First of all, this book shouldn't be marketed as being like “Sadie” as it is NOTHING like that and ultimately not as thrilling as that book was. I really wanted to love this book cause it had a very eerie atmosphere. But a creepy setting doesn't make up for lackluster characters or just very unbelievable plot lines. Wasn't a huge fan of this book at all. I wish I could say something more positive as it's the author's debut novel. But the story overall just wasn't that interesting. The writing wasn't bad though, just wish the execution and pacing had been better.

**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own**

Cover Art: The cover is neither bad nor great. It does let the reader know that this will be a story about a girl in the woods.

Characters: They were interesting and the author did a decent job of giving their backgrounds as well as showing how they are all connected. Many of the characters could have used more character development.

World Building/Setting: The author did a good job of creating this small town setting. It felt realistic as if it were a place anyone could drive to or through.

Pacing: The story is from the main character's perspective and most of it is internal thought. A lot of the thoughts did very little to help propel the story forward.

Overall Plot: Dull. I was expecting this to he suspenseful and even creepy, but it wasn't. It all fell very flat. It all seemed predictable.

This book was a sit on the edge of your seat book with twists and turns. I found myself somewhat losing momentum throughout the book however, and almost wanted the story to slow down and look into character development and theme more.

I appreciated the secrets and friendships and bonds that were explored. I found the book somewhat unbelievable that Jo would just happen to wander in the woods and meet a girl who was her twin..... not so sure about that.

I had high hopes for this book, but it left me hoping it would finish early.

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

After careful thought, I have decided to give this story 2.5 out of 5 stars, but which I rounded up to 3 in solidarity of the idea of the story.

Although I don't find it necessary to like a story and a character based on whether they're considered "good" or "bad", I felt like almost all of these characters were really... meh. The ones that weren't partially fleshed out felt like caricatures or stereotypes of personalities and characteristics. In the beginning, I was hoping Jo would be smart for her age, seeing as she's been living (mostly) on her own for a large amount of her life. But she was consistently getting herself into trouble she could've easily avoided if she wasn't perpetually in the mindset of "everyone is out to get me" and "nobody understands me".

I thought the plot could've definitely had gone somewhere if the author stuck to one or two paths, instead of trying to tick all the genre 'boxes'. In conclusion, I could definitely see where the idea of this story could really shine, but unfortunately, it feels lost amongst thousands similar in mediocrity.

This book was very interesting in a dark and mysterious kind of way. Our main character Jo lives with her aunt in a small town after her mother went missing fifteen years earlier. While Jo lives a comfortable life with her aunt her twin sister Lee is living hidden in the woods. What I didn't understand however was how Jo's aunt or anyone else didn't know that there was another twin. It was like she never existed in their world. Things take
a turn for the worst when Jo is with a boy in the middle of the woods. Jealous and angry Lee attacks the boy much to her sisters surprise and kills him quickly. That wouldn't even be the worst of it since no one knows that Lee exists everyone believes that the girl they saw murder him was Jo herself. I found this book to be quite interesting, since I've never read anything like this before. I was left wondering the whole time how a young girl can be left in the woods for as long as she was without anyone seeing her or even noticing that Jo's twin was missing, surely someone would have known. So that part was a little far fetched for me. Very interesting read that had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. This book will grab you and you will never want to put it down. I fell in love with the characters and couldn't wait to see what happened to them and why they were raised the way they were. This book will definitely put Maria Moore on any avid readers watch list after a stunning read like this one I can't wait to see what else she has in store for us fans.

So this wasn't a bad story but it was an odd one. I was interested on how it was going to play out. It did feel a little repetitive. Overall though, I liked the story.

<b><I>”I’m not going to chase you if you run.”</I></b>

Books that take place in any kind of dark, creepy woods are an automatic read for me. This author totally nailed the heck out of the setting. The first twenty percent gave me chills.

I had high hopes for ________ but what really happened was ______. When starting the story, you’re unsure of *how* this could possibly be? You think, oh, maybe our main character here is ____. But then you read on to the rest of the story and what is revealed is just slightly disappointing. I’d have much rather had it the way I imagined it in the beginning. Not so... literal.

I realize that is all very vague and weird sounding but I’m trying to be as spoiler free as possible. Once you read it you’ll see exactly what I mean.

I think this book would have been a total hit had it stayed the path of the first little bit. After the nose dive it just went too willy nillie. (And I can’t believe I’m even saying that.)

Two stars for the setting, the creeps I got in the beginning, and the cover.

The book started out with an interesting concept: Jo lives in a small town where her mother went missing 15 years ago. No one knows what happened to her mother, but everyone knows everyone else's business. What people don't know, though, is that Jo has a twin sister who lives in the woods named Lee. One night, Lee attacks a boy from town, and everyone thinks that it was Jo who did it.

I found myself not really liking any of the characters in the book. The story goes in a direction that is ridiculous and overall not very realistic. The ending is very silly and I feel like it would never happen in real life. Overall this story wasn't very thrilling and mysterious--it just ended up being boring and unlikeable.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book ultimately wasn't great. I felt disappointed all around. The characters had no depth and just felt not fully formed. I didn't like the pacing of the story and I almost stopped reading but made myself finish it.

Thank you kindly to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy.

Meet Jo, a troubled teenager living in a small town. Mystery surrounds Jo ever since her mother disappeared and she was left on her grandmother’s door step. When Jo is fifteen, a boy from her school is attacked one night, and the town suspects her. The truth is, the attacher was Jo’s unknown twin sister. As Jo tries to clear her name, family secrets come to life.

This book was a disappointment. I found a lack of character development, a very slow moving pace of the story, and it felt like a mash up of several storylines. Several subplots were left unresolved and when I reached the ending, it wasn’t what I was expecting.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. This opinions are my own.

I've tried several times with SOME KIND OF ANIMAL and I am having a hard time getting though it. I can see the thrilling aspect of the story and how people are going to enjoy it, but this one isn't for me sadly. Hopefully one day in the future

This is surprising, unconventional, interesting, haunting supernatural thriller. But it also repetitive, nonsensical, awkward reading! At some parts you question the authors motives to write this book because I definitely had some hard time connect with the characters and twin sister in the woods part of the story, well so sorry but I didnt buy it and ending is also haphazard, not quite satisfying with so many unanswered or not so well answered questions, too many blank spots.

It is a unique story, of a girl named Jo who has a secret wild twin sister who lives in the woods that no one else knows about, until she attacks a boy Jo likes one evening and everything changes. I found I didn't enjoy these characters and the storyline was a bit all over the place. I kept thinking the book would become more engaging but it never did. I felt the book had potential but just never got there. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC. As always I give honest reviews.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for this ARC! I was immediately intrigued by this story’s synopsis as I considered the thrill of the double life the protagonist must have to lead as well as the absolute Grimm’s Fairy Tale feel of a secret, beastly relative who lives just outside of reality. There is something to be said for the enigmas it presents as well. It made it clear that this narrative was going to be one of the mind-boggling stories I live for. The type where you devour the first page and from then on feel yourself dangling on the razor’s edge between the rational and the fantastical, and you can do nothing but close your eyes and fall backwards into the author’s vision.

Diving in heartfirst, we meet Jo and her feral twin sister, Lee. Nobody but our stalwart main character is aware of Lee’s existence to the chagrin of the much tamer twin. Ten years before our narrative starts, they lost their mother. Jo has been alone raising her sister, or so she believes; trying in the process to convince her to live a normal life inside, settle down, and meet their relatives all to no avail. Jo’s day-to-day is that of a normal teenager-- but at night, the twins run wild and free.The dichotomy between the two siblings alone holds a beautiful kind of imagery. To begin with, I even wondered if Lee was real, or if she was just Jo's inner wild child; something that manifested for her out of trauma. Jo has been, in her short fifteen years on earth, subjected to small town mentalities about her 'bad apple' mother, forced religion, and archaic gender roles. The accumulation of all this pressure splits Jo in two emotionally: the ordinary girl and some kind of animal. The way she holds those parts aloft and apart broke my heart for her.

Jo’s animalistic side is put to the test very quickly once Lee allows herself to be seen in front of people besides her, and she is left with the opportunity to be free of all her secrets, shed her “regular girl” skin, and bare her teeth as she joins forces with Lee. The two girls weather sickness, possible capture, and betrayal together. As a result, the siblings get closer than they ever could have while separated by the trees, and through this bond Jo discovers things about her mother and her sister's early life that she could never have imagined; answering questions she's been burning with for her whole life. It shakes her to her core, and she sees her other half in a new light. Even with the twins losing a lot in their harried attempts to stay together, one thing they gain is an unwavering support system. This comes in the form of friends and family, but the biggest support they receive is from the forest itself. I love how the terrain becomes a character, and Maria does such an amazing job of making it pulse with life, and describing the magic in it. It has been Lee's whole world; but for Jo, it was the only place where she felt alive. Because of this, she assumes it's the answer to all their problems, but ultimately finds that she is using it to hide.

As Jo comes into her own and Lee comes out of the woods, we are left with a buoying hope for their futures together. Their journey is a message that no matter where you come from, who you've been, or what you've been told, change is always possible. The sisters end up altering their town forever; their actions setting a blaze within the hearts of its inhabitants. In all the ways that Jo is a controlled burn, Lee is a raging wildfire. In a world where women are expected to be subservient and mild,they are both resourceful, cunning, determined, and hellbent on survival, no matter what it takes. Together, they are a feminist love letter. Their existence is a howl to awaken the wolf inside you that lies sleeping; muscles atrophied from disuse. It begs you to answer the call, to stand up straight and be you, no matter the cost. Ultimately, this book is about family, love, and the lengths people will go for both, and you'll be ready to disappear into the forest once it's done. I know I am.

A very lackluster thriller. Even for YA, I felt disappointed in the story. The flow of the story was dragging and I didn't connect with the characters.

3 for neutral, as I couldn’t get into this book on the occasions I tried. I tried a few times, but decided it wasn’t happening before I had to review and will update if able to finish and enjoy later. I felt it was way too confusing and convoluted and kept getting frustrated and switching to a different book. Thanks for the opportunity and will update if later I can finish!

I received an advance digital copy of this book from the author, publisher and Netgalley.com. Thanks to all for the opportunity to read and review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Some Kind of Animal is an odd book. After finishing the book. I am still trying to figure out why I finished it. It is very strong in depictions of the area that the main character lives, bit falls short on fleshing out the characters. There is no empathy ot feeling other than a deep multi-generational despair. The reveal is dull and the ending lacking.

1 out of 5 stars. Do not recommend.

At night, Jo runs. She goes to the woods where her twin sister lives, and they run. No one else knows about Jo's sister.

It took me awhile to read this. The blurb is very compelling, but once the mystery of who Lee is and where exactly she came from is revealed, the story falls flat. It seems like it's supposed to be realistic, but the whole plot line is pretty out there at the same time. I think another reason it was hard to read was because Jo just seems so pathetic and whiny, like she can't do anything on her own; she wasn't exactly a character I wanted to get attached to.

This was another odd, disjointed book about a twin. Is something in the water? I hope the next round of twin books is better. This one really didn't make sense. So many leaps in logic and a paper-thin plot.

The premise of this is crazy! How would it be to have this secret twin sister who lives in the woods? That sounds so unbelievable, it's no wonder people in town thought Jo was lying or had some sort of mental breakdown. Jo is a complicated character, she was raised by a very religious and abusive grandmother for part of her life, then her aunt took her and treated her like a grown up. Having Lee is the one thing Jo clings to so I understand why she'd do anything for her, but it led to some pretty terrible choices. The adult in me was dying when Jo got deeper into trouble and I wanted to tell her to just find a responsible adult already lol.
The mystery of Jo's mom disappearing was interesting, but it resolved too fast and the second half of the story was mostly chaos. If there had been more to Jo's mom and Lee, I think it would have been more engaging. The ending wasn't exactly what I wanted, but it wrapped up well enough.