lapetitepaola's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Classism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Murder, Rape, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Mental illness
sakurasarah's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Animal cruelty, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Violence, Murder, Cannibalism, Death, Gaslighting, Gore, Torture, Vomit, Injury/injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, and Physical abuse
lokes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Drug use, Self harm, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Alcohol, Body horror, Bullying, Murder, Drug abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexism, Blood, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Car accident, Medical trauma, Self harm, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, Rape, Stalking, Bullying, and Kidnapping
rozmaran's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Toxic friendship, Self harm, Gaslighting, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gore, and Body horror
Moderate: Stalking, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Violence, Sexual assault, Murder, and Rape
abibliophobic_nerd's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
🌷🪓🧌👻
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Death, Injury/injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Self harm, Toxic friendship, Blood, Slavery, Animal death, Gore, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Drug use, Addiction, Alcohol, and Gaslighting
laurataylor's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Graphic: Injury/injury detail, Drug use, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Blood, Animal death, Death, Dysphoria, Gore, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Murder, Sexual content, Cannibalism, Cursing, Car accident, Bullying, Torture, and Violence
erebus53's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
The writing is poetic, weird, fanciful, evocative, and conveys a sense of claustrophobic, existential dread that could easily be described as paranoid schizophrenic. Cthulhu is mentioned more than once; whether the narrator is reliable or not, is your call.
A lot of the discomforting tone of the book is tapping deep into common stressors. Our main character Samantha is forced into group work (the horror!) with a clique of rich and sheltered young women who are completely self-involved, and codependent. She nicknames them "the Bunnies" because they use the term Bunny as an affectionate pet term for each other. This stifling environment is ruled over by an abusive tutor (treated as a mentor and carer) who is continually encouraging them to get uncomfortable and use their pain in their art.
I haven't read a story set in a school with a more real feeling of loneliness, insecurity, and anxiety.. and I have read a lot of YA authors. The girls derive their strength from subjugating their individuality, becoming a hive mind that is as oppressive as it is inclusive. To be accepted one must pay a great price, and even those on the inside are continually being torn down by the narcissistic cycle of love-bombing, gas-lighting, and passive/aggressive negativity. Every interaction feels invasively vulnerable. Every interaction feels like a trap.
The town around the campus feels barren. Although there are opulent houses, there are certain parts of town that are derelict. Samantha finds herself moving out of her stifling p*ss-yellow apartment, in a building full of people with mental illnesses, into a derelict building. She lives with an aloof gothic-punk girl who she attends tango class with, and who carries a hip-flask labelled "drink me". The Alice In Wonderland theme is riffed on, quite a bit. Their relationship is almost homo-erotic, but asexually so.
The Othering in this story is next level. Girls moon over fantasy boys who are often dead superstars like James Dean, or characters from Greek myth. They are made fantasy by being utterly unreal, un-attainable, and fetishised through being exotic or not even speaking English. I only realise this after noticing the sexualisation of the tutor who speaks with a Scottish accent. It's like they are so starved for stimulation, and yet so terrified of reality that they need to create abstracted lust. There is no vulnerability with a partner who isn't really a person, bunny.
Graphic: Animal death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Violence, Classism, Blood, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Drug abuse, Abandonment, Mental illness, Gore, and Sexual violence
Minor: Vomit and Suicidal thoughts
sinaprst's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I have seen many people either loving this book or completely hating it, there seems to be close to no middle ground here, and I am definitely on the side of the people who loved it.
This was a train wreck for sure and while reading it I felt like I was driving through a forest with at least 200 km/h and you're wondering like "why am I doing this" and "what's going on" and there are branches hitting you and suddenly you almost hit a deer and it's scary and out of control but in the best way.
At no point did I ever expect this to go where it went in the end and I'm still somewhat in shock. But I loved every second of it.
I guess this is probably not for everyone but it was definitely for me.
Graphic: Gore, Toxic friendship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Drug use, Violence, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Murder, and Death of parent
Minor: Car accident
farida_amr7's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Animal death, Drug use, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Sexual violence and Physical abuse
tayyoo's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Drug use, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Animal death, Mental illness, and Death
Moderate: Physical abuse, Murder, and Death