Love that I didn’t see the twist coming! Super easy to read, effortless, easy to recommend! Stedman does it again!

One of the things I find myself thinking after finishing this story is if it seems too good to be true, then it probably is, which is mostly what happens here. Harry is doing well with writing and publishing best-selling novels and has moved from Europe to New York for the man she loves and is hoping to marry. Edward is the heir to a huge fortune as a son in a vastly wealthy family and Harry can't believe he picked her, loves her, and wants to marry her. She, of course, has a secret of her own that she doesn't want him to know either though, but little does she know the secrets that his family holds.
This was a thrilling read. It was an intense psychological thriller, and while it had some twists and turns, I kind of guessed and knew what they were. I knew when the pieces fit together what was happening and I was torn about how I felt about Harry because when I started reading the story; I liked her, but then I found out about her history and questioned her character. I'm still not sure how I feel about her with her past and with what happens, but then this story is very much out of the ordinary for what would normally happen when you meet, get engaged, and plan to marry the guy of your dreams.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine Books for letting me read and review this enticing and edge-of-your-seat thriller. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A rich, eccentric family. A time-honored tradition. Or a lethal game of survival? One woman finds out what it really takes to join the 1% in this riveting psychological thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Something in the Water, Mr. Nobody, and The Disappearing Act.

Harry is a novelist on the brink of stardom; Edward, her husband-to-be, is seemingly perfect. In love and freshly engaged, their bliss is interrupted by the reemergence of the Holbecks, Edward's eminent family and the embodiment of American old money. For years, they've dominated headlines and pulled society's strings, and Edward left them all behind to forge his own path. But there are eyes and ears everywhere. It was only a matter of time before they were pulled back in . . .

After all, even though he's long severed ties with his family, Edward is set to inherit it all. Harriet is drawn to the glamour and sophistication of the Holbecks, who seem to welcome her with open arms, but everything changes when she meets Robert, the inescapably magnetic head of the family. At their first meeting, Robert slips Harry a cassette tape, revealing a shocking confession which sets the inevitable game in motion.

What is it about Harry that made him give her that tape? A thing that has the power to destroy everything? As she ramps up her quest for the truth, she must endure the Holbecks' savage Christmas traditions all the while knowing that losing this game could be deadly.


3.5 stars!

This book totally reminded me of the movie Ready or Not. I really enjoyed it for the most part.


Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing/ Ballantine Books for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

WHAT. A. FINISH. Catherine Steadman has never disappointed me and “The Family Game” was no exception.

A spooky, twisted family saga set in Manhattan & upper state New York. We meet author Harriet Reed in quite the compromised position in the first pages, setting up a thriller storyline only Steadman is capable of. Harriet’s sweet fiancé Edward comes from quite the diabolical family. Between his controlling siblings Matilda, Oliver & Stuart, his mysterious mother Eleanor & disturbed father Robert, we have a difficult time knowing who we can even trust.

As Harriet’s & Edward’s relationship blossoms, it’s apparent his family will do anything they can to keep them apart. Or will they? Pick up this sinister novel today - perfect for reading on spooky October nights!

Pros: This was a fast-paced, plot driven thriller/suspense that I think readers who love that genre will enjoy. I read it in one day.

Cons: Although I enjoyed this reading experience, I don’t think I will remember this book among the many others I read in the thriller/suspense genre.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read this book.

I was really excited for this thriller with a very intriguing synopsis and fun cover but unfortunately didn't love the writing style. I didn't care for the FMC very much and found her inner monologue to be incredibly frustrating to read. It was repetitive and way too much word vomit. The writing style was very "I did this, I said this, I thought about this" and leaving nothing to the imagination or up for reader interpretation. I found a lot of her thoughts to be repeated chapter after chapter and she could not stop freaking thinking about Robert!!

Apart from the FMC, the storyline was mostly intriguing, but the huge twist was really just not surprising at all. The ending also felt rushed and like it jumped to the epilogue way too early. This thriller has some good elements and would be fun to read around the holiday season, but overall I found it to be just okay.

Thank you Ballantine for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Harriet has a bestselling thriller and is newly engaged to Edward, heir to a huge family fortune. While Harriet has some secrets lurking in her past, she has no idea how many secrets simmer just under the surface of Edward’s outwardly gentile family. But then his intimidating and powerful father, Robert, invites Harriet to play The Family Game—and nothing is ever the same again.

“I know I can handle myself—better than most. I have been through too much to doubt that fact. I know I can do what I need to do when my back is to the wall.”

While it takes a while to become a pulse-pounding cat-and-mouse thriller, fully 40% of the book feels like women’s fiction or a romance, it is definitely worth the wait. Once the game begins, it is a perfectly enthralling, compelling, and fast-paced read. I couldn’t stop reading! The Family Game is highly recommended for thriller readers looking for a family-centric plot. 5 stars and a favorite!

Thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

Thriller

Another stellar story from Steadman!

A woman with a past, a man estranged from his billionaire family, a marriage, lots of family secrets all combine for a blockbuster of a mystery/thriller.

Harriet Reed is about to marry into the Holbeck family - think old, old money from the Industrial Age in America. There is a problem - Harriet is a novelist from England with a past secret no one can know. Her fiance, Edward, has been distanced from his family and is very cryptic about the why. When she looks into Edward's past there are some mysterious events surrounding his former girlfriends. Edward's father drops a bombshell on her as well. Writing mysteries is her forte, but is the truth stranger and more deadly than fiction? Harriet has to find out before she becomes part of the family.

I loved this novel. Steadman keeps the tension high throughout. The plotting was great and I was motivated and intrigued to turn pages quickly. Was it perfect - no. Did I guess the "whodunnit" - yes, but there were enough twists that I didn't see coming that I was engaged to the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC of this novel.

Harriet, a British author, lives in New York with her fiance, Edward. They live a life of bliss until Edward's family, the Holbecks, seek to bring Edward back into their fold. The Holbecks are full of mystery and intrigue, old American money and a castle like home in the Hudson valley. They have power and connections. Eyes and ears everywhere.

This is my favourite Catherine Steadman novel so far. The story slowly built up the intrigue, the mystery, the thrill. We know there are secrets being kept and a dominating arm in society that influences the media and corporations but, we are uncovering along with Harriet how deep and dark the events are. I think we all start off suspecting Robert, the head of the family, and things look particularly damning for him once we listen to the cassette tape he slips Harriet with some shocking confessions on it. However, is this a wild game of cat and mouse to trap Harriet into confessing her own dark secret?! Trust no one but yourself!

This book wasn't super spooky but Krampusnacht was scary! I was on edge reading the whole section and the games that were played that night. The finale chapters in the Hudson valley also had me holding my breathe. I thoroughly enjoyed the game and definitely recommend it!

This is one strange family! Harry is a writer who is enoying the success of her first novel. She is going to marry a very wealthy man, Edward Holbeck. Harry has something in her past she's keeping hidden as she could go to jail if anyone knew. Edward has been putting off introducing Harry to his family as he and his father don't get along. When Harry finally visited the family to meet them, the powerful Robert Holbeck slipped her a cassette tape. Upon playing it, Harry realizes it is a confession, but is it real or not? Then she's invited to holiday dinners and gatherings, during which this family plays some strange, and I think cruel, games. After some of this strangeness, Harry changes the subject of the book she is working on to be about this family she's going to marry into. She also finds out she is pregnant.

Harry listened to that cassette tape on a rather slow timeline. To me, I can't even imagine waiting so long to find out what Edward's father wanted her to know. That seemed unrealistic - I know Harry was really busy with her new book, but this would have been a priority to me. I'm surprised Harry wasn't scared to marry Edward after experiencing the famly.

This was a good mystery and there was definitely some tension buildup. It kept my interest, even though I had to suspend belief to swallow much of it. The games played at the masion were intriguing, though they would have damaged any child's psyche.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on October 18, 2022.

Out of all Catherine Steadman's novels I have read, this one had the fastest pace and the characters were more dimensional. It starts as a slow burn, but catches up quickly and I couldn't put it down. Harriet (Harry) Reed is engaged to Edward Holbeck, the heir to a huge family fortune of old New York money. They play a family game, unlike typical family game nights. This game isn't chutes and ladders and the stakes are very high. Harry is s very strong and empowering character. Read along to play the game.

Thank you #BallantineBooks #CatherineSteadman & #NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I knew that THE FAMILY GAME was going to be a family drama but was not expecting it to be so sinister! This reminded me so much of SUCCESSION meets KNIVES OUT. This was my first book by Catherine Steadman and am excited to read more from her. Part of the plot seemed a little over the top to me but overall, I really enjoyed this book - fantastic thriller that kept me engaged the entire time!

Reading Catherine Steadman’s The Family Game I couldn’t help but think of the movie Ready or Not, a crazy over the top horror/comedy that came out a few years back about a woman marrying into a rather psychotic family. I loved that movie and loved this book. While not quite the same, there are definitely similarities as The Family Game features a wonderfully twisted and at times humorous storyline centered around a completely twisted family that likes to play deadly games. I don’t want to give too much away, but The Family Game an intense, past paced thriller perfect for anyone looking for a short break from reality. 4.5 stars! Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of The Family Game.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R2LEGZMREGO8P5/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Thanks Netgalley for an advanced reader copy of this novel. I read this author’s first book and enjoyed it and I thought this one was even better.

This is the story of Lucy & Edward, a newly engaged couple. If you watch Succession, his family reminded me of the Roys. A very wealthy family with 4 siblings. Edward is the oldest and isn’t very close with the rest of the family but after the engagement they all want to meet and get to know Lucy.

And then Edward’s father gives Lucy a cassette tape with some horrifying information. And then things basically go downhill from there. There’s an absolutely bizarre holiday event at a siblings’ house that’s equally funny and horrifying. And what about the tape? Is everything on it true? Is it a fictional story? I really liked this book, the pacing was a bit slow but it’s interesting and a great read for this spooky time of year.

This thriller opens with a prologue where main character Harriet is lying on the floor of a mansion bleeding, then jumps back about a month to her engagement to Edward, and soon meeting his extremely rich and increasingly creepy family.

Much of the early suspense is this driven by your knowledge from the prologue that things are eventually going to go wrong - but then once things get going, things get more and more sinister and crazy. Sometimes when books go cuckoo at the end like this one does, it loses something for me, but in the case of this book, for whatever reason it totally worked for me. The book may not have been realistic, but boy was it entertaining and suspenseful - read it in about 24 hours!

This is the third of Catherine Steadman’s four books I’ve read (still need to go back and read her second book), and I’m also struck by how different each of her thrillers are. She’s definitely becoming a must read thriller author for me!

𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝐹𝒶𝓂𝒾𝓁𝓎 𝒢𝒶𝓂𝑒 𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌 💖

Pub Date: OCTOBER 18th 2022
𝕋𝕠𝕕𝕒𝕪

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:
This was a fun fast paced thriller! I will say, I figured out 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐭 right away but I still enjoyed the ride and the game aspect of the story.

This book is literally Ready or Not movie 🎥 vibes.

A dysfunctional wealthy family and no fairy tale ending? 🧚🏻‍♀️ I know what you are thinking you have read 💯 books about this and GUESS WHAT you have - but this one is still worth the ride 😉

Thank you @netgalley & @randomhouse for the ARC of #thefamilygame

𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭: 𝐑𝐮𝐧 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤

Why do I want to have a Krampus chase now?! Like, sign me up. I would have so much fun with that. When I read the description for this I immediately thought of Ready or Not which is a campy but fun horror movie (that I’ll recommend you watch) and I knew I had to read it. I love when books have chapter titles as it makes me guess what’s going to happen next - I wish more authors would do that! Harry was likable and I was rooting for her the whole time. She also made some smart decisions to protect herself which I could really get behind. If you’re into toxic families than this one is for you!

I loved this book. The whole premise was amazing and I in no way predicted the twist which I appreciate. I thought the character development and prose were spot on. This author continues to improve with her writing which I greatly appreciate.

Many thanks to the author Catherine Steadman, Penguin Random House and NetGalley.

Even with all the money you can fathom, you can't choose your family. Or can you? An author with her first book meets the man of her dreams. One year later it's time to meet the family, a family who likes to play games. Creepy games. Terrifying games. Games that could kill Meet the Holbeck Family. A wealthy family with old money that can keep everything hush-hush, need be. The father, after meeting his new soon to be daughter-in-law with her first book out, thinks its a good idea for her to listen to his own story he has recorded. This must be a game. A test The father takes matters into his own hands to prove a point. A deadly point.

Another hit for me! 5 stars, highly recommend reading.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book, but it definitely wasn't Krampus nightmares!!

The Family Game is a slow burn; suuuuuch a slow burn. Could have easily been 50-75 pages shorter. I don't understand how our MC just dicked around so much with access to information. Homegirl had the whole story in her hands and instead of just listening to the entire thing she stops - for DAYS AT A TIME - to go on her own little detective spree as if she was cosplaying Sherlock Holmes. Throw into the mix an infuriating relationship between our MC and her beau - how you going to marry someone you know nothing about? and how you going to just not tell your fiancé anything in a year + time together?!?!?! - and an uncomfortable dynamic of Daddy Warbucks pinning on the part of our MC, and you've got a story that made me super uncomfortable and equal parts frustrated.

But, somehow, I still really like this? The writing was quality, I was thoroughly engaged from page one. And despite the first half being super slow, the back half was a rush to the end. I definitely did not see half of what happened coming - I'm still hung up on the random Krampus story line and TBH I would lowkey want to play except I would punch the thing out because I don't do haunted houses. The family was so damn weird but intriguing at the same time. I don't know; it just all worked really well for me! Yes I was frustrated with our MC but that's par for the course with thrillers and the dumb women in them, and writing that can pull multiple emotions from the reader is a mark of a story and talented author.

Highly recommend and low key recommend for the holiday season? IYKYK.

TW/CW: mention of abortion, murder, killing spree, serial killer, gore, stalking? None of this was overly graphic as I am a wimp.