Reviews with content warning for Violence - The Family Game

A Christmas Thriller focused on an excessively rich American family. They have crazy traditions and a shroud of secrecy around them.

When Harriet, a British Thriller Author, newly engaged gets thrown into meeting her future in-laws it is quite overwhelming. The Holbeck's have an American dynasty and she's an orphan.
A tape from the pariarch Robert Holbeck, the first time she met him changes everything.

It feels cinematic. The audiobook performance (by the author!) and sound design are fantastic. I loved that the tapes had the sound and texture of an anologue recording.

Content Warnings

dalenora's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This book was okay but I saw the twist coming from the first 50 pages, and it was generally pretty slow paced and didn’t really “hook” me like some others. Felt very run of the mill, but it was a good beach read to kill in an afternoon.

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thismermaidreads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This whole review is a spoiler…

I couldn’t ever get past incestual feeling of her attraction to her fiancés father, like that was always super cringey to me. This is the second “rich people drama” thriller I’ve read I think farther confirming that it’s not a sub genre for me. Also, why wouldn’t this B*!?h just listen to the whole wedding tape at once?! Like I’m sorry if I as a full time working mom of two young kids and a wife found the time to listen to this audiobook in two to three sittings, how on earth was she incapable of finding the time to receive this incredibly important information?!

Le sigh

Content Warnings

heather3879's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A dark thriller with truly unexpected twists and an ending I would never have guessed! I read frequently in this genre, and usually enjoy the stories but can often predict major components of them. This one really kept me guessing!

Content Warnings