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3.29 AVERAGE
3.29 AVERAGE
I really should stop being swayed by pretty faces (covers) that hide little to no substance.
I used my right to skip pages as outlined by Daniel Pennac and I could still keep track of the plot of this novel, which really isn’t promising when I’m supposed to be holding a twisty thriller in my hands.
Not only it felt like it jumped everywhere instead of focusing on one singular event and what surrounded it, the “academia” genre that has been assigned to it is as inexplicable as the pull that blonde Tabitha appears to exert on everyone around her and our main protagonist.
I’m giving it two stars because the author can write, though the best piece of writing in here is the prologue, and because the idea was good. The execution, however, not so much.
However! Some people are loving it. So maybe I — like the protagonist — am the problem.
I used my right to skip pages as outlined by Daniel Pennac and I could still keep track of the plot of this novel, which really isn’t promising when I’m supposed to be holding a twisty thriller in my hands.
Not only it felt like it jumped everywhere instead of focusing on one singular event and what surrounded it, the “academia” genre that has been assigned to it is as inexplicable as the pull that blonde Tabitha appears to exert on everyone around her and our main protagonist.
I’m giving it two stars because the author can write, though the best piece of writing in here is the prologue, and because the idea was good. The execution, however, not so much.
However! Some people are loving it. So maybe I — like the protagonist — am the problem.
This was so not what I expected it to be. It was boring, nothing happened and in the end it was basically about toxic friends which is just sad.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
The intermingle of friendships at the beginning was slow to develop, and the over descriptions of their surroundings did not help push the storyline. The over descriptions of everything started to annoy me as it seems the author is trying to paint a picture, but it doesn't help the story or the characters. When the plan evolved was when the storyline picked up and got interesting. However, the author does not elaborate on that any further but chooses friendship development as the main course of the story. I find that was where I lost interest, as it didn't go any further. The story was very predictable at the end and overall. The pace started slow and ended the same way. The only character I thought was of any interest was Ava. She was mysterious and unpredictable. Yet, she's in the background.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam and NetGalley for letting me read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam and NetGalley for letting me read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Fucked up women doing fucked up things, a fast and gritty look at a hellish friendship.
It’s got drama, twists, and it’s pretty graphic. A very gripping read.
I've been reading quite a few thrillers lately in an attempt to deviate from my go-to genre of historical fiction. The Things We Do to Our Friends by Heather Darwent is one of those thrillers-and the most disappointing one.
The premise:
She's an outsider desperate to belong, but the cost of entry might be her darkest secret in this intoxicating debut of literary suspense following a clique of dangerously ambitious students at the University of Edinburgh.
Here's what I've learned from reading thrillers: the author must release just enough information to keep the reader intrigued but not confuse them or give the whole story away.
In this novel, the author failed to give us enough information. Instead, I struggled to understand why the characters were doing what they did. There was no rational thought. It didn't make sense. Where was the plot?
The worst part: it was all explained in an epilogue.
The novel was so focused on the setting that we didn't get much plot. The characters could've been perfectly complex-if we could understand any of their motivations. But instead, they just got assigned surface-level personality traits and we never examined much of their values and moralities.
As I said, the setting was great. I felt like I was in Edinburgh. Wonderful! But that doesn't save this book.
It's really difficult when the best part of a book is its prologue.
See more of my book reviews at contentconsumed.medium.com.
The premise:
She's an outsider desperate to belong, but the cost of entry might be her darkest secret in this intoxicating debut of literary suspense following a clique of dangerously ambitious students at the University of Edinburgh.
Here's what I've learned from reading thrillers: the author must release just enough information to keep the reader intrigued but not confuse them or give the whole story away.
In this novel, the author failed to give us enough information. Instead, I struggled to understand why the characters were doing what they did. There was no rational thought. It didn't make sense. Where was the plot?
The worst part: it was all explained in an epilogue.
The novel was so focused on the setting that we didn't get much plot. The characters could've been perfectly complex-if we could understand any of their motivations. But instead, they just got assigned surface-level personality traits and we never examined much of their values and moralities.
As I said, the setting was great. I felt like I was in Edinburgh. Wonderful! But that doesn't save this book.
It's really difficult when the best part of a book is its prologue.
See more of my book reviews at contentconsumed.medium.com.
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Support women's wrongs. Sadly, I feel like the idea of this was way better than the execution. It took forever for things to start happening and I spend most of my time waiting for something, I don't even know what, but it just didn't satisfy me the way I hoped it would. The relationships between the girls was kinda underdeveloped and there was always a barrier between the main character and the reader. I still liked the unhinged vibes though.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
When I got this book I had truly no idea it would end up being such a dark novel. The book follows a character named Claire, as she nagivates living in a new city, while escaping her past. Unfortunately, she repeats some mistakes from her past and slides back into bad habits.
The book can be interesting as there is occasional scenes from the future, that hint at the events to come. But overall, the book is stressful and anxious, especially when it gets revealed how unreliable the narrator really is.
Regarding the concept of being a unreliable narrator, I found it interesting because the main character is prone to rage which is one of the first clues that they may be unreliable and unstable. However, this links to feminist themes because for the first 3/5 of the book I thought the rage she felt was a normal part or the female experience due to the poor treatment women and girls. However, as things progress you learn the main character is not stable, and it's very intriguing.
The book can be interesting as there is occasional scenes from the future, that hint at the events to come. But overall, the book is stressful and anxious, especially when it gets revealed how unreliable the narrator really is.
Regarding the concept of being a unreliable narrator, I found it interesting because the main character is prone to rage which is one of the first clues that they may be unreliable and unstable. However, this links to feminist themes because for the first 3/5 of the book I thought the rage she felt was a normal part or the female experience due to the poor treatment women and girls. However, as things progress you learn the main character is not stable, and it's very intriguing.