With Friends Like These

A Novel

De: Alissa Lee

Narrado por: Joy Osmanski

“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.

Ambitious futures, peers who pushed each other toward their absolute best, and an education that would open doors for the rest of their lives. And though they started out as roommates, Sara, Bee, Dina, Allie, Wesley, and Claudine soon became family. They had their whole bright lives ahead of them—until their senior year, when a shocking tragedy changed everything.

Twenty years later, five of the roommates still indulge in a secret tradition they’ve kept alive since their campus days: the Circus, a harmless elimination-style “killing” game played across the private rooms and hidden alleys of New York City. The game is a nod to their younger selves and a tribute to the sixth roommate they lost too young. But this year, Sara wants out of the game—until she discovers there is a small fortune awaiting the winner of this final round.

As the Circus unfolds, Sara begins to suspect that the others aren’t playing by the rules, and as the danger turns real and the old friends start pointing fingers, she discovers that even those closest to her harbor secrets of their own…secrets that could kill.

Mystery, murder, but ultimately friendship

I went into this thinking it would be another dark academia book, but I was so wrong. This book is about how we pressure ourselves to be or feel a certain way, but always falling short in our own eyes. I love how there wasn’t any gore or torture to any of the characters, male or female. The ending is satisfying and all plot points are tied up perfectly. This is a unique book with a strong voice and I can’t wait to see more from this debut author.

Propulsive suspense with a beating heart.

With Friends Like These is the kind of book that reminds you why reading late into the night is worth the groggy morning after. Alissa Lee delivers a taut, elegantly constructed story that’s as emotionally savvy as it is relentlessly suspenseful. The friendships at the center feel real—messy, tender, competitive—and Lee mines those dynamics for both tension and heart. I especially loved how small choices ripple into big consequences; the plot clicks forward like a well-set row of dominoes, yet never loses sight of the human stakes.

Lee’s prose is crisp without ever feeling spare; she knows exactly when to go for the throat and when to let a quiet moment do the work. The twists are clever (several I truly didn’t see coming), but what elevates the novel is how those turns deepen, rather than cheapen, the characters. By the final chapters, I wasn’t just dying to know what happened—I cared about who it happened to.

Whether you’re in it for the secrets, the social commentary, or simply a masterclass in momentum, this is a must-read. Clear your weekend, silence your notifications, and enjoy the ride.