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Monday, February 28, 2022

Review: Cherish Farrah by Bethany C. Morrow

Cherish Farrah
by Bethany C. Morrow

Thank you to Dutton for these gifted books!

Publisher: Dutton
Publish Date: February 8, 2022
Kindle Edition
368 Pages
Standalone
Genres: Horror, Thriller

Seventeen-year-old Farrah Turner is one of two Black girls in her country club community, and the only one with Black parents. Her best friend, Cherish Whitman, adopted by a wealthy white family, is something Farrah likes to call WGS—White Girl Spoiled. With Brianne and Jerry Whitman as parents, Cherish is given the kind of adoration and coddling that even upper-class Black parents can’t seem to afford—and it creates a dissonance in her best friend that Farrah can exploit. When her own family is unexpectedly confronted with foreclosure, the calculating Farrah is determined to reassert the control she’s convinced she’s always had over her life by staying with Cherish, the only person she loves—even when she hates her.

A troubled Farrah manipulates her way further into the Whitman family but the longer she stays, the more her own parents suggest that something is wrong in the Whitman house. She might trust them—if they didn’t think something was wrong with Farrah, too. As strange things start happening at the Whitman household—debilitating illnesses, upsetting fever dreams, an inexplicable tension with Cherish’s hothead boyfriend, and a strange journal that seems to keep track of what is happening to Farrah—it’s nothing she can’t handle. But soon everything begins to unravel when the Whitmans invite Farrah closer, and it’s anyone’s guess who is really in control.

Told in Farrah’s chilling, unforgettable voice and weaving in searing commentary on race and class, this slow-burn social horror will keep you on the edge of your seat until the last page.

My Review:


One.Two.Three.Four.Five.

THIS BOOK.  Ok, I stayed up later than intended last night to finish this.... which was a surprise to me since I struggled a bit through the first half.  Even *almost* DNF'd it because it's so character driven and I was a bit tired of being in Farrah's head. BUT then it started to get REALLY interesting and I'm so very happy I stuck with it. 

I would definitely recommend going into this without reading the synopsis as I feel it gives away a bit too much. And I only know this because I went back to read it to see if I was missing something from this read.  I absolutely love what Morrow did with this story.  Racism, classism and CONTROL.  I honestly couldn't figure out why this was labeled horror but then I GOT IT. All the subtle clues .. brilliant!  I kind of had an idea that what I thought wasn't what it was and then got a glimmer of what I thought it could be but was definitely surprised by exactly WHY it was the way it was and this made this book for me 100%.  

Farrah is manipulative and in need of control at all time.  Constantly overthinking and pays attention to every single little detail.  (Not gonna lie, I do this a lot too and it's NOT good for the brain!)  Cherish is no better.. but she can't really even help herself.  Adopted by White parents and "White girl spoiled" (as Farrah calls her), she's protected from all the things she probably should be learning about for when she actually has to get out into the real world. How this all comes together is what makes the book so delicious and I loved seeing it,

There is one scene in this book that will stick with me forever but you'll have to read this book to figure out which one it could be. 😉

★★★★

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