Book cover for It's Only a Game by Kelsea Yu

It's Only a Game

2024 Released
352 Pages
5-6 Hours
Audiobook Unavailable
Paperback Unavailable
Bloomsbury YAISBN 9781547613366

In this twisty, fast-paced YA thriller, a dangerous game becomes all too real when Marina and her friends are framed for murder.

When Marina Chan ran from her old life, she brought nothing with her-not even her real name. Now she lives in fear of her past being discovered. But when her online gaming team is offered a tour of their favorite game company, Marina can't resist accepting, even though she knows it might put her fake identity at risk.

Then the creator of the game is murdered during their tour. The killer plans to frame Marina and her friends for the murder unless they win four rounds of a dangerous game. A game that requires them to lie, trespass, and steal. A game that could destroy everything Marina's worked so hard to build…. A game that she might not survive.

This pulse-pounding YA thriller is perfect for fans of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder and Slay.

Kelsea Yu

Kelsea Yu is the Taiwanese Chinese American author of the 2022 Shirley Jackson Award-nominated novella, Bound Feet; the 2025 Children's Book Council Award-winning novel, It's Only a Game; and the novella, Demon Song. Dozens of her short stories and essays are published in magazines and podcasts such as Clarkesworld, Apex, Nightmare, PseudoPod, and Fantasy, and in award-winning horror anthologies such as Aseptic and Faintly Sadistic, Classic Monsters Unleashed, and Death in the Mouth. Kelsea lives with her husband, children, and a pile of art supplies in the Pacific Northwest. Find her on Instagram as @ANovelEscape or visit her website KelseaYu.com.

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