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sunbeam_reader's review against another edition
- 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
• 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.
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Bullying and Sexual content
Minor: Biphobia and Toxic friendship
wordwilderness's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Death and Drug use
Moderate: Sexual assault and Suicide
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, Murder, and Lesbophobia
ticktock's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Suicide, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
julesadventurezone's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Child death, Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
jenniferlynnkrohn's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Blood, Vomit, Grief, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Suicide and Pregnancy
emilysquest's review against another edition
5.0
Edit: Also a little surprised by all the reviews citing a slow pace—this book zipped along for me; I couldn't put it down. And I loved the discursive (but not really discursive) narrator and the characters' messy inner workings. But these things are, of course, subjective.
Moderate: Body horror, Infidelity, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Rape and Suicide
katherinevarga's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
-Hollywood & rich people on social media satire
-dark academia / queer girls at boarding school at turn of the century
-wordplay, footnotes, and illustrations
-a "Truly Devious" trilogy (jumping between past and present; quirky characters) meets "Dawson's Creek Halloween specials" (meta-awareness, clear love of horror movies) vibe
-examination of how social media / constant surveillance impacts our ability to distinguish reality from artifice; what it means "to be rather than to seem"
This was such a blast to read, although ultimately I'm not sure what to take away from it plot-wise. It's a great book to read for atmosphere and voice; less so if you want a clear narrative with a satisfying conclusion. Many lesbian characters die which gave me pause at first ("why am i reading about girls being attacked by yellowjackets during a pandemic and fascist insurrection?") but once I accepted that as part of the horror aesthetic I was able to enjoy this as spooky weird escapism.
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Drug use, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Blood
Minor: Sexual assault
reading_between_the_trees's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Child death, Drug use, Homophobia, Suicide, and Grief
Minor: Fatphobia
whatellisreadnext's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
In 1902, Flo and Clara are found dead in the woods on the grounds of Brookhants School for Girls. Over a century later, a film crew have arrived to the tell the story of the curse surrounding Brookhants, but what if the narrative is still being written?
Plain Bad Heroines is gross and scary and so very queer. I was living for it 👏 I have never read a book like this one before, the imagination that Danforth has to create a story this rich, is just astounding. The book is written in 3rd person, with a narrator that is always breaking the fourth wall and addressing the reader directly. I loved this about the writing, it felt like a story just for me.
I mentioned this book is gross. I'm talking dead wasps in your mouth gross🤢 Although, the story was pretty slow in pace, and coming it at 619 pages, I'm not surprised. Saying that, all of the narrative felt like it had a purpose, and the slowness of the writing, in my eyes, built the tension so that the creepy and the gross parts hit even harder.
I became so attached to the three main characters, Harper, Merritt and Audrey. Yes, they all had their flaws, but I was rooting them, as they protected each other and grew together. This book wasn't the dark academia I had been craving, but it did have a love triangle, so that's a win in my eyes💁🏻♀️ The lesbian and bisexual representation in Plain Bad Heroines is incredible. There are atleast three F/F relationships focused on in the narrative, all set in different timelines.
I recommend that you go into this one knowing that you have the time to dedicate to it. And if this review didn't quite sell you on it, just know that there are illustrations dotted throughout. I loved this, it added that little extra to the narrative.
Thanks so much to Borough Press for the gifted copy. This is out in the UK on the 4th of February!
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, and Grief