Tiktok made me wanna read this. I was not disappointed. I loved this book so much.
_ autistic book lover

Clare arrives in Edinburgh almost destitute, but realizing that this is her fresh start. She can move on from her past - she gets a job, starts attending classes and even seems to be getting along with her flatmates. But then Clare meets Tabitha and is quickly dragged into her orbit. Tabitha is everything Clare isn’t and Clare cannot help but wonder why she was chosen to be a part of her group. But not too hard, because she is slowly becoming obsessed with being a part of their world. As time goes on, Tabitha starts to ask more of Clare, starts to ask her to go back to being the girl she was trying to forget. But Clare is in too deep and is hard pressed to turn back. How far will she go for her friends?

A twisted thriller, one that definitely left you wondering at each chapter what you really knew about any of the characters. However, it fell a bit flat and it was a little sluggish to get through. I know there are many out there who are going to think it’s brilliant. But it was just a little slow moving for me!

This, unfortunately, was a DNF for me. I just could not get into it. It was long and drawn out, too much of a slow burn, and I couldn't connect with any of the characters

Oh, it’s so obvious this book wants to be dark academia with a surreal corona made up of a cult of mysterious and unstable personalities. And that’s fine! That’s fine. That sounds like a cool idea for a book. It would definitely be a character-driven book more than plot-driven, but a lot of dark academia books are driven by their characters anyway. As long as there’s some semblance of a plot, and that plot is clear, fits with the characters and setting, and is written well then you shouldn’t have any issues. Right?

Well, debut author Heather Darwent obviously took copious notes on what the elements of a dark academia novel are, but somehow this book comes together not as a cohesive novel, but as a series of discordant events, inner narrative chapters, flashbacks, clumsily-written passages set in the future, and hazy vignettes speculated by the narrator to have been spent in a drug-fueled haze or under coerced sedation. So much time is spent on Clare, our protagonist: establishing who she is isn’t, showing how easy it is to shape her to someone else’s will and how willing she is to let it happen without complaint, watching how other people pull her strings and maneuver her, seeing her let trespass after trespass go… but her characterization isn’t consistent. This obsequiousness isn’t consistent; but, then again, nothing of Clare’s personality or character is and nothing in the narrative or in the plot gives any allusions or reasons for it.

What there is of a plot in this story, once one comes up (much too far into the story to ever have a hope of fully forming, coalescing, and being carried out in a comprehensive manner) is a plot far more tawdry than this novel calls for. It just doesn’t fit. This whole book started out because they were all going to the same school, but by the halfway point in the book it seems school is something that only comes up sporadically, like a novelty to mention, and this tabloid-worthy central plot line (which is also wobbly, for reasons mentioned above) takes precedence, even though the point of the whole venture isn’t ever made clear. The whole second half of this book is as foggy and muddied as Scotland.

There is some stunning writing inside this book: evocative imagery, creepy atmosphere, horrific scenes, surrealistic dreams and nightmares, and more. If only Darwent could’ve spent more time on this book and this idea before bringing it to an agent, and if only her editors would’ve maybe worked with her more on the content. I think Darwent has the makings of a great thriller writer, but she’s just not there yet.

NetGalley and Ballantine Books provided me with access to this title. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. Thank you. As per my personal policy this review will not appear on social media or any bookseller website due to the 3 star or lower rating.

File Under: Literary Fiction/Women’s Fiction/Suspense Thriller/Psychological Fiction

This book dragged to the point of no return. It was slow, had nothing to really grab you and was just all around flat. I was so drawn in by the cover, as you can see is breathtaking. But the story itself was not. I ended up DNFing it at about 35%

Beginning was promising but not entertaining enough to continue on. Main character was not someone I could follow.

The Things We Do to Our Friends was...interesting, and not in a great way.

The story is told in 3 parts, but didn't need to be. It dragged and made unnecessary allusions to other "dark times". It felt like it was building up to something big, but then the ending couldn't possibly live up to all that hype.

Am I mad that I read it? No. Will I tell any of my friends or followers about it? Also no.

This was maybe even a 2.5 star for me. I felt like the story was being conveyed to me so vaguely and it left me very underwhelmed. The writing was fine, but I was bored and pushing through because I kept thinking it would get better. Finally at around 50% I thought, here we go! We were finally going to get somewhere with what the author had been leading up to and then, boom, it was over with barely any explanation. The ending was a bit predictable and I just was not intrigued or attached to the characters in any way so I was relieved when it was over. Thank you to Net Galley and Bantam for allowing me to receive an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Friendship and Psychopathology

Clare left her grandmother’s home in France to study in Edinburgh, Scotland. She is trying to escape an incident in her past. Gradually, she finds a job and starts taking classes in art history. In her classes she meets Tabitha, Ava, and Samuel. The group of rich, privileged young people, draws her. She wants to be involved. Tabitha is beautiful, but there’s something about her that makes Clare nervous. Still she is drawn to the other girl.

When Clare becomes a member of the group, Tabitha reveals her plan. She needs Clare. Clare is wary but by then the friendship has become a dominant factor in her life, and she can’t pull away. It becomes even more threatening when it appears that Tabitha knows something damaging about Clare.

This is an interesting psychological thriller based on friendship, or more accurately co-dependence. As the girls become more entwined the mood becomes darker and darker. The opening incident sets the dark tone, the novel then becomes slower as Clare adjusts to her new life, then it speeds up at the end in a much darker conclusion.

I found the book interesting. The author writes well. However, she seemed much more interested in creating atmosphere than plot development. The characters are well drawn, but I couldn’t like any of them, including Clare. For me, that made the book less enjoyable.

I received this book from Penguin Random House for this review.

I was really excited for this book but it was soooooooooooooooo slow moving I just couldn't keep going. I had to dnf at about 25% because nothing much seemed to be happening and I didn't really like the protagonist much. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review. (The cover was great at least!)

I really tried to get into this one. But this was just not my cup of tea unfortunately. I could ‘t really connect to any of the characters . 2.5 stars out of 5. Rounding it up to 3!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I had really hope to like this book based on the description; the thrill of finding a dark academia, which in my opinion, has been missing in the literary world, was shattered half way through.

First - what I love about the book: I love the writing and the twist; the writing style was magnetic and unique. I thought that parts of the book was enjoyable, twisty, and surprising. But that's about it.

In terms of the plot and characters: I find the plot and story to be dragging throughout most of the book and find the characters to be unlikeable, which makes it even harder for me to enjoy reading the book. Claire to me is someone who is desperate and frustrating. I found the characters to be vapid and psychopathic; to me, there was no redeeming quality (though to be fair, from a psychological standpoint, I can sympathize with Claire based on her childhood).

Would I read it again? Probably not, but I still think it was a good debut novel from Darwent - and hopeful that her next novel will be better.

Clare is a university student who lives in Edinburgh with two roommates yet feels detached and alone. Working part time in a bar, she waits on Tabitha and Imogen, two girls from her art history class. Tabitha has a personality that is hard to resist and she draws Clare into her circle of friends. Finn, Clare’s boss and sometime lover, finds Tabitha’s group creepy. Despite his warnings, Clare has a strong need to be accepted. On a school break she travels with the group to France where Tabitha lays out an idea that she has been working on. Her parents had divorced after her father’s affair, devastating her mother. Now Tabitha wants to set up a business to help women who suspect their husbands of infidelity by setting a honey trap and providing evidence. Clare is the perfect partner and is willing to join them but when something goes wrong during an encounter she wants to quit.

Clare had been involved in a man’s death in France as a teenager living under a different name. Someone in the group discovered the incident and is using the information to force her to rejoin the group. While Clare just wanted to fit in her relationship with the group became toxic. While Tabitha started with the idea of helping women, she has escalated from incriminating pictures to acts of violence. She is not willing to let Clare go but she is unaware of how far Clare will go to get out.

Heather Darwent has put together a group of characters that are difficult to like. Clare has a volatile temper. Tabitha must have things her way. Imogen, Ava and Samuel, the remaining group members, cater to her whims but even they have a limit to how far they will follow her. Darwent ends with a number of twists that will not only change all of their lives, but also everything you thought you knew. I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine for providing this book for my review.

At this point I should know better than to trust the mystery arcs that appear in my inbox. They’re usually not my thing at all. (But I got this email 3 times so I checked it out.)

But, oh boy, this was very much not for me. This was pitched as a dark academia and it’s just… not? School is only mentioned a few times, just to say their major is useless or they’re all failing. So not the vibe I expected or wanted???

What this story was actually supposed to be, I’m not sure? Because it was all over the place. It’s technically classified as a thriller but I… don’t agree? There are a couple of horrific scenes (one at the beginning, one at the end) but that’s really it? Not many ~thrilling things happened here.

For the most of this, I was just bored?? It picked up around a third of the way in but then tapered off again? I think it was the narrator that was the biggest problem, for me. Everything was described in such a monotone, I had a hard time really feeling ~involved in the story.

And there wasn’t a single likable character in the bunch. Everyone was very bland and awful. Sadly no one and nothing really stood out to me.

So. I wish I would’ve skipped this one. It was very meh and forgettable. I finished it only a few days ago and struggled to write this review because I’ve already forgotten most of the plot. This was just, sadly, not for me.

And if you’re looking for a good dark academia themed thriller, please look elsewhere. Sadly this just isn’t it.

Anyway, thank you to NetGalley and Random House for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review!

3 Becareful What You Wish For Stars
* * *
This has so much happening... and the author does paint a real picture of desiring something that maybe isn't exactly what you thought.

This debut novel had an interesting start and premise. It was one of those that felt very ominous and whenever I finished reading a chapter, my mind felt a bit hazy. It was an affecting story with some intense commentary and content.

The dark academic setting is one I tend to enjoy, and this one being set in Edinburgh, Scotland was perfectly creepy. I went back and forth on how to rate this because it did keep my attention and had a lot of intense moments. But it’s one that, while entertaining, didn’t leave me feeling particularly glad I read it.

I do think the writing was quite good and I’m looking forward to seeing what Darwent does next!

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the #arc in exchange for an honest review.

3.25 stars

I know some might think it's overdone at this point but as someone who grew up obsessed with "Gossip Girl", "The Clique", "Private", "The A-List", etc. I'm always a sucker for the "girl goes to school with mean rich girls and does anything she can to be liked by them including *insert messed up thing here*" trope. That is a trope, right?

This book is like if Jenny Humphrey got her "It Girl" boarding school spinoff + she was a totally unhinged unreliable narrator. I had a good time reading this, but by the end, I felt like the vibes to plot ratio wasn't quite right. There were a lot of mysterious hints to things that just never got explained or resolved, which was disappointing because I got very invested in the intense and obsessive friendships between the characters.

The opening of this book is creepy, dark, and a little gross, but it's not from the main POV, it's from someone who was involved in The Episode TM---the thing that FMC, Clare, did that led to her moving to Scotland from France, changing her name, and reinventing herself. The story then cuts ahead to after The Episode TM, and you don't find out the resolution of it until the very end of the book. The framing of this was interesting and got me hooked right away, but I ended up feeling like the middle part was too long without as much payoff, especially after starting on such a dramatic note. The writing was very atmospheric and did a great job building tension, but with that, I ended up a little disappointed that most of the shocking things that happened were off-screen and not described explicitly.

I will definitely keep an eye out for this author's future work--the execution of this didn't hit quite right for me, but her writing and story were right up my alley.

Thank you to #NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review of #TheThingsWeDotoOurFriends

The Things We Do to Our Friends was an interesting read. I liked it but I also wanted more. There were parts of the novel that kept me on the edge of my seat and there were parts that I could barely get through.

The Things We Do to Our Friends is told in first person perspective by Clare a university student looking to escape her previously boring life and experience university and Edinburgh. Clare is a loner but is somehow drawn into the cool kids' group run by the beautiful but strange Tabitha. The group brings Clare into their world of parties and fun but there's something strange about the group lurking just beneath the surface. There's also Clare's mysterious past and secrets she would do anything to keep secret. I don't want to say anymore because it will spoil it and the book doesn't have that many twists.

I enjoyed the writing and the moody atmosphere that kept me nervous throughout the whole book. I felt like that never really paid off though. Everything either happened in Clare's past or was resolved in a vaguely unsatisfying way. Overall I liked this book I just wish there was something more going on. I would definitely check out any future work by this author because I did like their writing style.

I was provided a free copy of this book through NetGalley.

I could not connect with this book. It was disjointed, bizarre, and boring all at the same time. Did not finish.

*I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and I am required to disclose that in my review in compliance with federal law.

It's a me issue, because I have read other books with many unlikeable characters! I had a hard time connecting to any characters and I take ownership that this just wasn't the right book for me at this time. I apologize! The Scotland setting was great and the cover is beautiful!