Clare has always felt like a social misfit- the odd one out. So when she begins her freshman year at University of Edinburgh, she’s determined to reinvent herself and forge a whole new identity. Clare quickly hones in on provocative it girl Tabitha and her sophisticated posse. She decides to ingratiate herself with their cliquish inner circle. But how far will she go to belong? And what happens when they unearth the unsavory skeletons in Clare’s cupboard?
The Things We Do To Our Friends starts off with a bang, thanks to a very tantalizing prologue. The first couple chapters were slightly slow by comparison, but still held my interest. Once you make it through that initial scene-setting, grab your popcorn because it’s a wild ride. This book will take you places you never thought possible- good, bad and ugly. Trust me, the author is not afraid to go there.
There’s so much to unpack with this book, I think my head is still spinning. Let me take you on a brief tour… we have dark academia vibes, super toxic friendships, plenty of blackmail, sordid hunting parties, mold-infested French estates, and a little light stalking. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg!
The many faces of mercurial Edinburgh are on full display here. The city’s serpentine streets and gossamer fog will draw you in, beguiling and insidious all at once. Darwent managed to give me all of the feels- shock, outrage, elation, squeamishness. This might not be an uplifting read, but it certainly is all-consuming.
The characters are not exactly nice and likable people, but they are undeniably intriguing. While all complicated, beautiful and manipulative in their own right, the author does hint at the ways they sunk into depravity and ultimately became wrapped around Tabitha’s little finger.
I learned in a Psychology of Stress class that social stress is the most harmful variety of all. The Things We Do To Our Friends is a brilliant exploration of humans, the social animal. It begs the question- what lengths will we go to in order to feel accepted? It’s clever and disturbing, bordering on quasi-horror at times. This is a novel that I won’t soon forget.
A special thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
My Rating: 4/5 Stars
You can snag a copy of The Things We Do To Our Friends here.
