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Member Reviews

Thank you Netgalley and the author for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

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 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.

Reviews are pretty split between liked and didn't and maybe it has to do with the writing style. I did not enjoy this one and found myself skimming and my mind drifting. This was almost a dnf but since it was short, I powered through. While the synopsis sells the story, the story did not hold up to the summary for me. All the characters annoyed me and the circus seemed juvenile for a group of Harvard grads.

Expected Pub date 11/4/25
⭐️⭐️

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Friends Like These sounded like it might be extremely similar to some other thrillers set in reunions post college campusus. Fortunately this was fresh & unique. The book is extremely well-written. I read many passages that I would stop and let them sink in. I also jot many quotes down which I haven't been doing much while reading for pleasure this year.

What if this is all this is?

5 Harvard college roommates made a pact decades ago on a Montauk beach to live their lives unconditionally. The 20th year of the Circus kicked off on New Year's Day. Main character Sara learned from the game that little goes according to plan.

There were times where The Circus seemed a bit ridiculous for successful, well-educated women to still be playing in their forties. Sara's up against "four smart. Capable women pouring everything into winning" close to $1 million dollars during the final year of the game.

At 46%. I thought I had figured it out and while twists and turns continued, I was thrilled to learn my prediction was correct!

I'm not going to say anything else so I don't reveal any spoilers. High recommend this book if you like reading about academia, college students, female friendships. And/or trying to make in NYC. Also for fans of the book. They Were All So Pretty.

Easily rate this 4 stars.

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With Friends Like These follows a group of women who were college roommates at Harvard who still get together each year to play their own "killing" game that they call The Circus. It's a pretty innocent game that they like to play just to keep up the college fun tradition and it's a way for them to honor the friend that they lost tragically during their senior year, Claudine.
However, this year's round seems to be a little on the risker side- the friends are no longer playing by the rules, and there's a prize that each one of them could use, one that they may be willing to play a little harder for.

This is classified as a thriller, but it doesn't fall into that category in my opinion. It's pretty slow paced and minimal excitement. There are suspenseful moments but it's nothing that has you holding your breath waiting to see what is going to happen next. It fell flat for me- I was just expecting more of a gripping, edge of my seat, type of story. I did enjoy the friendship aspect of the story- how far a group of friends will go to protect each other and their loyalty to one another. Even though this wasn't the thriller for me, I do look forward to trying other work by this author!

Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books and Alissa Lee for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

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This felt very amateur. Long and boring. Unrelatable characters and a BB gun contest that has lasted 20 years. Come on

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Harvard alums Sara, Bee, Dina Wesley, and Allie have been playing an elimination style “killing” game once every year in the 20 years since graduation. Part of it is a way to hold onto their youth, and part a homage to their lost 6th roommate Claudine. This year, Sara has had enough and wants out until she discovers a small fortune awarded to the winner of this game. Reluctantly, she plays along only to find the others aren’t quite playing by the rules this year. As she seeming gets closer to the prize, she also starts to realize the danger is very real and those she thought she knew are harboring secrets she could have never imagined.

“With Friends Like These” is a great concept for a book with a very quick pace and set well in New York City. Author, Alissa Lee does a great job of providing intricate backstories for all the girls that keeps the reader engaged throughout. Unfortunately, the final twist fell flat and the ending was a bit lackluster. 2/5 stars

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I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
Five friends at Harvard play a secret game each year. But senior year was the worst with a devastating accident happening. Even so they continue their game. Now 25 years later the game has an awesome winning amount. Will this lead to cheating? Why does it seem to dangerous this time? Who will win?

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This was fine.

I did think our characters were a bit pretentious and the game a bit stupid, but I didn't actually hate any of the women and wanted to see how it would all pan out.

The *who* behind everything was painfully obvious and went back to the fact that our characters seem to spend their lives making very bad choices.

Some of the reasoning behind things was illogical...as was the game as a whole.

However, the book itself was suspenseful and the read was a pleasant enough interlude.

* ARC via Publisher

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I was draw to this premise immediately, as I love dark academia novels.
It was intriguing, the group of Harvard graduates, continuing this game, decades later, and the writing was enjoyable. I found perhaps I had to suspend disbelief a little more than usual in this one and while some parts were entertaining, overall it was more suspense than thriller and I hoped for more character development.
Still an enjoyable one and I would definitely try more by this author in the future.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this gifted review copy.

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2.6
Yeah...this reads like Privilege Barbie cosplays murder. Oh, also there's stuff in her past. Other words for charachter minimum here.

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The concept has so much potential but sadly this read fell flat for me. Both the plot and characters didn’t hold my attention and I forced myself to read to the end.

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A group of Harvard alums have played a secret game for decades, deadly consequences emerge from old lies.

Positives
Honestly I was so excited for this premise, thrillers can thrive on old well established friendships, and then the excitement comes in when everything goes horribly wrong.

Criticism
Overall I didn’t find this book to be my thing and it was a bit boring. It was lacking in areas that thrillers need to create tension and interest for the reader to solve the mystery as a whole.

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This is a fast, efficiently written read. The title also tells you the majority of what you need to know about these ‘friends’. I felt anxious while I was reading it because, aside from political or monetary connections, none of them seemed like people you would want in your life.



Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this arc!

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This was a tense and emotional read with complex characters and sharp writing. I appreciated how the story explored trust, loyalty, and the blurry lines between right and wrong. The dialogue felt authentic, and the layers of the story peeled back at just the right pace.
Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read and review this title.

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A fast one-sitting read that kept me obsessively turning the pages! Totally unpredictable and a must-read for anyone who enjoys dark academia meshed with psychological thriller..

Thanks for the opportunity to read in advance!

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This seemed like every other dark academic thriller that I've read lately. I was hesitant when I read the synopsis, but it was compared to the writing of Ruth Ware so I decided I'd give it a shot. Unfortunately it was not for me. The characters were very unlikeable, and not in an unreliable narrator type of way. I just did not really care what happened to them.

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After finishing this in one day I have a lot of thoughts, and none of them good (aside from the short length thank god).

First off this group of “friends” did not feel like a real friendship in the slightest. It felt like trauma bonding and guilt all at once. They all had some sob story and yet not one was likeable enough for me to root for.

Has anyone seen the movie Tag? That’s what I was reminded of with this game, except less fun.

Even the twists were easy to call. There was so much blame going around I couldn’t see how any friend group would even recover from this.

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Harvard gave them everything, ambition, friendship, and a secret game that would haunt them for decades.A debut thriller with a killer premise, six roommates bound by tragedy, a deadly game called “The Circus”, and a reunion filled with secrets, betrayal, and danger. It promises Ruth Ware level suspense but leans more toward slow burn drama than edge of your seat thriller. Still, I was intrigued by the shifting dynamics and layered backstories.A solid read with an atmospheric Ivy League meets New York City vibe. Thanks to @NetGalley and @AtriaBooks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. PUB DATE: November 4,2025 #BookReview #ThrillerBooks #NetGalleyReads #DebutAuthor #AtriaBooks #SuspenseReads

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I'm a pretty easy-to-please reader. I give out a high percentage of four and five-star reviews. Unfortunately, I couldn't ever get invested in these characters or the kind of outlandish storyline, considering the main characters are the same age as me (in the present-day storyline).

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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Goodness me, this was such a good book. Highly entertaining. Would definitely recommend to others, that's for sure!

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This debut thriller left me wanting more. Old college roommates play a glorified game of Assassin into their forties, but this time for money. This book was short but not necessarily a quick read since it took me a while to read it. I didn’t love the characters and the two simultaneous plot lines felt unnecessary. I think one could have been chosen and expanded on for a more thorough plot line. There wasn’t a ton of action and I struggled to care about any of the main characters. I think the writing style was good but wish the story kept me more interested. The resolution did sum up everything well enough.

**This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**

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