I love a dark and creepy read so for me, this book didn't disappoint! I did feel the ending was rushed and let down the last part of the book.
I loved the different time lines and how it jumps back and forth, this is something I rarely experience in books and I loved it! I loved when Charlie starting digging around in the past and the creepy sense it brought on!

I loved this book, it had all the best part of creepy stories right there in one book, i finished this book in one very long sitting and i thouroughly enjoyed it.Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me access to this title.

This was a gothic, haunting and atmospheric story that I couldn’t put down. It was gripping and engaging the whole way through with a level of suspense and unpredictability that added an extra layer to the storytelling. It was a chilling read that has stayed with me since I read it. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words some text written has been typed in red and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

In Games for Dead Girls, we explore the mysteries and folklore of a small seaside town called Hithechurch, where horrible things have happened, and where Charlie hopes to find out the truth...

In 1988, Charlie was a child when she dreamt up Stitch Face Sue, an urban legend she hoped would entertain the girl she met on a caravan site. In the present she travels to Hithechurch under a different name, telling people she's looking for folklore, when the truth is a lot murkier. And in a third point-of-view, set further back in the past, a young boy yearns for a future he may never be able to reach...

Three stories, only one of them 'now' and it takes a little while for them to catch up to one another. But I enjoyed the way Williams gradually built up the layers of creepiness and mystery.

Genre-wise, the book is hard to pin down. It's slower than a standard suspense thriller (which may not please some readers brought in by the dramatic title), so maybe it's more akin to domestic suspense, but with a vital hint of horror (nb the UK cover is great and very fitting) to make it memorable. A good read, and no doubt I'll be back to this author for more in the future.

This book had me hooked from the first few pages.

Charlie returns to the caravan site where, in the summer of 1988, she was involved in a tragic incident. Told over 3 timelines, present day, 1988 and 1949 the story flows along at a decent pace. While at first they read like 3 separate stories they are all equally interesting which I find is quite a feat as in some books with multiple timelines I have found there is usually a weaker story, that is not the case here.

This is the first novel that I have read by this author but I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for others by her.

Thank you to #Netgalley and #Harper Collins UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book wasn’t for me. I was drawn in by the awesome cover and the thought I was getting something fun and sassy. Instead this felt more like a gloomy British kitchen sink drama!! The concept and idea is good but I found it to be poorly executed with a tendency to drag on. I was dizzy from the circles we were going in and for a chunk of the book it felt like every chapter ended up on the same cliffhanger. There was too many secret/alternate identities too and that’s confusing for an old gal like me!

The cover IS amazing though!

— 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 —

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Games For Dead Girls
𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: N/A
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫(𝐬): Jen Williams
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Thriller/Horror
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: 30th March 2023
𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬/𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬:
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 3/5

”People think seaside towns are all harmless, but they only ever see them on their sunny days.”

This was a disturbing, entertaining book to kill the time with. Unfortunately for me, it was a case of too much, too slow.

The pacing was much slower than it ought to be to keep me engaged, and there were three different storylines that needed to merge. Honestly, by the time their connection had been revealed, I had already guessed (correctly) at what happened every time. Which meant what should have been many scream-inducing twists in the road were more like speed bumps, each one garnering a smaller bob of my head. Especially when much of the story is revealed in the blurb too! 🙈

Although I do think that the author used a clever and realistic setting. When I think of the seaside, I think holidays, fun, warm, rather than grisly murder, child kidnappings and folky horror stories of Stitch Face Sue and The Grey Woman. The storyline as a whole felt very atmospheric.

Overall, this is a story with good ideas—perhaps too many good ideas! A multi-story-lined format that could have been simplified and refined for better tension. And a plot that I wished would hurry up. The last 20% of this book is the best although it took some self-motivating to get there.

𝑲𝒂𝒚𝒍𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉 @ 𝑾𝒆𝒍𝒔𝒉 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝑭𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒚
🧚‍♀️🤍

I wanted to love this as the premise sounded right up my street but I struggled to get into it. For some reason i could only really connect with the post narration if the story and struggled to be terrible captivated by the present. It felt a little creepy but I think I just expected more? And I did finish with questions which I also am not a fan of, I prefer to have everything wrapped up lol. In saying that, it wad a very unique premise and it did weave reality with that touch of folklore which I loved. It was a bit dark and it did keep me guessing so it did do everything I'd have wanted it to do. I just wish I'd have been a bit more captivated by the other timelines

Short Version: Dark and twisty, Jen is a master at gradually increasing tension until you think you can’t take any more then pushing it that bit further. Loved this book.

Long Version:

Folklore is invariably creepy and Jen weaves together the strands of folklore, creepy local history and the impact of both those things on young minds in a way that feels both “now” and filled with nostalgia.

Plot: Dark and twisty but easy to engage with. There were a couple of things I worked out reasonably early on and other bits that totally caught me by surprise. Mostly believable with a couple of forays into outrageous.

Characters: I thought the characters in the “then” parts of the book were written superbly, they all felt so real, like I was remembering people I had met. Charlie in particular was so relatable. The dialogue felt natural. The characters in the “now” felt a little more forced and the decisions and actions were jagged compared to the smooth flow of the “then”.

Settings: The settings and locations in this book are key to the whole story and are used masterfully to add tension and colour to the plot and the characters.

Prose: Bang on throughout, just flows so nicely and never takes you out the story.

Pace: The pace and the tension are so interlinked in this book, it’s brilliant. It switches from being slow and treacly to being 100mph and back again and always at the right beats of the story.

Ending: All the elements had a really satisfying ending.

Who would love this: Anyone into folklore and/or thrillers with an element of creepiness. People who like Lars Kepler and Nordic Noir should read this, it has similar dark vibes.

Spooky and mysterious, this book just kept reading itself! All jokes aside, it was very easy to read and the whole story proved to be a page turner despite a slow start.
In all fairness, this isnt the genre I normally read in but I was welcomed with a pleasant surprise: I kept wanting to know more.
The mystery that runs on 3 different timelines I feel is the main sellingpoint of this book, you just want to find out, despite not caring much for the characters (perhaps mainly until the central issue is revealed, aka what actually happened on that faithful summer night)
Everything connects, as expected, but the timeleines do feed into each other logically and slightly unexpectedly.
One twist of the book in particular was genuinely so good and unexpected, I've got the shivers.

Recommended for fans of slowburn mysteries with a spooky touch.

This book had all the hallmarks of something I'd read - a little dark, some time leaps, folklore/make believe, twists... you name it.

I loved the pacing of this book, the reveals, the creeping back and forth of time, and how it all came together at the end.

The only thing that disappointed was the summarisation. The ending can feel rushed in some books, but this wasn't the case here. It was weirdly just the last 2 pages that felt like that and could have been expanded.

Although the loose ends were tied up, it still felt like it lacked closure. I wanted to know (without spoilers), if Charlie ever released what she found, what happened with the book, how so-and-so got their dues etc.

For that, I rate it 4 star (but would have loved to give 5) and i'll be keeping an eye out for this author in future.

I found this really hard to follow. It wasn't gripping at all. The Cover and Synopsis made it sound so interesting but it just wasn't. It felt like a chore to read at times.

A decent slow drip of information means I managed to guess most of what was going on before the big reveals, or in some cases, just a reveal, that was so understated, I almost went back to check I hadn't imagined it.
Creepy goings on, fair grounds and a scary character from local folklore is always going to get my interest.
The pacing was a bit slow at times , but I felt there was enough going on to keep me interested.
An enjoyable read.