If you love gaming, found family, and thrillers It’s Only a Game is for you. As someone who has played my share of online games, It’s Only a Game was a fun ride. Full of plenty of secrets, this book had me on my toes! Keep reading this book review of It’s Only a Game for my full thoughts.
Summary
When Marina Chan ran from her old life, she brought nothing with her-not even her real name. Now she lives in fear of her past being discovered. But when her online gaming team is offered a tour of their favorite game company, Marina can’t resist accepting, even though she knows it might put her fake identity at risk.
Then the creator of the game is murdered during their tour. Whoever killed him plans to frame Marina and her friends for the murder unless they win four rounds of a dangerous game. A game that requires them to lie, trespass, and steal. A game that could destroy everything Marina’s worked so hard to build…. A game that she might not survive.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
TW: domestic abuse
In It’s Only a Game games are made read. The banter takes on an edge with dangerous stakes. And throughout It’s Only a Game Marina is constantly looking over her shoulder. Running from her past, with frequent flashbacks we witness just how her past could be coming back to haunt her. At first, the frequent flashbacks took me out of the reading experience, but I soon could see the arching and mirroring of the flashbacks with the plot. They are like breadcrumbs, echoes and fleeting glimpses.
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It’s Only a Game was one of those books where once it began, when the ball started rolling, I couldn’t look away. There’s plenty of secrets, not only for Marina’s friends, but also her own past. With extremely real consequences, It’s Only a Game is all about the suspense. It’s like experiencing a trap slowly tightening as we struggle to put the pieces together with Marina. At the same time, it’s a story about trust and found family. About how hard it is to be trusted when we won’t trust in return. The found family who choose us when they don’t have to.
It’s Only a Game explores choices and sacrifices. What we would do for the ones we love? Who we would sacrifice. Find It’s Only a Game on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.