Fast paced with a wonderfully convoluted plot! An interesting look at the group dynamics of 5 40-year-old college friends as the stakes in the game they have been playing annually since college suddenly become very high indeed. Wonderfully developed characters that you will love or otherwise love to hate make this a riveting read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books who provided me with a copy of this book. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This one is a bit hard for me to rate because it’s clear the author is a talented writer, but the book fell flat for me.
I liked the premise of the book when I read the synopsis but as I got deeper into the book I wanted more. More action, more suspense. More believability.

Overall this was a twisty mystery with an interesting premise. A group of college friends are traumatized by a game gone wrong in their past but continue to play it in their adult lives. The connection between the friends in the group felt a little hard to understand and none of the characters were particularly likeable. I also struggled a bit with the pacing of the story, it felt like it lagged in places. I did keep reading all the way to the end to figure out how the plot wrapped up but I don't know that this story will captivate every reader. Maybe give it a try? Thanks to Alissa Lee, Atria Books, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Anything dark academia- sign me up! Friends at Harvard with great backstories. Then the fun (was it fun?) continues after graduation. A game drawing them together year after year. The last year of their game becomes the catalyst for the book. Don’t miss this one. 5 star read.
Thanks to the publisher for the early read.

Are the friends on the room with us?? This group of people were everything but friends. I concept of the book but some parts seemed to drag on forever. Maybe a little bit too wordy for my liking but still had a solid storyline that was interesting enough to hold my attention

I'm so grateful to be receiving ARCs—it’s such a thrill to read books before they hit the shelves!

With Friends Like These was next on my list, and I was in the mood for a fun thriller and this one delivered. The story follows a group of friends, now in their 40s, who reconnect years after graduating from Harvard. They’re still playing a secret game they started in college, but this time the stakes are much higher.

While the concept was great and definitely brought back memories of the games and chaos of my own college days, the execution wasn’t perfect. I gave it three stars mainly because the pacing felt uneven, and the transitions between the past and present weren’t as smooth as I’d hoped.

Still, it’s a fast, entertaining read that I'd recommend if you're looking for a quick and twisty thriller about friendship, secrets, and second chances.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of With Friends Like These.

I'm not a fan of dark academia themed novels, or whatever they're called. I always find these types of books to be immature, silly, and similar to another dark academia book I read a few months ago.

The premise sounded similar to many genre books like these; a group of friends from an elite school have a secret (the death of a friend) when they were in school) and play a game (or have a secret ritual) to honor the deceased.

The narrative lacks suspense and urgency despite the game the five friends play because the story is really about friendships and the people we are when we meet at a young age and how those friendships ebb and change over time as we change over time.

It's about high expectations and the patriarchal belief that going to an Ivy League school means you're guaranteed wealth and success which we know isn't true.

The narrative is wordy, verbose, not bad, but we're in Sara's head a lot as she navigates her tumultuous career or lack of, her fracturing marriage to her husband, Coulter (total frat boy name), and loyalty to her former friends.

I found it hard to like anyone, mainly because I didn't know them well.

Yes, they're all smart and flawed and damaged in their own way but who are they? Why should I care about them?

Despite their middle age and careers and life experience, some of the choices and comments they made were immature and irresponsible.

I had to remind myself how old they were numerous times because their tone and actions were so YA.

I also can't believe after all these years later they would still be eager to participate in a childish, immature game. Well, for the $$ I can believe.

But if there was no $$? Not happening.

The game itself, which sounds interesting, isn't; at least not the way it's described.

I thought it would be described like the movie The Game with Michael Douglas but it wasn't; it was boring, even the brief chase scenes that are described.

The pacing dragged since we're in Sara's head most of the time and she spends it ruminating about her husband, his family restaurant, their dwindling finances, her career prospects, and the 'reappearance' of her dead friend.

I did like how Sara remains loyal to her friends at the end, they didn't end up completely back stabbing one another in the back and remained loyal.

That's what the narrative is about; friendships and how vital they are to have a tribe to belong to.

It took me 4 days to get to 25% of a book with 240 pages. I was excited to read it, the synopsis pulled me in and I started reading it as soon NetGalley allowed me. But it dragged...hard!

A group of friends that have remained friends for 20 years and each year they play a game they title "Circus". A secret game of "killing" each other until the last one standing. These friends didn't seem to be real friends, even though socialized all the time. I just couldn't waste my time anymore on a book that was going nowhere.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read the book.

Friends Like These
By: Alissa Lee
Publisher: Atria/ Emily Bestler Books
Pub Date: Nov 4, 2025


Harvard has so many traditions, and these friends had their own secret traditions known as the Circus. After a tragedy, nothing will have been the same as they loose one of their own.

Power pressure continues even 25 years later as they continue this game. How will that tragedy affect each of them? When they learn money is at stake the claws come out. They had agreed if one wanted out, the game would end, but the pressure is real.

Friendships, secrets and a twisty blot make this a fun read.

This was actually not my favorite! I thought the premise was interesting enough but it just didn't work for me for some reason. I thought everyone was kind of juvenile and it was incredibly unbelievable that they cared so much about it at their ginormous ages. I also didn't really care for the mystery portion of it, or the reveal. I also felt like everyone was pretty annoying. 2.5 stars!

Twenty years these 5 Harvard roommates engage in a “game” with serious consequences. While all exceptional in their own ways, none feel like they have accomplished their dreams or lived their lives unconditionally. Their friendship is tested and almost torn apart until each realizes their worth and the importance of their friendship.

The premise for this one sounded promising but for me it felt predictable and mediocre. I wasn't really enthralled by the writing and i found the game to be juvenile and dumb. This felt like a teen version of The Skulls. I just wasn't into it.

I have mixed feelings about this book. Parts of it were interesting and other parts dragged on. We learn so much about the past life, while the main game of the book got lost to me. The twist I didn’t see coming. Overall it was enjoyable but it felt like something was missing.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Harvard promised them everything.

Ambitious futures, peers who pushed each other toward their absolute best, and an education that would open doors for the rest of their lives. And though they started out as roommates, Sara, Bee, Dina, Allie, Wesley, and Claudine soon became family. They had their whole bright lives ahead of them—until their senior year, when a shocking tragedy changed everything.

Twenty years later, five of the roommates still indulge in a secret tradition they’ve kept alive since their campus days: the Circus, a harmless elimination-style “killing” game played across the private rooms and hidden alleys of New York City. The game is a nod to their younger selves and a tribute to the sixth roommate they lost too young. But this year, Sara wants out of the game—until she discovers there is a small fortune awaiting the winner of this final round.

As the Circus unfolds, Sara begins to suspect that the others aren’t playing by the rules, and as the danger turns real and the old friends start pointing fingers, she discovers that even those closest to her harbor secrets of their own…secrets that could kill.

DNF @ 18% - I fear the premise yanked me in and did absolutely nothing to fulfill 😶 from the blurb, it sounded like a perfect dark academia book to get me on the mood, but it spent way too much time on painstakingly going through the relationships and drama with the characters (that felt very over descriptive & unnecessary at times). I just don’t think the writing style worked in this case and would have benefitted from a POV change!! but a huge thank you to atria for the advanced copy!

Five friends have played a game every year for 20 years since they were roommates in college. This year, though, a few of them think it's time to quit, but a surprising revelation entices them to play one more time. This time there are some surprises in store for the women that may have tragic results.

I liked the premise, but didn't really like any of the characters, so I found it difficult to care. They are all wealthy & privileged (with one exception). This game has created all sorts of issues for the women, yet they continue to "play". Frankly, I didn't really understand why any of them remained friends, much less why they continued to play this stupid game. However, I could not put it down. It was a bit like watching a train wreck or a car accident. I couldn't look away. I suppose others will find it an intriguing suspenseful story, but I had figured out the "shocking" part pretty early on. Just not great, in my opinion.

NOTE -- I read this just after I had finished the first season of "My Friends and Neighbors" on Apple streaming. Many of these women reminded me of the self-centered, obnoxious, annoying women in that series. Perhaps that's why this book didn't appeal to me.

Oof, this book really missed the mark for me. Firstly, the characters were all super annoying and it was impossible to connect with any of them. I also would not classify this as a mystery or a thriller. There was no suspense, action, or thrill. It was a chore to get through this book and I found myself skimming just to be done. Really drawn out and all over the place.

It also really felt like the author was trying to do too much and trying to throw in too many things. It did not work at all.

Thank you Atria Books | Atria/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first book from Alissa Lee and I'd definitely read another—I had fun reading it!

This was definitely a different kind of read for me! I really enjoyed getting to know all of the characters and learning about the background of The Circus. I was super curious who the culprit was. I kept switching between suspects, but somewhere near 60% I figured it out!! I wish we had gotten more background on the Circus and how it originated, but the book overall was a fun college society mystery with deep lessons of friendship and the journey of life sprinkled throughout.

This was a good and interesting book. It might not have been the easiest book to read, but it got better as I moved along in it. The story was interesting, and the character development was strong. The mystery was good, and the twist at the end surprised me!

3.5 rounded to 4 stars

I loved the premise of this and I wish we got to see more of the circus actually being played. I guessed a few of the twists a few chapters before they were revealed (including the major twist about Coulter) but I still overwhelmingly enjoyed the book and its message on friendship and how they change over time