A nice suspenseful story that was a quick easy read. This is a story I felt like i had read before and of course realized I hadn't. Pretty predictable but still a fun read.

This one did not work at all. I just couldn't get into it. The story didn't grip or hook me. For the shortness of it, it lacked action and mystery, it was very slow and boring. I did not enjoy.

I love the premise of this book but it fell short for me. I felt like the circus was so hyped up as this terrible thing that if it came out would doom them all… but it just didn’t feel believable.
I did enjoy the characters and the twist!

I will start off with saying I did enjoy reading this book. However, I expected it be much more action packed, especially after reading the blurb, and it ended being a bit more of a drama than a thriller. There was a good mystery in the story, but I was able to figure out what was going on pretty early on. Also a bit of an anticlimactic ending. I did enjoy learning about the girls though, and the Circus seemed like a fun game of extreme tag. If you’re looking for a quick read that is a bit more fiction than thriller, I’d recommend this one.

I was intrigued by the premise and the book overall held my attention, although I didn't like the characters, none of them appealed to me but overallit was a good book and worth the read.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for the advance ebook.

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.

I really thought this book had potential. Unfortunately it completely lost my interest in the second half. 2 out of 5 ⭐️

I feel like this storyline had a lot of potential, but for some reason it just didn't really light me up... I found it a bit slow and boring. There wasn't really any depth to any of the characters so I never felt connected to them. Even the narrator seemed cold, I felt I never really got to know her, so I never really found myself rooting for her.
Six girls shared a dorm suite at Harvard twenty years ago, and every year they would play an assasin style game they called the circus. One girl died, so the remaining five roommates continue the tradition all these years later, playing a round of the circus every first week of the new year.
Now they are older, and some of them feel it's time to stop, but they agree to play one last round... the winner gets the pot of money they started and invested all those years ago - nearly a million dollars. So, this round, all bets are off. People get hurt, a couple come close to dying, and in the end it all ties up neat and pretty.
Not much else to say about this one. It was ok, but not great; I just kept waiting for it to end so I could get on to a new book. meh.

The premise of this book piqued my interest easily. The Circus game and portion of the book kept me reading. I don't mind flash backs but the timing of them seemed a little off. It detracted from the fast pace of the game for me.

I do think this book is worth the read. I was very impressed with how well the author handled the complexity of long term friendships.

Thank you to Atria books, Netgalley, and Alissa Lee for allowing me to read this ARC.

A fast moving book that takes us back to those years of close friends from university, and the settling into our lives and our chisesn careers, all with their ups and downs. The women had made a pact to come together once a year apto play a game called Circus (although the game is far from humourous). This final year, the game took on deadly ramifications; the winner gets the money that everyone had contributed years ago which now surpassed a million dollars. Greed us a nasty thing, and yes, bad things started to happen to each of the women. In the end, the women realized that committment, friendship, and communication are things that mean the most. These are attributes wemust always remember, regardless if the teists and turns that life takes us.

With Friends Like These got me out of a book rut, so I'm very happy about that. It had an interesting setup and a good narration, but with a few changes it could have been a fantastic book. I appreciated the single POV, but I wish there had been more emphasis on the Circus itself. The friends were all tense and ... nothing *really* happened. I also wish there was more to build up the tension around the mysterious notes and other strange happenings. There was so much the author could have done to make this an incredibly thriller, versus just an intriguing drama.

I liked the premise of this story, with the college friends getting together annually for a competitive yet secretive game. While I enjoyed the read, there were a couple of glaring inconsistencies for me in the foundation of the story.
1. First off, regardless of the game they were playing, I failed to see why it had to be so secret. I get the rules of the game, but it made it sound like they were worried about legal issues which didn't appear to apply. With this year's Circus being the last, and with the change in rules, it sure did ratchet up the level of competition and subterfuge. I still didn't see the need for their extreme secrecy.
2. Even with a whiz financial planner, I can't see a couple of thousand dollars growing into almost a million in 20 years.
3. What was with how the money was dispersed in the end? I don't want this to be a spoiler, so I will just say, Um, not likely. No matter how many times I think about it, just No.
4. The re-investigation into Claudine's death. The circumstances surrounding her death didn't sound so ambiguous to me. Did the original investigators just suck at their jobs?
Now, I don't mean to pick on the book, because the basis of the Circus and the tie-in to a classmate's death were interesting elements, and it was an exciting book for sure. I am grateful to SS Atria Marketing for granting me access to an ARC of this book, for it was entertaining for the afternoon. I can see this story being made into an edge-of-your-seat thriller of a movie!

about a college friend group who continued the assassin squirt gun game of their university days to commemorate the loss of their friend, this was a complete dud. a classic masterclass in why telling—not showing—disengages readers. & there was far too much exposition for the plot to be propulsive. the only reason i continued reading was because assassin was my favorite game in high school (honestly, so fun).

I really wanted to love this book. I love a good suspense novel that makes my heart pound and I can't flip the pages fastest enough. Unfortunately, the book lost momentum in the second half. I guessed the ending (not in a proud of myself kind of way), and by the end I wasn't rooting for any of the characters. The ending was pretty anti-climactic. It was a good idea, but I thought it could have been better executed. It also felt like a ripoff of the story/movie Tag, just the female, Harvard-educated version.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC of With Friends Like These by Alissa Lee.

This was a fast, enjoyable read with a solid plot. A group of former Harvard roommates reunite for one final round of their annual high-stakes game, The Circus. I liked the dynamic between the characters and how the book explored aging friendships, ambition, and regret. While it leans more into drama than thriller (despite the setup), I stayed engaged and finished it quickly. Some of the plot points stretched believability, but the twist toward the end pulled things together in a satisfying way. A good pick for readers who enjoy character-driven mysteries with a touch of suspense.

SPOILERS AHEAD
(3.25/5 Stars)
Sara and her college friends, now in their forties, uphold a tradition by playing a game known as the Circus each year. This tradition began during their time at Harvard and has continued ever since, even after the death of their roommate and one of Sara's closest friends, Claudine. Claudine's death still lingers in Sara's mind, haunting her to the point where she occasionally feels as if she sees her.

As the group gathers for their annual dinner to plan the Circus, Sara and Allie reveal their desire to end the game. They agree that this will be the final round, but the stakes have risen dramatically; the prize has grown to nearly a million dollars since Wesley invested the original cash pot back in their college days. This not only heightens the tension among the friends but also leads to faltering relationships and the revelation of long-held secrets.

While I found the book enjoyable overall, I have to admit that there were a handful of plot holes that I struggled to overlook. I appreciated the glimpses into their Harvard days, especially since some of the locations resonated with me as a Jersey girl. The choices these women make after the final game are a testament that it’s never too late to pursue your dreams and change career paths.

I initially expected a dark mystery filled with gruesome murders, but I found it to be more YA in a way. I genuinely enjoyed the first three-quarters of the book, but the ending was slightly absurd in my eyes. It was clear from the beginning that Coulter had some involvement, given his insights into the games and his disdain for Sara's participation. Additionally, the women should have been aware of Clementine's significance; her name was mentioned in the eulogy, and she was present at the college with her father when they encountered Dina. There were wild theories suggesting that Dina was impersonating Claudine and had lost her sanity, but in reality, it was her sister all along.

This was a quick, enjoyable read. I liked the characters, the plot, and the way the story was laid out. A solid 3 star read!

A group of friends from the past reunite and this novel covers the secrets from the past, lies that were told, and how relationships change over the years.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC of With Friends Like These by Alissa Lee. A short thriller about a group of friends who continue a tradition of The Circus, in memory of the death of one of their roommates. The Circus takes place every year and each friend has to “kill” one of the other fiends and collect all the medallions. I think this was an interesting yet odd thriller which was a little on the slow side. The characters were not very likeable.
2.5-3 stars

I don’t know if it was the book or the fact that I may not be into thrillers as much anymore. I just felt like it lacked in many areas and was not for me.

A story of friendship and betrayal. A quick paced mystery with some fun twists. Ya friendly. One pov. A good read for thriller/ mystery readers.