A review by stacie_w_books
Cherish Farrah by Bethany C. Morrow

dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

“It’s about control; it always is.” 

It’s all about control. Always has been and always will be for Farrah. And she is in control of the situation, even though her families home is in foreclosure and her parents have moved into a rental home while her mother still looks for a job after being let go over a year ago. Farrah is with her best friend Cherish, living in the lavish home her adoptive white parents can afford. This is where Farrah is and this is where Farrah will stay. She knows how to control the situation and she’s been doing it her entire life. 

That’s the set up. And I was fooled, bamboozled, caught off guard. Control was always an illusion and I, nor Farrah, realized until it was almost too late just how much she had been fooled. This is a masterful bit of storytelling. I was so wrapped up in Farrah’s mind, seeing things through her eyes, that I couldn’t wrap myself around what was happening even though Morrow sprinkled the clues throughout the book. I was fooled because of the love that Farrah has for Cherish, the complicated relationship Farrah has with her mom and the benevolence of Cherish’s parents. When the twist finally comes near the end, I was completely at my wits end and had no idea how the story would conclude. 

Suspensful horror it is indeed. Layered with the complicated relationship between parents and their child, the love between inseperable friends when situations that you don’t know how to navigate occur and the racism that exist and is prevalent in society. It’s a thriller that gets into your head with meanings that are almost impossible to decipher until it’s too late and the full horror of the situation is staring you right in the face. Highly recommend. This is what I want in a suspensefull horror novel. Morrow absolutely delivered with this.