Okay this book is WEIRD. but in a way I liked, mostly. I sometimes wanted more clarity, especially at the end but otherwise, damn. Spooky, startling, all about power dynamics and interracial families. All about the vibes.

I waited a while to share my thoughts about this book. I didn’t want to bash it, especially during Black History Month. But, here we are!

The long rundown: Cherish and Farrah have a codependent, toxic friendship.

Farrah’s parents hit hard times and lost their jobs and their home. To not disrupt Farrah’s life and education, she stays with Cherish and her family while they sort their situation out.

Farrah thinks she orchestrated her staying there and is in control of what’s going on. She thought wrong…

Weird things start happening to Farrah while living with the Whitmans. She soon understands she isn’t in control at all.

On to my thoughts: Described as a thriller, I was waiting for the “thrilling and horror” to happen. I pushed along to get to the end of the book, only to be even more confused and disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC to read and provide my honest opinion.

Control – that’s all she’s ever wanted. Her life though, is out of control. Her Black parent’s country club house in in foreclosure. To regain control, calculating Farrah arranges to move into her best friend Cherish Whitman’s house with her white parents. Cherish, the only other Black girl in the country club neighborhood is White Girl Spoiled – a condition that allows her to be unaware of the realities of the world and live an inexplicably idyllic life. Farrah exploits the willingness of Cherish’s family to take her in, but then weird things start happening. Who is really in control here?

This social horror novel is so well written! I read this book in an evening. Our narrator Farrah is loveable… but not. Her observations about the realities of life as a Black girl are insightful and searing, but her obsession with control sometimes borders on psychopathy.

The ending was not what I expected but wrapped the book up so perfectly. How far would you go for someone you loved? And what does love really look like? What might happen when wealthy white parents adopt a beautiful Black girl?

This book was a fabulous read, and I recommend it to lovers of fiction, racially aware novels, thrillers, and horror!

Maybe this was just not a genre match for me. I know it's not considered YA, but it read like YA to me, which I don't usually choose. I also felt like the mysterious premise was not fully fleshed out by the end of the book.

Went into this with no idea what it was about and was totally gripped from start to finish. Chilling, visceral social horror and not like anything I've read before.

As much as I was looking forward to this book, I'm nearly at the halfway mark and simply cannot finish it.

I've picked it up, read some, and put it back down several times. The writing is great and the characters are engaging. To a point. But there is simply too much repetition and I become bored. Keep in mind that I'm a voracious reader and will stay up all night to finish a great book.

Right now, I feel like I'm slogging through. It's torture. I have many much more engaging books to read on my Kindle. Rather than slam this book on social media and review sites, I'll simply leave my feedback here.

This book won't be for everyone, but I think I can safely recommend it to people who enjoyed My Sister, the Serial Killer, which was very popular at our store. A good match for people who liked Lovecraft Country as well, and Jordan Peele's filmography.

I have such mixed emotions on this book. Very dark and explores important themes, but ultimately was just too much of a slow burn and I didn’t really look forward to returning to the book once I put it down.

WTF did I just read? Have you ever finished a book and were like "did I like this?" This was me after Cherish Farrah. Was it tense? Yes. Did I have a clue what was happening? No. Did I enjoy it? Definitely not - but I don't know if that was because of the material or because of the actual story. I don't want to give any spoilers but I would say to read this book if you like:
Unreliable narrators that leave you confused (maybe in a good way?)
Tense descriptions that make you question what you read
A dependent friendship that might cross the line (or does it?)
Twists and turns
Inconsistent pacing (sometimes its so fast and amazing, but lots of times it's slow)

Overall, I'd recommend reading it just so you can form an opinion. This book is so messed up. But I did want it to be better.

Cherish Farrah, by Bethany C. Morrow, is a story that will stay with readers long after they finish. Cherish and Farrah are best friends and the only Black girls in their country club community. Cherish, adopted by her white parents, is what Farrah refers to as WGS (white girl spoiled). Farrah, dealing with a new reality and set of circumstances she resents, manipulates herself into Cherish's world and family. Soon after she begins staying with Cherish's family strange things start to happen and Farrah finds herself in a precarious situation where the monsters may be closer than she thinks. Told with startling prose and a unique voice, the social-economic situations peel back layers revealing something much more horrifying. As the first type of social-horror novel I have read Cherish Farrah is an unexpected and disturbing literary gem.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

When I saw Morrow‘s new book available on NetGalley, I knew it that I wanted to read it. I loved her book A Song Below Water and was so excited for this one. While I am still - 24 hours later - not entirely sure what in the world I finished reading yesterday, I do know that it is literary genius and that Morrow’s work is certainly eye-opening and thought-provoking.

Cherish Farrah follows two young Black girls, both attending a fancy prep school. Cherish, the adopted daughter of an insanely wealthy white couple, is best friends with Farrah, the black daughter of a not as wealthy but still very well-off Black couple. Farrah has spent years working her way into Cherish’s life and her family, only to learn - as her carefully crafted world starts to fall apart – that perhaps she is not the only one who has been playing a game all along.

This story is more a commentary on race and wealth in America then it is anything else. The story itself is more loosely crafted than what I typically read, and it’s definitely a character driven story, but the ideas and the motivation and inspiration in these characters makes this book well worth the read. Even as I still try to wrap my mind around what I read, I know that this will be one that I go back to and that I am looking forward to discussing with other people. I read it in just a day and even with my bit of confusion over where exactly the story was going, the twists and turns kept me reading and I could not tear myself away from this one.

Thanks to @NetGalley and @duttonbooks for the eARC of this one in exchange for my honest review!

I was not expecting the thrilling ride that I got from this book! I knew it was a thriller just not as dark but I loved every minute of it! I read somewhere that they recommend that you read this book without reading the blurb so I went in almost completely blind to what was going to happen. But that just added to the adventure! Absolutely addictive and a fantastic read!

This was such a deceptively dark read. I anticipated a thrilling story but not one as sinister as this quickly proved to be. This fictional family is as called into question as their real-world equivalents. It exposed many of the racist and classist systems, politics, history, and ideologies that this community, and many like it, are built upon.

I thought it was interesting to observe the girl's relationship as the story unfolded and watched as it evolved. I liked the social satire aspect of this story but found it to be a bit slow in the start.

This was a trip. Tension laces every word. I can’t say I exactly liked this, but it certainly kept me firmly in its grips until the very end. I’m not a big thriller fan, but once and awhile like to read one that sounds intriguing. And if I’m going to read a thriller, it has to be of the twisty, mind f*ck variety. This checked that box for sure.

Creepy, slow burn, social horror, with great cultural commentary on race and parenting. I loved the ending, but some might find it polarizing.

DNF at 40 %

I'm just not liking this.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Dutton Books for my advanced copy of Cherish Farrah.
I will not be rating this book.

This book shook me. 4.5 stars. It is quick paced weird dark ride that is probably going to stick with me for a while. It sounds cliche but I could definitely see this as a book. I love it.

A thank you to Netgalley for sharing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have very mixed feelings about this one. How can one not appreciate a story of teen sociopaths and a story akin to that old demented Kate Winslet movie, Heavenly Creatures. Shiver inducing with a car accident that you don't want to see, yet can't look away. I don't agree that it's like Get Our or When No One is Watching, but it does have a not so dissimilar look at power dynamics and racial tension. Although I enjoyed elements of the book, something about it felt flat, like I was watching from a distance rather than fully immersed in the story as I prefer. In the author's defense, it is a debut and I'll be interested to read future books as she develops as a writer.

Let's put it this way, Jordan Peele would LOVE this book (and so did I). CHERISH FARRAH explores the relationship between two black teenagers, Cherish and Farrah, who have been BFFs since the 4th grade. Cherish is the adoptive daughter of two white parents - they are so attentive to her that Farrah claims she is WGS (white girl spoiled). Some of the wealth and attention spills over to Farrah, and she loves it. But when Farrah's family loses their house and her father accepts a job out of state, Farrah is determined to remain in the comfortable glow of Cherish's family. Farrah is always one step ahead - anticipating easily how others will behave and respond to her actions. As Farrah tries to cement her place in Cherish's family, however, odd things begin to happen. With and ending impossible to anticipate, Morrow gives us an enthralling, shocking story that kept me hooked til the very last page.

This book is incredibly slow for about two thirds of it and then packs a punch at the end. I don't quite know what I thought of that yet, it's somehow simultaneously shocking and so implausible that it didn't pay off for me.

The two girls at the centre of this are really compelling and that's definitely what kept me going. It just didn't push forward as quickly as I would have liked. But the eerie tension is definitely there and it keeps you hooked just enough to stick with it. It had me reeling at some moments and I won't forget it any time soon.