With Friends Like These offers a compelling blend of women's fiction and suspense, centering on a decades-long friendship and a thrilling, yet dangerous, tradition. For 20 years, a group of ambitious women, bonded since Harvard, have played an annual game called "The Circus"—a game that ended tragically their senior year. Now, adults with careers, families, and secrets, they reunite for what's meant to be the final round. Sara wants out, until she learns a small fortune is at stake. But as the game intensifies, the women begin to suspect foul play.

What truly resonated with me was the realistic portrayal of Sara and her friends' lives. The narrative skillfully explores how their goals have shifted, the strains on aging friendships, and the complicated ways ambition can clash with relationships. The emotional core—friendship, grief, growing apart—felt incredibly relatable. My only minor wish was for more emphasis on the suspense. The description hinted at a thriller, but the plot leaned more into women's fiction. While thriller elements were present and effective in complementing the interpersonal themes (like Sara's growing distance from her friends making the game feel more high-stakes), they never quite escalated to the full-blown tension I anticipated.

I'd recommend With Friends Like These to readers who enjoy women's fiction with an edge, especially those interested in evolving friendships, personal ambition, and uncovering buried secrets. Just don't go in expecting a pure thriller.

Psychological thrillers continue to be in high demand in public libraries. This one is no exception. Five roommates at Harvard started to play Circus, and continued after graduation. It was all fun and games until one of the participants was killed, leaving the others bereft. But what actually happened? And was that really Sara on the streets? How could that be. A dark mystery recommended for all public libraries.

3.5 stars.

The cover and length are *chefs kiss* but it definitely falls more in the Mystery category than Thriller, I think if your looking for a super fast paced thriller this may not be your cup of tea but if you want to have a good time and figure out the mystery you'll really enjoy this. The last 20% really ramps up and had a bit of a twist I didn't see coming but I was looking for more of the "game" element that I thought would be included.

Thank you to Atria Books, Alissa Lee and Netgalley for access to an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was really hyped for this based on the blurb, but was entirely underwhelmed the entire time. The story line has so much potential and I was excited for an action packed suspense. But I was left with a silly, boring, plot line that hung entirely too much on college history. While background was definitely necessary, it just didn’t flow well for my liking. I also think this could have been longer to focus more on the stakes instead of the “who’s out to get us?”.

This was an interesting read. It's pitched as a thriller, but I feel like the thriller elements were more low key than the description made them out to be; so be aware of that going in. The characters were interesting and the whole "terrible thing" the girls did wasn't really that terrible once it was revealed. The twists were fairly good and did keep me reading to the end to find out who was responsible for what. But I do think its not quite as exciting as it's hyped to be? and more character studies with thriller elements versus a straightforward, high octane thriller.

With Friends Like These is a Mystery book by Author Alissa Lee.

The story is about a group of friends, Alums from Havard.

They played a game in college called The Circus.

One of the six friends lost her life during these times, and the remaining five friends have gone about their lives and careers for twenty-five years.

They meet up, and we learn about their current lives, and find out if they should have another game this year.

This is an innocent game of skill, and the hunt.

3 ½ stars for me, as I enjoyed this fast pace and engaging book.

Thank You to NetGalley, Author Alissa Lee and Atria Books for my advanced copy to read and review.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the review copy.

It's hard to like a book with such unlikeable characters. I wanted to enjoy the mystery but it fell flat for me. Would be interested in other works by this author in the future.

This was honestly an okay thriller for me. I requested the arc due to the plot and the idea of their secret tradition the “killing” game that they played with each other during college and decided to play one last time.
The characters were okay, I couldn’t really connect to any of them which was unfortunate, and I didn’t like one over the other. They came off super annoying, especially Sara. She acted like a child almost in certain situations and it rubbed me the wrong way.
For the mystery and thriller part, I was expecting a tad bit more. The synopsis made it seem like the game was more “high stakes” then it truthfully was. And because of the lack of high stakes, it was easy to figure out the potential twists and turns the story threw at you.
Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

With Friends Like These by Alissa Lee is a compelling psychological thriller that delves into the complexities of friendship, loyalty, and betrayal. When a tragic event shakes a close-knit group, long-buried secrets begin to surface, unraveling their carefully constructed bonds. Lee skillfully builds suspense through layered character development and well-paced twists, resulting in a thoughtful exploration of trust and the fragile nature of relationships. A gripping read for fans of domestic suspense.

The story gently shifts between past and present, gradually revealing the reasons behind the characters' choices and the dynamics between them.

At times, the plot moves quickly and builds excitement, but it occasionally slows down in a way that interrupts the momentum. This uneven pacing can be a little jarring.

The characters’ struggles feel genuine and compelling. The twist in the story adds a meaningful layer and was a welcome surprise.

This is about a group of friends who play a dangerous game years after graduation. It’s more suspense than thriller and it is well-written. Her writing really captivated me and I loved the premise and the story. There are some big reveals at the end that tie everything together.

2.5 stars but rounded to 3. This is a "thriller" following former Harvard roommates who are bound by a ritual.
Mind you, this is a self-imposed ritual. The purpose of the "circus ritual" is to test loyalty and survival.
There are 6 roomies in the book: Allie, Bee, Dina, Sara, Wesley, and Claudine.
Claudine passes away tragically, so in her honor, the roommates decide to play another round of "circus ritual" in Claudine's memory.
This is where I struggled a bit with the plot. The plot was primarily centered around the remaining adults. How their lives have changed, their relationships, who they are today, and of course $$$. It almost felt like the "circus ritual" that I thought was going to be center stage was a subplot.
I got more drama and coming of age, finding oneself, rather than thriller.
It may just be me, but I think this book has great potential to be a thriller, but it just isn't one in my opinion.
It was a quick read, so if you want something dramatic and quick, this is a good one to pick up.
I think if the intention is to truly publish this as a thriller, the plot has to be recentered a bit with the relationships as a subplot.
The characters were decently developed. The plot was structured, the pace was quick.
Thank you to NetGalley and Alissa Lee for the opportunity to read this ARC.
Happy Reading, Friends!

I thought the description and plot would be great - however it didn’t quite deliver overall. I felt like the circus was a dumb game and just unrealistic for people in their age and life circumstances to be playing.

Rounding up to 3.5

A group of old college friends get together annually to play a game (The Circus). Each of the friends is assigned a target and must take them (using realistic “nerf” type guns) out by any means possible (there are a few rules, but we soon learn rules can change). After so many years of playing, some group members want out but soon learn that when the last game is played, they’re playing for a prize. The thought of life changing money ups the game, but when mysterious events start happening to each player, will they turn on each other or will long held secrets come out?

There is a quite a few characters (and some spouses/kids mentioned), so it took me a bit to remember who was who. I can picture college kids really playing, but not sure how serious adult women in their late thirties/early forties (and their families) would take it. All in all, a quick afternoon read for a mystery fan.

A group of friends who went to school together at Harvard are now in their 40’s. Each year they get together to play a high-stakes game of Assassin. But this year the game seems to be taken too seriously. This is a debut novel and it explores the college relationships that are formed between women and how complicated they can be once everyone grows up.

College roommates reunite to play a game called The Circus. This is a short character driven novel about women bound together by years of friendship coming together one last time to play the game. As they play, secrets are revealed and the game has the potential to ruin their lives.

ARC courtesy of Net Galley and Atria Books eGalley. I couldn't connect to the characters or any of the book honestly. I felt myself struggling to pick it back up. I thought it was going to have a big mystery/action element to it, but it fell flat for me.

“With Friends Like These” was full of surprises. I figured out the mystery of how Sara was seeing Claudine. However, I did not figure out who was behind the betrayals and backstabbing. The author does a good job of keeping the reader guessing. The five women around which the story revolves have secrets they are hiding from each other. One person might know the struggles another person is experiencing but the friendships/relationships between these longtime friends are not close enough to share their struggles with each other equally. And all of the women have considerable incentive for wanting to win the final incarnation of the Circus.

This book is a true replication that friends can go through anything and still come out of it stronger than ever - no matter where life takes you. With Friends Like These has a great storyline with just enough mystery and wholesomeness to keep any reader engaged. Highly recommend to anyone that was a page turner with a plot twist you probably weren’t expecting!

It was ok...more of the changes in the friendship among the women than the mystery. They all met in college and used to play a game;;"the Circus" and continued well into their 30s. The circus is what teenagers in my area call the assassination game--money goes into a pot and you need to take out your given opponent , you get them you then take out the next until you are the last standing and rules do apply. It seems the women don'
t really know each other as well as they thought and with money on the line, there is now more of a reason to win this last time playing the circus. Of. course, they always want to make sure their professional lives are unaware of this "game." However, it seems one of them might be playing dirty--sending ominous notes or even appearing as their dead friend. Their friend died in college by falling out of a window--were there unusual circumstances?? don't know--tbd--her parents definitely blamed the girls. And there was unresolved friend issues at the time. It is only now that the women begin to discuss these issues. Meanwhile, who is making the game more intense?? They all have a reason to want the money at stake.
Writing was fine, however every now and then I felt like a beat was missed. I suppose there was other ways to take this concept of their "circus" but it ended up being way too much of the friendship during college to present
Quick read.