Unfortunately, this was not quite my kind of book. We meet a cast of characters who, in typical fashion, deal with their own problems, only in this case they are all very academic. In a way, the novel portrays a certain kind of social milieu, but it never quite clicked for me. I am an academic, but the conversations just bored me at one point. And the lesbian shock was really not necessary. All in all, a competent book, but one that I found hard to finish and one that I will not be thinking about a lot, I think.

Lawrence is a rather pompous member of the Cambridge academia. He decides to host a writing retreat at his huge pile in the Cambridge countryside. With so many different characters in such an intense environment, connections and old friendships are tested and strained, and some dark secrets spill out. An involving and literary read.

It is August, and eight old friends have gathered at a country house for a writers' retreat. By day, there is reading beside the pool or writing in the shady corners of the estate. In the evenings – drinks, dinner outdoors, games, midnight swimming.
But as temperatures rise in the stifling last days of summer, tensions do too. Old jealousies, new temptations and bitter rivalries bubble to the surface. By the end of the week, friendships – and lives – will have changed forever.

I found this quite a slow read. I was constantly waiting for something to happen. It’s well written with good descriptions and character build but, there are pages where nothing seems to happen. Then it all happens at the end. Very much a slow burn.

An enjoyable book, I found it well written and the characters were interesting and well developed. I found myself gripped to keep reading to find out what would happen to everyone. Unfortunately the ending was a real let down and I felt that there were many unresolved elements and unanswered questions.

A beautifully written novel, examining the relationships between a group of academics and old friends. A writing retreat which changes everything, bringing old grievances and secrets into the light. I did however feel a little let down by the ending which left a little too much unexplained. Highly recommended, nonetheless.

I put this down a third of the way through, as I prefer a fast-paced thriller and I don't think this book was for me. However thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to give it a go!

A tense read about the dynamics between the intellectual elite. Well written with excellent prose and characters to immerse yourself in

This was such an intense character study. I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and publisher.

This book was very character focused, there’s not a huge amount of plot and not a lot happens. Yet, I was completely and utterly fascinated. I couldn’t look away from the way some of these characters toed with disaster. Our story takes place when a group of people all connected to a writer and professor travel to his home in the Cambridge countryside for a writing retreat. Friendships will be tested, secrets will come out and people will rub each other the wrong way. Some of the characters are so deeply flawed, and others are wounded due to the proximity to the central character. I say central rather than main, because the book is told from multiple perspectives. Central because he connects all of the retreat attendees, but not main because the author skilfully gives the other characters the spotlight, making it so this is not just one person’s story. This felt deliberate to hold a mirror up to the central character and how he feels he should be the centre of everyone’s world. Indeed, his friends and families have hopes, dreams and desires that do not involve him and frustrations that grow due to his behaviour. Connections abound in this week long retreat and new relationships are formed and others fray.

The author manages to explore the characters flaws and hypocrisies so cleverly, whilst injecting subtle humour and without ever feeling preachy. This felt like such a deep psychological study as characters are presented with opportunities to learn and grow and we see some embrace it, and others bristle. By the end of this retreat we have such a clear picture of who each of these characters are and who will change for the better, and who will stagnate.

Fascinating, clever, gently humorous , I thoroughly enjoyed this.

I wanted to like it but it was not my cup of tea. The writing was amazing but at half past the story we were at the same point that the start, it was slow for a mistery book.

"But someone is playing a game the others don't understand, meddling with their work and appearing to lurk on the edges of the retreat."
This is the blurb describing a mystery that drew me into reading this book and I waited for the crunch to come but it never really did. Yes, there was deceit and desire as promised in the blurb but it is never really brought into the light and it left me hanging on until the end for people to get their just deserts.
A group of people are pulled together by university lecturer, Lawrence, for a retreat at his and Claudia's house in the Cambridgeshire countryside. As the week unfolds we learn a great deal about all the characters and they certainly all have plenty to hide but I was left waiting for the main event which never really happened.
The book was quite readable and I enjoyed the style and characterisation but I was let down by the blurb and felt it didn't have enough mystery to fit with the build up.
With thanks to Netgalley and 4th Estate and William Collins for an arc copy in return for an honest review.

The description of this novel had the promise of a devious event that changed the lives of all involved. I finished the book and had to check I had read the blurb right!

This novel meanders and feels ultimately hollow. The characters are outlined in quite a superficial way, so you get the impression that they won't be the major players in this deceit. The property gets a brief outline, with more weight being provided about a cemetery, an old folly, and a pond. So you start to think these areas might be more important, while waiting for the main event to get going. It feels like quite a slog, someone drinks, someone swims, games are played, food is eaten. Just too bland to hold meaning.

Only it doesn't, it just whimpers to a halt. Then the ending implies it has all been about the old house, which didn't ring true as the house hadn't been painted to be prominent in this tale.

The characters were only ever superficial and the story was too plain. Sorry, but I really don't see what the novel was trying to portray and the description really doesn't fit!

The Book Game is an immersive, intelligent, in depth story of eight friends, brought together for one week at a writing retreat. Lawrence and Claudia, the hosts, are ostensibly the richest and most fortunate of all the friends, and yet as the week pans out deep cracks appear in their seemingly idyllic home life. The reader is drawn into each character's life, with their links to Lawrence and Claudia played out slowly and carefully, to a tumultuous conclusion. I especially admired Frances Wise's ability with the characters' speech, making it seem so natural, a real masterclass in dialogue. I think other writers and bookish people would especially appreciate this novel.

Although I wouldn't call this a thriller, I really enjoyed this suspenseful read, with an ensemble of characters with their own personalities and issues. Great Academia book and the vibes of the house were immaculate! I'll definitely read more by Frances Wise!

An interesting ensemble mystery that gives insight into the lives of 8 individuals, intertwined with deceit, adultery and plagiarism. I usually love literary thrillers but this just didn't have enough mystery and intrigue for my taste. While I enjoyed the writing style and characterisations, the mysteries it did hold we're predictable and too easily revealed. Enjoyable overall but not a exciting read.

Really enjoyed this literary thriller.A story with so many twists and turns so many characters it kept me guessing till the last page.#NetGalley#4thestate

A literary thriller with an excellent cast of characters. I really enjoyed reading this one - felt a little lost at times with lots of characters all talking in a conversation but enjoyed overall!

#TheBookGame #NetGalley
A good read.
In August, eight friends gather at a house in the Cambridgeshire countryside for a week-long writers' retreat. There is reading by the pool or writing in the shady corners of the garden and inside the spectacular 18th-century home. In the evenings, there are communal drinks, dinner outdoors, midnight swimming, games. But someone is playing a game the others don't understand, meddling with their work and appearing to lurk on the edges of the retreat. As tensions rise over the seven days, desire and deceit rise to the surface and all their lives will change forever…
Thanks to NetGalley and 4th State and William Collins for giving me an advance copy.

Eight friends are invited to a week-long writers retreat in the Cambridgeshire countryside by Lawrence, a Cambridge academic. But someone is playing a game the others don't understand, meddling with their work and appearing to lurk on the edges of the retreat.
There were secrets and old grievances come to light and there were a bunch of unlikeable characters, which I actually enjoy in my novels. Lawrence was definitely one of them. While this one wasn't thrilling for me, it was an intriguing mystery and the character development and writing were fabulous. I'll definitely keep an eye out for the author's next novel.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and 4th Estate and William Collins for the gifted review copy.

What happened to opening with some action with which to draw the reader in and make him want to read on? Minute yawn-inducing scene-setting, however lyrically expressed doesn't cut it. Next come a multitude of character vignettes, hinting at relationships that may or may not be firmly established, without telling the reader who they are or how they are connected or know one another. Any real action is well ..... missing in action. A hundred pages in and nothing of any significance at all has occurred. None of the characters are likeable or relatable. There are several instances of disjointed conversations around a dinner table which do nothing to move the 'non-story' forward either. On page 90 the narrative suddenly morphs from third to first person without apparent rhyme or reason. It goes on jumping between third and first person POV, sometimes even within the same paragraph. Is this poor writing, poor editing or both? I couldn't possibly say.

As an independent scholar myself, I enjoy academic-related fiction, so the premise appealed to me and I was looking forward to an enticing read, but this novel reads more like a blog post, newspaper article or even a court report. It lacks any tension, plot changes or story arc. Its poor execution and writing mean that this book is not for me. Sorry!

Many thanks to the publishers and to Netgalley for the ARC.

The Book Game by Frances Wise draws you into the interactions and interplay between the ensemble cast of issue-laden characters.