I absolutely loved diving back into the Bunny cinematic universe. This book expanded upon the world and story from Bunny in unexpected ways. The narration style was unique and engaging (I won't give away any spoilers), and I loved that I really couldn't tell where the story was going. I'm always a big fan of creative criticisms of higher education (ala Babel, Disorientation, etc.), and I'm happy to add this to the list of books I've enjoyed in that category. I really appreciate when a book can make me laugh and make me think. We Love You, Bunny had me considering philosophical questions such as who owns an idea, what does it even mean to create, and how can we create without destruction while also laughing at the candid observations of one of the narrators. I highly recommend for fans of magical realism and Twin Peaks, and for anyone who both loves what higher education could be but feels disenchanted by what it is now.

When reflecting on We Love You, Bunny by Mona Awad, I can’t help but compare it to its predecessor, Bunny. This is partially because I had no idea what to do with that book, but I was intrigued enough to come back for more! Therefore, a lot of my feelings regarding this follow-up are comparative to my experience with Bunny.

Ultimately, I found this follow-up more enjoyable than its predecessor for two reasons. First, I really enjoyed the multiple voices from which it’s told. I’m not exaggerating when I say I cackled while reading the chapters from each Bunny’s perspective, especially Cupcake and The Duchess. This novel leans into the caricaturization of these characters in a way that felt more purely comedic than what is presented in Bunny from Sam’s overly serious perspective. (Or am I just being charmed by the Bunnies themselves?) Second, I found this novel to have a more enjoyable tone overall, perhaps because the Bunnies seem more self-aware of their craziness than Sam did. The alternating perspectives also kept me much more engaged than Sam’s singular one in the first novel. My biggest complaint is simply spending too long in the parts told from the new character’s perspective (no spoilers!); those sections dragged a bit for me. But give me more unhinged fun from the Bunnies anytime!

While We Love You, Bunny calls itself a prequel, sequel, and stand-alone novel, you’ll probably enjoy it a lot more if you’ve read Bunny. I know I did. Bunny was a crazy ride that left me wondering, “What just happened?” But We Love You, Bunny was just…fun! (In that dark and twisted kind of way that Bunny was, of course.)

Oh how I loved Bunny. And to be back in this world was exactly what I needed. Loved it, and it was a great follow up to her first book. If you loved Bunny you will love this one, guaranteed

Mona Awad has done it again, effortlessly encapsulating the unique weirdness of “Bunny" and expanding on the story with a new perspective.

In "We Love You, Bunny," protagonist Sam is now a published author on tour for her highly praised first novel. With a stop in New England, she’s reunited with her former colleagues, the Bunnies, by way of kidnapping. Blurring the lines of sequel and prequel, the Bunnies have their time to shine and tell their side of the story in the darkly funny, borderline controversial, and dramatically over-the-top fashion only they can.

With multiple narratives from unreliable narrators (and one adoringly refreshing narrator), distinct in such a way that made the writer in me giddy, the story touches upon the power of creation, the hivemind mentality of various arts, the true (or not true) meaning of love (and life), and coming to terms (or not) with the loss of creative control.

"We Love You, Bunny" is for the “Bunny" lovers who crave more, the weirdos with creative souls, the artists who laugh at dark humor (and themselves), and the readers able to suspend disbelief beyond the page.

Thank you Simon Element for providing the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Ahhhhh I was SO excited to read this. We love you bunny is the sequel/ prequel to Bunny. Samantha has written a book sharing about her experiences with the bunnies, and the bunnies would like to clarify.
We hear from each of the bunny girls as they tell a tied up Samantha how THEY recall things going down. It reads like a full length Burn Book entry from Mean Girls. The angst is evident, you can almost feel Mona’s pen tearing through the page in spots.
Not only do we get each of the bunny’s POV, we get to hear from the first bunny boy himself and his recollection of events is a RIDE to say the least. There is absolutely no way to try and predict what’s going to happen. This book was absolutely ridiculous in the BEST way possible.
There are no reliable narrators. You’re probably not even a reliable reader. Much like Mona’s other novels, We Love You Bunny, is dark and satirical and worth 5 stars all day long.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon Element for this ARC! We Love You, Bunny will be released on September 23rd!

I loved BUNNY, but I love WE LOVE YOU, BUNNY even more. So fun! So hilarious! So lovely! The chapters told from a certain new point of view were some of my favorite things I’ve ever read. And that ending blew my mind! Plus, trying to explain the plot to my husband was a damn good time. It was such a joy to read this book. I really can’t say enough good things about it.

Very unique setup of a prequel and a sequel rolled into one story. This book is certainly weirder than the first. Hearing the story from the other side, from the Bunnies and their creation, the split perspective but also the hive mind, it was all enthralling. The supernatural elements are even harder to decipher from what is "reality," but I think that is the whole point. I liked the writing in Bunny a bit more because it was more consistent, as it was all told by the same narrator, however the chaos and confusion only adds to the heightened sense of surrealism.

Equally as strange and mysterious as the original! I could hardly set this one down. Thank you so very much for the chance to read this early. Now I will eagerly await Mona Awad’s next release.

Mona Awad does it again with the prequel/sequel of Bunny. Her creativity when it comes to writing is unmatched and you will not be disappointed in We Love You, Bunny!

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc!
i went into this a little scared because i love bunny, and even with the blurb i felt like a sequel wasnt needed and i was afraid it wouldn't live up to the first book but oh man was i wrong. i don't even know how to describe this book without spoilers but it was amazing and im excited to pre order a copy so that i can annotate it once its out! if you loved the first book, i see no reason why you won't love this one. the perfect amount of weird with quotes thru out that really make you reflect on life

I very much enjoyed reading Bunny and it was one of my favorites of the year. It took me a second to remember some do the specific events that they referenced in WLYB, but I enjoyed the comparisons and the attention to detail. It was interesting learning more about the bunny men and how the Bunnies met. Bunny was such an interesting and original idea and the prequel / sequel is no different!

I have adored every single book I've read by Mona Awad, and We Love You, Bunny is no different. It makes me want to go back and compare notes, annotate both Bunny and this crazy pre/sequel. I laughed, I cringed, I felt genuine sadness for a bunny man, and I had so many jaw-dropping moments of confusion and intrigue. An unsurprising masterpiece from an amazing author.

I loved Bunny and was thrilled that there was more to the story! Right from the first chapter, I was absolutely hooked. I loved how the Bunnies spoje to us through Sam, it made the suspense feel so much realer when it seemed that you were the one tied up and being spoken to. Mona Awad is an exceptional writer, and I think We Love You, Bunny really puts her talents on display. The cover is not my favorite, but I think it calls back to Donnie Darko in a way that suits the narrative. I highly reccommend this book for anyone who loves horror, but especially those who love psychological twisters, as it often feels like you too are falling under the Bunny spell.

I loved the wild fever dream of Bunny so I had no idea what to expect from this one, but Ioved it just as much. The Bunnies are back and just as insane as ever. I love you, Bunny!

Admittedly I struggled with Bunny and it's "weirdness" BUT I read it almost a year ago and still think about it often. Describing it as a fever dream is accurate. We Love You, Bunny feels similar. It's weird but so funny and reflective I know it will stay with me. It's not for everyone. If you can hang in confusion knowing it may or may not come together, this is a book for you.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

I've tried so many times to get into Bunny, and I was hoping this time would be different because I really enjoy the writing, but I just constantly want more plot and more movement in the events of the story. All in all it just doesn't work for me personally.

4.5 stars rounded up.

“Well, this isn’t exactly fucking <i>Frankenstein</i>, Bunny.”

I was super excited and honestly honored to get an early review copy of this! Even though this is sort of a sequel but more-so a prequel, “We Love You, Bunny” feels most like a companion piece to volume 1. Almost as if Mona Awad were writing very capable fan fiction of her own universe. I realize this is a pretty strange thing to say considering the subject matter, but “We Love You, Bunny” is quite a bit more fantastical than “Bunny” was. So you should maybe know that going in if part one was a tad much for you. (I was obsessed with it.) In fact, I would even say that it’s ten times weirder than the first book. I have to confess that while “Bunny” is still one of my favorite novels in general, I have only read it once and since I have the memory of a goldfish I have forgotten some of it. It’s definitely time to revisit!

"WLYB" is completely made up of narration, so basically the chapters are all monologue. I can easily see this not being some people’s cup of tea. Especially if they find the casual and frequent use of “Bunny” as a pet name irritating. Oddly, I think that in another author's hands something like that would likely bother me but Awad manages to make it both cute and funny in a deranged way. The story of these characters gets pretty dark and violent, but I was consistently laughing even when I knew I shouldn't be. Mona Awad and Ottessa Moshfegh are both able to do this thing  where certain moments make me feel a little bit uncomfortable but also intrigued at the same time. I’m certainly not OKAY with what’s happening, but I’m fascinated and want to keep watching to see what happens. And Awad especially has such a beautiful and weird imagination. I'm an admirer, for sure. Though "WLYB" does have some strong things to say about going overboard with worshipping your muse...

It's always an interesting experience to read something primarily from the perspective of very flawed characters. The Bunnies are not good people in any way. (Tiny example: they refer to an unhoused person as simply, “A Homeless.”) Then there’s all the other highly questionable stuff. (They’re totally psychotic, lol.) But it all very much has an 80s/90s dark bratty humor sensibility to it. And I loved how different each of them were. If they designed a hotel, each of their rooms would have a completely different aesthetic and you would know instantly whose room belonged to who. Not a huge fan of how unlikable Sam was made out to be in this, because I liked her a lot in the first book. But then again, I have to keep in mind that every narrator present in this sequel hates her, so of course she won’t come across in the best light.

One minor complaint: Any time a character is narrating a memory back to someone else and that memory takes the form of entire chapters, I am unable to accept that the narrator would remember full conversations. That’s my nitpick with books that are in this type of format. If the entire thing is made up of memories, I automatically assume that none of it is reliable, and I doubt that every word spoken in the retelling is accurate. But maybe I'm supposed to doubt? No spoilery specifics, but this book has MULTIPLE unreliable narrators, and frequently alternating POVs. But Elsinore seems to get the stage a little more than the others. Though that might be for the best, because her narrative voice is the smoothest. (I think if I had to pick a favorite Bunny, though, it would hands down be Kyra.) I actually felt that the Poets were far less realistic and believable as characters than the titular “Bunnies.” From the way the Poets spoke to how they acted, I struggled whenever they showed up. Hilarious representation, though, of various majors at a liberal arts college. I only wish that some film students had been included, for personal reasons!

Did I catch a subtle reference or two confirming that Bunny and Rouge take place in the same universe? I also always appreciate American Psycho nods that are handled well.

Admittedly, there were times when this story was a bit too sappy/romantic for me, but I’m a very bitter person. On the other hand, I thought the conversation throughout about art and whether it truly belongs to you or if you create it as a means to change the lives of others was beautifully done, and there was a specific fourth wall breaking moment near the end that hit me like a punch to the chest and honestly made me cry. How dare you make me FEEL things, Mona Awad! 

The section that connects this narrative to the events of the first book seemed a little bit rushed, but overall I was a big fan of the ending. Yes to all of it!

This will likely be your cup of tea if:
- The first book is one of your faves
- You enjoy a good dark and funny “Heathers” dynamic
- You don’t need anything to be believable (This one is VERY important.)
- You went to a liberal arts college and can take a fair amount of roasting
 
You definitely will not love this if:
- You can’t stand narrators who use silly nicknames or made up slang a lot 
- It bothers you when women are especially awful in a novel
- The story is told in multiple POV’s that keep switching
- You didn’t enjoy the first book

“We’re artists,” Else prevaricated. “We just want to love what we make. And to make something that loves us. Is that so wrong?”

Thank you SO much to Netgalley and to the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own, Bunny.

Biggest TW: Self-harm, disordered eating, animal harm/death, Brief mention of SA, Depression, Alcohol abuse
*All quotes are from an early review copy and could change before the publication date.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

I love Mona Awad's writing, and this doesn't disappoint. If you enjoyed Bunny, you will enjoy this one, too.

recently re-read bunny, so I was excited to hear that mona awad had written a spin-off story, and even more so that it a was prequel centered on the bunnies 🐰

from the first few pages, I got sucked right back into the “bunny voice” — it’s in some ways even funnier than the first one (the hostile energy of the bunny hive mind had me laughing just about every other line) and very fun to see the bunnies take the reins of their own story.

about a third of the way in, this book takes an extremely frankenstein-ian (frankenstein-esque?) turn. concept-wise it was cool to explore, but the actual experience of reading that pov did get a bit grating after a while ( i will forever be traumatized by the sight of 🙂🙁). i also kept wondering why? there was such a clear drive in the first book with sam’s loneliness giving way to the creation of ava, whereas with this, I couldn’t understand why these bunnies were created beyond being blank objects of desire. maybe it just says something about the superficiality of the bunnys’ approach to the creative process (and why their results were so unimaginative) but it made the emotional stakes for their characters feel so low.

I think the first book was just so well-grounded within Sam’s character and this one had a hard time compensating without it. the bunnies are fun to tap into, but don’t really have substantial motivation. the franken-bunny does, I just wasn’t invested enough in his story. reimagining frankenstein is crazy difficult, even in a story as self-aware as this one, and i’m not so sure it ever really hits the mark.

all in all, definitely a fun read for any fan of bunny, if not a necessary one.

Mona Awad is writing some of the most fascinating and accessible weird fiction out there. This is a stupendous follow up to Bunny, that builds on what Bunny built while fully re-contextualizing it. Awad uses her own characters to hammer at the flaws of her own novel and break it wide open with an earth shattering follow up. It's a sequel, but also a prequel, and something else entirely. I am a fan of Awad completely, and admire her creativity and ambition to keep pushing the envelope. A second novel more than worthy of the first.