Brilliant Debut!
This book had me hooked from beginning to end with plenty of twists that I didn't see coming. My only criticism is that maybe there were a few too many players as at times I did find the multiple povs slightly difficult to keep up with.

What an amazing thriller. Fast paced kept me gripped from the start. Unique to everything else I’ve read this year I thoroughly enjoyed this book & would highly recommended

What an absolutely cracking thriller! I loved the concept of this and found it to be fast paced and engaging from the start. Full of drama and twists and a very well written plot

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC.

Five strangers in different parts of the world receive messages informing them that they have been selected to play a game. The person they love the most has disappeared and they have to play the game to get them back. But there can only be one winner. The loser loses their loved one.

Wow this had me hooked from the start. The twists and turns never stopped and the 'Games Master' was someone I definitely didn't see coming. A whole range of emotions and an ending that actually tied up some ends instead of things left without explanation or the reader wondering what happened afterwards.

Highly recommended.

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review. This review is based entirely on my own thoughts and feelings.

Overall rating : 3*
Writing skill : 4*
Plot: 2*
Pace: 3*
Characters: 3*

If I was reviewing the last 25% I'd be rating this 5*, what a great ending! But unfortunately the first half had me fairly bored. I thought 6 different story lines far too much, and as soon you were getting to grips with one part of the story it ended, and you were following another plot with different characters. However when the story lines came together and you were only following one or two stories it was far more enjoyable, and the climax was really, really good. Overall a good story with massive 'Saw' and 'Squid Game' vibes. Solid 3 stars.

3.5

Really enjoyed seeing how the different threads of this story came together.

A twisty read that keeps you on the edge of you seat, unsure of what will happen next.

It was a little longer than it needed to be & was slow to set up the action due to the number of players but I still enjoyed the premise & was compelled to follow it through to the end.

Unfortunately this book was not for me, it was a bit slower than I would like and it just didn't hold my attention. I am sure other people will love it!

A pretty intense thriller.
Thank you to Netgalley for my copy of this book. I loved the sound of the description of The Game. Individuals from across the globe each receive a text to say their loved one has been taken and is in danger. These individuals must all follow the rules exactly in order to save their person. The first rule is not to tell anyone. This is an instantly gripping start to the book. When someone has been kidnapped, my first reaction would be to call the police, but if they did this then their person would die. I tried to put myself in their position to see what I would do. I soon stopped this, as it was to difficult to imagine being in that horrific situation. Instead I enjoyed this book for the thriller that it is.
Each character is unique and they alternated chapters so you got a good perception of all of the characters. As I read, I kept questioning why these people were chosen and how is it all linked because the people were from a variety of countries, UK, USA, France. I was happy that my questions were answered.
As far as I can tell, this is a debut book from the Author. An excellent first book and I hope more will come in time.

Not a new idea, forcing a group of protagonists to participate in a life or death game. Even the Hunger Games wasn't the first. The group work together, but always feel isolated from each other, not knowing who, if anyone is telling the truth. Most of them have no idea why they are participating, but are totally convinced if they don't compete, someone they love will die, and they have been given proof to convince them.
Compelling and trotting along at a reasonable pace, it seems to me that there were some weaknesses in the plotting, regarding time frames and distances, but perhaps that's only me. I also felt the the behaviours of some of the characters was not rational, with easier and more direct routes of avoiding becoming embroiled in "The Game".
With that small proviso the Mr. Kershaw has written a thoroughly acceptable thriller

A gripping story which delves into the lives of the players and how they become part of “The Game”.

I found this book brilliant from start to finish. The characters were written spot on and the story was great.

Definitely a book for fans of the series, Squid Game.

Fast-paced and thrilling, I struggled to put this down initially. I loved the fact that "The Game" starts off in different locations around the world. Scott Kershaw really brings those diverse settings to life. I preferred the first half of the book but felt it lost momentum as the plot progressed. Overall a good read though.

This book isnt what i thought it was going to be. Having said that I have no idea what I was expecting....Something more exciting. The blurb totally sold it to me and I feel let down because I have picked this book up a few times and just feel like it isnt for me. Normally I read a book from start to finish but something wasnt keeping my attention.
But we cant all like the same things can we?!

Fast paced thriller with so much potential but the ending felt a bit far fetched and rushed for me unfortunately

This was a unique reading experience. I really liked the writing style and plot. A very good thriller

Great plot to get yourself lost in. This book has everything. A real fast paced thriller. Will get your heart racing on more than one occasion. Very well written. Highly recommend this book

Unfortunately this was a total miss for me.
The Game from the title doesn't really start until like 60% of the book, and when it starts it's just one pathetic "task".
The writing isn't bad, but it isn't great either,dialogues feel unnatural and quite frankly a bit cringe. The final twist is so over the top it's a bit laughable.
Also, half of the plotlines is just lest with no conclusion (Noah, I'm looking at you - what happened to him, and why was he even there? Was it explained and I just skipped it?).
If you enjoy the group-of-people-find-themselves-ina-remote-location-and-must-fight-for-their-life-because-one-of-them-might-be-a-murderer subgenre then please give this book a pass.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. 5 individuals from across the globe receive a message. Someone they love dearly has been taken, and the only way to save them is to play the game. But there can only be one winner. This story takes you on a breakneck journey through England and Scotland, with each of the characters absolutely desperate. I don't want to give away any more of the plot, but suffice it to say it will keep you on the edge of your seat with some great twists! Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

A well written book, however I was a little disappointed in the ending. It seemed to me as if the author had not given enough thought as to how to finish the book. Despite this, an enjoyable read which will appeal to a wide audience.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. This was an excellent debut novel which I really enjoyed. Great character development and a good format, it also had an interesting premise that really hooked me from the beginning. The format of the book also worked very well. Overall I’d highly recommend this one!

I just lost The Game…about 500 times.

I don’t know whether to love or hate this story. So much of it I enjoyed. It kept me firmly interested from start to finish, which is amazing given that I wasn’t feeling in the mood for reading. But I’m not sure if it ended the way I was expecting. The concept was fantastic, the storyline up until the latter portion was amazing. It’s not that I hated the last part, but I supposed I wanted it to be different. I wish there had been more game, more tasks to be completed. It all happened rather quickly, which makes sense given the subject. I just hoped and expected something that isn’t what I got. That being said, I enjoyed it a lot. I didn’t love every character, quite the opposite in fact, but not because they weren’t written well (they were) it’s more because I disliked the people. I found Sarah to be very passive, understandably so. I found Maggie frustrating, she was probably my favourite of the group. Brett and Noah annoyed me in different ways and in some ways I don’t feel their stories were resolved in the same way the others were. Linda, well, I kind of liked her but I kind of disliked her too. None of them were my kind of person and I think that’s maybe a big part to my dislike of them. I’m glad I read this book and I’m glad it held my attention throughout because a lot of books waver at some point.