Barnes & NobleBunny: A Novel by Mona Awad

A mind bending dark academia/horror

I realized towards the end of the book that it was published on my birthday so I think the best way to describe this book in one sentence is….This book is a Gemini. I feel like the author had a horrible fever dream nightmare, woke up and just started writing. But in the best way possible. I was expecting a sorority-like, hazing, dark academia. What I got was a hauntingly original narrative that pushes boundaries and combines elements of surrealism, horror, dark academia and satire. This left me feeling confused, intrigued, and over all disturbed. There is no denying with as confused as I was for 99.9% of this book … the writing was spectacularly brilliant. You are completely immersed into this dark world with an incredible amount of detail about the characters. The “Bunnies” exist within their own bubble of shared weirdness and codependency, and Samantha—initially an outsider—is both repelled and fascinated by their magnetic presence. This book is definitely not going to be for everyone. Some will be captivated by its offbeat energy and the way it unpacks the inner workings of social cliques, while others might find its surrealism off-putting. Ultimately, this is a book that resists easy interpretation. It’s bizarre, unsettling, and immensely thought-provoking, providing a deeper dive into human nature and the complex relationships we carry.

Great book, just not for me

I personally couldn’t get into the book but the writing is amazing and a plot twist was unexpected but this wasn’t a book for me as this was a thriller/horror book and I am used to more realistic books, but it was still really good.

Jaw Dropping

The switch between the tone in the narrative when situations changed, the questions asked, how the questions are answered, I LOVED this book! It gave A24 horror movie

such a weird & eerie book

This book is weird and eerie in so many ways. The writing is excellent, and the characters are interesting and so memorable (even minor ones like Jonah). The group of girls that our main girl Samantha is drawn to (the Bunnies) seem like your stereotypical clique of rich girls, up until a certain point that is. Chapter 11 is the turning point, and the weirdness doesn't let up after that. The ending is pretty open ended, and makes you reconsider everything that happened up until that point. How much was any of it real? Was it an illusion? Perhaps just a metaphor? Maybe a mix of all three. Because of this vagueness, & how it all concluded (the friendship with Ava, the conflict with the Bunnies, etc.), the book was a bit of a let down for me. Still, the language is gorgeous, and there are many passages that you'd want to reread. Your enjoyment might depend on how well you tolerate abstract writing and vague endings.

Wonderfully captivating

3.5 stars

BUNNY by Mona Awad This book is bizarre as hell. I can only describe it as a wild, disturbing, pastel-colored fever dream with sinister bunnies running amok. Samantha is a grad student at a prestigious university somewhere in New England. In her writing workshop there’s a clique of four rich, pretentious women who call each other Bunny. Samantha is equally repelled and intrigued by them. When Samantha receives an invite to one of Bunnies’ “Smut Salon” parties, she decides to attend despite her better judgment. That’s when the plot (and Samantha’s mental health/stream of consciousness) goes completely off the rails. I had many questions while reading this. Mainly, “WTF?” and lots of “What the hell is happening?”. The scenes of the Bunnies fake-praising each other’s work, while eating mini foods and conjuring hybrid bunny-boys was all sorts of weird and demented. I don't have any personal experience with hard drugs, but I assume this is what an acid trip would feel like. It’s a bit like Alice in Wonderland mashed up with Heathers and Mean Girls. There’s amusing, anti-establishment commentary at the beginning which I enjoyed. A little satire sprinkled with a bit of horror, if you’re into to that sort of thing. Ultimately, you’ll either love or hate this book. As for me, I’m… somewhere in the middle. Rating: 3.5/5 ⭐️

Twisted little page turner

Sick and twisted but so good I read it very quickly.

Trippy Horror

I did like this book. It's confusing as heck because of the trippy things that happen--the main character Smackie, an English grad student with a huge inferiority complex, is also a highly unreliable narrator. But her imagination kicks in big time as she bleeds out her tale of woe while trying to fit in with the rich girls on campus, who reach out to include her after several semesters of treating her like an other. And she is an other--the horror elements are a fantastic and bizarre flip to a Stepford Wives ideal, but the love story, the real love story that makes Samantha the "other", is the reason to keep reading. You could argue that there are similarities to plenty of stories out there, such as Mean Girls or Heathers (movies are stories too), or the obvious nods to Alice in her Wonderland. But the telling of this bunny horror fairytale is weird and unique and original in a good way, too. Check it out horror fans. It's definitely one to include in your library.