Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - Bunny

A wonderful fever dream. I've just finished it and I'm left with a book buzz, but also a small ball of nausea in the bottom of my stomach that only time will settle. This story was like The Craft meets Heathers. It's perfect for your average Generation X reader who still thinks it's cool not to sell out and secretly wants to punish those mean girls in high school who had everything. I enjoyed it and I didn't. It was brilliant. If you are in the mood for dark absurdity, as one often is in the fall, check Bunny out.

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peachypy's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious tense medium-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

4.5

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madanxiety's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.0

I knew what rating I was giving this book like 4hrs in. It just absolutely dragged on, but I don't like DNRing, so I stuck with it. I did really like the concept; what intrigued me at the beginning was the ridiculousness of it. Like a troop of horny rich girls in grad school who all wear tacky printed dresses and shit on anyone not in their clique? Silly! Whimsical! But not enough to really sustain my attention.

Very soon into the novel, I thought it would make a great film, and after finishing it, I think I would prefer it in film form. Again, this is because the novel felt too slow/long and hard to get through. As I read, I envisioned a whole cinematic style for it, kind of like Beetlejuice meets Sorry To Bother You meets Scott Pilgrim. I hope the movie adaptation leans into weirdness and surrealism. I also hope the movie isn't 100% White like Midsommar or Girls (which I bring up because I noticed Lena Dunham's stamp of approval on the cover halfway thru reading).

What I think was successful about the book for me was how I, too, felt like my brain had been goopified a bit lol. While listening to this audiobook, I had to rewind constantly to understand what was going on (which makes me think it might've also been a better read on paper vs. audiobook). Anyway, what I'm getting at is by the end of the book I was left thinking "what was all that??" and I think that's actually exactly what the protagonist is thinking too.

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fionamatilda's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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bronzeageholly's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated

4.0

Creepy, lusty, bunny?

Vivid characters? Yes!
Unreliable narrator? Yes!
Strange and unholy happenings in a friendship group? Yes! Yes!

The theme of loneliness in this book was heart aching and gripping, and shown in ways I’ve never come across before. It was a struggle to put it down to sleep!

I’m not sure I always understood (or even liked) our protagonist, but her unsettling and unrelenting university experience was now mine too, and I wasn’t going to let her go it alone.

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hobbsl's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Very dark interesting story. Very metaphorically written - which can be hard to follow at times. I absolutely did not expect the twist at the end.

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caseyadamsstark's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense fast-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

4.25

This is the second time I'm writing this review because the first on didn't post at B&N --thanks, nook app. I "love" starting over...

But hey, I did like this book. It's confusing as heck because of the trippy things that happen--the main character Smackie, an English grad student with a huge inferiority complex, is also a highly unreliable narrator. But her imagination kicks in big time as she bleeds out her tale of woe while trying to fit in with the rich girls on campus, who reach out to include her after several semesters of treating her like an other.

And she is an other--the horror elements are a fantastic and bizarre flip to a Stepford Wives ideal, but the love story, the real love story that makes Samantha the "other", is the reason to keep reading. You could argue that there are similarities to plenty of stories out there, such as Mean Girls or Heathers (movies are stories too), or the obvious nods to Alice in her Wonderland. But the telling of this bunny horror fairytale is weird and unique and original in a good way, too.

Check it out horror fans.

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