Name: mariola's review of The Things We Do to Our Friends by Heather Darwent
Item: The Things We Do to Our Friends
Rating: 4
Author: mariola

Heather Darwent

She’s an outsider desperate to belong, but the cost of entry might be her darkest secret in this intoxicating debut of literary suspense following a clique of dangerously ambitious students at the University of Edinburgh.

Edinburgh, Scotland: a moody city of labyrinthine alleyways, oppressive fog, and buried history; the ultimate destination for someone with something to hide. Perfect for Clare, then, who arrives utterly alone and yearning to reinvent herself. And what better place to conceal the dark secrets in her past than at the university in the heart of the fabled, cobblestoned Old Town?

When Clare meets Tabitha, a charismatic, beautiful, and intimidatingly rich girl from her art history class, she knows she's destined to be friends with her and her exclusive circle: raffish Samuel; shrewd Ava; and pragmatic Imogen. Clare is immediately drawn into their libertine world of sophisticated dinner parties and summers in France. The new life she always envisioned for herself has seemingly begun.

And then Tabitha reveals a little project she’s been working on, one that she needs Clare's help with. Even though it goes against everything Clare has tried to repent for. Even though their intimacy begins to darken into codependence. But as Clare starts to realize just what her friends are capable of, it's already too late. Because they’ve taken the plunge. They’re so close to attaining the things they want. And there’s no going back. What is the cost of an extraordinary life if others have to pay?

Reimagining the classic themes of obsession and striving with an original and sinister edge, 'The Things We Do to Our Friends' is a seductive thriller about the toxic battle between those who have, and those who covet—between the desire to truly belong, and the danger of being truly known.

A Novel

The Things We Do to Our Friends

mariola

Clare arrives at the University of Edinburgh with a secret. This is her chance for a blank slate: to find the right people and reinvent herself.

And then she meets Tabitha.

Tabitha is charismatic, beautiful and intimidatingly wealthy. Soon Clare is sucked into her enigmatic circle of friends and their dizzying world of champagne on rooftops and summers in France.

Her new life has begun.

Then Tabitha reveals the little project they're working on, a project they need Clare's help with. It's reckless, possibly perilous and might finally allow Clare to become who she was meant to be...

But how much is an extraordinary life worth if others have to pay?

An intoxicating feminist page-turner with shades of 'The Secret History' and 'Promising Young Woman', this novel will take you on a journey from Edinburgh's dazzling spires to the dripping staircases and dark alleyways of its underbelly.

The Things We Do To Our Friends

A clear reproduction, and kind of low hanging fruit-copy. of The Secret History and If We Were Villains. But with a fun and unique take within the frames and airs created by both those references. I did enjoy the writing and the creative twist of the main character, but the rest of the characters are shallowly developed (which does make sense within the story). Perhaps too unoriginal from TSH and IWWV for some tastes, and both the final chapter and the Epilogue are unnecessary and overly "explainey".

Tove Söderberg

She’s an outsider desperate to belong, but the cost of entry might be her darkest secret in this intoxicating debut about a clique of dangerously ambitious students.

Edinburgh, Scotland: a moody city of labyrinthine alleyways, oppressive fog, and buried history; the ultimate destination for someone with something to hide. Perfect for Clare, then, who arrives utterly alone and yearning to reinvent herself. And what better place to conceal the secrets of her past than at the university in the heart of the fabled, cobblestoned Old Town?

When Clare meets Tabitha, a charismatic, beautiful, and intimidatingly rich girl from her art history class, she knows she’s destined to become friends with her and her exclusive circle: raffish Samuel, shrewd Ava, and pragmatic Imogen. Clare is immediately drawn into their libertine world of sophisticated dinner parties and summers in France. The new life she always envisioned for herself has seemingly begun.

Then Tabitha reveals a little project she’s been working on, one that she needs Clare’s help with. Even though it goes against everything Clare has tried to repent for. Even though their intimacy begins to darken into codependence. But as Clare starts to realize just what her friends are capable of, it’s already too late. Because they’ve taken the plunge. They’re so close to attaining everything they want. And there’s no going back.

Reimagining the classic themes of obsession and ambition with an original and sinister edge, 'The Things We Do to Our Friends' is a seductive thriller about the toxic battle between those who have and those who covet—between the desire to truly belong and the danger of being truly known.

Clare has a past. She’s now in Scotland at university, looking to reinvent herself with the right sort of friends. Enter her friend group, The Shiver.

As Clare becomes a part of the group and their lives become entangled, things take an unexpected and dangerous turn.

This is a  complex and layered story of friendship and obsession. It is more of a literary dark academia suspense story than a thriller, and it was well-written. That’s in my reading niche, so I really enjoyed it.

Cheri McElroy

Clare has a past. She’s now in Scotland at university, looking to reinvent herself with the right sort of friends. Enter her friend group, The Shiver.

As Clare becomes a part of the group and their lives become entangled, things take an unexpected and dangerous turn.

This is a  complex and layered story of friendship and obsession. It is more of a literary dark academia suspense story than a thriller, and it was well-written. That’s in my reading niche, so I really enjoyed it.

I found this to be definitely one of the better more recent examples of the genre, though it also felt like it heavily borrowed from previous examples. (Strangely, reminded me especially of "A Lesson in Vengeance" but I found this to be much better). I was a little let down by the narration of the audiobook - the narrator is very talented but was doing entirely too much for the tone of the novel which somehow impeded how much I could enjoy it.

this was very vibey and beautifully written but I was actually quite disappointed by the end 

Lili

It's pretty good I won't lie. I love the atmosphere and the plot and majority of the characters. I loved the Donna Tartt Esque, it seriously suited the vibe of this book, Clare gave off the biggest Secret History vibes ever. I love the Edingburgh vibe; it felt rather surreal and very immersful, and at some points towords the end I felt alot of emotions. Clare is a likeable character despite what she reveals she has done; you feel empathy but disgust. It's interesting to see how she reinvented herself and now her past chases up to her. I honestly felt a huge Mona Awad vibe from this author too. It's very feverdreamish sort of vibe; it makes no sense and reading it feels alot like your in a swimming pool drunk. You have no sense of understanding of your surrounding or what's happening or anything. I did like this book but it felt slow, very dragged out and just boring at some parts. The first 75 pages or so nothing really happened, you know? It was more of an introduction and dump and learning about the main character. I did like the small snippets we were rewarded with about Clare's past life and Clares present life but I hated hated hated the ending. It was just so disappointing. I wanted some form of vengance really, and we got the opposite. I guess that shows the character development. I'm not sure if I would recommend this but if your in the mood for a creepy, weird and dark book, have a go. 

surtified™

I didn’t know what to expect from this one going into it but the premise sounded intriguing which I think was what encouraged me to pick it up! What I found inside was an enjoyable read but also a book that left me asking how and why a lot of the time and leaving me with more questions then answers.

Students go to university to find themselves and grow from Teenagers into Young Adults starting to find their place in the world. However, Clare is on a mission to leave behind her past, her secrets integrate herself into student life. She ends up befriending a group of wealthy and well-to do students, Ava, Samuel, Imogen, and ringleader Tabitha. Clare is groomed to participate in some ambitious ventures that push all of the group to trouble.

This Book is dark and whilst I don’t mind dark books something just felt off about this one, wither it was the constant “What is happening here… Are we in the Past life, The Uni Life, or the events after uni. I also have to say that I didn’t like any of the characters and whilst the unlikable characters find others, I was not a fan.

The Writing is elegant, and I do have to admit that the author does a great job at developing the characters, but it was just really slow and felt disjointed as well as repetitive and took me ages to engage with the book and get drawn in. I did not find the story as compelling as I had hoped. I usually enjoy character-driven stories but in this case, I did not find the character interesting enough despite her psychopathic tendencies and there really wasn’t much mystery or thrill to keep me hooked to the story. Dark and atmospheric, The Things We Do to Our Friends by Heather Darwent has a lot of promise but falls short in its execution.

Ian Brakspear

I didn’t know what to expect from this one going into it but the premise sounded intriguing which I think was what encouraged me to pick it up! What I found inside was an enjoyable read but also a book that left me asking how and why a lot of the time and leaving me with more questions then answers.

 

Students go to university to find themselves and grow from Teenagers into Young Adults starting to find their place in the world. However, Clare is on a mission to leave behind her past, her secrets integrate herself into student life. She ends up befriending a group of wealthy and well-to do students, Ava, Samuel, Imogen, and ringleader Tabitha. Clare is groomed to participate in some ambitious ventures that push all of the group to trouble.

 

This Book is dark and whilst I don’t mind dark books something just felt off about this one, wither it was the constant “What is happening here… Are we in the Past life, The Uni Life, or the events after uni. I also have to say that I didn’t like any of the characters and whilst the unlikable characters find others, I was not a fan.

 

The Writing is elegant, and I do have to admit that the author does a great job at developing the characters, but it was just really slow and felt disjointed as well as repetitive and took me ages to engage with the book and get drawn in. I did not find the story as compelling as I had hoped. I usually enjoy character-driven stories but in this case, I did not find the character interesting enough despite her psychopathic tendencies and there really wasn’t much mystery or thrill to keep me hooked to the story. Dark and atmospheric, The Things We Do to Our Friends by Heather Darwent has a lot of promise but falls short in its execution.

being completely honest, i absolutely inhaled in this book in one go and couldn’t stop myself if i tried. this is one of those books where if you don’t pace yourself, there’s no way you can put it down. absolutely loved it!!!

it really reminded me of the secret history with a lot of the themes and the secrets between characters. however it had less of the like, pretentious filler you so often get in dark academia books (which i LOVE!!). i loved the limited perspective clare gave us, again similar to in tsh where we have no idea what they’re up to when we’re not with them. 

the twists and turns this went through were so interesting and kept me so hooked, especially the last 30% of this book !! i knew as soon as we were discussing “the project” there was no way i was putting the book down anytime soon. 

i wasn’t like ?? majorly obsessed with the end, which explains the 4 star. the epilogue just left me a bit .. okay ?? but thoroughly enjoyed this and would rec to anyone that loves a gritty dark academia book (bonus points for it being set in edinburgh) 

and finally, thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this !! 

shelby

being completely honest, i absolutely inhaled in this book in one go and couldn’t stop myself if i tried. this is one of those books where if you don’t pace yourself, there’s no way you can put it down. absolutely loved it!!!

it really reminded me of the secret history with a lot of the themes and the secrets between characters. however it had less of the like, pretentious filler you so often get in dark academia books (which i LOVE!!). i loved the limited perspective clare gave us, again similar to in tsh where we have no idea what they’re up to when we’re not with them. 

the twists and turns this went through were so interesting and kept me so hooked, especially the last 30% of this book !! i knew as soon as we were discussing “the project” there was no way i was putting the book down anytime soon. 

i wasn’t like ?? majorly obsessed with the end, which explains the 4 star. the epilogue just left me a bit .. okay ?? but thoroughly enjoyed this and would rec to anyone that loves a gritty dark academia book (bonus points for it being set in edinburgh) 

and finally, thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this !! 

mariola &
The Things We Do to Our Friends by Heather Darwent

Reviews

Join the club

mariola &The Things We Do to Our Friends by Heather Darwent

Reviews

Join the club

mariola &
The Things We Do to Our Friends by Heather Darwent