An edgy, scintillating debut novel; I feel like the book could also be called A Study in Female Psychopathy.
Clare is an outsider reinventing herself while attending college in Scotland. It seems there was a "mishap" in her youth and Clare struggles to overcome this. She meets Tabitha in her art history course and desperate to belong, she plunges headfirst into the most toxic of friendships w/ Tabitha and those surrounding her, Ava, Imogen and Samuel. All seems perfect and Clare is pleased she is adapting to her new life. Until Tabitha comes up with a little "project" that she needs Clare's help with. Even though it goes against everything Clare has tried to repent for and 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.
Sinister, twisty, un-put-downable.

*Special thanks to Netgalley and Bantam Press for this e-arc.*

This book sounded so good and I couldn’t wait to read it when I requested it on NetGalley.
Unfortunately, it was a big disappointment for me.
It sounded like it would be twisty and dark, but I think it was almost trying too hard and didn’t quite give us a well fleshed out story. Despite having Clare’s POV, I still feel like I don’t know her or any of the characters very well. The pacing was slow after such a shocking prologue and I kept waiting for something crazy to happen.. while the events were a little bit dark, I think I just expected more in the end.
The book was slow, which would have been fine if it explored the characters a little more. Instead I felt like we just got to the surface of the everything and everyone.
I didn’t enjoy this one nearly as much as I’d hoped to.

The Things We Do to Our Friends is a psychological thriller of toxic friendships. This read so different than what I expected from the description. For me the problem was I didn't find anyone likeable or to care about. That puts me off right from the start and I just couldn't enjoy this one.

Clare starts at a university in Scotland determined to reinvent herself. (Red flag) Her roommates are okay but not what she was hoping for. Clare goes on to meet a group of people that appear more interesting, but they are not Clare seems to have a fairly good sense of these new friends in the way she describes their interactions and her not always what they seem.

Sad to say I couldn't get into this book at all. The first chapter was intriguing but the rest of the story wasn't for me. I quickly found myself bored and didn't care at all about what was going on and figuring out where the first chapter fit into it wasn't enough to keep me reading. I DNF'd at somewhere between 40% and 50%. I think this had potential and since this was a debut book, I would absolutely check out whatever this author writes next.

The Things We Do To Our Friends is a diabolically evil story about “friends” and the manipulation used to get what they want no matter what the cost. The pressure they put on each other, the jealousy towards each other yet the inability to care for each other and most importantly how they are able to hurt each other in the name of “friendship”. But when is enough, enough? When do they go too far? And then what happens when they begin to turn on each other.

Clare has just come out of a pretty horrible period in her life. She has left her family, not by her choice, left who she believed were her friends all due to circumstances she created. She is hoping this move to Edinburgh, Scotland to go to college will wipe her slate clean. She wants to start again, meet people like herself. Move on.

Then she meets Tabitha, the alpha of a group of college students. She sees how Tabitha is able to manipulate her group of friends, Samuel, a childhood friend, Ava, her second in command and Imogene, a hanger on. She finds herself drawn to Tabitha. And Tabitha begins to manipulate Clare, even trying to make her into her own image. Clare is thrown into this clique and enjoys not only the comradery but also the secretiveness of the group.

But when Tabitha suggests they all work together on an enterprise she has created, Clare needs to be convinced. You see, she has some secrets from them. She is very unsure she should participate for fear of repercussions. But she finally relents and becomes embroiled in this new “job”. She soon realizes that what this entails is dangerous to others but especially to her and her life. But trying to get out of Tabitha’s grasp could mean death and Tabitha will do just about anything to keep Clare in line.

What will happen if the pact these friends have made dissolves? They all know so much. Will Tabitha destroy each one of them? How can she be stopped? Can she be stopped before she destroys them all.

Heather Darwent’s story is devious, fiendish and filled with psychological trauma which makes for an incredible can’t put down read!

Thank you #NetGalley #Bantam #ThingsWeDoToOurFriends #HeatherDarwent for the advanced copy.

Look, this wasn't my favourite thing I've read, but it had me hooked. I needed to know what the climax would be, I wanted to know what was holding this group together, I needed to have that creepy prologue explained, and by the end, I needed to know exactly how unreliable the narrator was. I do think that the plot was winding itself along nicely and then gets weirdly fast in a way that's not in keeping with the rest of the novel about about 65-70% of the way through, but it's a debut. Not sure I'd say this is dark academia, but of course it is for about 40% of the book, a campus novel, so I guess it qualifies. Not sure I'll be recommending it, but I'll be talking about this debut, and will be curious to see what Darwent does next.

*Thanks NetGalley for a copy in exchange for review* This novel is due out 10 Jan 2023.*

There were some things I really enjoyed about this book, but overall it just didn't really work for me. I loved the setting, I loved the dark atmosphere. But I didn't like any of the characters, and I didn't really feel invested in what happened to anyone. It took me a while to get through and when I put it down I didn't really care about picking it back up again. I think if you really love dark academia, friends keeping secrets, and slow burn thrillers it's worth a try though!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for the ARC of this book!

I honestly couldn't tell you what the actual plot of this book was. Maybe it just wasn't for me but it was so long and drawn out, the characters are uninteresting and unlikable, and I spent the entire book waiting for a climax that never came.

This book rambled about a young woman who enters college trying to cover up her past, but finds friends who get her tangled up in their plans, thus uncovering her past.

2.5 ⭐️‘s
The first chapter in this book drew me in, but it quickly became quite slow. Clare has moved to Edinburgh in hopes of recreating herself. She quickly becomes enamored but a group of friends she’s named the shiver of sharks. She desperately wants to be in their group and hangs out on the sidelines for ever so long when finally she’s in the center of everything. When she’s invited on a vacation to France with the group it’s not just a vacation there are strings attached. Tabitha has a project in mind, one that Clare isn’t sure she wants to participate in … but Tabitha knows about Clare’s past, a past she’d do anything to keep hidden. It’s a bumpy ride that often makes no sense, filled with characters that are unbelievable as well as unlikeable. Marketed as a thriller, this book held no thrills and is very much drama filled. Not what I was expecting and one I didn’t enjoy! Thank you to Ballantine and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I read this one rather quickly. The synopsis sounded so good. Sadly I just wanted to get to the end to find out why they were so nice to her. It all seemed fishy from the get go. It was more interesting as I got further into it.

The Thing We Do to Our Friends by Heather Darwent

Published: January 10, 2023
Bantam
Pages: 335
Genre: Suspense Thrillers
KKECReads Rating: 3/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Heather Darwent was raised in Yorkshire and moved to Scotland to study at the University of Edinburgh. The Things We Do to Our Friends is her debut novel.

“This is not that story.”

Clare is excited to be going away to university. She is ready for a fresh start. New friends. And distance. When she finds a group of friends, she thinks things will be better. She expects to be happy and secure until the secrets become a topic of conversation. Secrets that should have stayed in the dark.

This was a different book. It’s more on the literary side, with some thriller elements. But overall, it wasn’t exciting.

The character development was pretty decent. I was intrigued by all of the characters, individually and together. The dynamic was well-played, and the elements came together nicely.

It took me longer than usual to finish this book, and I kept waiting for the big twist to be revealed. There were some twists along the way, but this was not a typical thriller.

Claire has come to Scotland to be a new person her real name isn’t even Claire and what she did prior to moving to Scotland was so agree just her parents want nothing else to do with her. While going to school working at the bar and minding her business one night these fabulous girls sweep into her life and seem to not want to leave and although she starts to hang out with them and go to dinner parties these girls do not seem warm and welcoming but selfish and cult like with Tabatha being the leader. Before Claire knows that she is swept up into their life and the other when she learns the secret they been keeping and the project they want her help with she’s too far gone to get out in against her better judgment and all she promised not to do again against her better judgment she persist and Bing friends with these girls but trust me when I say you don’t. There were something I didn’t like about this book and it wasn’t just the things the girls did it was something else I found off putting and although I finish the book I must be honest and say I barely finished it . I kept wanting to put the book down and almost didn’t care how it ended. I felt like while I was reading the book something was being screamed at me to stop but not loud enough that I can hear it but loud enough that I just wanted to put the book down walk away and not come back I feel like I need a bath after reading this book and I can’t say why. I’ve never been affected by a book like this before and as far as books go it’s no more egregious than any other thriller and yet they were something way worse about this book. I’m sorry to the author but I want to give an honest review and that is my honest opinion. I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

The Things We Do For Our Friends is one of my favorite kind of novels. It was atmospheric, set in Scotland and tinged with dark academia. I really enjoyed reading this book and did not see some of the twists coming. All the characters are awful, but that’s why you can’t stop reading.

I was really excited to read this book. Unfortunately, it didn’t do anything for me. It was slow and really hard for me to get into. I felt like I was just reading it to read it and not enjoying it as I went along for the ride. Sometimes you read a book that really doesn’t jive with you, I think that this book was that for me.
Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for me honest opinion.

This is dark, twisted, uncomfortable, and unexpected but not in the best of ways. Don't get me wrong I love a dark and twisty tale but this one rubbed me the wrong way most of the time. Instead of being on the edge of my seat, I was repulsed at times. I can't quite put my finger on why. The plot moved quickly and was really unique and interesting. The cast of characters was fresh and fairly well-developed. I really wanted to like it but something just didn't click for me.

The author is a wonderfully descriptive writer but the way she developed elements pushed me away instead of drawing me in. For example, the way she describes food. There is a lot of food in this book and it's portrayed in the most unappetizing way, almost to the point of making my stomach turn a bit. I just felt uncomfortable a lot of the time and not in a good way that you would want in a good dark thriller.

I also feel like the plot had holes. I would have loved for the main character's past to be revealed a little earlier as I was a bit confused over halfway as to what the first (very strange) chapter had to do with anything. The whole story line borders on bizarre for me. I found myself asking "why" a lot of the time, I just didn't see the point. Other than the two main characters, or maybe 3, were clearly psychopaths.

I think it's a good debut and it might hit better for some. It's worth a read if you like dark and twisty gossip girl vibes. I was bummed it didn't connect for me!

Thank you, Net Galley and Bantam for a e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

We spend this novel following Clare, a university student who is trying to reinvent herself, while also trying to feel included in her chosen friend group. She and her friends get involved in something that gets slightly out of hand and everything starts to fall apart.

This was okay. It was written in an interesting way that had me feeling the atmosphere, as well as letting me know that there was definitely something off about the main character/narrator. However, there were also times that I was completely confused as to how things were playing out and why.

Let me go ahead and state that Thrillers have not been my thing lately and I think that was reflected in my enjoyment here. While, I was fairly intrigued to see where the story went, I don't know that I was all that involved or cared much. It was an odd experience as a reader. I very much so felt on the fence about everything that happened.

I really wanted to enjoy this book, it had a Caroline Kepnes feel to it. I just couldn’t get myself into the story, it jumped around from her past to the friends she’s making in college and hinting at a crime she committed. It read like a monologue with occasional conversations. To not finish a book makes me feel like a terrible reviewer. However, I couldn’t do it at 40%. I just couldn’t spend any more time on the story. It has the potential to be an exciting psychological thriller, but I just couldn’t wrap my head around the main character. My curiosity just wasn’t enough to finish the story. Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for my early review copy.

The Things We Do to Our Friends was really hard to engage in and really want to read. It is a thriller with an interesting narrator's perspective from Clare's with twists and turns throughout the book..overall it would be difficult for me to recommend as I didnt find the characters to be engaging or interesting enough to really keep my attention. A hard read through but maybe just not my cup of tea.

I tried to read this one but I couldn’t get into it. I felt like the scenery was too descriptive but I couldn’t get anything from the actual plot