This was an odd little audiobook. This is a book about control, abuse and desire, with women at the centre. I don’t know how to talk about this without giving too much away but I felt on edge and uncomfortable throughout, which was exactly the aim of this book, very much a quick haunting read. I implore readers to check content warnings before going in, but I would recommend reading as it truly haunts and sticks with you. A small book that packs a punch. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4

This was an interesting read in the sense that I haven't really read anything like it before. There is a darkness and impending sense of doom throughout that made my chest feel tight, a bit like a dark cloud following you around. the story touches upon themes like abuse, rape, depression so it's not an easy read but it's a short book so the audiobook is not long at all. I really liked the soft spoken narrator and I felt that she did a brilliant job at bringing the different characters to life as well as channelling how the main character felt so lost all the time. It's a slow burn and I would have personally have liked a little bit more spice to support the infatuation for Helene which otherwise is very well portrayed and the reason I feel this was slightly lacking was the focus on descriptive narration Phoebe Stuckes uses and therefore in my view I feel she deliberately chose to altogether leave this out.

It’s been a month or so since I listened to this audiobook and I still can’t quite figure out what I thought of it. Deeply unsettling and dark, the unnamed protagonist takes on an often confused and disorienting journey through her life. Her trauma is never clearly articulated, but it’s affect upon her is profound. The toxic relationship she strikes up with Helene is unsettling, verging on abusive and adds to her distress. The fact I’m still contemplating after a month, clearly shows the effect the book has had on me - I’m just not sure how to quantify it though.

An intimate and immersive view into a small window of a young woman’s life, as she strives to carry on after a traumatic event, struggling with the meaningless rigmarole of daily life. Her armour, a facade of make up and clothes, using her memory of how it is to be normal as a template to surviving this experience. She forges a relationship with a similarly injured woman which culminates in a situation she could never have imagined.

I thought this was a wonderfully considered account of personal trauma, followed by the emptiness of depression. It really resonated with me and I’m sure it will, with many women. I found it quite hard to listen to in places, but that’s how trauma is. I loved the dark twist at the end and the metaphor of the phantom. I was never quite sure where it was going to go, which kept it exciting. Overall a fantastic read.

Dead Animals is insightful, violent, beautiful and lonely.

The narrator was truly excellent, she made this audiobook giving you a connection with the protagonist and a visceral link to their emotion.

Dead Animals begins in the aftermath of a house party, where our protagonist wakes up covered in bruises and with no memory of the night before (huge trigger warning!!). She tries to maintain a sense of normality - being overworked at a posh restaurant in London to pay for a mouldy flat. In the midst of the ensuing mental breakdown she meets Helene, who has experienced violence at the hands of the same man and she wants revenge.

This book explores the themes of trauma and coercive control in queer relationships. It is delivered at a feverish pace that draws the readers in, and creates a sense of impending dread as Helene categorically isolates and manipulates our protagonist. My only complaint is that the ending was very abrupt. I would have loved the revenge subplot to have featured more heavily, it seemed a little like an afterthought.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook. This one is for the weird girls: for enjoyers of My Year of Rest and Relaxation, Eileen, and Boy Parts. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC :)

This was a good listen and I was enjoyed it. The ending was a little rushed which was a bit disappointing as there was potential for more detail.

The book is brilliant but I have to give the highest of praise to the audiobook narrator. Anna Burnett did an incredible job bringing this book to life.

The book itself is an unsettling journey from a woman being sexually assaulted and what happens after. As she spirals further and finds herself thrown into a whirlwind relationship with the mysterious Helena things become the epitome of feminine rage.

Dead Animals – 5 stars
Author: Phoebe Stuckes
Narrated by Anna Burnett
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Audio
Duration 4h 39min 46sec

Woow! Just wooow! That was my first thoughts after finishing this book. Just wooow! Creepy. Chilling. Unforgettable. Stunning. Shocking.
This story is about a woman, who wakes up without memories about last night but with bruises on her body. With her you are trying to understand what happened, make puzzle to work. At some stage you get met Helene and this is where the story takes another turn. This is where we uncover the truth about what happened that night. We can see how Helene becomes obsess with revenge and this is where things get really ugly.
This book made me feel sad and angry because right now at this moment some woman out there experience violence. This book makes you think about your life, what you did in the past and what would you do in the future.
Isn’t it something that every author wishes for? Leave a deep mark on the reader’s soul.
I really enjoyed this book and honestly can say that I would love to read more and more from this author.

Thank you NetGalley for providing the audio-ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to the narrator Anna Burnett. You made this book special.

#DeadAnimals #NetGalley

3.5 rated up

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This novel was an experience; I feel like that's the best way to describe it. There are a lot of questions that remain unanswered, despite the plot itself seeming quite straightforward. The writing itself was beautiful, with some very interesting imagery throughout the novel. The supernatural elements felt both very out of place, but also almost ingrained into the storytelling, and we don't get much of an answer as to why these things are happening.

The intense relationship between Helene and the main character was so interesting. Their connection was instant and, even from the beginning, it always felt somewhat off. They had wonderful moments together, but the toxicity slowly eases its way in until the readers themselves feel uncomfortable, and with the horror imagery throughout makes quite the unsettling story. It felt like Helene's character wasn't explored much, but I think it plays into her role as someone who the main character actually barely knows; she lives a very different life to her and feels distant, even in their more intimate moments.

I also love that the man never gets named. Even after he's dead, only the women get the dignity of being identified and explored throughout the book. I think we barely get to even see him outside of the character referencing the night of the party. He really felt like a dark presence rather than a man; the only humanity he's shown is <spoiler>after his death by his own mother </spoiler>. I think the haunting reflects this beautifully, how it invades every aspect of the main character's life, dogging her every step. I think the consumption of animals plays into this too, how she eats it in an almost animalistic way due to having to eat on the job or hidden in a cupboard, and also how this is forced onto her by another male character.

It would have been lovely for her and Oliver to remain friends; their connection was brief but very sweet, and I think the two of them would work well together as friends.

I really enjoyed the narration of this book! The reader's voice was soothing, but also quite monotonous at the beginning, which really worked due to her situation, and gradually as more characters are introduced and the tension builds up, I felt the energy of the reading shift significantly.

Overall, an enjoyable and haunting read!

Very unique book.
I wanted to give the MC a big hug. I liked that the MC was switched as awkward and skiddish. Oh, also it was cool that she was a vegetarian. I felt represented haha. I wish she stayed in touch with Oliver. I think a few things went over my head and left me with questions.
What was the point of the dead foxes -foreshadowing of death?
What was up with the supernatural elements like the candles & lights going out?
Dishes breaking? Face in the wall?
This was a quick read and I def want to give it a reread at some point.
Overall, definitely worth the read.

Initially intrigued by the simplicity of this cover, I soon realized how right I was starting this book.

With a great narrator and story told in first person, Phoebe Stuckes story begins with her main character waking up a morning after a house party covered in bruises and scratches she doesn't remember receiving. As time goes on, her memory comes back to her, and she remembers the man who did this to her.

While trying to navigate the trauma of her sexual assault, she meets Helene, who was also negatively affected by the same man. While quickly after entering into a bisexual relationship with Helene, the main character is plagued with out of body experiences and dread that is affecting her everyday life. She coughs uncontrollably, her apartment is infested with black mold that won't go away no matter how much she cleans, and she sees a face everywhere she goes. Turning to Helene, she is conflicted, as Helene wants revenge on the man that hurt both of them, while she just wants to escape it entirely.

Phoebe Stuckes is a great writer, even if one may consider the material simple, She leaves you drawing conclusions yourself, while also feeling so immersed in the story that you understand the main characters grief entirely.

Big fan of Stuckes and can't wait to read more of what she has to offer! Similar vibes to Ottessa Moshfegh, who I love dearly. And the narrator of this story might be my favorite one yet - her voice is perfect for this.

Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and Sceptre for providing an audiobook and eBook via NetGalley!

i like gross sad girls books as much as the next person but this really much reminds me too much of promising young women by Caroline O'Donoghue and Lucky Dogs by Helen Schulman (the latter especially in that our mc, who has been SA and now lies low, finds herself transfixed by another woman who may or may have not shared similar experiences).

I’ll preface my thoughts on this with the fact I found the prologue, where the narrator is assaulted by a stranger at a party and the immediate aftermath where she's self conscious of bruises she can’t explain, sickeningly relatable.

After being sexually assaulted the narrator is traumatised in a way she repeatedly compares to being poisoned, and she struggles to relate to other people.

Her friends and her colleagues can't understand her - except for the ex-girlfriend of her attacker, who she forms an intense and concerning bond with.

Alongside this catastrophe relationship there is a focus on how dehumanising, exhausting, and deeply boring service work can be - which was unexpected, but I thought it was depicted refreshingly well.

The narrator's self blame when she starts noticing signs of an inexplicable post-traumatic haunting was slightly predictable, but still genuinely unsettling and the descriptions of her eerie bedsit reminiscent of Alison Rumfitt's brilliant Tell Me I'm Worthless.

Some of the narrator's nightmares were both disturbing and impressive, truly rivalling anything I've read in a Stephen King novel.

I do have extremely mixed feelings on the epilogue and that's why I'm not rating this above 4 stars, but I found nearly everything prior to that riveting and terrifying. This was a strange, sickening, surprisingly insightful novel.

I enjoyed this audio book it was a good listen and the narrator was nice to listen too, I felt it was a little bit drawn out and fell a bit flat for me, I just kept waiting for something to happen.

overall I didn’t hate it and enjoyed the audio and narration, but just needed a bit more to happen in the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, a somewhat weird tale of sexual trauma and the journeys an individual goes through after the event.

Easy to follow and a really enjoyable writing style, however, at times it felt as if there were 2 separate stories being pushed together. I found the first half really enjoyable.

The narration was matched really well to the book.

A solid four stars, I would recommend!

Great audio narration. Sadly, I didn’t really enjoy the story, however I felt the narrator helped me continue with it and I’m glad I finished it.

Dead Animals shows us the striking aftermath of sexual assault and the feeling of trying to find yourself after trauma. After a house party leaves our MC reeling, she becomes painfully aware that she is turning to a shell of her previous self. As she navigates financial, emotional, and mental health struggles, she becomes entangled with another woman that has also suffered at the hands of this same man, The two women provide a harrowing example of how trauma can affect people differently; as well as how nonlinear healing is.

I truly enjoyed this one. From the cover to the miserable vibes and introspection, it was a hit. Although, I do wish that the author had used less overt comparisons in the writing. The symbolism and writing are beautiful on their own and the painfully salient similes were a bit much at times. However, I will have no problem suggesting this over and over again.

It took me a little bit of time to warm to the unnamed main character, but the more I listened, the more I was rooting for her. The narration was perfect, seeming detached. I loved the style of the book; a short series of vignettes (and the interspersed descriptions of food were a bonus). The subject matter itself was such interesting commentary into many forms of abuse; the way the chefs tried to trick her into eating meat; the assault which is referenced throughout the book; the control that Helene exerts over the narrator, disguised as protection. I'm not really a horror fan, so the supernatural references didn't do anything for me. Overall really enjoyed this.

I really enjoyed this. It was haunting and completely gripped me from start to finish. Very cleverly done and I will definitely be recommending.

This story follows a young women, we never find out her name and that only clicked for me when I was about 50% in and realised I know how this women’s mind works but I don’t know who she is, after a party we’re her memory is hazy and as she’s trying to figure out what happens she meets Helene, who has had a bad experience with the same guy that the main character met at the party. Helene is someone your drawn to, and you can see why our main character is drawn to her. I don’t want to say more as I feel like I would be spoiling it.
I really liked this book, I thought it was well read and I related to the main character and her thoughts. Really good read