Reviews with content warning for Bullying - Their Vicious Games

A non stop thrill that I loved every second of, it was so unexpectedly excellent, and every twist and turn surprised me. (Which is rare!)
What would you do to get a second chance to regain everything you lost all because of a rich white girl? Adina will go far to regain her chance of college and getting out of the town she lives in. But she soon discovers the competition she has managed to get invited to has high stakes. Deadly stakes. Not everything is as it seems, and the glamour and polish of the rich cover up something far more sinister afoot. Unlikely allies seem to want to help her, but who can she really trust? And who will she have to become to survive? There are moments in this story which truly made me sick to the stomach, I strongly advise anyone to check their trigger warnings before reading.

The Simon Says game really got me. It shows just how twisted the whole thing is, and how little value the girls are actually viewed as.

At the beginning I had a few moments of hesitance, never one to enjoy moments of

cheating

no matter the reason or motivations. But it immediately picked up from there and I soon found myself unable to stop reading.
I can't say which character this is without spoiling, but she ended up being my favorite. This is an example of how strong and well written the prose is, one of my favorite quotes: ...In the gaps between her teeth, she holds bitterness and rage, the kind that has built with resentment for years...She is the moon, tethered forever to a planet that she does not want anything to do with but can't exist without."
The threads of classism, racism, and misogyny all tied around exquisitely written prose delighted my eyes and enraptured my mind. The story truly just got stronger as the book went on, and the tense and thrilling moments had my heart racing as fast as Adina's. One of my favorite characters was
What I liked most about this book was how biting and honest it was. Casual racism is an every day reality for many people (me included!) and to see how it was depicted so nearly subtly in a way that if you weren't familiar with some of the microaggressions you might think it was just an uncomfortable situation or think nothing of it. (Of course I would hope the more overt and direct racism instances in the book would open any reader's eyes who would dare to think otherwise, or even heaven forbid think this book as something else.)
I need to take a moment to talk about the ending, because it wasn't what I expected, nor have come to expect from books in this vein and I was more than pleasantly surprised.

I am so GODDAMN SICK of books that deal with these topics just forget about it and have the BIPOC lead get with the white man at the end. So I was beyond THRILLED, dare I say ecstatic, when that was not the case here. Adin showcased the brains she had all book and it was left open ended in if she would ever contact Graham again. (Though dear reader, if I must truly be honest, I wouldn't mind if they reconnected at some point many years later after much growth and healing and learning. Because that man is ignorant as hell and it isn't Adina's job to educate him)

One more side note I want to add, should Joelle Wellington ever endeavor to pen an adult novel with romance, I would be first in line. The romance moments in this book well, let's just say I would very much love for more.

This is my first book of Joelle Wellington's, and with this quality of writing and storytelling I know it won't be last. Highly recommend.

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muckl3t83's review

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

3.75

Preposterous plot but a fun read anyway.

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sabrielsbell's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

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

3.75

This was such an interesting read. I went into it not knowing what to expect and really was taken in by the story. The competition, battle royale aspect, and "villains" were all really well done. I think I struggled to connect a bit with the main character and I wish the influence of the wealth family had been shown instead of just talked about to have a bit more impact. If you liked Hunger Games or The Belles this is a good follow up.

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kendal_reads's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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browneyesblue84's review

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I like the setting of Their Vicious Games. This marks the second YA thriller novel that I read in the past year. Despite being an elder millennial , I still like YA novels especially YA thrillers and horror stories. I was unfamiliar with the author but saw the cover in Target last year. This book took residence on my TBR from then on. I needed something fast paced and different to fill in the gap between preorder releases. This novel definitely satisfied me. Also, I realized that I preordered the authors next book without realizing who the author was.

Joelle Wellington’s writing is easy to read. I was hooked from the first chapter. Adina is a relatable character who strives to fit into a world of opulence and power. She loses her one opportunity after a moment of intense emotion brought on by a “friend” who was jealous. That reaction cost her everything except for a change to obtain her diploma. Adina decided to do what she could to take part in The Finish, a competition that offered something that she truly needed a second chance. However, she was not prepared for the truth about this competition and how truly high the stakes were.

I am rating this novel five stars out of five. Yes, it’s that good. Each chapter has an even balance of well thought out prose, dynamic characters and even pacing. I’m looking forward to reading the author’s next novel. If Their Vicious Games is this good , I get the feeling that it will be even better.

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boba_n_books's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Squid Games meets The Bachelor? Sign me up! ... To read about. Not to compete in. This fast-paced young adult thriller takes "eat the rich" to a whole new level.

Adina is a Black teenager who was about to secure her future through her scholarship to Yale. Her plans are ruined once an incident at school causes her to lose that well-earned scholarship. The only way to get it back is to enter the Finish--a competition where young women prove themselves worthy of being a part of the wealthy Remington family through three different events. It is not long before Adina and the other girls in the Finish realize that the stakes are higher than money and power. It's life or death. The younger Remington boys say they're trying to change the system, but are they? Being one of the only girls who didn't grow up in the rich world the Remingtons live in, Adina realizes she has to either change herself or change the Finish to survive.

Though the characters may seem superficial at first, each one has their own motivations and moments of reckoning. Wellington's commentary on race and class and what people will do to achieve and maintain power is fascinating. She certainly doesn't attempt to make the reader comfortable, and there are many times I had to remind myself that I wanted Adina to get out and not to conform to the Remington way.

This novel challenges social structures and typical tropes, and it was just a damn good book with a satisfying ending.

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teeclecticreads's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Gosh this was good! When I finally got to read the book without distractions I ended up finishing it in one whole day. It was giving me serious Squid Games/Hunger Games meets Bridgerton vibes. I must admit that the pacing was too slow in the beginning and there was a lot of talking in riddles until we got to the action. Adina was also annoying me a lot with all the terrible decisions she was making, but I enjoyed her determination to succeed. The juiciness of the plot and the ending made up for all of that though. I just love that it also highlighted a serious issue that minority groups, especially black people, face where we try to work twice as hard in a world with an uneven playing field just to get a chance at making a better life for ourselves. Definitely a fav read of the year so far.

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jazzywazzy's review

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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