3.5⭐️

This had so many elements that I loved: dark academia, obsession, youthful arrogance, queerness, and just the right amount of weirdness. The writing too was so beautiful - it’s hard to believe this is the author’s debut novel!

The relationship between Paul and Julian was so engrossing, and it was easy to become invested in the twisted, cruel, passionate relationship that existed between them. Watching as it developed into something more violent and obsessive was captivating in an unsettling way. I found myself simultaneously horrified by, and rooting for, their relationship.

I thought the atmosphere created by this book was incredible, and if you enjoyed The Secret History you'll recognise that same sense of intellectualism and darkness in this. However, unlike TSH, I feel that this book’s focus on only two people, rather than a whole clique, made this feel more intimate and increased the impression of Paul and Julian being isolated from the rest of society. For me, the best part of this book was the relationship between Paul and Julian and how it is shown to spiral out of control into a toxic combination of pain and pleasure that consumes them both. 

However, the pacing was just far too slow and there were long periods where nothing really happened. I understand the atmospheric slow burn to some degree, and while I really enjoyed this as a study of the relationship between the two main characters, I don’t feel like there was enough momentum to keep it overly compelling. While the focus staying entirely on Paul and Julian made the exploration of their relationship fascinating and thorough, it also had the effect of taking attention away from any other characters or ideas. This narrow perspective lead to the story feeling a little repetitive at times. It might have been nice to explore Paul's unreliability as a narrator more, or to have built further on the 1970s setting and culture. Something like this might just have added another, much-needed layer to the book to keep it from becoming dull.

The end was definitely the most impactful moment of this book and was worth the time it took to get there, if for nothing but the sheer emotional devastation it leaves. However, I feel it would have been even more shocking and harrowing if the story leading up to it had been a little tighter. I feel like this book could lose 50, or even 100 pages, and would be a lot stronger and more engaging. Even though I was interested in the story and the characters, I kept finding myself putting this down and struggling to pick it up again because of how much some parts dragged on.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and absolutely think it will appeal to dark academia fans, especially those who love The Secret History (but perhaps wish it was more gay and angsty). The writing is absolutely beautiful and if you enjoy atmospheric, dark stories that will absolutely wreck you I would recommend this! However, if you prefer books with a faster pace and a broader perspective, this might not be the best fit.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with an eARC of this book in return for my honest review.

I've heard such a lot about this book so was keen to read it myself. It was an intriguing read from the start and I was fascinated by the increasingly toxic nature of the story. The two boys - Paul and Julian were so unlikable and yet I just wanted to keep reading about them. As the novel goes on and the power shifts back and forth between them I was so tense and couldn't see how it was all going to end. I did find this novel was probably longer and a little more drawn out than it needed to be in places but on the whole this was a really good read. It feels like one that I will be thinking about for a while to come.

I am only part way through this. I don't usually do this, but I know this book is going to take me much longer to get through than i thought. It is rich, multi-layered, and exceptionally well written. It also demands my full attention, which I am not always able to give. From the first page I knew this book had me, Loeb and Leopold is one of those cases I am fascinated by, and Rope remains one of the most impactful things I have ever read (blame English degrees for making me read plays.) Although I am far from the end, I feel confident saying this novel is, and will continue to be, excellent.

What an utterly addictive dark story of toxic co-dependency and obsessive love that spirals out of control. I have no doubt that These Violent Delights will stay on my mind for a long time!
I was hooked right from the outset, when the sinister events this story hurtles towards are foreshadowed from Charlie’s point of view. We then follow the story of Paul and Julian, two college students in 1970s Pittsburgh from different backgrounds who strike up a friendship. Paul comes from a Jewish middle class family and Julian from a very wealthy and influential family. The quickly become obsessed with each other, challenging each other intellectually and developing a toxic romantic relationship that takes a sinister turn. Their obsession to prove themselves worthy of their love with an irreversible act of violence causes irreparable damage to the foundations of their relationship and jeopardises their very future.

These Violent Delights is a masterful study in characters and relationships – picture reading about a crash in slow motion, and being unable to look away or change the outcome. Horrifying, brutal and brilliant, and with a powerful ending. Definitely one not to miss!

These Violent Delights is a disturbing, dark and genuinely unsettling read. And yet, it's incredibly hard to put down. There is something so compelling about these largely rather unpleasant but nevertheless quite vulnerable characters and their descent into obsession and violence.
Paul is a troubled, intelligent and dangerous young man who becomes increasingly obsessed with and enraged by Julian, a charismatic but manipulative classmate. Their connection leads to an act of violence that changes everything and nothing at the same time. These Violent Delights is incredibly well written - it's enthralling, shocking, elegant and vivid in a way that makes it impossible to look away from. There are definite dark academia meets The Talented Mr Ripley vibes which I loved. This is a sinister and twisted story of isolation, loss, loneliness and destructive love which I would absolutely recommend, especially if you like your psychological thrillers on the darker side. I also found the author's note at the end a fascinating and illuminating insight.

After years and years of hearing the highest praise possible for this book from people's whose opinion 9/10 match up with mine, when I saw it was being picked up traditionally and the ARC was available to request, I jumped on the opportunity to finally read it. Not only was it the final book I read in 2024  - it was also the biggest disappointment of the year. 


Maybe it's a me problem as this novel is very much beloved and has a very dedicated fanbase, but it really felt like a chore every time I picked it up. I never grew to like any of the characters which I think is where the problem lies as this is very much a Character-focused book, which is usually my favourite style of narrative. Again, such a huge element of this book is the theme of obsession, which I absolutely eat up and focus on in my own writing, but in this it felt overwritten and contrived. The character motivations felt extremely muddled. 

Maybe people might think I didn't "get it”, and that could be true honestly, but this was just a huge miss for me - which I wasn't expecting! 


Thank you to Oneworld Publications and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

I know this is one of those books that will be in the back of my mind, fermenting, for at least a year. It made me feel stupid, made me feel intelligent, and both things at the same time. It's weird, it's awkward, but it's also so relatable at some points that I kept wondering how did I escape such ending in my own life.

I will continue reading anything Micah Nemerever writes. I'm still in a chokehold.

DNF

I had this book on my wish list for many years so I was thrilled when I saw it on NetGalley. I could not wait to read it finally. I was intrigued by the prologue. What happened that these teenage boys would commit such a thing? I was eager to find out. But from there it just went downhill for me.

Since I read “The Secret History” by Donna Tartt I can’t resist books from this genre. But more than once it turned out to be a disappointment. Unfortunately, this book was no exception. This could have been a gripping story about two teenagers with a lot of anger and anxiety inside them consumed by the darker part of their personalities and giving in to their cruel phantasies. It could have even been a murder mystery. But the story here is almost non-existent. It goes in circles like Paul’s thoughts. He is so obsessed with Julian that he overanalyses his every move. There are so many words but so much is not said. I could not find my way through this lengthy book and the boring story. I stopped finally reading at 48% because at that point we weren’t even close to the event that happened in the prologue. I was really curious how these two boys got to the point to try to kill someone. But I lost interest during those 48%.

Maybe I am not clever enough to understand that book. Maybe I am not emphatic enough. But this book did not catch me. It was just not for me.

This book was not for me,I can appreciate the writing skill but the first fee chapters floored me with the subject matter they were discussing ie I didn’t understand it,I wanted to continue but found it too much hard work,apologies

This was dark and horrifying in the best way. A very difficult examination of the places loneliness and homophobia could drive someone to.

An absolutely compelling read! It combines in one hugely attractive package such diverse movies as "Saltburn," "Call Me By Your Name," "Elephant," and "Zero Day" (the latter two inspired by Columbine - an event mentioned by the author himself in his afterword). I got hooked from very early on, as the writing and the pacing are both marvelous. The plot is neither groundbreaking nor terribly original, but the style and the atmosphere of the book, its blunt honesty and its sickening obsessive elements make it a riveting addition to the genre.

It's about two male students in 1970s Pittsburgh, one filthy rich and the other Jewish and middle class, meeting in college and beginning an obviously doomed relationship. The 'dark academia' vibes are strongly reminiscent of "The Secret History," though this aspect of the book does not last to the end; other matters soon take over, as the toxic friendship between the two male teenagers grows into an unrecognizable relation of dependence, simulating early queer romantic relationships, full of angst, self-doubt, and emotional instability.

But this is not really a romantic tale. It's neither a tale of sexual discovery (sex scenes are mostly implied, never explicitly described), nor a coming-of-age story (family dynamics are too dominant to allow any actual growing up to take place): the two boys fall into each other intellectually and spiritually, they collapse together into a black hole of their own invention, as they become each other's world to such a degree that anything else pales and disappears in the background. I believe that the result might not have been violence, but in this case philosophy and immoralism transform "young love" into the need to prove a point which only a violent act can actually fulfill. The moral mess that follows is described with a heavy hand, but it's always clear and easy to understand what's at stake. I loved the (open-ended?) ending as well.

Nemerever has a very deep grasp of his characters, a fact that always shines through the consuming darkness of the story. A real achievement by a writer to watch!

I am obsessed with this book. I cannot recommend it enough - it feels like a spiritual successor to The Secret History. Beautifully written and wholly engaging

This is by far the best book I have read this year! Beautifully written & atmospheric. Reading this was like witnessing a car crash in slow motion. There is an impending sense of doom that pulls you throughout. Our two main characters relationship is at once achingly intimate and layered with cruelty. This is a stunningly twisted story of the line between love and obsession. Every detail you l learn changes you perceive then details you already have. An unreliable and often contradictory narration. I could talk for hours about the line between what we are told about the characters and what is being shadowed due to are narrators low self worth. The lengths they will go to make the other ‘happy’ leads to them committing an act of violence that hooked me until I couldn’t put this down until I found out what happened.

Thank you NetGalley and Oneworld Publications for sending me this ebook. All thoughts are my own.

Don’t think I didn’t notice that this book is being published on January 16th, the same day Paul and Julian first met. An absolutely delicious fact. “January 17th, 1973, he wrote, more neatly than usual because he pictured the biographer making a note if it. Yesterday I met someone I believe will prove very important.”

I genuinely think this is one of the best books I have read all year (2024). I loved it so much that it’s going to be difficult to put into words. The writing style is undeniably beautiful and captivating from the start. Somehow it managed to be a perfect blend of dark and twisted, whilst also being stunningly intimate - “It was a relief and a horror to be known so perfectly.” Paul and Julian were fascinating characters, who we get such a rich understanding of that any decision they make seems to make perfect sense. All the while, you sort of never know exactly where you stand or how far things might go. I could have read thousands of pages of them together. I think I might be as obsessed and in love with them as they are each other?

Everyone should read this. I already want to reread it. And I am certain it will stick with me for a long time. It is such a welcome and refreshing addition to dark academia, that if you have liked any others in the genre, you need to pick this up.

Wow, an utterly amazing read.
Thrilling, chilling and intriguing, this is a story that touches your soul.
Emotional and riveting, it’s extremely difficult to put down.
Beautifully written yet shocking at the same time.
It is truly compelling and will no doubt haunt you long after you’ve finished that final page.
Simply put gut-wrenchingly great.
Highly recommended with a well deserved 5 Stars.

This is a dark academia book following Pail and his toxic and unhealthy obsession with Julian.

I can’t really tell you if my brief description of the book is accurate because by the time I got to the 18% mark (the point I decided to DNF), absolutely NOTHING HAPPENS!!

Okay, so the first chapter/ prologue or whatever was exciting but then after that, it was so dull. I need more excitement in my life as opposed to a book filled with wishy washy descriptive writing and pretentious debates.

It’s one of those well written, arty, trying to go for a load of fancy awards kind and book. I’m sure it will be really popular but it’s a big no from me as it’s not a style of book I enjoy.

Also it’s marketed as a thriller, but from what I read, I would totally disagree!

4.25 OR 4.5.....STILL WONDERING AND JUST SAT HERE LIKE WTF

I'll give 4 stars for now because I'm still wondering about this. But all I can say is HOLY CRAP was I locked in. Straight away that opener got me. Damn

I got so wrapped up into the story that I was surprised at myself to be honest. There are parts that I thought weren't very needed that dragged out the story a tad, so that's probs the rating is that for the moment. But, I couldn't help but root for these two but also hate them at some points. That ending line. The ending in general to the honest. But wow. So so so glad to have finally read this!

I feel as if this is a book that will always be in the back of my mind, crawling around somewhere and will just let itself be known at random times. And I welcome that to happen!

Thank you ever so much to NetGalley and Oneworld Publications for the ARC

4.5

I was HOOKED on this book from the very first page. It has been compared with The Secret History and I found the prose to be very The Secret History -esque. I also found Paul, like Richard Papen, to be an unreliable narrator. A fever dream of obsession unfurled itself from within these pages. Paul and Julian had such an all consuming relationship that led them to such violence, I don't see how it could of ended any other way. The chess play analogy was so clever and it definitely gave way for you to choose how to see it.

DNF’ed at 38%

I am really sad about it, but I think this book just isn’t for me. I can’t get into the writing style. There’s a lot of overwriting which made the story drag on and made me get distracted a lot. I feel like continuing to read this book would simply not be worth my time, because I have a lot of other books to read that I would love more than this book.

Thank you Netgalley and Magpie Books for sending me an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book really was addictive and good. I really enjoyed the dynamics between the characters, the obsessive love that unites them.
The writing style really kept glued to the pages.
It was like descending a staircase into madness. Loved it.
Instagram post to come!