“Heather Darwent’s ‘The Things We Do to Our Friends’ unfolds the journey of our protagonist, Clare, starting from her days as a newly enrolled student pursuing a History of Art degree at the University of Edinburgh. It marks her transition from her previous life in Hull, where she resided with her grandmother, to a new chapter filled with promise and intrigue. Clare finds herself drawn into the inner circle of a wealthy group of friends.

At first, Clare can hardly believe her fortune, quickly gaining entry into the exclusive ‘cool kids club.’ However, her entry into this charmed world comes with a twist – an invitation to partake in a scheme. What initially appears as harmless games takes a sinister turn, revealing that their coveted status carries a steep price, and their nefarious plans are just beginning.

As a fan of dark academia thrillers, I approached this book with high hopes. The prologue, with its unsettling and intriguing tone, immediately captivated my attention. However, as I delved deeper into the story, I found the rest of the book somewhat lacking. I struggled to connect with Clare, and her character remained somewhat elusive, leaving me yearning for a deeper understanding of her.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Things We Do to Our Friends is the debut novel by Heather Darwent. This is a mystery thriller/coming of age that follows students at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Typically when it comes to books like this, the characters are often unlikable and this proved to be no different.

Clare just wants to get by with a quiet life, not drawing much attention to herself. At University she meets Tabitha who's magnetic personality draws Clare into her circle of "friends". Tabitha changes everything when she proposes an "experiment" that Clare is perfect for. Will Clare be able to go along with this experiment, or will she be wishing she could walk away from Tabitha forever?

There were(as with many books) things to love and things to dislike. Clare as a narrator was hard to take at times, he deep desire to be accepted by Tabitha and the "Shiver", but this paid off in the end when everything came together. It helped the reader fully understand the lengths those around Tabitha were willing to go to. Tabitha was a hard character for me to like, making her pull almost non existent for me, but the members of the Shiver is where this book shines for me. Samuel, Imogen, and especially Ava navigate Tabitha and her quirks expertly while trying to keep Clare grounded. Without them, this book would have been a much lower rating from me, but that's a nod to the author in her character development. Having strong background characters makes me intrigued to see what more this author has to offer.

4.25 stars rounded down to 4. Recommended for readers who like such novels as One of Us is Lying. Age recommended for 14+, some of the content is questionable for younger and impressionable readers. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Things We Do to Our Friends' cover is what immediately grabbed my attention. That cover is amazing!! Some parts of the book were a little repetitive but overall a good read. Would definitely pick up more books from this author.

This book had a very interesting start, but I couldn't get into it as a whole. It felt kind of like a trudge throughout and I was saw a lot of plot opportunities for the author to take, but they didn't. It felt like there could have been more conflict or drama. This style might not be for me.

I was SO excited for this book, and while it wasn't the worst thing I've ever read, it left me wanting for more.

This book had a great premise but I feel like it under delivered on it. The marketing likening it to Secret History or If We Were Villains was a stretch. That said, I loved the setting and the atmosphere the author created, I just wish it had more plot.

I was excited for this because of the dark academia vibes but it felt like the author focused on the atmosphere instead of the plot. While it was very atmospheric, the plot felt like it could have gone through another couple drafts before publishing

This one unfortunately didn't do it for me. I thought the premise was interesting enough, and I really like dark academia, but this fell super flat and didn't fit the bill. We have a cast of characters who are all unlikable in their own ways, but they also are just so uninteresting that even by the halfway point, I was forgetting who was who. I could see the idea behind the book and where the author wanted to go with it, but it was missing tension or anything to really keep me invested.

Moody atmospheric backdrop, "The Things We Do To Our Friends" is filled with toxic friendships and devious plots. Taking place in Edinburgh, a city filled with history and mystery, it is a perfect parallel to our protagonist Claire, who herself possesses secrets from her past.

Claire moves to Edinburgh, Scotland as an enrolled student at the university to pursue her art degree. Leaving behind her dark past and the effort to reinvent herself, her life dramatically alters when she meets Tabitha and her group of friends. In Claire's desire to fit in, how far is she willing to sacrifice in the name of friendship?

The book is written in the first-person narrative through Claire's perspective. As the plot unravels, we get a brief glimpse peppered throughout the novel on Claire's unreliable psyche. The plot has its slow-burn moments halfway into the book. But it is through these moments where we delve into Claire's struggles and these awkward moments with her new friends providing realization that there's something amiss about the protagonist. Darwent explores toxic female friendships, social class differences and one's cost of obsession. Without giving away any spoilers, I truly appreciated the ending. The way it came to a full circle was innovating, imprinting a sense of haunting feeling. As Heather Darwent's debut novel, it's not perfect but it still intrigued me. A darkly seductive thriller that enthralled me at its best. I will definitely be keeping my eyes peeled for Darwent's next project.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lately I’ve grown tired of the obsessive close-knit friend group who shut everyone else out and act more special than those outside of the group, with a newcomer who becomes just as obsessed trope. Not sure what the trope is called- or if it even is one, but this is the latest book I have read with this type of set up, and I just end up frustrated.

The book started off intriguing and dramatic. I though the tone would run through the book, instead it became a slog just reading the absurd things this group thought were deep and made them different than everyone else.

I felt disappointed and bored through out. By the end I was just glad it was over, not even the reveals at the end made up for how much I did not like this.

Interesting and well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Difficult to follow at times and a little slow. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Sadly, this wasn’t for me and was a bit of a struggle. The characters were very two dimensional, without any depth. I felt like I barely knew any of them so it was impossible to connect. The first third of the book was incredibly slow and lacked direction. Only when I got to the 30% mark did I see where the story was going, but at that point it lacked real intrigue and felt fairly predictable. I did decide to listen to the audiobook and thought the narrator was fairly entertaining but not enough to keep me invested.

I really wanted to like this one. It has every element that normally makes a good book for me - takes place in the UK, college setting, wealthy characters, and forming friendships, however this one was just a bit too dark and twisty for me. The book was entirely too unorganized for me to follow and just TOO dark - which is saying a lot as someone who generally gravitates towards thriller and horror novels. I wanted to like this one so bad but I just couldn't keep up. Put me in kind of a reading funk! Probably won't be recommending this one.

I put this one aside several times and I’m finally admitting to myself I will not finish this one. Sorry. Just not for me, Thanks for the arc in exchange of an honest review.

It didn’t keep my attention enough. The cover is amazing and I was expecting more. It started off great but definitely dropped towards the middle and end for me. It was good just not love

I will admit to the fact that I was first interested in this book solely off the cover art and title. I am going to give this book 3 stars. Not because it was bad though! I did enjoy it but it felt slow-paced to me. I love thrillers and while this book had some thrill I felt it fell a little bit short in some character development. I didn’t find a lot of the characters likable. For example, Clare feels very attached to people who were treating her poorly. Overall, the main plot of the book is a great idea.

This book started out with a lot of promise, and it's hard for me to put my finger on where it fell a bit flat for me. I suspect it's a case of "it's not the book, it's me" - a combination of having read too many psychological thrillers recently, and my mood when I read it. I usually enjoy a well-written dark and twisty book. Also, I might have reached the point where I've "aged out" of reading books that center on young adults who are in or just out of college. I suspect it's a bit of "all of the above" in this instance - because I'm sure a few years ago I'd have loved it. It's well-written, it is indeed dark & twisty, it has an unreliable narrator. There aren't many likeable characters, but that's not a requirement for me. So while it ended up being a 3-star read for me, I strongly suspect it's a 4- or 5-star read for lots of other readers. I'd definitely recommend anyone who likes those things to give it a try.
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House/Ballantine for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

Clare is looking for a new life when she meets Tabitha in her history class. Only things are not what they seem. I struggled to connect with this book. It's set in a university and I'm well past that time in my life. The story also just took too long to get going for my taste. If you enjoy psychological thrillers with a slow burn this is for you. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

Terrific suspense debut by author Heather Darwent. Well written, excellent settings, character development is off the chart and an overall enjoyable read. Definitely takes a hard look at covering whah others have and friendship!
Highly recommend!