‘Deliciously twisty….A heady mix of dark academia, spiraling stakes, and tangled loyalties.’ —Ruth Ware, New York Times bestselling author
A group of Harvard alums have played a secret game for decades but as the stakes rise, deadly consequences emerge from old lies. An unputdownable debut thriller for readers of the suspenseful novels of Julia Bartz and Katy Hays.
Harvard promised them everything.
At eighteen years old, six young women had ambitious futures ahead: bright careers, love affairs, an education that would open doors for the rest of their lives. Sara’s college roommates were the family she never had: Bee the political hopeful, Dina the academic prodigy, Allie the family girl, Wesley the hard-partying heiress, and Claudine the Southern belle—the closest thing Sara had ever known to a sister. But their senior year, Claudine died, and everything changed.
Twenty years later, the five college roommates still indulge in a secret tradition they’ve kept alive since their campus days: the Circus, a harmless assassin-style game played across the private rooms and secret alleys of New York City. The game is the glue that keeps them close and a nod to the sixth roommate they lost too young, but this time around Sara keeps catching inexplicable glimpses of Claudine. She wants out of the Circus until she discovers a small fortune awaits the winner of this final round and agrees out of loyalty and desperation to play one last time. As the Circus unfolds, Sara suspects the others aren’t playing by the rules. When the game heats up and the roommates start pointing fingers, she discovers that even her closest friends have been keeping secrets that now threaten to destroy them all.
Genre: Mystery
A group of Harvard alums have played a secret game for decades but as the stakes rise, deadly consequences emerge from old lies. An unputdownable debut thriller for readers of the suspenseful novels of Julia Bartz and Katy Hays.
Harvard promised them everything.
At eighteen years old, six young women had ambitious futures ahead: bright careers, love affairs, an education that would open doors for the rest of their lives. Sara’s college roommates were the family she never had: Bee the political hopeful, Dina the academic prodigy, Allie the family girl, Wesley the hard-partying heiress, and Claudine the Southern belle—the closest thing Sara had ever known to a sister. But their senior year, Claudine died, and everything changed.
Twenty years later, the five college roommates still indulge in a secret tradition they’ve kept alive since their campus days: the Circus, a harmless assassin-style game played across the private rooms and secret alleys of New York City. The game is the glue that keeps them close and a nod to the sixth roommate they lost too young, but this time around Sara keeps catching inexplicable glimpses of Claudine. She wants out of the Circus until she discovers a small fortune awaits the winner of this final round and agrees out of loyalty and desperation to play one last time. As the Circus unfolds, Sara suspects the others aren’t playing by the rules. When the game heats up and the roommates start pointing fingers, she discovers that even her closest friends have been keeping secrets that now threaten to destroy them all.
Genre: Mystery
Praise for this book
"Readers of Dark Academia, take note: Alissa Lee is a bold new voice to watch. With captivating prose, she spins a tale of privilege, ambition, and buried secrets as former Harvard classmates find themselves caught in a dangerous game long after graduation. WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE left me breathless until the very last page." - Lauren Ling Brown
"An intricate, tightly plotted thriller that explores the complexities of female friendships stretching over decades - and the long-lasting impacts of a dangerous game. WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE will enthrall fans of Dark Academia, but at its heart are the relationships that shapeshift with tragedy, time, and distance. Alissa Lee expertly weaves themes of identity, ambition, and regret into her immersive, page-turning debut." - Laurie Elizabeth Flynn
"WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE hooked me with its stunning prose and kept me up late with its simmering tension. . . . Smart and satisfying, I flew through this debut and can't wait to read more from this breakout author!" - Carinn Jade
"In Alissa Lee's fast-paced debut novel, WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE, what's supposed to be a game among friends spirals into something sinister when the stakes are raised by a million-dollar prize pot. Fault lines in these friendships are revealed, buried secrets surface, and misplaced trust proves deadly in this slick thriller you'll read in one sitting." - Francesca Serritella
"A terrific debut, the kind of smart mystery that grows ever more suspenseful as we watch a group of longtime friends begin to confront a haunted past." - Jess Walter
"I loved this deliciously twisty tale of friendships unmoored and a game gone way too far for comfort. A heady mix of dark academia, spiraling stakes, and tangled loyalties." - Ruth Ware
"An intricate, tightly plotted thriller that explores the complexities of female friendships stretching over decades - and the long-lasting impacts of a dangerous game. WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE will enthrall fans of Dark Academia, but at its heart are the relationships that shapeshift with tragedy, time, and distance. Alissa Lee expertly weaves themes of identity, ambition, and regret into her immersive, page-turning debut." - Laurie Elizabeth Flynn
"WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE hooked me with its stunning prose and kept me up late with its simmering tension. . . . Smart and satisfying, I flew through this debut and can't wait to read more from this breakout author!" - Carinn Jade
"In Alissa Lee's fast-paced debut novel, WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE, what's supposed to be a game among friends spirals into something sinister when the stakes are raised by a million-dollar prize pot. Fault lines in these friendships are revealed, buried secrets surface, and misplaced trust proves deadly in this slick thriller you'll read in one sitting." - Francesca Serritella
"A terrific debut, the kind of smart mystery that grows ever more suspenseful as we watch a group of longtime friends begin to confront a haunted past." - Jess Walter
"I loved this deliciously twisty tale of friendships unmoored and a game gone way too far for comfort. A heady mix of dark academia, spiraling stakes, and tangled loyalties." - Ruth Ware
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