Review: Bunny by Mona Awad

A literary genius tied to the most ugly personality for a character.

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@shereadsbooks.sometimes

Dates Read: 22/10/25 to 29/10/25

Star rating: ⭐

Word to describe: Grating

Genre: Thriller Fiction

Once again I had fallen victim to the bookstagram hype, I added Bunny to my Amazon Wishlist and was (very gratefully) gifted a copy from a secret Santa (a fellow Bookstagrammer). I held onto it for a a couple of years waiting for the right time to read it and fall into the inevitable brilliance I was about to discover. When I started reading Bunny, I needed something fresh and exciting. With such high praise, I was ready to fall in love, I needed that inevitable brilliance.

But yikes.

Firstly, I want to applaud Mona Awad for her exceptional writing skills. The beauty of the words and the descriptions - the ability to invoke such an intense level of frustration within me was unrivalled. I truly believe that Mona Awad is a gifted and talented writer. I have never so passionately loved an authors writing and so passionately hated the book with every fibre of my being. This dichotomy of emotions was tearing me apart because I wanted to keep reading just to experience this literary genius, but I could not keep going.

My main issue is the main character was deplorable, I could not enjoy reading the book because her inner monologue was tempting me to tear the book in half. Samantha's obsession with labelling herself as other and her grating discussions on faux feminism as she tears down the women around her for enjoying life (?). The bunnies, as she nicknamed them, were infectious with joy, and simply loved experiencing life. Even when the fantastical elements of satanic rituals came into the book I couldn't help but feel continuously unattached to the main character because she embodied so much of what I hate in society.

For the sake of my sanity, and the pending Reading Slump that was bound to occur, I had to sacrifice Bunny to the DNF pile. Much like the bunnies themselves had their own sacrificial rituals. I might be tempted to try again in the future but for now I have passed Bunny onto the charity pile and bid it farewell. I know someone, somewhere, will love it.

If you want a twisted story with vivid descriptions and can push aside personal feelings for a character Bunny is definitely for you. But if you're like me and character likeability is a huge factor in being able to enjoy the book maybe leave this one in Waterstones.