When five complete strangers all receive text messages to tell them the if they don't play and complete The Game then something very bad is going to happen yo their loved ones.
Would you play?
The main characters Maggie,Brett,Sarah,Linda and Noah all have secrets and someone to loose.
A wonderful debut novel.

Thank you to NetGalley, Scott Kershaw and HQ Stories for this advanced copy!

This book sounded all things dark and mysterious which is exactly what I like in a thriller. The concept was so intriguing, had so much promise for a gripping, suspenseful novel but unfortunately, it did not deliver and I did not enjoy this one.

Initially, I was hooked. The first few chapters introducing The Game and each player were interesting and seemed to be setting up for an action-packed read. I was left waiting for this “action” to happen for about 80% of the book. I assumed it was just a slow burn but it was just slow, and borderline boring. Everything seemed so dragged out, whereas if it was a slightly shorter book, I think it would’ve been a bit more engaging. Out of the five players, I think I liked two of the characters, at a push. However, all five felt so flat! We get insights into their lives and histories but it all lacked depth for me. This stands for the general narrative as well. It all felt flat. I had more of an interest in the little flashback chapters than I did on the ones set in the present, with our players trying to make it through their turmoil. And, I just have to get this out there, I lost count of how many times one of the characters either went or almost went to the toilet in their pants. I kid you not. Men, women, children in all scenarios. I get one or two but nearly all?

The only real action I felt happened in the last 100 pages or so. I will say this, I did not see the twists and ending coming. It didn’t redeem the rest of the novel though. By the time I reached this point, I had simply stopped caring. I disliked the reasoning behind The Game as well, it got to a stage where I felt half of what was being said or shown was unnecessary, it could’ve been explained in a different way. I hate to leave negative reviews but here we are.

*Please research any trigger warnings before reading*

This book was a surprising gem of a debut. It has a good premise and lived up to my expectations. It was dark and kept me reading throughout.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

The Game is a clever thriller that had me turning the pages and made my heart pound as I was taken on a rollercoaster of a ride that began on its first page and didn’t let up until the end. With an interesting concept and masterful plotting that belies the fact that this is Kershaw’s debut novel, it is a dark and twisted read, and not for the faint-hearted, but one that certainly had me gripped.

It is a book that kept me guessing as I tried to figure out what connected the five seemingly random people based in three different countries, and why they had been singled out to join The Game. Chapters alternate between the players so the reader gets to know each of them as their past is gradually revealed There are some pretty graphic scenes and it is uncomfortable reading at times, but it all adds to the tension as it reaches a shocking conclusion that I for one did not see coming. I look forward to seeing what Kershaw writes next.

What an amazing book! Very difficult to believe that this is a debut novel.

Five reluctant players. Playing for their loved ones lives. Strict instructions must be followed otherwise there will be severe consequences. Why have they been chosen? Who is the Gamemaster?
Chapters told by participant number. Backstories revealed. And the Gamemaster? Well ….I was shocked.

There are some truly graphic scenes but I found this a fantastic & fast-paced read. It really should be a TV show or film but I guess I’ll just have to settle for the next book. Highly recommended.

This book should have been so good. I loved The Players by Darren O’Sullivan which was released last year and I thought this would be a more international version of that. It was international, well to a certain extent, but that is where the comparison ends. Where The Players was a breath snatcher of a thriller this was a jumbled mess.

Short chapters flitting between the characters meant I never really took to one before it had jumped to the next. Not that I would have taken to them anyway as they are all pretty horrible. There’s a vein of every phobe running through this lot. Homophobe, fatphobe and the way that women are portrayed was just yuck.

As if keeping track of the five players wasn’t hard enough the author also throws in all their acquaintances too just to make keeping track of who was who even more difficult.

So we have players Brett, Noah, Sarah, Linda and Maggie. Why have they been chosen? They seemingly have nothing in common except they are all out to save their loved ones and there can only be one winner. Now this aspect I liked as it certainly raised the stakes and I was hoping it would also dwindle down the perspectives and make it easier to read. The chapters are short so the pace is fast but I personally felt this actually did the book a disservice as a character driven book needs to give the reader time to bond with them. It needs to find a middle ground.

The game itself took forever to get going with them taking way too many pages to even get to the location. Once it started and it was revealed why they were there, which to be fair was blatantly obvious in how they were written, I was by then hoping that most of them would meet a nasty death.

I know this is a debut and I have been pretty disparaging but this is only my opinion and to be fair it has good bones it just needs fleshing out and the skin ironing of it’s wrinkles. Some scenes were brutal and well written but after I had finished it I was left with plot holes, a few loose ends and the feeling that by the end even the author had given up playing.

What a ride!! Gripped from start to finish, this was a thriller that kept me guessing til the end, and I actually didn't guess who was behind The Game (I usually see the twists coming).

5 people. With no apparent connection. All receive sinister texts threatening their loved one if they don't play.

Given co-ordinates, they follow further quite random instructions, until they end up in a remote Scottish cabin to meet Player 6.

Along the way we get more details of each characters back story which adds substance to the plot.

Dark, sinister and surprising, The Game was an entertaining and gripping read.

Well how to categorise this book - original, brutal, a bit scary - this is a brilliant debut dark thriller. I was grabbed by this book very quickly and it didn’t let up the fast and exciting pace until the last page. I enjoyed the way some chapters are told from the POV of one of the five characters, in fact there isn’t much I didn’t enjoy - it’s hard to believe that this is a debut.

Briefly, there are 5 reluctant participants in The Game who live in the USA, France and England. They are drawn together as each player learns a loved one is missing and they receive a text telling them that if they don’t play The Game their loved one will die. Instructions must be followed to the letter with short timescales and severe consequences if not met. Having to make desperate decisions as to how to get to the destination they all meet together in a remote area of the UK. Here each of the players dark history is revealed in a brutal and shocking manner and they discovers that, as in any game, there can only be one winner. The consequences for the losers were fatal.

The way the journey each player had to take was told was so enthralling and i had absolutely no idea who the Gamemaster was - a brilliant reveal. There were some pretty graphic scenes that some may find disturbing. The question is just how far would you go to save a loved one? Fabulous read, bring on the next one. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Five individuals become involved in a sinister game because they each have to save someone they love. Who initiates the game is a mystery. There are rules to follow, and no one knows each other, but they have to work together to succeed, but only one can win.

This thriller's premise evokes a chill down your spine from the start. What would you do? It is compelling, disturbing, and suspenseful, written from the viewpoints of the five players interspersed with a few pre-game chapters—the relevance apparent at the impactful conclusion. The author creates a claustrophobic, intense ethos that draws the reader into the game. The characters are flawed and relatable, and the twists are good. I like the original perspective of this contemporary thriller.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

5 People with loved ones in danger,
You lose they die,
Let the game begin.
Really good debut novel,from start to finish I was hooked.Each character has their own demons.
A really dark and chilling read that I highly recommend.
I look forward to reading more by this author.
Thanks to Netgalley and HQ Books for the ARC..

The description of this book had me interested from the start. You get to know about the players selected to play the game and backgrounds of each character. There were a few 'why don't you just do that' moments. I didnt guess who was behind it all nor did I guess why. I found it very entertaining and I thought the ending was the best payback. Brilliant debut

First and foremost this was a well written book - a good debut. It was a page turner and there were a few twists that I didn't see coming. The premise was good - what lengths would you go to to save the person you love most? The sense of having to work together but still be in competition as there could only be one winner was cleverly written.
I did find it difficult to believe that all the contestants were able to reach the appointed meeting place in the time scale allotted, There had to be a link between the players and I found this a little difficult to accept as their culpability varied. I felt the final scenes a little rushed and unclear.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Scott Kershaw/HQ for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Five strangers each receive a mysterious text message telling them that a loved one is in danger & the only way to save them is to "play The Game". The five are then sent instructions which lead to them to a meeting place & they are given a time limit in which to travel. They are not to tell anyone what is happening or contact the authorities, & the abductors seem to be able to track them & see what they are doing as threats are made when a couple of the characters initially try to raise the alarm. If they don't follow the instructions, their loved ones will die.

The five main characters are a) Maggie. Young woman who gave her son up for adoption eight years ago. She is now back in his life but Jackson is kidnapped from her apartment whilst staying over. b) Brett, middle-aged male who works in the video gaming industry. His best friend of many years (who he happens to be in love with) has been taken. c) Sarah, mum of two. Addicted to online bingo & slowly disappearing under the weight of her SAHM responsibilities. Her oldest child, Hannah, is kidnapped. d) Linda - retired former police officer who now works airport security. One ex-husband. One teenage daughter who is the one who is kidnapped. & e) Noah - part-time waiter & drug dealer who lives in Paris. His fiancée is taken whilst Noah is at work trying to earn money to pay for an expensive wedding. The narrative alternates between the five characters above from just before they receive the first text message.

I must admit I was intrigued by the synopsis, & although the concept is great, I was expecting more of a contest-type game rather than just "Go here, do this, you have x hours to complete it in", however, the significance of the name "The Game" becomes clearer later on. I thought it was a gripping read up until the ending which didn't quite work after promising so much. I found Brett's character arc rather strange & when it came to Sarah & Maggie, I had to reminding myself who was who. Overall I feel it was a bit of a mixed bag & a missed opportunity but it was well worth reading if you enjoy tense thrillers.

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, HQ, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

TW: animal death (I wish authors would not kill pets in their books, especially not big cuddlebug German Shepherds), homophobia, kidnapping, sexual assault, violence.

The Game is a stunningly well thought out debut thriller. From a simple opening premise which throws 5 strangers together forcing them to to play “The Game” to save their loved ones, you are on a high speed ride till the (very violent) end.
The story is largely told from the POV of the game’s participants, they are well drawn and have their own distinct voice and back story. Occasionally, chapters called Pregame appear to show us a different story all together. When the 2 strands collide in the last section of the book you really understand how very cleverly plotted this thriller is. I look forward to reading more from Scott Kershaw.
With thanks to #netgalley and #hqstories for this ARC

This is a read in one sitting thriller! I was hooked from the first page and I was taken on an adrenaline fuelled ride which didn’t let me off until the very last word had been consumed. I thoroughly enjoyed every twisted word!

We begin by getting to know five people, who appear to have nothing in common, except for the person they love most has been abducted. And they have each received an anonymous text telling them to play The Game to try and save the life of their loved one. They can’t tell anyone, they must buy a burner phone and destroy their own phone, and they have a deadline to get to a pub on Saddleworth Moor, itself one of the bleakest places you could imagine. Two of the players are in America and one is in France. Can they make it in time?

What will they find when they arrive? Well I’m not going to ruin the storyline by giving out any more details.

This is a must read! You can thank me later! Buy it now!

I would like to thank the publisher, HQ, for my advance copy of the book via NetGalley and also for my place on the blog tour.

Unfortunately my copy of this book must have been coated with super glue… because I just could not put it down! Gripped from the opening chapter, Kewshaw’s debut novel was a pacey thriller with an explosive ending.

Never mind that there are several characters, they are all contrasting enough that it is not difficult to identify the different ‘players’ of this game. I liked how the chapters are labelled according to the player number, even more so that the chapters move methodically through each participant, like you are watching them taking turns in a game. However, as the story develops, there are also some ‘pre-game’ episodes and I enjoyed how these added further depth to such an unusual plot.

Fear, adrenalin and desperation run throughout this story as the characters are powered by distressed energy to escape the game and protect their loved ones. Frequently, I found my heart was in my mouth because of the cliff-hangers that Kershaw often puts into the narrative, adding to the suspense of this read. Juxtaposing this, the feelings that the three mothers in particular experience, really captured the maternal emotions and I felt connected to them far more than Noah or Brett. I think this is because the writer really plays on the relationship a mother has with her child and the vulnerability that these women display merely intensified the helplessness they feel throughout the story.

As much as I tried, I could not fathom how this story would end. It was surprising until the very end and I was almost sad that the book finished. Addictive like a game itself, the atmosphere was tense and there were a few sickening, toe-curling moments in the story as well. I liked how the main characters are all so disparate, even down to where they come from, making it even harder to determine why the game has chosen these players and what connects them.

For a debut novel, this was suspenseful and breath-taking. It’s an impressive story from Kershaw and I am really excited to see what this author produces next. Highly recommended, this is a book you won’t want to miss and, quite honestly, would you want to lose your turn at the game?

With thanks to HQ Digital and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! Loved the premise of this book and it's safe to say it more than lived up to expectations. Utterly gripping with a killer ending.

An extremely exciting thriller. Five strangers in, UK, USA & France receive a text message from an unknown number telling them the person they most love is in danger. To save the person they must play The Game. They don’t know what the game is, the only rule they know is that there can only be one winner.

The Game has elements of both Saw & The Chain - I loved it.

The first few chapters are dedicated to a character, by the time they all met up (in the UK) to play The Game I had decided the two I was rooting for. The story moves quickly and kept me engaged. I read this over ta a couple of days, and despite being shocked by the ending I was sorry that it was the end. I don’t think anyone will guess the ending of this one! The Game is Scott Kershaw’s debut novel and I’m looking forward to his next one already.

If you like thrillers, you’ll love this.

This is a one sitting read that makes you think what you would do in the similar circumstances. Five strangers get a text that’ll change their lives forever. The unknown numbers alerts them to the fact that the person they love the most is in danger. So far, so scary. The only way for that loved one to be saved is to play The Game, a sinister unknown entity that has one rule – there will only be one winner. Each stranger must get themselves to a specified location and for some, it’s literally thousands of miles away. But distance isn’t an issue when it comes to securing a loved one’s safety, right? The strangers don’t know why they’ve been chosen or why they’ve been united and it’s not long until dissension reigns. Anger, mingled with fear, and just a splash of genuine terror abound. It may well be a game but playing doesn’t cut it; these strangers are out for blood in many occasions, willing to do ANYTHING to triumph.

Omg! This book is honestly brilliant. It has such a unique storyline that the writing manages to pull off perfectly. I loved the intense, claustrophobic atmosphere that pulls you in and has you on the edge of your seat not sure who to trust or believe.. I seriously did not see all the reveals coming at the end but they were perfectly timed and executed. Definitely a recommended read.