The Gameshow by Alexander Raphael introduces us to 6 disgraced celebrities who have been given the chance to try and redeem themselves in public by taking part in a new controversial reality game show. As well as a chance to win a large cash prize, it’s an opportunity to recover their reputation. However will the prize be worth the consequences?

The Gameshow was a really fun short read that I enjoyed. It’s quite a familiar concept, think a tamer version of Squid Games, or a more intense Big Brother, with a touch of Boot Camp roulette, but I think it was partially this familiarity that made it such a good read.

I enjoyed the mix of characters in the story. The 6 ‘celebrities’ are all distinct characters with flaws and issues, who all start off pretty unlikeable (and don’t particularly change!) The book flits between the actual challenges and the six in the house. The interactions between them bring out the back stories of the characters and what led to the downfall. This gives us a different perspective of the celebs as their veneers drop and we start to see their real personalities.

It was a well written tale with nice short chapters. I enjoyed the mix of slower chapters with the ones in the house and then the more frantic pace of the chapters in the gameshow with the flamboyant host who flits from faux sympathy with the celebrities to whipping up a frenzied crowd. The added characters who are behind the scenes creating the programme gives an added dimension with an almost fly on the wall approach to the film making.

This was Alexander’s debut novel, although he has published some short story collections before. That experience I think shows in this novel, with his ability to end each chapter in a way that makes it a difficult to put down read! A very enjoyable story and a huge thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources for my copy.