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3.09 AVERAGE
3.09 AVERAGE
4.5 Stars
This book kept me guessing all the way to the end. Hannah did a wonderful job of interweaving the main story, consisting of a mysterious friend named George who supposedly never existed and sudden anonymous and threatening phone calls, with a creative writing story that has just as many weird twists written by a fourteen-year-old girl. So many turns in this story that were surprising or hard to figure out considering how many things are not known or not known for certain as the story progresses.
This book kept me guessing all the way to the end. Hannah did a wonderful job of interweaving the main story, consisting of a mysterious friend named George who supposedly never existed and sudden anonymous and threatening phone calls, with a creative writing story that has just as many weird twists written by a fourteen-year-old girl. So many turns in this story that were surprising or hard to figure out considering how many things are not known or not known for certain as the story progresses.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
2.5 ⭐️ rounded up. It was 400 pages of two obnoxiously psychotic main characters going back and forth. Every new chapter was another out of reach scenario. Then when you finally get towards the end and can potentially see a big plot twist coming it turns out to be absolutely nothing.
I was sent a copy of this by Hachette New Zealand to review. I've never read a book by Sophie Hannah before but as soon as I'd read the synopsis I really wanted to know what happened.
I honestly don't know where to start this review. I was really confused for the first half. But once I'd figured out who was making the calls, if not the why, I was hooked.
I think what had me confused was Ellen's story and why Justine was so convinced it was more than just a school project.
Ellen's story was crazy. Full of murder, secrets and a very weird family. I'm not going to get into the story because I think it will ruin the book and I don't want that. I did like how it all came together though. That was really clever.
I get why no one believed Justine when she told them her theories, they seemed made up. But I felt like Justine's work opened her mind to all the possibilities that Alex, Ellen and the police couldn't see. And those police seemed really useless to me. Especially the first one Justine talked to about the calls. What police officer would recommend Justine and Alex confronting the caller?
The way the story came to its conclusion was really good. Asking Olwen to help get the caller to 'see the light' was genius. I didn't see what happened to the caller coming but at the same time I couldn't see it ending any other way. I'm not sure another outcome was possible. I'm not sure how the caller could let any of it go.
I don't want to give anything away and it's so hard to write a review on this book and not leave little clues. If I have, by accident, I'm really sorry.
I can't really get into the story because it would give it away and everything that happened all links up. The twists in A Game For All the Family were really well done. I'm not sure if I could have figured it all out if I was in Justine's place.
I highly recommend this book. Obviously if you're a Sophie Hannah fan you know how good her writing is but I really love books that make me think while I'm reading and try to figure what's going on. I gave A Game For All the Family four stars on Goodreads. I might have to see if my library has any Sophie Hannah books.
I honestly don't know where to start this review. I was really confused for the first half. But once I'd figured out who was making the calls, if not the why, I was hooked.
I think what had me confused was Ellen's story and why Justine was so convinced it was more than just a school project.
Ellen's story was crazy. Full of murder, secrets and a very weird family. I'm not going to get into the story because I think it will ruin the book and I don't want that. I did like how it all came together though. That was really clever.
I get why no one believed Justine when she told them her theories, they seemed made up. But I felt like Justine's work opened her mind to all the possibilities that Alex, Ellen and the police couldn't see. And those police seemed really useless to me. Especially the first one Justine talked to about the calls. What police officer would recommend Justine and Alex confronting the caller?
The way the story came to its conclusion was really good. Asking Olwen to help get the caller to 'see the light' was genius. I didn't see what happened to the caller coming but at the same time I couldn't see it ending any other way. I'm not sure another outcome was possible. I'm not sure how the caller could let any of it go.
I don't want to give anything away and it's so hard to write a review on this book and not leave little clues. If I have, by accident, I'm really sorry.
I can't really get into the story because it would give it away and everything that happened all links up. The twists in A Game For All the Family were really well done. I'm not sure if I could have figured it all out if I was in Justine's place.
I highly recommend this book. Obviously if you're a Sophie Hannah fan you know how good her writing is but I really love books that make me think while I'm reading and try to figure what's going on. I gave A Game For All the Family four stars on Goodreads. I might have to see if my library has any Sophie Hannah books.
I can hardly credit I actually finished this, I guess it was mainly because I wanted to refuse to believe anybody (author, editor, publishing house, the whole team of, presumably, professionals who should know better than, and get paid not to, inflict such pure silliness on their audience) could have the brass neck to present their readers with that kind of non-solution to this non-mystery without suspense, plot twist nor, ultimately, sense.
I can suspend disbelief with the best of them, however, a solid basis to get me started (relatable characters carrying out marginally believable actions, a dignus vindice nodus - problem worth solving), is that really too much to ask? It's not even that the writing was terrible, it was OK, even funny in places, it seems more that the author could not be arsed to make the effort to render a half-decent story. What a waste!
I can suspend disbelief with the best of them, however, a solid basis to get me started (relatable characters carrying out marginally believable actions, a dignus vindice nodus - problem worth solving), is that really too much to ask? It's not even that the writing was terrible, it was OK, even funny in places, it seems more that the author could not be arsed to make the effort to render a half-decent story. What a waste!
New book from the library. Gave it a try. Not that interested in it, so will return it unfinished and save the overdue fines.
p. 152
p. 152
This book started out kind of slow and I almost contemplated not finishing it. But I never really do that, so I kept on reading and soon it sucked me in. I was dying to know what was going on - and then the end was just .......weird? confusing? I don’t even know what was going on, I couldn’t really keep it all straight, and it was a little ridiculous. It was interesting, I’ll say that, but definitely not my favorite
Like obsessively desiring someone for months only to find they're a terrible kisser and walking away, stunned and disappointed, as you wipe their saliva off your face with your sleeve.
Pretty enthralling story within a story. At first it was confusing because each character filled two character roles. Occasionally I had to slow down and really think about and remember who was who, but other than that, really good original story. Fast-paced.
If only Hannah had not included a story within a story I would have rated the book higher I couldn't understand what was going on until it was explained in the main narrative. As a suspense thriller it really kept me interested and this kept me going wanting to know more, although the main characters end up doing unpausable ridiculous things. As a narrator I wondered what was Justine's state of mind and how reliable a narrator she is. The ending was a little convenient a bit like an Agatha Christie novel whose house the writer bases the house in the story on.