Not sure if it was a file/download issue but there were lots of gaps, stop/starts which really ruined the flow. I would love the chance to read a better version as the description of the book appeals to me.

What a stand out novel!

The plot twist happens so subtly instead of the common big shocker bur remains as equally shocking.

There was a lose tie regarding a player at the end which is an over sight and leaves a bit of a "but what about..." vibe.

I would recommend this book though, it is excellent and I really do hope there will be a sequel

The Game follows 5 different characters who have the person they love the most taken from them. In order to get them back they must play The Game.

This book follows the 5 different characters in separate chapters. Initially, I thought this was going to make it quite difficult to follow, however the author keeps the characters in order. It follows from player one to player 2, 3  4 and 5 and then starts back again at player 1. This made it much easier to remember the characters, who they were and what was happening to them.

The blurb of this book makes it seem like it would be a very plot driven story however I found that it was much more character driven. Usually I prefer plot driven books, but with this book I really enjoyed following the different characters. I'm not sure if that was to do with the underlying, engagung plot or whether it was the author's writing style.

Although I found following the characters interesting, you read more than 50% of the book before the characters arrive at the location to play The Game, which I think some readers could be quite frustrated.

I'm not sure what genre I would say this book falls in. It doesn't feel like a usual thriller, however that did make it more interesting and held my interest. A lot of thrillers are these days can follow the same format and be quite predictable yet I was unable to predict the ending of this book.

Really enjoyed and would recommend.

A brilliantly crafted thriller following the journey of five individuals coerced into becoming players in “The Game” after loved ones are mysteriously abducted. A superb debut novel from an author I will now being looking out for. If you like plot twists and turns and an ending which is unguessable, then this novel is for you!

Oh my days, I thoroughly enjoyed this, a thrilling pace from the start, with short chapters from different points of view, each a player of “The Game”
Each character was well written and well explained as you follow their story to get to the end, the writing gritty and the plot dark, and in my opinion, an excellent debut novel.

Oh my days did I enjoy this thriller. Maybe enjoy isn’t the right word because it was dark. It didn’t shy away from heavy topics and it felt really well handled.

I requested the arc from NetGalley on pure fluke - hadn’t heard anything about it but the cover intrigued me. I’m so glad that I did.

The story follows a bunch of individuals from America, England and France. And they are pulled together by a kidnapping of someone important to them. If they don’t play the game - that person will die.

The mind games were so good. Watching how each person thought and dealt with things was really interesting.

I will say that I saw the end coming from a mile away - but that might be just because I’ve read too many mystery/thrillers by this point. It didn’t effect my enjoyment however so it was still a five star for me.

Highly recommend.

I was really surprised that this was a debut novel and hats off to Scott Kershaw for writing an excellent thriller. Right from the off this is a race against time for 5 very different people when they are all given the option to play a game but it is quite evident that there really is no choice if they want to see a loved one again and all this begs the question what the hell is going on!
The book started at a rare old pace switching from player to player giving snippets of information about them and I really liked this part of the book. In the second half I felt the pace slowed somewhat but it was a brilliant mystery with plenty of the twists and turns that we’re not always what I was expecting.
So a well written thriller that I really enjoyed and I feel there is plenty more to come from this author and I will be keeping a lookout.
My thanks to NetGalley and HQ for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The rules are simple, all you have to do to save your loved one's life is play the game.


Short chapters, written from different points of view- as we get to know each victim and follow them when they get a text that's gonna change their lives. 


With a lot of actions in the beginning I felt like the other half of the book didn't deliver the same tempo. I didn't see that there was that much dynamic that I would expect  from the director of the game. Give some directions, impossible tasks and challenges, or in other words just play the GAME, but that expectation of the story wasn't given. 

The ending was surprising (but thinking after reading it the only character that really stood out - as in remembering, was this one so..). Well surprisingly yes, but logically it just doesn't really make sense and it feels far fetched. There were also some unanswered questions in the end that made me feel like this end was made for a wow effect rather than being well thought of.


I liked the author's writing and given that this was his debut I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.

I thought this was going to be a bit like the Netflix Show, Squid Game (I hoped).

The characters receive messages that they need to save their loved ones and if they don’t play the game, their loved ones will die.

It started off really well with setting the scene and the whole concept is such a great idea. However, as the story progressed, I felt the book lost its way. Some of the build-up was never referred to again. And the ending was an anti-climax. It ended too abruptly and was not believable.

I wanted to enjoy this so much.

This novel has me so torn. I really loved the concept, and I did enjoy some of the novel, however, I wish there’d been some changes to make it a really solid read.

Five strangers from around the world are thrown into the same horrific situation; the person they love the most has been taken, and to get them back, they have to play The Game. There will of course only be one winner; who will do anything to succeed?

I really liked the initial set ups and introduction to each character. Each chapter is written from a different character’s point of view, and I liked the length of them, however because you’re changing character so often, you don’t really engage with them much because suddenly you’re onto a different point of view. I also kept having to figure out who was who because two of the women didn’t really have distinctive voices.

I thought the majority of the book was very strong and suspenseful, but then I think that’s when Kewshaw lost it for me. I just thought the end section became a bit too farcical and over dramatic; it’s as if he’d forgotten all the character groundwork he’d set up, and just went for high drama. I felt as if it was purposely written as a ‘to be a film ending.’ Also, the big twist didn’t seem believable, and we were also left with unanswered questions, which is very frustrating.

The novel did raise some interesting topics and was hitting on some great discussion points, but then it didn’t see them through in enough detail.

It was a good read, but it didn’t quite live up to the blurb.

The blurb sounded really good. Unfortunately, I DNF as the writing is not my cup of tea and so many characters POV was too confusing for me. Thank you for the arc.

The Game is a tense, twisted thriller with an original premise. The author did a fantastic job keeping the suspense and pace throughout the book. The plot could have very easily become confusing as there are a lot of characters, but it was so well written I found them surprisingly easy to follow. I would definitely recommend to friends.

Five unrelated strangers receive a phone message from an unknown number. Someone they love is in grave danger and to save them, they must play The Game.

This type of story is intriguing as there are several different protagonists each with their worries and problems. This is particularly well developed and used, even though it has been done many times before, it works well. The characters are in different parts of the world, have different backgrounds but they all lose a loved one to the operator of this nightmare. They all come together at the same point and are distrustful of each other but they must work together.

The individual stories build well, each one seems well researched and convincing. The pace is good as the story unfolds and begins to quicken. I enjoyed this book; it's easy to read and the story unwinds at a great pace, leading to a great finale and an unexpected twist. Definitely, a book to recommend.

Thanks to #NetGalley, #HQBooks and #ScottKershaw for this free ARC in exchange for an honest review

This is a very impressive debut. The formula of a chapter for each character works well to engage the reader and helps to move the story along at a fast pace.

I didn't see the end coming and overall I rate the book 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 because it's a debut. Scott Kershaw is one to watch.

Wow a totally tense thriller that. From the first few pages the adrenaline rush never lets up. The bringing together of the characters, telling their stories one by one and interspersed with the echoes of the previous game add tension and nail biting suspense. The twists that are slowly revealed are just jaw dropping. I started this book early evening and was awake by 6 the next day in order to finish it I found it that compulsive. Addictive, suspenseful and a set of awesome twists make this an bestseller in the making

An interesting turn which reignited my interest but also made me hate the main character. Nevertheless an easy weekend read. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A great story which was so twisted, wasn't sure who was creating this game and why. Keeps you guessing for so much of the story

It took me a little while to get into the book - we were introduced to five different key characters/players one after the other in quick succession and had to remember who was who. Maybe that might have been easier if I hadn't started reading later in the day and had been less tired. Once I had got my head round who the different protagonists were though it became a much easier book to read. I liked the manner in which the game/story was planned out and thought the penultimate section when everyone came together to discover how the players was interrelated was cleverly done, drawing on the traditional style of denouement of an Agatha Christie novel. I would recommend this as a good holiday read for lovers of mysteries/thrillers

Taut. Twisty and Brilliant.

What a fantastic premise excellently executed with an accomplished flair. I was totally gripped by all the players and their back stories and sped through the narrative.

Such a difficult thing for an author to have so many characters but this was perfectly done here. And the escalation to the finale was tight with tension.

Will definitely read more from this author.

I'm absolutely gutted about this book. After the success of Squid Game, I thought this was going to be juicy and thrilling but unfortunately for me it just fell flat. The blurb is very promising, but the majority of the book seems to be building to this big finale, which doesn't ever seem to arrive, or at least it's not as big as you're hoping. Such a shame