sloooooow first 1/2 but i was invested and needed to see how this story panned out. Absolutely did not go the way I was expecting.. wish I had been more aware of some of the triggering topics. Well rounded ending that i was *mostly* satisfied with…… you’re never going to be 100% happy with a thriller lol 

The person you love most is in danger, to save them you must play the game, possibly risking the lives of others involved, what do you do?

The Game is a fast paced gripping thriller told from the perspectives of each of the 5 players. It's told in short snappy chapters that alternate between each character which kept me completely hooked and wondering what the hell was going to happen next.

As the story unfolds it appears there are many sinister things to come, just where will it all end and who if anyone will survive? Absolute fear and raw desperation ooze from each chapter as we see each individual question if there's any limit to what they will do to save the person the love?

I switched between audiobook and ebook and found both equally gripping. The narration was done by one narrator and I was surprisingly impressed with his different characterisations. While I was completely hooked throughout I can't say that I was overly fond of the ending, it felt a little bit messy and if anything a little bit unnecessary in a way.

Overall an interesting fast paced thriller that will keep you hooked.

TWs for animal death, rape and sexual assault.

The actually premise sounded really interesting and that’s what drew me into this book.

However, the whole thing felt very long winded. There was more about the journey than the actual game. When the game was revealed, it felt very anti-climatic - there was all this build up for /that/.

Having so many players meant that I had to make notes on who each of them were and key identifiers so I could remember who was who. I didn’t really like any of the characters to be honest, they all seemed quite average though their backgrounds certainly weren’t!

I enjoyed the book as a whole, I just felt disappointed by the reveal after all the build up and mystery around the game. 

1.5⭐️

Going to be quite harsh with this review. Absolutely loved the concept of this book but the execution is just so bad and disappointing.

- Too many characters to follow and also you don’t feel truly invested in any of them. And for some irrelevant characters too.
- Narrative jumps around all over the place, present and past.
- Confusing storyline, again not helped by the above points.
- The first half of the book you’re just building up waiting for the game to start and when it does it’s so anticlimactic. I would’ve liked more of the game elements.
- The plot twist legit came out of no where, which was good to be unexpected, but also so off for me it wasn’t believable at all. I also felt there wasn’t enough explanation or background given to Benishek and how this illegal porn empire started.
- Its so unbelievable that Linda has been able to orchestrate this? With what money, connections, and within a few weeks of her daughter’s death? I just think it’s so far fetched it really took me out of it. I know she’s ex police, but still. 
- Ending was so lacking, didn’t explain what happened to Noah or Brett’s gf?
- I found the comments on the internet, porn, consent and paying for online content interesting and wish this had been a heavier focus.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me this to review.