Play the Fool is a fun whodunit. Katie was a really interesting character, her actions can seem rash but her intentions were always good. I was intrigued by the tarot cards and would love to see more than that. One thing that slowed me down was Jamie. He didn’t feel like his place fit well with the story. I would read another book about Katie to see how she grows.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing -- Bantam for the ARC of this book. The opinions are mine alone and given freely and honestly.

Katie True works in a Russian tchotchke shop in the local mall. She also has an affinity for reading tarot cards. A loner most of the time, she befriends Marley, who works in another mall shop. Her world is turned upside down when an injured stranger wanders into the shop and has a picture of Marley's dead body on his phone. Katie has to know what happened to her friend.

I wanted to like this book. The early part of the book moved a little slow bit pulled me in. The characters were interesting. Then the plot took a turn and tried unsuccessfully to be mysterious. I figured out the situation a little after halfway through. This book takes itself too seriously.

Katie's interactions with law enforcement are not believable at all. The actual crime is needlessly complex and again not belelievablem It just falls flat.

"Play the Fool" is an amusing tale about a young lady, Katie True, searching for her place in life and realizing she is capable of more than she (and others) believes. Katie is a disappointment to her family due to her inability to hold a job. She is talented with tarot cards and talented at reading people, getting them to reveal more about themselves than they intended. However, she does not know how to translate that into a successful career. However, when her friend Marley disappears and appears to have been murdered, but the police don't show much interest (as there is no proof of a murder), Katie has to use her talents, determination, and the tendency of others to misjudge her to solve the mystery.

Play the fool is a fun, light, mystery filled with sarcasm and self-depreciation. I thought Katie was very real, and I really related to her in a lot of different ways, she isn't perfect by any means and isn't really happy with what she's doing with her life. Katie knows what she wants but not exactly how to get it. When she meets Marley, Katie feels like she's met a kindred spirit. Marley doesn't judge or make her feel like less for working in a trinket store in the mall.

So when Katie sees a picture of a dead Marley on this strange guy's phone she knows that she has to figure out what really happened to her friend. This gets her into some trouble. Thankfully one of the police officers she met seems to believe her and actually helps her investigate. I really liked the cop Jamie, he's definitely a workaholic when we first meet him, but when he meets Katie things start to shift a bit, and they find themselves hanging out, well it was after she was threatened but it happened, and you could see the feeling developing between them.

I thought the mystery was good, I didn't have any idea what was going to happen from one moment to the next and had no idea how it was all going to end. I loved the tarot angle, and do wish we got a bit more of it, I also loved how Katie just kind of stumbled into all these clues, and ends up solving the case.
I will definitely be looking out for what this author writes in the future.

Play the Fool is a whodunnit mystery where, tarot card reader, Katie True discovers her friends missing and sets about unraveling the mystery of what happened to her.

At the beginning I wasn’t so sure if I was going to like this book, it took me a few chapters, but once I got wrapped up in the story there was no going back. I definitely enjoyed this whodunnit that had me guessing until the very end. I’m usually more of a cozy mystery fan, so the cynicism in the main character was a little much to me, but I quickly got used to it and started to like Katie a lot. This was a good read and I would recommend it to mystery fans, especially if you have some interest in the psychic elements found in it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!

Katie True is an amateur tarot card reader, working in a strange import shop as the latest long series of jobs she can't quite keep and doesn't care much about. When she accidentally discovers that her best friend Marley is dead, she decides to doggedly pursue a series of random clues and serendipitous happenings to discover what happened to Marley. Along the way, she will be aided by an inscrutable (and cute) police officer and her socially awkward brother as she faces off with burglars, mobsters, sentimental bodybuilders, and classmates-turned-cops.

If you like cozy murder mysteries featuring quirky characters, you will probably enjoy this one. Everyone here is quirky, other than perhaps the cute police officer with whom Katie has a "will they or won't they" vibe going on. Katie is a bit of a challenge as the plot's anchor: she seems to have no appreciable skills, can barely take care of herself, and as an amateur detective is rather incompetent. Her best asset seems to be her inability to recognize boundaries or danger--but maybe that is what it takes to be a good detective. She's likeable, at any rate, and that goes a long way in a cozy mystery.

Solid story, predictable ending, oddball characters, a hint of romance. Oh, and a gorgeous cover.

Read if you like:
👀 Mysteries
🃏 Tarot Cards
🔪 Who Dunnit
👩🏼 Relatable MC’s

Katie is written as such a relatable character. She is a bit messy and doesn’t believe in herself which is why she looks to the Tarot cards to help her with her life.

But when she sees a picture of her friend murdered, her tarot cards won’t be much help.

This one is trying too hard to be too many things in my opinion as there is romance, mystery, mafia, and many characters.

I also felt like the ending was a bit rushed and didn’t feel like it wrapped up well because of the speed of the wrap up.

Thanks to the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my review!

Katie True is not winning at life and finds herself working at the mall selling Russian tchotchkes. The one bright spot is her friend Marley who also works at the mall. Unfortunately, one day while giving a tarot card reading, she sees a picture on the clients phone of Marley dead. It is here that the story really jumps off. Katie, who is determined to find out what happened to her friend. I liked how much the use of tarot was used in the story and Katie's connection with the cards was entertaining. The story is not complex but it is enjoyable.

Thank you Bantan Books for the advanced reader copy.

Katie True tried to make it in Chicago but is now back living with her parents and jumping from one dead-end job after another. Finally, she meets self-assured Marley, who convinces Katie to use her tarot reading skills professionally and make a living doing readings. During a reading, Katie glances at her client's phone and, horrifically, sees a pic of Marley with a gunshot wound to her head. She's desperate to find out what happened to Marley, so desperate she's reckless around some very dangerous people.

This has an intriguing premise with mystery, thriller, and romance elements. I found the characters interesting and well done, and I appreciated the neurodiversity representation. Katie is a quirky, relatable, and chaotic character who has not lived up to her family's expectations of her. She dives headfirst into this murder investigation that spins out of control. I appreciated that she wasn't depicted as an instantly capable sleuth, though she did have good intentions and insights gleaned from her cards. Katie miscalculates at times, making bad decisions along the way. The character development was good, and I liked the characters, including Katie and especially her brother Owen. The banter between Katie and police detective Jamie was funny. I enjoyed the first half and would like to read this author in the future. However, a lot is going on in the book, and the mystery ended up falling a bit flat for me. Still, this will be popular with readers looking for a book that mixes tarot with mystery, humor, and romance that falls somewhere between dark and cozy. And the cover is fabulous!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Ballentine for the opportunity to review this ARC!

*3.5 rounded up

I probably would’ve bought this just based off the cover. Play the fool has a little of everything. Think Finley Donovan but with tarot cards and no kids. Laugh out loud funny moments and a good mystery I hope there’s more to Katie True’s story. I’m so glad my wish for this was granted!! Thank you

Unfortunately this book didn't quite work for me, the plot and the characters were all over the place and it didn't feel engaging to me, and I wasn't sold on why Katie would investigate Marley's death in the first place-- so much seemed more contrived than not. I love tarot themed stories, but their role in this story didn't feel as genuine as I had hoped. I'm sure others will like this more than me, and I'm truly thankful to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me a widget of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The story line was pretty good. It was a little mysterious how Marley disappeared in the book. It wasn't too bad, but it was long and not really a true mystery how Kattie was left in the dark about everything. I read it it was relaxing but very different than a usual mystery book.

I received this as an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The FMC is incredibly imperfect, and there were so many times you wanted to 🤦‍♀️ or shake her just a little bit, but I think that's what makes her relatable.

A tarot police consultant is a new one for me, but I enjoyed it! I liked her perspective and how easily she could shift gears but keep her eyes on solving the murder.

Thank you to @penguinrandomhouse for my #gifted copy.

Katie True is working a dead end Job and is kind of a mess but she’s okay with it! She finally makes a friend Marley who just gets her and she is so happy. Until shes reading Tarrot cards for a disheveled customer and finds out something happened to her friend! And now she has to get involved!

This book was a lot of fun! I loved the MC Katie. Her tarrot reading was so interesting, as she’s in a situation or talking to someone the cards pop up in her mind! This sometimes helps her in her precarious situations. The side characters Jamie and Owen bring so much more to the story too! There is special needs representation that I felt was done so well.
It had a twist I didn’t see and I enjoy that. It was just a wild ride of being reckless, finding yourself, friendship family and some bad guys!

In Play the Fool, Katie works as a Tarot reader in a mall with her best friend Marley. One day Katie is giving a reading to a customer. She gets some weird vibes and decides to go through his phone while he is in the restroom. While going through his phone, she finds a photo of her Marley dead! She goes to the police and an officer named Jamie helps her investigate this mystery and uncover the secrets.

This book is being touted as a mystery-thriller, but after finishing it; I’m saying it felt more like a “cozy mystery” than a thriller. I say that because it has a really comfortable energy to it, and it goes down easy, so it holds your interest and makes you want to keep reading. Yet it lacks a lot of the grit that I have come to associate with thrillers. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing necessarily but just be prepared for what it really is.

I have mixed feelings about this book. It is a strong debut novel and I wish the author all the best. I enjoyed our main character Katie, with her cynical and quirky vibes, as a tarot reader myself I enjoyed that aspect of it as well. However, I feel the book had a hard time deciding what it wanted to be: A cozy mystery? Romance? Coming of age? I finally decided to call it a cozy mystery and I did enjoy reading it. I was contacted by the publisher to read this, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to read this book before its publication date. I would recommend this book to those who love their mysteries cozy but not too scary and strong female protagonists. Katie is very brave and also a bit crazy which can get her into some bad spots sometimes! I say a solid 3 out of 5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine. Play the Fool will be released on March 28th, 2023.

Play the Fool drew me in with it's pretty cover. Being Wiccan, the Tarot drew me in and the synopsis got me hooked. This sounded like it would be right up my alley. And it was, for the first 30 or 40% of the book. After that it kind of felt like I tripped while running downhill, when you get into an awful downward slide and can't stop yourself until you hit rock bottom. On top of not much really happening besides the main character being stupid, there were times where it went back in the past and then back to the present, with no warning. It left me confused when we were and what had happened. This book really ended up going flat for me, when I wished it would be perfect.

Play the Fool is a debut novel from Lina Chem and it was a super fast-paced thriller with a few moments where I laughed out loud.

First Impressions:
I loved the cover. The colors and the glow of neon. I’ve always been interested in reading tarot and I loved the descriptions of the MC’s mind as she categorized people based on the cards.

I can’t say I loved the main character, Katie True, sometimes she frustrated me and I was internally lecturing her throughout the book. But she was a good anti hero and by the end I was rooting for her.

Lots of action, seedy crime syndicates, people not who they seemed and even a touch of romance (but not in an overtly annoying way) the good type of romance.

Wonderful first book and I’ll be checking out others that this author releases.

Katie has been in a rut for sometime not sure of what to do with her life. Her latest mall job selling trinkets is the usual boring work until one day, manning the register, she stumbles into a murder mystery. And the person murdered is her best friend. With that starts a series of events that includes snooping, getting mixed up with the police, connecting clues, running from trouble, being threatened and a whole lot of chaos getting interjected into her ho-hum life. Does she truly know her friend? Will she find her killer?

This was a quick, enjoyable novel. The premise of our protagonist being a card reader added a nice twist to the plot line and character building. It was interesting to see how she constantly reads people and builds pictures of situations. Also how she sees herself and reads herself in the same manner. The plot did a good job of keeping you on your toes from one clue drop to the next. Katie is a lovable but messed up character who you are constantly rooting for. I recommend this to anyone who wants a light murder mystery. 5 stars.

Review based on a digital Uncorrected Proof provided by Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley. Thank you!

This was such a fun murder mystery! Katie True works at Firebird Imports, a Russian tchotchke boutique in the suburbs of Chicago. Her failed attempt at adulting as led her from one dead-end job to another. When a man bleeding from a head wound comes in, Katie offers to give him a tarot reading (something she's very good at) partially just so she can figure out what is going on with him. When he is momentarily distracted, she sneaks a glance at his phone for intel and finds a photo of her best friend, shot through the head. Um, what? Katie very quickly gets embroiled in the mystery of Marley and what happened to her. With some help from her new cop friend, Jamie Roth, Katie may even help take out a crime syndicate!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Bantam for this e-arc.*

Thank you for a copy of this novel for an honest review.

I wanted to love this novel more than I did. I loved the whole idea of the Tarot cards and even tho I pushed myself to finish the book , the ending felt completely flat for me.