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4.5 stars rounded up.

“Well, this isn’t exactly fucking Frankenstein, Bunny.��

I was super excited and honestly honored to get an early review copy of this! Even though this is sort of a sequel but more-so a prequel, “We Love You, Bunny�� feels most like a companion piece to volume 1. Almost as if Mona Awad were writing very capable fan fiction of her own universe. I realize this is a pretty strange thing to say considering the subject matter, but “We Love You, Bunny�� is quite a bit more fantastical than “Bunny�� was. So you should maybe know that going in if part one was a tad much for you. (I was obsessed with it.) In fact, I would even say that it’s ten times weirder than the first book. I have to confess that while “Bunny�� is still one of my favorite novels in general, I have only read it once and since I have the memory of a goldfish I have forgotten some of it. It’s definitely time to revisit!

"WLYB" is completely made up of narration, so basically the chapters are all monologue. I can easily see this not being some people’s cup of tea. Especially if they find the casual and frequent use of “Bunny�� as a pet name irritating. Oddly, I think that in another author's hands something like that would likely bother me but Awad manages to make it both cute and funny in a deranged way. The story of these characters gets pretty dark and violent, but I was consistently laughing even when I knew I shouldn't be. Mona Awad and Ottessa Moshfegh are both able to do this thing�� where certain moments make me feel a little bit uncomfortable but also intrigued at the same time. I’m certainly not OKAY with what’s happening, but I’m fascinated and want to keep watching to see what happens. And Awad especially has such a beautiful and weird imagination. I'm an admirer, for sure. Though "WLYB" does have some strong things to say about going overboard with worshipping your muse...

It's always an interesting experience to read something primarily��from the perspective of very flawed characters. The Bunnies are not good people in any way. (Tiny example: they refer to an unhoused person as simply, “A Homeless.��) Then there’s all the other highly questionable stuff. (They’re totally psychotic, lol.) But it all very much has an 80s/90s dark bratty humor sensibility to it. And I loved how different each of them were. If they designed a hotel, each of their rooms would have a completely different aesthetic and you would know instantly whose room belonged to who. Not a huge fan of how unlikable Sam was made out to be in this, because I liked her a lot in the first book. But then again, I have to keep in mind that every narrator present in this sequel hates her, so of course she won’t come across in the best light.

One minor complaint: Any time a character is narrating a memory back to someone else and that memory takes the form of entire chapters, I am unable to accept that the narrator would remember full conversations. That’s my nitpick with books that are in this type of format. If the entire thing is made up of memories, I automatically assume that none of it is reliable, and I doubt that every word spoken in the retelling is accurate. But maybe I'm supposed to doubt? No spoilery specifics, but this book has MULTIPLE unreliable narrators, and frequently alternating POVs. But Elsinore seems to get the stage a little more than the others. Though that might be for the best, because her narrative voice is the smoothest. (I think if I had to pick a favorite Bunny, though, it would hands down be Kyra.) I actually felt that the Poets were far less realistic and believable as characters than the titular “Bunnies.�� From the way the Poets spoke to how they acted, I struggled whenever they showed up. Hilarious representation, though, of various majors at a liberal arts college. I only wish that some film students had been included, for personal reasons!

Did I catch a subtle reference or two confirming that Bunny and Rouge take place in the same universe? I also always appreciate American Psycho nods that are handled well.

Admittedly, there were times when this story was a bit too sappy/romantic for me, but I’m a very bitter person. On the other hand, I thought the conversation throughout about art and whether it truly belongs to you or if you create it as a means to change the lives of others was beautifully done, and there was a specific fourth wall breaking moment near the end that hit me like a punch to the chest and honestly made me cry. How dare you make me FEEL things, Mona Awad!��

The section that connects this narrative to the events of the first book seemed a little bit rushed, but overall I was a big fan of the ending. Yes to all of it!

This will likely be your cup of tea if:
- The first book is one of your faves
- You enjoy a good dark and funny “Heathers�� dynamic
- You don’t need anything to be believable (This one is VERY important.)
- You went to a liberal arts college and can take a fair amount of roasting
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You definitely will not love this if:
- You can’t stand narrators who use silly nicknames or made up slang a lot��
- It bothers you when women are especially awful in a novel
- The story is told in multiple POV’s that keep switching
- You didn’t enjoy the first book

“We’re artists,�� Else prevaricated. “We just want to love what we make. And to make something that loves us. Is that so wrong?��

Thank you SO much to Netgalley and to the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own,��Bunny.

Biggest TW: Self-harm, disordered eating, animal harm/death, Brief mention of SA, Depression, Alcohol abuse
*All quotes are from an early review copy and could change before the publication date.