This is a brilliant book. McDaniel’s writing is so beautiful, yet the story is so deep and dark, disturbing and so necessary. This is a fictional account of the Chillicothe Six in Ohio, based on the unsolved murders of six women.
This is a book I won’t soon forget. Highly recommend reading.

After reading The Summer That Melted Everything, there’s a certain style that I was expecting when I started ‘On the Savage Side’ & it managed to fall right in line whilst also being very different, which is EXACTLY what I want when I pick up an author that I’ve read and enjoyed before. I want to feel the author’s essence in the writing style, while also exploring completely new topics & McDaniel delivered and then some!

McDaniel’s character work is exceptional, her characters are flawed and real and they work their way into your heart and just refuse to let go. She also is skilled at writing platonic relationships, I love the way she delves into the complexities of familial love & attachment.

I had not heard about the Chillicothe Six before picking this up so it was quite interesting to read about & look up background info on them to get a sense of what was fact and fiction. I think to say that this is “based” on them is a bit of a stretch, it’s actually stated in the beginning that it’s “loosely based” which is a bit more accurate as I think the 2 main characters are pretty much completely made up. We also get some raw insight into the world of heroin and the terrifying all consuming grip it tends to have on it’s users.

I also have always been a huge fan of books with really great villains & I think this book had one for the books. This provoked such a vast array of emotions from me, I consider that to be a successful reading experience! I am definitely going to be picking up her most recent book, Betty, as it seems to be the favorite among her fans.

This was an highly emotional read, while also being scary, shocking, & titillating for all those true crime lovers. I’ll def be recommending this to thriller lovers and literary fic readers alike!

This is one of those creepy-good books that keeps you reading even when you feel you can't take any more! Arc and Daffy are twins born into an odd family in Ohio. Fortunately they have each other as they are abused and make up stories to survive the nightmare that is often their lives. Alternating in time, the novel reveals their childhood and adulthood that is fraught with addiction, prostitution, and horrors that no one should have to suffer. I often found it difficult to read and had to put it down often to recover, Based on a true story, it will have you grieving for these women and counting your lucky stars you are sane and do not have to walk "on the savage side."
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf press for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I did not know much about "the Chillicothe Six" going into the novel and found this to be a fascinating read. Born into poverty, addiction and prostitution, Arc and Daffy never had a chance in their small, factory town. As they wander through life, they soon become just like their mother and Aunt Clover. This is a story about the traumatic life of Arc and Daffy, twin daughters of a widow who supports her heroine addiction through prostitution. After the girls grow up, their group of friends begin to turn up dead, one by one, floating in the river.

There is a strong undercurrent of hopelessness and powerlessness to the story that anyone who has dealt with addition will recognize. This is a read not for the faint of heart.

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced readers copy of On the Savage Side. WOW! I LOVED Betty and when I saw this I knew I needed to read it. Just like Betty, this was hauntingly beautiful. The way Tiffany McDaniel writes her book is something I can’t even accurately describe, you just have to read it yourself. Her lyrical and poetic prose throughout the book is unmatched. Tiffany is officially an auto-buy author! I will say this book started off a bit slow for me, but wow did it pick up. A beautiful dream and horrifying nightmare all wrapped into one story. The stories of these women in life and death are brutal. This book may be fiction but it is deeply rooted in truth, and truth that is happening every day. This isn’t a feel good book, it will make you think and it will make you angry and sad. But you must read it. You must. I loved and hated (in a good way) every moment of it! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! Just like Betty, I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to forget this book. This will be a top book of 2023!

I really thought I’d love this book after reading so many glowing reviews, however, On the Savage Side wasn’t my cup of tea.

The harsh realities of addiction and prostitution coupled with the flowery prose and countless metaphors made it difficult for me to get into the story. Read this if you’re a fan of poetic writing and can handle the trigger warnings.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

There is a publisher foreword in “On the Savage Side” that mentions this novel is considered part of the Appalachian Gothic genre. That intrigued me — the genre goes far beyond the controversial and stereotypical “Hillbilly Elegy”. A definition I found says that “ Appalachian Gothic emphasizes the isolation of groups of people who live in the mountains, as well as the social conflicts that are amplified in the Appalachians, such as racism, poverty, and clannish religious and family dynamics.” And, indeed, Tiffany McDaniel sees beyond blaming people for the systemic poverty that entraps them and paints a portrait of real people experiencing more than just the horrors of being poor and addicted. There’s a serial killer preying on these people, and no one cares.

This is a fictional account of the unsolved “Chillicothe Six” murders, which were first dismissed as unconnected. Through very rich, intricate and lyrical descriptions, the story has twins Arcade and Daffodil at the center, while women around them go missing. This a heartbreaking book about powerlessness and addiction, not for anyone who wants a quick or pleasurable read. This book will haunt you long after you finish it. 4 stars. Beautifully written, but a bit too lengthy for me (although I read it in a marathon day).

Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, vintage and Anchor and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES A new twist on this trope: each of the twins has one blue eye and one green eye.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO The mountains, rivers and trees are characters of their own.

ON THE SAVAGE SIDE is a beautifully written brutal book about the horrors of addiction, abuse, racism, misplaced authority and lost innocence.

Loosely based on a case of serial murders of young women in Ohio, Ms. McDaniel delves into the background of each fictional woman and believe me, that is one horrific ride. Born into families that harbored junkies, prostitutes, extreme poverty and food instability, it's hard to see anyone coming from such an environment and being successful in life. Arcade and Daffy, (Daffodil Poet) are young girls, becoming women, and basking in talent: Daffy's, (Daffodil Poet), inexorable urge to write and Arcade's irresistible urge to dig. What these ladies could have done in life is hard to wrap my head around, and it's also difficult to face because I know that these ladies actually exist and that what happens to Daffy and Arc most likely happens every single day in America.

I cannot find the words. It's been a week now and I still can't find them. The stunning quality of the prose, the beauty of these young women-their imaginations, their creativity, in spite of all the corruption and rottenness surrounding them, covering them, suffocating them...that beauty was undeniable. It's a terrible world when beauty like that can be snuffed out, whether it be in an instant or over a period of years. It's gut-wrenching.

Tiffany McDaniel is at the top of her game. It seemed like she arrived already at the top and there she remains. After having read BETTY and THE SUMMER THAT MELTED EVERYTHING, I knew I was reading the words of a goddess of literature and pain. I urge you to go ahead and introduce yourself by reading ON THE SAVAGE SIDE, so that you may then worship at the McDaniel altar with me.

My highest recommendation! Read it, read it, read it!

*Thank you to NetGalley, Knopf, and the author herself for the eARC in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it. *

*Trigger warnings behind the spoiler tag: <spoiler> suicide, rape, domestic abuse, drug abuse, murder, prostitution. </spoiler>

This is a book that will leave a scar.

I loved Betty by the same author, and was very excited to read this one.
It’s based on murders that have gone unsolved in rural Ohio. The victims were all young women, addicts and prostitutes whose cases languished due to who they were in the world. The book follows a family of addicts. The mom, her sister a clover and twins Daffy and Arc. The writing is very lyrical and the girls make up incredibly impressive stories and dreams to help themselves cope with the horrors around them and happening to them.
I struggled through parts, at times because of the terrible things happening and other times because I actually wanted to get to more of the meat. What a crazy and manipulative but also beautiful journey.
This definitely not a book for everyone as it’s rife with serious triggers but it will find an audience with people who will be willing to take some punches.

This is a hard read. I went into it with no knowledge of anything and it took me forever to understand that the central theme is addiction, but that's because I have a only a little experience with that, which is my only blessing in life.
It was relatable and beautiful and terrible. I think every woman on the planet would relate to the spider.
As a mother of identical twin girls I may never recover.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the advance reader copy.

I loved everything about this book. Everything. It was my first Tiffany McDaniel book and most definitely won't be my last. I'll be thinking about this book for a long time

Thank you to Knopf for the free copy and for the author for reaching out.

ON THE SAVAGE SIDE by Tiffany McDaniel is an easy five stars. I am already familiar with her work, as #BETTY is one of my favorite #books and I absolutely loved THE SUMMER THAT MELTED EVERYTHING. McDaniel blows me away with her ability to craft an exquisite, intricate, and compelling story. Both BETTY and ON THE SAVAGE SIDE are based on real events, which just amps up the intensity and the reader surely and ultimately becomes invested.

While BETTY was based on McDaniel’s own mother’s life, ON THE SAVAGE SIDE is based on the unsolved murders of six women in Chillicothe, Ohio known as the Chillicothe Six. A serial killer is the likely offender, but police investigation was less than thin. The victims were forgotten due to poverty, prostitution, and drug abuse. These six women were not given the attention they deserved and it’s utterly heartbreaking.

The true crime aspect takes a bit of a backseat to the lives of twin sisters, Arcade “Arc” and Daffodil “Daffy” who have the whole world in front of them with dreams, desires, and ambitions, but all against impossible odds. The lives they are forced to lead are inevitable and it’s truly horrific what goes on. We follow them through every terrible moment - but their bond, love, and imagination are bright spots in an otherwise sea of darkness. McDaniel pens with elegant and lyrical prose mixed with trauma and beauty. She gives all of these women the voice they deserve. There are not enough words to describe how this literary masterpiece has affected me, but hopefully you understand.

Warning: McDaniel does not mess around when it comes to the heart - she hits you right where it hurts and then keeps going. Proceed with caution if you are sensitive to issues of sexual abuse, drug addiction, violence, or poverty. Full synopsis in the comments.

This was super hard to get through. I loved Tiffany McDaniel's previous novel. Betty and I hoped to feel the same about On The Savage Side, however that is just not the case. This one's synopsis makes it seem like a thriller or at least a crime novel, but rarely was there any mention of the cases in the book. It's more of a novel about the characters who I thought would be side characters. Anyways, not what I was expecting and hard to get through.

Huge, huge thank you to Tiffany for sending me a digital copy of this one! That was very kind!

‘On the Savage Side’ is the third novel from acclaimed author, Tiffany McDaniel. I still haven’t read her debut ‘The Summer that Melted Everything’ but I did read her second novel ‘Betty’ and much like the rest of the reading world, was left completely stunned with how powerful that novel was. While ‘Betty’ was based on Tiffany’s mothers life, ‘On the Savage Side’ is based on the real life murders of six women in Ohio, where Tiffany is from. Going in, I knew that this one would feel gritty and be horrifically emotional, but even with that in mind, what I experienced was far more bleak than expected.

What I liked: The novel follows twin sisters, Arcade and Daffodil, who try to live a better than they were born into. We know from the very start that things don’t turn out so well, the opening monologue tells us that it is being delivered posthumously, and things don’t get much sunnier from that point on.

We follow these two as their life unfolds and Tiffany does such an amazing job of bringing them to life on the page. You feel like you know them in real life and that’s what makes everything that unfolds that much more difficult and impactful. As always, Tiffany’s next-level, sublime writing is on show, making you relish each sentence, even when many of them have you wiping away tears.

McDaniel sets each piece of nicely in this unravelling Chess match and while we have an idea of what’s to come, when it does, it’s far more draining to the soul because of how well Tiffany got us to that point.

As with each of her works so far, you experience this novel, you don’t just read it.

What I didn’t like: I was expecting something far more ‘true-crime’ in nature than what the story ultimately was, so if you’re going in thinking this is a straightforward murder-mystery novel, you’ll be in for a shock.

Why you should buy this: If you’ve read either (of both) of her previous novels and loved them, then this one is a no-brainer. If you’ve not read anything from Tiffany yet, this would be a very solid starting point. It has all of the high-water marks that Tiffany is known for, while also having a story that will pull you along, even when you wish you could wash it from your brain.

Outstanding work from one of the best authors out there.

McDaniel is a fantastic writer with very lyrical and absorbing prose. The actual story in this book was different than I expected - I thought it was going to be more closely linked to the true story of the Chillicothe six. I was invested at the beginning of the book, but it went on longer than I would have liked. It was incredible brutal and the end felt like it was created mainly for shock value. Still, this book made me think more about people who become addicted to drugs and their circumstances.

Chillicothe, Ohio, is a small rural town, where addiction is kept under the surface, and women keep being found dead in the river.

Arcade and Daffodil are twins, each with one blue eye and one green eye. Their lives are not easy but they have hopes and dreams, and stories from their Mawmaw Milkweed. As they grow and become young women can they turn the savage side into beauty and avoid the grips of those who seek to harm them?

This is simply an incredible book. After the brilliance of Betty I wasn’t sure how Tiffany McDaniel could deliver another story so compelling but she’s absolutely delivered.

The writing is stunning, lyrical and poetic. The characters are absolutely magnificent. The twin protagonists of Arc and Daffy are hauntingly broken yet full of beauty and hope. The women of Chillicothe are seen, despite their addictions and flaws. They are human and given voice and love through the text. And the plot is full of threat and danger.

This is not an easy read - it was inspired by the unsolved murders of the Chillicothe Six, deaths and disappearances taken less seriously because of addiction. The savage side is clearly portrayed and there are brutal episodes and depictions. But ultimately, it’s a book to remind us to see humanity in everyone.

Tiffany McDaniel is unmatched. This book is brutal, heart wrenching, and will stick with me for a long time.

This is a beautifully written book , a book of desperation, addiction, violence, of women whose voices have been silenced, whose souls have been killed. It is a hard book to read. It is the book of twin girls growing up in poverty, with addicts for parents and a mother and aunt who work as prostitutes. Girls with talents and dreams and then the story of them as adults. heart breaking 4.5

This book is incredibly sad. I mean, really REALLY devastating on so many levels. The writing is poetic and strange, and there were some moments that were so beautiful in their poignancy. This is a book I will think about for a long time, I just know it.

On the Savage Side is about twin sisters, Arc and Daffodil, who live in poverty in Appalachian Ohio. It flashes back between the past and present as the girls face loss and neglect and battle addictions and hardship as they age into their twenties.

There is also a murder mystery element to this book and some twists and turns. The author based portions of this story on the real unsolved murder case of the Chillicothe Six, where a serial killer was targeting women in rural Ohio.

This story was like nothing I’ve read before. I felt unsettled, heartbroken, upset…lots of heavy emotions. When the meaning of the title became understood, I was floored. Wow. The author reminds me of a female Cormac McCarthy. Her literary fiction borders on horror in its relentless honesty and artfully woven prose that doesn’t look away from the dark shades of life and humanity, choosing to face it head on, instead.

Similar to the novel, Betty, the author’s previous work, this story was a heart wrenching masterpiece. I can’t say it’s a new favorite, or that I’m in a rush to read it again, but it was impactful and has imprinted itself upon me. There are a ton of triggers associated with it, also. So be aware that it deals heavily with drug addiction, child abuse, sexual abuse, and death.

4.5/5 stars rounded up to 5 for this review.