This book sinks its teeth into you early and never lets up. It’s surreal, funny, unsettling, and deeply emotional in ways you don’t see coming. We Love You, Bunny is Mona Awad at her best—slicing through performance, power, and femininity with surgical precision and a grin that’s a little too wide.

The prose is hypnotic. Every line feels calculated but never cold. Awad creates a world that’s just left of reality, where every interaction carries an edge and every gesture could be a curse or a plea. The theater setting is the perfect pressure cooker—artifice, performance, obsession—and it makes the unraveling feel both inevitable and impossible to look away from.

This is not a gentle read. It’s sharp and strange and sometimes hard to pin down. But it’s also full of ache and longing, especially for those of us who’ve tried to shape ourselves into something lovable under a spotlight that never felt safe.

The ending hit hard. Not tidy, but true.

Thank you to Simon Element and NetGalley for providing an advanced reader copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest opinion.

Rating: 3.75 stars

We Love You, Bunny serves as both a prequel and sequel to the acclaimed novel Bunny by Mona Awad. This slasher-horror-camp hybrid is equal parts outrageous and tragic. In Bunny, we’re given a front-row seat to the cultish MFA fiction program at Warren University through the eyes of Samantha, a lonely recluse whose humble background is scorned by the Bunny Clique—a group of culty, popular, wealthy white women who pity her and invite her to their creative writing sessions known as the “Smut Salon.” Samantha is horrified, yet intellectually awakened by their bizarre “artistic process,” ultimately creating a darling of her own that gets published.

We Love You, Bunny picks up about a year after the disastrous events of the first book. Samantha returns to campus to promote her new novel, only to be kidnapped by the Bunny Clique, who are desperate to share their origin story—and the horrors they endured and committed in the name of literary creation. The Bunnies’ narcissism and jealousy are on full display. Awad sharply satirizes the faux-intellectualism of privileged, performative white womanhood, making it hard to tell whether to laugh, cry, or recoil in disgust.

This was one of those rare books where I disliked every character and still had a blast reading it. That said, We Love You, Bunny didn’t quite hit as hard emotionally as the original. It packed a punch, but lacked the heart and lasting impact of Bunny.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon Element | S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books for a copy of this ARC, it was deliciously deranged from start to finish.

I admit, when I first heard there was going to be a sequel to Bunny, I wasn’t sure what to think. On the one hand, I didn’t think Bunny really needed a sequel. On the other, I’ve adored all of Mona Awad’s books and I welcomed the idea of jumping back into that particular world.

The Bunnies are mad. Pissed-off even, ok Bunny? They just want a chance to tell their story because Samatha’s newly-smash-hit novel is so unfair. So what if they had to kidnap Samantha in the process? It’s their turn to talk now and they’re going to share every last sordid detail - how they met, how the Smut Salon came to be, and even how they discovered their abilities. Because Samantha got it all wrong, and they’re determined to set her straight.

This book is told in multiple perspectives but takes an interesting approach as we see (most) of the story unfold through the eyes of Sam. That is to say, the reader is the kidnapped-and-tied up Sam (this isn’t really a spoiler, the book really does hit the ground running). It’s a strange take on second perspective but it periodically switches to first-person as well. All that to say, there’s a lot of monologuing in this book.

Since their time at university, Samantha went on to be an acclaimed writer (somewhat implying that she wrote and released Bunny in her own world) but the Bunnies are incensed at how they were portrayed in her book. They decide to correct the narrative, by kidnapping and typing up Sam and then taking turns to explain just how the Bunnies came to be, and how unfair Sam’s portrayal of them was. In a way, it’s a plea to the reader to see the Bunnies as the victims, and Sam as the antihero.

I loved this. I went into it rather apprehensive but it ended up being every bit as adorably psychotic as I was hoping it would be.

Awad does a fantastic job making each of the Bunnies sound unique yet the same. The Bunnies have such an unusual love/hate love relationship with themselves and each other and I loved how the their narratives were each distinct but sort of blurred together as well. I also actually really enjoyed getting to hear the back story of each one of the girls. It strangely humanized them in a way that was lacking in the original novel (while, at the same time, making them seem even more psychotic than they were in the original, if that’s even possible).

There is also a surprise narrator that that I ended up enjoying way more than I thought I would, but in order to minimize spoilers, I won’t elaborate on this. Suffice to say, it added just enough of a break from the Bunnies’ perspectives that it kept the story flowing forward.

Basically, this book addresses so many of the questions I had after reading Bunny. I was content leaving these questions unanswered but I’m appreciative that, with this novel, Awad pulls away the curtain, so to speak.

That said, there are elements of self harm, eating disorders and other such topics that may be triggering for some readers, so if those are topics that bother you, perhaps proceed with a bit of caution.

If you haven’t read Bunny, I highly recommend reading that one first. Or, if you enjoyed the insanity of Bunny and think Duchess, Vignette, Creepy Doll and Cupcake deserve a chance to defend themselves, definitely pick this one up.

This book releases on September 23rd, 2025.

This review will be posted on website on September 15th, 2025

3.5 ⭐

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and the author for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was a wild ride. You think Bunny was a fever dream? Buckle up because this is even more wild. I thought the concept was interesting but I did find myself getting lost a bit throughout. Pacing was a bit challenging at times but the book definitely keeps your interested. I think this is such a wonderful experience for those who read Bunny and needed more about this world! I would recommend giving this a shot if you enjoyed Bunny!

I enjoyed Aerias point of view and found the last 10% of the book genuinely engaging. While it was fun to revisit familiar characters, the story as a whole felt drawn out and lacked the originality that made the first book such a hit. Instead of building on the strangeness and charm of the original, this installment came across as a superficial continuation more like a cash grab than a meaningful addition to the bunny universe.

I think this book gave me, like, a lobotomy, bunny, k? But in the best way possible. As a prequel/sequel, I wasn’t sure what to expect and was questioning the structure, but it truly panned out. Loved hanging with Aerius, and the ending was an excellent full circle. Absolutely wild ride and Mona Awad is a genius.

Special thanks to NetGalley for the early copy in exchange for an unbiased review!

I loved this book so much. The first one captivated me in such a way that I was perplexed as to how it would happen again with the same characters/situations/etc but,
this book was so unique-
In the way it was told
In the characters trials/tribulations
In the words used and how the author chooses to give us the story. Just… sigh… chefs kiss.
I am just as obsessed with this one as I was the first. I was so excited to get an eARC of this novel. I loved the body horror, the fantasy-thriller aspect as well.
I loved so much about it, but don’t want to post any spoilers. It was such an epic journey. I loved every moment. I am in awe of what Mona Awad achieved here. AGAIN.
After y’all read, message me, k bunny?

Delightfully unhinged! I really enjoyed Bunny, and We Love You, Bunny is the perfect follow up. The voices of the characters are so funny, especially one bunny in particular who narrates a large part of the book. Overall a pleasure to read, although it was a little bit long.

Bunny is a dark comedy of academia/horror/fairytale. I laughed many times and pretty much smiled the rest of the time while I was reading this masterpiece. Meeting back up with the Bunnies to get their side of the story is wickedly hilarious. There is a new and fascinating character that I fell madly in love with. Yes, bunny. I did.

I’ll be getting my hands on the audiobook as soon as it’s available since Sophie Amoss will be once again voicing the bunny tale. I couldn’t have loved this sequel more. If you enjoyed Bunny, don’t miss this. Okay, Bunny?

Slow at times, but absolutely the weirdest roller coaster of a series I’ve ever enjoyed.

Mona Awad delivers another surreal, chaotic, and strangely emotional ride in We Love You, Bunny. At moments, the pacing dragged a bit—but I was still completely hooked. This book made me want to laugh and scream at the same time. The absurdity, the satire, the horror… somehow it all worked.

If you loved Bunny, this expands the universe in the most unhinged and unexpected ways. It's bizarre, smart, and deeply unsettling—in the best way. Definitely not for everyone, but if you're into weird, you're in for a treat!

I found We Love You, Bunny to be easily readable, enticingly engaging, and very fun. It didn't flow as cohesively as I may have wanted to, but for me it was a necessary addition to my Mona Awad universe. This did feel a little bit like Mona wrote this book for Aerius' narrative alone, but I'm not mad about it. I enjoyed him very much!!

4.5 stars
Here we are back with We Love You, Bunny and it was just as weird as the first but now, knowing what to expect, I enjoyed this one immensely. Here we are going back and forth between the past and present with different POVs.
This book for me did fill the gaps of why is outside so dangerous exactly? And other type of questions when reading Bunny. I do like how it was written you don’t have many books that are like this one and I feel like not only was Bunny unique but We Love You, Bunny is still based around the same story but told in other POVs it still kept its uniqueness while adding more backstory.
I will say the only criticism I really have is when we get into the portions of the book that have the POV of Aerius. There is a lot emoji use. Specially smiley faces. And if you are a user who doesn’t have access to audiobooks, but does use, Alexa, Siri, or those types of means to read the book to you it will say “image” in those places and you will have no idea what type of image it is referring to so you have to be looking at the page at the time to see it if you can.
The only two books of Mona Awad’s that I’ve read so far have been Bunny and We Love You, Bunny. I definitely need to prioritize Mona‘s backlist to see if this type of writing that I am coming to find with her and these two books are just her style or something special because I do love it.

Thank you to Simon Element (S&S) for the complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Wow...just wow. This is one of the most confusing, strange, and interesting novels I have read. It is everything Bunny was, but intensified. It answers a lot of questions from the first book, but raises so many more. Buckle up for craziness, Bunny.

Tried to read this for about 100 pages but just could NOT get past the weird internal monologue likeness of it. This just wasn't my cup of tea but perhaps it is someone else's!

Bunny is a favorite of mine, so I loved being able to delve back into the mysterious world at Warren! Some things were explained, but not all. Overall a very enjoyable read!

I had high hopes for this follow-up… HIGH HOPES… and We Love You, Bunny met and exceeded every expectation I had. This is not just a standard sequel that continues the story of Bunny, but a meta heavy continuation that breaths depth into the first book while offering something new as well. I especially loved the “don quixotefication” of the story. See: Don Quixote Part 2, and the use of a self referential narrative.

Immediately after finishing this book, I HAD to pick up Bunny again and give it another read, and it really had a whole new perspective, now bolstered by what we learn in We Love You, Bunny. Love it!!!

Weird, funny, and so entertaining. Going back to the story of Sam & the Bunnies from the other POV was such a cool experience, created a 360 view of the situation from all perspectives. Such a fun read, I adore everything Monday Awad comes out with. Her books have a weird quirky way of writing that is just so unique and fun.

“Well, this isn’t exactly fucking Frankenstein, Bunny’”

I was honored by NetGalley with an eARC and S&S for two (😱) physical ARCs in exchange for an honest review.


Oh, Bunny.

I loved Bunny by Mona Awad and a BIG reason is because you’re left with all these questions and theories. Did we need “We Love You, Bunny”? No. But I can always appreciate Mona Awad’s genius writing style.

We Love You, Bunny is a companion piece to the original Bunny. It’s the ultimate prequel and sequel to Bunny. How is that even possible? I was in awe of Awad’s powers. She flipped the script and made something new, strong, and totally wacky.

WLYB is a fever dream, think Willy Wonka’s boat scene.
The first part almost felt like fan fiction to Bunny. Which I actually liked and was my favorite part of WLYB. The bunnies are fucking crazy and powerful. There’s a lot of answers to questions from Bunny if you listen and pay attention.

I found myself bored through Aerius’s scenes. :(
It’s all written in monologue which can be monotonous and laborious. :(
I still liked the plot but for me personally it dragged during his parts. :(

I loved the mentions of classic literature throughout. I mean they are at a prestigious ivy league school, Bunny. It actually did feel like Frankenstein.

Overall, I love Mona Awad. I’ll read anything she writes. I am having a hard time rating this wild ride. No formal rating but it felt like a 3 star to me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster books for the ARCs

this was such a trip! So so so fun

i was raving about this book to a friend recently and she asked me “so, do you think this was a necessary addition to the bunny universe?” and i said “idk, but it was fun, bunny!”*

the new perspectives in this book were SOOOO good, I couldn’t put it down.

mona awad is a literary genius and i love, love, love her, k? (and she said “really?” and i said “omg, totally”)

thank you to S&S and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review

-

*ok, I didn’t actually call her bunny but that would have been, like, so fitting, right?

We love you Bunny, we really do, but well, this just wasn't that necessary was it?

I was so stoked to read this, so maybe my excitement combined with how much I enjoyed the first book set my expectations too high. I was super into this at first. I loved getting the backstory on each of the women, and felt like they all had lots of depth. But... Aerius. I hated his sections with a passion. They were just super boring honestly, and way too long. I also really, really can't stand when a book addresses you as 'reader. And it's on every single page. Sometimes 2-3 times per page. It takes me out of the book to be addressed, and I just hate using the term 'reader' as someone's name. Other than the constant 'reader', I did enjoy the writing style a lot. I also really liked how Bunny felt like a fever dream. This book addressed a lot of that mystery in Bunny, which I actually didn't find necessary. But, I did really like the ending and how everything came together, so I feel really mixed on this one.

Thank you to Simon Element & NetGalley for the ARC.