Reviews with content warning for Animal death - Small Game

I really loved it—the writing and story were gripping and I was fully invested in what the hell was going on. I would’ve given it five stars but I just couldn’t get past

Ashley the fawn killer. Mara’s obsession with that bag of dicks made me like Mara less.

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maggies's review

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adventurous challenging mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Back when I still used Twitter, Blair Braverman was one of my follows, and I loved her threads about dog sledding and the outdoors. She's an incredible storyteller, and Small Game, her first novel, really lived up to that for me. While I would never participate in a show of this kind and I'm not outdoorsy by any stretch (I always say I'd prefer to go first in an apocalypse), I was captivated by Mara and the other "survivors" and their creativity and problem-solving. In an episode of You're Wrong About, Blair said—paraphrasing here—that nature doesn't feel any animosity towards us and that's comforting to her. After reading this book, I can absolutely see what she means. I wouldn't quite call this a thriller, but it was very thrilling just the same.

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brooke_marcum's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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haave's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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mals_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful 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? Yes

4.0

i went into this with the expectation of a thriller/horror story which was wrong — this book’s strength lies in its characters and their journey tackling the crisis of being abandoned in the wilderness while filming a reality survival show.

very much a literary journey, but i really appreciated all of the characters’ perspectives and their differing styles when it came to both the game show and the survival aspect once they were on their own. only qualm is

i wish she had done more with Tom’s character? he seemed he would have played a much, much more important role than he ended up playing, but i understand the interactions with him and small glimpses.

it might feel like light work if you’re used to reading exploration thrillers or disaster stories, but i think there’s something rich about the way Braverman describes her characters and the stakes they face, the potential consequences of every decision staring them down each chapter. i devoured this.

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princess_marie's review

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adventurous dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

2.75

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caseythereader's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad 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

4.0

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