Thank you to Bibliolifestyle, William Morrow, #partner, for a finished copy of The Game She Plays in exchange for my honest review. I borrowed the audiobook from the library.
Publisher: William Morrow / Harper Audio
Published: June 6, 2023
Summary:
From the author of Tell Us No Secrets comes a twisty new novel. A young American woman is thrust into the closed social circle of English aristocrats, but beneath their charm and glamor lay secrets and dark betrayals that follow them—and her—around every corner. Perfect for fans of Lucy Foley, Sherry Lapena, Ruth Ware, and Gilly MacMillan.
To everyone else it was “just” a weekend house party—complete with a pheasant shoot, inside jokes, and after-dinner games. But for American Nicola Harris, swept off her feet by aristocratic Englishman James Shuttleworth, the weekend is her first chance to penetrate his close-knit circle of posh friends—people with names like Badger and Trez, people who will soon have the titles of Earl and Countess. Nicola is eager to fit in, but she can’t seem to navigate this insular world, where everyone speaks a private language and secrets are hinted at behind the jolly jokes and witty barbs.
Just as Nicola begins to feel welcome, Juliet arrives. Mysterious, stunning, charismatic Juliet is also James’ first love—the one who left him heartbroken ten years before. Juliet holds the men in thrall and the women under her spell. And although it seems she can do no wrong, outsider Nicola senses something poisonous in her presence, something that sparks insecurity, jealousy, betrayal, and violence. Because Juliet is a champion game-player, able to lure you into her circle by finding your most vulnerable spot….and when the game she plays turns deadly, everyone is a suspect.
My thoughts:
I recently read Siena Sterling’s debut thriller, Tell Us No Secrets, which I really liked, so I was excited to get my hands on her next book.
This book, while a bit of a slow-burn, was so twisty and addicting that I found myself completely engaged from start to finish. I love locked-room mysteries, so I was all in! And I loved how atmospheric it was, set in the English countryside. I wasn’t sure about the whole hunting aspect, but luckily that wasn’t really the main focus of the story. The real plot was the toxic friendships and I loved how the author played on the differences between the classes. You really saw that and even felt that at times.
I loved how there was a sense of that something was going to happen but you didn’t know what. The friends have gathered for a weekend getaway, but these friends don’t all seem to be on the same page. There’s secrets, jealousy, greed, gaslighting, manipulation and envy going on and while I liked some of the characters, there were definitely some that I couldn’t stand, which I love in a good thriller!
This was a really fun, escapism-type read, perfect for the summer. I will definitely be keeping this author on my watch-for list as I have enjoyed both her books so far.
Audio thoughts:
This was the perfect book to listen to and the narrator, Caitlin Kelly, did an amazing job bringing the story to life. I found myself completely engaged in the audiobook and really enjoyed it!
