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4.35 AVERAGE
4.35 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to Edelweiss and Berkley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book grabbed me and did not let go. I quite literally did not stop reading until I finished the book at 5 a.m. I can't think of anything I did not like, so let's talk about what I loved.
-The characters: I wasn't expecting to like the characters because I read So Thirsty earlier in the year and did not like those characters, but these characters were great. There were unlikable characters, but they weren't dumb (like in So Thirsty), so I wasn't constantly getting annoyed with them. I went into this book not knowing much, and I was so excited that the story centers 3 sisters because I have 2 sisters. I related the most to Daphne because she's a fellow middle child who just wants to keep the peace at the expense of feeling her own emotions.
-The plot/structure: The plot of this book was everything I wanted How To Sell A Haunted House by Grady Hendrix to be (I didn't like that book unfortunately). I like how Harrison explores mommy issues, childhood trauma, mental health, and grief. My favorite thing she did was use the book the mom wrote in the story to turn Play Nice into a story within in a story. It's really interesting seeing the concept of everyone having a different perception of events despite being in the same place experiencing the same events. It makes everyone an unreliable narrator which adds well to the horror elements.
-The setting/atmosphere: The setting was immaculate. There were multiple times where I was really scared because I decided reading this book in the dark was a good idea. I like that Harrison made the demon elusive until closer to the end of the book. The more Clio started to remember about the demon and saw of the demon correlated with her facing her past and her own inner demons.
I highly recommend this book if you like reading stories about family trauma, grief, and haunted houses. I also overall just really enjoy Harrison's writing style.
-The characters: I wasn't expecting to like the characters because I read So Thirsty earlier in the year and did not like those characters, but these characters were great. There were unlikable characters, but they weren't dumb (like in So Thirsty), so I wasn't constantly getting annoyed with them. I went into this book not knowing much, and I was so excited that the story centers 3 sisters because I have 2 sisters. I related the most to Daphne because she's a fellow middle child who just wants to keep the peace at the expense of feeling her own emotions.
-The plot/structure: The plot of this book was everything I wanted How To Sell A Haunted House by Grady Hendrix to be (I didn't like that book unfortunately). I like how Harrison explores mommy issues, childhood trauma, mental health, and grief. My favorite thing she did was use the book the mom wrote in the story to turn Play Nice into a story within in a story. It's really interesting seeing the concept of everyone having a different perception of events despite being in the same place experiencing the same events. It makes everyone an unreliable narrator which adds well to the horror elements.
-The setting/atmosphere: The setting was immaculate. There were multiple times where I was really scared because I decided reading this book in the dark was a good idea. I like that Harrison made the demon elusive until closer to the end of the book. The more Clio started to remember about the demon and saw of the demon correlated with her facing her past and her own inner demons.
I highly recommend this book if you like reading stories about family trauma, grief, and haunted houses. I also overall just really enjoy Harrison's writing style.
Just a solid horror! Can’t wait for this to release and start to recommend
Clio is working hard to make this haunted house a home... while also combatting major mommy (and daddy) issues and making the home makeover instagram worthy to maintain her influencer status. If you ever wondered what it would be like if a "Succession" level dysfunctional family was also fighting a "Paranormal Activity" level possession, look no further!
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Quick very high level summary.
Clio’s mother claimed her childhood home was possessed by a demon and the idea consumed her so much that it lead to a messy divorce. Now as an adult, Clio has inherited the house. Over the years Clio and her sisters have always dismissed her mothers claims as mental illness but as she begins renovations she the sinister and disturbing events begin.
My Take.
At first the MC Clio, seemed like someone I would dislike completely in person. Which worried me because once a character is not likable to me I really do not feel and kind of connection so I never feel an emotional attachment. Without that emotional attachment the rest of the story does not seem to have the impact it should. With that being said, I eventually came around to Clio. What I truly enjoyed were the portions of the story where Clio is reading her mom’s memories. For me it made the story darker, more tragic and so much more interesting. For me Rachel Harrison books are fast entertaining reads. Not overly scary, nothing too complex just pure fun.
Clio’s mother claimed her childhood home was possessed by a demon and the idea consumed her so much that it lead to a messy divorce. Now as an adult, Clio has inherited the house. Over the years Clio and her sisters have always dismissed her mothers claims as mental illness but as she begins renovations she the sinister and disturbing events begin.
My Take.
At first the MC Clio, seemed like someone I would dislike completely in person. Which worried me because once a character is not likable to me I really do not feel and kind of connection so I never feel an emotional attachment. Without that emotional attachment the rest of the story does not seem to have the impact it should. With that being said, I eventually came around to Clio. What I truly enjoyed were the portions of the story where Clio is reading her mom’s memories. For me it made the story darker, more tragic and so much more interesting. For me Rachel Harrison books are fast entertaining reads. Not overly scary, nothing too complex just pure fun.
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the opportunity to read and review the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
First, can I just say how much I love this cover??? A haunted house story plus dysfunctional family drama sign me up! Clio returns to her hometown after the death of her mom, who she hasn’t had contact with since she was young, to find she has inherited a house her mom claimed was possessed by a demon. Her family called her crazy. Clio’s memories from that time are hazy. So what else can she do but fix the house up and sell it. Then she can get back to her life. But being back in her mom’s home is stirring up memories and just maybe her mom was telling the truth.
First, can I just say how much I love this cover??? A haunted house story plus dysfunctional family drama sign me up! Clio returns to her hometown after the death of her mom, who she hasn’t had contact with since she was young, to find she has inherited a house her mom claimed was possessed by a demon. Her family called her crazy. Clio’s memories from that time are hazy. So what else can she do but fix the house up and sell it. Then she can get back to her life. But being back in her mom’s home is stirring up memories and just maybe her mom was telling the truth.
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Play Nice
Written by Rachel Harrison
Book 138/250
Genre: Horror
Format: Digital/Physical, ARC
Pages: 336
Published: September 9, 2025
Rating: 9.75/10
Horror: 👻👻👻👻👻
“If we don’t remember something, how can we be sure it never happened?"
"I think I might think about Charlie Manson too much."
Harrison delivers another absolute banger, combining the typical haunting and demon stories into a horror filled read. Play Nice may be Rachel Harrison’s best book yet. It’s genuinely scary and infused with her sense of humor that I love throughout all her books. From start to finish, Play Nice is a terrifying thrill ride that will take hold of you and not allow you to put it down.
I think the most impressive thing about Play Nice is Harrison’s character work. I started off this book finding the main character, Clio, as fairly annoying. And while that opinion didn’t entirely flip, I was able to understand her and relate more to her as more of her past is revealed. On top of that, the family dynamics and interactions are on point throughout the book.
Play Nice nicely fits into the vein of books like “The Haunting of Hill House”, “My Best Friend’s Exorcism”, and “A Head Full of Ghosts”. And is thus far, one of my favorite books I have read this year!
Written by Rachel Harrison
Book 138/250
Genre: Horror
Format: Digital/Physical, ARC
Pages: 336
Published: September 9, 2025
Rating: 9.75/10
Horror: 👻👻👻👻👻
“If we don’t remember something, how can we be sure it never happened?"
"I think I might think about Charlie Manson too much."
Harrison delivers another absolute banger, combining the typical haunting and demon stories into a horror filled read. Play Nice may be Rachel Harrison’s best book yet. It’s genuinely scary and infused with her sense of humor that I love throughout all her books. From start to finish, Play Nice is a terrifying thrill ride that will take hold of you and not allow you to put it down.
I think the most impressive thing about Play Nice is Harrison’s character work. I started off this book finding the main character, Clio, as fairly annoying. And while that opinion didn’t entirely flip, I was able to understand her and relate more to her as more of her past is revealed. On top of that, the family dynamics and interactions are on point throughout the book.
Play Nice nicely fits into the vein of books like “The Haunting of Hill House”, “My Best Friend’s Exorcism”, and “A Head Full of Ghosts”. And is thus far, one of my favorite books I have read this year!
so so much fun. wry humor with witty insight into the literal and metaphorical demons that plague us...albeit, the line differentiating the two in this book are rather blurred.
might add more later but that's the gist
might add more later but that's the gist
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is Rachel's best yet. Head full of Ghosts meets How to Sell a Haunted House in the way only Rachel can deliver.
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to Berkeley Publishing Group for providing this ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Play Nice by Rachel Harrison is another title in her playful contemporary fiction/horror cannon. Clio, our main character, finds herself the part owner of a dilapidated supposedly haunted house following the death of her estranged mother. While her sisters are ready to write the property off along with their memories of childhood trauma, Clio can’t help but find herself drawn to the house.
Something that I really appreciate about Harrison, in both this and her other works, is her ability to turn on a dime. In a number of chapters she can go from talking about a Jaclyn Hill-esque lipstick influencer (millennial nod of approval) to describing the sinister and wily creeping figure in the shadows of a child’s darkened room. She can very seamlessly blend a narrative voice that fits a twenty something NYC fashion stylist while still describing the shaking, unyielding terror of a the thing hiding in a closet.
While the haunting elements of the home—visits from old priests, spooky attics, communication through child’s drawings were well done, I didn’t think anything about this was particularly novel or with a particularly fresh perspective. Even within Harrison’s body of work, it felt somewhat similar to other openings we’ve seen before; outsiders in the band of occultists clustered around an estranged parent, etc. From about the second chapter I had a very good idea of what was going to happen—and happen it did, with little surprise.
For me, this was not the feather in Harrison’s literary cap. It’s fun, relatively straightforward and borrows on some well trodden tropes. However, the characters are one-note, and they learn virtually nothing from their ordeal. The storyline is straightforward and nothing felt particularly inventive. I think if you like Rachel Harrison books and some light horror, you’ll enjoy Play Nice. It’s good, but it’s not great and for that reason it’s a 3.5/5.