Heather Darwent - The Things We Do To Our Friends
5⭐
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Dark Academia, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
Pages: 378
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Viking Books UK
Date Published: 12th January 2023
Huge thank you to the Viking Books UK for sending me a proof copy of this book to read and review!
Book Blurb:
A dark, intoxicating, compulsive tale of feminist revenge, toxic friendships, and deadly secrets
Her new life has begun.
Then Tabitha reveals the little project they're working on, a project they need Clare's help with. And Clare can't say no.
My Review:
This book was so dark,
suspenseful, and intense and omg it had some twists! I loved this story of a very
disturbing protagonist and her even more disturbing friends, yet for me, the
atmosphere Darwent created by setting this book in Edinburgh was just something
else, absolutely amazing. This book just draws you in and will not let go until
the very end. Amazing story and a brilliant debut!
This story follows Clare, who
arrives in Edinburgh to start fresh. She starts her studies at University but
she also wants a clean slate from all the secrets that she keeps. However, soon
in her lectures, she is drawn towards a mysterious group of friends run by a
girl called Tabitha. Clare is straight away fascinated by Tabitha and her
graciousness and by the fact that someone like these people wants Clare in
their circle. Clare is engulfed in the friendship with Tabitha and Co until she
realises that she is too deep into said friendship. That’s when Tabitha asks
Clare to be a part of a little project that the whole group is working on, yet as
much as she wants, Clare can’t say no, since Tabitha knows more about Clare
than Clare would like her to know…
I loved that this story was set
at a university and that it had a lot of suspense and drama. All the characters
are so damaged but in their own little ways, and it was so interesting to read
how each of them rather complemented each other, but at the same time brought out
the worst in each other. I also loved how throughout the story you can see how
the toxic friendship that Clare has with Tabitha and Co grew and progressed until
it all exploded and was tainted by lies, misunderstandings, mind games, etc. Yes,
all the characters are unlikable and really disturbing in this book, but at the
same time the story allows you to appreciate how complicated each of them is
and how much they all change as the story progresses, so we see their true
faces at the end.
Darwent’s writing is something
else…Writing in this book just captures the reader and seduces them to read
more. Each chapter is so perfectly crafted with just enough tension, suspense
and drama for the reader to keep going and wanting more. Loved it! It
definitely didn’t feel like a debut book at all! Also, this is the first
character-driven / character exploration story that I actually enjoyed reading
in a while.
Overall: Loved it loved it loved
it! Such a great, dark, intense book with very damaged and unlikeable
characters that are so interesting to analyse. For me, I spent a day just
thinking about each of the characters and pondering why they are like that and
why they did things they did. Oh, and the ending, that lived in my head rent-free
for weeks, hence I couldn’t gather my thoughts to write this review for a while.
Beautiful and compelling writing that makes you want to read more and more.
Amazing debut! I can't wait to see what Heather Darwent writes next as I will
be reading it!
About the Author:
Heather Darwent is an author based just outside of Edinburgh near the sea.
She is currently working on her debut novel, The Things We Do to Our Friends which will be published by Penguin in January 2023.https://www.heatherdarwent.com/
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