A review by nerdynatreads
Cherish Farrah by Bethany C. Morrow

dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.75

 Alright, this was freaking weird, but I think overall I was pretty hooked the entire way through! 

I definitely see why this was likened to Get Out— it’s a slow-burn horror with some interesting discussions around race and classism woven through. While I wasn’t really sure where the story was going most of the way, once I hit the climax, everything clicked. Unfortunately, there was a scene earlier on that I had thought was weird, but didn’t look into much further. That scene ruins any suspense for the climax and completely tells you what’s taking place. 

Throughout most of this, I wouldn’t really have called it a horror, but damn, the turning point near the end really amped up the violence, the body horror. There was one scene in particular that sent a shiver through me. Definitely was interesting to tell this story through the eyes of a budding psychopath (that’s not really ever confirmed, but it’s a pretty safe assumption), as you spend a lot of time questioning whether how Farrah views events is true or not. 

The co-dependent relationship between Farrah and Cherish was interesting and the more reveals that took place, the more curious I was to see how their relationship would affect the climax. On one hand, I love reading about these sorts of dynamics, but on the other, what we’d been told didn’t quite match with the characters’ final actions. Then, there’s this ongoing… competition? Struggle? Between Farrah and her mother, which was, unfortunately, unresolved at the end. 

So in the end, this built up very well, but didn’t really stick the landing for me. I think that large-ass breadcrumb should have been removed, some editing of the descriptive writing style to amp up the pace, and then the ending should have been expanded upon. Basically, this could have done with more editing and it would have gone better.