Small Game
by Blair Braverman
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A gripping debut novel about a survival reality show gone wrong that leaves a group of strangers stranded in the northern wilds
Four strangers and six weeks: this is all that separates Mara from one life-changing payday. She was surprised when reality TV producers came knocking at Primal Instinct--the survival school where she teaches rich clients not to die during a night outdoors--and even more shocked to be cast in their new show, Civilization. Now she just has to live off the land with her fellow survivors for long enough to get the prize money.
Whisked by helicopter to an undisclosed location, Mara meets her teammates: The grizzled outdoorsman. The Eagle Scout. The white-collar professional. And Ashley, the beautiful but inexperienced one who just wants to be famous. Mara's unusual, rugged childhood has prepared her for the discomforts and hard work ahead. But trusting her fellow survivors? Not part of Mara's skill set.
When the cast wakes one morning to find something has gone horribly wrong, fear ripples through the group. Are the producers giving them an extra challenge? Or are they wrapped up in something more dangerous? Soon Mara and the others face terrifying decisions as "survival" becomes more than a game.
A provocative exploration of the comforts, rituals, and connections we depend upon, Small Game is a gripping page-turner and a poignant story about finding the courage to build a new life from the ground up.
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Book Details
- ISBN
- 9780063066182
- Binding
- Paperback
- Authors
- Blair Braverman
- Publisher
- Ecco Press
- Published Date
- October 3, 2023
- Language
- English
- Pages
- 288
- Physical Info
- 7.9 in L x 5.2 in W (0.45 lb)

I read this book as an audiobook and immediately got sucked into the survival reality show plot. I typically struggle to focus on audiobooks and my rating of this book is at least partially due to the fact that I kept getting drawn back in. I super loved the strong female main character and her survival skills. After I rated Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win harshly for having no ending, I should feel bad for rating this book much higher when some reviewers felt like this book doesn't have a ending either. But I don't. This book doesn't tie up every single question in a nice bow, but it does have an ending. You will know who survived and how. That was good enough for me. I would absolutely read something else by Blair Braverman.
For anyone who has watched Naked and Afraid or Alone, or anyone who has gone backpacking, camping, hunting, or enjoyed wilderness, this "what if" story is so well told, I'm so impressed.I read it in one sitting. The characters were complex and real, their situation made sense, and I can't believe I didn't know about this fantastic book before now.It's a great read! Enjoy!
Like many others I was heavily engaged in this book, the story, the characters....just all of it. And then it just ends. A whole book of questions left open-ended with a sloppy 2 paragraph "wrap up". It feels like the author spent all her time making sure the "survival" part of the story was well-researched and accurate (which it was) and left herself no time to really see the story through to the end before a publishing deadline came and she had to submit what she had. It's still worth reading because what is told is very entertaining. Just be ready for an unsatisfying ending.
At first I couldnt get into it but then I wanted to know what happened. I really wanted them to survive. None of us know what we can survive until we have to. No one rescues us from life.
This book was so good. It made you think and examine your own actions and thoughts that you would have in a similar situation. I wish the book was longer. That’s it. I’m staring at it wishing it never ended
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