Unfortunately I was unable to finish this book. I don't think that Lisa Taddeo is the author for me after giving two of their books a try.

I have not read Lisa Taddeo's non fiction debut, Three Women, but based on the rave reviews I was really looking forward to reading her fiction debut, Animal. I read the ARC and listened to the audiobook and for me I was more immersed in the audiobook than the book. It is a beautifully written book but a dark and intense read that I found challenging and sometimes overly convoluted. The audiobook is read beautifully by Emma Roberts who brings real depth and compassion to Joan , who is a traumatised and complicated protagonist who can be hard to like. A difficult read but Taddeo has written an impressive and original novel.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this digital audiobook.

I was excited to listen to this book as I had heard the hype about it from a few sources. Unfortunately I was disappointed, the story seemed to drag on and the narrators voice was very flat. I found it hard going and I wasn't engaged, there was nothing to keep me listening until the conclusion..

I have just finished listening to my first book by Lisa Taddeo, After reading a number of other good reviews I was really looking forward to listening to something different from my usual psychological thrillers and to be honest I was really disappointed and this book was not for me.

The story is about a damaged women called Joan who moves to California after her married lover kills himself
in front of her
This is a very dark book that flicks back and forth to Joan's childhood and her life with her parents and her current life now

As the story progress's Joan has used men to her own purpose but has also allowed herself to be abused by men
There is trauma there and I could feel some empathy towards Joan but to I found it confusing and long winded as it was chapter 32 before I started to grasp the actual plot and by then I only carried on as there was only 5 more chapters to hear and for me sorry it just didn't get any better

This is a raw and emotional story.
Joan is searching for Alice. Through her search we meet a collection of characters that are so well described you can see them.
This book also tells about the secrets of Joan's life and how these events have shaped her.
This book is not about beautiful things and is about the desires of humans and how this impacts on others.
This book is well written and you are compelled to continue reading.
This audiobook was well narrated and you can easily lose yourself in this tale.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley in allowing me to listen to in return for a review.

Animal by Lisa Taddeo left me with very mixed feelings. Certainly look up trigger warnings before jumping in, because it gets very intense. Here is my (probably) non-exhaustive list of the big ones: sexual assault, rape, violence, gore, miscarriage, suicide. I'm sure there's more, to be honest.

Our main character Joan is the definition of an unlikeable heroine but somehow Lisa Taddeo writes her with such compassion and humanity that she kept me invested in her story. The text has this meandering stream of consciousness sense to it which kept Joan, the narrator very close to us: we see everything through her eyes and each flashback is through the lense of her memories.

We also kept jumping around in time, sometime from sentence to sentence which I did find confusing/irritating at times because I was more interested in the present. Nevertheless, Lisa Taddeo's skill of the craft is undeniable. Her style combined with Emma Roberts' narration truly brought the characters alive. And this was key because this book was more of a character study than anything else to me.

It did drag a little for me towards the middle. I found it often repetitive and we kept returning to sex as a topic, dissecting it, analysing which was intriguing to an extent, but as I mentioned, it sometimes felt like running in circles.

The last few chapters went from zero to sixty in a heartbeat. There were a few minutes in the audiobook that I literally had to skip ahead because I couldn't take the graphic detail of the description. So just be forewarned. There are some incredibly twisted instances that require a strong stomach and perhaps a less visual brain than mine.

After that, the ending sort of faded into the background for me. Overall, I cannot say that I enjoyed this book but I also can't deny the sheer talent of the author. If you're looking for a slow but also deeply disturbing read, I would totally recommend Animal. Now I'll go and brainwash myself with something light and fluffy.

Thank you for the opportunity of reviewing this book.

Unfortunately, though the narration was brilliant, I did not finish. The content was a bit too triggering, and I had to put it down.

However, you can't deny the incredible writing skill of Lisa Taddeo, so I still think it perfectly fair to give this 5 stars.

Superb! This was right up my street - reminded me of Luster in some ways. A raw and sharp look at what it's like to be a woman and do what you like. A lot of controversy around the title just highlights how punchy it is. LOVED the writing, every phrase and every sentence was perfection. Will re-read again!

I read Three Women by the same author and found the writing powerful and impressive. And once again in this – her first actual novel – I am overall blown away by the writing, but the subject proved to be a bit of a mixed bag for me. However, it is the only book that has had me going to the kitchen cupboard to see if toothpicks do, indeed, have a particular smell and frankly, that is not something you do everyday! The author describes Joan (the protagonist) entering a room that is described as smelling of toothpicks (Joan also likes the smell of chlorine, so she is one of a kind, to be honest!). I do wonder how on earth anyone came to identify the scent of a toothpick in the first place, but there we are.

Actually, do you want to know if toothpicks do have a smell? Yes, they do. Mine have a hint of spice and wood. Will this be the start of a #toothpicksniffing trend, I wonder? However, to be serious, and here is the rub for me, many of the similes the author uses in both this novel and in Three Women simply don’t resonate with me (it is something I also noted in my review of Three Women too). I can appreciate the rich and heady prose but sometimes I am left thinking that choosing to compare a room’s smell with the odour of toothpicks is so off beat that it just falls flat and doesn’t add anything, apart from oddness or, that the author is trying too hard to be out there.

The opening depicts a man killing himself in front of Joan. He has been her lover, her boss and he has been overly needy of her. She decamps to the West Coast and takes up residence in Topanga Canyon above Los Angeles.

We know early on that she is an unusual woman, she sees the world as two dimensional, how it and the people in it can serve her purposes, and she announces early on that she sees herself as depraved. And that she certainly is in many ways. She has encounters and shares thoughts that are pretty disturbing. It’s all visceral, shocking and yes, depraved.

Joan instigates a search to find Alice because she is actually her half sister. Theirs has been a hard and abusive childhood and perhaps some understanding can be gleaned from those early days. Of course Freud is an arch proponent of childhood experience informing adult behaviour, so thus there is at least some explanation as to why Joan has such a warped and tormented personality.

What the author does so well is create a sense of setting, the heat and aridity of the canyon and environs come through loud and clear, and she pays attention to detail both human and environmental. She really uses the surroundings to make her character pop and crackle. Essentially, however, I got fed up with Joan’s behaviour. I would take a break from reading the book (actually, I was listening to it on audiobook) and then ponder the darkness of humanity. I decided I could do without her and her provocative, depraved life. The advertising strapline is “I am depraved. I hope you like me“. You can guess my answer.

The cover is really eye catching (no pun intended).

Animal is another one of those books that seems to be splitting opinion, and to be honest I am always drawn to those to see what it is that is so divisive. I found it a dark, compulsive and consuming read which I could not put down.

I switched between the audiobook and ebook and found both copies were phenomenal. I have a definite preference for the audio as Emma Roberts was just exceptional. I felt every emotion she spoke.

There is a rawness and rage that permeates the book and it's one that can be truly felt as you read.

Without spoiling the plot the book is based on June and how she copes with many traumatic experiences that have riddled her life.

I feel that you are set up to dislike Joan at the early stages of the book as at times she can be a total contradiction to herself, but I could not stop rooting for her throughout.
She is the victim, she is the perpetrator.
You want to rescue her, you want to shake the nonsense out of her.
She is naive, she is manipulative.
She is vulnerable, she is vicious.

As the story unfolds it's so easy to see just why Joan has turned out how she has, and honestly who can blame her.

Taddeo wrote with a bursting anger but also an overwhelming sensitivity to the reality of the topics of murder, suicide, sexual assault, domestic violence, infidelity and child abuse. These topics aren't neat or pleasant so they should never be written as such.

It's hard to describe how amazing I think this book is. I can however also see why so many are put off. This is a hard book to read. It's toxic, repulsive at times and very raw, but it's worth every second.

You will either want to come back to this book again and again or else be repelled entirely. Either way I promise you will have a deep intense reaction.

This book has left me conflicted.
I really don’t know how to rate or review it.
It has disturbed me but I also feel a certain amount of empathy.

I’ll start by saying that this book should come with a LOT of trigger warnings. Graphic descriptions of miscarriage, and also rape, sexual assault of a child and suicide.

It follows Joan who’s life has been full of trauma, mostly caused by men to one extent or another. This has left her forming unhealthy relationships, often with married men. After a man shoots herself in front her her, she decides to drive across the USA and start again in LA. Part of this journey involves trying to get close to another young woman, and through the book we learn why she is so important to Joan.

This is a complex book about how our experiences and decisions shape us as a person. But also about choosing to break that cycle and make positive changes.

There were parts of this book made me sob. Parts that made me wish I’d never started it. And parts that really moved me in a positive way.

I think it will take me a long time to fully come to terms with what I’ve read.

I had quite high expectations about the book as I had read a lot good things about Taddeo's Three Women but maybe it's my fault for expecting something else! I found the main character very unlikeable.

Having devoured ''Three Women'' in one sitting, I was super keen to read Taddeo's debut and again to my taste, she totally delivered.

‘’Animal’’ is going to make your stomach turn. Think ‘’American Psycho’’ meets ‘’My Dark Vanessa’’. If that's not your thing, then perhaps sit that one out. It’s one of those, love it or hate it, but it’s not a story that will leave you indifferent.

Brace yourself for a visceral, compulsive and brutally honest account of a woman in her mid thirties, who tries to make sense of the immense trauma she suffered as a child and its consequences. The events that marked her childhood have defined her and all her future relationships with men.

The storys starts with Jane, our narrator, recalling her affair with her boss (Vic), a much older man in a position of power. She’s not even into him yet he insists so she engages in an empty, sexual relationship. The man is totally obsessed with her and finds it hard that she doesn't reciprocate his feelings. He tries to make her feel guilty for not loving him and eventually commits a suicide in front of her. (A bit much, I know)

As Taddeo says ‘’there are the rapes we allow to happen, the ones we shower and get ready for’ and that’s only the beginning. Having witnessed the said suicide, Jane decides to run away and find the one person from her past, who believes would help her understand what really happened in her childhood.

Even though the protagonist seems to be emotionally numb, and she’s likely suffering from PTSD, depression and self-worth issues, I can totally feel Taddeo’s anger and rage in this book. Her powerful commentary on the dynamics of abuse, dominant, oppressive and creepy men is just spot on. She voices a lot of what women experience on a daily basis and it’s frankly unnerving.

Taddeo herself said, when she lost her father, she had several Vics sniffing around, smelling his loss on her. I mean how many women encounter this in their everyday life? Men who talk to your chest, who eye you up, tell you you should smile etc...men who sense your vulnerability and prey on it, or who persistently keep asking you out even after you explicitly expressed no desire to see them? Men who take for granted that you should be interested in them, because they are in you? Let’s face it, women all over the world , we’ve all been there. Creepy, oppressive men with huge egos is a recurring theme in this book, and although much of the story seems sometimes too exaggerated I guess it’s to shock the reader even more, to leave you with a bitter aftertaste. This is not a pleasant read, but it’s an urgent one. Btw the narrator of the audiobook is brilliant.

Wow. This is very dark, I think Joan puts it best 'depraved'. The plot takes a while to get going but once it does there is quite a lot to unpack. I don't think this is for everyone but I was engaged so much so that I finished it within 2 days. Emma Roberts narrates this really well also.

I listened to Animal on audiobook. The narration was excellent. However, I didn't enjoy the story. It was all over the place and difficult to follow.

Joan narrates her escape from New York after her lover kills himself in front of her and her search for Alice, a person who she believes can help her make sense of the past.

Trigger warning - abuse, pregnancy loss, murder

Joan's story was dark; Emma Roberts was perfect as the narrator of the story and brought a real intensity to to the story and although it was hard to listen to at some points it was gripping.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review

Triggers - sexual abuse, miscarriage, rape, suicide, murder.

Joan has been accused of being a sociopath and she doesn't know about that but the first word that comes to mind when she thinks of herself is "depraved". She's on a date in Manhatten with a married man when another married man she is seeing enters the restaurant and kills himself in front of her. This causes Joan to take a road trip across the country in search of Alice, a woman she saw in a magazine years ago. It's time for Joan to take stock, confront her past and find a new way to be.

Ugh, what to say about this audiobook except that I really struggled with it.

I love a complex, morally ambiguous character and books that have shock value and Animal has certainly delivered on that front. The beginning of the audiobook is definitely charged and intriguing. I liked the writing style with Joan's blunt, uncomfortable narrative alternatively drawing the reader in and repelling them.
The narrator captured Joan's caustic tone perfectly. and that was one of the best parts of my listening experience.

Joan's story is extraordinary and there's a lot within the plot that should have the reader turning the pages as fast as they can - why is Joan the way she is? What is the trauma hinted at and what answers is she coping to achieve with Alice? I think what made my experience of listening to the audiobook such a struggle was the structure - the timeline is fragmented and confusing. Often one small detail in Joan's present will cause a long and protracted rambling reminiscence of her past. This happened frequently and it meant I got frustrated and disengaged and many times considered abandoning the book. I will freely admit, I skipped to the last chapters as I was still interested in getting some answers. I am glad that I did for the ending the author used. It was very fitting.

I can't honestly recommend the audipbook but it was certainly an experience. Thank you to the author, Netgalley and publisher for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest opinion.

I really loved Lisa Taddeo's first book, Three Women, so was looking forward to reading this.

I did enjoy the writing style but I felt the story didn't really go anywhere for me. It was a bit of a depressing tale about a woman with low self-esteem that had a habit of sleeping with married men, one who treated her well, the other that didn't.

I didn't find the main character depraved or shocking, it was all just a bit sad. She was lost I felt, drifting through her life.

The narration was good and I liked the characterisation but for me there wasn't much of a story, however I would still read another book by the same author.

I am afraid I didn’t enjoy this book. I even requested and received the audiobook to help me immerse myself more into the character of Joan and her hazy life. Sadly this didn’t help. I didn’t like Joan and I wasn’t bothered by her confused life and backstory. It’s all seemed so disjointed and I found that hard to relate or care about any of the characters. I stopped at 65% as it really wasn’t happening for me.
#DNF
I would give no starsif possible.

This book is DARK but Amazing. I was at times horrified, sickened, uplifted and hopeful for and with Joan as we hear her disjointed life story.

The horrific things that have happened to and in front of the main character make this a bleak story for a lot of the narrative while Joan recounts her story and the relationships she has formed and lost throughout her life.

Taddeo's way of recounting this story in a way where she simultaneously invites judgement of Joan while explaining her actions is the reason I could continue with this book.

Seeing Joan's redemption and the reason for this made me so happy I almost cried.