digitaldonor

[digitaldonor]

bunny by mona awad

***contains spoilers***

bunny by mona awad was an absolute trip, to say the least. i had no idea the kind of journey i was about to embark on when this book was chosen for book club.

quick synopsis

in the beginning chapters, i was instantly reminded of a heathers/ mean girls type story - outcast, gloomy, loner type protagonist (samantha) with great potential but not-so-great circumstances and the wealthy, beautiful cultish group (the bunnies) that the main character hates but secretly wants to be a part of. the story takes place at warren university (warren? like rabbit hole??) where samantha and the bunnies are part of a prestigious writing program, and even in the same writing cohort. right away, samantha struck me as a biased and unreliable (and insufferable) narrator, and even to the very end of the story, i am still unsure of what actually happened and what was part of her wild imagination.

samantha spends a good part of the beginning of the book detailing her hatred for the bunnies and explaining the objectifying nicknames she gave them - cupcake, creepy dolls, vignette and the duchess. this is only fueled by her best and only friend, ava, who is just as "dark", "angry" and "distant" as her.

when samantha receives an invitation to a bunny get-together though, everything changes. and this is when we really start to descend down the rabbit hole...

themes

individualism vs collectivism, loneliness/longing, transformation, mental health/schizophrenia

criticisms

if i had to offer one criticism to this novel, i'd say that almost the entirety of the story revolved around women and their complex friendships and relationships with one another, and at the end of the story, it still feels like the day was saved by a man. yes, this character is supposed to be the embodiment of samantha's courage and desires, but he's the one who ultimately unravels the bunny's tight-knit clique? this was a little disappointing to me.

conclusions

overall, i enjoyed this read. the author's writing style was very entertaining and kept the reader engaged. some parts were a little hard to follow (purposefully), but the twists and turns of this book kept me turning each page.

rating: 3.8/5 ⭐️

recommend: yes

[digitaldonor]

digital diary/ scrapbook

hellooo internet world

while browsing the internet on reviews of a book i recently finished, i came across a personal blog of a woman in the uk and i was instantly inspired (i may tag her down the line if i'm feeling brave). i relished in the idea of a new creative outlet and, embarrassingly, a better way to remember pivotal points my life as i got older as my memory isn’t the greatest. a resolution i made this year was to be more creative (more handmade gifts instead of bought ones, etc etc), so here is a step in the right direction (although another resolution was to spend less time online, but i suppose i will pick and choose my battles with that).

so, what will this blog be all about?

#life

well, of course this blog will be about my life - who i am, things i enjoy. maybe some travel posts (2024 was a big travel year for me! i visited 4 new countries and a handful of new states). posts could be long, could be short. just a catch-all really. i'd like to do life recaps - cadence tbd. maybe a weekly life digest? with my high points (and low points) of the week? that could be cool.

#books

this was a huge motivator for me to start this blog. due to being a people pleaser and my inexplicable inability to tell people "no", i have found myself in two different book clubs. now, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. i have wanted to reignite my love for literature and writing (ap lit nerd in hs). but not having read long-form literature in the past couple years besides manga and the occasional fanfiction, coupled with the rise of tiktok and six second videos, my attention span has truly taken a hit. thus, joining not one but two book clubs seems extreme. nonetheless, i will try my best!! i just finished my first book of 2025 and i feel like i am starting to find my stride.

#games

games games games. in the past couple of years after the pandemic, i truly found a hobby in gaming. i, of course, gamed casually as a child (and still have my original pink ds lite with the matching stylus). but my love for gaming really took off as an adult. a few games i am playing at the moment: genshin impact, baldur's gate 3 (second play-through), valorant, the bed we made. honorable mentions: fnaf: security breach (finished but watching the dlc), poppy playtime (new chapter coming next week), and infinity nikki (started but waiting for more content to be added after beta). i also log in to my acnh island from time to time to pick weeds and check on my islanders.

#tvshows/ #movies

with other hobbies taking precedence, i have not been a very avid movie or tv watcher as of late (which is costing me valuable trivia points). if i had to name my favorite show right this moment, i would have to default to sex and the city. i've rewatched it three times at this point and i love it every time, and would happily rewatch it a fourth time (i'm also living my carrie bradshaw dream with this blog, my very own column (carrie is one of my least fave characters tho just fyi)). tv show currently watching: solo leveling. the last movie i saw in theaters: sonic 3. honorable mention: seeing wicked in the philippines last november was amazing. i love musicals and seeing a show on broadway is a bucket list item of mine. watchlist: endless- it will outlive me.

#healthandwellness

i'm also very passionate about overall health and wellness! i am a competitive powerlifter and try to stay very active with a goal of 10k steps a day, drink lots of water, eat balanced, etc. i also enjoy activities like snowboarding, climbing, tennis and i go to a local run club every wednesday night. will occasionally share a bit about the topic if i so please.

#misc

anything and everything else!

tl;dr

welcome to my digital diary <3