I liked this book, it was a little slow to start and I kept having to re read pages just to familiarize myself with the characters. I love the connection between the group, the bond and the way they are all vastly different. The plot was easy to follow and well written. It wasn’t so much a thriller for me. There were moments I guess, but it felt more drama with a little suspense. I did however have so many questions towards the end when it wrapped up, like the case against Sara? Coulter? So many more
Also, the final night/ending frustrated me.
We never get to see/read what happens when Sara goes to the diner. So I don’t understand Hugo’s remark about “as long as this one doesn’t tear the place apart again”. I really would’ve loved to have read that part. I still really liked it, but I was left with more questions than answers. A good quick read and I would recommend it!

With Friends Like These by Alissa Lee is a fast paced women's fiction thriller brimming with drama and tangled friendships. The story looks at the darker sides of loyalty and betrayal. While the twists add intrigue, I found myself wanting a deeper dive into the thriller aspects and the game "the circus" that the characters played. That said, it’s an entertaining, quick read.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

This starts as a promising story, but it ultimately fails to live up to its potential. The Circus takes a backseat to the women's issues. The game seems to be both childish and ill-advised during the current climate. This is a quick read, but I still started skimming towards the end. I don't recommend.

The plot is interesting and had me interested in starting this short book. Five roommates from Harvard starting playing a game in college and still carried it out into their adult lives, even when one of the players died in college during the game. I had such hopes for how the game would be played out, but it turned into the struggles each person was having in their lives and the game was really second fiddle in the story. The author keeps little snippets of the game throughout to tie the story together, but I felt that this book was not mainly about it. I liked the characters and I enjoyed how the author was able to make you feel for each character.

The book was good but I found it a little disappointing since it wasn't mainly on the game as described.

Thank you Net Galley and Atria for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Thank you so much for the advanced copy of With Friends Like These. The dark academia vibes really had me excited and hooked at the beginning of the story. But as I got further along in the book, I was finding myself bored. I think all the flashbacks to the past at Harvard took away from the present day plot.

With Friends Like These by Alissa Lee, was not a good read for me. These women had ivy league education, but play this horrendous game every year. Finally, someone decides to behave like a grown-up and doesn't want to play the game anymore. Then the game becomes deadly. Not everyone wants to quit the game. With money as the end game, it becomes that more deadly. Whomever wins, gets all the money.
Sorry, I did read this until the end. I just didn't really like it very much. Thank goodness I don't have any friends like these
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book, but unfortunately it just wasn't for me..

Marketed as a debut thriller, With Friends Like These leans more toward general or women’s fiction, with hefty doses of drama and just the faintest wisp of mystery. The premise—Harvard alums engaged in a decades long secret game that suddenly turns deadly—sounds deliciously suspenseful, but the execution is more reflective than edge of your seat.

The story follows five once close college roommates, now adults living in New York, still bound by a private tradition: “The Circus,” an elimination style game that began as harmless fun but now carries higher, darker stakes. When Sara, the narrator, considers backing out, a surprise financial incentive draws her in for one final round. What follows isn’t so much a thriller as a slow unraveling of friendship, ambition, and long buried secrets.

The writing is engaging—I found myself turning the pages easily, curious to see where it would all lead. It’s not a slog by any means, and the author clearly has talent. Still, the plot felt somewhat undercooked, like it had the potential to dig deeper but didn’t quite get there. The characters, while not unlikable, failed to leave a lasting impression. A bit more emotional depth or heightened tension could have elevated the story substantially.

At a shorter length, the book moves quickly, which works in its favor but that also leaves some character arcs and story threads a bit thin.

In the end, With Friends Like These is enjoyable for what it is: a stylish debut with an intriguing concept and strong writing. Just don’t go in expecting a full fledged thriller packed with twists or gasp worthy moments. I’d be interested in seeing what this author does next—there’s clear potential here. But for now, this one feels more like a pleasant, fleeting read than something truly memorable.

- 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘈𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘢 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 | 𝘈𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘢/𝘌𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘉𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦-𝘈𝘙𝘊. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.💐ᡣ𐭩

Alright, you twisted souls, gather 'round!

Ever look at your friend group and think, "Hmm, what if we added a dash of competitive, potentially lethal games to spice things up?"

No? Just me?

Get ready to ditch your plans for something with a little more… well, murder.

“With Friends Like These", is dropping soon, and trust me, it's the kind of book that makes you side-eye your oldest friends and wonder what their secret little traditions are.

If you like your thrillers with a hefty dose of suspense, old lies festering into fresh horrors, and the kind of secrets that could send you six feet under, then you're gonna want to clear your schedule.

Check out this teaser :

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

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.

This book was fine, but I found out it confusing at times and convoluted. The characters were pretty unlikeable, and I just couldn’t get fully invested. The pacing was very off with a quick ending. Overall, this book was not my cup of tea at all. It wasn’t awful, but it wasn’t great.

Alissa Lee's With Friends Like These is a propulsive thriller. It kept me fliipping pages late into the night and early again the next morning, all because I wanted to find out how things turn out. I also really like how Lee depicts the existential crisis that plagues many of us early 40s millennial women.

The narrator, Sara, and her friends all graduated from Harvard, which should have set them up on a life filled with nothing but success. But reality came to bite each of them in different ways: Sara gives up a high-paying banking job to pursue her dream of becoming a photographer, yet now at 43, money problems have her considering taking on a corporate photography gig instead. Allie has a happy family and a good job in marketing, but she had to give up her dream career as a teacher to get it. Even the friends who seem to have their lives together -- Dina, a professor on the tenure track; Bee, a District Attorney running for mayor; and Wesley, a wild child trust fund heiress -- seem to have more problems than at first glance. Lee does a fantastic job at revealing details about her characters' lives layer by layer, and it becomes increasingly clear that none of them have the life they'd really wanted. Speaking as a woman also in my early 40s, that part of the story felt real and raw, and also very relatable.

The mystery part of the story isn't bad. The five friends are doing one last hurrah of an annual tradition they'd had since college: a "killing" game held the first week of each January. Each woman draws a friend's name as their first "target." They "kill" the target by shooting a water pistol, and the person "killed" gives up a medallion with their initials to the "killer," who then goes on to the next name on the list. Whoever collects all five medallions by the deadline wins that year's game. Some of the women want to end the game, so they decide to make this their last year, winner take all. And thanks to some savvy investment just after college, the prize is up to almost a million dollars.

Challenge is that Sara starts seeing someone she'd thought long dead: their sixth college roommate, who'd died under mysterious circumstances while playing the game in college. And then some of the women start getting threatening notes telling them to stop the game or else. And for one of the women, the threat turns frighteningly real.

Is one of the players taking the game too far, or is it someone else after them all? The big reveals are easy enough to guess, and the resulting insights about the importance of friendship are just okay. But it's still a propulsive read; Lee's writing keeps you turning the pages.

The weak link of the book for me is the hook of the game itself, which required quite a tremendous suspension of disbelief on my part. The trope of a college tradition turned deadly is a fairly common one, and Lee's version isn't necessarily more over-the-top than others in this genre. Yet the gameplay itself sounds so miserable that it's tough to believe this group of friends keeps it going for over two decades in the first place.

The game's supposed purpose is to make them feel extra-alive, and remind them to live life to the fullest. I can imagine some college kids thinking that will be fun, and maybe even some adrenaline-loving adults. And yes, I can even buy that the real-life consequences (one of them breaks a leg one year, another ends up arrested another year) may be worth the risk of the adrenaline rush.

But the gameplay itself seems so filled with anxiety and so low in high-adrenaline fun that it's hard to believe they kept it going for so long, especially since most of them didn't even know about the money until the present-day game. For example, Sara describes herself and her friends as being extra twitchy and with bloodshot eyes, because their "killer" may be hiding behind the corner. Sara hasn't taken a shower in almost a week, because apparently these friends like "shooting" each other in the shower. They'd even had to set up rules like kids are off-limits (one of the friends went so far as to kidnap another's children one year) and fake emergencies are off-limits (past games have involved fire alarms and calls about loved ones in hospital). There are more rules created from extreme past behaviour that I can't remember anymore, but yikes. Without the almost a million dollars cash pot, and with paranoia to the extent that you can't even feel safe showering in your own bathroom...why would anyone put up with this for so long?

Like I said, it's a tough sell, but overall a fun read regardless, and a relatable glimpse into some of the struggles of being 40 and realizing you haven't actually fulfilled all the dreams you'd set out to do.

+

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada for an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

The concept is interesting, semi dark academia, a group of girls play a game where a chosen ‘victim’ gets ‘killed’ ....

I liked the story's premise, and I loved that it jumped right into the action. However, I didn’t find the plot very engaging, and I kept hoping for more action. The characters weren’t very likable, and I didn’t find the writing style or plot compelling enough to make up for it. Sadly, I found myself mostly skimming to finish this one.

Just because this wasn't my cup of tea doesn't mean it won't be yours. For those who enjoy dramas that dive deep into character development, and readers who don't mind a dash of suspense on the side, this still could be a good pick. However, don't expect this to be a full-on thriller.

Thanks to Net Galley and Atria Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review. Publish date: November 4, 2025.

With Friends Like These is Alissa Lee’s debut novel and it was fresh take on dark academia. This story followed five college friends who every year following graduation reunited in New York City to play a harmless “killing” game where each one is assigned a target and must “eliminate” them.

I haven’t read a mystery thriller quite like this one. It was peculiar, and it was also chilling, fast paced game of cat and mouse. Despite the clever setup, there were some moments of unpredictable and predictable twists. The predictable plot twists didn’t make me like this story any less. In fact, I think the gradual tension build up kept me guessing who I could trust. And, on top of that, thoughtful themes of friendship, grief, ambition, and betrayal were explored with nuance.

Aside from the above mentioned positive aspects of With Friends Like These, there were a few things that weren’t appealing to me. The characters, for one, were a bit immature at times. Being that they were in their forties, they acted very immature-as though they were still in college. This became annoying to me, and therefore, made it hard to listen to their cattiness at times. Luckily the distinct and sinister plot provided the most stimulation, and as a result, I was compelled to see how the drama fueled story played out.

All in all, Alissa Lee delivered a chilling and twisted debut. As a
woman myself, there is nothing more entertaining than reading about women whose seemingly unbreakable bond unravel under the weight of secrets, competition, and long-held resentment. If you enjoy slow-burn thrillers with psychological depth, shifting alliances, and a dark academia backdrop, this book will have you hooked.

Thanks to Net Galley and Atria Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I tried with this one, but I just couldn't get into it. The game was stupid and the characters were annoying.

This story had an interesting premise, but it just wasn’t for me. I was very confused about what the “circus” was, so I just couldn’t get into it. That’s just me, maybe others will like it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was hard to get through for me but i finished it!

The plot seemed promising, a group of Harvard alumni’s having an elimination game they play every year. The main character Sara wants to stop playing after she think she see one of who roommates who died while they still attended Harvard. They play one final round to win prize money (close to 1 million dollars), that would go to Harvard as a donation if the game wasn’t played so they had to play and the winner of the last round would take all the money.

But the writing feel short with to many unnecessary explanations and I don’t care about the characters. There were too many roommates to keep track of and it doesn’t state how the circus started but does state why they girls keep doing it; to keep the memory of Claudine alive.

2 stars — Not for me, but may work for others

Friends Like These had such a fun premise—a high-stakes game between former college friends that blends nostalgia, drama, and mystery—but unfortunately, the execution fell flat for me. While the idea of a murder game turned deadly reunion had potential, the story read more like a drama than a thriller, lacking the suspense and momentum I expected. The characters, all former Harvard students, felt strangely immature and often made choices that didn’t make much logical sense. I also found the stakes underwhelming despite the promised tension and twisty turns.

There were some things I did appreciate: the writing style was solid, the novella-length made for a quick read, and the story jumped right into the action. But ultimately, I didn’t find the characters particularly likable or the plot very engaging. I kept hoping for more action or mystery, and while it kept me reading, I was mostly skimming by the end.

Just because this wasn’t for me doesn’t mean others won’t enjoy it. If you like character-driven dramas with a hint of suspense, this could still be a good pick—just don’t expect a full-on thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley, Alissa Lee, and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This is a great campus thriller. A good summer read, the premise is unique. Once, you dive in, you will be captivated

This is my first Alissa Lee book and it did not disappoint! The "Circus" game drew me in, and I always love a thriller of college roommates! This book was a little slow to start, and the ending didn't hit the way I am sure it was intended. It just fell a little short, personally, for me. I still enjoyed the book, just wish it was more of what I was expecting.

I want to personally thank NetGalley, as well as the author, publisher, and anyone else involved in providing copies, for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a book about a group of friends from Harvard playing circus one last time. I figured it would be more thriller/mystery vibes. They use fake guns and it's like a giant city wide hide and seek. They decide they are going to play one last time for a large chunk of money. Tensions are high and people will go to whatever lengths they can to win.
I did feel like there were little clues into who did it. Where there were some mystery vibes it didn't really scratch the itch of mystery/thriller for me.
It was well written and all the characters have quite a bit of background so you get to know them.
Thank you netgalley, Alissa Lee and publishers for letting me have the chance to read this arc for an honest review.
I would be excited to try this author again and see if I enjoyed one of her other writings more.

With Friends Like These dives into the complexities of friendship, trust, and betrayal with sharp wit and unexpected twists. As secrets unravel and loyalties are tested, I found myself completely absorbed in the tension and drama. Alissa Lee masterfully keeps you guessing until the very end. Such a binge-worthy, page-turning read! Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.