“The thing about saving someone in the flood is that you have to get in the water, too. Sometimes you don't get back out.”

This book is dark, it’s disturbing, it’s not for the faint of heart. It’s a story of identical twin sisters growing up in poverty, addiction and prostitution. The writing is beautiful. It’s raw and emotionally draining, with all the possible trigger warnings.

I loved Betty so much that I couldn’t wait to read this one. And I have to say Tiffany McDaniels did it again!

“Lives lost to addiction are not always because the victim was the addict. Sometimes you die because the person you love is one.”

Thank you Netgalley for the arc.

On the Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel is a detailed character study of women who end up being murdered by a serial killer. She doesn't focus on the killer, but rather the lives that these women led up to that fateful moment.. We follow Arc (short for Arcade) through moments in her childhood to when she is an adult, addicted to heroin and selling herself to fund her addiction. She has an incredibly difficult life. TW for so many things but especially sexual assault on a child. These characters felt authentic, like they were real people. The message is that these women deserved to be mourned, not murdered. I loved this story and would highly recommend to people who like in-depth character studies or if you enjoyed Betty. (her previous book.) There was a perspective from the river which felt gimmicky and unnecessary but all in all, an excellent book. 4 stars!

This was one of the most gut-wrenching, beautifully written, and grittiest books I've ever read in my life. Not only is this a top contender of one of my favorite reads for the year, but has a solid place on my bookshelf of favorite stories I've ever read. I loved Tiffany McDaniel's storytelling, prose, and I couldn't believe how sad and unsettling this one was. Not only do I love this one, but it made me immediately purchase Betty as well!

I feel inadequate in my attempt to review this novel, another devastating story from Tiffany McDaniel, a twist on the true story of the Chillicothe Six, women found dead in the river near Chillicothe Ohio.

Arcade and Daffodil, or Arc and Daffy as they are referred to primarily in this book, are twin sisters in Chillicothe, young women struggling to escape generational trauma and addiction, down trodden by life and their circumstances. The story is told from Arc's point of view, as she and Daffy come of age in the small town under the shadow of the paper mill. This book seems like it'll be a crime drama, but in the end its a study in how the evils perpetuate a system of addiction and prostitution and regret.

Each woman who is found in the river is known to Arc and Daffy, and the book alternates timelines from when they are young through to when they are in their early 20s. As each woman is discovered in the river, the book grows more and more tense, as Arc begins to suspect everyone around her as being The River Man as the killer becomes known.

That said, this book is not about the killer. It's about the struggle against those things that keep women looked down upon by society, keeping them on the fringes and desperate, including addiction, sexual abuse, and poverty. This is not a book that will leave you feeling happy and hopeful, on each page it delivers a brutal truth that is difficult to look past. I found the writing to be both lyrical and also raw, and emotionally draining.

Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, and NetGalley for the electronic ARC for review.

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the copy of On The Savage Side. If I had researched the unsolved murders of the Chillicothe Six I probably would have passed on this book because country life, drugs and sex are not enjoyable to read about for me. The writing was strangely ornate and flowery so it was hard to get engaged with it. The first part of the book was all background on the twins and their family, and it went on too long. I kept waiting for something to actually happen. I did like the ending because it was a surprise, but this book just wasn’t for me.

Not for the faint of heart, On the Savage Side, Tiffany McDaniel’s upcoming book is affecting and important.

Loosely based on the Chillicothe Six, an unsolved case of missing and murdered women in Chillicothe, Ohio, this book is narrated by Arcade Doggs, who goes by Arc. Arc and her twin sister Daffodil (Daffy) spend their earliest years with their grandmother who gives them all the love they need that their parents can’t give them because of poverty and addiction. When Adelyn and Flood Doggs convince Mamaw that they are sober and ready to show their daughters a wonderful life, the girls go to live with them. But addiction is a mean thing. It is not long before the girls are being raised in an environment of sadness, addiction and sex work. A police officer who comes to the house at one point makes a comment on his way out to his partner that in a few years they will be returning to arrest these young girls for the same things their parents have been doing. Talk about being set up for failure…

The story moves between time periods and focusses its lens on the girls. When we come back to see the young women in early adulthood, they are living the same tragic life that their mother and their aunt live. Going to the river with their friends is a past time, sitting in an old half buried car, getting high. The women call themselves the Chillicothe Queens. Each of the women in this story have a very distinctive character and we see their most human side. They deal with bad johns, family, children and pregnancy in addition to having hope, creativity and strength of character.

When a woman is found floating in the river, a new era in this small Appalachian town has begun. Soon one of the group disappears and turns up in the river and the group fears for their safety from the River Man. Reports to police are not taken seriously. Police comment on the risky lifestyles that the women lead as reasons to not assume they are missing.

This is not a whodunit, although there will be many suspects. This story is to show that the women who have gone missing or found murdered were human beings. They were mothers, sisters, and daughters.

I would recommend this book for people that understand hurt, enjoy Appalachian stories, true crime stories, detailed characters, great writing, and have good self-care practices as this one could be triggering for many.

Thank you to @netgalley and @aaknopf for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions. On the Savage Side comes out February 14, 2023.

Thank you to NetGalley for an arc of On the Savage Side in exchange for an honest review. This review is wholly my own & may not be reproduced.

There has been a lot of hype about this novel so I was so excited to get an early release.

This story is based on the unsolved murders of the Chillicothe Six and focuses on two sisters, Arcade & Daffodil who could potentially be the next victims.

The story focuses on the lives of the sisters from adolescence into adulthood and all the demons that they must face. Abuse, alcohol, women they were friends with being murdered, the feelings that invokes.

This was a very trippy story, but told very well.

It was not what I expected going in, but was still a great read.

I gave it 3.5 stars and would recommend giving it a read.

barely know how to describe this book. I didn’t want to put it down but had to. I could read the lyrical writing forever and not for another minute because of what it was describing. A searing look at being a woman in this world, and at addiction and abuse and violence…and cutting holes in all of those terrible things to let the light in and grasp at life in the face of a deeply disturbing present. A masterful tangled web. Harrowing, heavy, and powerful read

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

My introduction to the Chillicothe 6 came through a news article I read at work in Charleston, WV. A sex worker had killed a man who tried to strangle her; when police arrived they found duct tape, tarps, shovels, etc. in his trunk. And speculation began that perhaps he was responsible for some of these Ohio murders. I read about each woman. They all reminded me of people I had met or heard about through my work. When the opportunity for to read this book came along, I started immediately.

I thought I was ready. I thought I knew the stories. But I was unprepared for McDaniel’s beautiful, heartbreaking prose. Reading from the river’s perspective was an unexpected gift and comfort in an absolutely brutal book. Every time I felt some hope, it was taken away. But even so, the characters didn’t lose that tiny spark.

You might ask how could all these terrible things happen to one family? I don’t know why, but I do know it happens. It’s not far fetched.

The women in this book, even the ones I felt incredible anger toward, were strong, creative, artistic…they had dreams. They were victims. They buried things among the stars.

The title of the book and its meaning will stay with me for a long time.

Thank you to Knopf and Netgalley for the arc.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Knopf for an advance readers copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review. This book just completely blew me away! It was a solid 4.5/5 stars from me. The editors note at the start lets us know that the book is intended to be read twice, as it’s likely we’ll miss important clues in this story in the first read through. It’s ultimately the story of unsolved murder cases in a small town in Ohio and we’re lead through the story by two sisters, from their brutal childhood to adulthood. I do want to note upfront that there is some heavy content in this book and some tough scenes to read, I’d definitely recommend looking at the content warnings before picking this up.

That being said, this author really sheds light on the reality of addiction, especially as it exists within familial cycles, and she certainly does not sugarcoat anything. However, one element of this book I really enjoyed was the imagination that she gave the characters; there were so many fantastical wonderful stories told by the narrator especially and that were intertwined in the narrative, as they tried to imagine themselves on the more beautiful side of life, instead of their own “savage” one. I found this juxtaposition to be both beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time and very much appreciated the craft.

Overall, this story and its ending is one that will stay with me for a long time to come. This book is a beautiful tribute to the unsolved murder cases of the Chillicothe Six and a reminder that behind the headlines and news stories are actual women and people with hopes, dreams, and stories just like the rest of us. It’s a reminder that these women matter. While I would definitely recommend exercising caution, I would also highly recommend this book.

Super creepy and poetic Southern (Ohio) Gothic.
Subversive and feminist while telling a very ugly truth.
Less of a thriller than a reckoning

If you read one new release this year, please let it be On The Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel. Tiffany McDaniel, who is a fellow Ohioan, writes from the most beautiful/raw/honest place that just gets me perfectly in my feels. I will be a forever fan of hers. Out February 14th. Thank you @netgalley & @aaknopf for the arc.

***Do not read my review of this if you want to go in knowing nothing. I started with the editor’s note at the beginning which offers a different way to read this.

On the Savage Side is the story of an Appalachian town where women are disappearing and being found in the River, likely all by the same killer. Our story centers around two sisters who might be next. We follow them from young girls into the very same young women being targeted.

That’s the plot, but that’s not what this is really about. The editor’s note at the front of my ARC lets us know this is going to make us consider our fascination with serial killers in a new light as it is based on the unsolved murder case of the Chillicothe Six. It also tells us this is to be read twice. The second time to trace all the bread crumbs the author leaves us from the very beginning. Since I had that in mind, the twist actually didn’t completely surprise me. And I’m glad I had this in mind since I think I may have thrown my kindle otherwise. It was great to chat with @kellyhook who did NOT read the editor’s note and was floored.

I also need to note that this is one of the most brutal books I’ve ever read. Several scenes were very very hard to read and there are a whole lot of content warnings. And remember, this book is based on UNsolved murders. It’s a gorgeously written eulogy to unseen women everywhere packed with some chilling and very difficult content.

If you liked Betty or all this sounds okay to you, definitely try this. Thank you so much to @knopf for this advanced copy. On the Savage Side publishes 2.14

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf for this advance copy.
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I was so impressed with McDaniel’s previous novel, Betty, that I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this newest release. Like Betty, this novel is full of disturbing and difficult subject matter. But unlike Betty, this one left me feeling sad and depressed. I couldn’t find any bits of hope or resilience to balance out the darkness and despair. There were several sections where it was difficult to tell whether what was happening was real, a conscious imagining, a nightmare, or a drug fueled hallucination. Often it would quickly switch from one to the other. Several times while reading I really wanted to set this book aside, but I was very invested in Arc and Dafffy and had to know how things ended for them. It wasn’t a “bad” book, it was just too dark for me.

I was hesitant to read this one because I read the trigger warnings and also heard it was a heavy, heavy sucker punch of a book. I am so glad and grateful that I did and for the experience it awarded me. I feel different after reading this. It is just one of the most nuanced, layered, haunting, poetic, evocative and darkest novels I’ve ever read. I was not expecting to read this in a day but I did because the soul of the characters, McDaniel’s prose/clear, strong voice and message were just way too hard to step away from. I love that the author gave agency, power, and voices to the women who disappeared from her home state. The amount of empathy shown to each character made my heart swell and taught me a lot as a public librarian. It’s so easy to label, blame, and discard those suffering from addiction. This mentality obscures the institutionalized/ ingrained violence against women (especially those who are not “good”) and it rocked me to my core just how pervasive this is. Addiction is everywhere, but we’d rather punish than rehabilitate. I’m so absolutely haunted but this. Tiffany McDaniel is a powerhouse and we all aren’t worthy. Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf for the advanced copy.

Daffodil and Arcade are twin sisters growing up in the chaos of poverty and addiction. This novel is a coming of age story that takes a hard look at the environment these girls grew up in and how it shaped the path their lives took. It's also set against the backdrop of a mystery as local women begin disappearing with their bodies turning up in the river.

This was my first Tiffany McDaniel book and all I can say is "Wow!" I was blown away. I don't often designate someone as an auto-buy author off of one book, but I'm ready to do so for McDaniel. I will happily read anything she writes and will definitely be reading her other two novels soon (though maybe not immediately, as I definitely need to recover after this one).

I ended this book speechless and it has lived rent-free in my mind for the past week. McDaniel did such a great job at narrating the bitter effects of generational poverty and addiction. She captured so much of these circumstances and the role that these factors and the environment the girls grew up in had on their lives. These are heavy topics but McDaniel deftly maneuvered them in ways that were insightful and compassionate.

In addition to the themes and overall story arc, McDaniel also created well rounded characters who you couldn't help but hope for, even though early on the author tells you just what to expect. Her ability to craft such full characters is a major part of why this novel hits so strongly. Daffy and Arc's story gave me such pause, because while they are fictional characters, they felt real. They felt like so many individuals that you could find across the US today. I was invested in them, had hope for them, and felt my heart break for them. It is the reader's connection to these characters that makes the story. Without such expertly crafted characters, this book would not hit the same.

Additionally, the layout and the path this novel took was also perfect. I often prefer things with a linear timeline, but McDaniel's approach in this novel worked flawlessly. Pieces came into place at just the right time to hit with such a strong impact.

I struggled to write a review that I felt would do this story justice. I think McDaniel is immensely talented. She is a masterful storyteller and I can't pick out a single thing that I would change about this novel. It's only January, but I believe I may have just read my book of the year!

I recommend this book to everyone! Though I do recommend any reader that has triggers to review the trigger warnings for this book beforehand as there are a lot of heavy topics.

This is a beautiful, haunting, heartbreaking tale of twin sisters desperate to become more than their upbringing. It’s a stunning tribute to the Chillicothe Six, and to victims of unsolved murders everywhere. If you love purple prose with your serial killer thrillers, get this one right now!

Wow now I need to go to TM’s backlist and read “Betty!” This was quite an experience to read folks. This book is inspired by the unsolved murders of the Chillicothe Six in the small rural town of Chillicothe, Ohio. Tiffany McDaniel has written a novel that is raw, violent and utterly heartbreaking, and one that most certainly, after reading, compels you to be more mindful of your loved ones. Kudos to TM for this well-told, tragic + unimaginable story.👏🏻 4.5 stars — Pub. 2/14/23

Thank you to the publisher via NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

On the Savage Side is a devastating coming-of-age story, based on the true story of 6 missing women in Chillicothe, Ohio. Set in rural Appalachia, similarly to Demon Copperhead, life is bleak and poverty is rampant. So is heroin use. The two sisters at the center of this story are twins, trying to survive in a home with their mother and aunt, addicts and prostitutes. As much as they try, the girls succumb to the life that they were raised with. As young women start to disappear, only to be found floating in the river, Arc, one of the twins, tries to make sense of it but only gets herself in trouble. This is the second book I've read by this author and her writing is exquisite. This is not an easy book to read--there is rampant drug use and violence against women-- but I found myself drawn into the story and had difficulty putting it down. I think it is a book that will stay with me for a long time.

I was very disappointed with this book and quit about half-way through. I found the writing to be heavy-handed and the characterizations dark but limited. I really wanted to like this novel because, as a clinical social worker, I am very interested in poverty, addiction and the treatment of women. Despite my interests, I could not finish this novel.