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owenwilsonbaby's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
"It makes us feel a little like God. No, we can’t go that far. In fact, we are a little fearful of God right now, if he’s out there."
Well-paced and compelling for the first two-thirds. Literally couldn't put it down during that period. The ending then felt a little more rushed or insecure, and some of the late stage reveals felt unearned or not foregrounded. That said it was extremely funny to read this after being on a creative writing course for a few years.
Well-paced and compelling for the first two-thirds. Literally couldn't put it down during that period. The ending then felt a little more rushed or insecure, and some of the late stage reveals felt unearned or not foregrounded. That said it was extremely funny to read this after being on a creative writing course for a few years.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Stalking, and Self harm
Minor: Addiction
lindseyhall44's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I’ve seen many reviews surrounding Bunny which call it weird in a negative connotation. Though I completely understand that the subject matter and execution of the novel may not be for everyone, the so-called “weirdness” is what truly enraptured me.
Bunny follows Samantha, a student at a elusive arts college, as she navigates a relationship with a group of friends/cult-esque members in her writing cohort, who call themselves the bunnies. Through a blurred lense between real and imaginative, repulsed and obsessed, Awad crafts a tale so startling unique against the backdrop of contemporary literature that it can’t help but shine through.
What surprised me the most in this novel was that even throughout the darkness and sinister facets of Samantha’s experiences, for the most part I still found a sense of understanding in her decisions. Stripping down the horror elements and fever dream atmosphere, there is just a sad girl wanting to belong somewhere, and it takes a strong writer to explore such underlying desires.
The prose is another area of expertise for Awad, as it is craftily used in highlighting the perspective shifts of Samantha’s internal monologue.
Overall, I really enjoyed Bunny, and can not wait to check out the author’s latest work!
*as always, don’t forget to check trigger warnings!
Bunny follows Samantha, a student at a elusive arts college, as she navigates a relationship with a group of friends/cult-esque members in her writing cohort, who call themselves the bunnies. Through a blurred lense between real and imaginative, repulsed and obsessed, Awad crafts a tale so startling unique against the backdrop of contemporary literature that it can’t help but shine through.
What surprised me the most in this novel was that even throughout the darkness and sinister facets of Samantha’s experiences, for the most part I still found a sense of understanding in her decisions. Stripping down the horror elements and fever dream atmosphere, there is just a sad girl wanting to belong somewhere, and it takes a strong writer to explore such underlying desires.
The prose is another area of expertise for Awad, as it is craftily used in highlighting the perspective shifts of Samantha’s internal monologue.
Overall, I really enjoyed Bunny, and can not wait to check out the author’s latest work!
*as always, don’t forget to check trigger warnings!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Violence, Toxic friendship, Death, Gaslighting, Drug use, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Death of parent, Abandonment, Sexual content, and Stalking
Minor: Mental illness
zoe_archambault's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I really liked the writing style, it was nothing I've read before. Really eerie and well done, with a decent sense of progression. The middle plot swap lost me for a minute, but I was right back in after about 50 pages. Only gripe is with the ending, it just felt a bit rushed and forced into a nice bow, when I think some kind of raw ending would have worked better, even with no intention of a sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Murder, Animal death, Blood, Death, Drug use, Grief, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, and Body horror
Minor: Death of parent, Stalking, and Mental illness
hels_archive's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Review Summary : This book's premise is incredibly nuanced and unique to the point where I know I'll likely never read another story like it. I liked Samantha (to a degree), I liked Ava (as a companion to Samantha), and I enjoyed the academic writing ensemble from the bunnies to the professors. However, at the end of the day, this book read so unbearably slow for me. I listened to it on audiobook and failed to finish before my loan ran out the first time, so with 20% left I had to wait 2 weeks to receive it again. Then, when I got it off hold once again, I had to crank the speed up to x3 to get through it. I don't want to spoil anything, and with books as clustered with twists like this one, everything feels like a spoiler. My review is more just an opinion, reaction, and reflection on my reading experience. I do think this was a well crafted novel and I can see why people love it. I just hated it and had a bad time.
Rating: 2/5 . If you are enjoying the new wave of dark surreal fiction, you'll really enjoy this. I recognize that I am burnt out from reading books of this tone/style and so maybe my feelings will improve in time, but right now this is where I'm at.
Rating: 2/5 . If you are enjoying the new wave of dark surreal fiction, you'll really enjoy this. I recognize that I am burnt out from reading books of this tone/style and so maybe my feelings will improve in time, but right now this is where I'm at.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Violence
Moderate: Gore, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Toxic friendship, Stalking, Sexual content, Death, and Blood
Minor: Abandonment and Drug use
sarah984's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
This book made me so angry. I do feel like there's something there about desire, that these girls can grant any of their own darkest desires but still come up with these like unthreatening neutered ken doll Disney princes, but the story doesn't really engage with that. Instead it delves into this extremely unrelatable portrait of female friendship where the main character hates the Bunnies while simultaneously being desperate for their approval (if they're so stupid why do you care if they don't like your story?????).
There is this bizarre extended sequence near the end that involves a twisted hallucination of two characters critiquing the book and honestly I agreed with everything they said so clearly this book was not for me.
There is this bizarre extended sequence near the end that involves a twisted hallucination of two characters critiquing the book and honestly I agreed with everything they said so clearly this book was not for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Sexual content, Stalking, Toxic friendship, and Vomit
Minor: Death of parent, Eating disorder, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicidal thoughts
kelseyland's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Extremely harrowing but unputdownable book about the ways in which niceness and shame can be weaponized among groups of women. Totally fucked up but I loved it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Violence, Gore, Blood, Self harm, Murder, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Body horror, Suicidal thoughts, and Mental illness
Moderate: Eating disorder and Death of parent
Minor: Stalking
keen's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
What a ride. If I had to compare this book to any mean girl clique, it'd be the Heathers for the Heathers musical. The main character is even named Samantha Heather Mackey.
It's rare for me to finish a book in three days. To read 100 pages each day. On average, it takes me about a week to finish a book about 400 pages long. If a story's good, I'll read 40 to 50 pages daily. So, suffice to say, this book kept me interested.
I never thought I'd be able to care so much for unlikable characters. Samantha and her friend Ava are obviously flawed people. Not the type I'd want to hang around in real life, and might even actively avoid. Yet throughout the book, I still enjoyed them. I even found myself relating to Samantha to a worrying degree. And, thankfully, her flaws are directly acknowledged. Complaints I had with characterizations were relieved by that.
Then there are the Bunnies. At times, I forgot this book was a horror story. I would get comfortable with the Bunnies and think "I wish I was with them" before remembering what this book is about. Before remembering that I really wouldn't want to have to change my identity to befriend a group of girls. A few times I commented that I felt "rancid vibes" emanating from this story.
And the ending of the book. All I can say is that it makes a reread worth it.
It's rare for me to finish a book in three days. To read 100 pages each day. On average, it takes me about a week to finish a book about 400 pages long. If a story's good, I'll read 40 to 50 pages daily. So, suffice to say, this book kept me interested.
I never thought I'd be able to care so much for unlikable characters. Samantha and her friend Ava are obviously flawed people. Not the type I'd want to hang around in real life, and might even actively avoid. Yet throughout the book, I still enjoyed them. I even found myself relating to Samantha to a worrying degree. And, thankfully, her flaws are directly acknowledged. Complaints I had with characterizations were relieved by that.
Then there are the Bunnies. At times, I forgot this book was a horror story. I would get comfortable with the Bunnies and think "I wish I was with them" before remembering what this book is about. Before remembering that I really wouldn't want to have to change my identity to befriend a group of girls. A few times I commented that I felt "rancid vibes" emanating from this story.
And the ending of the book. All I can say is that it makes a reread worth it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Sexual violence
Minor: Eating disorder, Racial slurs, Rape, and Stalking
the_escapist's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I have no idea what genre to place this as. Surrealist? Absurdist? Light horror?
It’s about a writing student with a dark imagination and a clique of girls (the ‘bunnies’) who may or may not have the ability to do stuff that blurs the boundaries between fiction and reality. It gets progressively weirder the more it goes on. The writing style gets progressively more abstract and metaphorical the more it goes on. In short, it gets trippy. Unreliably narrated, a tiny bit meta, a few plot twists… I’m still not sure what I read or what to make of it (have a few theories though), but I enjoyed the ride.
It’s about a writing student with a dark imagination and a clique of girls (the ‘bunnies’) who may or may not have the ability to do stuff that blurs the boundaries between fiction and reality. It gets progressively weirder the more it goes on. The writing style gets progressively more abstract and metaphorical the more it goes on. In short, it gets trippy. Unreliably narrated, a tiny bit meta, a few plot twists… I’m still not sure what I read or what to make of it (have a few theories though), but I enjoyed the ride.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Murder
Minor: Bullying, Self harm, and Stalking
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