Book Description 

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.

My Review 

This book appeared on some book content reel a couple of months ago, so I borrowed the audiobook from my local library network via the Libby app. 

The premise had me hooked from the start: a survival reality show goes awry and the contestants find themselves putting their skills to the test. 

Now, a typical reality show is going to have ~15 contestants with one person being eliminated each week to stretch the show out for an entire season. The show in this book doesn’t have eliminations; contestants can leave whenever they want. Therefore, there is a much smaller “cast”, which helps flesh out each character and the eventual bid for survival more serious than it would have been with a stacked roster of people to do the tasks needed for survival. 

But, I digress. 

Mara knows that she can win because she grew up with prepper parents, so she is entirely at home out in the woods. Collaborating with others is a bit of an adjustment for her because she’s so used to doing things herself. 

There’s a romance that feels a bit forced, but I wouldn’t say that the romance takes precedence over the survival stuff. 

I would recommend Small Game if you’re looking for something a little bit different. I enjoyed my listening experience and parts of the narrative were truly haunting.