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