Play Nice by Rachel Harrison Published by Berkley on September 9 2025
Genres: Adult, Horror
Pages: 336
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Secrets and lies come to light as a family grapples with the death of their matriarch and her demon infested house.
“Our family scapegoat is gone. Whose fault will everything be now?”
I always know what I’m getting with a new Rachel Harrison book, and Play Nice is right in her wheelhouse. Harrison is so good at tackling messy, believable relationships in her stories, and in her latest she focuses on a family who have been through a lot. Central to the story of the Barnes family is an old 1970s split level house that might be home to a demon. I say “might” because we see the story from different viewpoints, and it’s very hard to figure out who is telling the truth. I’m calling this “horror light,” since the horror elements are pretty sparse, but there’s a very creepy vibe running through that should appease fans of the genre.
Clio Barnes is a stylist and social media influencer, and when the story opens, she’s just received a phone call from one of her sisters that their mother Alex has died. The three girls—Clio, Leda an Daphne—were estranged from their mother and lived with their father after a dramatic divorce years ago, so Alex’s death isn’t sad so much as puzzling: she was found dead in their childhood house on Edgewood Drive, the scene of their mother’s breakdown. Alex had claimed that the house was occupied by a demon, and she later wrote a memoir about their experiences call The Demon of Edgewood Drive. Clio and her sisters thought the house had been sold, and the fact that it’s still in the family is a bit weird. Even more disturbing, Alex left the house to her daughters, and now they’re stuck with trying to sell it.
Clio, though, sees the house as an opportunity. She agrees to take over the sale of the house, but first she’ll fix it up, documenting everything on Instagram for posterity. But something is still lurking in the corners, trying to engage Clio. She swears she hears voices, and someone—or something—is drawing smiley faces on her freshly painted walls. When Clio finds a copy of her mother’s memoir in the bedroom, a book the three sisters agreed never to read, she realizes that her childhood memories don’t line up with her mother’s narrative. As Clio, her sisters, their extended family begin to implode, Clio wonders if she’ll ever be free of the house—and the demon who lives there.
Readers who like their demons on the vague side will love this book. There are plenty of unsettling moments in the house, and there is one scary scene in particular that reminded me a lot of The Exorcist, but most of the scares are more psychological than real. It seems as if Clio is having demonic encounters in the house, but no one in her family believes anything she says, leaving the reader wondering whether Clio–an unreliable narrator—is simply imagining things. I saw the demon as a metaphor for the unravelling of the Barnes family, and in that respect it worked brilliantly.
Then there’s the memoir, a sensationalized account from another unreliable narrator (both Alex and Clio drink quite a bit), which is included in excerpts scattered throughout the main story. Alex’s narrative paints a horrifying picture: a demon resides in the house she just bought for her and the girls, and it’s targeting her youngest daughter “Cici” (presumably their names were changed for the book). With no other options, Alex enlists the help of a priest, who agrees to an exorcism. I loved these sections, which show a different side to the story and cast even more doubt on the truth.
And while I loved the eerie, slow build horror surrounding the demon, the relationships among all the family members and other side characters are the real appeal of Play Nice. Emotions run high throughout the story, and I loved the way the author was able to manipulate and change my opinions of everyone. For example, in the beginning, the dad is painted as the good guy, the father who rescued his daughters from their crazy mother and gave them a stable home life. But later the story changes, as Alex’s memoir suggests a much different picture of her ex. Then there’s Alex, who is vilified by everyone in the family, until Clio uncovers some long buried truths and catches her sisters in a big lie. Was Alex really crazy? Or is there more to the story? It’s all about perception, and Harrison does a great job of showing her readers every possible perspective.
Black Sheep is still my favorite Rachel Harrison book, but Play Nice comes very close. I loved the edgy, uncomfortable relationships and the author’s unique take on demons, and I have no doubt this will be a runaway hit.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
One of these days I really need to read a Rachel Harrison book. The smiley faces appearing on freshly painted walls is already so creepy to me. I’d be out of there! Also love the names of the three sisters. Clio, Leda and Daphne are all Greek mythological names. Of course I had to point that out. lol
There were a lot of creepy elements in this book! And now that you mentioned the Greek names, I see it. Duh, lol.
I really liked Cackle, so I want to read more of Rachel Harrison’s stuff! I’ll have to keep an eye out for this.
This one’s darker than Cackle, but so good:-)
I haven’t read anything by the author but reading your reviews of her books is always a ton of fun, and I have to say that I am becoming more curious at every turn so, sooner or later, I will try at least one of them.
That said, I am glad you had so much fun with this one!!
It was a lot of fun! Her books always work for me:-)
Umm…this sounds more like psychological horror (-lite), or at least one of those books where you have to decide for yourself if the supernatural angle is real or not. I’m more of a straight-up-supernatural-plot gal…but after reading your review and Barb’s, I’m tempted!
I usually am the same, give me my supernatural with no questions! But I do love the psychological spin too.
Excellent review! I loved the book, and you capture so many of the reasons why. I loved how the perspectives on the truth changed, especially in how we’re initially set up to see the dad and Alex, and how that shifts throughout the book.
She’s so good at those subtle shifts in perspective, it was so well done:-)
I’m glad you loved this one too and great review. Yep, my opinion on dear old dad did really change as the book progressed. The sister dynamic was really interesting, and I really liked how prominent the one sister’s husband was as well. Can’t wait to see what Harrison writes about next!
Thanks Barb. I’m ready for her next book too!
Ooh, this has made me even more interested in this one! I will definitely have to bump it up on my TBR. Glad you enjoyed it!
It was so good, I hope you get the chance to read it!
This sounds very intriguing, I love an unreliable narrator and think its fascinating when you get to see different spins on similiar events and are left questioning exactly which ones true. Plus I love that you get bits of the memoir, books within books are always a major draw for me. Wonderful review (and you’ll be happy to hear that I’m still planning to read Black Sheep fairly soon).
I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on Black Sheep! Stay away from spoilers before you read it if you can:-)
OOh I love when an author is able to manipulate my opinion of the characters! That means she has me in for a ride!
She did it really well!
I love psychological horror but it’s also nice to get a bit of something more real every so often, and The Exorcist is a good example of that, both in movie and book forms. Very glad this one worked so well.
She’s such a solid writer, I don’t think I’ve been disappointed yet:-)
This sounds like a fascinating book! I don’t usually like unreliable narrators, but this sounds like it could be a book I would enjoy anyway. Thanks for the review!
The unreliable narrator worked really well in this one:-)
This is another author I need to try! Love the cover. Although I’m not always a fan of the vague demon aspect like you say this has. Great review!
I’ve enjoyed all of her books!
Yeah, Black Sheep is going to be hard to beat, that was a solid five stars for me! This one was good too though, I enjoyed it even if wasn’t my absolute favorite by her.
This sounds interesting, but not sure how I feel about the unreliable narrator part! I feel like the synopses for some of her previous works are more interesting to me, like Such Sharp Teeth. If I ever get around to reading some Harrison, I might start with that. Nice review, though, and glad you had a good time with this one!