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mvilleda's review against another edition
4.0
OMG ITS OUT! I was so happy to pock up the hardcover of this at my local B&N! I can’t believe it’s been so long since I read it, but I remember being so shocked by it. Please read this and let me know what you think of it!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is such a complex, twisted, and dark debut! I honestly think I'm still reeling from the way it all happened. I think this is great for anyone who loves a slow burn lead-up, who loves twisted, sinister, and complicated characters, and who likes an ending that will leave them feeling a little disturbed. Because just you think things can't get any worse or people can't do anything more horrible...something still happens, even at the end.
I'll start by saying that the first half of this book was difficult for me to get through. I kept coming back and reading it in pieces. The friend dynamic in this novel is very complex and dark. It's also not something I fully understand, so it felt frustrating to read almost. But I think that the way things layer on each other and how the friendship builds is vital to the later half of the book, so I'm happy that I did push through because it ended up being worth it. I genuinely believe that a slow build-up is worth it as long as the book's latter half is good, which this book had. I will say that once things start happening, they don't stop. It only gets worse and more twisted. I felt so much anxiety during the build-up in the later half, and that's always a good sign things are going right with the writing.
I also think this author does really well with this slow build-up. Her writing style is very much meant to build on itself. I think that it's fascinating that Darwent both says things quite simply, yet there's so much underneath what the characters are saying, their gestures, and the overall writing. It's a lot to unpack, and I think many readers will find that appealing and satisfying. I know that now that I've finished it, I would find many things I missed in those earlier parts if I were to go back and reread it. I seriously felt like I was getting sucker punched in those last chapters while learning everything, wondering how I missed those pieces earlier. I love it when things are hidden clearly and openly between pages, and the ending reveals everything.
I also keep asking myself, is it possible to be surprised but not shocked by a book's ending? Part of me felt like I saw the end coming, and the other part was incredibly puzzled by it all. It's like I knew things were bad, I knew who these characters were and what they were capable of, I knew how dark and twisted things were becoming, and yet I get to the ending, and I'm just wholly perplexed and, honestly, put off by it in a lot of ways?! I also liked that you don't get the reveal of that prologue/first chapter/Clare's past until the end. Reading that tied it up so, so well, and I think it left me feeling more satisfied than if it had been revealed earlier.
Overall, this was a slow burn with a very satisfying ending. I liked how complex and intriguing all of the characters were. It made me think about how morally gray people can be, how we all have this side to us that no one else knows unless we tell them or show them, and how far we're willing to go to be accepted or to keep those we love around us. It left me reeling and feeling a bit disturbed but in a good way (if there can be a good way to be disturbed). I think the entirety of this was unique, and I'm looking forward to what the author comes up with next. I'm all for dark storylines with twisted, unreliable characters, and I think their writing style fits that perfectly!
And thank you, Netgalley and Ballantine, Bantam, for the chance to read this early for a review!
This is such a complex, twisted, and dark debut! I honestly think I'm still reeling from the way it all happened. I think this is great for anyone who loves a slow burn lead-up, who loves twisted, sinister, and complicated characters, and who likes an ending that will leave them feeling a little disturbed. Because just you think things can't get any worse or people can't do anything more horrible...something still happens, even at the end.
I'll start by saying that the first half of this book was difficult for me to get through. I kept coming back and reading it in pieces. The friend dynamic in this novel is very complex and dark. It's also not something I fully understand, so it felt frustrating to read almost. But I think that the way things layer on each other and how the friendship builds is vital to the later half of the book, so I'm happy that I did push through because it ended up being worth it. I genuinely believe that a slow build-up is worth it as long as the book's latter half is good, which this book had. I will say that once things start happening, they don't stop. It only gets worse and more twisted. I felt so much anxiety during the build-up in the later half, and that's always a good sign things are going right with the writing.
I also think this author does really well with this slow build-up. Her writing style is very much meant to build on itself. I think that it's fascinating that Darwent both says things quite simply, yet there's so much underneath what the characters are saying, their gestures, and the overall writing. It's a lot to unpack, and I think many readers will find that appealing and satisfying. I know that now that I've finished it, I would find many things I missed in those earlier parts if I were to go back and reread it. I seriously felt like I was getting sucker punched in those last chapters while learning everything, wondering how I missed those pieces earlier. I love it when things are hidden clearly and openly between pages, and the ending reveals everything.
I also keep asking myself, is it possible to be surprised but not shocked by a book's ending? Part of me felt like I saw the end coming, and the other part was incredibly puzzled by it all. It's like I knew things were bad, I knew who these characters were and what they were capable of, I knew how dark and twisted things were becoming, and yet I get to the ending, and I'm just wholly perplexed and, honestly, put off by it in a lot of ways?! I also liked that you don't get the reveal of that prologue/first chapter/Clare's past until the end. Reading that tied it up so, so well, and I think it left me feeling more satisfied than if it had been revealed earlier.
Overall, this was a slow burn with a very satisfying ending. I liked how complex and intriguing all of the characters were. It made me think about how morally gray people can be, how we all have this side to us that no one else knows unless we tell them or show them, and how far we're willing to go to be accepted or to keep those we love around us. It left me reeling and feeling a bit disturbed but in a good way (if there can be a good way to be disturbed). I think the entirety of this was unique, and I'm looking forward to what the author comes up with next. I'm all for dark storylines with twisted, unreliable characters, and I think their writing style fits that perfectly!
And thank you, Netgalley and Ballantine, Bantam, for the chance to read this early for a review!
okjaaaaa's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an E-ARC. Sorry for the late, review - life has been hectic.
This book was wonderfully written. The Things We Do to Our Friends atmospheric and haunting exploration of friendship, belonging and the spiral of destruction. I'd love to discuss this book in a literature class, in the same vein as The Secret History. It's brutal and unflinching, holding a mirror up to our own voyeuristic nature: how we consume the gruesome and macabre, unable to look away from something disturbing. The characters are expertly crafted.
Though, for me, the book struggled with its pacing at some times. Making the book feel a little janky and disjointed, in an otherwise very well-paced narrative. I also found the ending a little disappointing.
This book was wonderfully written. The Things We Do to Our Friends atmospheric and haunting exploration of friendship, belonging and the spiral of destruction. I'd love to discuss this book in a literature class, in the same vein as The Secret History. It's brutal and unflinching, holding a mirror up to our own voyeuristic nature: how we consume the gruesome and macabre, unable to look away from something disturbing. The characters are expertly crafted.
Though, for me, the book struggled with its pacing at some times. Making the book feel a little janky and disjointed, in an otherwise very well-paced narrative. I also found the ending a little disappointing.
norialge's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ruthperks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
mvholli's review against another edition
4.0
Dark academia, fall, spooky vibes. It grabbed and held my attention even though not a whole lot happens for the first third of the book. I enjoyed the protagonists stream of consciousness though.
meggypie's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
2.25
fernandlillyreadswithme's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.0