A unique style of writing. I went into this with an open mind, but I just did not connect with the story's characters like I hoped to. I think the book will find the right audience though and do well. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thanks NetGalley for an advanced copy of this title. While this was not necessarily my favorite read, I felt like the author did have a good style. I struggled with how the story flowed, however, and how unlikeable the characters were. While the toxic characters were intentional, I was unable to connect with them and truly care about how the events of the story affected them. This is not to say that the story was poorly written or that it may not work for others; I just wasn’t able to take much from it. I still feel it deserves three stars because it was well written. Also, I do appreciate the opportunity to be able to read and review this title!

When I read that this novel was similar to "The Talented Mr. Ripley", I couldn't wait to read it. However Ripley was a character study which was focused and moved steadily towards a certain end. This book was kind of all over the place with the thriller aspects not appearing until late in the book. This is about a woman named El. El lives in the Williamsburg section of New York and is very unhappy with her life. She wanted to be an actress at one time but now at age 29 she is working at a bakery and feels like her chances to become famous have past. El is not very likable; she is rude to her roommate and her other friends and wants to hang out with her friends Anna and Julia only because they are wealthy. El herself grew up in a lower middle class home and when she got a scholarship to an expensive school for eighth grade she was taken in by Anna and Julia and now she hangs around them in order to go to parties and to a vacation house in the Hamptons.

At such a party, El meets a man named Bryce. She is not attracted to Bryce, but he appears to be rich and connected and when he offers to return her driver's license she left behind, the two begin a relationship. Once she is living with Bryce she finds he has a history of women he knows coming up dead and she tries to tell herself this is not something to do with Bryce himself. The book also has a strange running theme which is kind of science fiction by nature about dogs running away from their masters and becoming wild. I assume this is supposed to be symbolic of El in some way but it wasn't done well and just didn't make sense. The author also went into various side stories that veered away from the main mystery and just weren't interesting such as a story about the owners of a restaurant who needed money to keep going and a subplot involving a young man who was taken in by El's mother. I think the novel would have been better to leave out the dog stories and focus more on El's early life and to somehow give the readers a clue as to why she makes the decisions she does. The ending was somewhat unbelievable to me and I didn't have much of a reaction to El's decisions at that point. Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for a copy of this ARC in exchange for a review.

Despite an intriguing title, this book fails to deliver on its promise of canine perspectives, leaving readers confused. Sparse and troubling depictions of dog involvement and toxic relationships detract from the narrative. While some may find it engaging, others may be left unsatisfied by its convoluted exploration of toxic dynamics. Proceed with caution, as this book's appeal may vary greatly among readers.

El has failed in her dream to become an actress. She has always been on the fringe of the rich life. When she meets Bryce, she thinks all her dreams are coming true. Trips to Paris, black card luxuries,living in a NewYork loft etc..but what will she do when she finds out that Bryce has a darker side.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my opinion.

This book is hard to review because it was exactly what I expected from the name and the cover. Is well written with a very organised structure and the characters are well created. But it become a bit predictive for me because in the middle of the book I felt it started become boring. But I did enjoy read it and I think some people may enjoy it a little bit more. Big shout out to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for ARC

This is a hard one to review. The writing was good, but I disliked the characters and didn't find the main storyline interesting. The book begins and ends with dog-related dreams that didn't seem to tie in to the main story, though it's certainly possible I missed a connection. Also, the synopsis and cover made it look like a thriller (although it's not characterized as one) but it didn't read like that to me. It's more Bret Easton Ellis lite. Overall, a bit of a muddle, I fear.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This was a DNF for me -- I love a bad girl doing bad things, and I love an unreliable narrator, but this felt like a poor execution of the formats made popular by Brett Easton Ellis or Chad Kultgen, with relentless brand drops, tedious scenes of drugs, and meaningless hook-ups. I was bored and didn't have connections to any of the characters, so I stopped at 35%.

—Thank you to NetGalley and the publidher for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review!

Is she imagining all of this or not? Who can we trust? What should we believe?
I love when we get to question these. This was so fun and entertaining.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
Eli attended a private school and enjoys the joys of feeling rich but at age 30 she failed as an actress and doesn’t have anything she is passionate about, Then Bryce enters her world, not that good looking but rich. She gives up her job and everything for him. But then— she begins noticing disturbing things, cameras in house, the feeling of him following her. is it her imagination or should she be worried?

I am on a diet of exclusively Putnam books and they have been feeding me WELL.

Man’s Best Friend is the story of breaking away from your captives whether they be straight white men, toxic female friends, or your own contrived notions about who you should be.

El was everything all at once… victim, friend, lover, submissive, dominatrix, loser, and winner. I wanted her to succeed as much as I wanted her to fail and I’m still not really sure what that says about me but it was a fun ride nonetheless.

Predictable, boring, blah. I finished it only because I agreed to review it. The whole attempt to tie it to Man's Best Friend was never fully clarified or even explored. Just seemed to be some sort of random adder to the story for words or length. The main storyline with Bryce is lacking & unoriginal. There are many loose ends with some of the experiences shared through El. Overall, I was very disappointed.

This book did not go in the direction I was expecting based on the summary, which was disappointing. The beginning was fine but by about the midpoint I was getting bored and now I'm still trying to decide if the ending made sense. Ultimately it just wasn't the book I thought it was going to be. It wasn't poorly written, but it just wasn't for me. I might be interested to see what else this author comes up with though.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the advance reader copy!

I have mixed feelings about this book. It all sort of fell in the middle for me. The main character is a directionless young woman who doesn't seem to have strong feelings about anything except maybe a desire to be wealthy. She's not unlikable but also not anyone you'd want to spend time with. It turns into a sort of predictable abused woman story with some random dream sequences thrown in. I didn't mind spending time with this book but it also didn't make any lasting impression. Basically an ok beach read.

Interesting read. The book was not exactly what I was expecting from the title, but it was interesting nonetheless. The main character went through an amazing transformation as you progressed through the book and was like a totally different person by the end.

I had mixed feelings about Man's Best Friend by debut author Alana Lytle. The story is a familiar one, a "have not", in this case main protagonist El, is willing to do anything to become a "have", including marrying someone with serious red flags. I enjoy psychological thrillers that include rich people behaving badly, so I enjoyed that aspect of this book. The authors use of dog metaphors did not resonate with and seemed unnecessary to the overall story. Three and half stars rounded up to four stars. Looking forward to more from this author. Thanks to #netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy o this book in exchange for an honest review.

A fun, dark novel starring El, a struggling actor who works at a bakery to make ends meet. She is better at making bad decisions than acting, however, and there were times she made me want to scream.
I never really connected with El, or even liked her, but I still enjoyed the novel. That is rare for me. If I never connect with a main character, I usually don't like the book.
This novel is well written, with a few relatable characters, some twists, and a few very tense moments.
My only negative criticism is that it is a bit wordy. Could've been shorter.

Thank you, Alana B. Lytle NetGalley for the ARC. I leave this review voluntarily and happily. Also, thank you publishers for your hard work!

I will admit I did something I never did before reading a book, and that's going to look through others' reviews. From there, I have to say I have to agree. I have no idea what the first chapter of the book has to do with anything. It truly confused me. I thought we were going to be going back and forth between the view of a dog and a human, but that wasn't the case at all. This book I was able to finish in two days as it still was interesting enough to keep my attention. Of course, I do have a feeling this book won't be for a lot of people.

The title and the book itself I really loved the title, but there's not much on dogs in this book, and the only thing I have to say about the way it's corporated into the book is toxic. Relationships built by submission and just going along with things even if that's not what you want. Going on with the theme of toxic relationships was the main relationship toxic? Yes and no. In the beginning, he never made her leave her friends or told her she couldn't go anywhere. He did eventually start following her and monitoring her. Later on, things change and get really strange.

This book, I honestly will say, wasn't a favorite. Was it worth the read? Maybe. I'm only one person, and others will have their views on the matter. So, of course, don't let me be the one to stop you if you'd like to see what this book is about.

I requested this book based upon the blurb. Sadly, it did not live up to expectations.

El is a failed actress turned bakery employee. She's almost 30 but is wandering aimlessly through life. The one thing that she dwells on is her 8th grade year. She was on scholarship to an exclusive school and was befriended by Anna and Julia. They were everything that El wished she could be, wealthy and popular. She was determined to one day be just like them.

At one of Julia's parties, El bumps into a man named Bryce. He's not super attractive and he's kind of a loner but he and El start dating. She starts calling out from her job and alienating her friends. After moving in with Bryce, she begins noticing red flags about him, but they are co-dependent on each other in a toxic way. She soon finds out the truth about him. What will she do with the truth?

There are zero likable characters in this book. El is narcissistic, lazy, desperate, and worst of all whiny. Bryce is bland and unassuming and clingy. The side characters are just as bad, a typical portrayal of rich people who all are self-absorbed with major drug and alcohol problems.

The bits of suspense that seemed interesting were rushed through or glossed over. The dream sequences and parts about the dogs were jarring and pulled you out of the story. The writing itself was good but the story fell flat. It was a struggle to finish the book and the ending was unbelievable. Based on the author's writing style, I would like to see what they come up with next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the advance reader copy to review.

I received an ARC of this book from Penguin Group via NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback. My first thought is, "what on earth did I read?" I don't understand the title or the prologue. Dogs have nothing to do with the story.

El is perhaps the most unlikable protagonist of any book I have ever read. Show up late for work? Ditch your friends (continuously) for your boyfriend? She's your girl.

I think the author is objectively a good writer, using some good metaphors and a flowery prose. But NOTHING HAPPENS in this book. I didn't find it at all "suspenseful" as was in the description.

And then end... without giving spoilers, it's just insane and unreasonable.