3 ⭐️

thankyou Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this one early.

I wanted this one because someone said it's in the same vain as Finlay Donovan and I've realized that's definitely the vibe I wanted but with reading, I agree to an extent.

I really liked the writing but the characters were very oddly written. I did think it was a solid story though.

If you like books where the main character knows something bad is happening but no one believes them, you'll like this book. The end dragged a bit, and I found all the characters insufferable for most of the book, but it was also kind of cliche and generic. Definitely a good travel book. Holds your attention like a speeding train.

“it’s not a cult” but it definitely is. glinda is a graduate school drop out who was trying to obtain an MA in english, specifically medieval era old english. she now works at a renaissance faire and can’t get a better job. her sister, west, is an accomplished woman still in college, the brightest and favorite daughter. dorothy has been involving herself with a cult, and when she is going to accept a marriage proposal from the cult leader himself, all hell breaks loose.

this is a silly, easy read that doesn’t touch on dark topics. i did it find it particularly humorous by any means. all of the characters are absolutely insufferable in all the wrong ways. there is little growth nor development as the story progresses, the dysfunctional family comes out of the predicament much as they came in. in truth, it reads like YA.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a funny take on some pretty troubling subject matter and it really works. The characters are mainly awful but so well written that they become amusing rather than annoying. It’s a hard book to classify as it fail appeal across genres. The insight into families and dysfunction is addressed in a way which is humorous without shying away from some of the realities. A really well written and entertaining book.

This had a little bit of everything in it. It was funny and quirky, twisty and turny, with some high family drama and really emotionally draining characters. I thought MY family put the fun in dysfunctional, but these guys take the cake. However, it was so captivating to be in their presence and watch their story unfold and I finished this in no time at all.

3.5/5 stars! This book was a quick read and it was enjoyable but extremely quirky. It requires you to suspend a great deal of reality and just go with the flow. If you can do, and enjoy humorous satirical books, this book will be right up your alley. At times the characters can be a bit 2-dimensional, but overall it was fun and I laughed throughout it.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

I LOVED this book from beginning to end. I loved the twists and turns in the story. I would love to see a sequel, in fact.

"It's Not a Cult" is a heartfelt, riotous family drama with a serious touch of whimsy. Glinda Glass's family has fallen apart in the wake of her dad's death, and her mom is heavily involved with a con artist cult leader. Glinda wants to save her family, but between her two sisters who seem to hate her, her mom's growing distance, and her inability to get out of her own way, she has her work cut out for her.

I really loved this story--Glinda is a bit of an annoying character who can't seem to say or do the right thing, but her transformation over the course of the novel is empowering and believable. The characters are rich and interesting, the plot engaging, and the budding romance sweet without being saccharine. In the end, the book is all about the strength of our familial relationships, and how far we'll go to protect our people. Overall, this book was well-paced, well-plotted, and housed a colorful cast of characters. I would definitely recommend it!

I was sent a free copy of this book from Netgalley. Here is my honest review.

I loved this book!

The title gives off quite dark vibes, and this book definitely had those themes, but it was somehow done in a way that was light and even humorous, which I didn't expect. It was a fast paced book.

While the "not a cult" is a main plot point, about how a set of siblings must try and rescue their mother, another main aspect of this story is family. I loved all three of the siblings and the relationship they had with each other. The family relationships were not always perfect, but you can tell that they love each other and the importance of family was shown through this book.
It also dealt with other topics such as guilt and grief.

I loved the relationship between Glinda and Troy and would enjoy reading more of their story. Glinda constantly pushing everybody away did get annoying in parts, but it was understandable why she did that.

The main antagonist is extremely unlikeable, and I would like to say more about him but I always try and write my reviews without spoilers.

An easy 5 stars!

(Also, it is definitely a cult)

I read this book and I loved this book and I have no idea why anyone would ever (ever, ever, ever) compare this to Bunny.

Bunny is weird and surreal and edgy and perfect – for the right reader.

This is also pretty darn close to perfect. It’s also funny, quirky, and sometimes heartbreaking. I loved Glinda and her entire damaged family. I adored Troy and his cousin. And I wanted to punch Arlon in his smug cult leader face.

The situations that Glinda gets herself in are definitely amusing and sometimes horrifying, but everything that happens cements that she’s a good person who just messes up sometimes – kind of like us all.

The cult seems a little silly at first, but as you learn more about it you realize that people like this definitely exist.

This was a fast and extremely entertaining read and I would happily read more and more!

• ARC via Publisher

“It’s Not a Cult” will be published on August 22nd 2023.

This is the second book this year I’ve read with a cult-theme – the previous one I read was very much a thriller whereas this was more, hm, down to earth, I guess? I quite enjoyed this story actually.

Our main character, Glinda, is flawed in a very believable way and her determination to get her mother out of this cult made for an interesting read. I think what I enjoyed most was that it felt real. It felt like something that could happen and, maybe most importantly, the reactions from the characters were convincing and realistic.

Since it's going to be released this summer I'll say it's def a plane/beach read. It's pretty quick, lightening fast pacing and a lot of jumping around. There's a really good story in here, but it needs some editing and character development bc the fact that the family knows it's a cult and still treats Glinda like she's a pariah is bizarre. How they were like yeah they got rid of all our stuff and are taking our house and cars and...like even West at 17 didn't have consistent development and her anger at Glinda was weird.

But for a quick read and a glimpse into the crazy that accompanies a cult and how easily people can be discredited by a smooth conman, it's a decent read

I was able to read this book as an ARC thanks to NetGalley.
I loved the characters, the angst of 17 year old West was incredibly believable and the fun spirit of Troy was captivating. I would have liked more descriptions of what the characters looked like, but then again it left it completely up to the imagination, which was kind of nice. The conflicts between the sisters and their worry I over their mom joining the cult was very well written, and had me on the edge of my seat.
The story was interesting enough, but I think I would have liked more back story to how the cult had started. And what each member had gone through to be a member.

I love the idea of this story, but I felt like it dragged on in a lot of places. It was an easy read.

I've heard It's Not A Cult described as Mona Awad's Bunny meets Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and I wholeheartedly agree with that comparison.

One of the best parts about it is the main character, Glinda's voice. she begins on a completely manic spiral which acts as a kind of warning to the reader as to what you're going to get with this book. At the same time, Glinda is extremely witty and charming which is what keeps you going.

This book is equal parts goofy and endearing and I loved that!

Absolutely amazing book loved it from start to finish it was so interesting I would defo recommend this book 100 times over !!!!!

Glinda is a bit of a mess but she's a mess we can understand, she's a rape survivor and a recovering addict, she's grieving, she's trying her best but there's a lot of strain in her family relationships and she's being entirely blamed for it in a way that isn't entirely fair. Her only apparent ally appears to be her coworker/friend whom she isn't that nice to even though he is an adorable himbo seeming energy drink guzzling golden retriever energy having sweetie. She's a mess and she's ill equipped to but she has to extricate her mother and her home from the claws of a cult leader and mend relationships with her family.
It all sounds very bleak doesn't it? While there is sadness in this book the general tone isn't sad and it's really a thoroughly enjoyable and often funny read with compelling and if sometimes genuinely infuriating characters.
I found myself relating with Glinda a lot on how her intentions are almost always misinterpreted by her family, I don't know if it's because the author intended her to be read as neurodivergent (it's said that she had at least at some point a prescription for Adderall but ADHD people are more likely to forget to take their than to get addicted to it so I assume that if neurodivergence is implied it's not ADHD) or if it was just a side product of the strain addiction and grief can put on relationships but I liked that.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC!

I really wanted to like this story but it was just okay. Predictable, slow, and I didn't like the main character. It's a unique and interesting premise for sure, but I don't think it was well executed. It's not the worst it could be and was enjoyable at some parts, but, I just wouldn't pick it up again.

Interesting and well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Just a little slow and unbelievable at some points. A girl who has a series of unfortunate events happen to her and we are endlessly made to feel bad for her and what choices she makes while in reality she is a self centered spoiled brat (my opinion). So that definitely made it hard to read. Ending predictable and also way too drawn out. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.