I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book ultimately wasn't great. I felt disappointed all around. The characters had no depth and just felt not fully formed. I didn't like the pacing of the story and I almost stopped reading but made myself finish it.

Thank you kindly to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy.

Meet Jo, a troubled teenager living in a small town. Mystery surrounds Jo ever since her mother disappeared and she was left on her grandmother’s door step. When Jo is fifteen, a boy from her school is attacked one night, and the town suspects her. The truth is, the attacher was Jo’s unknown twin sister. As Jo tries to clear her name, family secrets come to life.

This book was a disappointment. I found a lack of character development, a very slow moving pace of the story, and it felt like a mash up of several storylines. Several subplots were left unresolved and when I reached the ending, it wasn’t what I was expecting.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. This opinions are my own.

I've tried several times with SOME KIND OF ANIMAL and I am having a hard time getting though it. I can see the thrilling aspect of the story and how people are going to enjoy it, but this one isn't for me sadly. Hopefully one day in the future

This is surprising, unconventional, interesting, haunting supernatural thriller. But it also repetitive, nonsensical, awkward reading! At some parts you question the authors motives to write this book because I definitely had some hard time connect with the characters and twin sister in the woods part of the story, well so sorry but I didnt buy it and ending is also haphazard, not quite satisfying with so many unanswered or not so well answered questions, too many blank spots.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for this ARC! I was immediately intrigued by this story’s synopsis as I considered the thrill of the double life the protagonist must have to lead as well as the absolute Grimm’s Fairy Tale feel of a secret, beastly relative who lives just outside of reality. There is something to be said for the enigmas it presents as well. It made it clear that this narrative was going to be one of the mind-boggling stories I live for. The type where you devour the first page and from then on feel yourself dangling on the razor’s edge between the rational and the fantastical, and you can do nothing but close your eyes and fall backwards into the author’s vision.

Diving in heartfirst, we meet Jo and her feral twin sister, Lee. Nobody but our stalwart main character is aware of Lee’s existence to the chagrin of the much tamer twin. Ten years before our narrative starts, they lost their mother. Jo has been alone raising her sister, or so she believes; trying in the process to convince her to live a normal life inside, settle down, and meet their relatives all to no avail. Jo’s day-to-day is that of a normal teenager-- but at night, the twins run wild and free.The dichotomy between the two siblings alone holds a beautiful kind of imagery. To begin with, I even wondered if Lee was real, or if she was just Jo's inner wild child; something that manifested for her out of trauma. Jo has been, in her short fifteen years on earth, subjected to small town mentalities about her 'bad apple' mother, forced religion, and archaic gender roles. The accumulation of all this pressure splits Jo in two emotionally: the ordinary girl and some kind of animal. The way she holds those parts aloft and apart broke my heart for her.

Jo’s animalistic side is put to the test very quickly once Lee allows herself to be seen in front of people besides her, and she is left with the opportunity to be free of all her secrets, shed her “regular girl” skin, and bare her teeth as she joins forces with Lee. The two girls weather sickness, possible capture, and betrayal together. As a result, the siblings get closer than they ever could have while separated by the trees, and through this bond Jo discovers things about her mother and her sister's early life that she could never have imagined; answering questions she's been burning with for her whole life. It shakes her to her core, and she sees her other half in a new light. Even with the twins losing a lot in their harried attempts to stay together, one thing they gain is an unwavering support system. This comes in the form of friends and family, but the biggest support they receive is from the forest itself. I love how the terrain becomes a character, and Maria does such an amazing job of making it pulse with life, and describing the magic in it. It has been Lee's whole world; but for Jo, it was the only place where she felt alive. Because of this, she assumes it's the answer to all their problems, but ultimately finds that she is using it to hide.

As Jo comes into her own and Lee comes out of the woods, we are left with a buoying hope for their futures together. Their journey is a message that no matter where you come from, who you've been, or what you've been told, change is always possible. The sisters end up altering their town forever; their actions setting a blaze within the hearts of its inhabitants. In all the ways that Jo is a controlled burn, Lee is a raging wildfire. In a world where women are expected to be subservient and mild,they are both resourceful, cunning, determined, and hellbent on survival, no matter what it takes. Together, they are a feminist love letter. Their existence is a howl to awaken the wolf inside you that lies sleeping; muscles atrophied from disuse. It begs you to answer the call, to stand up straight and be you, no matter the cost. Ultimately, this book is about family, love, and the lengths people will go for both, and you'll be ready to disappear into the forest once it's done. I know I am.

A very lackluster thriller. Even for YA, I felt disappointed in the story. The flow of the story was dragging and I didn't connect with the characters.

3 for neutral, as I couldn’t get into this book on the occasions I tried. I tried a few times, but decided it wasn’t happening before I had to review and will update if able to finish and enjoy later. I felt it was way too confusing and convoluted and kept getting frustrated and switching to a different book. Thanks for the opportunity and will update if later I can finish!

I received an advance digital copy of this book from the author, publisher and Netgalley.com. Thanks to all for the opportunity to read and review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Some Kind of Animal is an odd book. After finishing the book. I am still trying to figure out why I finished it. It is very strong in depictions of the area that the main character lives, bit falls short on fleshing out the characters. There is no empathy ot feeling other than a deep multi-generational despair. The reveal is dull and the ending lacking.

1 out of 5 stars. Do not recommend.

At night, Jo runs. She goes to the woods where her twin sister lives, and they run. No one else knows about Jo's sister.

It took me awhile to read this. The blurb is very compelling, but once the mystery of who Lee is and where exactly she came from is revealed, the story falls flat. It seems like it's supposed to be realistic, but the whole plot line is pretty out there at the same time. I think another reason it was hard to read was because Jo just seems so pathetic and whiny, like she can't do anything on her own; she wasn't exactly a character I wanted to get attached to.

This was another odd, disjointed book about a twin. Is something in the water? I hope the next round of twin books is better. This one really didn't make sense. So many leaps in logic and a paper-thin plot.

The premise of this is crazy! How would it be to have this secret twin sister who lives in the woods? That sounds so unbelievable, it's no wonder people in town thought Jo was lying or had some sort of mental breakdown. Jo is a complicated character, she was raised by a very religious and abusive grandmother for part of her life, then her aunt took her and treated her like a grown up. Having Lee is the one thing Jo clings to so I understand why she'd do anything for her, but it led to some pretty terrible choices. The adult in me was dying when Jo got deeper into trouble and I wanted to tell her to just find a responsible adult already lol.
The mystery of Jo's mom disappearing was interesting, but it resolved too fast and the second half of the story was mostly chaos. If there had been more to Jo's mom and Lee, I think it would have been more engaging. The ending wasn't exactly what I wanted, but it wrapped up well enough.

If you read the description of Some Kind of Animal by Maria Romasco-Moore, it seems like the kind of book that would pair perfectly with a rainy day, a pot of tea, and a few chocolate biscuits. It is described as a dark modern fantasy between two girls, sisters, one feral, and one who longs to be so free; right up my alley. So I sat down with my tea, and my biscuits on a rainy day and I read Some Kind of Animal and I'm still trying to figure out what I read.

Jolene is a 15 year old girl from a small ex-mining town. Her mother disappeared long ago and became the town mystery. Jolene lives with her aunt and even though she's a minor, Jolene evidently works nights in her aunt's bar and earns $1`.00 a week as an allowance. She has dreams of leaving this town to work in a bar in another town where she can be paid a real wage. She's saving and has $50.00 now, but she has hopes and dreams for her, and her best friend Savannah, and her wild and feral sister who lives in the woods and hunts animals which she eats raw. Wait, what? Yes, Jolene has a twin sister who lives deep in the woods and eats raw rabbits and Jolene spends her nights running in the woods with her sister who cannot read or write above a picture book level and wears the same dress she wore 5 years ago. The wild feral sister attacks a boy in town and since they are twins, Jolene is thought to have done it. Maybe she did. Maybe there's no twin sister and maybe Jolene is now suffering the same mental problems as her mother. I don't want to say more because spoilers are no fun in a review.

This book left me with far more questions than answers and not in a "good book" kind of way, where you make your friend read the book so you can figure out what happened together. The questions were just the annoying holes that the author should sew up before the book comes to print. Is she mentally troubled? Why is her sister in the woods and not with her and her aunt? Did the mother take the sister and leave Jolene behind? Why doesn't Jolene bring her twin home? They are identical. Why are all the adults in this book so deplorable and ignorant including the preachers and teachers? What is actually happening in this book? Who is the audience?

These are the things I just cannot figure out. I'm giving this book 3/5 stars. The readability was good. I wasn't sure I'd like a book that was so conversationally written. It's written at times like a diary and at times like a conversation Jolene is having with herself. The author is clearly talented, but this book could have been helped greatly by an equally talented editor.

Some kind of animal drew me in with its cover and I wanted to immerse myself in a YA thriller. Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me at all. The only words that comes to my mind to describe this books are ODD and WEIRD. Sooo yeah, I'm not really sure what the point of this book was and I can't say I'm glad I read it. Halfway through, I just wanted it to end and the longer I had to spend reading this book, the more I hated it.

(Thank you to the publisher for letting me read and review an arc via Netgalley)

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advanced copy of “Some Kind is Animal” by Maria Romasco Moore. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

15 year old Jo lives in a rural town where people descend further and further into generational poverty and drug abuse. All the teens long to be the ones who escape but few break the cycle.

Jo has a secret feral twin sister whom she meets at night to explore the forests and national parks surrounding the town. No one knows Jo has a twin until the twin attacks a boy and Jo’s secret life collides with the other self she portrays in society.

This book was bleak and I didn’t feel satisfied by the answers that were uncovered about the past. There was also a lot of woman hating from all of the characters. The ending was unrealistic that they could just ride off into the sunset and not have to face any repercussions for everything that happened. The book ended on a hopeful note which both didn’t make sense and didn’t seem to match the rest of the book at all.

There were also some problematic themes with Jo sort of having feelings for her best friend Savannah but treating her poorly, getting possessive and jealous, and slut shaming her constantly. And then dragging her along into danger she knew full well Savannah would struggle to handle.

While the book was a quick read and not difficult to understand it also didn’t feel like a worthwhile read to me. Maybe thrillers just aren’t my genre because the twists are always too easy for me to see coming.

2/5 stars

The premise was interesting if a bit farfetched. The setting felt very real. The characters were not very fleshed out. I would have liked to see an epilogue.

Fifteen years ago Jo's mother disappeared; her fate left unsolved and still the talk of the small town of Lester, Ohio. As a baby, Jo is left in the care of her Aunt Aggie who begins to worry that Jo is becoming a rebellious teen headed for trouble...just like her mother. What nobody knows is that Jo has a twin sister, Lee, a feral girl who lives in the woods. Lee isn't like everyone else, more animal than human, she survives by killing animals and taking shelter in caves and trees. Jo’s sleep deprivation and failed classes are a result of her going into the woods at night to run with her sister and bring her what supplies she can scavenge. Jo is certain that if anyone finds out about Lee they will lock her up...something she can't let that happen. When Lee attacks a young man in the woods, everyone believes it was Jo leaving her with only two options-tell everyone about Lee or disappear.

Some Kind of Animal is a debut novel by author Maria Romasco Moore. Jo, struggling to figure out her place in the world, finds a connection with her feral twin sister. She hopes that she will be able to protect Lee by keeping her a secret but when Lee attacks someone; Jo is blamed for the crime putting both girls in danger. This is an interesting novel about a young girl with a unique family dynamic. As she attempts to save her sister, she discovers the truth about her mother and the people in the town. This novel has some darker elements including abuse, drugs, and murder. Overall it was an enjoyable read with an interesting plot twist.

A very strange book. Fifteen-year-old Jo has a secret: she has a twin sister who lives feral in the woods. At night they run free together, and then Jo gets up in the morning and goes to school. One night her sister attacks someone, and Jo has to choose between taking the blame herself or exposing her sister.

The writing was good but the plot was very convoluted. More than once, I could see the author writing herself into a corner and trying to get out of it. There was so much unnecessary violence. I was expecting something different, but was willing to go along for the ride. But I just didn’t enjoy it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC to review.

What an odd story. Jolene is being raised by her aunt, who disapproves of the strong hand of religion that her own mother would have wielded were she allowed to raise Jolene. Jolene's mom disappeared at her birth, presumed killed by 2 local men, who could potentially be Jolene's father. One disappeared months after her birth, the other in jail for numerous drug charges. At 5, Jolene's twin sister appears at the edge of her yard, and no one believes her for a decade that she has a feral sister in the woods. She runs with her as often as possible, but still has a foot in each world, the modern, clean, well fed world, and the wild world of her sister who survives on raw meat she catches herself in the woods. It all begins to fall apart after her sister launches herself at a boy Jolene kisses in the woods. Everything goes on a terrifying, downhill journey of escape, stolen cars, disappeared people reappearing and being killed, it's all very convoluted and just strange. It wasn't a bad read, I'm just not sure.....what the ultimate point of the story was.

I was super interested in the description of this book but after reading it, i don't think this was for me. I had a hard time with this story because it felt unrealistic (I had a hard time with how the adults behaved in this story) and I felt like there were a lot of gaps in the story. Thank you for this opportunity.

The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The concept for Some Kind of Animal is intriguing, but sadly doesn't deliver. Jolene meets her twin sister randomly in the woods, and has to keep her a secret from everyone. My biggest issue with this book is how unrealistically irresponsible ALL of the adults are. No one believes Jo about anything, no one really cares about her or any of the other characters, and even the ending is unrealistic. I wanted to like this, but was let down with confusing plot points and no real solutions.