I'm not sure where to start with this review. When I went into this book, I was expecting a fun, Pretty Little Liars-tyle read with juicy drama and an exciting plot. I think this expectation caused some of my disappointment with the book, because what the book really is is social commentary on victim blaming and how a rumor can ruin your life. The book is actually extremely serious and deals with very heavy, upsetting topics that many readers will likely find triggering. Instead of a fun thriller with light social commentary, this book is a viscerally upsetting look at topics including eating disorders, rape, sexual assault, and racism. I think many readers will be surprised by the events in this book based on how it is marketed, the cover, and the title.


Unfortunately, though this book deals with serious topics, the way they are handled leaves a lot to be desired. Many of the issues are glossed over due to the choppy pacing of the book. There are three points of view in this novel: Cora, Georgie, and Bryn. Each chapter is very short, which makes it hard to connect with any character for very long. The authors would often introduce an issue with one character and make the reader think they would cover it in later chapters, but by the time we returned to the narrator, we would already be moved on to another problem.

The choppy writing also made the character development suffer. I felt I never fully understood what each character's main motivation was, so I wasn't sure who I should root for or like. Cora and Bryn are also extremely unlikeable, and the authors' reasoning for their behavior felt weak to me. None of the characters seemed to grow through the story, and most actually got meaner as the book went on. Bad things were happening to each character, but since I didn't know why these things mattered in relation to their personal goals and desires, I wasn't sure what the point of any of it was.

A lot of the events in the book felt confusing and rushed, especially the main event in the last 30% of the book. While reading, I felt as though the authors had created a bunch of plot points and put them on a wheel, and chose whatever the spinner landed on as they started a new chapter. There wasn't a clear direction to the story other than to prove that "rumors are bad." Because I didn't connect with the characters and there was so little character development, the book ended up feeling extremely preachy. Teens reading the book will know that rumors are bad and damaging. This book doesn't reinvent the wheel on that in any way or empower readers who might be suffering because of rumors. The characters who have done wrong barely receive any consequences, and the culture of the school stays the same.

In the end, this book failed to deliver the social commentary that may have been its intent. With its messy plotting and choppy execution, THE RUMOR GAME did not pack the punch its shocking events intended. The message of the book lacked nuance and dimension, and felt overly preachy. The serious topics were not handled well and often made the plot lose focus. If you're looking for a thriller that deals with social commentary well, I'd recommend Tiffany Jackson's books or ACE OF SPADES by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé.

I got to about 40% and had to give up. These kids are just entitled little snots. Not a single one of them has any redeeming quality.

Navigating social media platforms can be a fun, mindless pastime, but what if those same platforms used to post pictures of adorable puppies were also used to stoke the fire of salacious rumors? At Foxham Prep, the children of DC’s finest politicians and dignitaries are constantly competing for academic and social supremacy, and at the start of senior year former golden girl Bryn finds herself on the bottom rung of the ladder. She will do anything to reclaim her status, but she’s not alone in the climb and there is only a finite amount of room at the top. The duo of Clayton and Charaipotra work well together giving us a diverse group of teens all subject to the same insecurities and challenges.

This was a good but frustrating read. I felt for Bryn but at the same time, she was so toxic. So much second hand embarrassment. Georgie was queen. Absolutely loved her. Cora was cool as well. Though it was a little unrealistic how things went down, I think it made a good point.

I could not increase the font on this book on the Netgalley app. The print was tiny and even with my magnifying glasses, it was difficult to read. I wanted to read this book, but the app made it too difficult. The beginning of the book seemed to have potential.

Definitely worth reading! A bit slow but overall a fun read with a cool plot, for fans of Karen m McManus and other books of the like.

3/5 stars

If I’m being honest, this book really wasn’t my favorite. It was really well paced (I read in a matter of hours) and definitely interesting, but it felt like something was missing. The characters were okay. Kinda shallow, but they acted like typical high schoolers. There were lots of side characters who I can’t even remember the names of, but our main characters were intriguing I definitely didn’t anticipate the plot twist, and I thought it was good. While I had a bit too high hopes for this book, it was overall a decent read that kept me reading. I would recommend it if you need a quick thriller

This book gave off vibes of the movie "Gossip" but almost like an updated version of it in a way. This is the all to real story of rumors and the damage they can do.

I couldn't help but compare this book and the story to how things were when I was a teen. I'm a GenXer so we didn't have social media in any way shape or form. Yes we still had gossip and rumors, but it was no where near what it is like for kids today.

The story follows three seniors at a Washington prep school and how rumors basically tear their lives apart.

Co-Written by two amazing authors, the Rumor Game is a book all need to read

I just about screamed when I got the ARC for this one since I loved tiny perfect things so much! the teen drama, the backstabbing, the lies … *chef kiss*

so when I picked this one up and skimmed through the format, I was delightfully surprised to see a new kind of format taking place between traditional first person narrative writing, chat messages, and Instagram posts!

and I absolutely loved the concept of how bullying and slut shaming and racist remarks can change a whole person’s life with just a few taps. however, the whole mystery just didn’t live up to the hype for me.

I wasn’t sure which character I was rooting for when - cora the perfect senator’s daughter, bryn the scorned former best friend, or georgie the girl who just returned from weight loss camp and is suddenly the topic of the town. they all had their hidden agendas, but most of the time, I felt like I wasn’t really rooting for any of them???

I think I wanted to love to hate all of the characters, but I just couldn’t get into justifying what each of them had done and then cried about.

overall, I think this will be a great YA discussion book and hopefully cause a lot of people to look in the mirror. thank you to netgalley and disney hyperion for the ARC in exchange for an honest review :’)

rating: 3.5 stars
wine pairing: venezia moscato

The moment I saw this, I immediately picked it up, cause ANYTHING by Dhonielle is worth a read.

Instantly reminded me of TikTok with the certain situations the moment I read this. I enjoy how it kind of has a moral, especially with the Rumors; Rumors are more than just words.

Enjoyable, and couldn't put down.

This book reminded me of One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus and the Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shephard. I had also read and enjoyed Tiny Pretty Things from both of these authors and was hoping for something with a similar vibe of pressure and tension coupled with swirling rumors. However, I found only one of the three main characters to be compelling, and I have the feeling it wasn't the character readers were meant to root for. I had a hard time understanding Georgie's motivations, possibly because of a lack of backstory. If readers had met Georgie prior to her "transformation," we may have been able to sympathize with her a little more as rumors about her began flying. I also thought the ending resolved itself much too quickly--the big reveal was anticlimactic and left me confused and wondering how it was figured out. I also thought there were many clichés/there wasn't anything I hadn't seen before. I did appreciate the representation and discussion of very pertinent topics (slut-shaming, victim blaming, colorism, etc.), but this book as a whole fell flat.

Thoughts

As much as I wanted to like it, this book was ultimately bland and forgettable. Sure, there will be people who like it. There's nothing wrong with it. It just isn't a piece that stands out. It's simply "meh" at the end of the day.

Pros
Body Fixation: There is a lot of body fixation in this book, something that's not uncommon in contemporary YA. What makes this book stand out is the particularly negative effects of this body fixation. This book isn't afraid to tackle the significant problems with hyper fixation on the body, both internally and externally, from crippling self-doubt to the unwanted attention a body might get when it fits the right standard. This book really examines the hoops women are encouraged to jump through and the unfortunate situations they can end up in because of this cultural (as well as personal) focus on the physical body.

Invasive Media Format: Not only does social media--and online bullying--play an important and pervasive role in the lives of the girls in this book, but it also makes an impact on the book itself. Just as the girls get flooded with social media comments, this book does, too. Regular chapters are broken up with the posts, the comments, the texts and messages that come flooding in. This book embraces this newer medium of communication and transforms traditional print into a whole new format to fit. That embrace of new media definitely stands out. The pages here are teeming with internet gossip, and it feels like you could just keep scrolling...

Shifting Loyalties: This is a book where readers can never be quite sure who to root for--in a good way. The characters shift loyalties as more and more information comes to light, and the readers must accordingly shift sides. This gradual unveiling and changing of sides causes tension and does a great job of raising the interpersonal stakes.


Cons
Pure Contemporary: I don't mind a book that's purely contemporary, a book that's not the least bit genre. But this book felt like it was perfectly set up to be a bit more on the thriller side of things. It's got the voice. It's got the drama and interpersonal stakes. And because that's how it was set up, it felt ultimately and unexpectedly bland in the end.

Mean Girls: I've said it before and I'll say it again: I really hate books (and movies and tv shows) were girls are constantly at odds with each other. Just for once, I would like to see a group of girls who are positive toward each other and build each other up. Such friend groups really do exist, and it's a shame that we can only have mean, cat-fighting girls in our media. What does it say about us that we can't even write girls who are nice to each other in fiction? What kind of standard and precedent does that set? I'm tired of it.

Similar Voices: This is a book where multiple points-of-view really does the story justice. I mean, each of our girls here has her own story, a story that she has the right to tell all on her own. So the fact that we switch POVs is really good--in concept. The execution, however, wasn't stellar. Their voices all sound very similar. If you don't read the heading to let you know who is talking, it can get very confusing to keep track. Their stories are different, sure, but their narrative styles? Not so much. And that's a disappointment, especially when more than one author contributed here.


Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
5/10

Those looking for a deep-dive into high school politics after Natalie Walton's Revenge of the Sluts will like this book. Fans of Kyra Leigh's It Will End Like This will appreciate the spiraling paranoia in these pages as well.

the rumor game was vividly realistic to what gen z teens are put through in the era of the twenty-first century. the writing didn't exactly do it for me at time, but i always enjoy a good multi-perspective as we follow three girls who go to an elite prep school set in dc. the authors do well in showing depth to the characters insecurities and mental and physical health that they are go through with all the pressure put on them. and then we see how repercussions of rumors affect them in the worst possible way without any proof but the damage is already done and the nasty words are already out there on social media spiraling out of control and people in the hallways for these girls to see and hear. what kept the intrigue going was the back and forth seeing the media and public perception compared to the girls' who were the only few who knew of the truth and it was brutal to see when they didnt have a good support system around them especially coming from their own family. though it didnt end as readers wish it did, with consequences for the terrible people who's words have changed georgie, bryn, and cora's lives, its a message to tell that these are how things go in our reality for the people in power.

This book had a refreshingly original storyline, following the in-person and social media lives of a group of high school teens. The characters were well-written and dynamic, with each one a complex being that harbors both light and dark.
At a posh DC prep school, a pair of friends have been estranged. A classmate who has undergone a summer transformation arrives on the scene and upsets the hierarchy of the school, pitting former friend against former friend. This thrilling storyline will hold readers on the edge of their seats, and would be perfectly at home on Netflix. Shades of Pretty Little Liars, or Tiny Pretty Things, The Rumor Game is sizzling and breathless.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Cyberbullying. This book felt like an all too real modern problem. Parents love to say 'their kid wouldn't do that' yeah maybe not in person but cyberbullying can be just as brutal maybe more. Cyberbullying spreads like wildfire to anyone who has access to the internet.

I felt like the plot was entirely too predictable. I think any sort of consequences would have made this a little more realistic or interesting. There just wasn't anything that made this book extraordinary. The characters were unlikable and made annoyingly bad decisions, the dating tropes were lackluster and predictable, and the pacing of the book just didn't work. For me, this is more of a fun read instead of a hard hitting story that drives home "don't cyberbully." I also couldn't stop thinking of the Disney Channel 2011 movie cyberbully with Emily Osment.

Not really what I was expecting it to be at all.

I'll confess that prior to receiving my e-arc from Penguin Teen (thank you so much!) I hadn't read the synopsis as the name and cover made me think it was going to be a typical frothy YA thriller.

It wasn't that.

Instead, it's a slower moving YA novel about the struggles today's teens face in a world where rumors and gossip can spread even quicker with the reliance on social media.

That sounds like it could be really dull, really SteveBuscemiHelloFellowChildren.gif, but it didn't.

Clayton and Charaipotra are very in tune with the way teens talk these days and how they might react to stresses they face nowadays.

The stories are compelling, the plot is a bit slow and I think it could have been propelled forward quicker if some of the lesser rumors had been cut or combined. But when it gets moving, it really gets moving.

Overall, a completely enjoyable read, though, not one I will likely remember in a few months.

cw: sexual assault, fatphobia, racism

Overall The Rumor Game is a great young adult novel with very real high school themes portrayed. I am looking forward to reading more books by both of these authors.

Set in high school, this follows three girls, Bryan, Cora, and Georgie as they navigate rumors being throwing constantly around. I really liked the text messages, lists, and articles that joined the POVs of the girls which gave even more insight to the rumor mill. The details from Georgie and Cora’s perspectives when it comes to the Indian and African-American cultures in America were also excellent. I could really tell that the authors put their heart and soul into this novel.

The only thing I have against this book is towards the very end
(ATTENTION SPOILERS AHEAD)

The description of Georgie’s assault was really jarring and while it wasn’t graphic or goes into much detail, it definitely through me off. I think there needs to be trigger warnings at the beginning of the book to let readers know that this information will be discussed. While I have not personally gone through this, it was still a lot to read about especially when the rumors start spiralling again. I wanted to reach through the pages and punch Jase and it sucks that this is often something that happens in real life too.

Overall I enjoyed this book and I think it touches on a lot of common topics that happen in high schools today.

Let me start by saying.. oh. my. gosh. GIRLS ARE MEAN!
This book is like a mix of Gossip Girl x Pretty Little Liars x Riverdale.
I loved the multiple point of views. It gave you some information that the others didn't without giving everything away. There were so many twists and turns throughout the book it really kept me on my toes as I didn't know what to expect next.
This is definitely a teen drama, with social issues such as cyberbullying. Some people might find the Elite status of the characters annoying, but a lot of people are into it.
The final thing that I really liked was that no one was really the "bad" person. Everyone makes mistakes but it doesn't mean they're the villain.

As someone who grew up reading Pretty Little Liars, and even Clayton and Charaipotra’s own Tiny Pretty Things, I had such a fun time returning to these worlds of prep schools, lies, and most of all rumors. This is the kind of book that once the action really starts going, it’s hard to look away. I was never quite sure what was going to happen, with a number of plot twists weaving a story of rumors that ended up not being too much of a game. Though the last third of the book can't put the book down worthy, the first half starts to feel more and more like filler as you read. Ultimately, an exciting thriller, though perhaps a little bit too long for its own good.

This book sets up the whole rumor game as we’re introduced to a school full of the children of DC’s elite, with drama already stirred in the form of what’s rumored to involve a jealous ex and a car crash. Though it’s quickly revealed to the reader that this isn’t quite the truth, the distorted view of the event still reigns. It speaks to the way rumors work, and overall the book can be taken as some pretty potent commentary on the effects of rumors and social media on teens (or really anyone, but that’s not the focus). It warps characters in wrongdoing that they might not even know the scope of, and forever traumatizes others. To some degree, this book nearly goes to a lot of extremes that many might not be able to imagine, and yet they’re also somewhat the online norm.

I found myself pretty interested in all of the characters, particularly Georgie (Cora is a close second, I just think that her position as a Queen Bee wasn’t nearly as relatable to me). Through the multiple POV’s, you’re able to see how viewpoints vary and ultimately how the rumors are actually affecting people. Especially when it comes to Georgie, seeing both how her past and present amalgamate into something even more intense, as well as how a perceived New Georgie affects her in the wake of fatphobia and sexual assault. One thing that felt lacking when it came to Georgie’s story was a further discussion of eating disorders. The issue never fully feels resolved, in the sense that it almost feels like the book wouldn’t quite condemn them. I understand that’s the kind of storyline that doesn’t always fully resolve, but it felt like it was bordering on supporting the issue. On the other hand, I wish we’d gotten a little more depth and closure for Cora throughout the book. All the tidbits we see of her are so rich, and I think the book would have been even better if more time had been dedicated to explore her own insecurities and self ideations.

Probably one of the best things about this book for me was the way that it didn’t try to pin all the villainy or bad things onto one person, easily vanquished as if social injustice can be wiped away with one person. There are clear people who stand out as overall antagonists, but every single person has a hand in something that went wrong, and all those rumors don’t just disappear. When handling issues as big as this book does, bullying, sexual assault, racism, fatphobia, addiction, and more, it can be tempting to make one person the culprit and then once they’re gone, everything is all better. Though not everyone started the rumors, everyone had a hand in spreading them and even making them worse. It doesn’t end with one person getting punished, and it’s the most realistic outcome that could happen in the book, and about the best ending that could be hoped for.

My major problem with the book is what I would describe as pacing. There wasn’t anything that just felt boring and awful, but there were whole chapters that felt more gratuitous than anything. I wasn’t even sure where exactly the main conflict was going (or even really what it was) in the first half of the book. We’re introduced to all these awful rumors and assumptions, but the existence of a solid conflict or villain doesn’t fully form until much later. Ultimately, this leaves some of the characters less fleshed out than they could have been, and an ending that felt so rushed that I was surprised that I had turned to the last page. Though it’s common for thrillers to wrap up quickly, this one just felt like throwing clothes in the closet to be dealt with later, rather than the satisfying closing of a book.

At the end of the day, I did enjoy this book. There was never a point where I was bored, even if there were times that it felt like it was taking forever to get to the point. With zippy plot twists and engaging characters, THE RUMOR GAME is still a must read for thriller and YA fans alike. If thrillers, rumors, lies, and social commentary all mixed together sound like your thing, then I would recommend this book.