The Things We Do To Our Friends was a very interesting story. We have Clare who is desperate to start over as she goes to university in Edinburgh. She gets a job in a cocktail bar and meets a couple of new friends who she is immediately intrigued by. As she gets closer to them, she starts to realize that they are into something she is not sure she wants to be apart of, but she cannot seem to stay away no matter how hard she tries. When she does try to get out, her past seems to haunt her into going back to her "friends." This was really interesting because the prologue does not seem to make sense with the rest of the book but towards the end you find out how it's connected and it was WILD. There were parts that were a little confusing to me because the narrator was telling this in the past tense, but kept making references to the present, but otherwise, I thought this entire story was super interesting and did not head in the direction I was expecting. Overall a great read.

The debut novel The Things We Do to Our Friends by Heather Darwent is a strange and twisty tale that is very enjoyable. The group of friends at an Edinburgh university are all incredibly unlikeable yet they draw you in to their small circle. The crew start a company to come to the aid of wives who are convinced their husbands are cheating. One of the encounters proves more dangerous and changes the dynamics of the group. In the end it is clear who are the true strong characters.
The author’s use of flashbacks to help understand the main character, Clare, and how her past impacts her current situation, unfolds slowly so that the reader is always left wondering. This subtle strategy adds to intrigue of the story.

First off, what a gorgeous cover! That’s what initially drew me to the book. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I started reading it. It took me a bit to get into the story and understand what was happening. Clare is interesting and the company she keeps are quite interesting to say the least. I found this dark, intriguing, intense, frustrating, and full of unlikeable yet slightly delightful characters. You will want to give this a read if you are looking for something different. Many thanks for this ARC that was provided to me via Kindle, from Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine, Bantam and NetGalley.

This book is unsettling, unhinged, and deliciously disturbing. The author does not hold back, which I respect. The opening is intriguing and raises a lot of alarm/questions. At first, the pace is slow but tantalizing enough to hold attention. The middle picks up, and then the last 40% or so feels like hurtling through the air after being shot from a cannon. Pieces of the full story are gradually revealed, and the flashbacks are perfectly placed. All of the characters are generally unlikeable, yet it is impossible to not root for them. Just when I thought everything had been wrapped up, the last big twist happened, which I did not predict. The ending is also satisfying--this is a well-written, self-contained story that offers insightful perspective into the volatile cocktail created when toxic friendships and group dynamics combine with instability. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for an atmospheric read. After finishing this book, you will likely feel disgusted, but you will enjoy it.

Sometimes you need a feel good book, and sometimes you need a book that embraces all the nasty, awful, and toxic things in the world. This book is the latter. The characters are unlikeable, horrible people. This story does not have a pleasant ending.

I want to make sure readers know what they’re about to open because on the flip side this book is pure brilliance. The author wholly embraces the evilness of her characters - their motivations, the ways they think, how they treat each other. The plot is sinister and seductive. This book is about awful people finding other awful people and feeding off each other to a horrible end. You’ll be drawn in - despite your attempts otherwise.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was ok. It wasn't bad. It wasn't good. It was ok. The characters are all completely unlikable. The story dragged a bit for me, and I had a hard time getting into it. I'm growing weary of the trope of having the characters refusing to communicate with each other. I think authors use it to build suspense, but all it really does is make me uninterested in the story.

Very well written book by an author Ive never read before. Unfortunately it just wasn’t my type of book. I will definitely still look for more by this author.

I like this one . I like dark academia and this was that . I felt it was paced well with engaging characters and plot and was just a good read
Thanks for letting me review this book to Netgalley and the publisher

Atmospheric and entertaining - perfect for dark academia fans. A recommended first purchase for collections where thrillers are popular.

The writing is beautiful, the setting haunting, and the characters are bewitching. The pacing is a little bit on a slower side for me, but I enjoyed the read!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for my advanced readers copy.
Review posted on 9/25/2022

RATING: 3.5/5

I thought this book was such a fun ride! I really enjoyed being in our main character's head, and Darwent did a great job creating an obsession-building atmosphere. I've been pitching this book as The Secret History meets Bunny, and while I still stand by that, the second half of the novel loses a great deal of the momentum that had me hooked in the beginning. The novel as a whole feels too long and I think it would benefit with a few scene removals. Once I had hit the 64% mark I started struggling to really get through to the end, though it was definitely not due to a lack of interest.

With a cover this beautiful and beautiful prose from debut author Darwent, I know I will for sure be keeping an eye out on what she publishes next.

When Julia Heaberlin blurbs a book and deems it one of the best suspense debuts they've read, I'm going to be intrigued. I read her blurb when I was offered the opportunity to read The Things We Do to Our Friends early through NetGalley and decided to take a chance.

The book follows Clare who has moved to Edinburgh on her own to go to university and reinvent herself. There's something in her past she'd rather distance herself from. She wants to be accepted and liked by Tabitha, a rich girl who always gets what she wants. Tabitha is the leader of a tight knit group of friends who are also rich and they're all strange in their own ways.

Clare is desperate to be wanted and liked by these people, she puts in the time and earns their trust. Eventually Tabitha is willing to include Clare in their secret project. Clare is shocked to discover what the project entails but of course she's on board. Until things start to get out of hand. But Clare can't back out because the group knows about her past and could expose her.

Sounds pretty interesting, right? Unfortunately, I didn't completely enjoy this book. The plot was promising but in my opinion it could've been executed better. I will say it was easy to read and atmospheric. But overall it felt...empty. Like there was no there there, if that makes sense. I don't expect to be blown away by everything I read but I also don't like coming away from a book feeling like it was pointless.

It's a three star read for me, didn't love it but I finished it and liked the idea of it. Others will love The Things We Do to Our Friends of course, it just wasn't for me.

Thank you Ballantine, Bantam and NetGalley for the e-ARC.

This was well-written, but just not for me. It’s a story of a girl making new friends at university and tragedy following.

This book drew me in from its synopsis and the first couple of chapters. The plot was interesting, at first, but then it kind of fell off. It was hard to anchor myself to the book as I didn't really like the main character, as I found her to be very unlikeable. I really like the dark vibe that this book gave off because I really wanted to read more, but the plot wasn't really going anywhere. I think everyone will have different opinions regarding this book, so I would recommend trying it!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for this free arc in exchange for my honest review.

🐷🐷🐷 / 5

This just wasn’t it for me. I wanted to like this book so much because we just visited Edinburgh, Scotland and London, UK—where parts of this book are set—but I was just lost the whole time. Every time someone asked me about it, I couldn’t really tell them what I thought about the book or what it was about. There were some great elements to this book, but it, unfortunately, wasn’t enough for me. However, I wouldn’t discourage anyone from reading this book, as I’ve seen some good reviews.

After an exceptionally dismal opening chapter, I found it hard to get interested in the unlikable characters presented by debut author Heather Darvent. I confess to not finishing the novel, which is unlike me. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was well written, but I just couldn’t get past the fact that none of these characters were likable. There were a few twists that I was expecting. Thanks Netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Great opening for the book, but after that it just fell flat for me. It was very well written though. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

This is a new author to me and I absolutely loved the style of writing. I will definitely be looking for more books by this author.

I really wanted to like the characters in this story but truthfully they are so unlikable. What happens when you have a group of very wealthy young adults with no moral compass?….. nothing good. A good story, that’s for sure, but I’m very glad none of these people exist in my life.