I love that roasting billionaires has become a genre all in itself, and the newest by Catherine Steadman is on top of its game. Pun intended. Harriet is a British writer about to marry Edward Holbeck, the son of one of the most powerful men in America. And Harry seems intimidated by the prospect of meeting future in-laws and the rest of the family. Or don't they watch Succession in the UK? She's right to be apprehensive because this family, apart from being astonishingly wealthy and influential, is also weird. They like to play bizarre games. Grown-up versions of children's Halloween games, brought over from Germany, were hide-and-seek invokes pure terror, and Christmas games that turn even deadlier.

And then we have yet to talk about their mind games. Those would push every prospective daughter-in-law over the edge.

But Harriet is not easily unnerved; she proves herself to be assertive and maybe even as destructive.

The central relationship in this book is not between Harriet and her fiance but instead indulging in the incredible awkwardness of Harriet and her future father-in-law, Robert's connection. Harriet's knees almost buckle every time Robert walks in the room; her fascination and attraction are incredibly uncomfortable and intriguing. From his side, his interest remains opaque.

But after meeting her once, Robert leaves Harriet with a tape cassette, with what seems to be a confession to murder.

It's delicious how Steadman turned an anxiety-filled time for any future bride, meeting the parents into this deadly cat-and-mouse game. Or better, a perfect match between a tom and queen because Harriet is no meek prey; her grit shows when she is put to the test. This is a woman who takes charge. And she might be the one thing this family needs to redeem itself from its past sins.

So, there are creepy contests, spooky locations, ambiguous deaths, a lot of sleuthing, romances gone wrong, and as many twists as there is room in The Holbeck manor.

It is gothic, richly written, twisted, uneasy, and has a kickass protagonist to root for.

The Family Game by Catherine Steadman is a fantastic fast paced read.

I really liked the main characters Harried and Edward .

There are multiple twists and turns that kept me guessing throughout the story.

This is an interesting thriller where the main character is actually a thriller writer that gets into a real life situation that feels a lot like a thriller itself. She even decides to go ahead and use the story as the plot for her next book without knowing exactly where she was getting into.

*3.5*

There were parts of this that I really enjoyed like the Krampus party, I really want to have a Krampus party now. And that wasn’t the only game “played” in this book so it def lives up to its title. I enjoyed the pieces of story that were part of the tape that was given to Harriet, I thought it really helped to amp up the tension and you really get a feel for just how powerful this family is. Which of course helps set the stage for the final game. I was engaged and I couldn’t wait to get to that final showdown and scene and when she arrives at the mansion, I audibly said “oh snap, here we go”.
Now I know what you’re thinking; seems like you liked a lot about this book so why did you give it 3.5 stars?! Hear me out … Mainly because I REALLLLLYYYY wished for a different ending. Now I will say the ending did catch me off guard which I guess is really the goal, but I wanted a completely different ending; a darker ending and I wished Catherine would’ve taken it there. Another thing, a big plot point was this tape that Harriet receives, and she takes her sweet time listening to that tape. And in my head, I’m thinking COMON, people are far to curious for that. We all know that tape would’ve been listened to in its entirety in one sitting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow that was a messed up family! Couldn’t put this one down but everyone was extremely dislikable. The last twist felt a little convienent so this was a good but not great thriller!

𝘼 𝙜𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙖 𝙜𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙩. 𝙒𝙚 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮 𝙖𝙨 𝙬𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮 𝙖 𝙜𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙚, 𝙃𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙩. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙝, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧.”

Harriet aka Harry, is a budding novelist. She’s engaged to her perfect match, Edward, a man who comes from a family rooted in old money, and odd traditions. For the bulk of their relationship, Edward has managed to keep Harry away from the vice grip of his difficult family. But with their impending nuptials looming, Edward can only shelter Harry for so long.

Reluctantly, the couple gets roped into attending a holiday with the Holbecks, each member more eccentric and mysterious than the next. That is, until, Harry meets the family’s patriarch, the magnetic Robert Holbeck. Equal parts repulsed and attracted, Harry finds herself wondering about the head of the household, and his inscrutable intentions.

One day after an awkward dinner, Robert gives Harry a cassette which reveals some shocking information. However, connecting the dots soon proves to be easier said than done. What follows is a mind game of epic proportions, on brand with the heady Holbeck history, setting off a chain of events, each more outlandish than the other.

Let the games begin.

One could say The Family Game is a sort of like a warped Christmas novel. It’s what Die Hard was to Christmas anyway, both minus Bruce Willis. The first half of this book was quite intriguing. After Harry meets the Holbecks, however, I wanted more interaction with all the family members. Giving each character backstory implies motive, and thus gives the reader a reason. Instead, the second half of the book flounders a bit in absurdity and audacity. While I predicted the twist, the ending felt like it was missing something that would have felt broken, regardless of my sleuthing.

A psychological thriller that follows the lives of a wealthy British family as they navigate secrets and lies. This book has an intriguing plot, well-developed characters, and unexpected twists. Catherine Steadman's writing style is sharp, tense, and atmospheric, making for a fast-paced and engaging read. I highly recommend this one!

I have read other books by Catherine Steadman but this book she really knocks it out of the park. It revolves around Harry, short for Harriet, a woman from England and a famous author with her first book being a best seller. She meets Edward Holbeck who is from the U.S. and is from a extremely wealthy family. Within a few months they are engaged and she hasn’t even met his family. Edward seems to avoid them. The book takes place over one month. Harriet meeting the Holbeck’s on Thanksgiving where Robert, Edward’s father calls Harry into his study, makes conversation with her and then slips her a cassette which she has to buy a device because it is so outdated so she can listen to it. There are a few more family functions that are bizarre and the tape Harriet has to listen to is awful. It appears to be accusing someone of someone’s death. They, the Holbeck’s had another son that died many years ago. Without giving away spoilers, everything culminates on Christmas at one of their mansions with more crazy games including the other siblings and their children. I never saw the major twist coming and who the real culprit was. Absolutely a fantastic psychological thriller!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙍𝙐𝙇𝙀𝙎
1. 𝙇𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙮
2. 𝘿𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝
3. 𝙏𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙣𝙤 𝙤𝙣𝙚
4. 𝙍𝙪𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚
𝙍𝙀𝘼𝘿𝙔 𝙊𝙍 𝙉𝙊𝙏, 𝙃𝙀𝙍𝙀 𝙏𝙃𝙀𝙔 𝘾𝙊𝙈𝙀 . . .

📍 Read if you like:
• Christmas Games
• Rich Families
• Twisty Reads
• Ready Or Not

This Christmas thriller was so twisty and at times terrifying. I knew I immediately wanted to read it after reading the synopsis - it was the perfect spooky read for the Christmas season.

I didn’t know what to expect out of this book, but I’m glad it was a hit. The Christmas games were so fun to read about, but one of them was super terrifying - I got the chills.

While I did love reading it physically, I highly recommend checking out the audiobook. It added to the suspense as the tapes have a special effect and they sound creepy listening to them.

I loved the rich family filled with secrets. While I did predict part of the ending, there were some twists I didn’t see coming. The book is best to go in not knowing much, but it did remind me so much of Ready or Not.

The mansion setting and cat-mouse game with our MC, Harriet/Harry, was so well done. I think this book itself was so unique and well-written. There’s so much suspense!

I found myself so invested in the story that it was hard to put the book down. I flew through it, I had to know what was going on.

There’s too much to the story that it’s hard to not give away too much, but if you haven’t read this one I highly suggest you do! Especially if it’s the audiobook and near Christmas!!

So suspenseful and I loved the new twisted element of having rich pretentious families participate in evil games.

This has a great story line. It keeps your wondering what is going to happen next. Then there is a twist at the end you dont see coming.

This storyline had so much potential. Maybe it's because I read and advance copy and there were so many inconsistencies in the timeline and plot that (I hope) were fixed before publication, but this just didn't live up to my expectations.

It wasn't awful, but it also just wasn't great. It felt very slow at certain points and too rushed at others. It wasn't super predictable, but I can't say I was necessarily surprised by the ending either. It really was just an okay book. As a big suspense and thriller reader, it just didn't do it for me personally. But I'm sure there are people out there who would absolutely love the slower pace of this one.

Unfortunately this book didn't work for me. Thanks for the copy in exchange for an honest review. But only two stars for me. Thanks

Words cannot express how much I love Catherine Steadman's books. Every single one has blown me away and I cannot wait for another one.

Harriet is given a tape by her soon-to-be father-in-law, Robert, and is told not to tell her fiancee Edward. She started by thinking it was a novel but soon realizes it is something far more sinister, and it's not fiction.

It is VERY hard to put this book down, so I suggest starting it when you're not too busy and you can just read, read, read. This book will keep you guessing until the very end. It was truly fantastic.

A thriller novelist becomes inextricably involved with an extremely wealthy family. As she begins to uncover the secrets to their longstanding wealth and success, she soon discovers she may be in over her head.

Upon reading the prologue and first couple of chapters, all I could think to myself was "wait, is this not that satirical horror film Ready or Not? Isn't this the same premise? Haven't we done this before?" And while I'll admit that first appearances aren't always what they seem, there are quite a few elements to this novel that were reminiscent of that particular film. Obviously the twists and turns of <u>The Family Game</u> were different and entertaining for sure (through predictable). This was a quick and enjoyable thriller, just not necessarily as original as I had initially hoped.

I thought the book was great! It started off slow but once the book picked up about halfway through, I couldn’t put it down! It was super atmospheric and would’ve been the perfect read for the holidays. The love the way the story was told and even though the book wasn’t super twisty, it was quite suspenseful. (I did predict the big twist but that did not detract from me enjoying the book!) The games were interesting and I loved how the game at the end cleverly lead the MC to the killer!😊

Thanks so much, NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine, for the eARC of the book and to PRH Audio for a complementary copy of the books! All opinions are my own!

Catherine Steadman was phenomenal as a narrator!

3.5 stars.

The premise of The Family Game by Catherine Steadman is great fun! A woman is invited to spend the holidays with her fiance's family, and what starts as a family celebration turns into a deadly game. This is a dark story that doesn't take itself too seriously and take the reader on a wild, and somewhat wacky, ride!

I read this while visiting my family over the holidays, so a great time to read a story about dangerous family games over the holidays! I was intrigued from the onset of this story when Harriet first met Edward's weirdly eccentric family. Their strange games made for an interesting read because I could not even predict what would happen next. As the story went on, I don't know that I ever fully bought into the whole concept and final reveal. I know this is not really supposed to be a realistic story, but it was so far-fetched and over the top that I still had a hard time buying it.

This is a breezy, entertaining and twisted thriller! Nothing too serious but still makes for a fun read!

I loved the premise of this but it fell flat for me. The end was so over the top and out of left field I was shaking my head. I was frustrated with how stupid Harriet was throughout the novel but was hooked with the fast paced page turner quality, but the end really missed the mark.

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of The Family Game by Catherine Steadman from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and opinion. I've enjoyed previous books from Catherine Steadman and couldn't wait to sit down and read this. OMG! This book will take your breath away and keep you guessing until the end. Loved every single page and can't wait to read more by this author.

Wow this was like a cross between Ready or Not and Rosemary's Baby. I found it so entertaining and basically couldn't put it down. The writing was great as well. Overall, I really enjoyed this one, even though I figured out the ending, it was thrilling to read it all unfold.