hmmm.
I was, seemingly, like everyone who reads, roundabout thirteen when I read this book for the first time, and I have been thinking about it for a while... trying to figure out why I was so bemused by it!

This book is narrated in the eyes of the main character Cathy, who starts of at the age of 12 and spends time in the attic until she is about 14 or is it 15, with no-one but her siblings and the occasional visits from her mother and grandmother.

Anyways, when I was an adolescent, I was confused as to why this book was in the adult section when it is written in the lens of a 'child / teen', now I know... should not have sneaked in there!
I suppose this writing style is what made it easy to read back then.
It is not suitable for children AT ALL, let alone impressionable ones.
As a matter of fact, this book might leave adults with mixed feelings.

It deals with very intense, difficult themes:
Makeup.
Beauty.
Death.
Love.
Money.
Desire.
Lust.
Family Drama.
Puberty.
Incest.
Rape.
Betrayal.
Heartbreak.
NEED I CONTINUE?!

The writing is shockingly raw (I suppose this is why it was so difficult to put down).
It's like, oh my God, sh-she wrote that (makes you stutter!)... how will this story end?!
Not much was sugarcoated at all (except for the doughnuts laced with arsenic haha), the euphemisms and allegories are so limited, she really tells is like it is: I emphasize.

You could describe these themes as timeless, apparently the genre is "Family Horror" or "Dark Family Sagas".
Even though it was written in 1979, she could have written it yesterday, really makes you question the meaning of family and what really goes on in families...
How do they betray each other?
What secrets do they hold?
Makes you wonder about your own secrets & desires too!
But, you don't have to wonder, live vicariously and just satisfy your curiosity by reading VC Andrews!

You really ought to read it yourself i daresay, I will not be traumatized alone.
(I will be reading the series though hehe)