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uranaishi's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Police brutality, Murder, Violence, Death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing, Excrement, Sexual harassment, Confinement, Alcohol, Bullying, Medical content, Classism, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Grief, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Drug use, Gun violence, Toxic friendship, and Vomit
coco78337's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Violence, Death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
katiemack's review
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I requested this one because I'm trying to read more thrillers and mysteries and because it's set near Chicago. (Also, that cover is amazing.) This is more of a cozy mystery than the thriller the marketing suggests, but I still found some moments a little terrifying. The actual unraveling of the mystery of who killed Marley and why is genuinely compelling; the twist at the end genuinely surprised me too. Protagonist Katie is stubborn, which I liked most of the time but makes her frustrating during parts of the investigation. I also wished some of the side characters had been fleshed out more. (I appreciate that Owen's neurodivergence isn't TOTALLY stereotypical, but even more nuance here would have been great.) I don't feel like a sequel is necessary, but I'm sure Lina Chern will write one to further explore Katie's relationship with Jamie.
I requested this one because I'm trying to read more thrillers and mysteries and because it's set near Chicago. (Also, that cover is amazing.) This is more of a cozy mystery than the thriller the marketing suggests, but I still found some moments a little terrifying. The actual unraveling of the mystery of who killed Marley and why is genuinely compelling; the twist at the end genuinely surprised me too. Protagonist Katie is stubborn, which I liked most of the time but makes her frustrating during parts of the investigation. I also wished some of the side characters had been fleshed out more. (I appreciate that Owen's neurodivergence isn't TOTALLY stereotypical, but even more nuance here would have been great.) I don't feel like a sequel is necessary, but I'm sure Lina Chern will write one to further explore Katie's relationship with Jamie.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Violence
Moderate: Murder and Blood
Minor: Suicide and Death
amandaslibrary13's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Katie True has found herself wondering or rather stumbling through life. She’s had multiple dead end jobs and doesn’t seem to be good at anything except tarot reading. Everything changes when she meets Marley. She’s the first person who seems to truly understand Katie and meets her where she is not where she’s going. Follow Katie as she unravels the mystery of a life time and finds who she is a long the way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Gun violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
bkwrm1317's review
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
First and foremost, special thanks to Random House's Kathleen Quinlan for pre-approving me for an eARC of this novel through NetGalley and knowing this was the right kind of novel for me.
I thoroughly enjoyed Play the Fool. A perfect read for spooky season brought this novel to the top of my TBR, and has had me recommending it once released to a number of folks. Our protagonist, Katie, is a fiesty 20's something who is down on her luck (or maybe she's just exhausted by trying to live up to her family's expectations of her). When her mysterious older friend disappears and seems to have been murdered, Katie uses her skills for reading people and interpreting the tarot to try to discover what happened to her friend.
Soon Katie finds herself enmeshed in the possible murder investigation that's... not a murder investigation (the body disappeared?!), and seems to keep popping up at the wrong time, and the is quickly befriended by the detective who is new in town with his own difficult past.
Darkly and riotously funny, with prose that's precise and flowing, I highly recommend Play the Fool for fans of novels with femme protagonists, dark humor, murder mysteries, and twists and turns, but don't want to ruin the fun of unraveling the mystery within for future readers!
I thoroughly enjoyed Play the Fool. A perfect read for spooky season brought this novel to the top of my TBR, and has had me recommending it once released to a number of folks. Our protagonist, Katie, is a fiesty 20's something who is down on her luck (or maybe she's just exhausted by trying to live up to her family's expectations of her). When her mysterious older friend disappears and seems to have been murdered, Katie uses her skills for reading people and interpreting the tarot to try to discover what happened to her friend.
Soon Katie finds herself enmeshed in the possible murder investigation that's... not a murder investigation (the body disappeared?!), and seems to keep popping up at the wrong time, and the is quickly befriended by the detective who is new in town with his own difficult past.
Darkly and riotously funny, with prose that's precise and flowing, I highly recommend Play the Fool for fans of novels with femme protagonists, dark humor, murder mysteries, and twists and turns, but don't want to ruin the fun of unraveling the mystery within for future readers!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
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