Do you ever read a book that you know is objectively really good but you just don’t really enjoy it? That was kind of my experience with On the Savage Side. I felt like there was probably something really deep and poetic about this book but I just didn’t really get it.

The writing felt too flowery and poetic to the point where I just felt like I didn’t get it at all. The way everyone in the book talked, it made the characters seem unreal to me like I couldn’t even understand them. From the narrative itself to the dialogue, it was at times overly lyrical and full of metaphors that really went over my head.

As many reviewers have said, this book is BRUTAL. I am not a sensitive reader but there were scenes I had a really hard time getting through because they were violent, dark, and graphic. Just be warned and I definitely wouldn’t recommend this book to sensitive readers.

Also, don’t pick this one up if you’re looking for a crime novel. The crimes in the book are not a central part of the story — rather, the story centers on twin sisters being raised by their addict mother, who works as a prostitute to get by. The missing and murdered girls in the story mainly speak to the treatment of women in this story and are not actually treated as a crime or murder mystery to be solved.

I will say, it kept me engaged enough to finish, even though it was long (IMO, longer than it needed to be) and the end did have an interesting twist. Also, I really appreciated the title and its meaning woven throughout the story.

Ugh. Gawd. Not for the faint of heart. Addicts who feel their addiction thru prostitution start being found dead in the River. Written by a poet—lots of words and symbolism— this was a hard read. Gut wrenching would be a better description. Avidly read until the end with a cringy look. Ugh. Recommended but for those who are into sorrow and depravity.

Twins Arc & Daffy, their mom Addie and Dad, an army vet had a short-lived happy family life. Their dad came home from serving in the war with a drug addiction which led to Addie's addiction. After their dad died, the girls went to live with their grandmother and Addie asked her sister Clover to come live with her. After their grandmother was hit by a car, the girls returned to their mother and aunt. By this time their mother was prostituting herself to pay for heroin. A horrible home for two little girls to grow up in. Completely unsafe with so many men in and out of the house. Yet these little girls, hungry and not well cared for, fell prey to evil. They never stopped dreaming of being an archeologist, a swimmer, a poet, a gardener. But the dreams were just dreams. As young women following in the path of their mother, they began to see their friends and fellow sex workers disappear, some found floating in the river, some still missing. This heartbreaking story is inspired by the true story of The Chillicothe Six (four found dead, two still missing) and the growing number rising since The Chillicothe Six. Tiffany McDaniel's beautiful writing tells us the story of these twins lives "on the beautiful side" and "on the savage side". She brings to life how sex workers end up doing what they do with the bottom line being drug addiction and poverty. Such a huge and growing problem in this country.

Not sure how to rate this book - 5 star for beautiful writing, 5 star for bringing to life and telling the twins story so vividly, 3 star for the heartbreak it leaves me with, 3 star for the brutality. Triggers: drug abuse, prostitution, child rape, brutal assault, child neglect.

My thanks to Net Galley and Penguin Random House/ Alfred A Knopf publishers for an advanced copy of this e-book.

This is a devastatingly beautiful and tragic novel based on the real disappearances of several women in a River town in Ohio. The language is authentic, the emotions are authentic and the River, her own character, is authentic. Exceptional writing raises this mystery to the highest literary fiction and will touch and change everyone who picks it up.

“𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩.”

McDaniel originally won me over with her debut novel The Summer that Melted Everything, and what I believe is one of the most underrated books I’ve ever read. Then she swept me up into her family’s heartache with Betty. So naturally McDaniel’s On The Savage Side was one of my most anticipated releases of 2023.

Inspired by the true crime story of the Chillicothe Six, McDaniel introduces us to twin sisters Arcade and Daffodil. Despite extremely adverse living conditions and constant flow of “johns” visiting their addict mother and aunt, the girls create their own reality, encouraged by their loving grandmother that every savage side has a smooth and beautiful side. As they watched their family deteriorate, Arc vows that she and her sister will live a different life than their mother.

But the savage side is powerful when options are limited and women are treated as disposable and worthless. Soon a woman is found dead in the river that had once been a refuge and playground for the girls, and more follow suit. As Arc’s friends begin to disappear, very few seem to care that a serial killer is targeting drug addicted prostitutes.

On the Savage Side is a heartbreaking story of generational abuse and addiction. It’s a plea for justice for the girls and women who are used and discarded. It’s so heavy and emotional that it took me 3 1/2 weeks to finish. It’s not for everyone, and there are many graphic, upsetting scenes, but after I finished the last page I literally sat there frozen with no words to describe my feelings toward this powerful book.

McDaniel continues to prove that she is brilliant storyteller. While it’s only February, On The Savage side will surely be a contender for my favorite book this year.

I can’t wait to get my physical copy on pub day this Tuesday!

“In life, there is a savage side and a beautiful side.” This book certainly focused on the savage side of things in these poor girls’ lives. Their childhood was bleak but they found bright spots in it together as children are incredibly often able to do even in the face of awful circumstances. This was a dark and difficult read but also compelling and beautifully written. Not for the faint of heart as there are many triggering topics covered.

On the Savage Side is the latest novel by Tiffany McDaniel. Set in Chillicothe, Ohio and based off unsolved murders of six women, it is centered around twins Arc and Daffy. Living with their mother and aunt who are addicts and prostitutes, leads to a life of a constant fight to overcome obstacles.

I have zero complaints about the writing. I love how Ms. McDaniel develops each character, no matter how minor. The women who end up murdered are typically viewed by society as deplorable. However, the realism of the girls, the struggles they endure, allow sympathy to take over.

While the writing was impeccable, my reasoning behind the imperfect score is based on on two factors. One was the length. There were times I felt the story dragged on, or details were added that weren’t really needed. While the story was fantastic, it could have been a tad bit shorter. The second factor, and again, this has nothing to do with the story or writing, was the melancholy of the book. Granted it is about trying to overcome hurdles in life as they relate to prostitution and addiction, every time I thought there was a glimmer of hope, it was followed by more hardship. When I finished the book, I was left with a deep sadness.

This book is definitely not for everyone. However, being a fan of the author, and liking the book as a whole, I would recommend it.

This book was difficult to read. I feel haunted. One of the most unique books I've read. Like her previous work, McDaniels has written a beautifully tragic masterpiece.

I don’t think this authors writing style is for me. It was a really rough read that I felt completely detached from. I can see this being an entertaining read for others, but I really think I just didn’t vibe with the way it was written. It’s a me thing, not a book thing. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend this one.

This unforgettable story is narrated by Arcade “Arc” Doggs. Her twin sister is Daffy or Daffodil Poet. The girls live in Chillicothe, Ohio, a depressed industrial town filled with smoke from the local paper mill and grit and grime on the streets. As children, they have to quickly adapt to the fact that their parents are heroin addicts and use their vivid imagination to create their own world to survive. After their father dies of an overdose and their beloved grandmother dies, the girls have too much stacked against them. As they grow older, their troubles start to echo those of their misguided parents. The sisters come together with a group of equally lost and troubled young women. They name themselves the “Chillicothe Queens” and descend into a life of drugs and sex work to fund their habit. When these forgotten women start turning up dead in the local river, the tragedy goes beyond their murders but the lack of anyone in the community caring much about their loss. Arcade is determined to keep herself and Daffy safe.

After reading this incredible book, several words come to mind - haunting, dark, brutal, raw, heartbreaking. The same words can be used to describe author Tiffany McDaniel's last book Betty, which was a 2020 favorite of mine. On the Savage Side was a highly anticipated book and given the subject matter, I assumed that this was going to be a very tough read. It was. The book was inspired by the true, unsolved crime story of the Chillicothe Six, women who went missing or were found dead between May 2014 and May 2015. McDaniel has proven once again that she is an amazing, poetic writer. And while she chooses topics that are at times unbearable, the quality of the storytelling and the prose made this a book that was well worth reading. Just be ready for a gut-wrenching reading experience.

Content Warning: the book includes passages of drug addiction, sexual abuse, and violence that might be too disturbing for some readers.

This novel! I wanted to cheer for our girls so badly but they broke my heart. Written lyrically but with grit about addiction and poverty cycles, On the Savage Side will break your heart - which I think we should be more broken by the murders and deaths of women regardless of societal factors that tell us their life is "valuable" like occupation education ethnicity or location. I compare my feelings about it to A Little Life, not a "good" experience but important and impactful. Many trauma warnings make me cautious in to whom I recommend this.

Thank you to Knopf for the review copy of On the Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel. There is bravery in writing, and publishing, work that acknowledges the intense pain, trauma, and harm that women experience and navigate and McDaniel's work does not hesitate to ask, and trust, the reader to handle tough topics. This is not an easy read and stays on course with allowing a challenging story to unfold without divergence to revenge or other pathways, the story is what it is and unfortunately does capture a real context and experiences that McDaniel intimately amplifies. Media stories can be sensationalized, we can become consumed by a single story perspective and not see the lives behind the names in the news, the life underlying addiction, trauma, and poverty experiences but novels like this give depth and meaning to the names in the news.



There are a lot of content warnings with this book but given the summary of the book none should be unexpected (abuse, sexualization, pregnancy loss, mental health).

This was beautifully written, but maybe just not the best subject matter for me. I was hoping for a small glimmer of hope but never found one. I know the author is intending to mirror reality, but I struggled to read tragedy and tragedy. I also felt like the timeline wasn't always clear. Regardless the characters were complex and likable despite their flaws. I think this story will stick with me for a long time and I look forward reading other works by the author.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I must admit, I had read Betty and knew I loved the raw, realism the author brings to her work. This one did not disappoint. My heart was broken at each turn but I remained hopeful for the lives of each young woman. Five ⭐️! Lots of trigger warnings but worth it if you are able to read.

Oooof. I don't think I've ever felt so much pain reading a book as I did while reading this one.
On The Savage Side is an absolutely beautifully written, heartbreaking book about family, addiction and neglect.
Telling the story of two twin sisters, while intertwined with a much bigger story at play about a group of girls who end up missing and murdered, I couldn't put this book down until I had read the last tear stained page.
I can't wait to read more from Tiffany McDaniel.
Please find attached my spoiler free youtube review.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6A0XNMIjGEE&t=327s

Trigger Warnings: All of them? Sexual Assault, Miscarriage, Drug Abuse, Murder, Child Abuse

Arc and Daffy are twin sisters that have helped each other through every moment of their not so ideal childhood. Though they try their best, they can’t escape the cards life has handed them. When women start washing up in the river, the sisters are determined to not end up that way, but also to figure out who is killing their friends. Tiffany McDaniel based this story on women who were killed in her hometown of Ohio.

Holy shitballs. That is really the only thing to say when finishing this book. I for some reason had in my head that this was a female revenge book..spoiler alert, it was not. My mouth physically dropped several times while reading, and the people in the gym were probably wondering why I was gasping out loud on the treadmill. This book was so beautifully written, but damn it was a tough read. As you can see, this one needs all the trigger warnings, but it was so good. So if you want to read an amazing book that will also destroy you…here it is!

I'm going to be the outlier on this beautifully written but incredibly dark and grim novel that I ultimately put aside. McDaniel has created a world filled with atmosphere- atmosphere so dreadful that it must be real. Narrated primarily by Arc, twin to Daffy, after her death. it's very much about the women we ignore, women who are addicted, survive by selling themselves, and die with no one looking for answers. This moves around in time, making it a little difficult to follow in spots and there's a sense of that it's a fever dream of sorts. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. While I admire what McDaniel has done and advocate for her characters and the women they represent I found this just too much for me.

This book is so beautifully tragic. I know, sounds like a weird thing to say but it is. It’s because it’s beautifully written but also tragic.
The two girls always such full of hopes ans dreams but their reality was so terrible. It can be hard to read but I think the author’s point was to have you feel and boy do you feel. My heart will continue to ache for these girls.

This book has multiple points of view; both past and present.
It’s mentions sex working, drug use and sexual abuse. So if you’re sensitive, I’d pass.

tl;dr goodreads review:

all i can say is this hurt.

thank you to netgalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review ❤️

-- SOME THOUGHTS --

Betty remains one of my favorite books of all time, period point blank, and when I learned that McDaniel was writing a new novel, I simply turned into a rocket and blasted off into space. This book packs the same emotional punch, depth, and horror that was prevalent in Betty, in which we are watching these characters live the worst moments of their lives with writing that is so beautiful, so empathetic towards the characters that McDaniel is creating and offering us, the readers, insight into our lives. This book also sheds light on a horrid true crime case that I didn't know of, and the fictionalization of this case is absolutely incredible and respectful. I'd highly recommend this and am buying a physical copy of this book and instantaneously rereading it.

Many thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. *Gathers Thoughts*

This may be due to On the Savage Side being my first Tiffany McDaniel novel, but I've never read a book quite like this. It's as if one side (the beautiful side) of this story is a lyrical depiction of magical realism from the viewpoint of whimsical children. There the air is misty and fragrant, like they're in their very own secret garden in their own little world. And the other side (the savage side) is a dark and depressing wasteland where dreams go to die at the end of a needle, and women waste away into the background before the river spits them out. Is your brain spinning? Wondering if I've lost my mind? Yeah, join the club. Such are my jumbled thoughts after reading this story.

Identical twins Arcade and Daffodil Poet, Arc and Daffy to most, are growing up in Ohio in the shadow of the paper mill and in a house filled with prostitutes and heroin addicts. Being the children of 'junkies' has it's own set of difficulties, not to mention being the children of neglectful parents who don't pay attention to who they let inside their homes...around their young daughters. As you can imagine, it's a bleak upbringing, and when the twins grow older, their harsh past has a way of showing itself in their futures. Doomed to self-fulfilling prophecies, Arc and Daffy's lives take a turn for the worst when they start finding their friends show up dead in the river. Clues start appearing like flies, lured by the spider, and the closer and closer they get to the center of the web, the more spiders appear.

My heart cracked open so many times while reading this story. As the child of an addict, one who broke the mold, I can easily see how my life could have taken a different turn, had the circumstances in my life been just a bit varied. The women here are no different. Drug addicts and prostitutes are WHAT they are...but that's not WHO they are. This story takes a long, hard look at how these victims are perceived and judged for what they were in life versus what they were at their core; women. Human beings. Instead they were expendable outlets for someone's inner evil and lack of power, and this novel did a great job of humanizing these souls, even when their lives were brushed under the door and forgotten by everyone but the people who they touched in life. A valid and heartbreaking look at just how differently 'certain' victims can be treated and remembered. And how justice isn't fought for then when they're easier to write off as addicts and whores.