“In life there is a savage side and beautiful side.” This book depicts the horrible life of addiction better than any other I’ve read. These missing/murdered woman are not even looked for by the police but they are someone’s daughters, sisters, friends and loved. Definitely a hard read but so fully captures the engulfing and crazy story of addiction. Characters are developed so well, did have some lengthy descriptive sections, also a twist towards the end that was hard to wrap your head around. Definitely recommend.

Loosely inspired by a series of unsolved murders in Chillicothe, Ohio between 2013 and 2015 On the Savage Side< is not the true crime novel or mystery-thriller it's being categorized as, it is instead the story of twin sisters, Arc and Daffy, beginning in 1979 as they navigate a world ravaged by poverty, addiction, violence, and loss, as too many women's stories are.

Told with Tiffany McDaniel's trademark lyrical prose and infusion of earthy magic, Arc and Daffy's story is a terribly beautiful tragedy shot through with despair, brimming with love, manifested of empathy for those ignored, discarded, rejected by society. McDaniel's intention is clear: to breathe humanity into these victims, to frame them as people, mothers, sisters, daughters, friends, people worthy of being considered and missed. Just brilliant.

I've been a Tiffany McDaniel fan since The Summer that Melted Everything. Betty promoted her to potential favorite author status. On the Savage Side cemented that legacy; consider me a devoted disciple from here on out.

I almost stopped reading this book several times. Not gonna lie...it's brutal and disturbing, emotionally heavy and heartbreaking, full of all the horrible aspects of drug abuse that most of us remain ignorant of or choose to ignore. But it's also beautifully and brilliantly written and a story that will stay with you long after finishing. I think anyone who reads this will be less judgemental and more compassionate of people suffering from addiction and those who love them. Kudos to Tiffany McDaniel for such an impactful work of art! My thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy of this book through NetGalley for review. All opinions are my own.

4.5/5 stars! I have a huge true crime junkie, so when I heard that this book was loosely based off of the Chillicothe Six, I couldn't wait to read it. Generational trauma is another hot topic in books for me, so the premise set this up to be an amazing book. There is a lot of heavy information in this story, so not all readers will feel comfortable immersing into that darkness. However, the story worked for me. I have read other stories based on real-life events so I appreciated the world-building and background information. Overall, it was a captivating read, but for a specific audience.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

This is a beautifully written, heart wrenching story of twins Arcade (Arc) and Farren (Daffy), from their childhood, to adults. Arc and Daffy's hopes and dreams were shattered early in their childhood, yet they did their best to cope and survive. The book is loosely based on the tragic, unsolved murders of the Chillicothe Six, in Ohio. The characters created by Tiffany McDaniel to represent the women in the actual case are some of the most memorable I have ever read. She has brought the characters vividly to life and brings understanding to those women and children who live on the edges of life, surrounded by poverty, addiction and prostitution, as well as their will to survive and support each other. The book is narrated by Arc, with most chapters beginning with a short poem by Daffy, "Daffodil Poet". It is a book that is both hard to put down, yet at times, difficult to read. Tiffany McDaniel's writing style is unique, poetic, and very profound. I absolutely loved the book. Thank you to Netgalley, Knopf publishing and the author for my advance copy. The opinions in the review are my own.

This book is loosely based on a true story, which I love true crime, so it will give you chills. I couldn't read fast enough it was so good. This is a can't miss book, you have to read it. I would give it 6 stars if I could.

I just reviewed On the Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel. #OntheSavageSide #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL

This book, though fictional, has drawn inspiration from the true story of women
who were killed in Chillicothe, Ohio. It is a novel of deep heartache, family
tragedy, and the effect of neglect over nurture during childhood. This book is a
testament to the power of women and the importance of surrounding yourself
with people who love and support each other. It is quite a tough subject matter to
maneuver around, with trigger warnings for drug use, sexual abuse, domestic
violence, and death.

Tiffany McDaniel’s writing style is incomparable – she writes so beautifully about
such horrific experiences that it oftentimes makes what should be a hard-to-read
story into a fast-paced read. This book is not for the faint of heart, but it is
absolutely recommended for all fiction lovers, with elements of crime included.
This book brings a sense of humanity to the ravages of addiction and is as
important as it is timely.

**************This will hands down be my FAVORITE read of 2023. On the Savage Side will be be one of my top 5 favorite books of my reading career so far. What a perfect title for an outstanding book.

“In life, there is a savage side and a beautiful side. But what’s on the beautiful side? What makes you happiest.” “We live on the savage side girls. That’s why I’m telling you this, so you can survive it.” “You can make the savage side beautiful.”Mamaw Milkweed, Daffy and Arc’s grandmother is the only good person in their lives and she tries to teach them how to turn the savage side beautiful.

“ A needle is a needle. And you know what? When it’s inside you, it does turn the savage side beautiful.”

“We’re half of the same remember? I can’t take your half. You can’t take mine, or one of us won’t exist no more.”

Tiffany McDaniel, there is not an author that can top your poetic writing style. I wish I could include every one of my favorite lines from your book in my review but that would mean I would be quoting almost the entire book. On the Savage Side is inspired by the true unsolved murders of the Chillicothe six which took place in 2015. Today there is still one girl missing and the murders have not been solved.

I have never read anything like this, something written so poetically, so beautifully yet the storyline is so heartbreaking, heart wrenching and so devastating.

The Chillicothe Queens, Arcade and Daffy twin sisters, Sage Nell, Violet, Harlow, Indigo and Thursday, most importantly, are beautiful, spirited girls first, drug addicts and prostitutes second. Being born to drug addicted parents in a town in the Appalachian mountains make them victims of their circumstances. Who they truly are, and what they must be remembered for is being brave and courageous mothers, daughters, sisters and friends. They should be valued and heard and seen yet they are women who are not cared about.

Tiffany McDaniel wrote this book for all the missing women in the world in hopes that they will never be forgotten. I will never forget the Chillicothe Queens now that I have read this book. This book has given me a different perspective on what leads women to become prostitutes and drug addicts and to have compassion for them.

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

unfortunately dnf around 25%. I do not find myself connecting with the story or the characters. I appreciate the arc being given from net galley

this is my honest review.

Such a beautifully written book that was very sad and heartbreaking. This was a great book! If you like Betty, I think you’ll like this one as well. Can’t wait to read Tiffany McDaniel’s next book.

4.5 Stars

Betty is one of my all-time top reads, so when I saw that Tiffany McDaniel was releasing a new book, I couldn’t contain my excitement. The novel is inspired by the unsolved murders of the Chillicothe Six, the disappearance of six women—some of whom were struggling with addiction and engaged in sex work—in one part of Ohio over 14 months. It follows Arcade and Daffodil, twin girls attempting to escape a world of poverty and addiction. It’s difficult to join Arc and Daffy as they navigate the harsh realities of the “savage side,” often taking refuge in the “beautiful side” that they can find only in their imaginations.

If you read and loved Betty, let me establish something right away. This novel is not Betty. Yes, as with Betty, it’s chock full of violence (violence to animals, sexual violence against children and adults, physical violence, and many other types of violence). As with Betty, the violence can be shocking, overwhelming, sickening, triggering, shocking. However, On the Savage Side feels a bit like McDaniels is stretching her literary muscles a bit more. The narrative is much more experimental, often edging into poetic. It feels simultaneously hyperrealistic and completely unrealistic, if that makes sense: the grittiness and can’t-look-away violence of these girls’ lives offset by their poetic speaking style and the frequency with which they escape into dream worlds. Taken together, these features make it hard to pin down On the Savage Side, and honestly, I’m not sure I’d want to, even if I could. McDaniels doesn’t just humanize the women often overlooked and dismissed in society, she raises them up to a status greater than human altogether, worthy not only of finally being seen, but of being memorialized.

Set in Chillicothe, Ohio, On the Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel revolves around twin sisters Arcade ”Arc” and Farren “Daffy” Doggs. Raised by their addict mother Adelyn and their Aunt Clover both of whom are prostitutes, Arc and Daffy spend their time dreaming of a life away from the hell they call home, drawing on the cement floor of their home with markers gifted to them by their maternal grandmother, Mamaw Milkweed. The time the sisters spend with her, listening to her stories full of magic, life lessons and words of wisdom is the only bright spot in their miserable childhood.

Their childhood comes to an abrupt end after their grandmother dies in a tragic accident when they were nine years old. Sexually abused and with no one looking out for them, they are left to fend for themselves. Unfortunately, the darkness of their childhood follows them into their adult lives and what follows is a painful cycle of sexual abuse and prostitution, violence and substance abuse, and ultimately tragedy. The friends they make along the way lead into some beautiful heartfelt moments of friendship and support but with each of them struggling to step out of the darkness in their lives, the friends are unable to keep themselves and one another out of harm’s way. As evil lurks in their community, targeting women like themselves, law enforcement turns a blind eye only compounding the tragedy in the lives of these women who have been profiled, judged and victimized their whole lives.

On the Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel is a dark, brutal, atmospheric and heartbreaking read. The narrative flits between the past and the present day when Arc and Daffy are twenty years old. The author develops her characters with meticulous detail and weaves their stories together seamlessly. I put down this book multiple times but was unable to stay away from it for too long. Exceptionally well-written, this is a compelling read that will stay with me for a long time. With consistent pacing and a tightly woven plot, featuring Arc and Daffy and their friends Thursday, Nell, Violet and Indigo the author tells an emotionally hard-hitting story inspired by the unsolved murders of the Chillicothe Six. This is not an easy read but a powerful one.

Many thanks to the author, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and NetGalley for the much-appreciated digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own, The book is due to be released on February 14, 2023.

It will take me a while to fully digest this book, in a way great and complicated books often do. This book depicts a family living on the savage side, plagued by drugs, poverty, prostitution, and loss. But Arc and Daffy lived on the beautiful side in their minds. They dug for treasures the Earth holds and swam the rivers like fish from long ago. They spoke in poetic dreams and shared these poetic dreams with their friends. This book is as beautiful as it is tragic. It left me wishing that all the little girls who live on the savage side have a Mamaw Milkweed to show them to weave in the beautiful side.

This is probably unpopular opinion, but I just did not enjoy this book. I picked it up expecting a murder mystery and thriller as the summary says it was inspired by the unsolved murders of six women in Chillicothe, Ohio. This book is beautifully written, but not my style. It is more of a lyrically written book with poetic undertones.

Six women in Chillicothe, Ohio go missing and are found murdered. On the Savage Side tells the story of twin sisters and alternates storylines between their childhood and their adulthood. All of the women that go missing are known to the sisters. Are they next?

There are many triggers that repeat including pedophilia, violent sex, violence against women and drug use. It just was not an enjoyable read for me. I was hoping for a fast paced page turner and this book is not it.

Thanks to Netgalley and publishers for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and NetGalley for an advance copy. Overall, I have to say that I did not care for this book very much. While the writing at times was lyrical, much of it felt quite pretentious and repetitive. Where I was expecting a mystery, there really was nothing other than a series of murders. And while I am usually able to read dark mysteries with little issues, this one was even too dark and disturbing for me...to the point where I had to start skipping over sections.

I will say that there were a few interesting twists and I know many readers liked this book but there were so many times that I was tempted to put the book down that I will just have to consider myself the exception.

Tiffany McDaniel has done the nearly impossible, weaving beautiful words together with the most ugly parts of the world we live in. Betty was one of my top books of 2021, so I was excited to see that McDaniel had a new book coming out. While the reading of this book was a much different experience, I once again spent the time marvelling at what a talented writer McDaniel is.

Based on the true story of the Chillicothe six, McDaniel brings so much humanity to those suffering through the most savage side of life. The story is told by Arc Doggs, who lives with her twin sister, mother, and aunt in a home wrecked by heroin addiction. The story flips seamlessly from the time the twins are six into their 21st year, giving only tiny glimmers of hope amidst addiction, poverty, child abuse, sexual abuse, depravity, and neglect. The glimmers of hope during those times are the bonds made between these Chillicothe queens, as they provide each other with the love and family they didn’t get elsewhere.

This book was brutal, and did not hold back. I frequently read very depressing books, yet found parts of this one very hard to stomach. While I appreciate it, I know it will not be for everyone. I could best compare it to the level of suffering in A Little Life. If you're up for the challenge, I highly recommend it!

Thank you, Tiffany McDaniel, NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the ARC of On The Savage Side.

This was an incredibly beautiful yet brutal novel. Not for the faint of heart, it tackles addiction, parental neglect, child abuse, child sexual abuse, prostitution, police brutality, male brutality and the never-ending cycle of poverty and addiction without being gratuitous, sentimental or judgmental. McDaniel gives humanity to the people struggling with the savagery of life in a small Ohio town.
The novel was inspired by the unsolved murders of The Chillicothe Six—six women--mothers, daughters, sisters--who went missing. When the first is found floating dead in the river, it reveals the disturbing truth of a small Ohio town. This harrowing and haunting novel tells the story of twin sisters, Arc and Daffodil, both of whom could be the next victims.
This novel digs deep into its main characters, tracing the course of their lives right from childhood when they still believed, with the help of their incredible grandmother, Mamma Milkweed, that "there are things that not even fire can destroy. And one of these things is the strength of a woman". Also that the savage side of life can always be mended and made beautiful. Later, even when the grim reality of living with an addicted mother, gradually chips away at their hopes and dreams, McDaniel's breathtaking, lyrical prose gives humanity to these women who fight to hold onto something magical amidst the brutality. Most often this comes in the form of friendships with sister sufferers or from their deep connection to the the land and water around them. These are damaged and bruised women whose imagination and creativity is never crushed.
This is the kind of novel that burrows deep into your soul and haunts you, written, I believe, by one of the most talented writers around today.

'Probable cause of death: Being a woman.'

4.5*

Bleak, harrowing and so beautifully written.

On the Savage Side was a tough read, but a wonderful one. Based on a true story, this book details cycles of drug abuse, child abuse and neglect, sex work, poverty and despair as told by our narrator, Arc Doggs.

This is the first book I've read by Tiffany McDaniel, and I'm already itching to get my hands on more of their work - the prose was lyrical and thoughtful and evoked so many emotions in me. Sadness, anger, disgust and hope to name a few. Rarely have I highlighted so many passages in a book!

I couldn't recommend this book highly enough, but make sure to check the trigger warnings before reading (there are a lot).

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy!

Tiffany McDaniel's third novel, which centers around the true crime of the Chillicothe Six, was my most anticipated 2023 release. While I can't say it was a 5 star read for me, it does get a lot of things right.

I want to first say that this book is not a true crime novel or a thriller, this book is not Betty, and this book is not for everyone. Betty came with every trigger warning under the sun, and On the Savage Side does as well. It's dirty. It's gritty. It's disturbing. But that's sort of the point. In this novel, McDaniel explores the titular "savage side" of ourselves and life itself. In what I'm coming to recognize as McDaniel's unique lyrical prose, she explores the reality of addiction in the foothills of southern Ohio and the ways in which it has ravaged both people and place. Chillicothe, Ohio is an area I'm quite familiar with, and for me McDaniel totally hit the nail on the head in making this city authentically come alive.

Like Betty, this novel presents a distinctly feminist point of view. McDaniel doesn't hold back in her examination of women as essential yet expendable. She creates a beautiful and unbreakable bond between these "Chillicothe Queens." I also enjoyed the generational aspect as we see so much duality between Arc and Daffy alongside their mother and aunt. Duality is the overwhelming theme of the novel, to the point where for me, personally, it was a bit overwrought at times, but you can't fault McDaniel for putting it all on the table and working overtime to make us see that the beautiful and savage are one in the same.

On the Savage Side reminded me of some of my most favorite difficult reads centered around addiction, place, and family, namely Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell, Ghosting by Kirby Gann, and the works of fellow Ohioan Donald Ray Pollack. McDaniel continues to be an author I have my eye on, and I look forward to whatever comes next.

This book was a very hard read for me. It’s very dark and there are so many triggers. Please be aware before you dive into it. That said, this book was so beautiful! Arc and her twin sister go through so much! I just wanted to hug them and make it all better! The way the girls handled their traumas and abuse was just so beautiful, yet sad.

It did take me awhile to read this because of the themes. The author did a very good job writing this. I will think about this story for a very long time. I really want to read more from them. I didn’t see the twist in the book, and the ending was beautiful.