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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
I have been a Twitter fan of Amy Gentry for a long time, but due to my bad habit (haha, see what I did there) of prioritizing ARCs, I hadn't read any of her published work yet. So I jumped at the chance to download this forthcoming release, and I'm so glad I did. I will now be prioritizing her backlist.
BAD HABITS is a deep character study, with professor Claire/Mac Woods as its center. As the novel opens, Claire is a professor who has just finished giving a keynote at a conference. She's at the hotel with a young graduate student she plans to take back to her room - when she spots her ex-best friend, Gwen, at the bar. After years of not seeing Gwen, Claire wants to reconnect. But there is a sordid reason why they haven't been in touch - and the story is unfurled in flashbacks, when Claire went by her first name, Mackenzie/Mac. The women grew up together and went off to the same school, Dwight Handler University, to study an esoteric field called "Emerging Studies." But the magnetic woman who ran the program - Bethany Ladd - drove a wedge between them. And Mac realized just how far she could go to get what she wanted.
There is so much good stuff in this book - from the deft, surprising writing to the subtle turn of the plot. Tension simmers on every page, from Mac's background of growing up with a mother on drugs and a sister with special needs, to the secrets Bethany carries with her that seed the entire Emerging Studies program. There's also humor, highlighting how ridiculous academics can get when they get all up into their own thoughts. The thrills are a slow burn, but once the suspense ratchets up, readers will be glued to the pages. I'm excited to recommend this one to my fellow writers and library patrons.
BAD HABITS is a deep character study, with professor Claire/Mac Woods as its center. As the novel opens, Claire is a professor who has just finished giving a keynote at a conference. She's at the hotel with a young graduate student she plans to take back to her room - when she spots her ex-best friend, Gwen, at the bar. After years of not seeing Gwen, Claire wants to reconnect. But there is a sordid reason why they haven't been in touch - and the story is unfurled in flashbacks, when Claire went by her first name, Mackenzie/Mac. The women grew up together and went off to the same school, Dwight Handler University, to study an esoteric field called "Emerging Studies." But the magnetic woman who ran the program - Bethany Ladd - drove a wedge between them. And Mac realized just how far she could go to get what she wanted.
There is so much good stuff in this book - from the deft, surprising writing to the subtle turn of the plot. Tension simmers on every page, from Mac's background of growing up with a mother on drugs and a sister with special needs, to the secrets Bethany carries with her that seed the entire Emerging Studies program. There's also humor, highlighting how ridiculous academics can get when they get all up into their own thoughts. The thrills are a slow burn, but once the suspense ratchets up, readers will be glued to the pages. I'm excited to recommend this one to my fellow writers and library patrons.
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was expecting a thriller out of this but got more than I bargained for. Amy Gentry can write and write well. This was literary suspenseful, psychological fiction at its finest and it surprised me in the best way possible. I loved the before chapters that take us back to Mac and Gwen's toxic college days...sex for grades anyone!? I love Ms. Gentry's ability to take the written word and use them as weapons in the story.
What I liked most about the story is the fact that I was really rooting for Mac when I first picked up the book. She comes from nothing with an addicted mother and a sister who has special needs, she has been supporting both most of her life. But then as the story progresses I learned to despise her without really noticing...page by page it crept in. I loved that, and the reveal alone is worth five stars...well done Ms. Gentry!
Disclosure:
Thank you NetGalley, Amy Gentry and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Mariner Books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own.
#BadHabits #NetGalley
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Very dark, pretty gay. I liked it. As far as stories about academic abuse and jealousy go.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
What do you call that empty feeling you have the day after you finish a great book? That’s what I’m feeling right now.
Finished Bad Habits last night and can’t stop thinking about it. From the moment I picked it up i was captivated and couldn’t put it down. Fast, super smart, and dark.
Finished Bad Habits last night and can’t stop thinking about it. From the moment I picked it up i was captivated and couldn’t put it down. Fast, super smart, and dark.
Maybe you think your grad school experience was bad - Mac and Gwen's was definitely worse. These high school friends ended up at The Project, an elite graduate program with the prize of a lifetime: the exclusive Joyner fellowship. As Mac and Gwen go head-to-head academically and personally, Mac has to start playing dirty. Years later, Mac has reinvented herself as successful professor Claire...but the problems start anew when she runs into Gwen at a conference.
Having spent 4 years in grad school, I love a good academic novel. The Program is a perfect grad school dystopia: unintelligible lectures, cutthroat faculty, and inappropriate professor-student relationships. Mac is clearly in way over her head. I liked that Gentry covered Mac's difficult childhood and showed how much easier academia is when you come from means, like Gwen does. The drama and twists keep coming, making this a cross between a thriller and a character study. I enjoyed the book, but the ending was a bit over the top, making this more of a 3.5 star read for me rather than a 4 star.
Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.
Having spent 4 years in grad school, I love a good academic novel. The Program is a perfect grad school dystopia: unintelligible lectures, cutthroat faculty, and inappropriate professor-student relationships. Mac is clearly in way over her head. I liked that Gentry covered Mac's difficult childhood and showed how much easier academia is when you come from means, like Gwen does. The drama and twists keep coming, making this a cross between a thriller and a character study. I enjoyed the book, but the ending was a bit over the top, making this more of a 3.5 star read for me rather than a 4 star.
Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.
“you can’t love other people when you hate yourself. and i never loved myself more than when i was trying to be gwen.”
dark academia female talented mr ripley okay!!!!!! i hate the phrase “dark academia” but i loved this as a point in the “don’t go to grad school” column (especially when i was frustrated by how little research mac had done before starting The Program, before realizing how identifiable that was with my own college experience). and i love love loved such a ruthless protagonist, but i really kept wishing throughout that there had been more of gwen as a character, and their friendship, to feel the loss more. the split timeline too was something that in theory i liked but felt forced at times, and the final pages literally made me feel like i was watching the last star wars movie in a batshit way. but very fun.
dark academia female talented mr ripley okay!!!!!! i hate the phrase “dark academia” but i loved this as a point in the “don’t go to grad school” column (especially when i was frustrated by how little research mac had done before starting The Program, before realizing how identifiable that was with my own college experience). and i love love loved such a ruthless protagonist, but i really kept wishing throughout that there had been more of gwen as a character, and their friendship, to feel the loss more. the split timeline too was something that in theory i liked but felt forced at times, and the final pages literally made me feel like i was watching the last star wars movie in a batshit way. but very fun.
Holy shit this was amazing. I saw NOTHING coming!