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brookey8888's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is such a hard book for me to rate and review. There’s so much I loved about it, but it was just so long and drawn out that I would find myself not caring or interested. It also was hardly spooky except like one part. I really liked all the character interactions and the plot when it happened, but there was just to much explaining. I did really like the queer relationships in this and that was one of my favorite parts. I do like how the author would talk to you at times as well as the footnotes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Child death, Death, Drug use, Misogyny, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
jessiereads98's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Plain Bad Heroines is a dual timeline story encompassing a cursed boarding school from the 1900s and the Hollywood movie being made about it today.
This story is told with a very distinctive narrative voice. I enjoyed the humour and snark of it. I for one didn’t mind the footnotes. I can see how this voice and the use of footnotes might grate on some people though. I do wish the narration choice had been explained, as that seemed to be part of the story. I didn’t always care for the frequently repeated Mary MacLane quotes. Some of them worked, but at times it felt forced in and not relevant. I also didn’t understand the refusal to state the year of current timeline, then ultimately revealing it indirectly towards the end.
The sapphic relationships in both timelines play a starring role and it’s main characters are one of the most compelling parts. I enjoyed the relationship between our modern plain bad heroines the most. The relationship between Alex and Libbie was fine, but I found it boring and repetitive at times. I did appreciate the look at historical queer culture and relationships. The relationship between Flo and Clara which the book purports to be partially about is pretty much ignored which is disappointing. I would’ve much rather read about the original Plain Bad Heroines Society and that year at Brookhants from the students’ perspectives than Alex and Libbie’s perspective. Emily Danforth does do a great job comparing and contrasting the two timelines as foils throughout the book.
Unfortunately, side characters who are sorely neglected. I was left wondering throughout the book about Audrey’s mom, Merritt’s parents, and Elaine Brookhants and their stories. Emily Danforth couldn’t seem to decide whether to include these stories or not, so what I was left with as a reader was a bunch of pointless dangling threads.
Bringing things up to leave them unresolved is a common problem in this book. Harper’s family and relationships are brought up a few times, but there never seems to be any point or any furthering of the story surrounding them. Audrey’s friend Noel pops up on occasion seemingly just to tell Audrey that something is bad, as if Audrey and the readers couldn’t already tell. Details are brought up or events happen that are later just ignored or contradicted. There is a whole lot of nothing or wasted pages, which creates problems in pacing. This book drags through the middle and then rushes at the end.
I liked the ending while reading it, it’s immersive in the storytelling and makes sense on its own. However, it does make the previous 600ish pages seem pointless and leave multiple holes. The ending was almost completely unrelated to the story I read, and left several holes. In an ideal world, that ending would’ve been better set up for rather than spending the book on a completely different track not even able to see the track that the ending was on at almost any point. I was left with more questions than answers by the ending.
This did do some horror bits very well. There were times where I found myself legitimately a little scared while reading. Danforth’s use of metafiction to make it so the reader is left unsure along with the protagonist enhances the horror throughout the story.
While I enjoyed this for the most part, it was too long and had too much going on.
This story is told with a very distinctive narrative voice. I enjoyed the humour and snark of it. I for one didn’t mind the footnotes. I can see how this voice and the use of footnotes might grate on some people though. I do wish the narration choice had been explained, as that seemed to be part of the story. I didn’t always care for the frequently repeated Mary MacLane quotes. Some of them worked, but at times it felt forced in and not relevant. I also didn’t understand the refusal to state the year of current timeline, then ultimately revealing it indirectly towards the end.
The sapphic relationships in both timelines play a starring role and it’s main characters are one of the most compelling parts. I enjoyed the relationship between our modern plain bad heroines the most. The relationship between Alex and Libbie was fine, but I found it boring and repetitive at times. I did appreciate the look at historical queer culture and relationships. The relationship between Flo and Clara which the book purports to be partially about is pretty much ignored which is disappointing. I would’ve much rather read about the original Plain Bad Heroines Society and that year at Brookhants from the students’ perspectives than Alex and Libbie’s perspective. Emily Danforth does do a great job comparing and contrasting the two timelines as foils throughout the book.
Unfortunately, side characters who are sorely neglected. I was left wondering throughout the book about Audrey’s mom, Merritt’s parents, and Elaine Brookhants and their stories. Emily Danforth couldn’t seem to decide whether to include these stories or not, so what I was left with as a reader was a bunch of pointless dangling threads.
Bringing things up to leave them unresolved is a common problem in this book. Harper’s family and relationships are brought up a few times, but there never seems to be any point or any furthering of the story surrounding them. Audrey’s friend Noel pops up on occasion seemingly just to tell Audrey that something is bad, as if Audrey and the readers couldn’t already tell. Details are brought up or events happen that are later just ignored or contradicted. There is a whole lot of nothing or wasted pages, which creates problems in pacing. This book drags through the middle and then rushes at the end.
I liked the ending while reading it, it’s immersive in the storytelling and makes sense on its own. However, it does make the previous 600ish pages seem pointless and leave multiple holes. The ending was almost completely unrelated to the story I read, and left several holes. In an ideal world, that ending would’ve been better set up for rather than spending the book on a completely different track not even able to see the track that the ending was on at almost any point. I was left with more questions than answers by the ending.
This did do some horror bits very well. There were times where I found myself legitimately a little scared while reading. Danforth’s use of metafiction to make it so the reader is left unsure along with the protagonist enhances the horror throughout the story.
While I enjoyed this for the most part, it was too long and had too much going on.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Death
Moderate: Drug use, Suicide, Vomit, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Alcoholism, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Alcohol
flamesocks's review against another edition
dark
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Car accident, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Biphobia, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Pregnancy
bri_fabiano's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Grief, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Forced institutionalization
owenwilsonbaby's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
"She'd pass a flooring place and imagine her life selling carpet. She'd pass a beauty salon and imagine her life doing hair. Mostly she tried to imagine contentment: the state of being content. She didn't think it was something she'd ever been before, so it was difficult for her to accurately imagine how it might feel. But she did try."
I loved this! The last 600 page novel I read was Dune and in some ways that felt like such a slog in comparison to this. I occasionally had issues - pauses that lasted too long, issues with the pacing - especially when the beginning and middle felt like they were building to something that wasn't quite carried to fruition by the culmination of Alex and Libby's plot and the modern Hollywood plot. The tone at the start was also interesting to adjust to, with a very camp Gothic element - often an interesting shift when the narrator themselves is a bit of an all-knowing, anonymous character (and frequently reminds the reader of this).
That said, all of these are minor quibbles in an otherwise fun and absorbing take on queer horror. Danforth has a brilliant grasp on when to employ terror and when to employ horror. The novel has lots of potential themes but ultimately seems to be about the dangers of spectacle, not unlike my other horror favourite of this year, Jordan Peele's Nope. I also loved Harper, Audrey and Merritt's characters, who are all complex and three-dimensional. Merritt was especially interesting and accurate as a survivor of bereavement by suicide, and someone who came to writing and success young and is now floundering in her 20s.
I loved this! The last 600 page novel I read was Dune and in some ways that felt like such a slog in comparison to this. I occasionally had issues - pauses that lasted too long, issues with the pacing - especially when the beginning and middle felt like they were building to something that wasn't quite carried to fruition by the culmination of Alex and Libby's plot and the modern Hollywood plot. The tone at the start was also interesting to adjust to, with a very camp Gothic element - often an interesting shift when the narrator themselves is a bit of an all-knowing, anonymous character (and frequently reminds the reader of this).
That said, all of these are minor quibbles in an otherwise fun and absorbing take on queer horror. Danforth has a brilliant grasp on when to employ terror and when to employ horror. The novel has lots of potential themes but ultimately seems to be about the dangers of spectacle, not unlike my other horror favourite of this year, Jordan Peele's Nope. I also loved Harper, Audrey and Merritt's characters, who are all complex and three-dimensional. Merritt was especially interesting and accurate as a survivor of bereavement by suicide, and someone who came to writing and success young and is now floundering in her 20s.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Homophobia, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Death, Suicide, and Death of parent
Minor: Fatphobia
matcha_cat's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Sexual content, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body shaming, Homophobia, Infidelity, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
ksgoetz's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Drug use, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
eve_reads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Overall Thoughts:
⁕ Danforth's ability to flesh out characters is strong, but comes at the cost of a painfully slow narrative. Even though I appreciated the depth of the contemporary characters (Meritt, Audrey, and Harper), it took FOREVER for them to be united and on the set of Brookhants. Once there, only a minimal amount time was spent in the spooky gothic setting that I picked the book up for in the first place.
⁕ I was disappointed with the weak connection between the contemporary storyline and the historic one. There was so much potential for a paranormal overlap (or, at the least, a metaphorical one), but after hundreds of pages of build-up, both storylines diverged and went their separate ways? It was infuriating!
⁕ This book did have its moments. The unreliable, self-aware narrator gives major Lemony-Snicket-tells-ghost-story-vibes, and when the action did move forward I was gripped by it. I just wish these features of the book had been more consistent.
⁕ SPOILER: I hate that the entirety of the horror elements in this book are rooted in the sexual assault of a woman that's not even really introduced until the last 100 pages or so. Way to use random, gendered acts of violence as a plot device (*read that last sentence as sarcasm*)!
To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online/
For regular book-related content, follow my Instagram account: @eve_reads
⁕ Danforth's ability to flesh out characters is strong, but comes at the cost of a painfully slow narrative. Even though I appreciated the depth of the contemporary characters (Meritt, Audrey, and Harper), it took FOREVER for them to be united and on the set of Brookhants. Once there, only a minimal amount time was spent in the spooky gothic setting that I picked the book up for in the first place.
⁕ I was disappointed with the weak connection between the contemporary storyline and the historic one. There was so much potential for a paranormal overlap (or, at the least, a metaphorical one), but after hundreds of pages of build-up, both storylines diverged and went their separate ways? It was infuriating!
⁕ This book did have its moments. The unreliable, self-aware narrator gives major Lemony-Snicket-tells-ghost-story-vibes, and when the action did move forward I was gripped by it. I just wish these features of the book had been more consistent.
To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online/
For regular book-related content, follow my Instagram account: @eve_reads
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Lesbophobia
mariebrunelm's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Plain Bad Heroines (PBH) came with a host of Instagram friends' recommendations, which made me wary because of the hype. But what a delight when, a few dozen pages in, I realised the hype was completely justified!
PBH follows two main timelines of sapphic women caught in the webs woven by a book and the deaths it seems to have inspired. In 1902 three girls are found dead at B's school for girls. The cause seems to be an attack of yellow jackets, but the girls' morbid obsession with Mary MacLane's diary throws a shade over this simple explanation.
Today between Hollywood and Rhode Island, writers and actresses become embroiled in a movie project with a twist.
This was a festival of sapphic extravaganza, mysteries, a touch of dark academia and a very sarcastic narrator. I loved every page of it and savoured the gorgeous edition I found second-hand, complete with illustrations. A new favourite!
Rep: Sapphic relationship.
PBH follows two main timelines of sapphic women caught in the webs woven by a book and the deaths it seems to have inspired. In 1902 three girls are found dead at B's school for girls. The cause seems to be an attack of yellow jackets, but the girls' morbid obsession with Mary MacLane's diary throws a shade over this simple explanation.
Today between Hollywood and Rhode Island, writers and actresses become embroiled in a movie project with a twist.
This was a festival of sapphic extravaganza, mysteries, a touch of dark academia and a very sarcastic narrator. I loved every page of it and savoured the gorgeous edition I found second-hand, complete with illustrations. A new favourite!
Rep: Sapphic relationship.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Sexual assault and Outing
Minor: Vomit
eleanora's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
Minor: Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Dementia, Car accident, Abortion, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol