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freshie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Misogyny, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Pregnancy
Minor: Forced institutionalization
abicaro17's review against another edition
challenging
dark
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book is real weird. Nightbitch is a former artist and current stay at home mom who is struggling to understand how stay at home moms stay sane without adult activities. As her husband is usually away during the week and unhelpful during the weekend, Nightbitch beings to imagine her attitude and temper is because she's turning into a dog. This book is dense. As 75% of the characters don't have names and the quarter that do are mostly named Jen, its a lot of third person narratives and pronouns. On top of the hard to keep track of characters, this book is feminist in a super cool and weird way but also so incredibly off putting. She is literally a "bitch" but she also doesn't care. Im not sure who I would recommend this too but I think with the right audience it would be a hit.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
izypup's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.75
“She likes the idea of being a dog, because she can bark and snarl and not have to justify it. She can run free if she wants. She can be a body and instinct and urge. She can be hunger and rage, thirst and fear, nothing more. She can revert to a pure, throbbing state.”
Really sums up the books purpose. I think it really exemplifies yearning. I also liked how the husband isn’t irredeemable nor the son. They’re both frustrating but with potential and the mom even discussed how she let them both get away with things (albeit out of exhaustion and not wanting to fight, etc.)
There is animal cruelty and one particularly graphic scene but there is a lot of lead up to that one. I saw someone else say call it shock value. I think it was pretty inevitable. She describes returning to base instincts at times-dog instincts- and licking her son clean, drinking from bowls, eating with her mouth, etc. she it seems obvious she would ‘hunt prey’. And there was so much foreshadowing to
The ending did fall flat for me which is mostly why it didn’t get 5 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore, and Blood
Moderate: Body horror, Cursing, and Violence
Minor: Cancer, Drug use, Mental illness, Excrement, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Classism
placeholder13's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Dysphoria
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Mental illness, and Alcohol
Minor: Body horror, Sexual content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
crybaby_chloe's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
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
4.0
I feel there are a lot of great moments in this book but I was left wanting more development. I felt confused by the relationship between the main character and her husband. This is the point, I think, but I just felt that the lack of fleshing out the husband's character made me confused about some of the main character's motivations or decisions relating to him. I also felt that I needed more of a conclusion for the plotline about Wanda White. I didn't need an explicit answer about who she was but I felt that this thread got tied up too quickly and I was left wanting more. Overall, I enjoyed the book, but felt more interested in certain parts / themes than others.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Blood
Moderate: Animal death, Mental illness, Violence, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Toxic relationship
fedelikeslego's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I don’t know how to feel honestly. I had very highly expectations because the premise is amazing. What I found is an extremely boring collage of ideas. There’s so many things that are just randomly put in the plot and then never explained/finished? It’s just frustrating honestly. It feels like Yoder’s publisher just forced her to make the novel longer.
- Who where those strawberry dogs? Was she just loosing her mind? I didn’t get it.
- What was even the point of the Wanda plot? I have no idea.
- The relationship with Nightbitch husband was just so useless, also he changed in a second? Like, so unexpectedly? I got the point of him just being good, but “typically male” the whole time, but it could have been deepen it better? It just sounds so stupid
- Honestly, just the whole dog thing that she randomly set aside.
- her son just disappear? Like, I get the point of her finally being a free human being (again, difficult after motherhood), but like, he just suddenly disappear?
What was I expecting from this book before reading it?
Literally a mother who turned in to a dog, but like, fisically, not only mentally.
What would i have preferred, after reading it?
A short book would have been much better, not a short story, but like a 100-120 pages book, so less then the half of it.
As a artist myself I loved every single time she talked about art, making art and being an artist. I also loved the performance at the end, made perfect sense with her feelings (Not feeling sure about his husband reactions? You’re eating a rotten cadaver from the ground? Sounds great! I’ll shower you, i’ll love your performance!)
The domestic cat violence was a blow to the heart, I didn’t want to read it.
So… I’m just disappointed, I expected much more in terms of both plot and general message? Let’s objectively look at it, no emotions, how could you not found obvious what she said? The “perfect mother era” finished like decades ago? A lot of people think that and admit that right now, there’s communities, support groups. Literally nothing was revolutionary about it.
Don’t get me wrong, the 1 star is not because “it’s too weird”, I read weirder books, it’s just not good, extremely poor execution.
- Who where those strawberry dogs? Was she just loosing her mind? I didn’t get it.
- What was even the point of the Wanda plot? I have no idea.
- The relationship with Nightbitch husband was just so useless, also he changed in a second? Like, so unexpectedly? I got the point of him just being good, but “typically male” the whole time, but it could have been deepen it better? It just sounds so stupid
- Honestly, just the whole dog thing that she randomly set aside.
- her son just disappear? Like, I get the point of her finally being a free human being (again, difficult after motherhood), but like, he just suddenly disappear?
What was I expecting from this book before reading it?
Literally a mother who turned in to a dog, but like, fisically, not only mentally.
What would i have preferred, after reading it?
A short book would have been much better, not a short story, but like a 100-120 pages book, so less then the half of it.
As a artist myself I loved every single time she talked about art, making art and being an artist. I also loved the performance at the end, made perfect sense with her feelings (Not feeling sure about his husband reactions? You’re eating a rotten cadaver from the ground? Sounds great! I’ll shower you, i’ll love your performance!)
The domestic cat violence was a blow to the heart, I didn’t want to read it.
So… I’m just disappointed, I expected much more in terms of both plot and general message? Let’s objectively look at it, no emotions, how could you not found obvious what she said? The “perfect mother era” finished like decades ago? A lot of people think that and admit that right now, there’s communities, support groups. Literally nothing was revolutionary about it.
Don’t get me wrong, the 1 star is not because “it’s too weird”, I read weirder books, it’s just not good, extremely poor execution.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
c_totume's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
inspiring
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Even if i had found some parts a bit tiring I’m absolutely enthusiastic about this book. The end totally bought me. And if i had owned the book i would have marked so many things. I’m all for that female rage. And i think it’s more important to finish the book than it is in the case of other books!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Blood
Minor: Violence and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
finleyfrogreads's review against another edition
dark
funny
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Gore, and Blood
Moderate: Cursing, Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Drug use
crypticapricorn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
fast-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
3.5
Keeps you guessing, that’s for sure. I found it a tad self indulgent; saying what the message is supposed to be rather than simply showing you. Thought-provoking and deeply important messages about women and motherhood are present even if overshadowed at times by a “self aware” style that turns annoying.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
kylax2's review against another edition
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Misogyny, Sexism, Excrement, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
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