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astarions_bhaal_babe's review against another edition
4.0
“There are things it is better for a person not to know. The day and the manner of your own death, that’s one. What people say behind your back. The names somebody you love has called somebody else. There’s a reason people are able to function, in this world, as social creatures, and a good part of that reason is that there are a lot of questions intelligent people don’t ask.
My readers heart says yes but my anxiety says pls never again.
Holy toxic friendship, Batman!
This was insane!
Let me start by saying I've had this book for quite some time, now, and I've always been a bit heistant to start it, because -even though I'm not one who let's outisde influence decide for myself- I wasn't really convinced by its low ratings, and because it sort of always blurred in the background when I was checking my tbr to decide what book to pick up next.
For some reason, I could never take this off my to-read list, and now I know it was maybe a sign from the universe that I'd totally missed out on a sensational and unforgiving novel.
Social Creature is the story of a frienship that is everything but a frienship. I don't wanna spoil anything, because it's a book so raw and direct you have to savor every second of it and let it hit you right in the most uncomfortable spot of your soul.
Louise is almost thirty, single, introverted, working multiple jobs that pay only enough to pay rent, frustrated about her life, about her dreams that will never become reality. Until one day, she meets Lavinia. Lavinia is younger, richer, prettier, wilder, free in ways Louise could never be. Louise soon starts hanging out with her and her friends; Lavinia lets her wear her clothes, she takes her to the most exclusive events and the savage parties, getting a taste of a raving and luxurious life she's never believed she could have. But that's the problem with getting something you never thought you could have, right? Once you've had a taste, you can't help but want more. No matter what you have to do to make it yours.
Part The Talended Mr Ripley and part [b:Dangerous Girls|16074758|Dangerous Girls|Abigail Haas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1356513050l/16074758._SY75_.jpg|21869436], with a touch of [b:You|36430011|You (You, #1)|Caroline Kepnes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1549463282l/36430011._SY75_.jpg|39913517], Social Creature is the paper epitome of a trigger warning sign that comes with a harsh prose and a plot that tends to go as negatively as it can extend.
Every relationship in this book is so unhealthy you can't help but feel grateful you're not part of any of them, and everyone is plain horrible, in the realistic, abrasive way a gruesome trainwreck can be. Lavinia is probably the worst of them, and this also makes her my favorite. She's spoiled, imamture, the poster child for everything dark academia themed, a snake disguised as an angel in vintage clothes and designer bags. Louise, on the other hand, I've loved for the opposite reasons. Her passiveness was so repressed at the beginning of the novel and her frienship with Lavinia, that I caught myself rooting for her to show some teeth, even when she started overcoming the boudnaries of decency and . Incredible what a morally ambiguos character can do to you.
Not that in this book there are many people whose morality isn't questionable (I'm looking at you, stupid Rex), but you get the gist.
New York's wealthy scene glows in all its opulence under Burton's writing, which is a gift for those who don't mind a bit of darkness from time to time, and a salve for a soul that's been strained by a much gentler, pompous style.
I know some people would say the ending seems rushed, but I feel like it's perfectly in tune with the rest of the book.
I'm not giving this book 5 stars because as much as I liked it, it also made me so anxious I had to take a shower and get my boyfriend to make me a chamomile tea once I was down reading it, and because I felt like some parts needed more explaining.
Overall, though, it was a feral ride and a total trip I'm not willing to take anytime soon.
And trust me when I say that's a compliment.
book #33
◾this hashtag is something I self-indulgently created for fun when I decided to thin out my immense tbr list as a new years resolution starting from books I added on GR back in 2017/2018/2019, and since I can't seem to do anything quietly and I'm well known for being an overachiever, I had to go and turn it into an official thing. Feel free to check out the #PenguinOnATBRMission shelf if you don't mind keeping up with this insanely over-hyped adventure I got myself into. Take it as a chance to rediscover some books from a few years ago that might have accidentally flown under your radar, or to simply share with another fellow reader your very own reading experience. Happy reading and stay penguin-y!◾
To Be Continued...
orlaithma's review against another edition
4.0
Wow, just wow. I absolutely adored Social Creature.
Lavinia and Louise are two characters I could easily love to hate but there's no denying that together they make for a very compelling story.
Lavinia is a New York City socialite for the social media age. She regularly posts on every social media platform, shes at a different party every night always in a fabulous one of a kind dress. Shes an ex-aspiring actress, an aspiring writer and when she loves you, she really loves you.
On the other hand, there is meek, eager to please Louise. She is working multiple jobs writing articles, tutoring and working shifts in a bar all while staying up all night trying to keep up with Lavinia's lifestyle.
As you can imagine, pretty soon cracks begin to show.
I don't want to give away any spoilers but from around the halfway mark, I had to take multiple short breaks from the story because the anticipation of what is going to happen, combined with the sense of foreboding caused my anxiety to flare up. With any other such novel, I'd have been inclined to give up, but the snappy, and ever more frantic, writing kept me coming back for more.
Louise may not have been likeable but her conscious narrative was enthralling.
Many thanks to the publisher for sending me a free copy.
Lavinia and Louise are two characters I could easily love to hate but there's no denying that together they make for a very compelling story.
Lavinia is a New York City socialite for the social media age. She regularly posts on every social media platform, shes at a different party every night always in a fabulous one of a kind dress. Shes an ex-aspiring actress, an aspiring writer and when she loves you, she really loves you.
On the other hand, there is meek, eager to please Louise. She is working multiple jobs writing articles, tutoring and working shifts in a bar all while staying up all night trying to keep up with Lavinia's lifestyle.
As you can imagine, pretty soon cracks begin to show.
I don't want to give away any spoilers but from around the halfway mark, I had to take multiple short breaks from the story because the anticipation of what is going to happen, combined with the sense of foreboding caused my anxiety to flare up. With any other such novel, I'd have been inclined to give up, but the snappy, and ever more frantic, writing kept me coming back for more.
Louise may not have been likeable but her conscious narrative was enthralling.
Many thanks to the publisher for sending me a free copy.
nightresplendent's review against another edition
4.0
Wow, just wow. I absolutely adored Social Creature.
Lavinia and Louise are two characters I could easily love to hate but there's no denying that together they make for a very compelling story.
Lavinia is a New York City socialite for the social media age. She regularly posts on every social media platform, shes at a different party every night always in a fabulous one of a kind dress. Shes an ex-aspiring actress, an aspiring writer and when she loves you, she really loves you.
On the other hand, there is meek, eager to please Louise. She is working multiple jobs writing articles, tutoring and working shifts in a bar all while staying up all night trying to keep up with Lavinia's lifestyle.
As you can imagine, pretty soon cracks begin to show.
I don't want to give away any spoilers but from around the halfway mark, I had to take multiple short breaks from the story because the anticipation of what is going to happen, combined with the sense of foreboding caused my anxiety to flare up. With any other such novel, I'd have been inclined to give up, but the snappy, and ever more frantic, writing kept me coming back for more.
Louise may not have been likeable but her conscious narrative was enthralling.
Many thanks to the publisher for sending me a free copy.
Lavinia and Louise are two characters I could easily love to hate but there's no denying that together they make for a very compelling story.
Lavinia is a New York City socialite for the social media age. She regularly posts on every social media platform, shes at a different party every night always in a fabulous one of a kind dress. Shes an ex-aspiring actress, an aspiring writer and when she loves you, she really loves you.
On the other hand, there is meek, eager to please Louise. She is working multiple jobs writing articles, tutoring and working shifts in a bar all while staying up all night trying to keep up with Lavinia's lifestyle.
As you can imagine, pretty soon cracks begin to show.
I don't want to give away any spoilers but from around the halfway mark, I had to take multiple short breaks from the story because the anticipation of what is going to happen, combined with the sense of foreboding caused my anxiety to flare up. With any other such novel, I'd have been inclined to give up, but the snappy, and ever more frantic, writing kept me coming back for more.
Louise may not have been likeable but her conscious narrative was enthralling.
Many thanks to the publisher for sending me a free copy.
emilyturnsthepage's review against another edition
3.0
Social Creature follows part girl Lavinia Williams and her new “of the moment” bestie Louise Wilson. The two girls couldn’t be more different. Lavinia is extremely well off, has the best of the best, and lives for her social status. Louise, on the other hand, lives a very quiet life and is constantly wondering how she’s going to make ends meet. Lavinia takes Louise under her wing and soon Louise becomes infatuated with Lavinia’s lifestyle. But as most infatuations go, it doesn’t end well for either of the girls. This book is a mix of modern-day Gossip Girl with the age of social media and the glamour of The Great Gatsby. I devoured this book, mostly because it was so damn creepy that I couldn’t put it down. I loved the writing style and it kept me turning the pages because the story line was so intriguing (and rather f’ed up!!) I will say, this book is very dark and a bit disturbing, but a book I would recommend. Although I kinda feel weird recommending it because it’s so dark and crazy!
zellreads's review against another edition
5.0
I love a chaotic/toxic female friendship with a deeply flawed protagonist. This is exactly what I wanted and I enjoyed it immensely. Not necessarily super realistic, but definitely a wild ride.
mirasmitty's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
The Untalented Mrs. Ripley
littlem0use's review against another edition
4.0
This book was a quick and fast-paced read. I enjoyed all the characters and how they were portrayed and c'mon who doesn't love a story in New York?
Thanks NetGalley for letting me enjoy this book.
Thanks NetGalley for letting me enjoy this book.
emleemay's review against another edition
1.0
This is the second book I've read in the last couple of years that should just be called "The Talented Mr. Rip-Off". [b:Genuine Fraud|33843362|Genuine Fraud|E. Lockhart|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1503003099s/33843362.jpg|54780211] was the other one. The moment you tell us that a book is like [b:The Talented Mr. Ripley|2247142|The Talented Mr. Ripley (Ripley, #1)|Patricia Highsmith|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1435426615s/2247142.jpg|1817520] - which the blurb does - you basically spoil everything that happens for anyone who knows the plot of that book.
But, to be honest, I don't think not knowing the plot of [b:Social Creature|34909789|Social Creature|Tara Isabella Burton|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1518794075s/34909789.jpg|56171634] could have saved it. I just don't get the hype. This was an unpleasant reading experience from start to finish.
We are introduced to two blandly obnoxious characters called Louise and Lavinia. Louise is juggling several different jobs while struggling to pay the rent, until one day she meets a pampered socialite called Lavinia and gets dragged into a world of parties and drugs. Lavinia invites Louise to move in with her and the two become inseparable, with Louise becoming ever more obsessed with Lavinia and her life. Seeing as we are told in the beginning that Lavinia is dead, there's no points for guessing what happens to her.
I’m all for intoxicating books that capture a whirlwind of events and emotions, but the world of this book felt like a fantasy version of New York City. These characters seem to exist in a bizarre vacuum where they drink and do drugs without reason or motivation for anything. Sleep all day; party all night. Rinse & repeat. I think the author was shooting for Gatsby but landed among Gossip Girl instead.
The writing itself is exhausting to read. Louise’s inner narrative is a series of run-on sentences and comma splices, making it confusing and painful. It's a weird combination of frenetic writing style and slow pacing and I could not like it no matter how hard I tried.
In the end, I just didn’t care what would happen to anybody. It was so dragged out and slow, taking us through party after party with these vapid and unbelievable characters (honestly, Lavinia is like a cartoon character), until the inevitable happens and then there's still another 100+ pages to get through. I really need to go read something fun now.
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But, to be honest, I don't think not knowing the plot of [b:Social Creature|34909789|Social Creature|Tara Isabella Burton|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1518794075s/34909789.jpg|56171634] could have saved it. I just don't get the hype. This was an unpleasant reading experience from start to finish.
We are introduced to two blandly obnoxious characters called Louise and Lavinia. Louise is juggling several different jobs while struggling to pay the rent, until one day she meets a pampered socialite called Lavinia and gets dragged into a world of parties and drugs. Lavinia invites Louise to move in with her and the two become inseparable, with Louise becoming ever more obsessed with Lavinia and her life. Seeing as we are told in the beginning that Lavinia is dead, there's no points for guessing what happens to her.
I’m all for intoxicating books that capture a whirlwind of events and emotions, but the world of this book felt like a fantasy version of New York City. These characters seem to exist in a bizarre vacuum where they drink and do drugs without reason or motivation for anything. Sleep all day; party all night. Rinse & repeat. I think the author was shooting for Gatsby but landed among Gossip Girl instead.
The writing itself is exhausting to read. Louise’s inner narrative is a series of run-on sentences and comma splices, making it confusing and painful. It's a weird combination of frenetic writing style and slow pacing and I could not like it no matter how hard I tried.
In the end, I just didn’t care what would happen to anybody. It was so dragged out and slow, taking us through party after party with these vapid and unbelievable characters (honestly, Lavinia is like a cartoon character), until the inevitable happens and then there's still another 100+ pages to get through. I really need to go read something fun now.
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Youtube
mrsthakkar's review against another edition
5.0
You think you know what’s coming, but just wait. This was wonderfully written, and a true train wreck that I could NOT put down. I’m looking forward to more from this author!
booklovershangout's review against another edition
4.0
Unique and Intriguing. It will definitely make you think and will leave you wanting more. This is not the usual story that I go for, but I found myself compelled by the blurb to read this book. I am so glad I gave it a chance, because it is definitely one of the most interesting cast of characters I have read this year. I am definitely a fan now of this author.