Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I requested this book because of the amount of great reviews it has and I'm so glad I did. This book completely surpassed my expectations in so many ways and I wish I already had the physical copy of it to put on my shelf!

I loved the cover for this and saw proofs all over social media. What a gorgeous book! It had me hooked and I’m sure once it’s released people will be drawn to it and that’s great. However, unfortunately this booked just didn’t work for me. It’s another toxic-friendships-in-University book following Clare from Hull who moves to Edinburgh to do her undergraduate degree. There she starts dating grumpy Finn, also her manager, at the pub she works at and meets Tabitha & co, an affluent group of friends. She’s desperate to join them, but gets way in over her head when she discovers what they have planned for her...
I have to The Secret History still remains a cult classic when it comes portraying these toxic friendships and just that insular feeling of being young and those three years of studying. I had quite a few problems with this novel:
- I didn’t like the direction the story went in with Tabitha’s “business”. I think it lost me there.
- Also I didn’t like that in the last quarter of the novel the author uses one of the character’s sexuality (queerness) as a “twist”. It’s 2022. Surely we’re past that phase where a character hiding their sexuality for their own reasons is exploited for plot purposes 🙄
- The suspense was lacking. I was wondering where this book was going and the suspense comes too little too late. I wish the chapters had been shorter and a now-and-then narrative would’ve zipped the story along in a more pacy way. There were references to the character’s present but it wasn’t clear what affect her past had on her present.
I appreciate the author’s efforts and I think her prose was wonderful, unfortunately the story wasn’t there.

Very dark and at times disturbing, this is the tale of a young woman with a secret past. She gets embroiled with a group at university who seem to have lost their moral compass and undertake acts which they perceive to be retribution.
It is so nearly a great book. The plot is intriguing and the characters all suitable prickly and unlikeable. I never quite knew who was the complete rotter and who was being lead, or indeed doing the leading. The pace is just slightly off; too flabby and slow in some places and then suddenly galloping towards the end.

Loved the Edinburgh setting and the mystery surrounding the characters in the book. At times throughout I did find myself skimming a little with some of the details but all in all, I did enjoy the book and would recommend.

This was just such an intoxicating read about just how toxic female friendships can really be! Although the characters were all to the extreme, it's still so relatable and you can imagine that there really are people put there who are that bizarre. I was absolutely hooked. As a Scottish lass, I loved the Edinburgh setting and that added a little bit of familiarity and relatability for myself. I just loved it! The characters are so unlikeable that you can't help but need to read on to find out what's actually going on. Maybe not a thriller as such but an awesome book none the less

Compulsive, addictive, evocative.
I can't believe this is a debut, because Darwent's writing is so assured. A brilliant premise, executed with great style, convincingly dragging you into an amoral, intoxicating world of privileged university undergraduates. This book is going to be big in 2023. Thanks to Viking for the ARC

See I thought this was gonna be 5 star read automatically, it's dark academia, rivalry, and a thriller, it just fell abit flat for me because I couldn't connect with any of the characters. The main character was quite annoying, and her friendship group were just boring and way too obnoxious. We meet our main character who starts at a new university in England and meets new friends from her course, with these same people they start a little business where it helps suspecting wives frame their husbands as cheaters. I absolutely loved reading that, I thought it was incredibly interesting and clever, but the rest of the plot was quite slow. I do think the book should have been a bit longer as I felt the ending was rushed.

This is a claustrophobic, incredibly neatly paced novel full of unlikeable characters that draws you in from beginning to end. Clare' is at Edinburgh University and wants to to fit in and feel good about herself whatever the cost to herself and others around her. She is enthralled by what appears to be the magnetism of Tabitha and her cohort, but actually it's Clare who is the most mesmerising character and you are immersed into her world through clever references to her dark past introduced in the ambiguous prologue and then interwoven into the narrative. The unravelling of the groups "plan" and the subsequent realisation that while they all appeared to be so glamorous and exciting but in fact in the end they were all just deeply flawed - was for me the most interesting element of the story. And to be so emotionally invested as a reader in a cast of characters that are all truly so awful in their own ways is a real testament to the author and the brilliant writing style. Highly recommend.

In September 2005 Clare arrives in Edinburgh to start an art course at the University. She is desperate to reinvent herself and equally desperate to fit in. Her lack of funds lead her to bar work where she meets Finn but more importantly a group who he nicknames “the shiver“ as he sees them as sharks. However to Clare, Tabitha seems golden, less so Imogen, Ava and Samuel but she’s longing to be an integral part of them and feels joy at being invited into the “illustrious Circle“. Their friendship is very clearly uneven, Tabitha is the centre, living in Georgian splendour in New Town while Clare lives in less salubrious surroundings in the Gothic glory of Old Town. Why have they selected Clare? She is definitely not one of them yet they seem intent on including her in their activities.

This book yanks you in with a most startling and shocking start, the truth of which becomes apparent as the book progresses. It’s chock full of atmosphere, it’s there in abundance in wonderful Edinburgh which we see through the seasonal changes and it’s used to add drama and further the intensity.

The atmosphere is at times chaotic, at others cloying and claustrophobic and most definitely intrusive like invading ivy or vines. The Shiver give a whole new meaning to toxic friendship which ranges from overly friendly to smothering to downright mean to forms of blackmail. The characterisation is very good although none are especially likeable perhaps with the exception of Samuel who is mostly benign. Some are certainly unhinged if not demonic and in Clare’s case her parents - sheesh - is it any wonder some of her actions are bizarre?

It’s full of twists, some events are strange, some are downright weird, some are creepy, dark and disturbing and others are just plain crazy.

Apart from some occasional repetition it’s a well written novel with a quick pace and which is hard to put down.

It has a great cover too!

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Penguin General U.K. for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Clare arrives in Edinburgh carrying a big secret. She's hoping to start over no one knows who she is or what she's done. Until she meets Tabitha and her group of friends and she's dragged into the world of riches. When Tabitha reveals a new job of sorts that they need Clares help with she can't say no.
Because someone knows what she did and she doesn't want the truth coming out.

This was a gripping story though I feel there could've been more suspense and more stuff happening. None of the characters were very likeable with the friends being toxic to each other and other people with them becoming honeytrappers. Clare has some mental health issues she deals with too and she's constantly bouncing from emotion to emotion.

If you like books about toxic female friendships that will grip you and keep you turning till the last page you'll love this.

Gripping and dark – I loved this! I loved the Edinburgh university setting, very atmospheric. None of the characters were very likeable but in a brilliant way. I kept wanting to root for someone, only for a new twist to the story to show me that I really can't trust anyone. The beginning scene threw me for a while but I liked how it started to tie in throughout. Also enjoyed the touching on class and feminism as themes throughout.

The Things We Do To Our Friends is a literary thriller in a dark academia type vein, in which the protagonist is drawn into a group of students who start up a secret project. Clare is starting at the University of Edinburgh and putting her past behind her, but she's picky with who she wants as her friends. When she meets fellow History of Art students Tabitha and Imogen, and their friends Ava and Samuel, it seems that Clare has found what she was looking for: rich, beautiful friends who live somewhere far nicer than a student house, who make up plans that grow to include Clare, like going off to France. And, it seems, their new project, which Clare will have a vital role in, but it seems they might know what she's running from.

The blurb suggesting this book was The Secret History but set in Edinburgh drew me in, and rarely can books live up to that comparison in my opinion (except perhaps The Lessons, but that's just because it works for me personally). This one starts with a strange prologue scene and then we're immediately in Clare's first person narration. As she emphasises how she doesn't have money, has to get a bar job, and feels like an outsider, the comparisons with The Secret History seem very vivid, and I thought it was going to be very similar, but just with History of Art instead of Classics. The narrative style works to lead you in, making you aware that Clare is telling this story with hindsight, but for me, the atmosphere wasn't quite as vivid as I'd hoped for.

The actual "project" part of the book is a bit more generic and less shocking than I would've liked too, and not related to the university setting or initial focus on three of the group studying History of Art. Without wanting to get into spoilers, the narrative does engage quite interestingly with possible consequences of what they get into and is fairly gripping, though I think in general the stakes tended to not feel very high for Clare and the ending wasn't entirely satisfying for me, seeming to be more about telling you how warped she is.

I liked the Edinburgh setting, though it fell away later in the book, which didn't really sustain the atmosphere of the start throughout. A lot of the time I felt like it was too busy trying to be like The Secret History but not quite getting the dark eccentricity of Tartt's novel as being a selling point. I also felt like the interpersonal relationships between the group weren't really explored as much as they could have been, perhaps because the book is more focused on the plot element of their project as it goes on. I think people who are more interested in a dark academia type thriller rather than something that pulls fully on the twisted, toxic relationships and dark actions would maybe enjoy this book more than me, though it did keep me interested.

Interesting and compelling, it drew me along.
Some aspects of character and the protagonist’s relationship could have been developed more, as could their business. I’d have liked to see that be pushed further, made darker, and more exploration of Tabitha’s origins and story. The ending felt somewhat sudden too; I’d have liked to see Clare feel more under pressure, to make this her only choice. Entertaining and enjoyable, though.

OMG THIS BOOK WAS GOOD. It was dark, chilling with a toxic undertone and a creepy, obsessive atmosphere. It was well written with well developed characters and I couldn't put it down. I loved it.

I thought the beginning of this was a little too violent for me so I flipped through the rest of it to see if it could grab my interest. Unfortunately not. From what I did read, it seemed like a cross between Mean girls and Cruel Intention. I found it rather distasteful.

An excellent psychological thriller from Heather Darwent, a tale of toxic friendship and boundaries, one of accepting your true self and a certain fate in life and full of characters you'll love - because they are beautifully mad.

The Things We Do To Our Friends is a tense, atmospheric read fuelled by underlying tension and an inability to imagine what might happen next- it is cleverly involving and not easily forgettable.

Overall a truly excellent and enthralling read.

"Secretly, I quite liked it – the idea of us as witches. Something to bind us, something wicked."

The Things We Do To Our Friends is toxic, obsessive, and disturbing. It follows Clare, an Art History undergraduate that moves to Edinburgh to reinvent herself and at once becomes enthralled by a clique of eccentric students.

It is masterfully written; the characters, the plot, the twists. Everything flowed in a way that left me gripped from start to finish. And the Edinburgh setting was the cherry on top, it being my favourite city!

I devoured this book. You should too.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.

Clare arrives at Edinburgh university a bit of a loner. She quickly gets a job in a pub working alongside Finn, her almost on/off boyfriend.

Clare is studying art history and can’t help but admire The Shiver. A clique of friends who seem sophisticated, mysterious and a lot of fun. Soon Clare is invited into the circle of Tabitha, Imogen, Ava and Samuel.

Tabitha reveals that she has a project she would like Clare to be involved in. When Clare is reluctant, it is revealed that Tabitha knows Clare’s deepest, darkest secret-the one she has worked so hard to conceal.

This book was a slow build. Clare is portrayed as innocent and being taken advantage of. Throughout there are hints that this might not be true and that her secret is truly terrible. I found myself unable to put this down as I wanted to know that Tabitha was up to, why The Shiver were so reluctant to say know to her, and most of all Clare’s secret!

I really enjoyed this!

A strange, disturbing read. It was an unusual story line, and definitely keeps you interested right to the end, but some answered questions.

I adore a novel about toxic friendships, and this did not disappoint! I loved the darkly feminist undertones and the scheme the women set up... and the blackmail. The Edinburgh setting was the cherry on top, the perfect city for a story like this and a refreshing break from London-set thrillers.