This Gorgeous Game by Donna Freitas

Olivia Peters couldn’t be more excited when she wins a writing competition and gets to meet Father Mark D. Brendan, a priest and Olivia’s literary idol. When Father Mark takes it upon himself to be Olivia’s personal mentor, and it seems like a dream come true. And at first, it is. But gradually, Father Mark’s attention starts to become too much. Olivia runs into him everywhere and is inundated with his constant phone calls, emails, and text messages. Olivia knows she should be thankful someone so wonderful is helping her live up to her potential, but this is entirely something else. Olivia no longer wants a part in this game, but will Father Mark let her escape so easily?

This Gorgeous Game is a chilling account of a priest’s obsession with a seventeen-year-old girl. Freitas does a scarily good job of portraying emotions on both sides of the conflict, the stalker and the victim. Despite how realistic she is, I found it difficult to relate to protagonist Olivia. Her innocence and lack of confidence was frankly annoying and led to confusion and shame over being stalked by a priest. I found it upsetting that she was so slow to really that it wasn’t her fault, but when she finally did, though, thanks to help from her family, friends, and a local nun, I found it terribly sad but still satisfying. This Gorgeous Game is not the sort of book that one enjoys reading because of the creepy nature of the topic; however, I do recommend it for Freitas’s characters. Readers will continue to root for Olivia, in spite of her weakness, to grow, understand her situation, and rise above it.

This Gorgeous Game should be read by serious readers who liked Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott, Break by Hannah Moskowitz, and Split by Swati Avasthi.

Rating: 4.25

Review copy from publisher Macmillan