I received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for a review (thanks!)

I don't know what drew me to this book. It's not my normal sort of thing, but there was something about it. I saw it listed as a Goodreads giveaway, and was genuinely disappointed when I didn't win a copy (much to my own surprise). Needless to say, I was THRILLED to see it available on Netgalley, and super excited to be given the opportunity to read it!

With all of that said, the book did not disappoint. It drew me in, and when I was in, it was hard to stop. When I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it.

I had expected to be effected by it, current world events considered, but I hadn't expected just how much I would relate to it. Not just because the setting is a (more extreme and advanced) variation of the one we live in at the time I write this, but because I could relate to the main character (probably more than I'd like to admit). It would seem I not only read this at the right time for the world, but the right time in my life as well.

I want to try to find a flaw here - to find something I didn't like.
I legitimately can't.
There's some typos here and there ("Henry Penny" made me giggle), but I assume/hope that's because I have an ARC, and thus can't even call it a problem at this time.
I wish there was more. I want to know more about these characters - to see where they go next. I suppose that's a flaw. But still not one I can complain about.

On the other hand, something that I really enjoyed was that that the sex was tastefully done. I'm (apparently) picky about sex scenes and often find them to be overly detailed and lengthy to the point that it feels unnecessarily added and not relevant.
But the scenes in here? Perfect. Not too detailed. Not too long. But also not too short or lacking.
Thank you so so much for that!

All in all, I really enjoyed this (if that wasn't obvious), and am already recommending it to friends when it's released to the greater public!

The Petting Zoos was an intriguing novel from start to finish. The book follows Lily 10 years after the pandemic, Henny Penny, first hit. The premise of the book is very relatable, having been through a pandemic ourselves, and makes the main character more relatable and easier to connect and empathize with. I found the idea of "what if" very intriguing and could see the plot being plausible had our restrictions not eased.
I was a little disappointed that I was able to guess the surprise twist that came later in the novel, and that it wasn't thoroughly explored. It felt like a crucial part of the novel as it had been mentioned throughout the entire book, but once exposed it seemed to not be dealt with fully. In fact, that is how I felt about the later part of the novel in general. While the book started out strong and kept me intrigued, the climax felt more like a plateau that was quickly wrapped up and left me wanting an ending that was as thorough as the start.
Overall, I enjoyed the novel, it just left me wanting more in the last third of the book.
Thank you to Netgalley for the Advance Reading Copy.

I was given an ARC of this by Netgalley and the premise sounded wonderful! Unfortunately I didn't quite realise the genre of book, which wasn't to my personal tastes but nonetheless I'm sure it will strike a chord with its target audience.

I thought the Petting Zoos was superbly written, in a way that not only made you feel for the main character but made you care for her like a sister and want to protect her.  While I was reading I could feel Lily's anxiety, fear, joy, pain and loss but most of all her growing love!  This book was so well written, I simply couldn't put it down I just had to know what happened next. I enjoyed the interesting take on a post-apocalyptic theme that centers on a pandemic since masks & hand sanitizer are my two best friends.   This author is fantastic in my opinion and I was left wanting more, a second book in the future possibly?  I want to know what is next for these characters as their world starts to rebuild.  What is discovered when Lily, Kaz & Azis travel?  Does Violet return for revenge, she seems the type to not like having Lily chosen over her by a man twice? So many things I'm thinking about that could be in book 2 that's the sign of a successful first novel Bravo. I definitely give this a 5/5 star rating. I would like to sincerely thank Netgalley Dundurn Press as well as K.S. Covert for the ARC of this phenomenal book.

I knew very early on that I wasn't going to enjoy this one. It felt too soon to be reading this. I read to escape and the beginning of the book was just too close to reality. Maybe that is a good thing, but it wasn't what I needed.

This is a really intriguing book that takes place 10 years after a deadly pandemic. Human touch has become taboo in the hypochondriacal near future, leading people to go mad with "skin hunger" and turning to illegal human petting zoo's for a fix.

This book focuses a lot on the personal growth and reawakening of the main character, Lily, as she navigates a world she no longer recognizes.

Overall this is an interesting story.

#PettingZoos by # KSCovert is set during a pandemic and was very interesting to read during the Covid pandemic. I could really understand where the main character was coming from. Very relatable. I will be suggesting this book to friends and family. A big thank you to #netgalley and #DunedinPress for giving me this chance to read this awesome book.

I have many thoughts about this book, and while some parts of the premise really intrigues me, I didn’t love it.

I struggled to engaged with the story. At times it went too slow, and other times it went too fast. Lily’s trip was significant and there were so few details in it. It was frustrating how little was explored in the final moments of Lily’s transformation.

The part I enjoyed most about this book was the characters. The author did a good job creating unique characters and giving them dimension.

“The Petting Zoos” by K.S Covert is a story that takes readers into the psychology of skin deprivation and the toll of living in fear of a deadly virus. In a world that eerily mirrors reality, people are quietly rebelling against the government’s laws, damning the consequences in order to live freely again by finding out what it means to connect with the world, and people, once again.

For Lilly, touching another human being is unthinkable. Not just because it is against the law, but because the crippling fear of contracting the Henny Penny virus is an unbearable thought. Hence, the reason she remains in her tiny apartment, alone, safe from everyone and anything that could infect her. This has been Lilly’s life for years … until she has no choice but to return to work.

Though restrictions have been put in place to keep people safe as they maneuver through public spaces, getting back to “normal” is not easy for Lilly. It’s been years since she’s been around another person, let alone felt another’s touch. When she is invited to a petting zoo, an illegal club where people forego any precautions to protect themselves and each other from Henny Penny just to bask in the human touch, Lilly opens a door to a world and life she never knew was possible.

After witnessing the effects of Covid-19 on people’s mental health, the events in this book are not hard to believe. In fact, it makes it easier to connect with the characters in this novel, including Lilly who, otherwise, may have been a hard character to understand or sympathize with. She is very much at the center of the story and goes through some of the biggest changes, though a lot of the other characters are all developing and growing in their own way, which is unique as secondary characters aren’t usually so fully formed.

The idea of petting zoos is a fascinating concept, especially during a pandemic that readers will find themselves captivated by. It’s worth giving this book a read to fully grasp what this idea is all about and how it’s another system that can be corrupted and taken advantage of, but if it’s done right, it can be an incredibly freeing experience. Lilly’s deep connection with finding new ways to live in a world full of restrictions will inspire readers to find the things that make them happy and want to experience the world in any way they can. Covert works a lot with feminism and sexuality in this story that is incredibly empowering and it all stems from the petting zoos, which is another reason why this book must be picked up!

There was a bit of a pacing issue in the story. In the beginning, there was a lot of exposition to establish Lilly’s background, Henny Penny, the restrictions, and the variations of petting zoos. While most of it is necessary, some of the details could be cut back to help with the pacing. Near the end, rather than being a part of Lilly’s experiences, it was narrated and felt like a summary of events. Since they are a continuation of Lilly’s growth, there is a benefit to seeing how those events led to further development in her character.

Look out for “The Petting Zoos” by K.S Covert on its expected publication date of June 21st, 2022!
Thank you to NetGalley and Dundurn Press for providing me with a free e-arc of this novel and the opportunity to share my honest opinion in this review.

3.5 stars. This is a difficult book to review because I veered between being bored to death in some parts and absolutely captivated by others. It’s a slow start, a glimpse into the everyday life of Lily, ten years after a deadly pandemic (much worse than COVID!), as she reluctantly comes out of a self-imposed exile and starts to explore the world again. There are the obvious comparison to post-COVID life, but this is mostly about Lily’s skin hunger, her journey finding herself and her sexuality.

(Review copy from NetGalley)

When I saw that an ARC was available for this book, based on the description of "In a virus-fearing world, skin hunger can drive you crazy — and human petting zoos can return you to yourself" - I'm IN! A combination of post-apocalyptic world and erotica...really intriguing.
I'm new in the world of advanced reading copies - so far, my experience has been more about books that are just about to be published, pretty much in their final form, where the publisher wants readers to write reviews so potential future readers can get a sense of whether they'll like it or not. This ARC was not that. The publication date is set for June, but I was left with the feeling that this book requires some major editing. Not only were there a large number of typographical errors, it also felt like there were major parts of the plot that just died off, went missing or just didn't make sense.
It had such promise. Told in the first person, the reader is introduced to Lily, who recovered from the deadly illness Henny Penny, but spent the past 10 years in isolation, afraid of interacting with the world, in a kind of shell shock. The concept of Petting Zoos, places where people can illegally get skin contact with others, is introduced as a way for her to recover. Given she is a writer, her editor encourages her to go and write about the experience.
I was reminded a lot at the beginning of literature courses I've taken that focused on narrative voice and this author is really good at it. The MC speaks in a very believable, relatable and comfortable tone for the first half of the book. I felt at home with her. I didn't feel like "I'm reading a book." I was wholeheartedly engaged.
But then, around the halfway mark, the book seemed to lose its way. I felt like it didn't know what it wanted to be. There was tepid erotica, a confused set of relationships, a lot of navel-gazing by Lily and a dramatic twist that I saw coming a mile away and then didn't end up going anywhere. The second half of the book ended up being a bit of a slog, ending in an unsatisfying, unbelievable conclusion.
All in all, I wish the publisher had spent more time editing before sending this out to review, though I do thank them for the ARC.

This is the post-pandemic story I've been craving! Following a flu pandemic that has wiped out a majority of the world population, Lily has had minimal human contact for the past 10 years. Under the new laws, people have to wear masks and gloves at all times. She is ordered to a therapeutic touch center, which is the catalyst for her journey into petting zoos; where people go to satiate their skin hunger. A dystopian, sexually enlightening, and bizarre exploration of the human psyche that will leave the reader with a new appreciation for touching and being touched.

An interesting and erotic look into one solitary woman’s life as she emerges from a decade-long pandemic. The eeriest aspect of this book was how similar Lily’s experience was to all of us throughout our own pandemic lockdowns. It was harrowing to imagine how such isolation could have lasted 10 years. Like any young woman who lost years to a pandemic, Lily had to relearn how to be around other people, both in platonic and non-platonic ways. At times tender and heartwarming to see Lily come out of her shell (butterflies being the operative metaphor used), and at others erotic and dark, this is definitely an interesting addition to recent pandemic literature. At times, there was a significant amount of description, especially around Lily’s lived experience social distancing that many of us experienced ourselves and still felt a bit raw. Otherwise, very good.

Okay, I'm still unsure how to review THE PETTING ZOO...mostly because I am still trying to process my own thoughts about it.

It was an interesting read as someone who (like everyone else!) is currently living in a pandemic. THE PETTING ZOO had an interesting take on what our world would be like if COVID rules were to continue for an entire DECADE and the population continued to be wiped out. However, it was also a coming of age/sexual awakening and I thought that the "petting zoo" aspect was something that could DEF. have started in the real world to support those living alone during a long term pandemic. There was a twist, but I unfortunately guessed it early on so ti wasn't as shocking to me as it could've been.

Overall, an interesting read but I'm honestly still unsure about how I feel about it!

2 stars for this one for me.
I really wanted to love this book. The beginning of this book definitely had me more intrigued. I liked the world the author set up, and seeing as we just went through two years of a pandemic it was interesting to see how things could have been so much worse for others.
I thought the character growth of lily was intriguing until about 3/4 or the story. Then it fell flat for me and I had lost the character connection I had before. To me, it got weird.
I initially liked the love story between lily and kaz, but after a while I just found it kind of tacky and back and forth. The ending of this book made me cringe a little. The happy ending threesome was too much for me.
I felt like there were story plots that were left open as well. Lily and her old roommate? All of a sudden she shows up in the story again and then there was no closure.

Spoiler-Free Review:

This incredibly relevant book does the “post-pandemic world” in a way that is fascinating to read. Artfully targeting a population that has felt the strain of watching the modern world change before their eyes and feeling hopeful for their own security, while also, being powerless to the division between the individual and the community, and fears of the other.

Isolation, depression, and physical well-being are all things that the main character Lily describes experiencing in the Henny Penny pandemic. This combination of these limitations slowly erodes Lily’s character and builds as a form of tension, adapting to the circumstances, Lily folds into herself as the years go by terrified of this life-threatening disease that has killed the majority of her family and friends.

I praise this book for starting its storyline after guidelines and restrictions have been lifted. I personally would not have an enjoyable reading experience if I was immersing myself in the consciousness of a person in quarantine.

In a COVID lingering world it takes a skilled writer to make a book with these themes feel fresh, liberating, and hopeful. Themes of questioning the government’s motivations for keeping such restrictions in place longer than strictly necessary.

Character Development

Lily begins the book as a character whose fear rules their life. Fear of others, of disease, of texture in fabric where the disease often lives, fear of removing her protective equipment despite being vaccinated and the reader has the joyous experience of watching these layers of fear fall away and seeing this beautiful character unfold over the course of the book.

As per the title, the majority of the book and character development occurs inside of a “Petting Zoo” a place where people escape the strict guidelines of the Regency (make-shift pandemic government). Removing the protective masks and gloves and giving people a chance to touch each other, not necessarily as a form of sexual gratification, after 10 years of no human contact many individuals want to feel another person validate their existence by making that physical connection.

“A trifecta of legitimacy to overwhelm any noise from my bourgeois conscious” (page 59)

These establishments are illegal, often looked down upon by society, and more often than not seen as sex clubs. Our main character Lily is a journalist who is asked by her boss to investigate these establishments, recommended to go by her doctor, and invited by an anonymous emailer. She uses these pushes to take the leap and follow her true desires to participate in a petting zoo.

Sexual Liberation

“Maybe these people [in the zoos] weren’t lost, maybe they were free” page 108

Lily comes from an abusive upbringing and struggles with addiction to things that relieve her stress: cigarettes, people, food, anything that gives her a sense of liberation. We see this unfold as the novel progresses and the desire for a “vanilla” (non-sexual) touch grows to more sexual levels in the petting zoos.

The book itself does have sexual scenes, which in all honestly were written incredibly well. More often than not in most literature, I skip over these pieces of text, however, in Petting Zoos the author sets up the scene artfully building tension in the storyline and providing these scenes as a release.

“The city was blossoming into spring and so was I” p.129

Questioning of Authority

“I was never going to accomplish anything, I had to decide what I wanted and take it instead of accepting whatever fell in my lap” p.217

Something I think most people have felt throughout the COVID pandemic, at least once, is the questioning of authority as a whole. With ever-changing guidelines and pandemic security measures, the right of the people is to ask the question of why. Without invalidating societies’ attempt to preserve security, this book allows for small moments to recognize fear must not come above our ability to live valuable lives. Cherishing the ability to form communities, build human connections, and have bodily autonomy.

“…defying the inhibitions that had kept me from being able to give my soul a voice made me feel triumphant… I’d minimized myself and my needs and my place in the world for most of my life” – page 308

Themes

Sexual liberation, Addiction, Abuse Driven Behaviours, Government Illegitimacy, Questioning Authority, Desire, Profound Connection, Community, Release

I received a copy from Netgalley; this is my honest review
FYI: Still vanilla, but discussions on open sexuality with different partners, threesomes, orgies, etc.
-Awesome, captivating, intriguing. So close to our reality these days. It could happen to anyone because of the virus, the lockdown, the shortened variety of food and products available and all that those entail.
-At first, I thought it would be erotica (I can't see myself read 350+ pages of erotica!) - there are some scenes, more vanilla than anything else - but it's more psychological than anything else. From being scared to be in public, strangers not looking at you or touching you slightly, then people not touching you enough and you start your search of the impossible. Impossible because it's not permitted. But there are always ways to go by the rules without following them. Finding yourself, expending your growth, becoming a butterfly.
-The book is written on a first person's POV - Lily/Kate. I would have perhaps appreciate even more if we had Kaz's too and even Aziz's.
-The author uses all five senses.
-Absolutely everything is described in details. It's as if you were there and seeing, touching, smelling, etc.
-The key words of this book: "Provide the opportunity for contact in a safe way".
-My first good LOL is when Lily realizes that everyone around her thinks she needs to go to a zoo. And they were right!
-I'm not sure why people think like this but it's not the first time: "There was almost no traffic, but I braked out of habit at a stop sign". It's a stop sign. You have to stop. No kidding. The stop sign doesn't stipulates if there's traffic you stop; no traffic, no need to stop. You stop. Period.
-I was intrigued as to why the religious person told young Lily that it wasn't for her to go ahead in front of the church's sanctuary to seek healing and salvation. Those are both available to all ages I would think.
-I was really confused with: "other than hygiene, religious-based social mores are the best reason to go against our biological programming, our need to be touched and loved". I'm not understanding why my religion would not permit me to be touched or loved. Maybe I misunderstood this completely.

An emotionally shattering novel of loss, addiction, and discovering yourself.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ten years after a deadly virus, the world has largely recovered, but despite effective vaccines, the law still requires people to wear protective masks and gloves at all times in public. Lily has lived in fearful isolation for ten years, afraid to re-join the world. But a return-to-work order and an invitation to go to a petting zoo — a highly illegal club where people go to touch and be touched start to bring her back to life.

This book resonated so much with me and is very relevant in a post-Covid environment. After ten years of living in isolation, Lily returns to work and is recommended a touch therapy course due to skin hunger that most people now possess due to a no-touch rule in place during the pandemic. Lily is at first overcome with emotion at having skin-to-skin contact, and soon realizes that the sterile environment is not enough and needs more. Her boss encourages Lily to take part and write about her experience in an illegal petting zoo set up to provide people with a no strings attached intimacy. As Lily goes through each level her hunger grows and addiction sets in.

I absolutely loved this book and couldn’t put it down, not only was the writing beautiful and emotionally charged but it was so thought-provoking too, for a day or so afterwards I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Lily’s journey of self-discovery is a mirror image of the current climate we live in today and while I don’t currently know of any petting zoos it wouldn’t surprise me to hear of any in the future.

One of the only plot holes for me was the story of Sophie or Violet, I hoped that the author would have Lily and Violet reconcile, so Lily was able to have closure on their relationship.

I would recommend this book to anyone.

Lily is a lot of people right now. Stuck on her own and working her way through a pandemic while craving human touch. Everyone is afraid, masked and gloved up and just trying to get back to some semblance of normal. Lily didn't even understand the magnitude of a simple hug until she had it and was left utterly devastated and wanting more. This novel delves into very real emotions and has you thinking about aspects of life as we endure wave after wave of the pandemic we all share.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc

I generally don’t like literary fiction or post-apocalyptic science fiction, but I loved this book. Perhaps it’s because where I live, we are entering the 6th COVID wave at the same time that safety measures (for example masking requirements) are being removed, so the book really resonated with me. I was also able to relate to the feelings of the protagonist. The story is great as is the world-building. I really couldn’t put the book down. There is also great character development. The blurb about the book says that it is an erotic love story. At this the book also succeeds. Overall, this is a great read. Thank you to Netgalley and Dundurn Press for the digital review copy..