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The Gilded Butterfly Effect
A darkly comic and unflinching feminist campus novel for the age of prescription pills, impossible beauty standards, and weaponized friendships. Fans of Mona Awad’s
Bunny
and Ottessa Moshfegh’s
My Year of Rest and Relaxation
rejoice—your newest “weird girl” antiheroes are finally here.
When introverted loner Penny transfers to a Midwest university in search of the all-American college experience, she finds herself under the intoxicating influence of Stella, a glamorous, damaged sorority girl with a razor-sharp wit and a bottle full of secrets. As their unlikely friendship deepens into obsession, both young women spiral into a hall of mirrors—haunted by frat-house cruelties, prescription drug dependencies, and the brutal expectations of modern femininity.
Narrated in alternating voices, The Gilded Butterfly Effect exposes the glossy absurdities and grim realities of contemporary campus life, exploring themes of body dysmorphia, mental health, sexual assault, and peer manipulation with both ferocity and humor. This acerbic, atmospheric debut how much of ourselves do we lose when trying to belong? Colley isn’t afraid to put campus life under a microscope, examining complex topics ranging from sexual assault to prescription drug abuse to body dysmorphia with an unwavering steady hand.
The Gilded Butterfly Effect is a delightfully twisted (and timely) story that promises to deliver loveably imperfect female protagonists, humor, and a whole lot of dysfunction.
When introverted loner Penny transfers to a Midwest university in search of the all-American college experience, she finds herself under the intoxicating influence of Stella, a glamorous, damaged sorority girl with a razor-sharp wit and a bottle full of secrets. As their unlikely friendship deepens into obsession, both young women spiral into a hall of mirrors—haunted by frat-house cruelties, prescription drug dependencies, and the brutal expectations of modern femininity.
Narrated in alternating voices, The Gilded Butterfly Effect exposes the glossy absurdities and grim realities of contemporary campus life, exploring themes of body dysmorphia, mental health, sexual assault, and peer manipulation with both ferocity and humor. This acerbic, atmospheric debut how much of ourselves do we lose when trying to belong? Colley isn’t afraid to put campus life under a microscope, examining complex topics ranging from sexual assault to prescription drug abuse to body dysmorphia with an unwavering steady hand.
The Gilded Butterfly Effect is a delightfully twisted (and timely) story that promises to deliver loveably imperfect female protagonists, humor, and a whole lot of dysfunction.
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Published October 21, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
November 14, 2025
I don’t think this book is for everyone, and honestly I get why it can be a miss. It’s one of those novels that knows the point it wants to make, but spends most of its time circling around that point instead of landing it cleanly. But weirdly, that worked for me,the messiness actually mirrored the characters themselves.
What really stuck with me is how the book leans into tragedy without apology. And I’ve realised I’m kind of a sucker for tragic endings. Not because I enjoy watching characters fall apart, but because tragedy sometimes feels like the only honest ending. Especially coming from a country where sexual assault is so common and the culture of silence is so normalised, the sad part is that most stories don’t end with justice or healing. They just… end. And the book doesn’t pretend otherwise. It validates that reality without glamorising it.
Penny especially broke my heart. I’m mad for her, but I also didn’t see her ending going any other way. The way she was moving, using someone else as a shield from her own problems, clinging to Stella like she could fix her, it was always going to fall apart. And the book doesn’t romanticise that type of dependency. It shows the uncomfortable truth: using someone as a distraction from yourself never ends well, not in friendships, not in love, not in anything.
The novel’s strength is how it captures girlhood in its rawest form, desperation, obsession, trauma, beauty, and the need to be wanted. It’s uncomfortable, slow-burning, and sometimes disjointed, but that’s also why it feels real. Nothing about girlhood, especially in unsafe environments, is neat or narrative-perfect. Sometimes the story just unravels because the people inside it are unraveling too.
So yeah, it’s not a flawless book, but it’s an honest one. And sometimes honesty hits harder than perfection.
What really stuck with me is how the book leans into tragedy without apology. And I’ve realised I’m kind of a sucker for tragic endings. Not because I enjoy watching characters fall apart, but because tragedy sometimes feels like the only honest ending. Especially coming from a country where sexual assault is so common and the culture of silence is so normalised, the sad part is that most stories don’t end with justice or healing. They just… end. And the book doesn’t pretend otherwise. It validates that reality without glamorising it.
Penny especially broke my heart. I’m mad for her, but I also didn’t see her ending going any other way. The way she was moving, using someone else as a shield from her own problems, clinging to Stella like she could fix her, it was always going to fall apart. And the book doesn’t romanticise that type of dependency. It shows the uncomfortable truth: using someone as a distraction from yourself never ends well, not in friendships, not in love, not in anything.
The novel’s strength is how it captures girlhood in its rawest form, desperation, obsession, trauma, beauty, and the need to be wanted. It’s uncomfortable, slow-burning, and sometimes disjointed, but that’s also why it feels real. Nothing about girlhood, especially in unsafe environments, is neat or narrative-perfect. Sometimes the story just unravels because the people inside it are unraveling too.
So yeah, it’s not a flawless book, but it’s an honest one. And sometimes honesty hits harder than perfection.
June 25, 2025
I honestly loved this. What stood out most to me about this book was the writing—it has that stream-of-consciousness style where inner thoughts take center stage and you get that claustrophobic sense that you’re inside the characters’ minds with them. The narrative feels suspended between the literal and the figurative, which makes it an intimate way to get to know the characters. This isn’t a story driven by plot so much as a sharp, realistic portrayal of life on an elite, chaotic, drug-fueled campus. Most of the time, my reaction to the events was simply: “that sucks” - the subject matter is dark, messy, and often disturbing—but Heather Colley’s poetic, relatable, and slightly off-kilter prose made it compelling throughout. It’s a beautifully written look into the ugliness of a certain kind of college experience. Sincerely enjoyed this.
August 25, 2025
#ad much love for my advance copy @threeroomspress + @getredpr #partner
𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑮𝑰𝑳𝑫𝑬𝑫 𝑩𝑼𝑻𝑻𝑬𝑹𝑭𝑳𝒀 𝑬𝑭𝑭𝑬𝑪𝑻🦋
< @heathercolleyauthor >
ʀᴇʟᴇᴀꜱᴇꜱ: ᴏᴄᴛᴏʙᴇʀ 𝟤𝟣, 𝟤𝟢𝟤𝟧
𝒜 𝒹𝑒𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝓈𝓊𝓇𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓅𝓊𝓉 𝒞𝑜𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓎 𝑜𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓂𝒶𝓅.
“It sometimes makes sense, to shut up, and let everyone else get on with it— and so I do, then, because I think that maybe if I don't say anything, I won't feel anything, either,” (p. 244-245).
“𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙣𝙚𝙬𝙚𝙨𝙩 “𝙬𝙚𝙞𝙧𝙙 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡” 𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚.”
You ever finish reading a book but don’t know if you really enjoyed it or not, but then the next day you can’t stop thinking about it? As I read this book I couldn’t really connect with the story and thought the characters fell kind of flat. But then something happened and it hit me like a cement block to the head. Oof!
I must say that it was probably just me because I feel like I’m in a semi-slump where everything I read just isn’t connecting for me. Not sure what it was that my brain wasn’t connecting with but that next day it all just clicked. This is a darker academia fiction that tackles issues of SA, drugs, the pains of growing up, beauty standards, and the price of wanting to fit in and is probably one of my top reads for the year.
Penny and Stella become close when they attend the same university. Penny doesn’t have many friends but when she meets Stella similar experiences, parties, and the use of prescription drugs bond them together quickly. But a life of chaos will eventually catch up to you. And whatever it is you’ve been running from it will eventually come back to you tenfold.
Enjoyed this book so much and that ending?! WHATTTT?! I think it was the most perfect ending ever.
I loved the themes that were tackled in this book. Fraternities, toxic friendships, parties, and all the drugs/medications. But then mix in some therapy and you’ve got yourself a heart-blistering book that you won’t to put down.
You won’t forget this story - ever. Of the times and a must read. Sometimes, the college experience isn’t the beginning of your life - it’s where everything begins to unravel.
𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑮𝑰𝑳𝑫𝑬𝑫 𝑩𝑼𝑻𝑻𝑬𝑹𝑭𝑳𝒀 𝑬𝑭𝑭𝑬𝑪𝑻🦋
< @heathercolleyauthor >
ʀᴇʟᴇᴀꜱᴇꜱ: ᴏᴄᴛᴏʙᴇʀ 𝟤𝟣, 𝟤𝟢𝟤𝟧
𝒜 𝒹𝑒𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝓈𝓊𝓇𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓅𝓊𝓉 𝒞𝑜𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓎 𝑜𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓂𝒶𝓅.
“It sometimes makes sense, to shut up, and let everyone else get on with it— and so I do, then, because I think that maybe if I don't say anything, I won't feel anything, either,” (p. 244-245).
“𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙣𝙚𝙬𝙚𝙨𝙩 “𝙬𝙚𝙞𝙧𝙙 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡” 𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚.”
You ever finish reading a book but don’t know if you really enjoyed it or not, but then the next day you can’t stop thinking about it? As I read this book I couldn’t really connect with the story and thought the characters fell kind of flat. But then something happened and it hit me like a cement block to the head. Oof!
I must say that it was probably just me because I feel like I’m in a semi-slump where everything I read just isn’t connecting for me. Not sure what it was that my brain wasn’t connecting with but that next day it all just clicked. This is a darker academia fiction that tackles issues of SA, drugs, the pains of growing up, beauty standards, and the price of wanting to fit in and is probably one of my top reads for the year.
Penny and Stella become close when they attend the same university. Penny doesn’t have many friends but when she meets Stella similar experiences, parties, and the use of prescription drugs bond them together quickly. But a life of chaos will eventually catch up to you. And whatever it is you’ve been running from it will eventually come back to you tenfold.
Enjoyed this book so much and that ending?! WHATTTT?! I think it was the most perfect ending ever.
I loved the themes that were tackled in this book. Fraternities, toxic friendships, parties, and all the drugs/medications. But then mix in some therapy and you’ve got yourself a heart-blistering book that you won’t to put down.
You won’t forget this story - ever. Of the times and a must read. Sometimes, the college experience isn’t the beginning of your life - it’s where everything begins to unravel.
October 8, 2025
oh yeah this was MISERABLE kind of in the best way. completely unflinching horrifying look into drug abuse, coping methods and the sexual assault epidemic in american greek life this really does not let up for one second but then again neither does real life.
thank you to the author for sending me a copy!!
thank you to the author for sending me a copy!!
October 14, 2025
jack noooooo
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
October 9, 2025Very Sylvia Plath - the meanness and anxiety of college and sororities and frats - a lot of drugs and aimless characters looking for something
September 14, 2025
The blurb for The Gilded Butterfly Effect is a bit misleading. I can see the comp to Ottessa Moshfegh’s My Year of Rest and Relaxation but not Mona Awad’s Bunny. This wasn’t similar to Bunny at all. Bunny is a book that I would classify as funny, surreal horror in an academic setting. I didn’t find The Gilded Butterfly humorous, and I don’t think it’s meant to be; it felt very serious (and depressing) the whole way through.
After reading, I would describe The Gilded Butterfly Effect as purely literary fiction in a college setting.
The writing quality was solid on a technical level (Heather Colley has an impressive vocabulary!). However, it was difficult for me to tell the voices of the various narrators apart from one another, and as a result I would easily lose track of whose chapter I was on while reading. We know the characters are different from one another because we’re explicitly told so, but I struggled to actually feel it.
The story itself has very low stakes, which made it difficult to keep my attention as a reader. The characters themselves don’t feel particularly strong, which made me struggle to get invested in the story, too. For me, the biggest problem with the book is that it doesn’t have enough of a plot.
The Gilded Butterfly Effect will work best for readers who don’t mind books that lack a strong plot, and are looking for books that feature stream of consciousness narrators.
I think fans of My Year of Rest and Relaxation who are looking for a similar sort of book might also like this. It also reminded me a little of the HBO show Euphoria, so fans of Euphoria might want to check it out as well.
Thanks to the publisher, Three Rooms Press, who sent me a physical ARC to review.
After reading, I would describe The Gilded Butterfly Effect as purely literary fiction in a college setting.
The writing quality was solid on a technical level (Heather Colley has an impressive vocabulary!). However, it was difficult for me to tell the voices of the various narrators apart from one another, and as a result I would easily lose track of whose chapter I was on while reading. We know the characters are different from one another because we’re explicitly told so, but I struggled to actually feel it.
The story itself has very low stakes, which made it difficult to keep my attention as a reader. The characters themselves don’t feel particularly strong, which made me struggle to get invested in the story, too. For me, the biggest problem with the book is that it doesn’t have enough of a plot.
The Gilded Butterfly Effect will work best for readers who don’t mind books that lack a strong plot, and are looking for books that feature stream of consciousness narrators.
I think fans of My Year of Rest and Relaxation who are looking for a similar sort of book might also like this. It also reminded me a little of the HBO show Euphoria, so fans of Euphoria might want to check it out as well.
Thanks to the publisher, Three Rooms Press, who sent me a physical ARC to review.
June 13, 2025
The most unsettling perspective of the American college experience I’ve ever read. Colley dives into the intricacies of the young and multidimensional female mind in a way never done before. The Secret History by Donna Tartt meets Bunny by Mona Awad. Beautiful, haunting, and will leave you contemplating what is real.
Want to read
May 15, 2025Gimme, gimme, gimme!!!
September 17, 2025
I thought this was interesting. The setting stayed within a sorority and two fraternities and a few bars. However, many of the incidents and feelings were things that come up anywhere on campus. Assault, drug use, eating disorders, boy troubles, parental issues etc. This book just pushed things until it all became a bit too much a blurry mess haze at points, but it was a mood piece that way.
I thought some of the partying felt repetitive. It's a short book, but it felt like there was no big climax to it exactly. Even some of the incidents at the end just felt like more of the same party somehow. This is part of why I would describe the book to be more of a mood piece than a true narrative. Yes it told a story, but I think the structure of the story was mostly out the window in favor of putting you in the setting. The author did this very well. I felt like I was there and could picture and taste every moment. Unfortunate, at moments. People puked a bit. lol.
I don't think this is humorous, as described. it was more just a haze description of drugs, partying, sex and self-worth issues told through two different female perspectives. One, and insider who seems perfect on the outside only. And an outsider who wants to break out of her shell. And it's okay that it wasn't darkly funny. That would have been misplaced here. This book went other places instead, and had the two narrators go to some dark spots that they didn't even fully grasp.
Penny and Stella, the two narrators felt real. You could have met them 1000 times at your school. I think descriptions and characters are a strong point for this book and made it an overall good worthwhile read, although umtraditional.
Thank-you so much to Get Red PR and Heather Colley for my free advanced reader copy. My review is unbiased and opinions my own.
#TheGildedButterfly #CampusLife #CollegeBooks #ArCReader #septemberrelease #bookreview
I thought some of the partying felt repetitive. It's a short book, but it felt like there was no big climax to it exactly. Even some of the incidents at the end just felt like more of the same party somehow. This is part of why I would describe the book to be more of a mood piece than a true narrative. Yes it told a story, but I think the structure of the story was mostly out the window in favor of putting you in the setting. The author did this very well. I felt like I was there and could picture and taste every moment. Unfortunate, at moments. People puked a bit. lol.
I don't think this is humorous, as described. it was more just a haze description of drugs, partying, sex and self-worth issues told through two different female perspectives. One, and insider who seems perfect on the outside only. And an outsider who wants to break out of her shell. And it's okay that it wasn't darkly funny. That would have been misplaced here. This book went other places instead, and had the two narrators go to some dark spots that they didn't even fully grasp.
Penny and Stella, the two narrators felt real. You could have met them 1000 times at your school. I think descriptions and characters are a strong point for this book and made it an overall good worthwhile read, although umtraditional.
Thank-you so much to Get Red PR and Heather Colley for my free advanced reader copy. My review is unbiased and opinions my own.
#TheGildedButterfly #CampusLife #CollegeBooks #ArCReader #septemberrelease #bookreview
September 5, 2025
Thanks to Netgally and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
This story is fictional, but the themes throughout ring true for me, and I'm sure many women would agree. The story is mainly told through the alternating point of view of two college-aged women, Stella and Penny. Both are suffering from body image issues as well as a few other things that I won't go into for fear of spoilers. The story is about the pressure women feel to look and act a certain way in order to fit in. The setting for the book is a college campus, but it could be applied to any location, to be honest. The things that women put themselves through, the mental battles within themselves, doing things out of character just to feel a little less like an outcast...I'm sure a lot of us have been through the same. That's not to say that men don't also deal with similar things, but this book is about women, and as a woman, I can agree.
The ending was exactly what I expected, and my heart broke throughout the book for these lost souls. Also-can we just get rid of sororities and fraternities for the love of baby Jesus? The cost both financially and mentally just to be "guaranteed" friendship is absurd.
This is a fantastic debut novel. I can't wait to see what the author has in store for us next!
This story is fictional, but the themes throughout ring true for me, and I'm sure many women would agree. The story is mainly told through the alternating point of view of two college-aged women, Stella and Penny. Both are suffering from body image issues as well as a few other things that I won't go into for fear of spoilers. The story is about the pressure women feel to look and act a certain way in order to fit in. The setting for the book is a college campus, but it could be applied to any location, to be honest. The things that women put themselves through, the mental battles within themselves, doing things out of character just to feel a little less like an outcast...I'm sure a lot of us have been through the same. That's not to say that men don't also deal with similar things, but this book is about women, and as a woman, I can agree.
The ending was exactly what I expected, and my heart broke throughout the book for these lost souls. Also-can we just get rid of sororities and fraternities for the love of baby Jesus? The cost both financially and mentally just to be "guaranteed" friendship is absurd.
This is a fantastic debut novel. I can't wait to see what the author has in store for us next!
October 7, 2025
The Gilded Butterfly by Heather Colley. Thanks to @getredprbooks for the gifted Arc ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Two college sophomores form an unlikely bond as they deal with campus life.
There’s chaos on every page of this one as we navigate the college Greek scene with two college sophomores. There’s so much to this one that really shows the dangers of the scene. It is a little difficult to read, not just because of the content but the flow of the story didn’t click for me. It’s definitely a story that shows the dysfunction in the norm, at times, and the way we get caught up in the culture around us.
“I’ll tell you something about happiness, real happiness: there is such stuff as dreams are made on. And it’s packed tight and chemical, into the right kinds of pills. Pills which I deserved.”
Two college sophomores form an unlikely bond as they deal with campus life.
There’s chaos on every page of this one as we navigate the college Greek scene with two college sophomores. There’s so much to this one that really shows the dangers of the scene. It is a little difficult to read, not just because of the content but the flow of the story didn’t click for me. It’s definitely a story that shows the dysfunction in the norm, at times, and the way we get caught up in the culture around us.
“I’ll tell you something about happiness, real happiness: there is such stuff as dreams are made on. And it’s packed tight and chemical, into the right kinds of pills. Pills which I deserved.”
October 22, 2025
Many thanks to @getredbooks @threeroompress and @heathercolleyauthor for my advanced copy and spot on the tour!
This was definitely a vibe. The writing style is unlike really any I’ve encountered, except maybe Awad. It’s a running stream-of-consciousness. The timeline flips between past/ present and the story is written with two POVs. You really get a sense of both women.
This shows the dark to side to drugs, elitism, coming of age and rape. It weighs heavy on mental health and societies notions of it.
It's a beautifully written look into the potential ugliness of youth. Not to say there aren’t any LOL moments, there are, it’s just pretty realistic so check triggers.
This was definitely a vibe. The writing style is unlike really any I’ve encountered, except maybe Awad. It’s a running stream-of-consciousness. The timeline flips between past/ present and the story is written with two POVs. You really get a sense of both women.
This shows the dark to side to drugs, elitism, coming of age and rape. It weighs heavy on mental health and societies notions of it.
It's a beautifully written look into the potential ugliness of youth. Not to say there aren’t any LOL moments, there are, it’s just pretty realistic so check triggers.
September 27, 2025
“I have spent a lot of time cultivating my anxious and depressive tendencies. They follow me like friends, sometimes hug me like parents, often ask me, again and again, why i’d ever try to expel them forever.”
Thank you to Three Rooms Press and Heather Colley for this ARC! The themes in this book were definitely not for the faint of heart, but it really offered a lens to view the toxicity and violence of Greek society within colleges; something I have no experience with. I loved the way Colley portrayed mental illness and I think she concluded the novel perfectly; albeit in a super depressing way.
Thank you to Three Rooms Press and Heather Colley for this ARC! The themes in this book were definitely not for the faint of heart, but it really offered a lens to view the toxicity and violence of Greek society within colleges; something I have no experience with. I loved the way Colley portrayed mental illness and I think she concluded the novel perfectly; albeit in a super depressing way.
October 20, 2025
I, too, was once more a fawn than a woman.
August 7, 2025
'We all know exactly what beauty is. And we all know what it is not.'
First, some constructive criticism:
The narration of the POV characters felt very similar. On one hand, it makes sense because they are the products of the same flawed time, but on the other hand, there should still be flavors to them. It was only towards the end, when they talked/thought about each other, that it became apparent that they were, in fact, different people. I think if there had been more external reminders of what the other sounded like, e.g., halfway, one of the POV characters mentions that the other has a meeker voice, and vice versa, then it would've been easier to distinguish them.
The praise:
This book captures perfectly what it was like to be a young woman in the millennial generation. The brutality of the hierarchical ranking of girls in how they appease patriarchal systems. The extensive brainwashing that leads to external abuse and self-betrayal. All with a very engaging writing style.
I've read this in two days, and the moods I was in heavily shaped my experience.
On day one, I was in a bad mood because I was sick, sleep-deprived, and just all around bitter. Then I picked up this book with its dry and straight-shooting narrative, and it felt like exactly what I needed. I was no longer alone in my bitterness, and this book was like getting to confide in the kindred spirit I've been looking for my entire life! Every single description felt like hitting the nail on the head on an experience I thought I had long forgotten, but suddenly felt completely emersed in again.
The second day, I had enough sleep and overall felt better, and from then on, the book was just heartbreaking. I felt so much for the POV characters, and I found myself grateful for how far I've come in unlearning the horrors that were once normal to instill in the minds of young women.
Overall, great read.
ARC from NetGalley. Thank you for your trust.
First, some constructive criticism:
The narration of the POV characters felt very similar. On one hand, it makes sense because they are the products of the same flawed time, but on the other hand, there should still be flavors to them. It was only towards the end, when they talked/thought about each other, that it became apparent that they were, in fact, different people. I think if there had been more external reminders of what the other sounded like, e.g., halfway, one of the POV characters mentions that the other has a meeker voice, and vice versa, then it would've been easier to distinguish them.
The praise:
This book captures perfectly what it was like to be a young woman in the millennial generation. The brutality of the hierarchical ranking of girls in how they appease patriarchal systems. The extensive brainwashing that leads to external abuse and self-betrayal. All with a very engaging writing style.
I've read this in two days, and the moods I was in heavily shaped my experience.
On day one, I was in a bad mood because I was sick, sleep-deprived, and just all around bitter. Then I picked up this book with its dry and straight-shooting narrative, and it felt like exactly what I needed. I was no longer alone in my bitterness, and this book was like getting to confide in the kindred spirit I've been looking for my entire life! Every single description felt like hitting the nail on the head on an experience I thought I had long forgotten, but suddenly felt completely emersed in again.
The second day, I had enough sleep and overall felt better, and from then on, the book was just heartbreaking. I felt so much for the POV characters, and I found myself grateful for how far I've come in unlearning the horrors that were once normal to instill in the minds of young women.
Overall, great read.
ARC from NetGalley. Thank you for your trust.
June 21, 2025
I would like to thank Edelweiss, Heather Colley and Three Rooms Press for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
2,5 rounded up to 3 ⭐ - outlier island occupant 1, although the premise of a college/campus story seemed interesting. I didn't seem to vibe with this story.
It follows a sorority girl, Stella who's dealing with the aftermath of a relationship with a frat leader and prescription drugs abuse. As she meets Penny, they become close friends after the frat bros of The Church led by Trip, Stella's ex - terrorizes the campus with an annual Pig Roast contest.
2,5 rounded up to 3 ⭐ - outlier island occupant 1, although the premise of a college/campus story seemed interesting. I didn't seem to vibe with this story.
It follows a sorority girl, Stella who's dealing with the aftermath of a relationship with a frat leader and prescription drugs abuse. As she meets Penny, they become close friends after the frat bros of The Church led by Trip, Stella's ex - terrorizes the campus with an annual Pig Roast contest.
October 19, 2025
“The interesting thing about the lifting of depression is how much Day there turns out to be, when you’re not spending lethargic hours— blurred, listless hours that feel so dead and wasted—with heavy animals on your chest, and when you’re not speaking to yourself in silly poetry about the deep dark sadness and how it births, grows, breeds, dies, and comes back again—it turns out there is loads of daytime within which to do other things.”
The Gilded Butterfly Effect follows Stella and Penny, who are total opposites but were destined to meet each other and be friends. Stella is a member of the prestige Kappa Alpha Sorority, and she used to be filled with life and color until spring of freshmen year when she was SA’ed by a fraternity member of The Church. Ever since, she has been seeing a psychiatrist in order to obtain an assortment of pills to help her suppress her hunger and to just get through life. Penny, on the other hand, was sick of her hometown in New York and always feeling depressed and anxious, so she decides to go stay with Leah, her friend from high school and a Kappa Alpha member. Penny is the type of person no one wants to get to know, so when she arrives to the sorority to stay with Leah, she gets forced to sleep and live in the living room of the sorority house and basically left alone while Leah lives her own life. One night after a party, Stella makes her way to the living room where she encounters Penny and that is the beginning of genuine friendship between them. Stella introduces Penny to drugs and partying but starts to distance herself when she witnesses Penny hanging around the members of The Church.
This book does a great job navigating the complexities of friendships and lifestyle in college as well as exploring trauma and mental health disorders. Make sure to read trigger warnings since the book does navigate very heavy issues. The writing style was a little hard to get into in the beginning but it grew on me. I couldn’t put the book down because I needed to know what happens. The author does a good job with foreshadowing because I knew something bad was going to happen, it was just figuring out who it will happen to. I was expecting a lot more out of the ending, and didn’t like how it ended. Overall, it was a good and interesting read! Thank you to Get Red PR for this arc ✨
The Gilded Butterfly Effect follows Stella and Penny, who are total opposites but were destined to meet each other and be friends. Stella is a member of the prestige Kappa Alpha Sorority, and she used to be filled with life and color until spring of freshmen year when she was SA’ed by a fraternity member of The Church. Ever since, she has been seeing a psychiatrist in order to obtain an assortment of pills to help her suppress her hunger and to just get through life. Penny, on the other hand, was sick of her hometown in New York and always feeling depressed and anxious, so she decides to go stay with Leah, her friend from high school and a Kappa Alpha member. Penny is the type of person no one wants to get to know, so when she arrives to the sorority to stay with Leah, she gets forced to sleep and live in the living room of the sorority house and basically left alone while Leah lives her own life. One night after a party, Stella makes her way to the living room where she encounters Penny and that is the beginning of genuine friendship between them. Stella introduces Penny to drugs and partying but starts to distance herself when she witnesses Penny hanging around the members of The Church.
This book does a great job navigating the complexities of friendships and lifestyle in college as well as exploring trauma and mental health disorders. Make sure to read trigger warnings since the book does navigate very heavy issues. The writing style was a little hard to get into in the beginning but it grew on me. I couldn’t put the book down because I needed to know what happens. The author does a good job with foreshadowing because I knew something bad was going to happen, it was just figuring out who it will happen to. I was expecting a lot more out of the ending, and didn’t like how it ended. Overall, it was a good and interesting read! Thank you to Get Red PR for this arc ✨
October 17, 2025
3.5 stars ✨ (rounded up)
As I hadn’t read King Lear by: Shakespeare so I didn’t know this let me first start off with this:
“Gilded butterfly most commonly refers to a phrase from Shakespeare's King Lear and describes something that is artificially beautiful or superficial, like a person who appears put-together but is not authentic.”
The Gilded Butterfly Effect is a book exploring two girls Stella, a sorority girl dealing with a tragic event involving a past relationship with a fraternity boy and Penny who leaves her small town looking for a little change while dealing with her own mental health issues.
I could see Heather Colley's writing style makes me think of Sally Rooney as it comes across very stream of consciousness. This author's writing is honestly also very beautiful and It feels so thoughtful at times. The exploration of beauty in the sorority scene as well as just being a young woman in college I enjoyed. As It obviously affects us even as we grow into adults. The exploration of mental health and what these girls would be going through was also hard hitting at times. This story explored so much and was overall hard hitting and emotional, with some good quotes I found myself saving. Plus, I didn’t expect the ending, I can say. That’ll probably stick with me.
I do think I know some bookish friends this book would very much be for and resonate more with than it did for me though. I never did have the typical college experience and although I like the idea of looking at the dark side to sororities and fraternities I think I went into this with a different expectation for the execution of it (although not at all a bad one that we get). I didn’t feel as connected as I wanted to the characters and story as I wanted.
Although it wasn’t a story for me and not what I expected, I still think this was beautifully written and I could find myself recommending it to certain readers. If this sounds up your alley I deeply recommend you give this one a read. Although keep in mind this story gets heavy, dark, and sad. Look for triggers if you can. But, the writing truly is beautiful and I can feel the work that went into this story.
Thank you to the lovely author for offering me an ARC for my honest review! I’m still very glad I got to read this. I could still see myself looking out for further works from this author.
As I hadn’t read King Lear by: Shakespeare so I didn’t know this let me first start off with this:
“Gilded butterfly most commonly refers to a phrase from Shakespeare's King Lear and describes something that is artificially beautiful or superficial, like a person who appears put-together but is not authentic.”
The Gilded Butterfly Effect is a book exploring two girls Stella, a sorority girl dealing with a tragic event involving a past relationship with a fraternity boy and Penny who leaves her small town looking for a little change while dealing with her own mental health issues.
I could see Heather Colley's writing style makes me think of Sally Rooney as it comes across very stream of consciousness. This author's writing is honestly also very beautiful and It feels so thoughtful at times. The exploration of beauty in the sorority scene as well as just being a young woman in college I enjoyed. As It obviously affects us even as we grow into adults. The exploration of mental health and what these girls would be going through was also hard hitting at times. This story explored so much and was overall hard hitting and emotional, with some good quotes I found myself saving. Plus, I didn’t expect the ending, I can say. That’ll probably stick with me.
I do think I know some bookish friends this book would very much be for and resonate more with than it did for me though. I never did have the typical college experience and although I like the idea of looking at the dark side to sororities and fraternities I think I went into this with a different expectation for the execution of it (although not at all a bad one that we get). I didn’t feel as connected as I wanted to the characters and story as I wanted.
Although it wasn’t a story for me and not what I expected, I still think this was beautifully written and I could find myself recommending it to certain readers. If this sounds up your alley I deeply recommend you give this one a read. Although keep in mind this story gets heavy, dark, and sad. Look for triggers if you can. But, the writing truly is beautiful and I can feel the work that went into this story.
Thank you to the lovely author for offering me an ARC for my honest review! I’m still very glad I got to read this. I could still see myself looking out for further works from this author.
October 13, 2025
The Gilded Butterfly Effect follows Penny, a quiet transfer student who becomes drawn into the glittering yet toxic world of Stella, a sorority girl trying to hold herself together amid pressure, trauma, and addiction. As their friendship deepens, so does the darkness beneath the surface of campus life, a world fueled by ambition, image, and quiet self-destruction.
I really enjoyed this book. It feels raw and uncomfortably real in the way it captures addiction and how deeply it runs through university culture, often without anyone truly noticing. Colley writes about it with honesty and empathy, showing how easily people lose themselves in the pursuit of belonging. The novel also carries that beautiful dark academia tone, intellectual, haunting, and a little self-obsessed. Where the academic setting becomes both a backdrop and a mirror for the character’s unraveling. It’s sharp, emotional, and deeply atmospheric. I gave it four stars because while it’s not always an easy read, it’s an important one. Haunting, thought-provoking, and impossible to forget once you’ve finished.
Thank you for the E-ARC!
I really enjoyed this book. It feels raw and uncomfortably real in the way it captures addiction and how deeply it runs through university culture, often without anyone truly noticing. Colley writes about it with honesty and empathy, showing how easily people lose themselves in the pursuit of belonging. The novel also carries that beautiful dark academia tone, intellectual, haunting, and a little self-obsessed. Where the academic setting becomes both a backdrop and a mirror for the character’s unraveling. It’s sharp, emotional, and deeply atmospheric. I gave it four stars because while it’s not always an easy read, it’s an important one. Haunting, thought-provoking, and impossible to forget once you’ve finished.
Thank you for the E-ARC!
November 16, 2025
5 stars!!! Brilliant!!!
I would describe this as a mix between My Year of Rest and Relaxation and Bunny - the dark, deranged/campus girlhood element of Bunny and the drug-haze, stream of consciousness style of the former (although honestly, I preferred this work to both!).
At its core, this book is about two girls navigating depression and personal traumas amidst the backdrop of Greek life at the University of Michigan. Stella is beautiful, confident, and a member of the top house. Conversely, Penny is insecure, aimless, and meets Stella after essentially moving into the sorority house (she’s not a member of a student at the university, but t crashing on the living room couch after having a bit of a mental breakdown and seeking to rekindle a high school friendship with one of the members). I’d say this novel is much more of a character study and examination of the consequences of basing your worth on the Greek system, but the plot is also intensely engaging - I especially loved the scenes of Parent’s Weekend where former sorority moms get to embrace elevated surfaces again.
Having been in a sorority in college in the Midwest, this book HIT TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT! But that’s just the mark of a really incredible writer. The writing style itself was just stunning - the candid, lyrical, modernist style was incredibly immersive. I will 1000000% be reading Colley’s future works. Thank you so much for providing this E-ARC, I recommend it with my whole chest !!!
I would describe this as a mix between My Year of Rest and Relaxation and Bunny - the dark, deranged/campus girlhood element of Bunny and the drug-haze, stream of consciousness style of the former (although honestly, I preferred this work to both!).
At its core, this book is about two girls navigating depression and personal traumas amidst the backdrop of Greek life at the University of Michigan. Stella is beautiful, confident, and a member of the top house. Conversely, Penny is insecure, aimless, and meets Stella after essentially moving into the sorority house (she’s not a member of a student at the university, but t crashing on the living room couch after having a bit of a mental breakdown and seeking to rekindle a high school friendship with one of the members). I’d say this novel is much more of a character study and examination of the consequences of basing your worth on the Greek system, but the plot is also intensely engaging - I especially loved the scenes of Parent’s Weekend where former sorority moms get to embrace elevated surfaces again.
Having been in a sorority in college in the Midwest, this book HIT TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT! But that’s just the mark of a really incredible writer. The writing style itself was just stunning - the candid, lyrical, modernist style was incredibly immersive. I will 1000000% be reading Colley’s future works. Thank you so much for providing this E-ARC, I recommend it with my whole chest !!!
October 21, 2025
Thank you to Get Red PR, Three Rooms Press and the author for an advanced reader copy of this novel.
This was a hard read, but one I feel should be required reading for any young woman preparing for University. This book vividly depicts what it is like to be sent into this environment ill prepared for the drugs, parties and manipulation that runs rampant.
The writing style is very stream of consciousness. This style takes awhile to get used to, but I do feel it was the best format. We follow two young women through their struggles with untreated mental illness, stress, insecurities, jealousy and manipulation. We experience their manic highs and lows as well as drug induced experiences through this writing style first hand.
This book is filled with triggers including: mass amounts of drug use, untreated mental illness, fat phobia, eating disorders, SA, 🍇, and suicide.
This was a hard read, but one I feel should be required reading for any young woman preparing for University. This book vividly depicts what it is like to be sent into this environment ill prepared for the drugs, parties and manipulation that runs rampant.
The writing style is very stream of consciousness. This style takes awhile to get used to, but I do feel it was the best format. We follow two young women through their struggles with untreated mental illness, stress, insecurities, jealousy and manipulation. We experience their manic highs and lows as well as drug induced experiences through this writing style first hand.
This book is filled with triggers including: mass amounts of drug use, untreated mental illness, fat phobia, eating disorders, SA, 🍇, and suicide.
October 9, 2025
This book gives insight into the twisted and sinister side of American fraternities which I am so so glad I had no contact with at University. The sports societies were the closest I got to hazing, toxicity and brutish men which I took one look at and thought…I’ll stick to the gaming society or the LGBTQ+ society, thanks.
I will say this book doesn’t really have a plot. Its focus mainly is Stella and Penny’s drug-fuelled wanderings with an underbelly of fraternity hell. If you are interested in character’s lives without big events then I’d recommend it. I will say, for me, the focus on just being on drugs did get me a bit tired near the end? Like I’d read so much that I didn’t think it added much apart from perhaps showing the descent into further madness. I do think if you liked My Year of Rest and Relaxation you may like this book though.
My concluding thoughts are: 1) Don’t do drugs 2) Stay away from all men, especially college men 3) Trip can suck my dick!
I will say this book doesn’t really have a plot. Its focus mainly is Stella and Penny’s drug-fuelled wanderings with an underbelly of fraternity hell. If you are interested in character’s lives without big events then I’d recommend it. I will say, for me, the focus on just being on drugs did get me a bit tired near the end? Like I’d read so much that I didn’t think it added much apart from perhaps showing the descent into further madness. I do think if you liked My Year of Rest and Relaxation you may like this book though.
My concluding thoughts are: 1) Don’t do drugs 2) Stay away from all men, especially college men 3) Trip can suck my dick!
November 4, 2025
The Gilded Butterfly Effect by Heather Colley explores the strange rituals of Greek life, the way people bend and break themselves just to belong. On the surface, it’s all sororities, fraternities, parties, sex, drugs, and the occasional study session, but Colley takes it several steps further. Beneath the absurdity lies a raw and honest story about identity, cruelty, body image struggles, and survival in modern campus life.
It’s like a twisted version of Harry Potter meets Mean Girls: magic swapped for manipulation, and spells for secrets. Colley’s storytelling, told through a stream-of-consciousness style, perfectly captures the disorienting, intoxicating nature of college life: the highs, the heartache, and the cost of wanting to be seen.
Sharp, unsettling, and surprisingly empathetic, this book is an unhinged campus fever dream that weird girl readers will absolutely devour.
It’s like a twisted version of Harry Potter meets Mean Girls: magic swapped for manipulation, and spells for secrets. Colley’s storytelling, told through a stream-of-consciousness style, perfectly captures the disorienting, intoxicating nature of college life: the highs, the heartache, and the cost of wanting to be seen.
Sharp, unsettling, and surprisingly empathetic, this book is an unhinged campus fever dream that weird girl readers will absolutely devour.
August 15, 2025
3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC!
How far are you willing to go to balance the sanctity (depravity) of D1 school Greek life and maintaining a certain image? Heather Colley’s debut novel asks this question and more. With 2 first person POV’s and a 3rd person omniscient to get into the minds of more minor characters and add context, the book after about the first 1/3 really picks up pace and becomes something you won’t want to put down.
I think there is a lot in this book grounded in reality, but sometimes there’s a suspension of disbelief needed, at least for myself based on my own undergrad experiences being involved in Greek life at a smaller D1 school, ironically not super far away from Ann Arbor.
Colley writes exciting and stimulating prose, and I am excited to read more of her work in the future. A solid debut novel. If you enjoy dark academia and the seedy underbelly of college life, you will enjoy this book.
How far are you willing to go to balance the sanctity (depravity) of D1 school Greek life and maintaining a certain image? Heather Colley’s debut novel asks this question and more. With 2 first person POV’s and a 3rd person omniscient to get into the minds of more minor characters and add context, the book after about the first 1/3 really picks up pace and becomes something you won’t want to put down.
I think there is a lot in this book grounded in reality, but sometimes there’s a suspension of disbelief needed, at least for myself based on my own undergrad experiences being involved in Greek life at a smaller D1 school, ironically not super far away from Ann Arbor.
Colley writes exciting and stimulating prose, and I am excited to read more of her work in the future. A solid debut novel. If you enjoy dark academia and the seedy underbelly of college life, you will enjoy this book.
October 26, 2025
I was emerged fully into the campus environment and the mind of the charcters, with stunning descriptions, the narrations is witty, sharp and emotive. Focusing on the toxicity in female friendships, the state of college mental health service and the harmful culture that is cultivated within sorites. This book was an indepth experience I will not forget and is perfect for any lovers of weird Girl Literature!!
November 12, 2025
So yeah this was miserable and I gobbled it up. I def can see the comparison to MYORAR - Stella is Narrator in college before she totally gave up fr. Also men suck. Always and forever. Ok byyyeee.
August 29, 2025
The Guilded Butterfly Effect grants you honest insights into the dark and twisties of a university girls mind. With the pacing of Colley’s writing and her visceral vocabulary, you can actually feel the pain and raw emotions of Stella and Penny as they embark on similarly destructive, yet distinct, journeys.
Filled with sharp one-liners, it is an open and honest (albeit in this case, fictional) observation of the darker parts of the female university experience that are often hidden away and ignored. Not only does the book comment on sorority life and the impact of social pressures on fitting in, but it touches on fundamental issues rampant in mental health care and the over medication of America.
Definitely dark, definitely raw, and definitely recommend a read!
Filled with sharp one-liners, it is an open and honest (albeit in this case, fictional) observation of the darker parts of the female university experience that are often hidden away and ignored. Not only does the book comment on sorority life and the impact of social pressures on fitting in, but it touches on fundamental issues rampant in mental health care and the over medication of America.
Definitely dark, definitely raw, and definitely recommend a read!
August 17, 2025
A Brilliant and witty debut novel from Heather Colley. A very dark but cutting look into the American campus life. A literary thriller - very much looking forward to reading Colley's next work.
September 29, 2025
ARC Review: The Gilded Butterfly Effect
Thank you to Heather Colley for providing an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Gilded Butterfly Effect follows Stella and Penny at the start of a new academic year at a liberal arts college. The two young women form an unlikely friendship as they navigate sorority life, impossible beauty standards, nonstop partying, and their own mental health spirals, all against the backdrop of a fraternity’s cruel “Pig Roast” contest.
This is an impressive debut! Colley has a gift for capturing raw human experiences such as anxiety, shame, comparison, and all with striking clarity. I found myself underlining passages that perfectly articulated feelings I’ve struggled to describe myself. The prose leans stream-of-consciousness, yet with alternating perspectives, it remains accessible and easy to move through quickly.
What stood out most to me was the novel’s unflinching portrayal of the less glamorous side of Greek life and the broader college experience, especially for young women. This is not a plot-driven novel, but rather a character study of two very self-aware young women doing everything they can to suppress their internal struggles in a very unforgiving setting. And as a reader, it was hard to look away.
Colley also weaves in sharp commentary on several societal issues: the over-prescription of medication and its consequences, sexual assault, eating disorders, and beauty standards, ach is explored in a way that feels authentic and raw. This books does not sugar coat a thing.
My biggest critique lies not with the book itself but with its marketing. While I understand the comparison to Bunny by Mona Awad, the tone here feels very different. Bunny reads like a satirical fever dream, whereas The Gilded Butterfly Effect is rooted in depressive realism, permeated by grit and an ever-present sense of doom. There is one chapter where the campus itself takes on the role of narrator, and in that moment Colley uses humor effectively, but it serves more as a brief contrast than as the defining voice of the novel.
I would actually recommend this book to readers who loved Looking for Alaska in the 2010s and are now seeking a grittier, more mature story that explores similar themes of setting, mental health, and self-destruction through a distinctly new adult lens.
The Gilded Butterfly Effect comes out October 21, 2025 by Three Rooms Press
Thank you to Heather Colley for providing an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Gilded Butterfly Effect follows Stella and Penny at the start of a new academic year at a liberal arts college. The two young women form an unlikely friendship as they navigate sorority life, impossible beauty standards, nonstop partying, and their own mental health spirals, all against the backdrop of a fraternity’s cruel “Pig Roast” contest.
This is an impressive debut! Colley has a gift for capturing raw human experiences such as anxiety, shame, comparison, and all with striking clarity. I found myself underlining passages that perfectly articulated feelings I’ve struggled to describe myself. The prose leans stream-of-consciousness, yet with alternating perspectives, it remains accessible and easy to move through quickly.
What stood out most to me was the novel’s unflinching portrayal of the less glamorous side of Greek life and the broader college experience, especially for young women. This is not a plot-driven novel, but rather a character study of two very self-aware young women doing everything they can to suppress their internal struggles in a very unforgiving setting. And as a reader, it was hard to look away.
Colley also weaves in sharp commentary on several societal issues: the over-prescription of medication and its consequences, sexual assault, eating disorders, and beauty standards, ach is explored in a way that feels authentic and raw. This books does not sugar coat a thing.
My biggest critique lies not with the book itself but with its marketing. While I understand the comparison to Bunny by Mona Awad, the tone here feels very different. Bunny reads like a satirical fever dream, whereas The Gilded Butterfly Effect is rooted in depressive realism, permeated by grit and an ever-present sense of doom. There is one chapter where the campus itself takes on the role of narrator, and in that moment Colley uses humor effectively, but it serves more as a brief contrast than as the defining voice of the novel.
I would actually recommend this book to readers who loved Looking for Alaska in the 2010s and are now seeking a grittier, more mature story that explores similar themes of setting, mental health, and self-destruction through a distinctly new adult lens.
The Gilded Butterfly Effect comes out October 21, 2025 by Three Rooms Press
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