Thank you @headofzeus for gifting me a copy of this wild ride of a book! I think this book is one of those where you have to just get on board with the weirdness otherwise you’re just going to be like wtf and probably not enjoy it. I thought it was so FUN and I devoured it in 24 hours - I even stayed up past my bedtime to finish it! That never happens, I need my 8 hours.
.
Samantha doesn’t fit in with her peers at Warren University, and she certainly doesn’t fit in with the cosy clique of girls who all call each other by the pet name ‘Bunny’, and yet she finds herself inexplicably drawn into their candyfloss and sprinkle-covered world, which turns out to be a facade for something a lot darker...
.
Awad absolutely nails the setting of this book - a fictional Ivy League uni in a New England town which masquerades as well-to-do and preppy while a bleaker reality simmers underneath. She has a very edgy sense of humour, and doesn’t shy away from the visceral and gross - if you have a very weak stomach I probably wouldn’t recommend this one!
.
The whole book was strong, but I particularly enjoyed the first and second sections - part of the second section is narrated in the first person plural which makes for an utterly bewildering but compelling piece of writing, hitting home the idea of collective, cultish identity.
.
It has a dark, fairytale-esque vibe, madness, wicked sharp writing, and overall is just a whole heap of gritty fun!