There were parts of this book that I liked and parts that made me scratch my head. I was intrigued enough to push myself a bit to keep reading. I enjoy gritty characters and this novel was full of them. They were genuine and not altogether likable, but the author does a great job of bringing them to life throughout the course of the story. In the end, I cared that they found what they were looking for in one way or another.
This book will not be everyone's cup of tea. It's best for readers who don't need steady action or entertainment, but want to get under the skin of the people they are reading about. You won't fall in love with them or wish they were friends, but you might learn something about how life experiences create many different responses in individuals and how they function with each other.
One of my favorite quotes of the book comes from the thoughts of Ray, an older, tough guy biker who is unable to communicate with his lover, Staci, other than fighting and making up with sex. "He'd know some pieces of work, he thought, taking a deep drag and exhaling. But this gal, who'd been pulled through the mud, who'd been high and lost, she stayed angelic, or maybe even got more angelic. Ray thought it was bullshit, her recovery talk, her self-esteem books, the lectures on cassette tapes she listened to over and over. But there was something beatific about the effort. He didn't always feel like this, the way he felt this morning, generous and able to give her credit where credit was due.
Sometimes these very things he was musing on and loving her for were the very things that made him sick of her. But aren't we strange, thought Ray, looking now out the window, aren't we all so strange..."
Yes, we are strange and yet we all need love and acceptance in some form and will find it where it presents itself. Therein lies the beauty of this story.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A gritty, funny and original tale of four misfits who are on the run, with a bag of cash, when the meth lab explodes in the Oklahoma compound they live in.
They travel to Texas and rent a dilapidated farmhouse where they care for each other in their own unique way.
The author had me totally invested in these characters and where the story would take them. We get to witness them learning to love themselves and others while trying to navigate life.
Quirky and tender this memorable story will stay with me for a long time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publiushing Group for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I loved Libaire's White Fur so so so much. This one was exquisitely written but didn't quite come together for me in the way that I'd hoped. That said, I think if a reader preferred character work to pace, it would certainly be a great read. Just wasn't quite up my alley.

I am so thankful to Random House Publishing/Hogarth, Netgalley, and Jardine Libaire for granting me both digital and physical access to this twisty thriller before it published on August 8, 2023.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Selling Pitch:
Do you want to read the modern classic version of Of Mice and Me, but make it a white trash biker gang, a deaf girl, and a cheetah? Do you like artsy books that are all imagery and character studies?

Pre-reading:
I genuinely have no idea what this book is about or why I may have requested it. I could solve this so easily by reading the blurb. I’m not gonna do that.

Thick of it:
It’s giving Of Mice and Men and The Seaplane on Final Approach.

Valise

Proselytizing

I like Staci. (Also, I’m sure her name is Stacy, but I’ve been pronouncing it Stassie all book. Blame Icebreaker.)

I really dig this book’s writing, but the time period is kinda wacky to me. (I think this is genuinely a me thing. My brain has a hard time picturing recent history, but I wasn’t alive. I’m like if I wasn’t alive, it was in ye old. But this is like early 90s.)

muscadine

Lol, I can’t smell, and all I have is appetite.

I like this kinda slow ramble of a character study.

What’s the vagina equivalent for phallic because that’s what this flower dream imagery is. Vaginal? He fixin’ to do some cherry popping.

Grackle

Does Ray have early-onset Alzheimer’s?

Staci deserves better.

Somebody’s gonna get killed by the cheetah, or they’re gonna kill the cheetah. (I love being wrong.)

THAT CALL BACK. WHAT A BOOK.

Is Ernie bipolar?

Oh man, they do kill the cheetah.

They don’t kill the cheetah? She killed Ernie? Jesus.

Carol Baskin.

Post-reading:
I loved it.
What a book. A modern classic. It’s Of Mice and Men but make it a white trash biker gang, a deaf girl, and a cheetah.

It’s very lyrical writing and all imagery. It’s a luxurious character study of gritty, nasty, flawed people.

Goodreads people are going to savage it for having untraditional formatting, but I liked the dialogue done in italics. It made it read like an art piece.

Fire the cover artist? Girl, that’s a leopard.

Who should read this:
Character study fans
Modern classic fans

Do I want to reread this:
Maybe? I want to make other people read it.

Similar books:
* Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck classic character study
* The Seaplane on Final Approach by Rebecca Rukeyser-sleazy visuals, Alaska, modern Of Mice and Men

This book was odd. Despite myself not entirely enjoying the read of it, I'm still thinking about it, which maybe says something about the writing. It's definitely different.

The chapters were very long for my liking and I think as I kept reading I got bored before I could reach the end (which is why it probably took me quite a while to get through the story despite it being a relatively short book). The dialogue was also in italics which for me made it harder to follow.

I didn't really connect with any of the misfits but they did have distinct personalities that I can appreciate. We also didn't really get much of a background on the characters, which may have been why I had a harder time connecting to them.

If you like stories about an odd group of misfits on the run, trying to fit in with each other, give it a try.

It took me a while to finish this read and I am still pondering how I felt about it. I honestly could not identify with any of the characters but I did appreciate Ernie’s attempts to make their new living quarters more like home. His love for Coral was off putting to me and I was glad she handled it as she did. I found her character to be the most intriguing and bizarre - and was not surprised by her relationship with Slash. I did find myself wondering about her back story that created her current behavior. Ray and Staci are both too self absorbed.
All in all I guess the message of the book was that everyone is seeking someone they belong with.
My thanks to Jardine Libaire, Hogarth, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of this recently published book. Some parts were a 3 and others a 2 so I am rating it 2 1/2 stars.

I absolutely loved this book!! I couldn’t put it down.
I just loved all the characters. I highly recommend this book.

You're an Animal sounded perfect for me. Four misfits running away from a meth lab explosion. They cross Texas and we learn who each is. I was hoping for a deeper look at each character. Unfortunately, it took me forever to get through this one and it never quite came together for me.

It’s different, but I don’t think it landed for me. Chapters felt too long and it was hard to connect with the characters.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of You're An Animal.

The book explores themes of isolation, camaraderie, and the formation of a makeshift family among individuals who have found themselves on the fringes of society. The description of their interactions, such as engaging in card games, enjoying wild strawberries, target-shooting, and dancing to music on the radio, emphasizes their bonding experiences and the sense of belonging they create despite their unconventional circumstances.

The enigmatic presence of Coral, who remains silent and possesses an unexplained aura of power, adds an air of mystery and intrigue to the narrative. Coral's silence may be a deliberate choice and raises questions about her role in the group's dynamics and the reasons behind her joining them.

As their chosen family takes shape, tensions begin to surface, and as threat to this dynamic takes shape, there is a feeling of impending conflict, which soon comes to light and helped build suspense, which is a theme of the book.

Overall, the story delves into themes of marginalization, human connection, and the complexities of relationships formed under unusual circumstances. The characters' vulnerabilities and the evolving dynamics within the group create a narrative that blend elements of drama, mystery, and interpersonal exploration. The narrative leaves readers with a desire to uncover the true nature of Coral's power, the origins of the threat, and the ultimate fate of this unconventional chosen family.

I found the story hear to get into and when I did get into it, I wanted more. Maybe I'm being too picky. I felt like there wasn't a climax to the story. It continued at a nice pace and then you're at the epilogue with an ending that feels like an after thought.

I'm not going to say don't read it because you may love it. Always try a book if it interests you, even if the reviews aren't raving about it.

I absolutely loved the premise of this story, as a "rowdy bunch" is always a really exciting promise. This book is also very character driven, and that usually works for me too. It didn't quite meet the mark in this one. I came to love each character, but I felt that with such a character centered plot I needed to learn more about them. The breakdown of their backgrounds is what I found the most engaging, I think I just wish there had been more of that feeling. An enjoyable read!

You’re an animal is a different read. It is a different coming of age tale about 4 friends who end up implicated in crime. I love the premise of this book but didn’t like the execution. The style is jarring and takes some getting used to and I found the plot hard to follow. I couldn’t really get into the book and had a distance from it, but do think others would like it and find it a more enjoyable experience.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. This quick read about a motley crew of misfits who escape the compound where they live after a fire in the meth lab was not for me. I didn’t connect with any of the characters. I also had trouble with so many characters being introduced up front who only got mentioned again as the story was wrapping up. This novel certainly has an audience, I am just not it.

You ever see a group of people that make you wonder how they could’ve possibly gotten together in the first place? What is the common thread tying a group of apparent opposites together? If they’re anything like the crew in Libaire’s You’re An Animal, that thread might be even stranger than you think.

You’re An Animal opens to a modest plot of land housing a less modest group of tough misfits keen to raise hell off the grid. There’s a lot of fighting, a lot of drinking, and a lot of cooking meth to keep everything running until an explosion during a cook blows the bikers, children, and everyone in between far away from the hazardous commune.

From here, we zone in on a core group: Ray, a gruff, middle-aged biker, his former dancer girlfriend Staci, awkward and sensitive Ernie (who, despite being a fellow biker, never quite fit in with Ray and Staci), and …Coral. No one’s quite sure how to describe Coral. She had a tough childhood, her family’s gone, and she doesn’t speak. She doesn’t do a whole lot outside of deadpan stare at the group and listen to metal on her discman.

You’re An Animal tries a lot of things with this makeshift family. There’s joy and volatility and facing your mortality and your past transgressions. There’s learning to find tenderness inside your tough exterior. There’s farming and violence and scheming. What there isn’t much of is meaningful character development. While there’s an attempt at it, it feels flimsy and didn’t amount to much in the end. I really wanted to like this group, but the combination of narrative jumping without meaningful insight on the most basic interesting bits of the cast of characters, it didn’t resonate with me the way I wished. Lots of potential here, but not quite the gas in the tank (the sudafed in the meth lab? *pulls collar*} to make it all the way there.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

i love found family books and i was excited for this one, but i didn't think these people were actually all that into each other — and particularly i found the women's stories pretty depressing, and the men pretty misogynistic. i wanted more from this unfortunately!

3.5 stars rounded up.

It's springtime in Oklahoma and Ernie, an outcast in a group of outcasts, feels uneasy. The compound where he and his fellow oddballs are crashing has been on edge since the arrival of a teenager named Coral, unceremoniously dropped from her family's minivan one afternoon. Adding to the mystery, Coral doesn't say a word. Ever. When a drug lab explosion burns the compound to the ground, Ernie, Coral, and the hard-living couple Staci and Ray escape on a pair of motorcycles.

Four misfits create a family after the compound they were staying at was burned to the ground. Ernie, Staci, Ray and Coral escaped on motorbikes and found a house to rent in Texas. Coral does not speak; she has been deaf since a childhood trauma.

It did take me a few chapters to get into this book. It can be a bit depressing, but there's something that makes you keep reading. It's quite a dark read with glimmers of hope. The characters backstories are slowly revealed. At the beginning, there are a lot of characters to keep track of, but once it's just the four of them, it's so much easier to follow.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #RandomHousePublishingGroup and the author #JardineLibaire for my ARC of #YoureAnAnimal in exchange for an honest review.

Creative story with potential untapped. I felt the characters were undersized - the reader was given a rough outline of who they were but just not enough meat on their bones leaving a huge vacancy. I like the misfit concept but failed to grab a hold of my interest in total. Narrative felt too stagnant for my taste.

I'm a huge fan of Lansadale and Cosby so this book should have be perfect for me but it didn't work.
There's an intriguing blurb, plenty of ideas but the story fell flat as I felt the characters a bit underveloped
Not my cup of tea
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine