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The Game
If you loved American Horror Story 1984, you'll die for this paperback original thriller mashup of Agatha Christie's The A.B.C. Murders and Riverdale in which a game turns deadly with a killer who picks his victims one by one, letter by letter.
Every year the senior class at Lincoln High plays assassin. Lia Prince has been planning her strategy for years and she's psyched that not only does she finally get to play, she's on a team with Devon Diaz. But this year, the game isn't any fun--it's real. Abby Ascher, Ben Barnard, and Cassidy Clarke have all turned up . . . dead. Can Lia stop the ABC killer before he reaches D?
Underlined is a line of totally addictive romance, thriller, and horror paperback original titles coming to you fast and furious each month. Enjoy everything you want to read the way you want to read it.
Every year the senior class at Lincoln High plays assassin. Lia Prince has been planning her strategy for years and she's psyched that not only does she finally get to play, she's on a team with Devon Diaz. But this year, the game isn't any fun--it's real. Abby Ascher, Ben Barnard, and Cassidy Clarke have all turned up . . . dead. Can Lia stop the ABC killer before he reaches D?
Underlined is a line of totally addictive romance, thriller, and horror paperback original titles coming to you fast and furious each month. Enjoy everything you want to read the way you want to read it.
240 pages, Paperback
First published August 4, 2020
122 people are currently reading
5696 people want to read
About the author
Linsey Miller
15 books1,087 followersOnce upon a time, Linsey Miller studied biology in Arkansas. These days, she holds an MFA in fiction and is the author of Lambda-nominated What We Devour. Her other works include the Mask of Shadows duology, Belle Révolte, The Game, the first three books in the Disney Princes series, and the upcoming YA fantasy That Devil, Ambition (spring 2025 from HarperCollins). She can be found in Texas writing about science and magic anywhere there is coffee.
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May 26, 2020Hello all!
This is not a review. This is just going to be a quick note about the content warnings for THE GAME, and I hope it helps.
While this book has moments of humor and romance, it is still a murder mystery at its heart. It contains scenes of funerals, panic attacks, and parental neglect, and there are several graphic depictions of violence and death.
If you need clarification for any of these or a page number, I am happy to provide it. Also, if there's anything you might think I missed and want to know about, please let me know.
Best,
Linsey ♥⚔️♥
This is not a review. This is just going to be a quick note about the content warnings for THE GAME, and I hope it helps.
While this book has moments of humor and romance, it is still a murder mystery at its heart. It contains scenes of funerals, panic attacks, and parental neglect, and there are several graphic depictions of violence and death.
If you need clarification for any of these or a page number, I am happy to provide it. Also, if there's anything you might think I missed and want to know about, please let me know.
Best,
Linsey ♥⚔️♥
January 22, 2022
6 out of 10
This book is interesting, to say the least. The Game consists of the main characters, Lia, Gem, and Devon playing “Assassins” which is a high school tradition where you get assigned a target and you have to hunt them down with a water gun. Lia, (The POV character, (The MC)) is deadset on winning Assassins. She had spent the previous months obsessively stalking all of her peers and taking notes on their schedules and such so she would have a better chance at winning. It was definitely very strange reading about her dedication to this. Midway into this game though, people actually start turning up dead.
This book has an incredibly interesting premise, but I didn’t really connect with the book that much. The characters felt pretty bland and some of their interactions made no sense at all. Also, the author seems to really like short names.
This book is somewhat of a murder mystery. Lia is being framed for these murders and it certainly doesn’t help her case that she has this journal filled to the brim with detailed notes and the exact schedules of all her peers. The killer was pretty easy to predict, but I didn’t figure it out before it was revealed. I really should’ve since it was so obvious, (especially with all the insensitive comments the killer was making).
This book has a really good outward appearance. The cover art is amazing and fits the book perfectly. It is definitely very well designed. The book’s rating of YA doesn’t really feel like a good rating though. This book feels more like a middle-grade book written with a YA plot.
The beginning of this book is pretty boring. Of course, you get introduced to Lia’s life, and the supporting characters, but there isn’t really a lot of substance to grab onto. It feels more like a checklist of things to do than anything else. After the deaths though, you get a lot more out of this book. They actually grieve for these people which is nice, but then they just continue playing Assassins as if nothing happened. After another death, Lia begins to think more about who is killing them and such.
The ending is the best part of this book. Although I predicted some of the deaths, I didn’t predict the killer. The cast makes this huge plan to confront the killer and it is oh-so-clever and exciting. There is that trope where the killer explains the reasoning behind their plans when they are confronted which is annoying, but it did explain some loose-ends, all-be-it, not very well. Not everything is tied up at the end and I am still confused by their motives, but I will admit that the ending was very thrilling.
I definitely liked this book. The intense parts are very good but if you look at the whole package it is painfully average. Most reviews of this book are pretty unanimous in saying that this book has some problems. The book would be better with more fleshed-out characters and more direction. Overall this book is decent. I’m not sure if I’d recommend it to anyone, (I’d recommend “One Of Us is Lying” or "A Good Girl's Guide to Murder") but it was a nice premise and an interesting read.
This book is interesting, to say the least. The Game consists of the main characters, Lia, Gem, and Devon playing “Assassins” which is a high school tradition where you get assigned a target and you have to hunt them down with a water gun. Lia, (The POV character, (The MC)) is deadset on winning Assassins. She had spent the previous months obsessively stalking all of her peers and taking notes on their schedules and such so she would have a better chance at winning. It was definitely very strange reading about her dedication to this. Midway into this game though, people actually start turning up dead.
This book has an incredibly interesting premise, but I didn’t really connect with the book that much. The characters felt pretty bland and some of their interactions made no sense at all. Also, the author seems to really like short names.
This book is somewhat of a murder mystery. Lia is being framed for these murders and it certainly doesn’t help her case that she has this journal filled to the brim with detailed notes and the exact schedules of all her peers. The killer was pretty easy to predict, but I didn’t figure it out before it was revealed. I really should’ve since it was so obvious, (especially with all the insensitive comments the killer was making).
This book has a really good outward appearance. The cover art is amazing and fits the book perfectly. It is definitely very well designed. The book’s rating of YA doesn’t really feel like a good rating though. This book feels more like a middle-grade book written with a YA plot.
The beginning of this book is pretty boring. Of course, you get introduced to Lia’s life, and the supporting characters, but there isn’t really a lot of substance to grab onto. It feels more like a checklist of things to do than anything else. After the deaths though, you get a lot more out of this book. They actually grieve for these people which is nice, but then they just continue playing Assassins as if nothing happened. After another death, Lia begins to think more about who is killing them and such.
The ending is the best part of this book. Although I predicted some of the deaths, I didn’t predict the killer. The cast makes this huge plan to confront the killer and it is oh-so-clever and exciting. There is that trope where the killer explains the reasoning behind their plans when they are confronted which is annoying, but it did explain some loose-ends, all-be-it, not very well. Not everything is tied up at the end and I am still confused by their motives, but I will admit that the ending was very thrilling.
I definitely liked this book. The intense parts are very good but if you look at the whole package it is painfully average. Most reviews of this book are pretty unanimous in saying that this book has some problems. The book would be better with more fleshed-out characters and more direction. Overall this book is decent. I’m not sure if I’d recommend it to anyone, (I’d recommend “One Of Us is Lying” or "A Good Girl's Guide to Murder") but it was a nice premise and an interesting read.
August 1, 2020
A book about students pretend killing each other that turns into really killing each other? Sounds fun, right?
Where do I even begin with this book?
My main issue was that the writing and the demographic didn't match up at all. This book felt like it should be middle grade, or specifically in the "teen" section of a bookstore marketed to 15 and under. Yet the characters are about to graduate high school and are facing (or have already made) important decisions about their lives.
It seems like a lot of people hated Lia, and I can totally understand why. Her obsession with the Game was extreme and the stalking journal she kept was concerning as fuck. But in the beginning I related to her, surrounded by friends that were great at so many things and knew where they wanted to end up in the future. She felt like she was getting left behind, as if there was something wrong with her for never excelling at anything that would help her map out her own future. And here I am, a 33 year old woman, who has spent my entire working life in food service, because I don't like change but boy do I like going home with a lot of cash and I am damn good at my job. So I appreciate the message about not living your life according to other people's timelines, that college isn't for everyone (and I did, for the record, attend college and have an incredibly high GPA, but in Florida I'll still make more money as a server in half the hours and I like immediate rewards 🤷🏻♀️), that you shouldn't be resentful of your peers' achievements.
Here's where it went from an at-least-I-had-fun-reading-it 3 star rating to a 2 star wouldn't-recommend-wasting-your-time-and-money rating: The killer is so uncomfortably obvious that I spent about two thirds of the book wondering if the author was going to somehow dupe me and blow my mind with a crazy plot twist. But no. It's exactly who you think it is. The motivation and method of victim selection is, again, impossible not to predict. And at the end the reader has to suffer the dreadful villain monologue. I could possibly forgive some of these issues IF the main character didn't declare herself a master puzzle solver and then turn out to be the embodiment of the confused lady surrounded by floating equations meme.
I wouldn't recommend this book to older YA readers, but I think if you are, or have a child who is, a high school freshman, this book could be enjoyable and help the reader gain more confidence in themself as a person versus what they have to offer society.
*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for me to review
Where do I even begin with this book?
My main issue was that the writing and the demographic didn't match up at all. This book felt like it should be middle grade, or specifically in the "teen" section of a bookstore marketed to 15 and under. Yet the characters are about to graduate high school and are facing (or have already made) important decisions about their lives.
It seems like a lot of people hated Lia, and I can totally understand why. Her obsession with the Game was extreme and the stalking journal she kept was concerning as fuck. But in the beginning I related to her, surrounded by friends that were great at so many things and knew where they wanted to end up in the future. She felt like she was getting left behind, as if there was something wrong with her for never excelling at anything that would help her map out her own future. And here I am, a 33 year old woman, who has spent my entire working life in food service, because I don't like change but boy do I like going home with a lot of cash and I am damn good at my job. So I appreciate the message about not living your life according to other people's timelines, that college isn't for everyone (and I did, for the record, attend college and have an incredibly high GPA, but in Florida I'll still make more money as a server in half the hours and I like immediate rewards 🤷🏻♀️), that you shouldn't be resentful of your peers' achievements.
Here's where it went from an at-least-I-had-fun-reading-it 3 star rating to a 2 star wouldn't-recommend-wasting-your-time-and-money rating: The killer is so uncomfortably obvious that I spent about two thirds of the book wondering if the author was going to somehow dupe me and blow my mind with a crazy plot twist. But no. It's exactly who you think it is. The motivation and method of victim selection is, again, impossible not to predict. And at the end the reader has to suffer the dreadful villain monologue. I could possibly forgive some of these issues IF the main character didn't declare herself a master puzzle solver and then turn out to be the embodiment of the confused lady surrounded by floating equations meme.
I wouldn't recommend this book to older YA readers, but I think if you are, or have a child who is, a high school freshman, this book could be enjoyable and help the reader gain more confidence in themself as a person versus what they have to offer society.
*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for me to review
November 2, 2020
THE MOST DISSAPPOINTING AND POORLY THOUGHT AND EVEN MORE EMBARASSINGLY POOR EXECUTION.
The whole Lia stalking others and literally writing down their routines was downright cringey and unnecessary. Weak attempt at portraying how "dedicated" a character is towards a game; totally backfires instead is desperate and low move
INSTANCE #1
“There were 317 seniors, and Lia had spent all last year figuring out who would play. She had been left with fifty definites.
She had documented their daily schedules and which classrooms they were in this semester. Her journal was filled to the edges with names, maps, and by-the-minute timetables. Lia clutched it to her chest and wound her way upstairs to the biology lab with Gem.”
“Gem opened the door. “Stalking everyone?”
Lia waved her journal. “Not everyone, and it’s all stuff they say aloud. It’s not like I’m following them home. Stalking makes it sound weird and illegal.”
INSTANCE #2
“I can’t believe you have the whole senior class tracked,” Gem said. “It’s creepy.”
“Which is why I’m not telling anyone,” Lia said as they got in the car. She scrolled through her spreadsheets. “And all the information I have, people blabbed about freely. It’s not like I hacked their calendars.”
INSTANCE #3
“She was just going to follow Abby and see if she kept her normal routine.”
HOW MUCH LONGER WILL SHE KEEP DOING THIS?????
At this point, YA can do better than details regarding a girl's makeup. Please don't write details about how little makeup she wears "dash of mascara and pats of tinted lip
balm" in a weak attempt of 'imnotlikeothergirls' bullcrap. like stfu. Do better!! I don't need to know this is completely irrelevant ugghh
This book is around 220 pages. Victim #3 is murdered 150 pages in. And literally nothing bas happened. The whole book is literally the author just explaining How big a DEAL This local game/tradition is and Lia discovering dead bodies 😒😒🙄
I honestly don't care about any of the characters like i don't hate them; i don't want to murder Lia, like thats just how unattached i am to her. Lol what even was Gem's character supposed to be about . Also Devon; who was he again? Ah right, silly unnecessary love interest for the author to write up words when she doesn't have better content and to tell the main character how driven and strong headed she is when she’s really a complaining wuss. Gotcha 😍💍
This girl Lia literally no one said NOT ONCE that ur a suspect or the police are suspecting you and this wierdass girl's like omg everyone hates me they think im a ✨murderer✨ girl shutup
THIS IS A LITERAL QUOTE FROM THE BOOK I CAN'T MAKE THIS UP.
“Before Abby’s death, Lia had been known in that way the laws of thermodynamics were—some students at Lincoln High knew of her and remembered her first name, but only a few knew her. Now everyone knew her.
She didn’t like it.”
I'M SCREAMING FORGET THAT WHATEVER THE HELL IS THIS 😭😭😭✨ CAN'T breathe
“A carrot at the end of a stick wasn’t enticing if the carrot wasn’t supposed to be there in the first place. Traps needed context.” Pls make it make sense
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Below average writing style
Bland characters
The hyped tradition 'Assasins' was barely the part of the plot
Kids we'ren't even dying because of the game. Gosh how lame
Badly plotted deaths/murder. Victim #1 Abbey. Trips & very conveniently main protagonist also trips & by the time recovers finds out friend's dead. Like her head was literally bashed up so bad, apparently they couldn't even sew it back up and didn't want to open the casket at the funeral because of how beat up the corpse was and then the local police deems it as an accident???? DOUBLE WTFSS. Like didn't Lia here someone walking up to her bashing her face repeatedly on the street? please shutup Linsey.
Victim #2 Ben. Knife lodged in an eye. Allergic reaction to latex and fingers snapped back so hard the white of the bones was showing. Lia says clearly this was personal and someone wanted him to suffer before murdering him. Turns out the killer just killed him to follow a 'pattern' ,create false suspicion etc etc. Because everyone else was killed for a scholarship chance while he wasn't even offered scholarship so why all those gory murder details???? like excuse me???? does not add up.
Victim #3 Cassidy. Killed by bashing of head to a stone table. Okay first of all Linsey, you care to explain where a 17 year old is even getting so much arm strength from to be able to just smash people to death???
Very very conveniently no investigation details were added. No clue from the crime scene? no dna? no fingerprints? no trails?? 🔪 🧬
Also like the author seems so dumb she literally made a (seemingly) wealthy student the murderer since she said 'she was a legacy' or whatever also she wrote the student murdering everyone holds the biggest lawyers or whatnot so why does this wealthy character need to kill students off for a chance of scholarship, clearly she can afford college.
WHATEVER, JUST DON'T READ THIS BOOK.
P.s. I think this ends at a (sort of) cliffhanger; please don’t let there be a second one. Trees are gonna die for this TRASH 🗑👁👄👁
The whole Lia stalking others and literally writing down their routines was downright cringey and unnecessary. Weak attempt at portraying how "dedicated" a character is towards a game; totally backfires instead is desperate and low move
INSTANCE #1
“There were 317 seniors, and Lia had spent all last year figuring out who would play. She had been left with fifty definites.
She had documented their daily schedules and which classrooms they were in this semester. Her journal was filled to the edges with names, maps, and by-the-minute timetables. Lia clutched it to her chest and wound her way upstairs to the biology lab with Gem.”
“Gem opened the door. “Stalking everyone?”
Lia waved her journal. “Not everyone, and it’s all stuff they say aloud. It’s not like I’m following them home. Stalking makes it sound weird and illegal.”
INSTANCE #2
“I can’t believe you have the whole senior class tracked,” Gem said. “It’s creepy.”
“Which is why I’m not telling anyone,” Lia said as they got in the car. She scrolled through her spreadsheets. “And all the information I have, people blabbed about freely. It’s not like I hacked their calendars.”
INSTANCE #3
“She was just going to follow Abby and see if she kept her normal routine.”
HOW MUCH LONGER WILL SHE KEEP DOING THIS?????
At this point, YA can do better than details regarding a girl's makeup. Please don't write details about how little makeup she wears "dash of mascara and pats of tinted lip
balm" in a weak attempt of 'imnotlikeothergirls' bullcrap. like stfu. Do better!! I don't need to know this is completely irrelevant ugghh
This book is around 220 pages. Victim #3 is murdered 150 pages in. And literally nothing bas happened. The whole book is literally the author just explaining How big a DEAL This local game/tradition is and Lia discovering dead bodies 😒😒🙄
I honestly don't care about any of the characters like i don't hate them; i don't want to murder Lia, like thats just how unattached i am to her. Lol what even was Gem's character supposed to be about . Also Devon; who was he again? Ah right, silly unnecessary love interest for the author to write up words when she doesn't have better content and to tell the main character how driven and strong headed she is when she’s really a complaining wuss. Gotcha 😍💍
This girl Lia literally no one said NOT ONCE that ur a suspect or the police are suspecting you and this wierdass girl's like omg everyone hates me they think im a ✨murderer✨ girl shutup
THIS IS A LITERAL QUOTE FROM THE BOOK I CAN'T MAKE THIS UP.
“Before Abby’s death, Lia had been known in that way the laws of thermodynamics were—some students at Lincoln High knew of her and remembered her first name, but only a few knew her. Now everyone knew her.
She didn’t like it.”
I'M SCREAMING FORGET THAT WHATEVER THE HELL IS THIS 😭😭😭✨ CAN'T breathe
“A carrot at the end of a stick wasn’t enticing if the carrot wasn’t supposed to be there in the first place. Traps needed context.” Pls make it make sense
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Below average writing style
Bland characters
The hyped tradition 'Assasins' was barely the part of the plot
Kids we'ren't even dying because of the game. Gosh how lame
Badly plotted deaths/murder. Victim #1 Abbey. Trips & very conveniently main protagonist also trips & by the time recovers finds out friend's dead. Like her head was literally bashed up so bad, apparently they couldn't even sew it back up and didn't want to open the casket at the funeral because of how beat up the corpse was and then the local police deems it as an accident???? DOUBLE WTFSS. Like didn't Lia here someone walking up to her bashing her face repeatedly on the street? please shutup Linsey.
Victim #2 Ben. Knife lodged in an eye. Allergic reaction to latex and fingers snapped back so hard the white of the bones was showing. Lia says clearly this was personal and someone wanted him to suffer before murdering him. Turns out the killer just killed him to follow a 'pattern' ,create false suspicion etc etc. Because everyone else was killed for a scholarship chance while he wasn't even offered scholarship so why all those gory murder details???? like excuse me???? does not add up.
Victim #3 Cassidy. Killed by bashing of head to a stone table. Okay first of all Linsey, you care to explain where a 17 year old is even getting so much arm strength from to be able to just smash people to death???
Very very conveniently no investigation details were added. No clue from the crime scene? no dna? no fingerprints? no trails?? 🔪 🧬
Also like the author seems so dumb she literally made a (seemingly) wealthy student the murderer since she said 'she was a legacy' or whatever also she wrote the student murdering everyone holds the biggest lawyers or whatnot so why does this wealthy character need to kill students off for a chance of scholarship, clearly she can afford college.
WHATEVER, JUST DON'T READ THIS BOOK.
P.s. I think this ends at a (sort of) cliffhanger; please don’t let there be a second one. Trees are gonna die for this TRASH 🗑👁👄👁
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 24, 2020
Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Game is an event that seniors in high school play as their last hoorah before adulthood. You get teamed with a couple other students and have to assassinate your classmates one by one with water guns. Lia, the main character, has been waiting for this game since ninth grade. She wants to prove to everyone that she is good at something. While this game is mischievous, no harm is to be done to any of the classmates, but one by one they are getting murdered.
I really wanted to love this, the synopsis sounded amazing and of course I wanted American Horror Story: 1982 vibes. It just felt quite childish to me, like the characters didn’t act like seniors. I was intrigued throughout the book to find out what was really going on, and Lia is not a reliable character which made it all the better. It just ended in a very bland kind of way, I figured out who the killer was pretty easily and the ending just happened and that was it.
I really think if this was a more drawn out book with fleshed out characters it could have been fantastic. The author has a solid storyline it just needed some work with the mystery aspect and thrill. Having an assassination game go wrong and a killer on the loose sounds so good and that’s what this book could have been. All in all, I was intrigued throughout the book, but ended up disappointed at the end.
The Game is an event that seniors in high school play as their last hoorah before adulthood. You get teamed with a couple other students and have to assassinate your classmates one by one with water guns. Lia, the main character, has been waiting for this game since ninth grade. She wants to prove to everyone that she is good at something. While this game is mischievous, no harm is to be done to any of the classmates, but one by one they are getting murdered.
I really wanted to love this, the synopsis sounded amazing and of course I wanted American Horror Story: 1982 vibes. It just felt quite childish to me, like the characters didn’t act like seniors. I was intrigued throughout the book to find out what was really going on, and Lia is not a reliable character which made it all the better. It just ended in a very bland kind of way, I figured out who the killer was pretty easily and the ending just happened and that was it.
I really think if this was a more drawn out book with fleshed out characters it could have been fantastic. The author has a solid storyline it just needed some work with the mystery aspect and thrill. Having an assassination game go wrong and a killer on the loose sounds so good and that’s what this book could have been. All in all, I was intrigued throughout the book, but ended up disappointed at the end.
December 10, 2024
"Murder is a necessity. Fun is optional."
The concept behind this book was unique and exciting, but unfortunately, it didn't live up to those initial expectations.
The story should have taken an intriguing plot and transformed it into something thrilling and dangerously murderous. Instead, we were left with a mediocre narrative that was predictable within the first couple of chapters. There were truly no redeeming qualities. The writing was poor, the characters were unlikable, and the ending was overly used and dull. My lifeless corpse could have written a better book than this.
"Then why are you giving it two stars?" you ask. The concept was truly genius—a cat-and-mouse game that high school kids play while their friends are picked off one by one. It sounded really intriguing if executed perfectly. Unfortunately, the idea was more promising than the actual execution.
The Game was a book I would never read again. The author has lost all credibility with me after this. It was disappointing.
The concept behind this book was unique and exciting, but unfortunately, it didn't live up to those initial expectations.
The story should have taken an intriguing plot and transformed it into something thrilling and dangerously murderous. Instead, we were left with a mediocre narrative that was predictable within the first couple of chapters. There were truly no redeeming qualities. The writing was poor, the characters were unlikable, and the ending was overly used and dull. My lifeless corpse could have written a better book than this.
"Then why are you giving it two stars?" you ask. The concept was truly genius—a cat-and-mouse game that high school kids play while their friends are picked off one by one. It sounded really intriguing if executed perfectly. Unfortunately, the idea was more promising than the actual execution.
The Game was a book I would never read again. The author has lost all credibility with me after this. It was disappointing.
August 29, 2020
Whew! That was a game turned nightmare! I went into this wondering how exactly a high school game turned real life murder mystery was going to turn out... and while I think that the author somehow pulled it off, there were still some parts that didn’t seem quite as genuine as I was hoping.
I knew that my biggest problem was going to be having the young high schoolers deal with a very mature topic such as the deaths and murders of their friends and classmates. And to be honest I think that’s exactly where my issues lie. While I was really into the assassins game, and the whodunnit aspect, it also felt awful knowing that even though kids are dying right and left I didn’t want the game to end. And to me that kind of puts a red flag on the way my thoughts were pulling when you could care less that kids are actually dying just to continue a silly high school senior tradition.
I also felt like these kids felt soooo young. Like almost too young to be dealing with death when they’re still trying to get their first kiss? I mean, I felt like I could live on my own and conquer the world by 18 and these kids are barely even ready to move on from their parents homes. It just felt like they were very young and sheltered. Maybe I’m too used to reading fantasy fiction where characters are saving the world at age 17. So these characters felt a little naive and less equipped to deal with such huge topics of the real world.
I did find it intriguing enough to want know how it ended. I actually read most of the last 70% in one sitting because once I got into it, I couldn’t put it down! The pacing is fast and hooks you into the story. I like the subtleties that once you know who the Killer is, you start to realize all the little hints that were dropped along the way. I did guess the correct killer a little early on but it didn’t take away from the ah ha moment once it all comes together.
I have had to DNF another book by this author a while ago so I was happy to see that I liked this book enough to continue on to the end. Still, I’m not sure I would put this in my favorite reads of 2020 by any means. A fun and interesting read though, and worth the short amount of time it took to read it!
I knew that my biggest problem was going to be having the young high schoolers deal with a very mature topic such as the deaths and murders of their friends and classmates. And to be honest I think that’s exactly where my issues lie. While I was really into the assassins game, and the whodunnit aspect, it also felt awful knowing that even though kids are dying right and left I didn’t want the game to end. And to me that kind of puts a red flag on the way my thoughts were pulling when you could care less that kids are actually dying just to continue a silly high school senior tradition.
I also felt like these kids felt soooo young. Like almost too young to be dealing with death when they’re still trying to get their first kiss? I mean, I felt like I could live on my own and conquer the world by 18 and these kids are barely even ready to move on from their parents homes. It just felt like they were very young and sheltered. Maybe I’m too used to reading fantasy fiction where characters are saving the world at age 17. So these characters felt a little naive and less equipped to deal with such huge topics of the real world.
I did find it intriguing enough to want know how it ended. I actually read most of the last 70% in one sitting because once I got into it, I couldn’t put it down! The pacing is fast and hooks you into the story. I like the subtleties that once you know who the Killer is, you start to realize all the little hints that were dropped along the way. I did guess the correct killer a little early on but it didn’t take away from the ah ha moment once it all comes together.
I have had to DNF another book by this author a while ago so I was happy to see that I liked this book enough to continue on to the end. Still, I’m not sure I would put this in my favorite reads of 2020 by any means. A fun and interesting read though, and worth the short amount of time it took to read it!
July 16, 2020
I really didn’t like this book.
I didn’t like the main character at all and all of her motives didn’t really make sense and I don’t think they justified for her actions.
The killer was so predictable and I already knew who it was halfway through the book. It was all very straightforward in my opinion and I would have liked a few twists.
There wasn’t any thrill reading this book and I was never on the edge of my seat when I read this book.
I expected a lot more from this book and I’m highly disappointed
I didn’t like the main character at all and all of her motives didn’t really make sense and I don’t think they justified for her actions.
The killer was so predictable and I already knew who it was halfway through the book. It was all very straightforward in my opinion and I would have liked a few twists.
There wasn’t any thrill reading this book and I was never on the edge of my seat when I read this book.
I expected a lot more from this book and I’m highly disappointed
July 14, 2022
➸ Trigger warnings for .
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January 5, 2023
girllll I saw it coming from a mile away
August 30, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
A high school game of water gun assassination turns into real murder, leaving protagonist Lia Prince and the rest of her team in the game - her best friend Gem and crush Devon - to investigate and find the culprit before Devon becomes the killer's fourth victim.
The murder mystery was a fun little plot, especially woven in as it was with the game of Assassins. it's a fascinating mystery to try and unspool, and while it became obvious to me closer to the reveal, realising just how many little hints there were leading up to it was fun! So too was the series of 'coincidences' which were obviously more than that, but were easily - and understandably - brushed away by the characters.
That said, where this book really shines is in the characterizations, IMO. I found myself invested in all of them, especially Lia. The book deals with some very important conversations about parental and academic pressure, and how easy it is to feel less than when it seems like the world around you is passing you by.
LM handles these conversations with nuance and empathy, and what I found to be a genuine understanding of the emotions that arise when you're the one going through those things. Lia was a well-created character because of that addition, and it was one that made her obsession with Assassins understandable in a way that wouldn't have been otherwise.
Devon and Gem may not have been as developed as Lia, but they were likeable characters nonetheless. Gem's loyalty to Lia and the growing relationship between Devon and Lia were both a delight to read.
My only quibble with this book is that I found the ending a tad too rushed. A little more development there - maybe another 30-50 pages or so - would have ronded the book out perfectly.
That aside, however, this was a solid YA mystery, and a very fun ride. Also, THAT ENDING. I now need a sequel or I riot with El.
3.5/5 stars, rounded down to 3 stars, for me
INSTAGRAM
If death were a planet, Abby’s and Ben’s families were rings. Lia and Gem were distant moons or cold, observant stars.
A high school game of water gun assassination turns into real murder, leaving protagonist Lia Prince and the rest of her team in the game - her best friend Gem and crush Devon - to investigate and find the culprit before Devon becomes the killer's fourth victim.
The murder mystery was a fun little plot, especially woven in as it was with the game of Assassins. it's a fascinating mystery to try and unspool, and while it became obvious to me closer to the reveal, realising just how many little hints there were leading up to it was fun! So too was the series of 'coincidences' which were obviously more than that, but were easily - and understandably - brushed away by the characters.
“You know there’s a planet we can’t see but is there,” she said slowly...“We only know it’s there because everything we can see reacts to it in some way. Invisible but consequential. I feel like that sometimes.”
That said, where this book really shines is in the characterizations, IMO. I found myself invested in all of them, especially Lia. The book deals with some very important conversations about parental and academic pressure, and how easy it is to feel less than when it seems like the world around you is passing you by.
LM handles these conversations with nuance and empathy, and what I found to be a genuine understanding of the emotions that arise when you're the one going through those things. Lia was a well-created character because of that addition, and it was one that made her obsession with Assassins understandable in a way that wouldn't have been otherwise.
Devon and Gem may not have been as developed as Lia, but they were likeable characters nonetheless. Gem's loyalty to Lia and the growing relationship between Devon and Lia were both a delight to read.
“You’ll win.” He laced his fingers with hers and helped her up. “I believe in you.”
And as much as she loved the words, they hurt. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had.”
My only quibble with this book is that I found the ending a tad too rushed. A little more development there - maybe another 30-50 pages or so - would have ronded the book out perfectly.
That aside, however, this was a solid YA mystery, and a very fun ride. Also, THAT ENDING. I now need a sequel or I riot with El.
3.5/5 stars, rounded down to 3 stars, for me
January 3, 2022
this book was incredibly disappointing and i have a lot to say about it.
when i first saw this book somewhere not too far deep into the internet, i was incredibly interested in the concept of it, and i mean incredibly interested as in “this is the kind of book I’ve been waiting for my whole life,” kind of interested, and the fact that it was short and only about 240 pages only meant that it would be filled with the utmost thrills and romance and diverse, unique characters and it would all just leave me on the edge of my seat whilst i rated it five stars on goodreads as it became my favorite book in the world, right? wrong. i could talk ALL day about how bad this book was, and i usually rate books very generously. although I’m trying not to be too mean, so let’s just get into the horrendous details of why this book was so so boring.
i didn’t care for any of the characters, and couldn’t remember any of their names, adding on to the fact that none of them were even developed enough. i hated the main character (as I’ve seen others do too), considering all of her motives didn’t make enough sense for her actions and the obsession with the game was so extreme that she made a LITERAL stalking journal of all of her classmates. now usually, these unlikable and forgettable characters could be redeemed by astonishing writing and huge plot twists that you’d at least need a minute to close the book and process everything about it. instead, everything sucked. the writing was more middle school than a ya thriller, and i didn’t even care about the killer because i didn’t even remember their name until it’d been mentioned during the cringe-worthy killer reveal, which i might add that freaking villain monologue was so unrealistic and cringey and the author could’ve possibly forgot that she’d been writing a ya thriller, and i was laughing the entire time at the unrealistic, dreadful stupidity of it. the motive of the killer was not well developed and we didn’t know much about them at all, which lead to not caring about them & forgetting their name. also, i was expecting a thriller where the main character had to stop the killer THROUGHOUT the book with the information of the abc killer pattern, but instead miss girl, with all of her master puzzle solver mentality, didn’t even find out about the abc pattern until there had been a few dozen pages left, and those dozen pages included the chasing of the killer, which hadn’t been exciting at all and quite limitedly short. the whole book fell flat, and i would’ve liked actual chemistry between lia and devon & everyone actually playing assassins before the murders even happened.
the only thing i liked about this book was the theme of how someone without what everyone in the small town and generally in a lot of places, thought of not having a “bright future,” their lives would be deemed “less worthy” and people would plainly care less, and no surprise that i could relate considering I’m writing a review in the middle of the night, wrapped up in a blanket, pouring my feelings out about a book i hated. anyway, i think this book had a lot of potential but didn’t quite live up to it at all. it seemed messy and half planned. i personally don’t recommend this book :((
when i first saw this book somewhere not too far deep into the internet, i was incredibly interested in the concept of it, and i mean incredibly interested as in “this is the kind of book I’ve been waiting for my whole life,” kind of interested, and the fact that it was short and only about 240 pages only meant that it would be filled with the utmost thrills and romance and diverse, unique characters and it would all just leave me on the edge of my seat whilst i rated it five stars on goodreads as it became my favorite book in the world, right? wrong. i could talk ALL day about how bad this book was, and i usually rate books very generously. although I’m trying not to be too mean, so let’s just get into the horrendous details of why this book was so so boring.
i didn’t care for any of the characters, and couldn’t remember any of their names, adding on to the fact that none of them were even developed enough. i hated the main character (as I’ve seen others do too), considering all of her motives didn’t make enough sense for her actions and the obsession with the game was so extreme that she made a LITERAL stalking journal of all of her classmates. now usually, these unlikable and forgettable characters could be redeemed by astonishing writing and huge plot twists that you’d at least need a minute to close the book and process everything about it. instead, everything sucked. the writing was more middle school than a ya thriller, and i didn’t even care about the killer because i didn’t even remember their name until it’d been mentioned during the cringe-worthy killer reveal, which i might add that freaking villain monologue was so unrealistic and cringey and the author could’ve possibly forgot that she’d been writing a ya thriller, and i was laughing the entire time at the unrealistic, dreadful stupidity of it. the motive of the killer was not well developed and we didn’t know much about them at all, which lead to not caring about them & forgetting their name. also, i was expecting a thriller where the main character had to stop the killer THROUGHOUT the book with the information of the abc killer pattern, but instead miss girl, with all of her master puzzle solver mentality, didn’t even find out about the abc pattern until there had been a few dozen pages left, and those dozen pages included the chasing of the killer, which hadn’t been exciting at all and quite limitedly short. the whole book fell flat, and i would’ve liked actual chemistry between lia and devon & everyone actually playing assassins before the murders even happened.
the only thing i liked about this book was the theme of how someone without what everyone in the small town and generally in a lot of places, thought of not having a “bright future,” their lives would be deemed “less worthy” and people would plainly care less, and no surprise that i could relate considering I’m writing a review in the middle of the night, wrapped up in a blanket, pouring my feelings out about a book i hated. anyway, i think this book had a lot of potential but didn’t quite live up to it at all. it seemed messy and half planned. i personally don’t recommend this book :((
October 19, 2023
This wasn't bad but it also wasn't the best, you know? Now the beginning started off great. I loved the concept of playing "Assassins" as seniors every year as tradition. It seemed kind of weird that Lia knew everyone's schedule down to the minute and yet she says it wasn't stalking🤔, I'm sorry but I disagree. After the first 2 chapters it started going downhill from there. For me, it seemed pretty obvious who the killer was, who took her journal, etc. I did feel bad for Lia because technically her parents just really didn't care for her as much as they did for their son Mark. So I understand why she was so into the game, but the fact that she transferred everything in the journal to her phone was smart but a little obsessive. It was pretty stupid of her to put her email address in the journal, no one uses that in high school. The whole romance subplot between Devon and Lia was just thrown in there, but it was cute sometimes. I did get lost into what their conversations were about most of the time. I feel like some talking points were edited it out and it didn't fit well. Faith was just a spoiled brat, who wanted everything, it made no sense to kill Ben though. I did like the way she thought about pinning everything on Lia based on her being basically an "outcast". Overall a good story, I think this is definitely meant for teenagers though lol.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 9, 2020
DNF I hated the writing so much I was too distracted to read more than 10% before surrendering.
August 4, 2020
Exiting thriller with nuanced discussions about parental pressure and value only being put on academic achievements, though it has an unfortunate spoiler-y blurb.
Read the full review on the blog!
Content warnings include: murder, graphic descriptions of gore and death, violence, funerals, panic attacks, parental neglect.
I guess the spoilery blurb isn’t too bad, but it gives away the victims and the modus operandi of the killer, most of which isn’t revealed until very late in the book and is used to solve the whodunnit, which I find unfortunate, because those are the things that kept up the suspension of the plot.
The book is quite diverse, although I’m not sure about the protagonist, Lia, herself. However, there are several PoC and queer side characters.
Almost as important as the whole murder plot was conversations about parental pressure and how today’s society only values academic or otherwise measurable achievements and productivity. It was handled in a nuanced manner, and I liked how it was tied to the murder plot by observing how the victims were reduced to their school or sports performance, and questioning if the reactions would have been the same had they not been so good at either.
While the murder mystery wasn’t unsolvable, it was exciting to read. I loved all the hints to the killer and such that are clearly recognizable in hindsight, and I delighted in those details.
Speaking of atmosphere: it was great!!! Chills crept down my back several times, and not only when the murders happened – several small side things were clearly recognizable to the reader but not to the characters which was great to create tension.
Overall a great thriller that I enjoyed a lot, that handles important topics outside of the murder-mystery.
….I also kinda of want to play Assassins now. Just, you know, without the murderer.
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
Read the full review on the blog!
Content warnings include: murder, graphic descriptions of gore and death, violence, funerals, panic attacks, parental neglect.
I guess the spoilery blurb isn’t too bad, but it gives away the victims and the modus operandi of the killer, most of which isn’t revealed until very late in the book and is used to solve the whodunnit, which I find unfortunate, because those are the things that kept up the suspension of the plot.
The book is quite diverse, although I’m not sure about the protagonist, Lia, herself. However, there are several PoC and queer side characters.
Almost as important as the whole murder plot was conversations about parental pressure and how today’s society only values academic or otherwise measurable achievements and productivity. It was handled in a nuanced manner, and I liked how it was tied to the murder plot by observing how the victims were reduced to their school or sports performance, and questioning if the reactions would have been the same had they not been so good at either.
While the murder mystery wasn’t unsolvable, it was exciting to read. I loved all the hints to the killer and such that are clearly recognizable in hindsight, and I delighted in those details.
Speaking of atmosphere: it was great!!! Chills crept down my back several times, and not only when the murders happened – several small side things were clearly recognizable to the reader but not to the characters which was great to create tension.
Overall a great thriller that I enjoyed a lot, that handles important topics outside of the murder-mystery.
….I also kinda of want to play Assassins now. Just, you know, without the murderer.
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
July 7, 2020
Intriguing and fun read!
I enjoyed this story, I would love to play a huge assassin game and take out targets with water guns. I liked how seriously Lia took it, following people to get their schedules, writing down their fears, allergies, and other assorted information. Her friendship with Gem was cute too and I loved that Gem being non-binary just was, without any conversations or making it a big deal.
Then the game turns deadly and everything gets pretty crazy. The pacing was well done and I didn't feel like it dragged anywhere. I was proud of myself for guessing who the killer was, but it was still fun seeing everything unravel. The alphabet aspect didn't play as big of a role and I was expecting and I was a little disappointed, but overall I had a great time reading this!
I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
I enjoyed this story, I would love to play a huge assassin game and take out targets with water guns. I liked how seriously Lia took it, following people to get their schedules, writing down their fears, allergies, and other assorted information. Her friendship with Gem was cute too and I loved that Gem being non-binary just was, without any conversations or making it a big deal.
Then the game turns deadly and everything gets pretty crazy. The pacing was well done and I didn't feel like it dragged anywhere. I was proud of myself for guessing who the killer was, but it was still fun seeing everything unravel. The alphabet aspect didn't play as big of a role and I was expecting and I was a little disappointed, but overall I had a great time reading this!
I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
October 27, 2021
Edit after second read: OH MY GOD I FORGOT THAT ENDED ON A CLIFFHANGER WHYYYYYY
What
The
Actual
Fuck
Okay, so I was right about who the killer was, but then... that ending??????????
Someone PLEASE come talk to me as soon as you finish this book because OH MY GOD I need to talk to someone about this!!!!!!!!!!!
Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | Storygraph
What
The
Actual
Fuck
Okay, so I was right about who the killer was, but then... that ending??????????
Someone PLEASE come talk to me as soon as you finish this book because OH MY GOD I need to talk to someone about this!!!!!!!!!!!
Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | Storygraph
August 5, 2020
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review. Thank you, Random House Children's and Underlined for the chance to read this book.
Every year in Lincoln High, the senior class plays Assassin. In teams, they have a target to eliminate, with water guns, until the next target and next and the next. Lia Prince is determined to win. She has been planning her strategy for years and she wants to be recognized. Not only now she will play, but she's in the team with her crush, Devon Diaz and her best friend, Gem. But slowly they start to realize this year the game isn't a game anymore when the targets are killed and somehow Lia seems to be the common denominator. Who is the killer? Why is he/she/they blaming Lia? What would she do to protect her friends and herself?
The game is a very interesting and eerie novel, with well written characters and a captivating plot, full of twists and discoveries until the end.
Lia is a young woman, who is been struggling all her life to be seen and recognized. Underestimated and in conflict with her parents, who don't understand her passion for games and prefer her older brother, Lia is convinced to be mediocre and she's determined to prove them and herself wrong by winning the game. She's stubborn, a bit obsessive and smart, focused on what she and her friends have to do to win the game and then, to catch the killer.
The romance is a sweet and cute one and I like her relationship with Devon, their flirting and joking and Lia's relationship with her best friend, Gem. Set in an high school and in small community where everyone knows everyone,the story has crushes, high school homework, college applications, jokes, friendships, fights with parents and friends and so on.
It's a really nice book and I recommend it to those who wants a gripping thriller, interesting characters and a game that slowly becomes deadly.
Every year in Lincoln High, the senior class plays Assassin. In teams, they have a target to eliminate, with water guns, until the next target and next and the next. Lia Prince is determined to win. She has been planning her strategy for years and she wants to be recognized. Not only now she will play, but she's in the team with her crush, Devon Diaz and her best friend, Gem. But slowly they start to realize this year the game isn't a game anymore when the targets are killed and somehow Lia seems to be the common denominator. Who is the killer? Why is he/she/they blaming Lia? What would she do to protect her friends and herself?
The game is a very interesting and eerie novel, with well written characters and a captivating plot, full of twists and discoveries until the end.
Lia is a young woman, who is been struggling all her life to be seen and recognized. Underestimated and in conflict with her parents, who don't understand her passion for games and prefer her older brother, Lia is convinced to be mediocre and she's determined to prove them and herself wrong by winning the game. She's stubborn, a bit obsessive and smart, focused on what she and her friends have to do to win the game and then, to catch the killer.
The romance is a sweet and cute one and I like her relationship with Devon, their flirting and joking and Lia's relationship with her best friend, Gem. Set in an high school and in small community where everyone knows everyone,the story has crushes, high school homework, college applications, jokes, friendships, fights with parents and friends and so on.
It's a really nice book and I recommend it to those who wants a gripping thriller, interesting characters and a game that slowly becomes deadly.
October 30, 2020
Thank you to the publisher for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
This is described as a “mashup of Agatha Christie’s The A.B.C. Murders and Riverdale in which a game turns deadly with a killer who picks his victims one by one, letter by letter.” Although this doesn’t live up to Christie’s books, like Riverdale, the book is set in one of those small towns where everyone knows everyone.
I loved the premise of this, but I felt like the dialogue was all over the place and the pacing stuttered. There were moments where the action ramped up, but otherwise I wanted more tension and mystery. I didn’t feel that emotional connection and the stakes didn’t feel high enough.
Although I had some gripes, I did enjoy some elements of the book. The main character’s best friend is non-binary, and I appreciated that representation being included. I think this is my first time reading a YA book with a nonbinary character, so that’s something I definitely want to work on.
2.5 stars
This is described as a “mashup of Agatha Christie’s The A.B.C. Murders and Riverdale in which a game turns deadly with a killer who picks his victims one by one, letter by letter.” Although this doesn’t live up to Christie’s books, like Riverdale, the book is set in one of those small towns where everyone knows everyone.
I loved the premise of this, but I felt like the dialogue was all over the place and the pacing stuttered. There were moments where the action ramped up, but otherwise I wanted more tension and mystery. I didn’t feel that emotional connection and the stakes didn’t feel high enough.
Although I had some gripes, I did enjoy some elements of the book. The main character’s best friend is non-binary, and I appreciated that representation being included. I think this is my first time reading a YA book with a nonbinary character, so that’s something I definitely want to work on.
2.5 stars
November 1, 2021
In the small town of Lincoln, high school seniors get to play a game called Assassin. The goal is to take out your target with a water gun without being seen by anyone else. Sounds fun right?
Lia is determined to prove her worth to both her parents and fellow students by winning the game this year.
However things end up turning deadly serious when someone decides to start killing students for real.
This was an okay murder mystery in the form of a high school game. I did find it to be aimed at a younger teen audience instead of the older teen / YA story I was expecting.
Although I liked Lia as the underdog, she was a bit too naive and didn't take the situations quite as seriously as she should have. Also the ending was a bit too typical and fell a bit flat for me.
Overall it was a cool idea but didn't really stand out as a whole.
Lia is determined to prove her worth to both her parents and fellow students by winning the game this year.
However things end up turning deadly serious when someone decides to start killing students for real.
This was an okay murder mystery in the form of a high school game. I did find it to be aimed at a younger teen audience instead of the older teen / YA story I was expecting.
Although I liked Lia as the underdog, she was a bit too naive and didn't take the situations quite as seriously as she should have. Also the ending was a bit too typical and fell a bit flat for me.
Overall it was a cool idea but didn't really stand out as a whole.
May 18, 2020
I feel like this book succeeded in setting up an unreliable narrator but never managed to hook me with anything else.
“The Game” is a assassin themed event for seniors before they graduate and find themselves entering adulthood and for Lia it’s her chance to prove that’s she’s good at something other than just quietly existing in her brothers shadow but when some of the targets wind up dead Lia can’t escape the attention and time is running out to prove who the real murderer is.
For me the set up of the game itself was a little reminiscent to a similar game that was played in The Society on Netflix where the kids were running wild and the key to success was to be a little creepy and managing everyone’s schedules to isolate the target so that was fun and even the set up of Lia being 100% in it to win it despite the very real consequences but it never managed to fully deliver.
This sets up a good unreliable narrator and I was really hooked into that even if it has become a bit of a cliché but there were just enough small details that led you to believe that maybe someone could take this game a little too seriously but the final reveal fell flat for me as the motive was a little too simple to justify that much death.
I think with a little more time or even pages added this might have been able to work but it feels like things were wrapped up a little too quickly and the characters, who at times had their moments, never managed to become fully realized beings outside of Lia which made it hard for me to remember who was who and as a result I glossed over plot points because I didn’t care enough to separate the characters.
Not bad but not great which is a shame.
**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**
“The Game” is a assassin themed event for seniors before they graduate and find themselves entering adulthood and for Lia it’s her chance to prove that’s she’s good at something other than just quietly existing in her brothers shadow but when some of the targets wind up dead Lia can’t escape the attention and time is running out to prove who the real murderer is.
For me the set up of the game itself was a little reminiscent to a similar game that was played in The Society on Netflix where the kids were running wild and the key to success was to be a little creepy and managing everyone’s schedules to isolate the target so that was fun and even the set up of Lia being 100% in it to win it despite the very real consequences but it never managed to fully deliver.
This sets up a good unreliable narrator and I was really hooked into that even if it has become a bit of a cliché but there were just enough small details that led you to believe that maybe someone could take this game a little too seriously but the final reveal fell flat for me as the motive was a little too simple to justify that much death.
I think with a little more time or even pages added this might have been able to work but it feels like things were wrapped up a little too quickly and the characters, who at times had their moments, never managed to become fully realized beings outside of Lia which made it hard for me to remember who was who and as a result I glossed over plot points because I didn’t care enough to separate the characters.
Not bad but not great which is a shame.
**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**
September 30, 2020
A lame concept let down by clunky writing. This might've been passable if reframed as a middle grade novel, but as a YA thriller this was beyond weak.
The plot in and of itself is pretty lame. The senior class of this small Arkansas high school play the game Assassins each year, where you have to get your target alone and shoot them with a watergun. It's a very elementary school concept to start with, and then when people start dying nobody seems to take it seriously. There are no stakes or tension to the story because at no point do you, as a reader, take any of it seriously.
The weak plot is further let down by characterisation that is all over the shop, with the characters somehow managing to be one-dimensional and completely chaotic at the same time. The leads are little more than Assassins Obsessed Girl, Band Nerd Boy, Bland They/Them, and Angry Nerd Girl. No time is spent on world-building and characterisation; we're just immediately thrust into a half-arsed story with characters who regularly bring up random memories mid-conversation in a super clumsy attempt at exposition:
Lia: omg Devon has never noticed me before, also I have no personality and am bad at school
Devon: I have secretly been in love with you all along ha ha also do you remember one time you won the Science Fair
Lia: oh yeah remember when I won the Science Fair I am good at science!!!! lol and you bought me an ice cream
Lia: btw our classmates are dying playing this Assassins game lol and my mum is super mad and won't let me play. Do you remember that time you got me cinnamon rolls, enby friend?
Enby friend: Abby's dog is called Omelet how funny is that lol
Lia: ha ha ha ha
Devon: ha ha ha ha
Lia: omg did you know my parents hate me
Me: what???
The whole book is a bunch of gibberish like that. Honestly I lost count of the times I eye-rolled while reading this, and I could feel myself actively losing brain cells! The only redeeming quality was the author writing a normalised non-binary friend who uses they/them pronouns, but sadly they don't get much of an arc.
Don't waste your time on this one, folks.
The plot in and of itself is pretty lame. The senior class of this small Arkansas high school play the game Assassins each year, where you have to get your target alone and shoot them with a watergun. It's a very elementary school concept to start with, and then when people start dying nobody seems to take it seriously. There are no stakes or tension to the story because at no point do you, as a reader, take any of it seriously.
The weak plot is further let down by characterisation that is all over the shop, with the characters somehow managing to be one-dimensional and completely chaotic at the same time. The leads are little more than Assassins Obsessed Girl, Band Nerd Boy, Bland They/Them, and Angry Nerd Girl. No time is spent on world-building and characterisation; we're just immediately thrust into a half-arsed story with characters who regularly bring up random memories mid-conversation in a super clumsy attempt at exposition:
Lia: omg Devon has never noticed me before, also I have no personality and am bad at school
Devon: I have secretly been in love with you all along ha ha also do you remember one time you won the Science Fair
Lia: oh yeah remember when I won the Science Fair I am good at science!!!! lol and you bought me an ice cream
Lia: btw our classmates are dying playing this Assassins game lol and my mum is super mad and won't let me play. Do you remember that time you got me cinnamon rolls, enby friend?
Enby friend: Abby's dog is called Omelet how funny is that lol
Lia: ha ha ha ha
Devon: ha ha ha ha
Lia: omg did you know my parents hate me
Me: what???
The whole book is a bunch of gibberish like that. Honestly I lost count of the times I eye-rolled while reading this, and I could feel myself actively losing brain cells! The only redeeming quality was the author writing a normalised non-binary friend who uses they/them pronouns, but sadly they don't get much of an arc.
Don't waste your time on this one, folks.
August 10, 2022
The Game is a YA mystery novel, that is focused around a twisty and fun game that seniors play every year before school is let out. Only this year, students start dying in alphabetical order, and people begin to wonder if somehow these gruesome murders could be related to the game everyone thought was quite innocent and light.
🎲◾️🎲◾️🎲◾️🎲◾️🎲◾️🎲
I bought this from B&N a couple months ago, and was extremely excited to read it. Overall it was a bit of a disappointment. It wasn’t bad, just mediocre. I liked the character development, along with the diverse side characters. There were some BIPOC characters and a few LGBT+ characters as well. The concept of the whole “game” was interesting and exciting, however I wish it was written a bit better. The romance was my biggest complaint, even though I liked the love interest, it was just unnecessary. The plot overall was just sort of meh, and I wouldn’t call it too suspenseful. The ending was okay, and I did like the subtle cliff-hanger. Overall, it’s not something I would recommend to everyone, but if it sounds interesting, I’d give it a try!
🎲◾️🎲◾️🎲◾️🎲◾️🎲◾️🎲
I bought this from B&N a couple months ago, and was extremely excited to read it. Overall it was a bit of a disappointment. It wasn’t bad, just mediocre. I liked the character development, along with the diverse side characters. There were some BIPOC characters and a few LGBT+ characters as well. The concept of the whole “game” was interesting and exciting, however I wish it was written a bit better. The romance was my biggest complaint, even though I liked the love interest, it was just unnecessary. The plot overall was just sort of meh, and I wouldn’t call it too suspenseful. The ending was okay, and I did like the subtle cliff-hanger. Overall, it’s not something I would recommend to everyone, but if it sounds interesting, I’d give it a try!
Want to read
December 28, 2019This is quite reminiscent of the book I'd read prior to my having a GR profile. (I Am Number Four series)
Read
May 15, 2020I'm sorry, but this was a DNF for me. The book reads extremely young - not YA, more like MG. The characters definitely don't seem like seniors in high school and at 41%, I'm still waiting for this to be like Riverdale or AHS or Agatha Christie.
June 21, 2021
2.5 stars, rounded down because the motivation of the killer was **eyeroll** completely ridiculous. The main character also came off as insensitive (her classmates are dying and all she can think about is a stupid game?). It was also too short to be fully developed.
April 13, 2023
Trigger warnings: murder, death, death of a friend, anaphylaxis, blood, body horror, vomit, stalking
I picked this up because the cover was cool and the blurb sounded Agatha Christie-esque. Plus, it was short, and I love a short YA thriller/slasher book. Unfortunately, this mostly turned out to be...boring? I mean, I didn't DISLIKE it. But the characters felt very cardboard cutout-y, and the sheer number of kids in this story with first names and surnames starting with the same letter was ridiculous for what's supposed to be a small town.
Add in a truly ridiculous motive and this was just...not it.
I picked this up because the cover was cool and the blurb sounded Agatha Christie-esque. Plus, it was short, and I love a short YA thriller/slasher book. Unfortunately, this mostly turned out to be...boring? I mean, I didn't DISLIKE it. But the characters felt very cardboard cutout-y, and the sheer number of kids in this story with first names and surnames starting with the same letter was ridiculous for what's supposed to be a small town.
Add in a truly ridiculous motive and this was just...not it.
Want to read
April 27, 2020
July 16, 2020
i guessed the killer but this was actually pretty engrossing! full rtc :)
a huge thank you to the publisher in exchange for an honest review!
a huge thank you to the publisher in exchange for an honest review!
November 20, 2020
I went in with High Expectations for this one but felt like it was just a good enjoyable read.
The pacing felt really off to me being a thriller and only 230 Pages But at times it really felt like it was dragging. I loved the inclusion of a non-binary character who was just there and the fact that they were non-binary was the only thing about them.
I enjoyed the characters but did find the main character hard to Gel with but I think that was the authors point to find Lia unlikeable.
Overall it was good but I wouldn’t rush to pick up a sequel.
The pacing felt really off to me being a thriller and only 230 Pages But at times it really felt like it was dragging. I loved the inclusion of a non-binary character who was just there and the fact that they were non-binary was the only thing about them.
I enjoyed the characters but did find the main character hard to Gel with but I think that was the authors point to find Lia unlikeable.
Overall it was good but I wouldn’t rush to pick up a sequel.
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