This was a good book. The next time I feel like leaving home, I will try to remember that I could be nowhere without my dogs.

I really enjoyed this memoir by Brianna Madia. I do not read much nonfiction, but I find her writing to be very accessible and it was a fast read that really kept my attention. I have been following her on social media for quite a long time, and read her first book and enjoyed it, so I'm not sure how invested I would have been had I not been a little familiar with her story, but regardless I did enjoy the read. She is very vulnerable and details an extremely traumatizing period of her life and I really appreciated her honesty and candor. And I love the dog stories the most!

As a fan of Brianna Madia’s for years on Instagram, it has been wonderful to immerse myself in the author’s words these past two days. Her books read more like essays, which were beautiful and wild and sometimes indulgent but always her own truth. I resonated so deeply with how much meaning her dogs bring to her life.

Thanks to HarperOne and NetGalley for the ARC.

A fitting destination to launch her second book, “Never Leave the Dogs Behind,” Brianna Madia will soon introduce readers in Bend to her poignantly radiant display of survival.

Known publicly as a bold and wild woman, Madia’s raw storytelling in her newest memoir reveals the grit behind the blue checkmark, which often leads strangers to make assumptions about her life and success.

“One of the things I’m most excited about with this book, which is weird to say, is people seeing me for the deeply, deeply flawed human being that I am,” Madia reflects.

Supported by her four dogs, Bucket, Dagwood, Birdie and Banjo, while self-isolated in the remote Utah desert, a new version of herself bloomed alongside globemallows and Indian paintbrush — something of a miracle, given the harsh year-round conditions including 100-plus-degree heat and flash floods.

Six years ago, the devoted staff at Bend Animal Emergency saved Dagwood’s life with the help of donations from Madia’s Instagram followers and her unyieldingly ferocious love. In the wake of Dagwood’s recovery, her marriage imploded and Madia became the target of a Reddit-based snark page where a handful of hatemongers intentionally dismantled her career, stalking and harassing her.

Madia spun into a self-proclaimed madness of mania and paranoia. Despite her circumstances, and in part because of them, she made one of her dreams come true: she bought 9 acres of primitive land on the outskirts of Moab, Utah. The stark contrast of her turbulent circumstances laid bare against the backdrop of the striking desert reds and oranges she and her pack of dogs call home is palpable in every word as she recounts her story.

A sequel to her “New York Times” bestselling debut memoir, “Nowhere for Very Long,” Madia’s second book is heart-wrenchingly self-aware that her love for her dogs truly saved her life.

Living primally as a pack of animals in the desert allowed Madia an escape into the simple joys of being a dog, comforted by their unconditional love, stating, “With the dogs, it was just like there was no wrong way for me to do anything. I was never disappointing them, and I felt like I was disappointing so many people.”

More than a cathartic exposition of her own healing, she hopes it encourages others. Because, as she says, she knows firsthand when, “everything has fallen apart or feels like everything’s fallen apart, that means you can really start over. It’s terrifying, but it’s also such an amazing gift.

Like any true dog-loving narrative, she peppers its dialogue with the relatably strange things she says to her dogs, one of the weirdest, she admits, to Bucket: “You think anyone’s ever traded sex for access to heavy machinery before?”

Bucket, Dagwood, Birdie and Banjo will be greeting guests outside the book launch event hosted offsite by Roundabout Books on April 2. Madia will share stories from her book, followed by a Q&A and book signing. Tickets and signed books can be ordered through Roundabout Book’s website.

I have followed Briana on social media for almost 8 years now and have always loved that she is continually authentic and unapologetically herself. This shines through in her writing - Her words are magic and unlike anything I’ve ever read.

She has a natural ability to tell stories and her writing really transports you to Moab, Baja and even “The Property”. She makes me want to pull up a lawn chair next to her, face to the sun and just *be*

This is her second book and while it can certainly be read as a stand-alone, I HIGHLY suggest reading both as they are both equally phenomenal. Book 2 covers her continued brutal online harassment, post-divorce life and of course, how her 4 dogs saved her life. I’ll be forever grateful that they did!! I met her on her last book tour and she was literal sunshine.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperOne for the ARC - it was a privilege to be able to read one of my most-anticipated books for the year early.

Trigger warnings: divorce, addiction, suicidal thoughts

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC,

Madia gives us an intimate glimpse into a tumultuous period of her life. It is the story of a breakdown and a woman searching for the light in her life. In the midst of a rabid cancellation and a nasty divorce, Madia finds silence in the desert. But she is not alone. she lives with a rowdy pack of dogs. As the dogs run around in the desert, so does she. In this memoir, the narrator asks you to join her pack too, This is a quick read and I must also comment on its prose. Madia has great style. Her strength is in simile. This is a great read for armchair travelers, or any traveler looking to pass time on the road.

At this time, I have not read her first memoir, so you can still enjoy this memoir without knowing the full background.

This second memoir is a continuation of the first, and both are 100% worth the read.

Nowhere for Very Long reflects on her life as a nomad and living true to herself, and starts the beginning of a traumatic couple years.

Never Leave the Dogs Behind continues Bri’s story as she faces the darkness of her life completely falling apart. Four dogs, nine acres of desert land outside of a small town in Utah, and living in a falling apart trailer and van, Bri reckons with anger, disassociation, mania, depression, suicidal thoughts, and the freedom of entirely being herself.

Read if you love…
- memoirs
- non-fiction

I was expecting to cry. I knew roughly what was coming in this second memoir, having followed Bri on social media for nearly eight years. But damn, the last five minutes of the book had me an emotional fucking mess.

Just like the first book, there are parts of this book that I very much so remember specific instagram posts and stories about. While so many of us only saw what was posted on social media, it was an honor to get to read the behind the scenes of what Bri was going through post-divorce, the recovery of Dag’s accident, and the brutal online harassment.

And just like the first book, I read this one in one sitting and couldn’t put it down. Bri’s ability to story tell and spin & craft words is just incredible. It’s not overly descriptive but enough that you can picture what she’s talking about.

The dogs. Don’t even get me started. I freaking love Bucket, Dagwood, Birdie, and Banjo. And I’m so fucking grateful they saved Bri’s life.

Massive shoutout to NetGalley and HarperOne for letting me read an ARC of one of my most anticipated 2024 releases early!

PUB day: April 2, 2024!

‼️Trigger warnings: suicidal thoughts; divorce; traumatic animal injury, mentioned, past; addiction & alcoholic, ex, mentioned; disassociation; drug use

For its' subject matter, this book is a fast read. I couldn't put it down. The author writes of her disintegrating marriage, a terrible accident that nearly claimed the life of one she loves, and her self deprecation. With all that happens in her life, she loves her dogs wholeheartedly. They are the anchor that keeps her afloat. While the rest of her life is in turmoil, it is being responsible for her dogs that brings her back from the edge. I thank NetGalley and HarperOne for the nonstop advance read.