I LOVED THIS BOOK. This was one of those books that makes me feel like I should just give up writing because I'm never going to write anything like this. (I won't; I'll just continue to hold myself to this impossible standard.) Scenes from the present, where the protagonist Claire is a successful academic, are intercut with scenes from the past, when she was enrolled in a cut-throat program along with her best friend, with whom she has an unhealthily competitive relationship. The tension builds across both storylines, as the reader begins to wonder just how ruthless Claire might be. It's smart, it's sexy, it's utterly engrossing, and I couldn't recommend it more.

Bad Habits was expertly paced and kept me unable to put it down. The shady academic world also made for an interesting setting. We're looking forward to sharing Amy's writing process with our readers.

Set in the mind-numbing world of a philosophy graduate program, Bad Habits reveals the dark underside of academia and the excessive ambition it takes to get to the top.

Mackenzie Claire Woods, aka Mac, Claire or BQ (Beauty Queen) is the lead unlikeable character in this novel starring many. Her happy childhood as a pageant star ends abruptly when her father abandons the family leaving her alcoholic, drug addled mother to cope, however poorly, with Mac and her autistic sister Lily. The one light in Mac’s life is her friend Gwen, who pulls Mac into her own family and is her best friend until college. They reunite as students in The Program, a group of unintelligible courses leading to a desirable degree and a chance to win the Joyner, a well paying, prestigious scholarship. And Bethany Ladd’s students almost always win the Joyner. No surprise, then, that Mac and Gwen attach themselves to Bethany and to her husband Pyotr Semyonovich. But Mac and Gwen have taken on a team far more experienced than either of them and have entered a world that is far more dangerous than they can imagine.

If there is a flaw in this imaginative, beautifully written literary thriller, it is that neither the characters nor their situations are likeable. And the jarring conclusion has a surprise that I did not find believable. It’s a solid 4 star read but I’m rounding up to 5 because Amy Gentry writes sentences like this: “Philanthropy is the teacup Chihuahua in capitalism’s designer handbag.”

Thank you to NetGalley, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Amy Gentry for this ARC.

This book wasn't what I was expecting when I saw that the genre was mystery/thriller, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Best friends Gwen and Mac come from very different backgrounds. Gwen comes from a rich family and Mac comes from a troubled family. They both get accepted into an elite academic program and get mixed up in the lives of two professors. The competitive program coupled with the faculty drama changes their friendship forever. Now ten years later, Gwen and Mac (now Claire) run into each other at a conference and secrets unfold. What happened during the program? How far did Mac go to get what she wanted? Read this twisty drama to find out what went down! Thank you, NetGalley!

I read a LOT of twisty thrillers, and this one had plenty of twists. It's a solid 4 stars for me, as (no spoilers) I found a few twisty bits to be a bit too far-fetched. Still, an enjoyable, fast, easy read I'd solidly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for the ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and #netgalley for allowing me to read an ARC of Bad Habits by Amy Gentry. The blurb sounded great, two women, one from a privileged background, one from a disadvantaged one become friends, then rivals. The book was about so much more - discrimination, class, deceit and more. I wish I had liked at least one of the characters. It is hard for me to be invested in a book with all unlikable characters. The story was intriguing. I finished the book because I was curious what everyone was hiding - and they were hiding a lot! The writing was good and hypnotic at times. People who don’t care if none of the characters are likable would enjoy this book.

Decent story, easy enough to follow. I would read more books by this author. Overall, I liked the characters, the plot, the dialogue, and the wrap up.

3/5 Stars

Bad Habits firmly cements Amy Gentry as an novelist who writes powerful thrillers about the darkest corners of the human heart. Clare, known as Mac daring her youth, wants desperately not to be poor and stuck in her dead-end town. And when dazzling, rich Gwen enters her life in high school, the two become fast friends, best friends. They decide to attend graduate school together, both embarking into a prestigious program called just that.

The Program is both a skewering of academia and a deep, dark dive into how far prople will go to get what they want and the damage it can cause to not just to others but to themselves.

As always, Amy Gentry writes beautifully about the darkness that's hidden in all of us and what happens when it's unleashed and more frighteningly, how we can try and try to escape who we are, and how that can never happen.

For those (like me!) who love novels about the coldness of the human heart and the destruction it can bring-'not just physically but emotionally/psychologically--this is an absolute must read.

Claire "Mac" Woods is now a well-respected professor in academia--making her the person she's always dreamed of becoming. But ten years ago, she was just Mac. A poor student at university: part of The Project, with her best friend Gwen Whitney. When Gwen moved to Mac's hometown, her life changed. Through the lens of Gwen's wealthy life, Mac saw another future for herself than one with an addict mom; a sick sister; and a deadbeat dad. But while part of The Project, Gwen and Mac are sucked into the power dynamics of a married professor couple, with disastrous consequences. Meeting by accident a decade later, the two are hashing things out--but will uncovering long buried secrets do anyone any good?

This was a well-done and suspenseful book, but it took me a while to get into it for some reason. Mostly by design, the characters are incredibly unlikable and nearly impossible to feel any attachment for. Even Mac, our supposed protagonist, has her irritating and questionable moments. I think of this book as dark and twisted people doing dark and twisted things. But, there's some delight in that, sometimes, right? Because Gentry gives us really twisted people and what happens can be really dark.

If you're someone who came up in academia, this book will really hit home, as most of our characters' motivations center around getting ahead in that world. Mac envies Gwen and her "easy" life more than anything. And the two professors? Well, I'm not sure I can even *explain* them without giving away any spoilers. Let's just say it's a cutthroat world out there.

There are certainly some twists here--more at the end, where things pick up. There's an "event" that we know happened, and we don't really find out what transpired until near the book's conclusions. At times this is suspenseful; at others, frustrating. Is the power grab that's happening really worth it all? Only our characters can truly say, I suppose.

Overall, this a dark and sometimes slow-moving novel, but it has its share of surprises. It will be especially intriguing if you love academia-themed novels and power-grabbing characters. 3 stars.

Well pretty much everyone was deplorable in this but I enjoyed it anyway. I hope it was intentional that the reader doesn't understand anything anyone is studying at this school because I certainly had no idea and felt very stupid for not getting it.

A well written story of class and ambition, but not one I overly enjoyed. Mac was a child pageant queen until her father abruptly left. Being a caretaker for her autistic sister and trying to keep her mother sober, she definitely has a lot on her plate. When she meets picture perfect Gwen, her life shifts and they become fast friends. They go their separate ways after high school but reunite for grad school, placed in a special program, they are both vying for a coveted prize. One they are both desperate to obtain. Jealousy and lies start to infiltrate their lives which ultimately causes a falling out. Ten years after losing touch, the two meet inadvertently at a conference that Max (now Claire) is speaking at. The book takes place in one setting with flash backs to Mac’s childhood, meeting Gwen and their friendship/schooling. There is a reason their relationship fell apart and Claire will go to great lengths to keep it quite, but what exactly does Gwen know? With a plethora of unlikable characters and long drawn out (often repetitive) academic scenes, this book rates high on the drama and low on the suspense. One I found myself tediously wading through at times until I finally hit the final page!

How far would you go to protect the position you've worked so hard to achieve? Claire, formerly known as Mac, has been trying to be good enough, to climb the academic ladder, mostly to prove herself better than Gwyn, her best friend from college. Gwyn was wealthy and smart, the girl who had it all, while Claire came from a poor family with an addict for a mother and a special needs sister, and had to work hard to stay at the top in school, help her family, and to get an enviable position at a respected college. This jealous competition is deeply rooted.

This story kept my attention and was a good thriller. I was surprised by some of the characters' actions and the story was captivating.

Thanks to Mariner Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt through Netgalley for an advance copy.

Bad Habits is full of truly reprehensible characters. As the story plays out I was unimpressed with any of the characters, even hostile to them. Mac or Claire had a difficult upbringing amd was largely responsible for her mother and special needs sister. She emulates her rich friend Gwen as much as she can. Her grad school experience opens her eyes to opportunities, lies, blackmail, and the unsavory side of academics. I really didn’t care for this book, it I’m sure it has appeal to other readers on many points.

Extremely well written story. An intense character driven page-turner. Amy Gentry gets better with each book. Can’t wait for the next one!

Bad Habits is the story of Claire who starts off as Mackenzie “Mac” a girl from a troubled home turned into a successful professor and along the way she becomes ensconced in the life of her best friend (rival) Gwen.

As close as two friends can be in high school, separate durning college but come back together grad school vying for a spot in “The Program” which seems more cult like than secondary education.

The story weaves easily between Claire’s past as Mac and her current as Claire. Getting you closer and closer to solving a mystery you don’t even realize until you’re in too deep.

This is the first book I’ve read by Amy Gentry but it won’t be my last, excited I have her previous books to read and I look forward to her future books.

Wow amazing job Amy! Lol. Brava! Super dark and twisty and loved the toxic relationships through out the years!! Thanks for a copy in exchange for an honest review

I was expecting a thriller out of this but got more than I bargained for. Amy Gentry can write and write well. This was literary suspenseful, psychological fiction at its finest and it surprised me in the best way possible. I loved the before chapters that take us back to Mac and Gwen's toxic college days...sex for grades anyone!? I love Ms. Gentry's ability to take the written word and use them as weapons in the story.

What I liked most about the story is the fact that I was really rooting for Mac when I first picked up the book. She comes from nothing with an addicted mother and a sister who has special needs, she has been supporting both most of her life. But then as the story progresses I learned to despise her without really noticing...page by page it crept in. I loved that, and the reveal alone is worth five stars...well done Ms. Gentry!

I LOVED this!!! What a great story! I've read a lot of "slow burns" lately, so it was refreshing to read a story that drew me in from page one. I loved the back stories, the unlikable yet likable characters, the quick-witted dialog, and just the overall story building. I will definitely recommend this to all my friends!

Maybe you think your grad school experience was bad - Mac and Gwen's was definitely worse. These high school friends ended up at The Project, an elite graduate program with the prize of a lifetime: the exclusive Joyner fellowship. As Mac and Gwen go head-to-head academically and personally, Mac has to start playing dirty. Years later, Mac has reinvented herself as successful professor Claire...but the problems start anew when she runs into Gwen at a conference.

Having spent 4 years in grad school, I love a good academic novel. The Program is a perfect grad school dystopia: unintelligible lectures, cutthroat faculty, and inappropriate professor-student relationships. Mac is clearly in way over her head. I liked that Gentry covered Mac's difficult childhood and showed how much easier academia is when you come from means, like Gwen does. The drama and twists keep coming, making this a cross between a thriller and a character study. I enjoyed the book, but the ending was a bit over the top, making this more of a 3.5 star read for me rather than a 4 star.

Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

I flew through this book. It is fast paced and I had to keep turning the pages!

It's about toxic behavior and friendships and the toll that takes on each other.

Mac runs into Gwen after 10 years. They were once best friends but had grow apart. Mac supposedly has a great life despite some hardships.
Mac is driven into a rivalry with Gwen and from there it consumes her sending her into a downward spiral
Wow! Pick up this book in February!

Thanks to Netgalley for my advanced ebook copy.