Play Nice by Rachel Harrison | Audiobook Review

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A woman must confront the demons of her past when she attempts to fix up her childhood home in this devilishly clever take on the haunted house novel from the USA Today bestselling author of Black Sheep and So Thirsty.

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 parents' 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 her 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, a sinister presence in the house manifests, revealing ugly truths that threaten to shake Clio’s beautiful life to its very foundation.

Why Did I Listen To Play Nice by Rachel Harrison?

Rachel Harrison is doing interesting things in the horror genre – but without being over the top gory – so, I genuinely like to pick her books up. I found Cackle and Black Sheep to be quite good and was really looking forward to Play Nice. I find books in the haunted house category to be captivating and also to give me a little bit of a chill and a thrill. As you may know, I’ve become a bit of a chicken in my old age, so when I read horror, I do not want gore, I just want scary without the gross details. Harrison fits the bill. And well, I like how her books read via audio.

What’s The Story Here?

Play Nice features Clio who is an influencer and a stylist. Her life is aesthetic goals. Looking at her feed, you would have no idea that she grew up in a haunted house. Clio thought she moved past that part of her life. That is, until her mother passes. Now, Clio has come home along with her two older sisters. When Clio was a girl, her mother had claimed the house was haunted and had a bit of a reaction. That reaction caused her to lose custody and for Clio and her sisters to go live with their father. No one believed her mother, Alex. Now that Alex has passed, Clio takes it upon herself to fix the house up and document the journey on social media. There, she finds an annotated edition of the book that Alex wrote about the haunting and some puzzle pieces start to click into place. Maybe her mother wasn’t wrong. 

How Did I Like Play Nice?

I am such a sucker for books with sisters – particularly in groups of three as I am also one of three daughters. While Clio has a different place in the birth order than I do, I did find her story compelling. She spends much of her adult life thinking one thing about her childhood, only to have that turned on its head. I cannot relate one bit. However, as said, I thought it was interesting to explore her story. Then we add in the haunted house aspect — and this was chilling. Plus, there’s a look at gaslighting too. This isn’t my favorite Rachel Harrison – that is still Cackle – but among the haunted house books – this is wicked good. This is perfect for when you want a book that will get you in the mindset for spooky season all year round.

How’s The Narration?

I found this aligned with my expectations for the audiobook experience. There are two narrators for Play Nice – Alex Finke and Natasha Soudek. I could not tell you which narrator does which part. However, their voices sounded different enough that I did not get them confused. I did listen to this slightly sped up with no issues. If you’re looking to get through your TBR faster and you happen to want to read Play Nice I absolutely recommend you give the audiobook a shot. 

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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