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lolajh's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Very cool plot and the integration of fantasy themes into a modern setting, set with an unreliable narrator and FOOTNOTES. Back and forth time skipping with so many sapphic characters, a heap of them lesbians and I think I spotted a few butch lesbians too.
In the past timeline, a boarding school is deemed cursed after two young girls (they were lesbians too) went into the woods and were mauled to death by yellowjackets and seemingly spreading a curse of insanity and hallucinations that are driving people mad. Every single character’s backstory is explored, which I love, and the imagery in the horror scenes are so visual (I love that).
Then in the future, or present, timeline, three sapphic actors, one lesbian, one bisexual, and one not labelled that I think is quite lesbian-coded. These girls are all starring in a film about the history of the same boarding school and playing the lesbians at the beginning who died first from it as well as a depiction of their romance. Whilst these actors are working through the movie the curse set on the surreal events recorded to happen at the boarding school begin happening to them, so the mystery of the curse is found out by the reader and them at the same time as they discover it for themselves.During this, the trio gradually fall in love, with all three of them, perfectly sorting out the jealousy that occurred when two of the people were romantically involved and one is left out. The time they all come together and romance all three of them is when their relationship really comes together. Such a sick concept without the romance being the main plot of the story.
In the past timeline, a boarding school is deemed cursed after two young girls (they were lesbians too) went into the woods and were mauled to death by yellowjackets and seemingly spreading a curse of insanity and hallucinations that are driving people mad. Every single character’s backstory is explored, which I love, and the imagery in the horror scenes are so visual (I love that).
Then in the future, or present, timeline, three sapphic actors, one lesbian, one bisexual, and one not labelled that I think is quite lesbian-coded. These girls are all starring in a film about the history of the same boarding school and playing the lesbians at the beginning who died first from it as well as a depiction of their romance. Whilst these actors are working through the movie the curse set on the surreal events recorded to happen at the boarding school begin happening to them, so the mystery of the curse is found out by the reader and them at the same time as they discover it for themselves.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Pregnancy
sunbeam_reader's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
• Likes: The atmosphere was beautiful! I loved the writing on a sentence level, I think Danforth is really talented and managed to really capture this haunting vibe. The historical sections of the novel were by far my favorite—I honestly wish we spent more time there as I thought it was the better developed story. I really appreciated that Danforth included a poly romance with the main characters, that's something I rarely see and want to see more! And finally I LOVED all the illustrations. I really want to see more books that utilize art to enhance the story.
• Dislikes: The basic plot is interesting I just didn't find that it was executed very well. The jumping timelines was a bit confusing and frustrating since I enjoyed one over the other. I also really got annoyed by the footnotes—a lot of them felt out of place and unnecessary and it was just a bit messy. The characters in the modern timeline were not my cup of tea especially Merritt and Heather, I had a hard time connecting and rooting for them. Even though the book was alright in the first acts the last act fell apart completely for both timelines and I ended up leaving the book disappointed.
•REP: All the lead characters were sapphic! However, all, except one, were white. No one was trans or disabled. And there was a bit of bi-phobia directed at Audrey from one of the other characters which I felt was unnecessary. I will also add that it felt as if one of the characters, Merritt, was autistic/neurodivergent coded, however I am a neurotypical person so I cannot really say if that is the case. I would encourage readers or potential readers to seek out reviews of this book by neurodivergent people.
• Final Thoughts: I enjoyed a lot of aspects but for the most part I was unsatisfied with the ending and had a hard time connecting with the main characters. This was actually one of my most anticipated books to read this year and I was expecting it to be a 10/10 so I think that expectation is what made me feel so disappointed in the end.
• Dislikes: The basic plot is interesting I just didn't find that it was executed very well. The jumping timelines was a bit confusing and frustrating since I enjoyed one over the other. I also really got annoyed by the footnotes—a lot of them felt out of place and unnecessary and it was just a bit messy. The characters in the modern timeline were not my cup of tea especially Merritt and Heather, I had a hard time connecting and rooting for them. Even though the book was alright in the first acts the last act fell apart completely for both timelines and I ended up leaving the book disappointed.
•REP: All the lead characters were sapphic! However, all, except one, were white. No one was trans or disabled. And there was a bit of bi-phobia directed at Audrey from one of the other characters which I felt was unnecessary. I will also add that it felt as if one of the characters, Merritt, was autistic/neurodivergent coded, however I am a neurotypical person so I cannot really say if that is the case. I would encourage readers or potential readers to seek out reviews of this book by neurodivergent people.
• Final Thoughts: I enjoyed a lot of aspects but for the most part I was unsatisfied with the ending and had a hard time connecting with the main characters. This was actually one of my most anticipated books to read this year and I was expecting it to be a 10/10 so I think that expectation is what made me feel so disappointed in the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Bullying and Sexual content
Minor: Biphobia and Toxic friendship
imcourtneymarie's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.75
If this book had been 50% shorter it would have been more interesting. I kept waiting for it to get better. There were a couple of tense moments when you could feel some of the goings on at Brookhants, but I wish I had added this to my DNF ages ago.
The best part was the Libbie storyline. I would’ve read a book just about her story and it would have been a thousand times more interesting.
Redeeming factors were some of the characters and that there was a chunk towards the end that were gripping.
The best part was the Libbie storyline. I would’ve read a book just about her story and it would have been a thousand times more interesting.
Redeeming factors were some of the characters and that there was a chunk towards the end that were gripping.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Sexual assault
Minor: Sexual content and Pregnancy
mallory10100's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
oh my god i loved this book so much, what a creative story. i LOVED how gay it was
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Chronic illness, Drug use, Sexual violence, Vomit, Dementia, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
i highly recommend reading this :) at the start i was overwhelmed at the size of it, but it’s very much necessary for this storypanthalassa's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
best described as "absorbing." I wanted more from the ending, so taking off a star for that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Death
Moderate: Child death, Drug use, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Car accident, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Abortion, and Pregnancy
sandrakruse's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Kinda slow for the first half, but then it really picked up speed. I did find the ending quite rushed, though…
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gore, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide, and Injury/Injury detail
kalagallop's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Of the two timelines in the book, the characters in the present day are much more compelling and likable, while still being flawed. The ending is ambiguous in a way that is slightly frustrating, but the story was engaging the whole way through. I couldn’t put it down.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Biphobia, Body horror, Death, Suicide, Violence, Stalking, Death of parent, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Sexual content
nefariousbee's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Drug use, Vomit, and Car accident
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Minor: Addiction, Bullying, Fatphobia, Racism, Stalking, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
nenaveenstra's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I've read this book twice now, and both times I was enamored with its spooky atmosphere, its intricate storylines and its vibrant characters. And its gay-ness, of course.
Plain Bad Heroines follows two stories set at the same place but over a century apart. We follow Libbie Brookhants and her lover's perspective on creepy things evolving on her property and its boarding school in the 20th century, and a set of queer women involved with the making of a movie about said story in the 21st. The former creates a chilling frame to set the tone for the latter.
This is by no means a perfect book, but I did enjoy reading about fictional lesbians in the early 20th century dealing with, yes, scary things, but with life, above all. The ends they have to go to live their life the way they want to. And then the way the movie-making was set out to be. It could've been very corny, but it wasn't. It was super creative and I ate. It. Up.
This book is quite long, and I think it suffered for it a little bit. It felt like the author didn't quite know which story she wanted to tell - wanted to tell too many stories at once - and some storylines felt to drag on while others were rushed. I wonder if it would've done this book good to focus on the present storyline, and only keep some highlights from the 1900s.
Anyway. If you feel like being swallowed up in a gothic universe for about 600 pages, I would recommend this book. It's not super scary, so don't go into it expecting that, but it's so much fun.
Plain Bad Heroines follows two stories set at the same place but over a century apart. We follow Libbie Brookhants and her lover's perspective on creepy things evolving on her property and its boarding school in the 20th century, and a set of queer women involved with the making of a movie about said story in the 21st. The former creates a chilling frame to set the tone for the latter.
This is by no means a perfect book, but I did enjoy reading about fictional lesbians in the early 20th century dealing with, yes, scary things, but with life, above all. The ends they have to go to live their life the way they want to. And then the way the movie-making was set out to be. It could've been very corny, but it wasn't. It was super creative and I ate. It. Up.
This book is quite long, and I think it suffered for it a little bit. It felt like the author didn't quite know which story she wanted to tell - wanted to tell too many stories at once - and some storylines felt to drag on while others were rushed. I wonder if it would've done this book good to focus on the present storyline, and only keep some highlights from the 1900s.
Anyway. If you feel like being swallowed up in a gothic universe for about 600 pages, I would recommend this book. It's not super scary, so don't go into it expecting that, but it's so much fun.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Drug use, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Vomit, and Stalking
Minor: Suicide attempt
jenniferlynnkrohn's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Blood, Vomit, Grief, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Suicide and Pregnancy