I was really excited to read this book but I only managed to make it a third of the way through. This book is so outrageously depressing that I could not keep going. The book is all about twin girls whose family life is horrible. Their dad is dead and their mom and aunt that they live with are horrible drug addicts that don’t care about them. The only person who cares about them is their grandmother and then she gets hit by a car and dies. The only glimpse of the future you get is just that the girls grow up and they’re drug addicts. The writing in this book is great but for me the subject matter is so off putting I couldn’t finish it.

Special thanks to Knopf, ,Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

All you folks at Goodreads, if there is one book you read this March, let it be this one. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone. Tiffany McDaniel is a master at describing, addiction, prostitution, "the johns", the imagination of creative children who happen to be twins in this book and a serial killer.

This book is loosely based on the unsolved true serial killings of The Chillicothe Six, this book will blow your mind. Its uniquely written, the characters are fleshed out, the surroundings of a lake are eerily depicted.

I'm not telling or spoiling this book. I think it may be my favorite book of 2023 and I'm saying this very early in the year. 5 stars. I wish I could give it 100.

Thank you so much to the publishers and NetGalley and most of all Tiffany McDaniels. I cannot wait for her next book!

This was a five star up until my least favorite trope showed up with 20 pages left :(

I loved the writing, although at times I felt like the floweriness of the writing didn’t suit the subject matter. I loved the characters, who felt fully fleshed out and developed. I didn’t like the chapters from the perspective of them as children as much, but that’s just personal preference.

Wow, this book had my jaw dropping....what a story! It's original, thrilling, and my interest never waned.

I received a gifted eARC copy of ON THE SAVAGE SIDE by Tiffany McDaniel – thank you to the author, Knopf and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review! loved the author’s BETTY so was excited to see her new release coming out.

ON THE SAVAGE SIDE by Tiffany McDaniel is a literary thriller set in a small town in Ohio. Arcade and Daffodil (Arc and Daffy) are twin sisters with each have two different colored eyes but on opposite sides. They grow up rough with addict parents, living in poverty. When they are taken in by their grandmother they have a period of peace and security where the girls can learn to dream of a better future.

In the background of their story, women are going missing and bodies are beginning to be found in the river. Arcade is our primary narrator, telling the story of the women in her life who keep disappearing and her own struggle to keep her life and her sister’s safe.

This book is full of trigger warnings so do look at those before picking it up. I am not usually someone who worries about such things, but this book was very heavy and I did have to set it aside for a time when I was not in a headspace for a really sad read. The way the author describes everything is beautiful and also brutal. The fact that the story of these murders is based on the true story of women killed in Ohio makes it even more sad.

Arc and Daffy are surrounded by heartbreak and loss and while they are trying to keep themselves away from the addiction that wrecked their family, it is an ongoing struggle. I loved the relationship that they have with their grandmother and with each other and how that does bring joy into their life. The title actually comes from the grandmother teaching the girls crochet which was a nice moment as I was learning myself.

While this book did take me a while to finish just based on life, it was well worth the read. I found this to be a bit more literary and mystery than thriller, but it was a mystery that did keep me hooked and wanting to read more. I will absolutely pick up more from Tiffany McDaniel in the future!

Based on a true story..this book pulls a punch. It's heartbreaking to follow the women's stories you will leave with a heavy heart.
Has a lot of Triggers and very hard to read imagining that this actually happened.
The most powerful book that I've read this year.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

On the Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel is not for the faint of heart. Set in an Ohio small town and inspired by the real-life unsolved murders of six women known as the Chillicothe Six, On the Savage Side explores how heroin addiction can rip apart a family and a community and how predators are lurking everywhere, just waiting to snatch up the pieces. It’s both a disturbing and haunting story, probably one of the darkest I’ve ever read.

The story follows Arcade and Daffodil (Arc and Daffy), twin sisters who are born to heroin-addicted parents. As their parents struggle with their addiction, life is pretty rough for the family, and when their dad dies from an overdose when the girls are six years old, things go from bad to worse. The one bright spot in their lives is their beloved grandmother, Mamaw Milkweed, who showers the girls with love and affection and teaches them the lesson that life has both a savage side and a beautiful side and that the key to life is to make the savage side beautiful. Mamaw Milkweed uses the underside of a crochet square she is working on to illustrate her point, tidying up the dangling strings to make both sides of the square beautiful. Arc and Daffy take this message to heart, and using their vivid imaginations, they try to find the beautiful side of every savage thing they witness in their young lives. Some of the loveliest moments of the book are those scenes between the girls and their grandmother, and those moments where the girls are weaving together imaginative stories to try to make life seem a little less horrific.

McDaniel makes it so easy to fall in love with Arc and Daffy and to mourn the loss of their innocence as their mother sinks further and further into her addiction with each passing year, even turning to prostitution to help pay for drugs. It’s absolutely heartbreaking when the girls start to follow in their mother’s footsteps, both in terms of drug use and prostitution. When a serial killer starts dumping the bodies of young women into the local river, the story takes on an even more ominous tone. I loved that Arc makes a vow to keep her sister safe – their bond is another one of the beautiful moments in the book – but at the same time, I couldn’t help but feel like the odds were stacked against them, especially when their town is filled with predatory, sadistic men, any of whom seemed like a likely suspect, and no one in the town seemed all that invested in finding out who the killer is.

The story is filled with twists and turns and I don’t want to give any of those away, so I’m going to pivot from the plot to talk about the writing. This may be one of the darkest stories I’ve ever read, but it’s also one of the most beautifully written. I loved the balance between the beautiful and the ugly moments of the story, and found McDaniel’s storytelling to be truly captivating and downright poetic at times. In particular, there are several chapters sprinkled throughout where the river itself becomes a character in the story, describing the women’s bodies as they are dumped into the water.

Filled with just about every trigger warning imaginable, from drug abuse and sexual abuse all the way to animal cruelty, On the Savage Side won’t be for everyone. But if you like a haunting and emotional read that takes a raw and unflinching look at a dark subject matter, On the Savage Side is a must-read. I know it’s a book I won’t be forgetting about anytime soon.

I love Betty and that book was heavy so I would expect the same thing here but I think this is heavier and darker. Started this last week and half way thru it, reading it slowly.

Inspired by a true story about the unsolved murders of six women killed in Ohio, knows as Chillicothe Six, this book is a powerful elegy for missing women everywhere. Born into the life of poverty, addiction, prostitutes, twin sisters, Arcade and Daffodil born a minute apart, cling to each other, trying to survive. Together they create a world that turns the savage side to a beautiful one. A body of a local woman is discovered drowned in the river and soon more bodies turn up. As Arcade reconciles with her past, the killer is getting closer and closer, making it hard for her to protect her sister, plunging them deep into the darker side.


This is a dark, gruesome and heartbreaking read. McDaniel writes in a way that makes readers feel its rawness and knows where to hit you in the right places. Lots of trigger warnings here: suicide, domestic abuse, prostitution, drug abuse, rape, murder - so thread carefully when you’ll read this one. I read this slowly and taking my time. Despite all of these, I find it compelling read. I love her writing and story telling. I didn’t expect a surprise towards the end. Though I know this is an ode to the murder and disappearances of Chillicothe Six, which until know remains unsolved, I would like to see some justice in the end even if in this fictional story.

Thank you NetGalley and for providing e-ARC in exchange for honest opinion.

Mother trucker, what in the holy hell did I just read?!?!?

For those who thought The Last Housewife was too much, trust me, this is not the book for you. I repeat, this is NOT the book for you.

Someone will only have to show me this cover and it will instantly take me back to this book and an 🤯🤯 OH SHIT, THAT BOOK WAS INTENSE!!

Having read Betty (3⭐) by Tiffany McDaniel, it is 💯 undisputed that McDaniel can write a story that punches you straight in the gut. On The Savage Side makes you feel sick, angry, and frustrated. It kind of left me speechless. It's weird, it's abstract, it's confusing, and yet it's heartbreaking, maddening and like the title says, savage.

This book is inspired by the unsolved murders of the Chillicothe Six in Ohio. It's an Appalachian gothic read that will stay with you well past the last page.

A+ for the cover!

Thank you Netgalley and Knopf for the ARC.

Available now!!

How do I even begin to review this book? One of the most powerful books I have ever read. It will definitely not be for everyone and is a heavy, tough read. It is also very lengthy. This book was like reading a poem, the writing is incredibly beautiful and moving. I have so many paragraphs underlined that were so poignant. The story and characters will stay with me for a long time. I was intrigued by this book because of the praise for Tiffany McDaniel’s previous book, Betty, which has been on my TBR for too long. Then it said it was based on the Chillicothe Six, the six women who were murdered by a local serial killer, being from rural Ohio it immediately pulled me in. The lyrical writing kept me coming back and the characters captured my heart, mainly the two sisters. I wanted to save them from their awful lives and give them a hug, side note… I am NOT a hugger… and sometimes yell at them, just be there and care about them.
The two sisters are Arc and Daffy, twins, who live with their Aunt Clover and mom. After their dad and grandma die, these girls are forced to live in a house that is frequented with drug dealers and watch their mom become a prostitute. They stayed sweet and innocent despite their surroundings and dreamed of the day they would make it out. Their childhood is extremely traumatic and something no child should ever have to go through. Please tread lightly going into this book, check trigger warnings and make sure you are able to handle the heavy topics presented.

On the Savage Side is based on the story of the unsolved murders of six women from Chillicothe, Ohio. Arcade and her sister Daffy are bound to one another from birth and grow up in an environment of raw poverty and drug addiction. As women they are close to start disappearing, Arcade and Daffy struggle against the chaos they exist in, getting sucked into the vortex of an inescapable cycle.

This book was.... unsettling. It is lyrical and beautiful and brilliant and sucks you in, yet at the same time, it's stark and horrific and nauseating and heartbreaking. It depicts addiction, abuse, racism, and family bonds formed out of nightmares. I would have liked a bit more detail around the mystery of the women, but this book is certainly a reminder of the savage side of life.

this is not going to be a long review because I think it was gut wrenching, heart thumping, break my heart into pieces perfection. Tiffany McDaniel nails emotive reads that teeter on triggering topics that cannot stop the reader from flipping the pages.

Based on the Chillicothe Six (missing and murdered women in Ohio), the emotions run high as we follow vulnerable situations and families in pain.

I highly recommend looking at the triggers if you're a sensitive reader but wow, yes 5 stars from me.

Arcane Doggs and her twin sister Daffy live in a small town. Chillicothe. Both parents and mom's sister Clover who live in the house are addicts. After father overdoses, mother and aunts behavior worsens turning to prostitution. Arcane and Daffy struggle to get out of this life and every avenue they turn to seems to be taken or lost. The girls now adults are working the streets too and their friends start to go missing. Arcane is desperately trying to find out who is killing these girls, but doesn't know who to trust and each hand that reaches out to help could be a spider or predator.

A powerful novel, probably a story that is most accurate. The twins create a dissociative chatter among themselves as well as with their grandmother who has passed to help make life easier. There is a savage side and a beautiful side. They live a lot on the beautiful side to mask the hard life they have lived. Some difficult subjects in this book, but written beautifully. Towards the end of the book i had to wade through some of the chatter, but overall very well done and again probably an adequate depiction of a life. Thank you to Knopf Doubleday Public Catalog for the ARC.

“We aren’t on the savage side no more, Daffy,” I said. “We’re on the beautiful side. Where you are the captain of daffodils and rhyme, and I, well, I’m the one who’s going to find the horse Mom lost in the dirt a long time ago.”

“A daughter is a woman lost at sea. A mother is the one who saves her. But if she’s not there, the daughter will always be lost.”

Five stars across the board. This book has earned a spot on my forever favorites shelf. The writing is among the most beautiful I have ever read. The writing told a very hard story, beautifully, made the savage side beautiful. Even though I gush of the beauty and genius within these pages do be warned, if it is hard, if it is sad, if it is infuriating it will most likely be found within this novel. I loved that the author brought light and gave voice to a much overlooked portion of the community. Though you are poor, though you come from a lineage of addicts, though you find yourself struggling with drug abuse, your story still matters. Arc and Daffy's story matters. I rooted for them and their friends. I will think of this novel for a long time.

On the Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel
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Inspired by the unsolved murders of the Chillicothe Six, this is the story of two sisters. Arc and Daffy are the daughters of addicts. Their grandmother taught them to turn the savage side beautiful and so Arc is constantly trying to give them a happier ending. Which proves more difficult when she finds a womans body in the river.
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Tiffany McDaniel knows how to write heartbreaking stories. I had to read this book in teeny tiny doses because I would be wrecked after just a couple chapters.
My heart broke for Arc and her sister and friends. Just when things were starting to look up they would be dragged down again and again.
Arc was so brave and tried so hard to make everyones lives better even though all she had were her words.
I highlighted this quote from Arc:
“Don’t tell me what is and is not here. I create things out of nothing every damn day. You can too.”
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I admire this authors ability to write such gut wrenching stories. Just reading them takes something out of me. The synopsis calls this story haunting and that is an apt descr because this story will haunt me for a very long time.

My honest review is freely provided in return for the kindness by NetGalley and the author/publisher in providing me with this book.

Truthfully, this book is not what I was expecting from the blurb that attracted me to request it. It's not that I don't enjoy books inspired by true crime, but there is a disconnect with this one. Dark and bleak are almost not sufficient to convey how this story feels. It's lyrical and poetic tone will appeal to some, but it's not for me.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. Unfortunately after trying several times to start and get into this book I decided it's just not for me and quit after about 50 pages. I have heard several raves about this book so it seems like a lot of people love it!!!

DNF - this book is not as it is described. I feel people should get a heads up on the content. Not really sure how the Chillicothe 6 tied in.

"In life, there is a savage side and a beautiful side."

Six women - mothers, daughters, sisters - gone missing. When the first is found floating dead in the river, it reveals the disturbing truth of a small Ohio town. Inspired by the unsolved murders of the Chillicothe Six, this harrowing and haunting novel tells the story of two sisters, both of whom could be the next victims.

First, thank you so much to @aaknopf for my beautiful finished copy. This is a book that I have yet to stop thinking about since finishing it and I know it will be one that I don't soon forget.

Arc & Daffy's stories are raw, harrowing, heartbreaking, hard to read, but yet with all of that you still have moments of sisters who would do anything for each other, memories of a grandmother that loved them fiercely, and somehow hope.

This book will be on many 2023 favorites list. It will be on mine. I honestly don't think I have the right words to even describe how I felt with this book. It is HEAVY. It deals with addiction, prostitution, sexual abuse. It's hard to read, but I also think that's the point. I didn't know much about the missing women of Chillicothe before reading this book.

Arc & Daffy will suck you in. You will root for them, and you will want to shake them most of the time, too. This is a masterpiece in storytelling. It's lyrically beautiful and is told in a way that will make you never want to stop reading.

It reminded me a little of Long Bright River, so if you were a fan of that one I think you'd enjoy this. I haven't read Betty, but after finishing On the Savage Side it is very high up on my TBR.

Easy 5 ⭐️ read.

TITLE: ON THE SAVAGE SIDE
AUTHOR: Tiffany McDaniel
PUB DATE: 02.14.2023

When I read Betty in the summer of 2021, Tiffany McDaniel immediately became an auto buy author for me, and Betty remains one of my all time favorite books that I still continue to recommend to this day.

I was thrilled to be an early reader for ON THE SAVAGE SIDE. This book is based on the true story of the women killed in Chillicothe, Ohio.

ON THE SAVAGE SIDE is centered on twin girls Arc and Daffodil, born one minute apart to a life of hardship and poverty, addiction and prostitution, clearly - the savage side of life. Their only escape is the use of their imagination and dreams, with the help of their grandmother, who unfortunately died when the twins were only nine.

McDaniel wrote a powerful story that is well paced, has a beautiful prose, is heartbreaking and painful to read at times, but compelling and visceral. This book will stay with me for a while as I continue to process the themes in the story.

This is a triumph!