Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Animal by Lisa Taddeo

88 reviews

laynemandros's review against another edition

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dark tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75


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wallanderem's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

The introduction hooked me and kept me engaged for the first 50 or so pages, then it dwindled. I felt like the middle of the book read like a memoir, which was still interesting, but not what I felt like I was promised. The last 100 or so pages were incredible and makes the grateful for the chunk of book that I was tempted to skim. I would read it again with the knowledge I had by the end.

Updated my rating to a 4.75 because I finished the book weeks ago and haven’t stopped thinking about it, even after finishing another book and starting a new one. I miss reading Animal.

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smlima1992's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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emmague89's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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natthahlyh's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5


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mcornell's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I have never struggled with rating a book as much as I did this one. There are parts I find incredibly compelling, and I think the commentary on trauma and sex was nuanced in a way that I rarely see. There were multiple lines that were so profound I had to sit with them for a moment before moving on. 

However, I struggled with this book. Joan’s inner monologue went on so many tangents it was hard to remember where we started. She spends the whole book alluding to this singular moment that changed her life, but after graphic descriptions of SA, child SA, and death, it lacked the punch I think Taddeo wanted us to feel. The book was also marketed as a woman’s journey from prey to predator, and I don’t think we got that. 95% of the book is Joan stuck in her incredibly traumatic headspace, and to be blunt, I expected her to murder a lot more men than she did. For how much she talked about it, a rampage was what the book was leading up to. Perhaps her taking control one time was how she could rewrite her narrative, but I don’t think the book sold us on that. It felt unfinished. 

I don’t know if I would recommend this book to people, but I also don’t think I hated it. I mostly mourn what the book could have been. 

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rebeccajost's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

2.5


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lexipassno's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0


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aliciawithoutkeys's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


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brittaneenash's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5


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