling unsure of yourself. Brodeur captured not only her confused adolescence, but also her disorienting adulthood with eloquence and style. It's a beautifully heartwrenching story about coming into your own, not allowing things that happen to you define you, and allowing yourself some forgiveness for past mistakes.

Read this if you want to dive into a mother/daughter story that is, of course, complicated, but also supremely well written. Read this if you want to see internal conflict, love and devotion, and lies and deceit put into words.