Caffeinated Reviewer

I was looking for a spooky supernatural listen when Play Nice by Rachel Harrison came across my desk. It delivered a haunted house story filled with supernatural elements and family secrets. Narrated by Alex Finke and Natasha Soudek, you’ll want to add this to your fall listening list.

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 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.

Clio Louise Barnes is a successful influencer ad stylist who lived in the city and grew up in a haunted house, something her father and sisters, Daphne and Leda, refuse to admit. They said it was all in their mother’s head. When Alex, their estranged mother, dies, Clio learns her mother kept the haunted house. She opts to renovate the place, find peace with her history, and share the progress on her social media. The tale that unfolds is a story of betrayal, evil and supernatural woo-woo. Buckle up!

Play Nice is mostly told from Clio’s point of view with flashbacks to the time Clio, her sisters and their mother lived there after a turbulent divorce. Harrison blends supernatural elements with family secrets and disbelief. She captured this family’s messy dynamics, exposing its cracks all while uncovering the truth about the house. Clio can be difficult, but her sisters, father and even stepmother treat her like she is broken. The twists and reveals left me slack-jawed.

The flashbacks gave us insight into Alex and her desperate attempts to protect her children while dealing with an angry ex who wants custody of the girls. I enjoyed getting her point of view and enhancing the supernatural elements.

While are some violent, spooky moments, I cannot say I was scared. If you enjoy the TV show Supernatural, it is more like the haunted houses they encounter. View Spoiler » The entity causes Clio to harm herself, and some other violence occurs « Hide Spoiler

Overall, this is the perfect spooky tale for fall with bumps in the night, a side romantic encounter and messy family drama. The ending gave closure, but didn’t quite close the door on another book.

Alex Finke and Natasha Soudek narrate and bring the characters, their personalities and emotions to life. They set the tone and enhanced my enjoyment of the supernatural scenes.

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About Rachel Harrison

Rachel Harrison is the national bestselling author of BLACK SHEEP, SUCH SHARP TEETH, CACKLE and THE RETURN, which was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel. Her short fiction has appeared in Guernica, Electric Literature's Recommended Reading, as an Audible Original, and in her debut story collection BAD DOLLS. She lives in western New York with her husband and their cat/overlord.

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About Alex Finke

Alex Finke is a singer, actor, and dancer based in New York City. Born and raised in Ohio, Alex has always had a love of performing and grew up taking dance lessons, singing in choirs, and producing dozens of shows for friends and relatives in her basement. Alex is a graduate of the University of Michigan with a BFA in Musical Theatre.

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About Natasha Soudek

Natasha Soudek is an Audie-nominated, multiple Earphones Award-winning actress and narrator who has been featured in more than 200 audiobooks and television commercials. Star Trek fans may recognize her as the first blond Vulcan in Trekkie history, Lt. Soudek, from the movie Star Trek Voyages: Phase 2.

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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

• 2025 Audiobook Challenge

About Kimberly

Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram