The Things We Do to Our Friends is an atmospheric dark academia tale. Think of all the dark academia books you've read, and unfortunately, this just does not hold up. I wanted a lot more from this book. I wish there were more layers and more meaning/insight. Ultimately, The Things We Do to Our Friends just left me wanting more.

I don't think I like this book. I don't know. There are very few times where I have not been able to figure out how I feel about a book, but here we are. It was confusing and a lot of the scenes made me uncomfortable, disgusting, etc. but that doesn't mean it was bad. It was a good story, I suppose, or else I wouldn't have kept reading, but I feel no real connection to the story, to the character, anything.

This is such a complex, twisted, and dark debut! I honestly think I'm still reeling from the way it all happened. I think this is great for anyone who loves a slow burn lead-up, who loves twisted, sinister, and complicated characters, and who likes an ending that will leave them feeling a little disturbed. Because just you think things can't get any worse or people can't do anything more horrible...something still happens, even at the end.

I'll start by saying that the first half of this book was difficult for me to get through. I kept coming back and reading it in pieces. The friend dynamic in this novel is very complex and dark. It's also not something I fully understand, so it felt frustrating to read almost. But I think that the way things layer on each other and how the friendship builds is vital to the later half of the book, so I'm happy that I did push through because it ended up being worth it. I genuinely believe that a slow build-up is worth it as long as the book's latter half is good, which this book had. I will say that once things start happening, they don't stop. It only gets worse and more twisted. I felt so much anxiety during the build-up in the later half, and that's always a good sign things are going right with the writing.

I also think this author does really well with this slow build-up. Her writing style is very much meant to build on itself. I think that it's fascinating that Darwent both says things quite simply, yet there's so much underneath what the characters are saying, their gestures, and the overall writing. It's a lot to unpack, and I think many readers will find that appealing and satisfying. I know that now that I've finished it, I would find many things I missed in those earlier parts if I were to go back and reread it. I seriously felt like I was getting sucker punched in those last chapters while learning everything, wondering how I missed those pieces earlier. I love it when things are hidden clearly and openly between pages, and the ending reveals everything.

I also keep asking myself, is it possible to be surprised but not shocked by a book's ending? Part of me felt like I saw the end coming, and the other part was incredibly puzzled by it all. It's like I knew things were bad, I knew who these characters were and what they were capable of, I knew how dark and twisted things were becoming, and yet I get to the ending, and I'm just wholly perplexed and, honestly, put off by it in a lot of ways?! I also liked that you don't get the reveal of that prologue/first chapter/Clare's past until the end. Reading that tied it up so, so well, and I think it left me feeling more satisfied than if it had been revealed earlier.

Overall, this was a slow burn with a very satisfying ending. I liked how complex and intriguing all of the characters were. It made me think about how morally gray people can be, how we all have this side to us that no one else knows unless we tell them or show them, and how far we're willing to go to be accepted or to keep those we love around us. It left me reeling and feeling a bit disturbed but in a good way (if there can be a good way to be disturbed). I think the entirety of this was unique, and I'm looking forward to what the author comes up with next. I'm all for dark storylines with twisted, unreliable characters, and I think their writing style fits that perfectly!

And thank you, Netgalley and Ballantine, Bantam, for the chance to read this early for a review!

The Things We Do to Our Friends by Heather Darwent was a very dark story. I felt no connection with any of the players. Clare's obsession with Tabitha and her crew flows through out the story. In order to not spoil the story, I won't go too much in depth.
In my opinion, the story ended with an open ended story line. I wanted to know more about Clare and her life after but didnt get that. The writer brings in Clare's husband in the end but we know nothing about him or how he meets her. Over all, I did not like this story. I was led on a crazy wild ride but still I don't feel as if I understood the story.

Clare is new to Edinburgh and eager to fit in with new people at university. When Tabitha and her friends open their arms out to Clare, it’s all almost too good to be true. And once Clare realizes what Tabitha has planned, not only is it dangerous for her future, but Clare is also in danger of having her past leak out into the new life she’s tried so hard to create for herself. I wasn’t so sure about this book, and the start of it did move a little slower than some of the others, but after about the first 15-20%, I was fully hooked. Since there are a few “spoiler” situations in the book, I’ll stop and just say that I very much enjoyed it and will be very happy to read more by this author in the future. Another keeper for sure!

Special Note: Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is an excellent debut and kept me entertained for hours while reading! It's dark, thrilling, and hard to put down!

This is a psychological thriller about a young woman looking to reinvent herself. Clare wanted to start fresh and have real friends, however ended up in the midst of toxic friendships/relationships. This novel reminded me a bit of "Mean Girls." The novel is dark with interesting characters, the most interesting in my opinion is Clare with story being from her POV. This novel did have well developed characters. I would be interested in reading more from this author.

I unabashedly loved this book. It's dark and quite intense at times, the characters are mostly unlikeable, and there's a whole element of unraveling throughout the book that I enjoyed immensely. Like things are just falling apart left and right and the MC, Clare, is getting progressively more unhinged as her past comes to light (I know that sounds like every recent thriller but I read a lot of them and didn't find it to be the same at all!).

This was a creepy, gothic, edge of your seat read. I really enjoyed reading this. Very suspenseful, kept you wondering what was going to happen next. Would love to read more by this author.
Thanks NetGalley and Random House for this ARC!

I really disliked this book. To start with, it didn't reas as a thriller. The story felt like it dragged on and was quite honestly, boring to me. I was hoping to enjoy this one, but it didn't work out.

First off, what a gorgeous cover! That’s what initially drew me to the book. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I started reading it. It took me a bit to get into the story and understand what was happening. Clare is interesting and the company she keeps are quite interesting to say the least. I found this dark, intriguing, intense, frustrating, and full of unlikeable yet slightly delightful characters. You will want to give this a read if you are looking for something different. Many thanks for this ARC that was provided to me via Kindle, from Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine, Bantam and NetGalley.

3.5 rounded
Impressive debut. Grabbed me early and held my interest throughout.
Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Disappointing. Weird characters, boring, drawn out. I felt like this could have been a good book but the writing just wasn’t there

A really, really good book about the bounds of friendship. I loved the writing style, and honestly want a physical copy just because the cover art is so dang beautiful.

The Things We Do to Our Friends was one of my most anticipated books this year and it 100% lived up to my expectations. It’s a really fun book, it has everything you’d want in a thriller.

*3.5 stars, rounded up to 4*

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The Things We Do to Our Friends is a dark academic thriller that got better as it went along. I would describe this book as a cross between The Secret History and Bunny, without the supernatural elements of the latter. Although it doesn't quite execute its premise as successfully as those novels, I still enjoyed this read.

If you are the kind of person who needs likeable or relatable characters to get through a book, this book isn't for you, as these characters are roundly insufferable. This typically doesn't bother me, but I do wish the characters were fleshed out a little more because I didn't find any of them overly compelling, even in their evil. Our heroine, Clare, is a narrator to whom things happen because of the actions of more colorful side characters, although the plot reveals more about Clare and her backstory throughout and she becomes the most interesting character by the end. That being said, I would have loved to see the side characters of TTWDTOF expanded upon more throughout the narrative because by the end, they feel pretty thinly drawn and a lot of questions about their motivations remain. That might have been intentional on the part of the author, but it did leave me feeling a little unsatisfied with the conclusion to their stories. While the characters left something to be desired, the plot points are interesting and drive the book well if you're able to get past distaste for the central characters. It took me a little while to get through the first 2/3 of the book, but I raced through the final third. The action builds in an exciting way and I found myself getting sucked into it - I stayed up all night to finish it once I got into a groove of reading. There are moments of The Things We Do to Our Friends I found genuinely disturbing, and I appreciated the elements of gothic horror woven throughout to contribute to the unsettling vibes of this book.

I'll read anything written in an academic setting, so The Things We Do to Our Friends was right up my alley. This book treads a lot of the pathways taken by stand-outs in this genre such as The Secret History, Bunny, and If We Were Villains, but doesn't execute them quite as successfully. However, if you're a fan of dark academic thrillers, I'd definitely check this book out. Thank you again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC!

3.5 stars--somewhere between liked and really liked.

Toxic college friendships--why am I such a sucker for this trope? Also books set in colleges? I don't know, but this was a real page-turner. This is a plot-centered book rather than a character-centered one; I think readers looking for a deep character analysis will be disappointed. But the story--dark and shocking--is gripping.

The ending felt slightly anticlimatic to me after the plot's buildup, but that's a minor complaint. I really loved the Edinburgh setting; the descriptions of the city added a layer of depth to the story.

I received this review copy from the publisher on NetGalley. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review; I appreciate it!

The Things We Do To Our Friends is told from the perspective of Clare, a girl who is desperate to fit it. From the jump there is a something "off" about Clare. You can't put your finger on what's different about Clare but there is definitely an air of foreboding to her. You don't find out why she is the way she is until you're far into the book and that's what make its SO. FREAKING. GOOD. You are invested and then BAM!

Despite Clare's desperation in wanting to make friends, she's incredibly picking about what type of friends she is willing to accept. After Clare moves to Edinburgh to attend college, she meets a group of people, and one character in particular gives off an incredibly bizarre subservient "need to please at all costs" vibes.

As the book goes on we watch the level of depravity that each character is willing to accept as “OK/normal” and it keeps you completely hooked since you want to see what happens next and who is willing to do what. This book was so so good and I LOVE the cover design. It reminded me of Horrid by Katrina Leno. Gorgeous! 4.5 out of 5 stars! Absolutely recommend to anyone who loves a book with a lot of complexity and plot twists.

Thrillers are pretty much the only things I can focus on these days with social media frying my attention span.
I loved this dark twisty thriller! I haven't read the secret history but I enjoyed this! Loved the setting.


We got Clare who is trying to reinvent herself. I tried to like her so much but I don't think she's supposed to be likeable.

I loved every twist/reveal and could not put this down!

Everything about this book was absolutely stunning. It has all the capstones of dark academia — lush settings, intellect, love and desire that borders on obsession — but with a modern, feminist twist that the genre needs. From page one I was captivated by the narrative voice and even when I didn’t trust the narrator I was completely enthralled by seeing the world through her eyes. The author perfectly captured the feel of Edinburgh and did such justice to the city, bringing out its beauty and eeriness in a way I’ve never seen done on the page before. Even when I anticipated a twist — of which there were many — the story always surprised me with how it was executed and just how elaborate and intricate the thrills of this book were.