Trying to read this was like trying to slog through ankle deep mud. I mean I'd eventually get there, but I'm exhausted and annoyed by the end. I never understood what genre the author was trying to fit into. Was it fiction? Psychological? It just wasn't for me. It's highly probable this book was not written for a predominate romance reader like myself, and that's absolutely on me. I don't want to deter anyone from reading, it just wasn't my cup of tea.

I had a difficult time getting through this. I felt like it was a literary book trying to be psychological or vice versa. It never really worked for me. The characters were all horrible and rather flat. I felt like the author was trying to convey a message that I never really got.

It has been a while since I was feeling pretty good about a book and then the ending kind of ruined the whole thing. In this novel, there is one particular plot point that never makes sense and is never explained and isn't at all in character for any of those involved, and of course it is the one thing that is necessary to set up everything that follows. This book has a big multiple-gut-punch ending, and I usually like those, but here it undermined what we know about the characters. It was too much and it really didn't work for me. I left that half a star because I really was enjoying myself before that.

I went into this book with my reservations - the start was a little slow, and I struggled to connect with the main character at first. But man oh man was I blown away by this book! The writing was lyrical and lovely, and although at no point did I get emotionally attached to any of the characters because they were all kind of terrible people, I loved the book for that. 10/10 I will be rereading this again!

Tara Isabella Burton is an absolute genius with her prose. Her debut novel Social Creature, a new spin on Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley was an absolute pleasure to read, but in The World Cannot Gove, the author creates a story even more shocking, disturbing and alluring.
The novel's main character, Laura Stearns, arrives at the prestigious St. Dunstan’s Academy in Maine, a school where her favorite writer Sebastian Webster, attended in the 19th century.
Always being made to feel like an outcast, Laura feels that she has finally arrived at the place where she belongs. Not just the school, but the school’s chapel choir, led by the stern and distant Virginia Strauss. Virginia, who has shocked her Jewish parents by wanting to convert to Christianity, has become obsessed with her newly found religion. Virginia wants everything to be done her way, and the choir is no exception. She rules with an iron fist, almost being "one of the guys," but not really. They all call one another by their last name and the whole attitude and behavior of the students seems like they are all caricatures from a 19th century Gothic novel.
With another writer, the result perhaps would be tacky and unsustainable. But Burton makes it believable and magnetic, making us forget that this story is supposed to be happening in the era of cellphones and viral videos.
And there is that. In fact, as Virginia eventually turns her attention to Laura and offers a glimpse into midnight rituals, crypt visits and prayers to Webster's statue.
But as the new school chaplain begins to challenge Virginia's views on what the choir should be, their tight-knight group begins to unravel. Virginia becomes more radical and Laura finds herself not knowing if she should continue to follow Virginia or to make her own way for once.
The ending of this story will leave readers open mouthed and wondering if what they just read was in any way real.

The World Cannot Give by Tara Isabella Burton was definitely an interesting read. Laura Stearns arrives at St Dunstan’s Academy in Maine and things are eerie. The schools choir is a group of members who are very intense. Everything about the school is intense. Virginia Strauss is the choir director and she is a new found Christian and she is on a different level of extra. Laura is charmed at first and let’s Virginia guide her through this new place, new routines and new rituals. But eventually she doesn’t feel like this is the right thing and trouble starts. It becomes a problem when Laura doesn’t want Virginia to be in charge and she must face the consequences of this. This was a well written story but I didn’t love it. It was dark and I just thought it could have been so much more. Overall this was a 3 star read for me. I want to thank Netgalley & the author for my copy for an honest review. Even though it wasn’t my favorite it was my pleasure to read and review. I love a chance to read new authors and new books. What were your thoughts?

This was such a gripping dark academia, coming-of-age tale! It follows a girl named Laura who arrives at a new school and is quickly swept up into the world of a secretive choir group. Great for people who love books similar to The Secret History.

This book was so unique. I loved the setting at the prestigious and competitive school and the characters were well developed and super individual.

I wasn't particularly drawn to the main storyline with choir and religion, but I was really interested in the darker tones that hid beneath the surface. Ultimately, this was a very dark book and I wish some of that had been shown a little sooner as I think my interest would have been held a bit better.

I listened to the audio for this novel and the narrator did a good job. She was theatrical without being over the top and I thought she told the story in an entertaining way.

Overall, I ended up enjoying this book, but I think that's mostly because it went out with such a bang. Much of the book was a little drawn out and I wasn't always super invested.

It's a unique read and definitely enjoyable, but not one I'll be likely to often recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy.

A just ok boon, not close to her brilliant debut. Slight Donna Tartt vibes but not as compelling. Fantastic start but didn’t live up to the hype.

The World Cannot Give by Tara Isabella Burton is a boarding school vibe with dark academic themes of obsession, devotion, toxic relationships, wealth, and a neurotic, overachieving MC.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

I started this one but had trouble with the writing and wasn't that into it, so unfortunately I DNF. Thanks for the opportunity.

Starts slow, but once you hit halfway or so it's impossible to put down. Recommend to fans of dark academia, The Secret History, They Never Learn.

Thank you Simon and Schuster for an e-arc copy! Sapphic dark academia plus cults? Yes, please! If I had gotten along better with the main characters, I believe I would have enjoyed this novel more. Unfortunately, I didn’t find any character in the novel to be compelling and the resolution of the story did not reach as far as I had hoped it would go. I would definitely still give this book a try if it caught your eye and I would read from the author again.

The low ranking is not a reflection of the work itself, but rather speaks to the fact that I selected other books over this title. My TBR is too long and had to cut titles from my list!

a bizarre little book!

Shy Laura arrives at a remote academy in Maine. She is obsessed with an intense book and is invited to join the school's choir. It doesn't appear the choir is all what it seems. She befriends Virginia who seems to have similar intensity .

A new chaplain threatens the role of the choir and Virginia's power and Laura is challenged to prove her allegiance to Virginia in very intense ways.

The World Cannot Give is perfect for fans of The Secret History. Set at a Maine boarding school, the story is essentially about teenage obsession and the toxic relationships of youth. The characters skew unlikable, though raw and real. Highly recommended!

Name dropping The Secret History in a book's blurb is a dangerous game to play. I would not say that Tara Isabella Burton's book is entirely comparable-- even if just to avoid all the obnoxious The Secret History devotees who will come out of the woodwork to trash talk anything that isn't literally a copy of The Secret History. Because The World Cannot Give is not some kind of gender swapped The Secret History, and it does not try to be, either.

The World Cannot Give was a really poignant meditation on the red hot grip of teenage obsession and toxic relationship dynamics. Our main character and narrator, Laura Stearns, lives her life propelled by her fixations. At the beginning of the book, her only concern is getting into St. Dunstan's, where her favorite author Sebastian Webster wrote his magnum opus. "Favorite author" doesn't begin to cover it-- Laura worships Webster, and cannot seem to fathom that he might be at all problematic. Laura is sort of annoying, stuck-up, and extremely weak-willed. But this is what makes her endearing to me-- I think most people reading this book were annoying and stuck-up in high school. Not in a bad way, because I was too; I am trying to challenge criticisms of Laura's character as some kind of totally unsympathetic bourgeois brat. Laura, whether we like it or not, is a relatable and very flawed character. She is not some noble heroine who wants to do the right thing at all costs. She does not make the right choices, and she does not attach herself to the right people. That's what propels Burton's book, and I think it was an excellent choice.

Within the world of St. Dunstan's, all other relationships fall by the wayside when one meets Virginia Strauss. Laura meets Virginia early on, and is infatuated from the get-- the sort of psuedo-sapphic (or maybe totally gay), intense interpersonal obsession that teen girls tend to suffer from. Laura does not bother to make any other friends, except some of the boys who also follow Virginia as if the very air she breathes is intoxicating. But at the same time, they don't like her very much. Virginia, too, is unpleasant. She is extraordinarily vain, insecure, emotionally cold, and suffers from a secret yet obvious eating disorder shrouded in religion.

Virginia is something of a holy figure to Laura and, at first, the boys-- until they find a way to publicly strip her of her dignity and, therefore, much of her power. Which, in retrospect, was a huge mistake on their part. After this, a seemingly small convergence of events precipitates the honestly grisly, tragic ending of the book. While part of me wishes there had been more insight into Virginia's inner life, I also think it's powerful that we really do come at it from Laura's point of view. Laura sees what she wants to see (aka nothing) and, in the end, she is just as horrified as the reader.

That said, I still feel it was a bit abrupt, which is one of my few complaints.

Final note: my Catholic upbringing definitely had bearing on my understanding of certain dynamics, traditions, and devotions in Burton's book, which was a little bonus treat for me. Like, oh, the Magnificat?? I was BORN reciting the Magnificat. Me and Mary are besties.

I'll say that The World Cannot Give is about a 4 out of 5 stars. The writing style wasn't fully my jam, I wanted more detail and world building, and the ending felt abrupt. But I did like the book, especially the dynamics it explored and the tinge of religion sans any proselytizing.

Ooh time goes by and if i don't write the review right away...sigh. I'm trying to be better. The best i can do right now is give a star count...

I do remember reading it and thinking it should be a YA title.

This book was compared to "The Secret History," but it's much better than that. I could never understand the characters in that book; "The World" gives us teenagers we've known and been. The ending is a shocker.

Well! This was definitely compelling. I felt that the blurb and cover did not match the tone of the story at all, and the actual writing came across as a parody of a dark academia novel. The World Cannot Give promises a fraught academic atmosphere with sapphic longing, and while pieces of those aspects were present, nothing actually hit the mark for me. The characters were a little too flat and grating to pull me into rooting for them, and the school setting felt like a prop - I wanted to see the structures of the school itself with its academics. However, I did binge the whole thing in a day, and I can't say I wasn't fascinated, so that bumps it up a few stars for me! I just wish it had committed to taking itself seriously, or being a parody of dark academia themes.