This is the ultimate feminine rage novel and it's hard to believe it's Lisa Taddeo's fiction debut. I recently re-read Animal and Joan's story sticks with you and is heads and tails above many of the other attempts to capture the rage bubbling up in a woman wronged and underestimated at every turn. While her life is tragic and mired by many instances of loss, she forges ahead to make a life for herself. Highly recommend this expertly crafted and unsettling tale with the ultimate unlikeable narrator.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

Holy guacamole! This was a ride. Imagine all the worst things happening to you over 24 hours when you're 10. Then live your life. How do you cope? How do you love? How do you live? This was an intense rollercoaster of emotions and I loved every second of it.

An unsettling read but perfect in the ways it explores female rage and the world we live in. This is the first book I have read by Lisa Taddeo but I am curious to read her other work.

Dnf 15%

Not my writing/reading style.
The rage and intent would have kept my interest, but couldn't stay in the story with the flow of the writing.

Although I enjoyed this book, I did not keep me as engaged as I would have liked. However, I did enjoy the book and the powerful message it carries.,

The book is well-written, but I personally found it hard to get into. I recognize it's purely a matter of taste, but I find it difficult to connect with and root for anti-hero protagonists.

Thank you to the publisher for my copy - all opinions are my own,

There are such wildly conflicting and contradictory reviews for this one, which made me all the more curious about it. I have to admit, this is an incredibly different book and it will absolutely NOT be for every reader, but I absolutely loved it. This is a story that is intense, unyielding and unapologetic. It kept me glued to the page because I simply wanted to see what the hell would happen next.

Totally one you should go into blind, if only for the opportunity to form your own opinion on where this one sits with you.

4 Stars ( I originally received a e-arc from Net Galley but ended up listening to the audiobook)

*Trigger Warnings - Sexual Assault, Rape, Trauma, Gun violence, pregnancy related dark things

This such a weird, intense book and is for a very specific audience but is extremely binge worthy. Emma Roberts as the narrator was a brilliant choice who is the perfect mix of chic, damaged, cynical, slightly romantic and a lot of Don’t Give A Fuck attitude. Joan leaves NYC after a traumatic event occurs, driving all the way to Los Angeles and telling stories about her childhood/previous life experience. Definitely gives some true crime/mystery vibes with Joan’s parents being killed when she was around 12 and searching for Alice to figure out elements of her past. As well there is a lot of descriptions of gourmet food and cooking. I don’t want to say too much because you really want to know as little as possible. But this story definitely revolves around men, most bad/horrible and some ok ones.

I just couldn't get into this one. I might try again another time as I did purchase a copy for my library.

I never connected with this book although I tried multiple times. I'm sure the reviews are filled with "dislikeable female character" comments and that was partially why I didn't connect, but there was also something about the writing that didn't draw me in that I can't pinpoint. While I'm sure this book will find readers, for me there was something missing, something that made me want to keep turning pages.

This book…. Couldn’t put it down. At first I didn’t think I liked it but then I realized it was just an unlikeable MC. It shows the dark side of women scorned. It was all over the place narrative wise but that’s the point and it works. I suggest if reading this book, be prepared to find it harder to read but I promise it’s worth it. The ending was shocking and can be taken many ways. This story is not by any means sunshine and butterflies but I was enthralled.

I loved Lisa Taddeo's book Three Women so I was so glad to receive an advanced copy of Animal. I thought this fictional story was exciting and original. Taddeo's writing really does it for me and I loved the female power themes. This book is pretty dark, which is just the way I like it. I also love an unlikeable character and this book delivered! I can't wait to see what Taddeo does next!

I really do not enjoy giving books that I have received for free bad reviews, but in this case I cannot find many positives for this book. The entire time I was reading it, I found myself thinking, “This book isn’t as edgy as it thinks it is.” That being said, please read any content warnings that other reviewers have posted as there are a lot of themes and scenes that could cause reactions for readers, and these themes and scenes are not handled sensitively.

The writing was clever and it was clearly well-written but I didn’t enjoy the story at all. It was also hard to follow, as it was all over the place. Perhaps I am not as sensitive to shocking material, but I felt that anything that should have been shocking was delivered in such a dull and boring way that I couldn’t get into it and it did not have the impact that it should have? I was indifferent by the time the plot thickened and by that point I just didn’t care anymore.

Provocative for the sake of it. It felt pretentious, I didn't enjoy, but Emma Roberts was a great narrator for the audio.

(I really did get it ahead of publication…I’m still catching up).

3.5 stars

Wow, okay. This book was something else. The protagonist is a traumatized and dysfunctional person, but I still found myself sympathizing with her at certain moments. The plot was fascinating, although a bit much at times. Some readers will want to be aware that it contains graphic (to varying degrees) descriptions and discussions of suicide, rape, and miscarriage, among other things. I didn’t dislike the story, but it wasn’t quite what I was expecting when I went into it.

Joan faced a tragedy when she was younger, and after a horrific event with a lover chases her out of New York, she travels to California to meet Alice. In California, Joan tells Alice her story and this is how we learn what drives Joan, and how she processes things. I really enjoyed the way the book was written and the unique perspective we were offered but I honestly did not finish the book. The book was poignant in how relatable it was but I found it a little predictable.

Thank you Netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.


This is the kind of book you need to annotate. Taddeo has a way with prose that is simply magical. When listening to this audiobook I honestly wondered how she was able to adequately describe some situations so seamlessly in a way that made me think “yeah, that’s exactly how it is”. This book is uncomfortable, heartbreaking, relatable and unputdownable. Another showstopper from this author. I implore young women to read this book as it will resonate with everyone in some way. While it is fiction, the stories in here are scarily non fiction.


Huge trigger warnings for rape, murder, violence, cheating, miscarriages, etc.

Animal is a gritty, graphic novel which follows 36-year-old Joan from New York to LA following a grammatical, violent incident. Animal is one of those novel where the motivations of the characters are a bit hazy, the things that seem critical to a full grasp of exactly what Joan is up to always seem just beyond our reach, alluded to rather than explained. For me, this is what made the novel so powerful. Because of this, Joan is complex. Taddeo blurs the line between predator and prey. It’s a novel that makes us question how we frame these concepts, and to whom we apply them and why.

Oh boy did I want to love this. I was so excited about this book, and if it hadn’t been for my high hopes for it I likely would have DNFd. I pushed through, even though I didn’t really like anything about it, hoping I would have an ‘aha’ moment and suddenly get into it, but I never did. I know it’s getting some great reviews, but I didn’t like anything about this or enjoy reading it or get anything out of it, sadly.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for this digital ARC, but I ended up switching to the audio version because it’s read by OG bookstagrammer and book club queen, Emma Roberts!

I want to get a physical copy to reread and annotate at some point because Lisa Taddeo’s writing is powerful. Some of the sentences knocked the wind out of me and made me pause.

Animal is raw, dark, and heartbreaking. It’s about a life of trauma and this story will haunt me for awhile.

CW: suicide, rape & sexual assault, miscarriage, murder, dementia, vomit, adult/minor relationship, car accident, gun