I’m always excited for a new Rachel Harrison book and while PLAY NICE was not my favorite of hers, I really enjoyed the ride! Clio’s character was quite fun to follow! There seemed to be some formatting issues with the ebook— mom/demon annotations popping up in odd spots.

Five incredible stars!! Omg this was amazing.

Thank you Berkley Publishing for access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Will provide my full review closer to pub date per Berkley review guidelines.

Another @rachelharrisonsghost book that I’m obsessed with. Few things I love more than a good haunted house story, and this delivered. It was creepy, Clio was an amazing FMC she was witty but my heart also felt for her. The complicated relationship between the sisters and the mom had me completely sucked into the book within a book passages. What was real? What wasn’t? I ate this book up and you will to!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you to @berkleypub and @netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review. PUB Date: 9/9

Another spine-chilling and jaw-droppingly good novel from an author who is quickly earning her spot as the queen of horror in my book. Play Nice is a fabulously written story about parental trauma and overcoming the demons that try to tear you down. This is the kind of novel that you won't want to read alone in the dark. I was constantly kept on my toes and found myself looking over my shoulder from the creepiness oozing from the pages. Despite knowing that Clio and her family are only characters Ms. Harrison's skillful writing had me feeling angry and frustrated on the MCs behalf multiple times. A demonic masterpiece that is a perfect read coming out just in time for the Halloween season!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

I enjoyed this, but had a hard time figuring out what angle it wanted to lean into. It was a tricky blend of trauma and horror, which I think was done well, but was hard! I wanted more focus on the resolution, but then again, maybe things not being tied up in a bow is the whole point! The topic and relationships really struck a nerve/cord, so I think this one will sit with me for a while.

Reading a Rachel Harrison book is like catching up with my childhood best friend I see once a year. I was so thrilled to get this ARC that I simply devoured this book in one sitting. And by devoured this book, it devoured me. I was a woman possessed, trying to read with lightning quickness but also trying to make it last (not unlike one’s first time with their high school boyfriend).

Her writing is snarky, clever, sparkling and everything I want to be. She has a way of writing characters and stories that you never want to leave, no matter how terrifying they might be. I see myself in her characters, my friends and family. She’s so relatable yet so unimaginably talented.

This book exceeded all of my expectations; I’m writing this like I’m writing a manifesto. It has three perfect things: it was written by Rachel Harrison, it had a book within a book, and it centered around a haunted house.

Play Nice is her best book yet. Exploring family trauma, grief, emotional brutality, this book makes you question whether or not you should revisit childhood trauma and the grip our family can have on us. Something everyone can relate to whether or not their childhood home was haunted by a demon.

I loved it with a cherry on top

A huge thank you to Rachel Harrison, NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this ARC!

PLAY NICE is Rachel Harrison’s scariest book yet, and I’ve read and loved them all. There are two specific terrifying scenes in this book that will be burned into my brain forever (complimentary!!) I love a sisters story! I love the combination of horror from a demon house mixed with the horror of beginning to see your parents as complicated humans. This book was really something special to me as someone who grew up with a rough childhood very similar to the one in the book, minus the actual demon. Thank you Rachel Harrison for the yearly dose of horror that is uniquely dread-inducing, blood chilling, yet somehow still cozy! I couldn’t have loved it more.

What do you see? What do you hear? What do you feel? What do you remember?

These questions form the basis of perception, something that Clio Louise Barnes grapples with following the death of her estranged mother, Alexandra. Confronted with such loss, Clio and her sisters find themselves at odds with how to handle such a thing. For eldest daughter, Leda, and middle-child, peacemaker Daphne, the past is the past, and the girls’ unstable upbringing should remain there. After all, it did consist of parental fights, divorce, and their mother’s insistence that their house was indeed haunted. Being the youngest of the bunch has left Clio with way more questions than answers, and everyone’s reluctance to talk about what really transpired fuels her curiosity. This inevitably brings Clio to the doorstep of the place she never thought she would return, her mother’s home. Armed with the keys to this house and her mother’s forbidden, tell-all novel, the reality of the situation begins to unfold from the shadows with a ferocity that is ferociously jarring. Was Clio’s mother truly what everyone said, a deranged, mentally-ill woman seeking attention? Or could there be truth behind the fanaticism surrounding Alexandra’s reputation?

To be a horror reader alive during the time of Rachel Harrison is undoubtedly a gift. It is a difficult thing, finding the words that impart the impact of this kind of fiction bestows, the type of prose that is a friendly reminder that this world isn’t so horrific or lonely despite the genre. From werewolves to vampires and now haunted (possessed, if you prefer) houses, every set piece of horror iconography embraced by Harrison has been reimagined to tell emotionally profound stories concerning the female experience. With Play Nice, notions of memory, perception, and normality are questioned amid an emotionally tumultuous backdrop of grief, yearning for answers, and contending with the truth. Not only are these ideas presented within such a unique, relatable light, but Harrison’s storytelling has never been more confident or profound.

This is mostly thanks to the iconic character that is Clio Louise Barnes, a twenty-five year old woman who knows herself even in the face of so much uncertainty. She’s quick, she’s confident, and she’s committed to knowing the truth that so many have brushed aside. Sure, she may make some questionable decisions here or there, but she’s the perfect vessel to share this narrative as a self-assured, witty, and determined woman. Of course, Harrison’s rich character work permeates these pages, creating a sense of familial drama amongst Clio’s siblings that could not read any other than way than terribly real.

While these facets make for an unmistakably entertaining read, the deeper conversation Harrison fosters with Play Nice is where this novel truly wins out. “No one likes a crazy woman.” This is a mantra we’ve all heard time and time again, reiterating the notion that no one knows how to neatly tuck a complicated female individual into a neat, compact box. From the beginning of time looking back to the etymology of the word “hysteria” to now, women who do not conform to the assigned shape they are given by others are always viewed as problematic. This is an idea that’s easily seen in Alexandra’s character, but what Harrison deftly accomplishes with astonishing grace is how the same sentiment applies to every woman within the pages of Play Nice. In fact, Clio’s use of social media and her relationship with influencer culture speaks volumes about how she is perceived, the idea that someone knows of you rather than you, their expectations forged on a ghost.

Social commentary aside, Play Nice is a deeply unsettling novel. Rachel Harrison taps into something intensely nefarious, utilizing settings that are supposed to be the safest, yet feel anything but. This unease transcends the bricks, floorboards, and doors, infiltrating Clio’s family and her social circle. It’s no longer a feeling of a haunted house, a possessed house. No, it’s haunted people, haunted memories tinged with uncertainty and frightful flexibility. Nowhere feels entirely safe from the things left in the dark, the truths that were long buried and forgotten, forging an upsetting atmosphere where the monstrous feels possible. Harrison capitalizes on this intensity to deliver viscerally fearful scenes of unshakable terror. No moment is purely safe within the pages of Play Nice as Clio contends with the devil she knows and the demons she doesn’t.

“Remembering is not always a light shone into darkness. Sometimes it’s a claw reaching out and dragging you back.”

An unapologetic force of horror, Play Nice is the best showcase of Rachel Harrison’s voice within the landscape of modern horror fiction. This is a book that is penned with notable, horrific radiance that stands out in Harrison’s already impressive catalogue. Every aspect is cranked to maximum volume, delivering earnest yet intense confrontations of past and present, truth and illusion. Making way for a horrifically timely examination of expectations and reckonings, Clio Barnes’ story redefines what it means to wrestle with your demons. But, maybe we shouldn’t wrestle with these demons at all. Maybe we should acknowledge them, give them a subtle nod to their existence in the corner and let them be. Maybe we should play nice.

this was honestly really good. i don’t typically read horror but this was an interesting one that had me hooked from start to finish. it involved complex family dynamics, a haunted house, and complicated relationships that dealt with a lot of trauma. it honestly felt like i was watching a movie in my head because of the writing and how it flowed. this was my first book by this author and it definitely won’t be my last! it’s the perfect read for spooky season this fall when it releases!

I think Playing Nice absolutely earns a place on the throne as my favorite Rachel Harrison book to date! Maybe it’s my lifelong obsession with haunted house stories, demons, and all things paranormal—an obsession probably sparked (or scarred) by The Exorcist ruining my childhood in the best possible way. Or maybe it’s my soft spot for dark, dysfunctional family dramas, where the real horrors lie in the emotional wounds, bottled resentments, and the silence that festers between relatives over time. Either way, this book checked every box for me.

At 25, Clio (Cici) Louise Barnes is living a carefree, self-indulgent life in New York as a fashion influencer, funded generously by her father's wealth. But her carefully curated world gets turned upside down when she learns that her estranged mother, Alex—a woman long believed to be mentally unstable—has died of a heart attack in their childhood home. This isn’t just any home, though. It’s the infamous “haunted house” their mother always insisted was possessed by a demon targeting her and her daughters.

Clio returns to her small hometown for the funeral, only to find herself pulled back into a past filled with unresolved trauma and painful family history. Her two older sisters, Leda and Dafty, still hold deep resentment toward their mother, recalling her alcoholism, erratic behavior, and one particularly terrifying incident where she chased a young Clio with a knife—an event eerily reminiscent of The Shining. After losing custody of her children, Alex spiraled further, aligning herself with a cultish demonologist named Roy and publishing a tell-all memoir about the haunted house that all three daughters swore they’d never read.

Despite the sisters’ vow to stay far away from their mother’s delusions, Clio is intrigued when she learns the house has been left to them. Sensing an opportunity, she decides to renovate it and document the process for her social media followers—maybe even flip it for a profit. But as she settles into the house, strange things begin to happen. She discovers marked-up versions of her mother’s book with notes eerily specific to Clio’s past. Smiley faces begin appearing in unsettling places—on walls, in notes left behind—and a creeping suspicion takes root: what if her mother wasn’t delusional after all? What if the true story was buried beneath her father’s carefully curated version of events?

As Clio digs deeper into the mysteries of the house and her own past, she begins to question her sanity. The lines between reality and the supernatural blur, and she realizes that in order to confront whatever entity may be haunting the house, she must first face the demons she’s been avoiding all her life.

I was especially blown away by the final act—it’s packed with psychological tension and full-on horror that had me literally flinching from the page. The relationship dynamics between the sisters felt painfully real, layered with old wounds, jealousy, and unspoken loyalty. Clio is a complicated protagonist—often unlikable but completely compelling—and her emotional unraveling was written with such nuance. Dafty plays the diplomatic middle child, while Leda is the sharp-edged, brittle eldest who pulls no punches. And can we take a moment to appreciate Austin? The cinnamon-roll side character you just want to hug for putting up with this chaotic trio!

This book was a wild, twisty, emotionally gutting ride, and I devoured it in one sitting. It’s eerie, emotionally charged, and beautifully written—a perfect blend of paranormal suspense and psychological drama.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the digital reviewer copy of this brilliant thriller in exchange for my honest thoughts!

If you love haunted house mysteries, family trauma, and slow-burning dread that explodes into jaw-dropping horror, Playing Nice needs to be at the top of your TBR.

It feels odd to describe Play Nice as a blast, but I had a great time reading it. The writing was fun and compelling. The characters are interesting. The story kept me on my toes. I loved everything about this book. I don't read horror, but I will read every single thing Rachel Harrison writes. 5/5 stars, NO NOTES!

Rachel always hits it out of the park for me. This was my third 5 star by her and I will read everything she releases forever. This book was a great depiction of trauma and complex family dynamics, wrapped in a horror bow. No notes!

How could I not love a Rachel Harrison novel, especially one about a haunted house?? Clio was soooo unlikable to me, but that really added to book instead of putting me off. I loved the inclusion of her mom's book (and the annotations!) and I think the ending, although a bit open-ended, was absolutely perfect. Another stellar novel!!

Thank you to Rachel Harrison, Berkley, and NetGalley for the ARC!

How much I love Rachel Harrison’s books and how much I love a haunted house trope. This was my “drop everything and read it immediately” NetGalley and, let me tell you, worth the wait. It’s was so good and spooky and you gotta love the emotional link between supernatural demons and the demons of your metal health. Paul Tremblay did it excellently with Head Full of Ghosts and now Rachel Harrison has done so just as well with Play Nice. What more can I say but read it, love it, and please give us more!

This was an okay read. It was not my favorite from Rachel Harrison, but there was not anything wrong with it either. The story focused heavily on family dynamics.

I received this book as an advanced readers copy (ARC). The author is one of my favorites so I was excited and not disappointed in the read. In this book, Harrison tackles the “haunted house” trope and it’s a winner in my estimation. Clio Louise Barnes inherits a haunted house, along with her two other sisters, Leda and Daphne, after the death of their mother, Alexandra. It’s also the house the three grew up in. Told in part through a book Alexandra wrote which Clio obtains at her mother’s funeral and through Clio’s attempts at remodeling the house, the story is spooky, scary and great fun to read - a perfect October read given its publication date in late September!