Play Nice by Rachel Harrison

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Play Nice by Rachel Harrison — A Page-Turner with a Frustrating Bite (3.5⭐)

⚠️ Trigger Warnings

  • Mental illness

  • Child abuse / physical abuse

  • Self-harm

  • Animal death

  • Substance abuse

  • Gaslighting

  • Violence & disturbing imagery

  • Sexual content

  • Death & grief

👀 Quick Take

This one had me FLYING through the pages—like cancel-your-plans, ignore-your-family, “just one more chapter” energy 😅📖

But… that ending? Yeah. We need to talk.

🚨 Spoiler Warning

This review contains FULL spoilers, including the ending. Proceed at your own risk!

🧠 What This Book Is About (Spoiler-Filled Summary)

Play Nice follows Clio Barnes, an influencer who returns home after the death of her estranged mother, Alexandra—who spent years insisting their house on Edgewood Drive was haunted by a demon.

Naturally, Clio decides:
👉 Let’s renovate the demon house for content.
Because nothing bad has ever followed that decision in horror history 🙃

🏚️ The House & The Book

Clio finds her mother’s self-published book:
“Demon of Edgewood Drive”

As she reads:

  • Alexandra claims the house is inhabited by a malicious entity

  • The demon moves things, writes messages, and manipulates reality

  • Her husband James dismissed her as mentally ill

Clio starts noticing:

  • Writing appearing that she doesn’t remember doing

  • Voices whispering

  • Objects moving

  • A very creepy fixation on her specifically

🧩 Family Drama = Total Chaos

This is where the book REALLY shines.

The Barnes family is a mess:

  • James (dad): controlling, manipulative, possibly abusive

  • Alexandra (mom): unreliable narrator… or victim?

  • Leda & Daphne (sisters): hiding truths, resentful, fractured

And Clio is stuck trying to figure out:

👉 Was her mother crazy… or right?
👉 Was her father protective… or abusive?

🔥 The Truth About the Past

Here’s where things get dark:

  • Clio’s childhood burn?
    👉 Not caused by her mom… she did it herself 😳

  • Her sisters lied to protect their father

  • James:

    • Gaslit Alexandra

    • Tried to have Clio committed

    • Had a history of manipulation and control

So yes—the real horror here is also very human.

👹 The Demon (aka… the Problem)

The demon:

  • Feeds on trauma, conflict, and instability

  • Targets Clio and Alexandra because they’re more emotionally vulnerable

  • Writes in Alexandra’s book (!!)

  • Wants attention, chaos, and emotional energy

At one point, Clio realizes:

👉 The demon thrives when they fight.
👉 It’s basically emotionally parasitic.

🧨 The Climax

Everything explodes (literally and emotionally):

  • Clio spirals—drinking, isolating, unraveling

  • The sisters confront each other

  • Truths come out

  • A psychic investigator (Roy) is found HALF-DEAD in the attic 😬

The demon attempts to drag Clio into the walls (!!!)

🐍 How It Ends

Clio survives by doing exactly what the title suggests:

👉 She tells the demon to “play nice”
👉 Offers it her snake charm necklace

…and that’s enough to stop it.

Yep. That’s the resolution.

⏭️ One Year Later

  • Clio is thriving (new business, relationship, independence)

  • She distances herself from her father

  • The house is being sold (good luck to the next owner 😅)

And the demon?

Still there. Just… chilling.

🤔 My Thoughts

💯 What Worked:

  • Addictive pacing — I could NOT put this down

  • Messy family dynamics — absolutely my thing

  • The constant tension of:
    👉 Is this supernatural or psychological?

  • Alexandra’s character = fascinating and tragic

  • The ambiguity around truth and memory 👏

😬 What Didn’t Work:

Let’s be honest…

The ending felt like:

“We built ALL this tension… and then just… wrapped it up real quick.”

  • ❌ No clear explanation of why the demon is there

  • ❌ The reason it liked Clio = basically… she paid attention to it??

  • ❌ The resolution felt too easy compared to the buildup

After all that chaos, I wanted a payoff that hit harder.

⭐ Final Rating: 3.5 Stars

If the ending had landed better?

👉 EASY 5-star read.

But as it stands:

  • Incredible buildup

  • Super compelling characters

  • Slightly underwhelming resolution

Still absolutely worth reading—just go in knowing the ending might not fully satisfy.

📚 If You Liked This, Try:

If you love:
✔️ Dysfunctional families
✔️ Psychological horror with ambiguity
✔️ “Is it real or not?” tension

…this one will definitely scratch that itch 😏

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