I should have hated this book, but I ended up loving it. All of the characters were sympathetic while still being incredibly flawed, which is so hard to do. Even though not a lot happened plot-wise, I found myself needing to hear more of Frances' observations about the world and people around her. Sally Rooney is phenomenal, and I will definitely be picking up more of her work.

3.5

I'll start out by saying I loved the aesthetic and setting of this book. I think the author really nailed those. the tone was really dark and creepy, and I genuinely had no idea what the characters would do next. I was especially scared of henry and charles. also, the writing itself was just really tight and very beautiful. I loved being in richard's head and seeing his perception of class and privilege, especially since he was on the outside of the group.

for me, what didn't work for me was the female characters. I think they really wasted camilla, marion, and judy. I think the story would have been a lot stronger if they played a role as anything other than just people for the men in the story to fight over or be annoyed by. I also wish that the ending was different. I wanted henry especially to be held accountable for his actions. I also wish that julian played a bigger role in the story and that he wouldn't have been painted in such an innocent, romanticized light. I know that's how richard sees him, but I think I was missing julian getting called out. overall, I liked this book, but not as much as I initially expected to.

3.5