This was a little hard to get into at first but definitely worth the read! I loved the idea of social horror and I did not want this book to end!

“Being a spoiled white girl when you’re Black is literally my favorite thing ever. It confuses very literally everyone.”

Cherish Farrah is a delicious slow-burn thriller that is an absolutely brilliant portrayal of two friends, Cherish and Farrah, and the effects of classism – among other things! The atmosphere is THICK in this and I am talking sinister and insidious but just a tad to the north of what you can put your finger on. A niggling sense that something isn’t quite right with a captivating, complex plot that is just so f-ed up but in the most hideous and glorious way possible. Hard not to spoil this one so that’s it! Highly recommend this!

My thanks to Penguin Group Dutton and Netgalley for the gifted DRC.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Dutton, and Dutton in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at about 18%. I LOVED Morrow's YA novels so I was really looking forward to reading an adult fiction social horror, but at the point where I called it quits, nothing had really happened and it definitely wasn't reading like a mystery/thriller or a social horror. It was just a story about a toxic and uneven friendship. Between the story not being what the synopsis leads you to believe and the writing style (which is different from Morrow's other novels) I just could not get into CHERISH FARRAH and was not enjoying reading this.

There is a reader for every book, I'm just not the reader for this one.

I am a sucker for books that promise to hold me spellbound looking for clues. Books that make a reader stay up all night, if needed, to find out how things will end. Cherish Farrah promised to provide a “chilling, unforgettable voice and weaving in searing commentary on race and class, this slow-burn social horror will keep you on the edge of your seat until the last page.”

Advertised as a slow-burn, I hung in there expecting the evil twists to pull me into an all-nighter. Instead, I found myself easily distracted and having to reread sections to stay on track. Staying inside Farrah’s head began to drive me crazy. Bored actually.

After reading fifty percent of the book, I really wanted to put the book down as a DNF. I hung in there, hoping to connect, hoping to begin to see a twist coming, praying that something would cause that “what the devil” moment.

The second half of the book was better but still not addictive. I did feel there was a strange tension building in all the characters that was leading somewhere – evil. Cherish’s parents began to feel and act creepy. Farrah’s parents began to make appearances that came and went like pop up pictures. But, in the end, it just didn’t feel like a WOW. I sure didn’t see THAT coming. And I found myself asking, “Are you going to leave it here?”

In fairness, there was a decent discussion about racial inequality and the struggles that black families face when trying to integrate into all-white social settings. The discussion about the masks we wear to protect our inner thoughts and feelings was worthy of reflection. There were no ramifications for injustices by anyone in the two families; perhaps that was the point. Life ain’t fair. Breeching social classes is nigh unto impossible. Turning a blind eye doesn’t solve a problem.

In the end, I did finish the book, and there were moments in the second half where I found myself “into the story”. Not a bad book, just not a knock-out thriller. I give it 3 stars for trying something different and off-beat.
I thank the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book and to offer my honest review and opinion.

I'm not sure exactly what my expectations were regarding Cherish Farrah since its described as "social horror" . The book starts off pretty slow - maybe to the 50% mark but be patient as there is a lot of character building in those chapters even though not a lot is happening yet. Farrah was a bit of a tough character to like - She seems like such a brat that wants everything her way and everything to revolve around her - From time to time I actually thought - "Girl you have a lot to learn". The story takes a dark turn and I'm actually still here thinking about it. It is very well written and I am thankful to netgalley and the publisher for chance to read an advanced copy. I'm looking forward to hopefully reading discussions about the book in the future. Its always interesting to see what others take away from the story that I may have missed. Loved the book - I look forward to reading more from Bethany Morrow. .

3.5

The story is about best friends Farrah and Cherish. They are the only black girls in their exclusive country club community. Cherish was adopted by white parents, Brianne and Jerry. She is what Farrah refers to as "white girl spoiled." Farrah spends extended amounts of time at Cherish's house, especially since her mom lost her job and their house. Farrah has a cold and calculated way of viewing the world, placing the need to be in control of all situations as her top priority. Things start getting strange at the Whitman house however and she is left to wonder who is really in control.

I would classify this as a thriller/social horror, but want to warn that it does have a slow first half. I think plausibility is a bit of a shallow criticism, and this plot is more on the unrealistic side. BUT I think if you suspend your disbelief the metaphor there is very interesting, and I would like to dig into it more. I also very much enjoyed reading from Farrah's perspective, she had a very hypnotic way of telling the story.

Not what I was expecting from the synopsis. While the author writes well, I’m sorry that I had to DNF this one. Wasn’t an easy decision but the plot was extremely slow and didn’t have the thriller vibe or any foreshadowing that it was to come.

I read so many good reviews of this book, and I really like social horror, so I thought for sure this would be a great one for me to read. We’ll get to my opinions on that soon enough, but ultimately, I think this one was just way too slow for me.

As we know from the synopsis, Cherish and Farrah are the only two Black girls in their country club community. Cherish has been adopted by a very wealthy white family, and Farrah’s parents just had their house foreclosed on, so while her father is working in another state, Farrah moves in with Cherish and her family.

So far, so good, but I was waiting for the horror! The social commentary! The big twist! Basically, I was waiting for the thing that led to a “Get Out” reference in the synopsis.

That thing really never came. This was just the story of two young girls with an intense but interesting friendship until about 75% in, when finally something happens. I never got that big twist, or anything that would blow me away. The ending had a slight bit of horror, a bit more social commentary, then it had a strange fantasy-like ending. I don’t like when non-fantasy books end up that way, because it almost feels like the author didn’t know where else to go.

This was a decent story, it was so slow at getting to the point. I enjoyed the read, but as a whole, this one was just average for me. 3/5 stars.

(Thank you to Dutton Books, Bethany C. Morrow, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.)

In all honesty, I'm pretty conflicted in regards to my feelings on this book.

For one, this was a slow burn that burned REALLY slow. Like....too slowly, honestly. This took me a long time to finish, because even at the 40-50% mark, I was still waiting for something to actually happen. The first half consisted mainly of Farrah's internal narrative, which was difficult to decipher. Looking at the synopsis and early reviews for this, I was expecting a lot more horror and thrills, but that ultimately didn't happen.

At the same time, I know that this is meant to be a slow burn and that Farrah is supposed to be a complicated and paranoid character. I just didn't really get into the book until the last 20% or so, and I felt disconnected from the characters because we spent so much time just in Farrah's internal monologue. In this way, I really struggled with the book, and spent the majority of it being confused and a little bored.

Despite these qualms, there are several aspects of this that are really well done. Not everyone liked the 'big twist', but I thought it was really compelling and chilling. I liked the commentary present in the portrayal of Cherish's parents; these people who so clearly see themselves as woke and unproblematic, when often their words and actions contradict that sentiment.. Lastly, I enjoyed the final scene. It lived up to the horror I was expecting from the rest of the novel. Still, there are many unanswered questions I am left with about the characters and story.

Overall, this is being marketed as a social horror novel, with some likening it to Jordan Peele's Get Out. I can see how the insights on race and performative 'wokeness' are comparable to Get Out, but as a social horror Cherish Farrah just doesn't stack up.

In conclusion, I'm confused as to how I feel about this. I think there is merit to checking this one out for yourself, and hopefully being aware of how slowly it unfolds will help you stay invested. Thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. This publishes 02/08/22.

You know how you're reading a book and you're just waiting for the good stuff to start? With this one I wasn't even fifteen percent in and it got to the good part. This is how you do a slow burn right. I admit that this won't be a book for everyone but I gotta say I dug it, it was very unique and intelligently written. I was so invested I was able to read it in a couple of sittings even during the busy holiday season. I see many reviewers calling this a young adult book and it is, but it isn't your typical YA...the main characters just happen to be teens but I think anyone at any age would enjoy it for what it is, an excellent physiological thriller with a pretty amazing ending that threw me for a loop and I loved how dark this was. There is also a lot of social commentary about race and class consciousness but that's not what I focused on, it was just really good story telling, kudos to the author.

This was trippy! It’s not your typical thriller so if you’re looking for something more conventional to the genre you might be disappointed, it’s a lot more cerebra and about the atmospheric, anticipatory dread, which I think absolutely worked! It’s a very slow burn read, creating a sense of wrongness that I swear sometimes I could hear the creepy string instrument used in A24 movie trailers because something is just Off, with Farrah, with the family she’s inserted herself in, with her mother, etc. I haven’t read any of The author’s Ya books yet, but I was told a Song Below Water is similar in its slow-burn-ness that pulls everything together at the end in a way that makes you feel absurd for questioning “how is this all gonna tie together, how is this gonna end?” In the first place. This definitely did that, it built up that atmosphere and kept me guessing because I had no idea what we were building to, and then I hit the last twenty percent. That’s when the text really grabs you by the throat and slams you into OH HOLY SHIT territory that made all the slow build up worth it.

It’s definitely more deliberately paced at the beginning and I can tell that’s not gonna be for everyone, hell early on I thought it wasn’t for me, but it ended up being worth it and I recommend this if you’re cool with that kind of pacing and want something to make you say YO WHAT THE HELL DID I JUST READ by the end.

I was very excited about this one based on the blurb. However, it didn't live up to my expectations.

The pace was WAY too slow. I just couldn't get engaged with the book. There was too much telling, and a lot of focus on the toxic friendship. There was not much on the thriller/horror angle. I kept waiting for a massive plot twist to surprise me, but it never happened.

Social horror. Where you been all my life????

Seriously, though, this is quickly becoming my favorite genre. Many thanks to Jordan Peele for being the catalyst behind this movement because without him paving the way books like Cherish Farrah probably still wouldn’t be getting published.

Cherish and Farrah are the only two black girls in their gated community. They are as close as sisters – to the point where when Farrah’s parents lose their house Cherish’s family says why doesn’t Farrah just move in with them??? Farrah’s own parents don’t seem so keen on the idea, especially when Farrah falls ill and they aren’t informed. But Farrah doesn’t want to leave the lifestyle she has become accustomed to behind and is willing to do whatever is necessary to make sure the Whitman family knows she is quite possibly a better choice than their own adopted daughter.

To Bethany C. Morrow, allow me to say . . . .

NOOOOOOOICE!

While I did have a pretty good idea of what was going on as soon as the book was given to Farrah, it didn’t make the pages turn any slower and I will happily admit that by the time this sucker was over I was still sweating bullets. A slow rolling YA thriller that has your brain going one direction and abruptly takes a hard left.

I am not sure where to begin with this book- what a wild ride! Cherish and Farrah are best friends, they live and die for each other and have since they were kids, but that isn’t exactly true. Each has a secret, only one of them is more in control than the other, or is she?! This post may seem cryptic, because it is….that is the only way this books allows. I thought this book was terrifying in so many ways, some real and some not, but Farrah’s voice and perspective are haunting, chilling and beautiful. Told in the authors signature poetic style (her YA books have the same style) Farrah’s voice is unique and disturbing. It is an absolute MUST READ book about love, sisterhood, racism, abuse and the screed up society we live in.

This ok was one completely wild ride. I am not positive what I was expecting but it was not this. I will say the book started a little slower than I would have liked. But overall this book had a great creepy feeling that lingered with me after I finished it (think Get Out). This book is about two friends Cherish and Farrah who are closer than sisters. Farrah’s life has been falling apart as her mother lost her job and they lost their house so she has been staying with her best friend. Farrah and Cherish are both Black, but Cherish is adopted by white parents and is what Farrah calls “White Girl Spoiled.” Farrah is working hard to reassert her control over her life but the harder she works the more things seem to fall apart including mysterious illnesses. The writing of this book was excellent and the tone was creepy.

Thank you so damn much Dutton for this eARC approval!

So I absolutely loved A Song Below Water and A Course Rises by Bethany Morrow!
Very excited when I seen a new novel by her.... But this is a bit different than the other two
And I loved it because thriller is my favorite!

Cherish Farrah is the absolute best I've read in awhile!
The writing here is phenomenal and so damn intriguing I was hooked and put my kindle down only a handful of times before I finished it. Her writing in this novel draws the reader in and encourages lots of page turning.
So fascinating and atmospheric.
The characters are all well-rounded and developed, even the side characters.
Cherish Farrah was absolutely incredible and exceeded all expectations I had.
I was blown away with the intensity and narration. Morrow's talent is amazing!

Thank again for this eARC! It's one of my favs and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to read it! 😘

This book was truly amazing. It started a little slow but when it picked up I could not put it down! I found myself having a physical reaction to the store. My heart raced in certain parts and my pulse quickened during others. I’m so happy that I decided to pick this one up. Also thankful to the publishers for my review copy. Can’t wait until it hits stores in January. I’m buying all my friends copies.

I really did not enjoy this book. It fell way below the mark and pointless. For the entire time I was reading this book I kept thinking, "where is this going?" "why was this book even written and for who?" I almost didnt finish so many times.

I was conflicted by the book: On the one hand it’s incredibly grim and dark, and quite tricky to understand in parts. You spend a good percentage of the book trying to understand the protagonist and why she is the way she is, which is incredibly frustrating. But on the other hand, there’s something magnetic about the writing and the characters that keeps you engaged to the end, where you’re rewarded with a reveal that I doubt many readers could predict. An intriguing book that’s worth a read, but has its flaws.

The writing in this story was phenomenal! It was dark and risky. I really enjoyed this book. It was not what I was expecting but it was right up my alley.