I received an e-ARC version of this book from NetGalley and the publisher.

The Things We Do to Our Friends
By: Heather Darwent

4.25

Without giving away too much but this story takes place in Edinburgh, Scotland. One of my favorite places in the world. Clare, the main character, went through many ups and downs. From her parents, college, friendships, relationships, and life. She studied Art History which was one of my majors at college ironically.

Meanwhile, she had an "episode" and tried to reinvent her life. Moving on from her past. While moving on, many things happened. Multiple occurrences throughout the novel as Clare transforms into a different person.

The novel in general is dark and has some toxic tones. But well written and descriptive. Dark academia and relatable vibes. Slow at first but it picks up. I would watch this if it becomes an adapted film or show.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC and The Things We Do To Our Friends will be released on January 10, 2023!

I was immediately drawn into this book, trying to understand Clare and how she got to university in Edinburgh. At its core, this book is about a girl who is trying to remake herself and fit in with an impressive (to her) group of friends.

There is an unexpected thriller twist to the book that made me rethink and look back on a few passages. Tabitha's project is a little questionable to me, but it makes the book come full circle.

THE THINGS WE DO TO OUR FRIENDS has all the hallmarks of a classic 'academic' thriller when you first begin: a moody and atmospheric university town, a troubled main character with a secret past needing to reinvent herself, and a group of wealthy, enigmatic, apparently 'cooler' friends who pull her into their orbit and set her on a path of destruction.

But boiling away beneath that foundation was a potent undercurrent of gothic horror, rage, toxicity, and total insanity. As a reader who is rarely surprised by thrillers anymore, I'm pleased to say that I was genuinely surprised by some of the turns this book took, by some of the dark lengths it went to. There were pacing issues, for sure; this was a slow burn to the very core, and the first part felt a bit like pulling teeth, it took so long to get where we needed to be. But if you can hold until the end, the conclusion is all the more satisfying.

Full disclaimer, you shouldn't expect to like any of the characters in this. They're all pretty terrible people. You should expect to be frustrated by their behaviours and actions, even by their relationships with each other. But that's probably the point. They're not good people, but in their awfulness, they reflect us: the simmering resentments, the desire for justice and revenge against people who've wronged us, the need to belong to something at any and all costs. The very worst things about ourselves that we'd be ashamed to admit we feel.

In “The Things We Do to Our Friends,” the narrator, Clare, is looking back on her past as a university student in Edinburgh, where she hints that something horrendous took place. When she first moves to Edinburgh, she is trying to reinvent herself, hoping to befriend the right people. While working part time in a bar, she meets Tabitha and Imogen, fellow students at the university. Clare is immediately taken with Tabitha who has an incandescent, domineering personality. Eventually, Tabitha lets Clare into her circle, which in addition to Imogen, includes Ava and Sam. Most of the group have known each other for years and Imogen, Ava, and Tabitha share an expensive flat together in an exclusive section of town.

Clare’s casual boyfriend, Finn, who manages the bar where she works, warns her that her new group is odd, but Clare ignores his warning as she is soon swept up into the group’s dynamic. In fact, Clare herself seems somewhat “off” and the reader gets the sense early on that she is an unreliable narrator.

Although the writing was lyrical, almost poetic in its beauty and the characters with all their flaws were well-drawn, after the first third of the book I became bored with the storyline and was eager to be done with it. Several issues contributed to this disinterest. First, none of the characters were appealing, so the reader didn’t feel invested in their fate. Second, the big scheme hinted at throughout the book was banal, more businesslike than psychological thriller material. Moreover, the description of the unfolding of the scheme and its execution was boring and monotonous. And even though the ending had some shocking revelations, even that felt drawn out.

From other reviews of the book, I appear to be in the minority so my issues with the book may just reflect my personal preferences. As mentioned earlier, the writing is superb and the characterizations are well crafted. Since this is a debut novel, I would be interested in seeing what this author does in the future as she clearly has potential.

Edinburgh is a moody type of city. A lot of fog and atmosphere, history, and perfect for someone trying not to be noticed.

Clare arrives alone. She has secrets. Dark ones. She is sharing a flat with two girls she doesn’t speak to and keeping herself to herself.

There is a group of girls she is watching. They are a tight circle it seems. And the leader is clearly Tabitha. Tabitha is gorgeous and obviously rich. People are just drawn to her. And she is a psycho! But being befriended by this group is what Clare wants. Until she doesn’t.

When Tabitha reveals a project they have been working on Clare is certain Tabitha knows about her past. And then things get weird.

This one went so slowly that I thought I was almost finished but was only a quarter of the way in. It left me with a lot of questions. Would someone just blithely go along with something so immoral? Why? The price for being accepted may be too high.

NetGalley/: January 10th, 2023 by Bantam

Claire is in her first year at University. She is different than most of her classmates and eventually joins a group with four others, all of whom are wealthy. They are also seriously disturbed. They set up a “business” in which they “take care” of men who have mistreated their wives. The novel is very well written and can be disturbing at times, but it is not one easy to put down. Thanks to Net Galley and Bantam Books for an ARC for an honest review.

You can definitely judge a book by its cover (What a Beautiful Cover!) with this one because I couldn't put it down. The twists and turns of this psychological thriller all the way to the end stunned my with its brilliance, and the writing is superb. Ms. Darwent has created a best-seller and reminded my of Donna Tartt's great novel, "The Secret History." I will definitely be recommending this book to everyone! Read it and find out for yourself how great this is!

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine, Bantam and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

A bit of a slow read yet enjoyable. Perfect for long, lingering days, one you can put down when you put down when you have other tasks. The dream is to spend all your time reading, unfortunately life does call to us.
I digress.
A dark, twisted, story fans of the genre should enjoy a slow burn.

Dark, intense, complex, absolutely surprising, deliciously twisty debut!
And take a look at this breathtaking, fantastic cover which deserves extra five stars!

The is the story of a young woman who desires to recreate herself for living a peaceful life.
She was an outsider, changing her identity to become someone for adapting in a new life style: her new name is Clare!

She left to Paris to Edinburg/ Scotland, working on her accent, finding a cocktail mixer job at the bar, befriending the owner, taking her lectures at school, laying low, hating her roommates, building a new life.
Everything seems quite uneventful at first! Till she meets with enigmatic Tabitha and being allured by her friend circle.

Here’s the other members of the group: Ava: originally Russian with complicated past, Imogen; protective of Tabitha, a little suspicious about Clare and her joining to their friend circle and flirting, adrenaline junkie, mysterious Samuel!

Only thing Clare wanted was having real friends and starting fresh for more hopeful future. But her new friends came with a heavy cost! Tabitha has a unique project for her to sharpen her past skills!

Clare realizes she’s trapped because her new friends might know more about her real identity and they are adamant to use it for their benefits!
She has to accept their offer and work with them in expanse losing everything she’s worked for!

Overall: the book’s first chapter in Paris is absolutely dark, intriguing and disturbing start!
First third was so slow burn and I had hard time to get into the story! The eccentric friend circle members are dislikable and Clare was truly struggling. You may sense something is really wrong with her.

Thankfully when we realize what the project was about thing get more heated. Pace picked up and story turned into another dark and disturbing road.

Epilogue revealed everything as beginning and the end collided perfectly!
It was a fresh, unique, unconventional debut! I mostly enjoyed!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/ Ballantine for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

I thought the idea of this book was much better than the execution. The biggest issue for me was the pacing. This book was plodding and slow. It was hard to stay in the rhythm of reading it and after a while, it was to a point where I stopped caring about what was happening. The characters were all pretty icky people, but the lack of momentum and forward movement killed this book for me. It honestly just felt stagnant and wasn't fun to read.

Clare is in her first year of college in Scotland and is studying art history when she stumbles upon a trio young women in her lectures. You know the type - the ones in the last row of the lecture hall, sprawled out, giggling amongst themselves with their private jokes. Clare wants to be apart of that group. She’s lonely and her flat mates are quite dull. She has a part time job tending bar and an low-key romance with her fellow bartender, Finn. But none of this intrigues her.

And then one day she’s invited into the fold. Tabitha, Ava, Imogen and Samuel mold Clare into a part of their circle seamlessly. And then they move her into their business ventures that turn out to be quite thrilling at first, but also bring out memories of her past.

Soon Clare is spiraling and doesn’t know if her friends are loyal or are working against her and using her childhood history to do it.

This novel was intriguing and the characters were all quite interesting, though I felt the development was delayed (though purposely) until the end. The ending was abrupt and I don’t think the lead up we were given didn’t fit well with the rest of the novel. Otherwise, I found the plot kept my interest and was quite original.

The intermingle of friendships at the beginning was slow to develop, and the over descriptions of their surroundings did not help push the storyline. The over descriptions of everything started to annoy me as it seems the author is trying to paint a picture, but it doesn't help the story or the characters. When the plan evolved was when the storyline picked up and got interesting. However, the author does not elaborate on that any further but chooses friendship development as the main course of the story. I find that was where I lost interest, as it didn't go any further. The story was very predictable at the end and overall. The pace started slow and ended the same way. The only character I thought was of any interest was Ava. She was mysterious and unpredictable. Yet, she's in the background.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam and NetGalley for letting me read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

THE THINGS WE DO TO OUR FRIENDS
BY: HEATHER DARWENT

This phenomenal thriller was offered to me to read by the Publisher and at first I was skeptical whether or not I would like it, so it took me a few days to decide. I am so grateful that curiosity got the better of me and I decided to read it. It is Heather Darwent's debut novel and if ever before I have read a Fantastic thriller this year this one definitely is it. It gives me chills just thinking of it as I type my review for the second time. I don't know what happened, but I was all done typing this up the first time and when I clicked on the post, I lost the whole entire review and it redirected me to another page unrelated to this. It also erased everything that I wrote while my thoughts were fresh. I didn't mention this the first time, but I think that the Title is perfect for this with a very nice cover. I hope that the Publisher decides to keep both of them.

Seriously, this was so FANTASTIC I cannot believe that the talented Heather Darwent who wrote this is a debut novel. The writing is beautiful and this atmospheric novel takes place in Edinburgh, Scotland. This is the type of thriller that is so fresh and unique, that I guarantee you that you have not read a story like it before. I LOVED IT! It is UNFORGETTABLE, also!

Clare has grown up in France where she along with two former girlfriends' has just committed an unspeakable act. It is at the University in Edinburgh where Clare thinks she can get a fresh new start and is trying to reinvent herself. I didn't like Clare at first because she seems sort of fake by trying to say just the right thing in order to be accepted by her new cliche of friends' instead of just being herself. Then she sort of grew on me and I liked her until the explosive finale.

Both of her parents don't want anything to do with her and before the semester starts she is living with her grandmother--her father's mother. Clare needs to work and she takes a job in a bar where she meets her friends' who she hopes to make a good impression on. Does Clare choose them or do they choose her?

Are psychopaths' born that way or is it from terrible neglect or abuse or a combination of all that I ask? Her parents used to lock her in her bedroom, which seems cruel. This is one thriller that you won't want to miss. It is not the Horror genre, but I can't stop thinking about this one and I hope that I don't have nightmares tonight.

Publication Date: January 10, 2023

Thank you to Net Galley, Heather Darwent and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine-Bantam for generously providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own. I wasn't required to leave a positive review. This was just soooooooo Great!

#TheThingsWeDotoOurFriends #HeatherDarwent #RandomHousePublishingGroupBallantineBantam #NetGalley

“The Things We Do to Our Friends” is a debut novel by Heather Darwent. My review is going to be in the minority, but I did not really enjoy this book. After reading the opening scene, I was reminded of Mona Awad’s book “Bunny” - which is and isn’t like this book. But at the end of both books I kept thinking “what in the world did I just read?” This book was incredibly slow moving (I thought I was about near the middle and realized I was about 24% into the book). The book is gripping and the writing engaging (though I will admit to skimming some pages when something was being described in a lot of detail) and the twists keep twisting, but like “Bunny” I found myself wondering “why is this being done, why are folks agreeing to this being done, and this is completely messed up.” I’m giving it three stars (rounded up from 2.5) for two reasons - a) the lovely cover that sucked me in, and b) for a debut novel this was pretty dang well written, just not to my taste.

I wasn’t quite sure what to make of this book when I started reading. Certainly the cover and description peaked my interest and I couldn’t wait to dive in. It took a bit for me to get into the story and understand what was happening. Claire is interesting and the company she keeps is something else entirely. It’s twisted and a bit dark. You will want to give this a read if you are looking for something different and intriguing. 3.5 stars for me.

#TheThingsWeDoToOurFriends #NetGalley
Extraordinary. 5 ⭐.
Clare, then, who arrives utterly alone and yearning to reinvent herself. And what better place to conceal the secrets of her past than at the university in the heart of the fabled, cobblestoned Old Town? When Clare meets Tabitha, a charismatic, beautiful, and intimidatingly rich girl from her art history class, she knows she's destined to become friends with her and her exclusive circle: raffish Samuel, shrewd Ava, and pragmatic Imogen. Clare is immediately drawn into their libertine world of sophisticated dinner parties and summers in France. The new life she always envisioned for herself has seemingly begun. Then Tabitha reveals a little project she’s been working on, one that she needs Clare's help with. Even though it goes against everything Clare has tried to repent for. Even though 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. Because they’ve taken the plunge. They’re so close to attaining everything they want. And there’s no going back. How much is an extraordinary life worth if others have to pay?
Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for giving me an advance copy.

“Why not? I mean, the story always end the same. Best friends, some deep connection forged through some awful or fantastic drama, so what does it matter where it begins? The end is the only thing that matters, don’t you think?” Haven’t we all experienced the longing of wanting to be in someone’s inner circle? To have friendships that are deep and meaningful? Clare longs to start a new life after “the episode”. When she meets Tabitha in her art history class, she believes that she will get that new start with a new circle of friends. However, once drawn into the circle, she has to decide if these new friends are worth the price she has to pay to be included. Tabitha has a project brewing and the past that Clare has tried so hard to escape may not be escapable.

I could not put down this debut novel from Heather Darwent. Not a typical literary suspense reader, I was initially drawn to this book by the cover. Darwent does an amazing job of bringing to life the various characters from this book who are all very different from one another. And Clare? Just when you think you have her figured out, a twist is thrown in that leaves your head spinning. What I loved is that it’s not only Clare that changes through this book, but Darwent doesn’t leave the other characters out of the fun, either. I caught myself several times gasping when a character would do or say something completely unexpected, but in a good way that made sense with the flow of the story.

Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy. Make sure to check out this amazing debut novel on January 10, 2023.

Heather Darwent's The Things We Do To Our Friends quite honestly threw me for a loop right from the beginning. Reminiscent of the opening of Micah Nemerever's These Violent Delights, the scene is set in a way that can only be described as captivating. Darwent's writing is sleek while also being modern, which is a difficult task to accomplish in my eyes. It was almost hard to believe that this was her debut novel!

If there's one trope I find myself seeking out often, it's the toxic female friendship trope and if you do too, this is the book for you. There's something about being able to watch the spectacle of doomed friendship crash and burn from a distance that perhaps myself and others tend to gravitate towards in fiction. In this particular book, we find Clare trying to reinvent herself after "the episode." And as most lonely people do, she drifts towards Tabitha and her wild pack. On the surface, this is all Clare has ever wanted, but we all know Murphy's Law. What can go wrong, will.

Every time I thought I had this book figured out, another twist was thrown at me, but these twists were so well crafted that I didn't mind. I wanted to be thrown for a loop because it was done so well. Not only does Darwent do a twist well, but she also gives a gentle but knowing commentary on how scary it is to be a girl. Clare, more than once, remarks about how frightening it is to be a young girl in a plethora of situations and how men don't have these same worries. They don't check over their shoulders in an alleyway. They don’t have to be aware of their surroundings 24/7. A man is never "asking for it." These thoughts make Clare even easier to connect to as our protagonist.

As we follow Clare through her time in Edinburgh, this strange thing happens. Clare seems to almost transform on the page right in front of us. She is constantly bouncing through emotions ranging anywhere from cool and collected to panic and rage. I think Heather Darwent has given us the perfect example of a morally grey character. Clare has done terrible things, but we can't ignore the terrible things done to her. At least for me, it's so hard to ignore the almost monster her parents made her into. It makes a reader wonder what she would have turned out like if she had been raised by loving people. Normal people.

All in all, I think this is a stellar debut novel. Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC and make sure to snag a copy of The Things We Do To Our Friends on January 10, 2023!

Favorite quotes:

"The dead are near in the city when the night falls, they press against you, but I think it's the living who come for you."

"This attachment to these girls, it won't always be like this, I promise. It won't always feel like everything."

Absolutely winner in story telling. One of the best books I have read all year. This book immediately draws you in and holds your interest until the last page.

Very enjoyable read. Clare is an interesting character, and I think book cover all sides of her, pacing in some spots, revealing in others and definitely tense in some. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC