Reviews

The Things We Do To Our Friends by Heather Darwent

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madelinequinnee's review

dark mysterious tense slow-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? Yes

4.0

I mostly enjoyed this book, but I think it could have gone further with what it was trying to do. It felt like it was building up to a big moment throughout the whole thing, but by the end there still wasn’t really anything?

The writing was very beautiful, and I think this book definitely has a good idea to it, but I just would have liked to have seen more exploration of the characters and their actions.

Content Warnings

chiaarice's review against another edition

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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

3.25

michloue's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

anitarhiannon's review against another edition

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dark funny 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? Yes

3.5

karlyo83's review against another edition

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2.0

My Rating: 2⭐️⭐️ started alright but almost bored me to sleep!!

Goodreads Synopsis: 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.

Edinburgh, Scotland: a moody city of labyrinthine alleyways, oppressive fog, and buried history; the ultimate destination for someone with something to hide. Perfect for Clare, then, who arrives utterly alone and yearning to reinvent herself. And what better place to conceal the dark secrets in her past than at the university in the heart of the fabled, cobblestoned Old Town?

When Clare meets Tabitha, a charismatic, beautiful, and intimidatingly rich girl from her art history class, she knows she's destined to be friends with her and her exclusive circle: raffish Samuel; shrewd Ava; and pragmatic Imogen. Clare is immediately drawn into their libertine world of sophisticated dinner parties and summers in France. The new life she always envisioned for herself has seemingly begun.

And then Tabitha reveals a little project she's been working on, one that she needs Clare's help with. Even though it goes against everything Clare has tried to repent for. Even though their intimacy begins to darken into codependence. But as Clare starts to realize just what her friends are capable of, it's already too late. Because they've taken the plunge. They're so close to attaining the things they want. And there's no going back.

What is the cost of an extraordinary life if others have to pay? Reimagining the classic themes of obsession and striving with an original and sinister edge, The Things We Do to Our Friends is a seductive thriller about the toxic battle between those who have, and those who covet--between the desire to truly belong, and the danger of being truly known.

So to be clear I almost rated this two stars and wrote… boring!!! And left it at that… but I figured I would get questions

cerysejones's review against another edition

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4.0

(3.5 stars rounded up) I enjoyed this being set at Edinburgh uni, which is why I bought it in the first place, but there were way fewer references to the city and uni than I was expecting :(. It also felt more like a book made to mimic the psychological dark academia vibes of something like the secret history, rather than a book in that genre itself. I think it would’ve been a lot more impactful had the characters felt less flat as the only ones that felt real were Clare (who’s personality was very confusing anyway) and Imogen - Tabitha was nowhere near developed enough to take the place in the novel the author wanted her to. Despite the flaws, I still had a very good time reading this, but will probably forget everything about it by tomorrow.