This is definitely a quick plain or a beach read. There's not a lot of setup. It kind of goes right into it. Funny enough, we played a similar game in college that felt slightly less sinister and it was more about socks and hitting people with socks in your dorm. If you read, 'the girls are all so nice here' you will also recognize several themes. I know it's marketed as dark academia but it's really not. It's a low stakes mystery with a good twist at the end and definitely makes for light reading as the pacing is quite quick, but you don't ever really get to connect with any of the characters, even the lead.

Six Harvard students who lived together, and considered themselves family, played a secret game until something tragic happened in their senior year. Called the Circus, five of the girls have continued the killing game yearly, well into their forties. However, this year the stakes have changed; a great deal of money could go to the winner. Secret jealousies emerge and not all of the girls are playing by the rules. This story was dark, with an interesting concept. It was not hard to figure out, yet it was a very quick read. With thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books. My opinions are my own.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. I found this book hard to get through, the characters were fairly annoying and I found their game concept pathetic, especially as they are grown women with supposedly great lives and solid educations. The plot seems juvenile and just dumb. Not a great read for me.

The premise of this story is intriguing. A secret game held over from college, a contract, fake guns, “murder”, and large amount of prize money for the winner.

These 5 ladies are still playing this annual 1 week long game from their college years, but one of them is fully ready to stop. Until it is revealed that the initial ones they all contributed had been invested and is now worth over $900,000. They decide on one more round - winner takes all.

As they play, secrets are revealed. Someone is watching.

It has all the elements, but honestly, it fell shy of the mark for me. It maybe just what you are looking to read, though!

Thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books and Alissa Lee for an early read of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Imagine five middle-aged Ivy League educated Gen X women (normally leading moderately successful, wealthy lives except for the main protagonist) running around Manhattan for a week in January playing “tag” with real looking fake guns. It’s an elimination game and this time the winner takes home a significant pot of money. Something is bound to go wrong. In fact, something already went wrong 23 years ago at Harvard when Claudine, the 6th member of the game, called “The Circus,” died as a result of playing. So, get a grip, ladies — why are you trying to repeat the major mistake of the past over and over again?

Hubris seems to be the answer. Only Sara, who is our first person POV, a former banker turned photographer, whose husband’s restaurant is going under, and who can no longer afford the mortgage on their literally crumbling NYC apartment, is finally ready to stop. But group pressure (“One last time! In honor of first victim Claudine!”) keeps her in the game. There have been rules for two decades, but this time the “pot” will be distributed and, thanks to their Ivy League financier connections, the account has grown to nearly a million dollars. Some of the five are therefore more greedily motivated, and rules be damned.

Alissa Lee takes us for a few paranoid spins around the Big Apple, as Sara tries to “assasinate” Amex executive/suburban mom Allie first, only to narrowly miss being eliminated by orthopedist/wild woman Wesley, who is being pursued by Dina, a perfectionist Harvard philosophy professor trying to obtain (and risk losing) tenure. That leaves Bee, a district attorney and possible mayoral candidate (who, by God, must know better than to be out on the streets brandishing even a malfunctioning firearm), ready to be the star of tabloid PR nightmarish headlines like “Crazy Gang of Pre-Menopausal Ivy League Grads, Including Rising Political Star, Offed Their Roommate Years Ago and Continue to Celebrate Annually.” Well, they did “promise to live their lives unconditionally.” Wait. I forgot that Sara also thinks she sees forever-twenty-something Claudine’s ghost on the streets of Manhattan.

I was torn between rooting for Sara to win or just waiting for the obviously expected in-fighting to blow up the game and all the participants. It’s a short book, a popcorn thriller of sorts. Not really dark academia (we can only blame Harvard for reinforcing each character’s arrogant sense of being special). But I was enthralled until the end and Lee added enough unexpected twists. The meaning of true friendship is tested to a breaking point, but somehow, after twenty iterations, the former roommates still know each other so well. 4.5 stars!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO Only blue ones are described.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO It’s January and the only flora mentioned is a Christmas tree still standing.

Thank you to Atria Books/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!

I was invited by the publisher to review this book. Sara, Bee, Dina, Allie, Wesley, and Claudine start out as roommates at Harvard, but soon become like family. Until a tragedy during a game of assassins changes their lives forever. Twenty years later, five of the friends still play a game called Circus, a "killing" type game that takes place within sections of New York City, which pays homage to the friend they lost years ago and their younger selves. Sara, however, decides she doesn't want to play this game anymore, until she learns that there is money in the game this year. But as the game takes off, she learns that not everyone is playing by the rules, and some people hold secrets about the past.

An intriguing element of this book is that there is a lot less action than I thought there would be, and a more deep dive into each woman's lives. And yet, that did not detract from the pacing of this book.

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

Thanks to SS Atria books for the invite for this. This plot sounded so fun and I was so interested but I couldn’t even get into it very much… the characters just got really annoying and all it was is a fake with fake kills so I lost interest

This sounded like a really fun plot and description, however it didn’t really deliver. I found the characters pretty annoying and felt like they were basically playing some stupid tag game with fake kills. I found myself skimming through just to finish.

Thank you to NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Atria Marketing for the invite and the opportunity to read this book before it's publication date. As well as NetGalley!

This was such a fun and captivating read! The premise had me intrigued and kept my attention beginning to end, I read it in a day.

When playing a game takes on new twists, who can you trust?

Six women are locked in a yearly game they call The Circus in Alissa Lee's With Friends Like These. Sara, Bee, Allie, Wesley, Dina and Claudine play every year at Harvard and their lives are forever altered after a tragedy strikes in their senior year. The Circus, an assassins type game, is continued every year even after graduation, spanning 25 when the book begins.

Beginning every New Year's and continuing for seven days, the game's goal is to get your target alone and "kill" them (pointing the fake gun at them does the dead).

The women decide that this is the last year, and, as a result, the pressure is revved up. Since this is the last year, there is a huge pot of money at stake and, it's winner take all.

It seems that this time around not everyone is playing fair. Will they all survive?

The blurb for this book sold me immediately. I remember being a freshman at UCSB and playing assassin in the common room on rainy days. Our game was, of course, a little different: we all sat in a circle, used the ubiquitous finger guns and the winner just attained bragging rights.

Author Lee does a great job at painting a realistic picture of the growing tension in the group, imbuing each twist of the plot with pressure and strain. While I did feel that some of the characters were less fleshed out than others, I thought the descriptions of female friendships and self doubt were perfectly on point.

With Friends Like These is a great read for fans of Lucy Foley and Kate Alice Marshall. 3.75 stars.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

★★★★☆

With Friends Like These was such a fun and fast-paced debut! I loved the unique premise of the Circus game and how the story wove together both the past and present of these once-close Harvard roommates. The tension kept me turning pages, eager to see who would survive the final round. A twisty, addictive read perfect for fans of dark friendship dramas.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reader copy!

This is a fascinating look at five friends who were roommates at Harvard and have continued to play "Circus" one last time. Initially it was fun for all of them until one of them was actually killed and the others were heartbroken. But now the dead woman has reappeared to Sara?? It's a wildly fun but dark mystery that had me gripped until the end!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

#WithFriendsLikeThese #NetGalley
A dark, gripping thriller about ambition, loyalty—and the deadly games we play.
With Friends Like These explores the seductive promises of youth—and the dangerous secrets that can fester over time. Alissa Lee introduces us to six Harvard roommates—Sara, Bee, Dina, Allie, Wesley, and Claudine—who once dreamed of bright futures and lifelong bonds. But a devastating tragedy during their senior year shattered their innocence and forever altered their paths. Two decades later, the five survivors still meet for their private tradition: the Circus, a mock "killing" game that feels like a playful connection to their past. But this year’s Circus is different. The prize is real. And so are the risks. As the game twists into something much more sinister, Sara realizes that old wounds never fully heal—and that even your closest friends can hide deadly secrets. Trust crumbles, alliances shift, and the line between game and reality disappears.
What I like:-
1 Atmospheric storytelling: Lee captures both the golden haze of youth and the cold, sharp edges of betrayal perfectly.
2 Complex friendships: The characters’ tangled relationships feel raw, authentic, and heartbreaking.
3 Tension that never lets up: The suspense builds masterfully as the game turns deadly, keeping you guessing until the very end.
Overall, With Friends Like These is a razor-sharp look at ambition, memory, and betrayal wrapped in a nail-biting thriller. Alissa Lee proves that sometimes, the people who know you best are the ones you should fear the most.
Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for giving me an advance copy.

4 stars

20 years ago during the age old college game of assassins a tragedy happens that has followed these five friends ever since. Every year since Sara, Bee, Wesley, Allie, and Dina spend one week playing assassins again. They keep this part of their lives quiet but this year is unlike any one before. All bets are off for this week.

A short but sweet book that keeps you intrigued throughout. A lot less action than I was anticipating and some key parts of the book were easy to spot early on. However that didn’t keep this book from being an enjoyable read. Would recommend this book if you’re looking for a lighter suspense type book that you can binge quickly!

New to me author Alissa Lee and her novel With Friends Like These published by Atria Books- I read the blurb and was intrigued. So why not give it a try. I'm being honest here, it took me a minute or two to get into the story. At first I was confused by the story and the mass of characters that show up.
Bee, Sara, Dina, Allie, Wesley, and Claudine are all attended Harvard, and even now 20 years later, they meet and play a game called Circus. Sounds innocent, but soon they get roped into an alp.
A well written story, 4 beautiful stars.

This was a very unique storyline but it definitely held my interest.

A group of roommates from college have stayed in touch over the years and have been involved in the Circus. Friendships are tested, accidents happen but at the end of the day so many secrets come to light. While everyone is vying for the "pot of money" some true colors come out and the old saying that, "Money is the root of all evil," couldn't be further from the truth.

Thank you Atria Marketing for the arc and the opportunity to read this book before it's publication date.

A dark and dramatic story about five friends bound together by a deadly game that began during their years at Harvard. Circus—the name of the secret game—was their way of pledging loyalty to each other, a twisted tradition that ended in tragedy one fateful year.

Flash forward twenty years: now scattered across New York, the friends still gather to play. But this year, someone new is watching. And someone seems determined to make the game even more dangerous and deadly.

I loved the drama and the complicated ties between the characters. Lee does an excellent job painting this group more like a family than just a circle of friends—their loyalty, betrayals, and shared history feel lived-in and believable. I especially enjoyed the glimpses into their Harvard years, though I found myself wishing there had been even more time spent exploring that period of their lives. The tension, the secrets, and the way the past bleeds into the present made this an engrossing read.

If you enjoy stories about loyalty, betrayal, found family, and games with chilling consequences, this is one to put on your list!
#withfriendslikethese #alissalee #atriabooks

Thanks NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved the description of this book, and I really wanted to love the book itself, but I struggled with it. There were a lot of characters and their names all sounded very similar. I didn’t really connect with any of them and I found the mystery hard to get through. I found myself skimming through the book instead of reading all of it. Maybe this book just wasn’t for me. Check it out for yourself when it’s released in November 2025.

At Harvard Bee, Sara, Dina, Allie, Wesley, and Claudine not only became roommates but family. They had their whole lives ahead of them until tragedy struck senior year and changed everything.

Twenty years later the roommates still keep the tradition they have been playing since at college. Circus is a harmless elimination-style game called Circus. This years game bring out the worst in the girls and they aren't playing by the rules.

I enjoyed this book and the story was unique and flowed very well. I ended up reading this in one day because it held my attention.

Thank you NetGalley for being able to read this ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of With Friends Like These by Alissa Lee due to be published November 4, 2025.

Sara, Bee, Dina, Allie, Wesley, and Claudine were Harvard roommates who became like family. Then, during their senior year, a tragedy changed everything. Twenty years later, five of them keep a secret tradition alive – the Circus, a “harmless” elimination game. This year some of them are not playing by the rules. Will this year’s game be deadly?

This was a great debut book and a unique premise. We not only learn about the game they started in college, but much backstory about the girls, now women, and their stories. I found myself turning pages quickly so I could see how the game ended and if any of them ended up not finishing the game! A great read!

#NetGalley #AlissaLee #AtriaBooks #WithFriendsLikeThese