TITLE: Play Nice
AUTHOR: Rachel Harrison
PUBLISHER: Berkley
PUBLISHING DATE: September 9, 2025
PAGES: 336
SOURCE: ARC
FROM GOODREADS: Clio Louise Barnes leads a picture-perfect life as a stylist and influencer, but beneath the glossy veneer she harbors a not-so glamorous secret: she grew up in a haunted house. Well, not haunted. Possessed. After Clio’s parent’s messy divorce, her mother, Alex, moved Clio and her sisters into a house occupied by a demon. Or so Alex claimed. That’s not what Clio’s sisters remember or what the courts determined when they stripped Alex of custody after she went off the deep end. But Alex was insistent; she even wrote a book about her experience in the house.
After Alex’s sudden death, the supposedly possessed house passes to Clio and her sisters. Where her sisters see childhood trauma, Clio sees an opportunity for house flipping content. Only, as the home makeover process begins, Clio discovers there might be some truth to her mother’s claims. As memories resurface and Clio finally reads her mother’s book, the presence in the house becomes more real, and more sinister, revealing ugly truths that threaten to shake Clio’s beautiful life to its very foundation.
The book opens with the reader meeting Clio, one-third of the Barnes' sisters. Clio is a stylist and influencer who had a rocky childhood living with her mother until her father gained full custody and definitely started spoiling her and treating her like the baby of the family. Clio's mother Alex, who dies pretty early on in the book, moved into a house following her divorce which she claims is possessed by a demon. She tried for years to get rid of the demon but really only ended up getting rid of anyone who cared about her because everyone thought her crazy and insane. She even wrote a book about the experience which the sisters have promised each other to never read.
When Alex dies, the sister inherit the house, and Clio sees this as a great way to learn more about her money and flip the home into something fabulous to chronicle on her Instagram. However, soon after moving in, strange things start happening and Clio's mental health, starts spiraling. Just how many demons is the Barnes family hiding?
I really enjoyed this book and found it easy to get into. I love Harrison's writing and while I can't explain her, her writing style definitely has a unique vibe. I really didn't care much for Clio, or any of the family for that matters, but I was invested in learning what made them the way they are. Harrison not only tackles the supernatural in this book, and trust me, her demon loves to play games, but she also tackles family trauma and sisterhood dynamics.
If you are looking for a spooky read with a side of dysfunctional family, this might be the book for you. I felt the ending came on a tad bit rushed which is my only issue with the book. Oh, and Clio's father - he is definitely a piece of work wrapped in a pretty, albeit fake, package.
MY RATING: 4 PAWS
Awesome review! I might read this next, I've been excited about it for so long. And I'm ready for a good dysfunctional family story!
ReplyDeleteI hope you do read it soon so I can hear your thoughts. It is a really quick read as I finished it in 2 days.
Delete"If you are looking for a spooky read with a side of dysfunctional family, this might be the book for you."
ReplyDeleteThat, and the title you choose for your review...I'm tempted LOL. I'm also intrigued by the fact that the supernatural is real, not the result of mental illness.
Yea, I was kind of afraid that the supernatural element would be all related to mental illness itself but nope, there's a demon!
DeleteI've still only read one of her books, but my TBR list is full of her other ones. I need to make her a priority this year or next and read the rest.
ReplyDelete