Reviews

Shell Game by Rumaan Alam

charliejaxx's review against another edition

1.0

I do not understand the point of this. This is supposed to be a short psychological thriller?? Nothing literally happened.

Just weird and I didn't even understand anything in the book.

melissathereadingnerd's review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I like these short stories from Amazon. They really help me get out of my reading slump, or pallet cleanse in between longer page books. This one wasn't the best, but it was alright.

alannafowler's review

lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.5

alihupp's review against another edition

1.0

I was very confused while listening to this short story. There were many characters that I had a hard time following. I kept waiting for there to be a thriller type twist but it never came.

bpamatmat's review

challenging emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

hollajane's review against another edition

reflective fast-paced

2.0

isabellemcgee18's review

1.0

Huh??? That’s pretty much it. Very confused on the plot and even just why it was written.

ak107's review

medium-paced

• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

1.0

I just... but... huh... why? I am not quite sure what I just read, but I read it. This was my least favorite of the collection and I am not sure how it fits as a psychological thriller. The main characters' train of thought while on vacation with his family was... something. Why were the interactions with his niece so... icky-feeling? And why did we need the lifeguard? And... but... sigh. This one was not for me.

bookedwithannie's review

2.0

TW/CW: (all non-graphic or happens off page) sexual assault, murder, serial killer, pedophilia, cheating, drug abuse, abortion
If you have Amazon Prime and are looking for a quick-paced thriller, might I suggest the Getaway Series? This collection of novellas were a mix of really good and really really... weird?
Overall it was an enjoyable read and some of these stories I wanted so much more than just 30-40 pages.
A few thoughts on each are below:
Unchartered Waters - my Below Deck loving heart was so into this one and I really enjoyed the a rep!
His Happy Place - spooky and weird and thoroughly convinced me to never go camping with an SO.
Stockholm - probably the creepiest but also very disturbing and it really took me out of the story because I was so disgusted.
Belle Mer - just overall wasn't a big fan of the story line.
I think this was too tough to tell in a novella.
Catch Her in a Lie - that TWIST!!! ¡ would've really loved a full novel on this story.
Shell Game - I have no idea what this was about. It wasn't a thriller. It was barely a story.

michellenet's review against another edition

1.0

52Books2022 Reading Challenge: The word “game” in the title