I loved this atmospheric, cozy thriller that immersed me in a world of ridiculous wealth and toxic family dynamics. Several of the scenes were so visceral and horrific. Absolutely loved the style of Steadman’s writing and I will be seeking out more of her novels.

I chose this book as my palate cleanser after reading The Last Chairlift and it was definitely a great quick read to get me back in the game !
This book was quite well paced and the story was quick and captivating. It took twists and turns and soon it was easy to predict the actual culprit, but how the author got you there and the ending was a rollercoaster of wild chaos. As to why any family would tolerate a family member killing their loved ones i don’t know, I was a little baffled since there was no real explanation as to why authorities would be kept in the dark.
I was compelled enough to keep turning the pages but the ending left me wanting - so many storylines that just seemed to be left open and plausibility was a real issue for me here.
The Family Games the Holbecks play are definitely not for everyone - more of a survival of the fittest than a fun family get together.
What I did like a lot was the seasonal setting - perfect for right now stretching from shortly before Thanksgiving to Christmas.
Beauty, extreme riches and love woven into tragedy and murder make for a delightfully twisty, if somewhat messed up, read.

Harriet Reed, aka Harry, is about to marry the man of her dreams. Edward Holbeck is handsome, funny, comforting and rich. We aren’t talking rich like the 1%, we are talking about old money that makes him more in the 0.1%. His background and family make Harry, an orphan who had to work hard for everything in her life, a bit intimidated. Okay, a lot intimidated! Harry has “a past” and this family knows everything about everyone. Can she pass herself off as a clueless, innocent wife-to-be?

Edward, relatively recently, had a falling out with his family, but now that he’s getting married, he wants to introduce Harry to his family. This family…well, they like to play games (and I don’t mean like Jenga or Twister - though most of them would be good at Monopoly!). Harry finds herself not only in an awkward world of billionaires, but in the terrifying position of playing these psychotic games.

Edward’s father, Robert, seems to enjoy the games the most out of anyone, and with Harry, he has found an equal sparring partner. These games - already weird - take on a new tone with her. As the book winds through the holiday season, the games get more intense, as does Harry’s fear. What the hell is wrong with this family, and who on earth is the man she’s engaged to?

The first half of this was good, but slow. The writing has almost a formal feel, and trying to unravel all of the people in this story was slightly tedious at first. Around the 70% mark, this finally started to get good, as we get to the final game. The ending was alright, but there was just something about this book that left me unenthused. I didn’t care for any of the characters, the unfinished book writing thrown in, or how slow it was to start. I’m giving it 3.5 stars, rounded down because this one was decent, but nothing exciting.

(Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Catherine Steadman, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.)

This book sounded really interesting like a couple movies I’ve seen so I was eager to read it. I ended up liking it. I thought it was a good thriller. I love these types of thrillers and enjoyed reading it

The Family Game, by Catherine Steadman, is a wildly exciting twisted story of psychological suspense!
The protagonist, British novelist Harriet “Harry” Reed is romanced by American multi-millionaire Ed Holbeck, heir to his family’s Gilded Age fortune. After they become engaged, Ed’s family becomes very interested in getting to know Harry. When she joins them for Thanksgiving and the bizarre holiday called Krampusknacht, she realizes how eccentric and disturbed they are, but she is also attracted to Ed’s father Robert, the handsome charismatic patriarch.
The action picks up quickly as she is drawn into the drama and secrets of the Holbecks, culminating with their bizarre and deadly Christmas games. The clever plot and multiple twists are compelling and kept me engaged to the uber-dramatic conclusion!
The characters are broadly drawn and, at times, unbelievable. But the action is mesmerizing, which made this a fast enjoyable read.

Thank you to Random House Publishers/Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest review.

WOW. This was seriously so freaking good. I was shocked at how good it was. I’ve read Something in the Water (I think i gave it 3 stars? 4?) and Mr. Nobody (5 stars) and this is BY FAR my favorite from her. The pacing, the readablitiy, the SPOOKYNESS??? I didn’t expect it to be so SPOOKY! Multiple times my heart was racing and I was zooming through the pages. I did guess the twist at the end but I literally didn’t even care. The whole thing was amazing. This takes place around Thanksgiving - Christmas so the perfect winter thriller!!!

For what it's worth, I did enjoy this book, once it got going and the plot really began to charge forward. Given the circumstances under which I've read the majority of this book, it's a good sick day read, and distracted me from not feeling well. That being said, I do feel as though this didn't do many new things as a thiller-mystery? It all felt very recycled, and the plot twists didn't really hit. None of it particularly surprised me. Didn't mean it was bad, though!

Perfect for fans of the movie Ready or Not. A psychological thriller about a family that loves to play games, The Family Game keeps you on your toes wondering what will happen next. This book is wild and fun, I definitely recommend it.

I was slow getting to this one - but everyone was raving about it -so I made the time. And I loved it. A wealthy family full of secrets and their strange games. Harry and her fiance Edward go home to his family's estate and she finds out quickly they are one crazy bunch. I love books that are put together like a puzzle and this certainly was.

This book really kept me on the edge. Although I’m not a huge mystery suspense reader, I was completely surprised as the ending unfolded. The ending was a bit extreme but seemed fitting with this outrageous family.

THE FAMILY GAME immediately captivated me and I couldn't put it down. The premise, characters, and setting were very enticing, however without giving any spoilers, the ending did not live up to my satisfaction. I felt as though there were giant plot holes and left me with more questions then answers. Despite that, I still really enjoyed the book and foresee recommending this to others that enjoy family dramas / thrillers.

Thank you Netgalley and publishers for access in exchange for an honest review!

You know I always thought my family was dysfunctional but really after reading this, I'm good. So dark and twisty and screwed up and it made me start thinking of other famous families and wondering how close they come to these kind of situations. The torturous holidays take on a whole new meaning in the Family Game.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group Ballantine Books for granting my wish and gifting me a digital copy of the latest thriller by Catherine Steadman - 4.5 stars!

Harry is a novelist who just moved from England to the US where her fiancé, Edward, lives. Edward is Uber-wealthy, coming from a very powerful family, the Holbecks. Edward has been somewhat estranged from the family but engaged and with Harry newly pregnant, they accept an offer from Edward's sister to join the family for Thanksgiving. There, Harry is introduced to Robert, the patriarch of the family, who slips her a secret cassette tape that he says she must listen to. It gets weirder from that point, with Harry becoming involved with the games this family plays - and these aren't your average board games. This family plays to win at all costs. But Harry is keeping her own secret that she doesn't want the family to know.

While this one is definitely a bit over the top, I dove deep into this book and didn't want to stop reading. It's mad fun trying to figure out how it will all end up and the ending was quite satisfying. Block out some time to play The Family Game!

This was a unique, interesting thriller about a wealthy family with many secrets and the next person subject to participating in their games as she's entering their family. This story had a lot of the bones of what I enjoy, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting pace-wise, and the pay-offs weren't as fun as I was hoping.

Overall it was an average thriller for me, but I can see people enjoying this if you're looking for a thriller with unlikeable characters and some interesting surprises.

Thank you to the publisher for granting me an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Harry is a published author working on her second book when she meets Edward Holbeck, heir of a very powerful family. From the beginning, Edward is reluctant to introduce her to his influential yet intimidating family, but after their engagement it's time. His family is actually very welcoming when they meet for Thanksgiving and when Edward's father, Robert pulls her aside to give her a tape with an outline of a book, she promises to listen to it. But she soon realizes that the tape is more of a confession of a crime than a manuscript and she can't come forward with the truth without revealing secrets of her own better left in the past.
Every family has its own holiday traditions, but the Holbeck family is so beyond ordinary. Their traditions are strange and terrifying, especially to an outsider. I think after the Krumpus holiday, I would have run away screaming for good. Although I did guess fairly early on what would happen, the story was still a twisted thrill ride of fear and I loved it!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exhange for an honest review.
I read & loved 3 previous books by Catherine Steadman, "Something In The Water", "Mr. Nobody" & "The Disappearing Act" & I was super excited when I received her newest book, "The Family Game" to review.
"The Family Game" was another great book by Ms. Steadman.
It was an original, twisty, intriguing & addictive thriller.
The ending had an unexpected, jaw dropping conclusion.
I can't wait to read her next book.

Harriet is an up-and-coming writer, and Edward, her very rich fiance appears to be the perfect man. Life is looking great for Harriet as she accepts Edward's marriage proposal and thus begins her journey into meeting Edward's family. At her first introduction to the family, Edward's father Robert, slips a disc into her hand, telling her to listen to it in private. She later learns that the disc appears to hold a shocking confession. But is everything as it seems or is it deeper than that? Harriet soon becomes embroiled in a set of holiday "games" that Edward's family likes to engage in. Between the games, and the disc she was given, Harriet learns that the stakes might be much higher than they appear to be on their face.

I am, admittedly, a huge Catherin Steadman fan. I love the way she writes, her characters, and the way she presents a story. I could not put this book down. She writes characters that are believable, nuanced, and intriguing. I was able to put myself in Harriet's shoes. This bizarre set of circumstances that Harriet finds herself in is so unique, so riveting. I could not put the book aside until I learned the truth about The Family Game.

I highly recommend this book - it is perfect coming into the holidays!

Special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Ballantine Books, for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Family Game isa a clever thriller that had me reading it for hours without looking up from the pages! This would be a perfect book club pick for thriller fans!

3.5 stars - a fun, fast campy read that is twisty and twisted. Steadman is most definitely a must-read author for me.

I had not read any of Catherine Steadman’s other works before so I didn’t know what to expect as far as the writing, but I thought this was a fun read. I enjoyed the originality of the story, with the family and their perhaps sinister games and motives. Robert was an intriguing character, and Harry (Harriet) was well written with some good depth to her character, even if she did make me shake my head a couple of times. The story was an entertaining slow burn, and it may take a few chapters before it started to get suspenseful, but I was always interested. The ending was a bit OTT, but still enjoyable, kind of reminding me of the movie Ready or Not. I had fun reading this, especially during the last 25%.