Reviews

Bunny by Mona Awad

rkragsdale's review against another edition

3.0

what the ACTUAL fuck

deathly's review against another edition

3.75

As someone who loves books abt weird fucked up women idk if my expectations were too high, but it did not hit the way I thought it would. Still fun tho. 

carmelien's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

2.5

annamarni_'s review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

random_spider's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-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

2.5

The first thing I saw when I opened it was pages of praise (contrasting its underwhelming Goodreads rating.) After reading, I'd say this would be a terrible mainstream book. But it could work for niche readers. Unfortunately, I'm didn't belong to its target audience.

------Stat Score------

Plot/Content: 3/10
Characters/POVs: 5/10
Prose/Style: 4/10
Themes/Messages: 6/10
Enjoyability/Impact: 3/10

OVERALL RATING: 5/10 (Mediocre)

"The real world, lady. It's out there. Do you even know that? You're going to have to get back to it sometime."

Synopsis and/or Premise:
Samantha always prefers the companionship of her imagination than her student peers in Warren University. She even despises her fiction writing cohorts, who call themselves "Bunny". But everything changes when she received an invitation from the Bunnies.

Basically, a schizophrenic woman at school who wants to be a writer.

The Good and The Bad:
Good things about it, what could I say? Hmmm...I liked its dark themes, I guess. Peer pressure, social conformation, bad influence, etc. All of these supported the underlying representation of mental insanity. At the end of the book, I even found myself feeling bad for the protagonist despite how hatable her character is. Speaking of which, the other good thing I wanted to talk about was how Samantha's thought processes work. She had this vile and twisted perspective of her surroundings which made for an angsty and insecure adult. She's not likeable — the writing betrays nothing of this. It was to a point where her thoughts were the actual antagonist of the book. The best part of her, at least for me, was the monologues. They're wicked and raw 😈, which further amplifies her character.

Ok, now the unpleasant stuff:

1. Confusing confusion 😵‍💫 - The confusing parts for the protagonist...was also confusing for the readers? LIKE WHAT? It's trying to make the readers' head spin too hard it unintentionally ruins the whole reading experience. Only Samantha should have schizophrenia, not the readers too. It could have been written differently and still deliver. All things considered it does allow full immersion. But at what cost? Though I'm pretty sure Mona Awad had a blast writing this book.

2. Stating 🤷 - It's not even the "Telling, Not Showing" part being my biggest problem. It was the fact that the info-dumping didn't amount into something significant. Why should I care about Samantha's parents if it had no role in the story? Why should I give a damn on her writing project if it’s not really a factor to the upcoming events? (Even though THIS BOOK was clearly what she's writing.) I guess her head was simply too far gone.

3. A little too niche 😕 - This was pretty much the flaw/consequence of this book's approach. Many readers wouldn't get it, evident of its poor rating. Hell, I didn't get it in the first place until I searched the net for some overall context. It forced those who read it into a perspective only few could easily relate. I admire the commitment and representation, but the book, in turn, would be difficult to handle for those who aren't prepared for it.

Final Thoughts:
Bunny by Mona Awad is a dark and twisted adult fiction novel about a graduate student with schizophrenia. It's gritty, hallucinogenic, psychological horror filled with disturbing, fantastical imagery. If you still didn't get it yet, this book was meant to be uncomfortable. However, it did lean too hard on that aspect to be enjoyed by your casual reader. Trust me, it only made sense towards the end, but understanding its point doesn't disregard the miserable reading process.

--------------------
Links to my ratings and reviews:
Goodreads reviews
The StoryGraph

 

feliciasavvopoulos's review against another edition

2.0

2/5

Bunny had me intrigued from the start but I found this intrigue evaporated too soon into the book. While I became slightly indifferent, I was curious about the resolution of the story and stuck with it to the end - despite it feeling like a little bit like a chore.

I’ve finished the book feeling slightly disappointed, and at times throughout was confused. On completion, some things are making a lot more sense but I do wish the ending had been more satisfying. The themes throughout were a little crazed (which I enjoyed) and I felt that could’ve carried out to the bitter end.

Overall, not my favourite read of late but still enjoyable.

vivbot's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

easyvisionary's review against another edition

5.0

Ooh I loved this book! It was just so much fun! I was so lost for so long! But then it all came together (with some help from Reddit) and it was so well done!

My theory for so long was that Samantha was in love with Ava but turns out Ava wasn’t even real! And that the bunnies used Samantha’s instability and vulnerability to get her in on the cult!?!?!

I loved the girlies fighting! Lived for the drama!

Also when Sam gets ‘captured’ (I don’t think that was real either) “I watch her open a black book that reads My Sad Girl Novel by Samantha Mackey on the cover.” Had me cackling! They got her good! Ooh!

This has had the best twisted psychological thriller energy and plot that I’ve read! Reminded me of the secret history but better! Less sexual violence! Which is of course ideal!

ratqueen17's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

2.0

artbymonimack's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny informative mysterious tense fast-paced

5.0