The story follows Clare a first year art history student at the university of Edinburgh. Clare has never really felt she fit in so when the mysterious and intriguing Tabitha pulls her into her group she is all to happy to join. Clare quickly starts to get obsessed with Tabitha and her friends and is pulled deeper and deeper into her twisted but glimmering world. When Tabitha comes forward with a business plan, Clare feels she can’t refuse.

This is a very twisted and dark story about toxic friendship and what people do to feel like they belong. It reminded me a little of The secret history although with a little less weight on the academia side and more focus on the psychological games within the friend group.

I think the psychological and twisted side to this story was quite well done. It’s like a train wreck you can’t take your eyes off, even though it’s quite horrible. The details of the story were quite odd and disturbing, but I kinda liked that about it. It gave it a kind of weird atmosphere.

Sadly I did this the story itself dragged a lot. I didn’t feel like picking it up much. I think this is mainly because of the way the story is told. Clare tells us this story, looking back on it years later. So we get a lot of telling and not a lot of showing. There was a lot of talk about how the friend group was like different parts of the same body, they were that close. But you never really saw that much. And I think similarly we didn’t get to see much of the personalities of the different characters play out, we were only told by Clare. This made me feel a little detached from the story and the characters.

Similarly I think the twist didn’t hit me as hard as I hoped it would. I wasn’t really shocked or surprised, because I feel it was quite obvious in the way the story was told. Like it showed through the storytelling because our narrator also knew already. Maybe that’s a weird way of explaining it but that’s what it felt like to me.

So I think the story would have benefited from a different style of writing. If we would have experienced the story along side Clare instead of being told in retrospect, it would have hit a lot harder.

This dark, psychological thriller was gripping, intense and very intriguing.

The author has done of good job of showing you just how toxic female friendships can be!
The twists and turns had me second guessing myself on more than one occasion, and for a debut novel, it certainly had my attention!

The cover is also a winner for sure! Caught my eye straight away!

A more in depth review will be posted nearer the publication date but thankyou Netgalley for letting me read an ARC of this book.

This debut novel is a mystery (crime) thriller with more twists and turns than you can poke a stick at. It centres around a group of female friends - some rather venomous, dysfunctional characters - and the protagonist, who is carrying a load of emotional baggage. Fragile bonds link her and almost everyone, whether it’s an overly controlling relationship or her estranged parents.

On the face of it, the concept might not be everyone’s cup of tea. However, there is something deliciously intriguing about it.

Set in Scotland, this dark, less-than-bonny tale of misdeeds, murky escapades and questionable business ventures is confronting, witty, and sometimes excruciatingly cringe-worthy. It’s well-written and offers insightful character portraits complete with personality flaws. I didn’t particularly care for the unhealthy relationships between the characters; in that sense, I would never befriend them in real life. Yet it was effortless spotting people I have encountered (and avoided) with the same traits. I did, however, sympathise a little more with the protagonist and was ultimately rooting for her.

Overall, it’s well-paced, although I felt it did suffer in parts from being a little languid/sluggish.

I’m not entirely sure the title does it justice, although I am unable to come up with an alternative.

My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin General UK for granting this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dark and toxic friendships between college girls in Edinburgh. Interesting characters and weird twists.
3.5, it could have been a 4 but the end was a bit disappointing for me.

This was perfect. It was exactly what I expected when I r4ead the description and more. I love a book about toxic, manipulative friendships and this definitely delivered. A kind of twisted feminist undertone was present throughout and it was really enticing. The plot twists and development were gripping and its definitely an unforgettable read.
I read the book quite staggered so I did occasionally struggle to keep up with the timeline, but that's just me.
Overall a fantastic read, definitely recommend it.

Heather Darwent’s captured toxic young adult female friendships and so well in this dark and disturbing story.

Super dark, strong, complex female characters how and where do you learn to draw the line? How do you enact revenge for yourself and for others.

I’d recommend this for an engaging, though provoking read which you won’t forget in a hurry. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

A brilliant and gripping book about finding yourself and finding our who your friends really are. It was giving dark academia with a hint of grittyness which I loved.

This was a perfect unsettling read which I absolutely devoured in a few days. It was also one of my anticipated reads.
The way Darwent presents adolescent female friendships was brilliant and I loved how 'obsessive' she made them. The main character of the book, Clare, draws you in - you don't want to stop reading! She has a mysterious past which becomes more apparent as she falls into the Scottish university way of life. If you love unreliable narrators then this is the book for you. The atmosphere of the book mixed with not trusting what the narrator is saying made this a 5 star read for me.
Such a perfect read for any dark academia fans!

A clever, startling, twisted psychological thriller. It started out slowly and I thought that it might be the sort of book I’ve outgrown – a coming of age story where the shy heroine leaves home and finds herself entangled with a glamorous, exciting crowd (think The Truants by Kate Weinberg or anything by Tania Kindersley). But about a third of the way through it became clear that the structure was in fact very clever and that something you thought you’d had a preview of was in fact something that had already happened. From then on the book picked up pace and became darker and more shocking. The twists and turns came thick and fast and the plot was very cleverly done.
It is necessarily a little bit melodramatic and with a sense of heightened reality. In real life I’m not sure teenagers this sophisticated and devil-may-care exist. It would have packed more punch had it felt closer to real life. I've given it 4 stars rather than 5 because it is a fantastical tale and I felt that the main character and also the character of Ava reacted according to what the plot needed rather than having a solid psychological foundation. It's not as compelling as The Secret History, but if TSH is the gold standard then this is still a very good book. I think when I was younger and just after a good story, I would have given this 4.5 or 5 stars. It is a terrific horror story which keeps the tension up right until the end and was enjoyably shocking and surprising albeit you do have to suspend your disbelief while reading.

Oh my this is such a dark and compulsive read that takes your head and grabs your thoughts I just didn’t know what to expect next!
The story follows Clare who arrives in Edinburgh to study art at the university but Clare has a past she wants to forget, she wants new friends a new and happy life, she has her new name so now all she needs is to start again so when she gets a part time job in a bar and connects with other students all seems to be good but things are not always what they seem.
This is a deeply disturbing story about retribution and revenge but it’s done in such a way that it draws you in to a story that is full of twisted logic and with a whole cast of crazy characters it so intense.
So a really well written book that is very different to what I was expecting but I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish.
My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin General UK for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Absolutely amazing read! Such a captivating read! Amazing cover art that was super eye catching would definitely recommend to all! Super super read

This book was enjoyable enough, it definitely kept my attention and kept me interested, and I wanted to know what happened next, but I just felt like something was lacking. I kept waiting for a major twist (that maybe one of her Edinburgh friends was actually connected to what happened in France? Or that her past was catching up with her?) and it never really came. The characters were compelling, the relationships were interesting, I just felt the narrative needed a little more.

Set in Edinburgh in the mid-2000s, The Things We Do To Our Friends is a weird little slow-burning psychological thriller that was absolutely nothing like my expectations. Narrated by Clare, a first-year student at the University of Edinburgh, it's a tale of privilege, heady friendship and pushing boundaries. Saying more than that would give away the plot, which is more than a little wild. Although I found this incredibly readable, generally quite well-written and the perfect accompaniment to a long train journey, I wasn't a huge fan. I was expecting something more dark academia, something that made more of its Edinburgh setting and mid-2000s timeline, but this was just weird and quite difficult to categorise and I'd kind of lost patience by the end. Read it if you like women doing dark shit, but it wasn't my favourite.

Gripping and thrilling!

I really enjoyed reading this book and exploring all the characters! The story flows very well and kept my attention

This book started really strong for me. I thought I was going to love it, but it seems to not have a direction or purpose. The characters do not seem fleshed out enough and although there's some mystery and intrigue, is not enough substance, so it feels like it's lost itself.

This was a fantastic psychological thriller - easy to read, I was quickly immersed in the atmosphere of Clare’s time in Edinburgh.
I wouldn’t necessarily call this dark academia - aside from the initial backdrop of meeting at University, the majority of the story focusses heavily on Tabitha’s circle of influence and the extracurricular ‘project’ she is desperate to draw Clare into.

From the outset, we know that Clare has something to hide - she does not confess to be a sympathetic heroine and I can see how some people might find it difficult to view the world from her eyes. Personally, I loved the idea of her being swept into Tabitha’s world whilst still trying to engineer things to suit her own requirements.

Well-paced with a fun twist at the end (I guessed it, but that made things even more satisfying) I will definitely be recommending this to other book lovers!

Many thanks to Heather Darwent, Viking and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book!

I absolutely ate this up it was everything I wanted. I’ve seen online this is a debut? If that’s correct I’m even more blown away!!

What a debut! If you like the Heathers film I think you'd really enjoy this.

i loved how they gave us the first shocking chapter and then began with the story; I found myself constantly thinking back and wondering what had happened and why? The characters were complicated and peculiar and throughout the book I felt as though I was learning things about them that I shouldn't.

Very enjoyable read and definitely an author I would read again!

Critiques: They nodded to the girls being witches so much that I thought that was the way the book was heading, so I was a bit disappointed that there was no witchcraft. Also, the book is being sold as taking place in Edinburgh, but it could honestly be anywhere. In my opinion, if you're going to pick such a magical and haunting backdrop to your story, the location needs to be used practically as a main character; influencing the tone of the book and mood of the characters.

being completely honest, i absolutely inhaled in this book in one go and couldn’t stop myself if i tried. this is one of those books where if you don’t pace yourself, there’s no way you can put it down. absolutely loved it!!!

it really reminded me of the secret history with a lot of the themes and the secrets between characters. however it had less of the like, pretentious filler you so often get in dark academia books (which i LOVE!!). i loved the limited perspective clare gave us, again similar to in tsh where we have no idea what they’re up to when we’re not with them.

the twists and turns this went through were so interesting and kept me so hooked, especially the last 30% of this book !! i knew as soon as we were discussing “the project” there was no way i was putting the book down anytime soon.

i wasn’t like ?? majorly obsessed with the end, which explains the 4 star. the epilogue just left me a bit .. okay ?? but thoroughly enjoyed this and would rec to anyone that loves a gritty dark academia book (bonus points for it being set in edinburgh)

and finally, thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this !!

I'm not sure how I would describe it, maybe psychological thriller meets horror.
The book was really well written but I found if very slow going and the ending left me feeling rather unsatisfied. I would definitely read another book by the author