Gritty and fast paced novel, not my usual type of fiction but I enjoyed the anti-heroine narrator. Some parts were a bit too much for me - could have done with some trigger warnings.

Thank you to NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review! Animal has some beautiful writing; I lost track of the amount of quotes I annotated, singing their praises and dissecting their meanings. Taddeo presents a bold portrayal of femininity that is often overlooked in media, subverting the expectation from prey into predator. Joan is a complex character, both the victim and the exploiter in tandem across the span of the book but it’s enthralling to hear her story and see where it ultimately ends up.

The main reason for my rating dipping a bit is that the story was often nonsensical (and not in a good way). The enigma of Joan’s past unravelling was mysterious but clunky and sometimes the chapters felt unintentionally disorientating. This sometimes made the story hard to follow on with and a smoother narrative style may well have lended to an overall better reading experience. Worth the slow burn if only for the richness of quotes to be found!

Loved loved loved Three Women, I thought it was genius and I was so excited to be accepted to review Animal.

It's an incredibly dark story about rage, power, abuse and control. Joan is a hugely complex character: I felt sorry for her at times but others I was questioning her choices. Taddeo is a brilliant writer, no doubt about it, I will read everything she puts out into the world. I just didn't love this as much as I wanted to. Three Women was such a statement and a brilliant piece of publishing, and I think this needed a bit... more.

A really solid addition to the genre; reliable, if a little predictable in places. Would recommend if you know what you want from this sort of book, as it definitely delivers that. Not as good as I expected from the author, a bit like a repeat of Three Women in places.

After reading Lisa Taddeo's debut, Three Women, I couldn't wait to see what she would do next.
But sadly I really struggled to get into and continue reading Animal.
Over the course of weeks and months I found myself picking this up and then putting it down. It didn't quite capture my interest long enough to enjoy it as one continuous story.
The writing is as raw and brilliant as Taddeo's debut, as is the way in which she writes about sex but the story itself was a bit all over the place.
I also couldn't really connect with Joan as a main character.
It was a bit of an uncomfortable read as well, which I think is what Taddeo was going for.
Even though this wasn't quite for me, I will definitely be reading whatever Lisa Taddeo does next, as Three Women was so strong.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Such a raw and emotional book, yet gripping. I loved the complete truth and telling that the author delivered

I have not read Lisa Taddeo's non fiction debut, Three Women, but after reading rave reviews I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read and review her debut novel. Animal is a dark and intense novel, beautifully written, occasionally convoluted and a challenging read. I read it alongside listening to the audiobook which is beautifully read by Emma Roberts and I did feel more immersed in the audio version. This is an original and impressive debut that I found to be a difficult read.
3.5 stars
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

One of my fav recent reads! This is so different, unlike anything I usually pick up. I'll definitely be looking out for more from Lisa Taddeo - I'll be recommending this to my followers too. Thank you!

(I currently work at Bloomsbury but thoughts are my own!)
Fantastically written, I adore the writing style massively. I loved the eerie perspective. I have yet to finish it but I will definitely be continuing!

I’m sorry but I couldn’t finish this book. It started out quite promising but just descended into a poor plot and unexplained situations and characters and I just didn’t have the energy or time to invest in reading to the end.

Wow. Dark, disturbing, but utterly compulsive reading. The descriptive passages of the Canyon were so claustrophobic and atmospheric I felt like I was right there.
A book to read quickly - brilliant. Thank you for the opportunity to read this!

Thoroughly fantastic read and gripping debut novel from Lisa Taddeo. Each page oozes with Taddeo's distinctive writing - looking forward to reading more of her work and seeing what she does next.

Three Women by the same author was one of my top reads of last year, so I was very excited to pick this one up! In retrospect, maybe I set my expectations too high. The writing style is just as raw and that’s what I enjoyed most.
I didn’t devour Animal though; in fact it took me three months to finish it, which is unheard of for me as a reader. Due to the subject matter though, no regrets! It’s a lot to take in, it’s an uncomfortable read and it’s about a character most people would have a hard time empathising with. You have to bear in mind the trauma that Joan has dealt with in her life, as it’s revealed throughout the book, and how that affects her approach and mindset, and that’s very rough.
I also found it hard to keep up with who she was referring to at times, as it jumped erratically from Vic to Big Sky to Alice to Eleanor to Lenore. I think I’ll need to reread this at some point but for now, not one I’m keen to jump into again.

I read Lisa Taddeo's non fiction Three Women and didn't 'get the hype' so was nervous going into this one. However this is really well written, intriguing and gritty fiction. Excellent.

I enjoyed this more than Three Women as I had a lot of issues with that book and the way it was marketed. Animal is a gut punch of a novel which deserves the inevitable comparisons with American Psycho. It did make me feel completely outraged about male violence and abuse of women, but overall I felt that Taddeo's desire to shock and pile on as many traumatic and graphic themes/scenes as possible was to the book's detriment. Her writing is superb - I'd love to see her write a more measured novel though I can't see that happening.

From what I've heard, this has been a pretty controversial one on Goodreads. Animal is difficult to sort into a single genre or sum up in a single sentence because it's completely unpredictable. The writing jumps around a lot, but I couldn't help think that it perfectly suited the story.

The synopsis immediately reminded me of the recently released Promising Young Woman movie with Carey Mulligan, but Animal proved to be a much darker and disturbing story. Joan's narration is consistently interesting throughout the entire book because you never really know how to feel about her. One page you'll relate to her and the next you'll be infuriated.

This book is not for the faint of heart and will really appeal to a certain group of readers. Animal has a very disturbing depiction of trauma and vengeance, and you'll need to read it at a slower pace to tackle the beast of a novel it is.

Having absolutely adored Three Women and its novelistic style, I couldn’t wait to read Animal, Taddeo’s first foray into fiction. In some ways, it didn’t disappoint; the gift for distilling heterosexual relations that Taddeo demonstrated throughout Three Women remains on display here. She writes sex between men and women better than most other writers working today, and Animal is full of memorable lines and aphorisms that were so pithy and well-observed that I immediately noted them down. However, I have only awarded it three stars, mainly because in my opinion the plot itself was lacking. Joan, the protagonist, prides herself on being ‘depraved’ but it’s nothing we haven’t seen before (in Suicide Blonde/ In the Cut/ Adelé etc). Overall, I would’ve loved Taddeo to put her aphorisms to better use, in an essay collection, for example. I will still seek out her next book but in comparison to Three Women (which famously took nearly a decade to research) this felt a bit of a rushed attempt to capitalise on its predecessor’s success.

A raw and visceral take on womanhood. Whilst this novel might run too extreme for some, if you are someone who is not afraid to look into the darker side of humanity you will find much here to praise. The inconvenient truth that shocking childhood experiences shape the adults we become is confronted head on. Taddeo’s almost violent prose challenges the reader to come on this breakneck journey.

Personally, this book wasn't for me but I could appreciate that it was well written. I was a big fan of Lisa Taddeo's book Three Women, but there was something about this book that meant I just didn't click with it. The writing was good but I didn't really ever feel connected to the main character and I found it a little confusing in the beginning.

Animal is a dark, raw, compelling story about a woman who is angry. She's a victim, one who has been treated with violence by men. She is filled with anger. When she witnesses something horrific, she flees to find Alice. The writing is remarkable here. Taddeo's words will affect you, make you feel. The story is dark, but real and thought-provoking. Highly recommended!