Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Bunny

This is one of those books that I could sit here for hours and try to express my thoughts about it but I just don't know what to say.
Firstly, there were some quotes and scenes in this book that I really did enjoy, whether they were poetic or completely insane.
Honestly, I could just describe this book as creepy, crazy and sad (and a bit horny).
Also, I enjoyed the author's sarcasm for the pretentiousness of some people in the art world. I think that it was done in a very smart way.
On the other hand, there were some parts in the story where I couldn't understand what was happening, but I understand that this is the author's purpose.
Overall, this was an interesting read hence why I am giving it 3 stars.

Content Warnings

justmys's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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? Yes

2.75

I don't feel like this book was for me.

I had to keep reminding myself that it was set in a university and not a high school campus, that the characters were grown adults and not wildly troubled teenagers. Everything just felt a little off, which was mayve intentional but left me unable to click with the story or writing.

But, I'm also conflicted as I listened to the audio book version and found myself having to play it at double speed so as not to fall asleep from boredom with the way it was read. So, I'm unsure if I may have enjoyed the book more had I read a physical copy.

Either way, an interesting book and premise, scary and challenging but not for me.

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suchsweetsorrow89's review

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challenging dark funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
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

4.0

This book, much like the other reviews will tell you, was not at all what I expected going into it. While it is often described as The Secret History meets Heathers, I argue that it comes off more as a critique of the academia as told through a cynical Patrick Bateman (meshing that with the gritty humor and gore, you get a tale that's funny, weird, a little horrific, and leaves you in a liminal space of "huh?" when you finish reading it). For this, some might enjoy it while others will hate it. For me, I think it's a good read, but certainly, not one that you should try to make sense of on your own. It was not until seeing other reviews on Reddit and Quora that I truly believe I figured out where I stood with this story, and I recommend that others do the same thing upon reading the book. The one thing I will say is that I wish the ending went a bit slower— for a text that aimed to focus so clearly on the Body and Body horror especially, I wish the execution examined this a bit more.

Now, for those who have read the book and want my opinion (aka spoilers), here's what I made of it:

I thought that this text served more as a metaphor for the writing process than anything else. Some people believe that this is meant to be a story of a schizophrenic woman attempting to find out her place in the world— and ultimately doing that through writing. While I think this assumption is feasible, I find this interpretation to leave out the role of academia in the text. And frankly, if this were to be the point of the text, I would not like this book (instead of making a meaningful piece that critiques the lack of disability justice in academia, you turn mental illness into horror? boo!!!). One of the most impactful aspects of this story, when I read it, was how Sam speaks so candidly about the death of her passions in academia, her struggles to write unless she is with Ava (a project that ultimately serves to remind her of her drive and capabilities to create something she loves), and her loneliness as she navigates what truly makes a writer when with the rich white friend group who, no matter how much they try, cannot do what Sam can do (made most clear on both the night she led Workshop and their desires, jealousy, and fury when faced with Max (another creature that, though so much darker than Ava, is still an original piece of work that they can never recreate)). In the end, I think this text serves as a metaphor for the harshness of the creative writing process and how fine the line really is between creative genius and pure madness. I think that this is what made the text so nice for me, even if when I first read it I wouldn't have been able to put these thoughts together. I certainly want to reread it with more annotation to see if this belief I have still holds, since my brain was not as active as it should have been when reading this. Hence, why I believe it's something like an American Psycho instead of a Heathers.

Content Warnings

theghostly's review

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dark mysterious 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

5.0

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erinpiac's review

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dark hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is so wild and is the kind of book I wish I had read in a book club so that I could talk to someone about it. The first half was super captivating and unsettling, feeling kind of like Get Out, Midsommar, and Heathers. The second half was not as great but it's still one of my favorite books I've read this year.

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amberghinii's review

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dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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rustycups's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

This just might be my best book of the year and it's only March. The desent and continuous madness of this book is somthing I've never read before and I thurely enjoyed it. Many people find this book to confusing at certain points but I think it is ment to be that way and has a charm to it. This book has so many remberable quotes and is the first book I have ever felt the urge to tab. Overall I love this book

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samcanuel's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

I don’t know if I can explain anything about this book. I’m not really sure I understood it. However! It is very well written and I was fascinated by the premise. I would recommend this book for people who are into darker books or books about being a woman in your 20s.

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