"This Gorgeous Game" was a creepy, sinister read that had me gripped from the first page. Although not a pleasant story, it was extremely topical and by the end my nerves were nearly as frayed as Olivia's.

Watching talented, pretty, seventeen-year-old Olivia's life gradually unravel, thanks to the subtle scheming of a man she trusted and admired, was truly horrifying. Father Mark's slow but steady, deliberate and insidious psychological manipulation of her was relentless. Thank goodness Olivia had people who loved and supported her, and who noticed the changes that were taking place thanks to Father Mark's persistence and Olivia's growing sense of hopelessness.

The characters were all well-developed and their reactions throughout the book rang true, especially Olivia's who was flattered at first by Father Mark's attention then started to feel concern as his gift, emails, phone calls and visits escalated. Her voice was utterly believable. I also liked Sister June, Olivia's principal, and her two friends, Jada and Ash.

Father Mark was a frightening character. Seen as a charming, popular pillar of society by the community, he was cold and calculating, and truly sinister. What I would have liked was some backstory into Father Mark's life. Was Olivia his first victim? Where had he been posted before Sacred Heart? Why did he find Olivia so desirable? etc.

However, I don't think the author was pointing the finger at priests in particular. Father Mark could just as easily have been a teacher, coach, relative, etc. and I liked that despite her trauma, Olivia didn't lose her faith. Overall,"This Gorgeous Game" was a compelling novel that draws the reader into Father Mark's web as quickly as it did Olivia. ( )

This is a very emotional story, and I really felt for Olivia. I really appreciate what the author was trying to do, but I think that it could have been executed better. I feel like it was dragging some and Olivia's thoughts were become repetitive in the middle.
This Gorgeous Game has a very compelling premise, it makes you want to know how something like this can escalate, and how you can find yourself in this situation. The answer little by little, and looking over things that you should not have. Olivia got herself in deep by inching forward and didn't realize when the bottom dropped out on her. She was afraid to get help for obvious reasons, but luckily she finally did.
The supporting cast is good, I liked Jamie and her friends, but I think they could have been a bit more developed.
I feel like I am nit picking though. This really was a great story, and I would recommend it if you like dark and edgy. ( )

I cannot begin to describe the powerful emotion that this book holds. Between that and the beautiful, almost poetic way that Freitas writes, This Gorgeous Game left me completely stunned.

Father Mark Brendan, Olivia’s favorite author and literary hero whom had picked her as the winning entry for a high school fiction contest, is one of the most scariest villains I’ve ever read; partly because he’s not really a villain. He’s terrifying because he’s real. His actions and emotions are real, and while it’s clear that his focus is not to harm Olivia, we’re sent on an intense thrill-ride as she unravels a slightly darker side to a man who has always been so bright.

The book has quite a few references to religion, but it didn’t make me squirm like it usually does. Religion plays an important part in this story; how a man of faith, put up on such a high pedestal of morals, is capable of stirring up such fear makes him all the more scary.

While I think the ending was a bit dull for the dramatic build of the rest of the novel, I absolutely loved This Gorgeous Game. Olivia’s story conveys that monsters and murderers and nightmares aren’t the only things capable of getting under your skin; sometimes that kind of fear can be closer than you think. I definitely recommend this to everyone interested in an intense read! ( )

This was a great book and one that I kept thinking of after I was finished with it. Stalking is a serious situation that a lot of people don't think about. Donna Freitas story, The Gorgeous Game gives us a look into the world of a person being stalked, it is quit a chilling story.
I really enjoyed the character of Olivia. She is a very smart, beautiful girl who enters her story into a writing competition and wins. She is over joyed when she learns that she won and that is going to be working with a talented writer, Father Mark.
When the story takes off you can tell that there is going to be something big that will happen later in the book, and it leaves you waiting for the big moment. I have to say that if I was Olivia and was getting texts, e-mails and phone calls all the time from a much older man I would be very scared, and she was in the book. But she didn't want to talk to anyone about it, for the reason that she didn't think anyone would believe her since Father Mark was so liked.
This was just an all around great book. And it shows that when you think you are alone in the world, there is always loved ones there to catch you if you fall. ( )

Olivia Peters’ dream comes true when she wins a prestigious high school writing contest and gets the attention of Father Mark Brennan, an esteemed priest, professor, and writer. As a reward for her contest win, Father Mark takes Olivia under his wing and introduces her to the fascinating world of writers and the writing lifestyle.

For a while, Olivia is sailing. She has an attentive mentor, a new crush, and good relationships with her family, friends, and teachers. But then she begins to feel that something might be wrong. Hardly a minute goes by without Father Mark contacting her in some way, pressuring her to meet up with him, go over their writing together, have a drink. And the more Olivia tries to avoid it, the bigger and the more terrifying the problem gets.

THIS GORGEOUS GAME is one of those books that, try as hard as you can, you won’t be able to get off your mind after reading. It’s chilling and astonishingly well-written, and if you’re looking for a book that will disturb and move you, this should be the one.

Stalking is extremely difficult to discuss, because it’s personal, upsetting, and so subtle you don’t realize something’s wrong until it’s already happened. That’s why what Donna Freitas has accomplished in THIS GORGEOUS GAME is so impressive and respectable. In writing alternatingly lyrical and down-to-earth, Freitas captures the simultaneous realism and surrealism of Olivia’s situation. Passages of unearthly beauty entwine with creepy situations for the mood that this story needs to be effectively convincing.

Olivia narrates her story with all the subtlety that this topic demands. Most of us will know what’s happening, can see the signs, but we can also see why Olivia could not have noticed the signs like the way we with our foresight can. Olivia’s story perfectly captures the terror of stalking, because it’s precisely its near-invisibility that makes it so disturbingly powerful.

THIS GORGEOUS GAME is as far from a light read as you can get. I still get goosebumps every time I think about or try to talk about this book, which hopefully shows the power that Olivia’s story had over me, the effect of Donna Freitas’ words. If physical horror isn’t your thing and you want to read something that will affect you profoundly, THIS GORGEOUS GAME is the ultimate choice. See if you get chills from reading it as I did. ( )