Audiobook Review: Play Nice by Rachel Harrison

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

Play Nice by Rachel Harrison

Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Genre: Horror

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Berkley (September 9, 2025)

Length: 336 pages

Author Information: Website

Rachel Harrison writes what I like to call “chick lit horror,” which has earned a special place in my heart. Think stories that are sharp and biting, but also never shies away from exploring the darker corners of womanhood in the context of themes like family, romantic relationships, and female friendships. Play Nice is no exception.

The story follows Clio, a young woman living out the Zoomer dream of being a hot, stylish influencer in New York. But when news breaks of her estranged mother Alexandra’s sudden death, a wrench is thrown into her perfect life. Suddenly, Clio finds herself back in the suburbs with her family, each of them processing the loss in their own way. Her older sisters, Daphne and Leda, almost seem relieved. Alexandra had always been disturbed, they insist, and that Clio may have been too young to fully remember the time after the divorce when their mother moved the three girls into a house she later claimed was possessed by a demon. Alexandra’s unhinged obsession with the supposed haunting even led her to write a book about it, which only deepened the rift with her daughters and led to them not wanting anything to do with her.

But Clio isn’t satisfied with that. Sure, she might not remember the worst of it, but she is appalled by her sisters’ attitudes. No matter what, Alexandra was still their mother, and against her family’s wishes, Clio decides to attend the funeral. There, she learns something shocking: the infamous house she always just assumed had been sold had in fact been kept by Alexandra—and now, it belongs to her children. With Leda and Daphne uninterested, Clio sees an opportunity to flip it for profit and also to prove to her family that she is capable of being independent and responsible. Naturally though, things don’t go to plan. Soon after Clio moves in, she discovers a copy of her mother’s memoir, which had served as the basis of the book she published about her time in the “demon house.” Strangely, the pages are filled with notes that appear to be directed specifically at Clio. As disturbing incidents begin piling up, many of which mirror the experiences described in Alexandra’s writings, one has to wonder if it’s all coincidence or if Clio might be succumbing to the same delusions that cost her mother everything.

On the surface, Play Nice appears to be just another spin on the good old haunted house trope, but Harrison makes it her own by including messy family ties and painful buried memories. It’s as much a sister drama as it is a horror story. Leda, the oldest, is the responsible one always ready with a rebuke; Daphne is the middle child, the mediator; and our protagonist Clio is the baby of the family—trying to forge her own path in her own chaotic way, but never quite manages to shake her family’s veiled doubts and disapproval. Anyone with a sibling will probably see something familiar in this dynamic. There’s certainly conflict and bickering, but lots of love and loyalty too.

Clio herself is an interesting character study because in a way she’s caught between identities as a young adult who still has plenty of growing up to do. While she fancies herself a capable and mature woman, there are a lot of examples in the story that point to the contrary. But on that note, her flaws also make her feel relatable, and considering she is a social media influencer, I liked how the book highlights that what you see online might not always be as picture-perfect as it seems. Clio unfiltered is impulsive, stubborn, and a lot of times self-absorbed, but it doesn’t really feel like it is coming from a bad place, as it’s more likely that she’s just naïve and inexperienced.

Quite honestly, this makes the horror that comes all the more disturbing. Because when strange things start happening in the house, it’s hard to tell whether Clio is truly in danger or if her immaturity is coloring her perceptions and making her unreliable. That her spiraling so closely resembles what happened to her mother also makes you question what might be real and what might just be in her head. It’s this constant uncertainty that keeps the tension high.

Overall, Play Nice is a clever and emotionally charged novel that once again shows off Rachel Harrison’s knack for writing fun female-led horror. It might not work for every reader, since I can see Clio’s personality being a polarizing actor, but for me it was a hit. That said, it wasn’t my favorite of the author’s books, but having read all her novels to date, there’s a lot to compare, and a few of the plot points here felt slightly less impactful and satisfying. Still, I enjoyed myself immensely, especially the audiobook and the narration by Alex Finke and Natasha Soudek, taking on the roles of Clio and Alexandra, whose perspective we get through her memoir. If you like haunted houses with a side of family dysfunction, definitely give it a look.