Cherish and Farrah are best friends and the only two black girls in their country club community. When Farrah's black parents are foreclosed on Farrah moves in with Cherish and her white adoptive parents. Brianne and Jerry Whitman open their arms and their home to Farrah but not everything is as it seems.

This book was a little different than other psych thrillers I read so kudo's to the author for changing things up and bringing something new to the table. Now I know what "social horror" is and that is that reality is far more horrifying than the stories we tell around a campfire. I'll admit this started a little slow and I found Farrah infuriating. I did not like how awful she was to her parents for losing their house. She came across as entitled but as you read on you realize she wants these things because Cherish has them and Cherish has them effortlessly. Never having to worry or to work for anything. She's White Girl Spoiled and doesn't even realize she lives inside a bubble that her parents made for her. She has no idea how the real world works for young black women. She has never had to struggle or to claw her way to the top like so many others do. Farrah wants to bring reality home for Cherish but the Whitmans aren't having that and soon a back and forth game of brutality plays out for the reader to witness.

Morrow's writing is razor sharp and she clearly put a lot of time and effort into this. Be prepared that their is a lot of vomiting and dry heaving and Farrah often refers to her internal rage and turmoil as coiling within and uncoiling out form her. "Control" is often used throughout the book as Farrah must always have control of her situation. These instances did become a little tedious but I assure you the ending more than makes up for that. It. Is. Dark. Don't mind me as I pick my jaw up off the floor. 😮 4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for my complimentary copy.

It’s really disappointing when I don’t like a book that I was looking forward to. And I didn’t like this one at all. Based on the synopsis and the other (all positive) reviews I read, I was expecting a thrilling and horrifying read. This was so boring and I only forced myself to finish because it was an ARC (and I was expecting a great twist, more on that later).

Cherish and Farrah are best friends and we are constantly reminded of this. Both are black teenage girls, but Cherish is the adopted daughter of white parents. They have nauseating nicknames for each other (RahRah and Che) and are so close that it’s disturbing.

This book starts extremely slow without much happening outside of the toxic dynamic between Cherish and Farrah being explored. Farrah’s parents are experiencing financial hardship and she’s living with Cherish and her family.


The plot moved so slowly that I knew there had to be a twist and I wanted to know what it was. We are not given enough clear information and the ending is just ridiculous. I disliked this from start to finish and I was totally disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Chilling . . . there's some twisty psychology going on here. Two teenaged Black girls (Cherish and Farrah) so much the same yet existing in different socioeconomic situations play toxic games to prove loyalty.

This novel explores an underlying cultural theme of racial bias and guilt. Cherish grows up enabled and spoiled, her Caucasian parents (who are major apologists trying to atone through adoption), leave her with a naivety to the real world beyond her protective parental walls.

Farrah is plagued by persistent paranoid ideations, thoughts often fueled and supported by consistent reminders that she is held to a different societal standard than her best friend. The girls keep each other close by trauma bonding . . . strengthening their trust and camaraderie in the face of perceived threats to the sisterly union. This one is a conversation starter and the ending is a real shocker.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and Dutton for an advanced copy of Cherish Farrah for my unbiased evaluation. 3 stars

"But you only get so many of those moments, where chaos can be invited and you still know it's safe."

Oh MAN this was a dark, chilling and addictive read. Once I started, I couldn't stop reading trying to figure out what was going on and what would happen next. I love how the story was told right from Farrah's eyes and I saw everything the way she did. This was a complicated story about intense friendships, toxic relationships and f*cked up families. That ending?! My jaw literally dropped. This story was so well written and gripping, it had me on the edge of my seat. I'm a sucker for a good HEA and don't read much horror, so while I didn't love this one, I definitely enjoyed it and it kept my attention the entire time!

Thank you so much Dutton Books for inviting me to read this e-ARC on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Genre: Thriller, Horror
Recommended? ☑️
Due for publication on 2/8/22

Cherish Farrah by B.C. Morrow, published by Penguin Group Dutton, is a stand-alone, a dark read.
This slow burn tells the stoty of two 17 year old girls.
Farrah and Cherish are best friends. And while Farrah is the biological child of her rents, Cherish is adopted into the Whitman family. And Farrah is intrigued by the Whitmans. She kind of weasels her way into the family, only to learn they have secrets of their own.
This is a dark, twisty read, full of unexpected turns that had nme in suspense til the last page.

This book was chilling! Themes of abuse, racism and social injustice. Rich, flawed characters drive a twisted story of best friends and what makes a family. It was a bit wordy in the middle, but the ending was so gratifying, if horrifying.

Cherish Farrah by Bethany C. Morrow is an excellent and riveting thriller full of mystery, suspense, and a stunning end.

I have enjoyed novels by Ms. Morrow in the past, so I knew I had to read this novel…because I knew it would not be what it initially could seem and that I would be gripping the edge of my seat…and I was soooooo right!

The author has a real talent creating realistic, complicated, complex, flawed, and fascinating characters. The Whitmans are perfect examples of this talent.

As the story progresses in regards to the relationship between Farrah and Cherish and her associated family, there were twists, turns, and dark threads woven into the narrative. It was deeper than I could have even imagined. And I loved every minute of it.

And the ending…wow the ending.

I highly recommend this book if you want to be thrilled, stunned, and addicted to finding out a memorable ending…then this book is for you.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Dutton Books/Penguin Random House for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 2/8/22.

The dark and sinister plot woven through this book could have made for an enticing read - unfortunately, the long winded descriptions and general wordiness Made me skip to the end? I was interested in the resolution but not the writing that was getting me there? Thank you for the advance readers copy and apologies for not being able to read thoroughly.

A timely thriller about social media and racism. I absolutely loved this book. I appreciate being sent a copy. The story was transfixing and I couldn’t wait to find out what happened. I highly recommend this book.

Actual rating 4.5/5 stars.

Cherish and Farrah are best friends. They are two of the few black individuals in their community, with Farrah belonging to two black, biological parents and Cherish to two white, adoptive parents. This difference meant little to the two of them, apart from Farrah's gentle teasing that Cherish is 'White Girl Spoiled'. When Farrah's parents struggle from financial difficulties these differences start to become more apparent and she envies her friend the luxury and innocence her upbringing has afforded her. When she moves into Cherish's home she thinks she has a new understanding for what is occurring but the truth proves to be far more harrowing and horrifying than she, or the reader, could ever have imagined.

This was such a deceptively dark read. I anticipated a thrilling story but not one as sinister as this quickly proved to be. This is written in the vein of Get Out and [book:Ace of Spades|42603984], where 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.

Every single one of the characters this story contained had something to prove, something to hide, and provided many reasons to distrust them. I somehow still liked them all. Morrow crafted them as likable and sometimes vulnerable. Their suffering was given as much attention as their many manipulations and so it became as easy to empathise with them as it did to acknowledge their villainy.

These exposed dualities ensured this a novel with an unguessable trajectory and it wasn't until Morrow was finally ready to expose the truth that I became privy to it. What was revealed left me open-mouthed! This was a truly sinister read and the path to it was as unforgettable as all that was learned at its close.

This book was absolutely spectacular. I've been a fan of Bethany C. Morrow for a while and this book was everything I'd hoped it would be since I first heard it announced several years ago. The story pulls you in without you even noticing; I finished the whole thing in a single sitting and unable to get away from Farrah, Cherish, and her complicated family. The social commentary is piercing and incisive, the characters complex and believable, and the relationship dynamics were constantly in flux in the very best way. The ending was simultaneously shocking, unexpected, and inevitable. This book is going to stay with me for a long, long time.