Play Nice by Rachel Harrison is 50% haunted house horror, 50% psychological family drama, and 100% a fantastic read. It wonderfully balances eerie chills and emotional depth, delivering a horror story that's both spine-tingling and deeply engaging.

Clio Louise Barnes leads a picture-perfect life as a stylist and influencer, but beneath the glossy veneer she harbors a not-so glamorous secret: she grew up in a haunted house. Well, not haunted. Possessed. After Clio’s parents' messy divorce, her mother, Alex, moved Clio and her sisters into a house occupied by a demon. Or so Alex claimed. That’s not what Clio’s sisters remember or what the courts determined when they stripped her of custody after she went off the deep end. But Alex was insistent; she even wrote a book about her experience in the house.

After Alex’s sudden death, the supposedly possessed house passes to Clio and her sisters. Where her sisters see childhood trauma, Clio sees an opportunity for house flipping content. Only, as the home makeover process begins, Clio discovers there might be some truth to her mother’s claims. As memories resurface and Clio finally reads her mother’s book, a sinister presence in the house manifests, revealing ugly truths that threaten to shake Clio’s beautiful life to its very foundation.

Rachel Harrison delivers a clever story where the true horrors aren't just the ones in the walls, but run deep within the family tree with Play Nice. It blends a terrifying haunted house tale with dysfunctional family drama, offering up a dark, atmospheric, and truly emotionally charged story that proves sometimes the most frightening ghosts might be the ones in your family.

Play Nice took me on a wild, twist-filled, and emotional ride that was nearly impossible to put down. Harrison strikes a nice balance between eerie suspense and something a bit more personal. While it's not far from a traditional, full-blown horror, it will keep you hooked to every page with a more nuanced, lighter horror aspects and twists that are slightly scary. This makes for an easier read, especially with the emotional rollercoaster Harrison has us riding.

The entire book is one hell of a story, but the climactic ending was a beautiful payoff. The psychological tension ratchets up alongside bursts of pure horror that make for a stellar conclusion. The family dynamics felt raw and real, leaving a lasting impression. Rachel Harrison really knows how to hook you and Play Nice is no different.

This is being marketed as 'horror' and I feel like either I don't read enough horror to know what is horror, or this isn't horror, not sure which, but I didn't feel any emotions while reading this that *I* would say is horror related. Nothing too scary or creepy was happening, it was just typical 'ghost/haunted house' vibes.

I didn't like the main character at all, was trying to be an edgy, but it came across as bitchy. The author Harrison seems to like to write characters like that as I had just first So Thirsty right before this one, and had the same issue, didn't like the MC because she was acting very "pick me/bitchy" but trying to pass it off as *quirky*.

Overall, very *light* horror, hated the MC.

Entertaining, if formulaic demonic possession story. It would be a great summer read. It kept me interested the entire time, even though I did not really care for the main character.

Play Nice is half haunted house story, half dysfunctional family drama, and it's really a lot of fun. I mean, sure, the characters are almost all insufferable and Clio desperately needs some therapy and the Barnes family demon is hands-down the least threatening demon in literary history (well, other than that bit at the end), but overall it makes for one entertaining train wreck of a novel.

But, jeez, Clio is such an annoying person, you guys. She's manipulative and whiny and kind of an alcoholic, and if anyone needs a good demon haunting to straighten them out, it's her. She's also rather nonchalant about hanging out in a demon house. Sure, she says she's scared of the demon, but does that stop her from repeatedly going back to the bi-level from hell? No, no it doesn't. Of course, the demon mostly communicates through smiley faces and book annotation, so to be fair I suppose she's not exactly in mortal danger or anything.

And speaking of the demon, I'm pretty sure there's some symbolism to be found there. I'm guessing he represents childhood trauma or something? I dunno. Perhaps he's just a demon and I'm overthinking things. Honestly, my alma mater should probably just go ahead and revoke my English literature degree because I obviously learned nothing.

Anyway, the Barnes family might be dysfunctional, but they're an entertaining sort of dysfunctional. The sisterly banter is great, and Clio's determination to pick out the perfect color palette for a demon house is really quite admirable, I suppose. I do wish some of the other characters were more fully fleshed out — I would have loved to know more about Roy and Mariella — but alas. I also felt like a certain character was let off the hook a little too easily for their role in … everything, but it's a small quibble.

Do expect this book to be a somewhat light and fluffy for a horror novel. There are some semi-scary bits, but it's really more horror-lite than full-blown horror.

But, honestly, you guys, I'm just rambling here. I have no idea how to explain what I liked about this novel other than that it's “fun.” There's a demon and a dysfunctional family and a sexy neighbor and a haunted house and a demonologist and a bunch of fashion influencers and it's all pretty entertaining. Play Nice is my first Rachel Harrison novel but it's definitely not going to be my last.

3.75 stars, rounded up.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is September 9, 2025.

This is the first Rachel Harrison book I’ve read, and I am sorry that it is! “Play Nice” follows a fairly standard plot set-up. Clio’s estranged mother passes away and unbeknownst to her or her two sisters, the mother never sold the house that plagued their mother and the girl’s until they were ultimately taken in by their father full time. Snarky, city-slicker Clio sees this as an opportunity to not only renovate a home and promote her social media, but establish herself as finally an independent youngest sister.
I am really impressed with this story. I agree with other reviewers that it is really hard to “root” for any character since they are all relatively unlikable, but at the same time like many reality TV shows have proven, sometimes it is more fun to watch a train wreck. Beyond that, “Play Nice” is a genuinely terrifying book. Some of the horror might not work for some, but for me the imagery of the seemingly normal house harbouring a disgusting demon was enough to give me nightmares. I kept comparing this as reading to Paul Tremblay’s “Head Full of Ghosts” (an all time favorite of mine). The unreliable narrator, the look back on traumatic experiences, the demon possession, but I think Rachel Harrison has made a book that can undeniably shine on its own in the genre.

Rachel Harrison has cemented herself as an autobuy for me at the point. This new installment has been utterly entertaining and this is coming from someone who does NOT typically enjoy unlikeable protagonists. Clio is the epitome of an unreliable narrator as she delves into her family's past and uncovers some dark, disturbing truths hidden in her childhood home. Her sisters at times can come off as two dimensional, but I still found myself empathizing with their trauma responses to Clio digging up old ghosts. Then again I am an oldest child, so I too understand dealing with a loose cannon baby in the family. I thought the story pace was really well balanced and the creeping dread was perfectly sprinkled in to keep the pages turning. My hot take? This would be a great summer read to take to the beach or vacation because that's exactly what I did. Then again, I'm a little left of center.

I tend to dislike possession/demon stories, but I knew if Rachel Harrison was writing it, I would love it. She has a gift for writing relatable, snarky women and putting them in insane situations -- the comedy + family drama + horror mashup she concocts in each book is absolutely genius. I just love her so much and am already dying to see what she comes up with next!

TL;DR: Rachel Harrison is my queen.

A truly spooky story about generational trauma and what personal demons we carry with us. It was a bit slow in the middle but the ending is well worth the build up.

This book consumed me. I stayed up until 3am to finish it—lights fully on—and kept spooking myself with every little noise. It has that signature Rachel Harrison flare: sharp, unsettling, and surprisingly emotional. I absolutely loved Clio, Leda, and Daphne, and I’m so glad the family remained at the heart of the story. I was nervous early on that the sisters might fade into the background, but nope—they were fully present and pulling me deeper into the chaos at every turn. The mystery, the twists, the writing—all of it was so gorgeously executed. Thank you, Rachel Harrison, for delivering another banger. I highly recommend reading this one at night for the full experience.

so so much fun. wry humor with witty insight into the literal and metaphorical demons that plague us...albeit, the line differentiating the two in this book are rather blurred.

I really, really enjoyed this book! The story of three sisters and a twisted childhood, that has more than one version, depending on who you ask. This story is about Clio, Leda, and Daphne and their childhood of growing up part time in a haunted house with their mother. This story dives into the after effects of those experiences when their mother dies and old wounds are reopened.

This story had some really great characters!!! I felt like I could totally understand everyone’s motivations and why they did/said the things they did throughout. This made it so easy to just fall into the story and just keep going! Then when the creepy AF, like I was reading this poolside and I was still scared, hearing noises, haunted house activities started up it was like full steam ahead! I couldn’t stop! Then to top it off the backdrop of calling people ‘crazy’ or whatever they believe or are doing is ‘crazy’ because they don’t understand it, agree with it, or any other reason that they don’t support it and smashing that word ‘crazy’ and proving those people are wrong and can’t admit it. Love IT! We need more acceptance in this world, more open thinking. To accept that sometimes you are wrong to take that fact gracefully and accept it. It’s okay to be wrong and change your mind, views, perceptions. I love Harrison’s writing and stories! I can’t wait to read the rest of them that I haven’t gotten to yet!!!!!

Readers of Rachel Harrison may be surprised at the darker tone of this book. Harrison is known for tackling horror with allegory and nuance, and she has always done well at bringing much-needed levity to her books, making the medicine go down more easily. Play Nice, however, is…let’s say “different”.

The family dynamic is interesting as always. Harrison is fantastic at writing believable families that have dimension and natural chemistry. Still, I’m not exaggerating when I say that 95% of the interactions between family in this book are just…depressing.

I think what she was going for was showing the ugliness brought out of traumatized people while grieving a subject of their trauma. And, if that’s the story you want to go with, then that’s fine, but there are still injections of levity throughout that come across as inauthentic at best, and distractingly shoehorned at worst. It’s a case of emotional whiplash, which made this one longer to get through when usually I could finish a Rachel Harrison book cover to cover in one sitting.

All of that being said, the confusing tone of the book was my only real hang-up on it. As said, the characters are well done, the story is simple but interesting, character growth is fantastic at letting people stay in gray areas and being ok with accepting that, and the scares were good. Well, they were good when they were there.

Much of the book the reader is left wondering if the demon is real, or if this is a case of heretidarial insanity, etc. etc. We do get a solid confirmation by the end of the book of what’s going on here, but Harrison is so good with subtlety when it comes to her monsters (internal or not), that it was weird to see the horror elements battling against the family drama at the center of the story.

That being said, my favorite parts of this were getting to read the book-within-a-book that has her mother’s annotations in it. That was the Rachel Harrison book I was expecting, so I was disappointed when we only got half of the fictional book before the rest of it was burned up. I don’t want to come off as cheesy, but there was LITERALLY a fantastic and intriguing book trying to break out of this.

Out of all of her works, I don’t think anything can ever beat Black Sheep in my mind, a nearly flawless book that I can’t stop recommending to people. It’s not fair to compare an author’s work to what you consider their magnum opus, but it’s frustrating to know how amazing this book could have been. Sadly, I don’t even know who to recommend it to. Who is the audience? Drama seekers may get turned off by the random supernatural occurrences, and vice versa, horror fans will be left scratching their heads for not…being scared.

I’m glad I read it, it kept me interested as I read, and I wanted to keep learning more and more about what would happen. However, as I said, my heart lies with the book-within-a-book sections, which I will defend are the strongest elements. If we ever get a companion novel that’s the annotated infamous book, or even a story told from the past through Alexandra’s eyes, I’ll be signing on as fast as I can.

Loved this! Relatively low on the horror, but high on the humor, the relationships, and the character development. A really poignant, funny, suspenseful look at the ways wounds fester in families, and the horror of realizing just what the people closest to us really think.

Nobody writes millennial women losing their grip like Rachel Harrison. And Play Nice? It’s her most razor-sharp gut punch yet. A haunted house horror story disguised as a renovation influencer’s next big project, this book has interior design, inherited trauma, family secrets, and demon possession all fighting for center stage. It’s creepy, cathartic, and oddly funny in the way only Harrison can deliver. Think The Haunting of Hill House meets HGTV with a heavy pour of generational dread. I devoured it.

I like the book excerpts within the novel. I feel bad for Roy and all the other occultists but ESPECIALLY for Alexandra, please give that woman a break. Good atmosphere and pacing, I just found Clio to be a tad bit too infuriating to enjoy living in her head

I really enjoyed this one! I love a good haunted house story and this one definitely came through. It wasn’t scary to me, but it still had that dark, creepy vibe. I connected deeply with Clio and found myself rooting for her. The story dives into family trauma and blurs the line between perception and reality, making it both raw and deeply emotional. It kept me hooked from start to finish with just the right amount of suspense. (4.5/5)

Play Nice follows Clio who has a secret…she grew up in a haunted house. Her mother Alex claimed that the house is possessed by Demon. No one really believed her. When her mother passes away the house goes to Clio and her sisters. Her sisters want nothing to do with the house. But Clio wants to fix it up and sell it. The more time that Clio spends in the house the more she starts to believe that the house is actually possessed. Soon further truth are revealed and Clio’s who perception changes.

Rachel Harrison is one of my go to horror authors. I typically really enjoy her books. Unfortunately this one was a bit of a miss for me. It had How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix mixed with Home Before Dark by Riley Sager vibes. I didn’t really find this book all that scary. I also found the romance on this book a bit distracting and unneeded. I think because I have high expectations for this author because I typically really like her books, this one just fell really flat for me. I do suggest this author though her books are usually pretty wild.

Thank you, Rachel Harrison and Berkley for the ARC of this book this comes out September 9!

I just finished Play Nice by Rachel Harrison. I received an eARC from NetGalley.

Clio Barnes' life is glamorous. A successful fashion influencer and stylist in NYC, a living family including her two older sisters, a father who would do anything for her. And then her estranged mother dies, leaving her and her sisters ownership of the house she swore was haunted. Clio decides this is an opportunity, she's watched the DIY videos, has a healthy dose of skepticism, and is ready to document a full home renovation. What she is not ready for are all the memories to come back, and how that makes her question everything she was sure she knew.

Bias confession, I love Rachel Harrison's books. All of them. This one may just have become my favorite. I read it in one sitting, unable to walk away from the hot mess that is the Barnes family. Clio is an amazing disaster-- selfish, spoiled, childish-- while also possessing a refreshing self awareness. This book has a book within the book, and I would give anything to read the book that Clio's mom wrote about the demonic possession of the house. As per usual, Harrison tackles more than just spooky stories, she brings a sharp whit, and moments of levity that underscore the horrors in the novel. Clio doesn't have to just face down a demon, she needs to face down the loss of her entire sense of self-- if she can't trust her family, or her own memories, who can she trust?

Shout out to almost all of Harrison's books taking place in NJ at some point or another. Anyone who has ever lived in NJ knows how beautifully weird it is.

This is an incredible play on family trauma and abuse, so well illustrated through a generational possession. Putting the damage front and center makes this book an emotional powerhouse, and one sure to be a favorite with horror readers of all kinds.

4.5 stars

Clio Louise Barnes is a stylist and influencer, living a fab life in NYC. When she was a child her parents went through an acrimonious divorce and Alex, mother to Clio and her older sisters Leda and Daphne moved them into a home that Alex claimed was haunted by a demon. Alex even wrote a book about it, an AMITYVILLE HORROR sort of the thing that all three girls have been forbidden from reading. Of course, everyone thought Alex was nuts and the courts revoked her custody; the girls had little contact with Alex afterward.

Now Alex has died and it turns out she still owns the house in Edgewood Drive, in fact she died there. Though her sisters don’t want to revisit this scene of so much childhood trauma, Clio sees an opportunity to create house flipping content. However, during the process she finds an annotated copy of the book that her mother left for her and she finds that maybe her mother wasn’t crazy after all.

So, I’ve read and enjoyed Rachel Harrison before, but this is my absolute favorite of her books; she knocked it out of the park her, and if you’ve liked her earlier works RUN get a copy of this. It’s a great haunted house story and a wonderful story about family, who we love and why and what happens when they fail us. I’m a little too old to completely identify with Rachel, but most people will likely see themselves in one of the sisters, and both their mom and dad are well drawn characters too. Plus a bit of a romance, which usually I don’t love but it works here. 4.5 stars may be a little high and, perhaps on reflection I might lower it to 4, since 4.5 stars means 5 stars, but I’m comfortable with the 4.5 stars for now. Highly recommended.