Community reviews highlight the surreal and divisive nature of these relationships:
For those interested in "bunny" themes across different age groups and tones:
: While presented as a deep friendship, their bond is frequently described as queer-coded and soulmate-level devotion.
“Samantha's relationship with Ava, her best friend and soulmate, is deeply queer coded, and their unabashed love for each other is one of the novel's highlights.” Quill and Quire · 6 years ago
: Samantha, the protagonist, struggles with past heartbreak involving a teacher she calls "the Lion," which informs her skepticism and eventual entanglement with the cult. Key Romantic Storylines
“Aerius is treated less like a person and more like an experiment... the girls obsess over him, fight for his attention, and discuss sleeping with him.” The StoryGraph Featured Media & Literature