Really wanted to like this due to the unique premise (all the animals randomly attacking people), but the structure was so all over the place that it was hard to stay engrossed. It’s definitely intentionally fragmented and whimsical, but it’s not my style.

Mood Swings by Frankie Barnet is an off-beat apocalyptic satire in which all of the nonhuman animals in the world rebel against humans. However, a tech billionaire develops a machine that kills all of the nonhuman animals and the planet is left with only humans and plants. This book is wickedly funny and contains many sharp observations about modern life as it follows some young adults who are stumbling through the world as the world is stumbling itself. Unfortunately, I found Barnet's desultory writings style to be frustrating, as it results in many themes being brought up but not explored, as if they exist merely for the author to make a couple of clever jokes. Additionally, I found the characters to be difficult to understand and annoying to follow. I would recommend this book to people who are looking for a funny and original take on climate fiction.

hmm. on the fence about this one.

let's get this out of the way, first: this was a cover pick-up for me. look at that cover. it's ridiculous. that, paired with a summary that promises dissections of capitalism, i really went into this thinking that it was going to be That Book for me.

this book is a dark comedy novel that begins with animals turning against all humanity, perhaps simply because they're "fed up". feral cats turn literally feral and attack people in the street. rodents can't be trusted. cows are turning against farmers. there's even a thing with bugs. i was incredibly not fond of this, as a person that considers violence against animals to be unnecessary, upsetting, and not entertaining at all. i almost put this book down at 10% because of it.

things only get worse as a billionaire with too much money and time decides that, since the animals are going wild and hurting people, he's going to kill all the animals on the planet. and is successful. yikes on several accounts.

obviously, the way of this choice was crazy - whole food sources are gone and people are painfully trying out new chickpea recipes. a very weird part of this story is people start to hire our main character, jenlena, to dress up in animal costumes to "play" the part of an animal - be it hissing and spitting when she's given a bath (in costume) or putting her fake paw on someone's leg when they're crying to provide companionship.

the more i think about this story, the more unsettling it gets. jenlena takes up and starts sleeping with the billionaire that started all the fuss and he's now working on building a time machine to reverse the choice, maybe reverse other things too.

all of the characters here have something that they regret and want to change back. for jenlena, perhaps ignoring formal education to write poetry into the void of an internet where no one bothers to read her work is hers. for others, a violent scuffle with a girlfriend who ultimately becomes an influential member of a post-animal cult. for the billionaire, the loss of a mother and not hunting down his father sooner.

i don't know. it's difficult for me to look at this book as a cumulative whole because frankly, some parts left me engaged and interested and others just confused me by their insertion into the story.

some stuff i did Get (capitalism bad) but i don't know if the story was told in a way that felt either complete or cogent to me. perhaps another read-through is in order.

cover is still too dope, though.

Mood Swings by Frankie Barnet primarily deals with two female main characters who are living in a dystopian time that is freakishly too close to the time we’re in now. The exception is that all the world’s animals turned on humans and then were eliminated by an eccentric billionaire entrepreneur. I feel that this man is meant to remind us of a certain entrepreneur living in our times, who’s last name rhymes with tusk. After eliminating the animals, the entrepreneur then embarks on creating a time machine to go back and set things on a better path. He and his crew want to prevent the awful climate change that starts happening at the beginning of the industrial revolution.

The two main characters recently completed their undergraduate studies in Montreal, Quebec & are traversing life with little direction. At one point they end up as squatters. They’re “best friends” who often piss and moan about each other and each have their share of unhealthy relationships with men. The book also deals with abuse and assault across several characters.

To me, one of the most interesting themes in the book is that everyone knows something is weird and off, and that things will probably get worse, but just can’t put their finger on “IT.” Barnet made it feel a little too similar to today, which is pretty creepy & unsettling.

This book was pretty strange and weird, which is something I don’t have a problem with. I really embrace it. I did feel that the book struggled at times to meld the main characters “coming of age issues” with what was going on around then in pre-apocalyptic times. The main characters were pretty self-centered about what was going on, which I’m sure had to do with their stage in life. I’m trying to remember what I cared about at 22-25 years old. They were dealing with their own personal issues and a lot of the world’s issues were left unexplored. But, I assume the point of this book was to look into their lives as all hell was breaking loose around them.

By no means was this a bad book. But, I just didn’t quite get out of it what I hoped I would, which would be more exploration around the bigger issues in the book. I don’t mind character-driven books, but these characters frustrated me to a degree. I struggled to find much to like about them, their social lives (going to parties with Grimes) or their love interests.

Thanks to Netgalley, Frankie Barnet and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read the e-version of this book before release for an honest review in return!

DNF at 10% so no rating from me.

This is an absurdist story where all the animals are eradicated because they’ve all started attacking humans indiscriminately. We follow Jenlena and her boyfriend, and her best friend as they navigate their relationships and living in this new world.

The tone is very silly and humorous but at the same time very sharp and well observed.

The main thing that wasn’t working for me and made me DNF it is the meandering, fragmentary way the story is told. So if that works for you, and the concept of this book intrigues you - definitely pick it up. For me, those style things made it difficult for me to care to continue on.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Oh god this book was so bad. I don't know if it ever gets good because I cannot force myself to push through and even get halfway through the book. It's boring and written poorly, in my opinion and I absolutely hated it.

This book is well....interesting to say the least. "Mood Swings" is a debut novel by Frankie Barnet. I will admit, I almost DNF'd this book, but I'm glad I stayed with it. It has a slow beginning, but the story is intriguing and VERY eccentric. I can't really say any of the characters were likeable, but they are definitely worth remembering. The plot is absolutely absurd and far-fetched, but if you like strange little books, then this is for you. Also, the cover art is AMAZING! I am a child of the '80s and unicorns were everything when I was growing up.

Thank you, Netgalley and Astra House for the digital ARC.

Mood Swings is a delightfully weird romp through Gen Z, social media, and environmental collapse, complete with an Elon Musk cameo character! Each sentence was equally bizarre and hilarious, and I appreciated the author's ability to craft something so unique and yet so relatable. I especially love books with protagonists who are bad at things, and Jenlena's horrendous poetry really hit the spot. Would recommend if you like colorful prose, inventive plot lines, and unsympathetic characters!

I LOVE ABSURDIST FICTION!!!!!!!!!

I am so thankful to Astra House Publishing, Frankie Barnet, and Netgalley for granting me advanced digital and physical access to this delusional bitty before it hits shelves on May 21, 2024.

The world is on the cusp of ending, especially after the siege where all the animals decided to start attacking humans and ended up dead by a sonic frequency release, orchestrated by Rodrick Maeve, a tech-startup billionaire... Yep, you read all of that right... we're in delulu land with this one.

Jenlena and her roommate Daphne are doing their best to survive after the animals attempted a full takeover, and they keep losing people they know to the Moon Bethlehems. This violent activist group stands for climate change/weather support and commits crimes against fracking and other oil refineries to make their vision known. Jenlena's stepfather, Christopher, works at one of these refineries and is no stranger to their harassment. Daphne is dating a canceled man named Jordan, who slept with and abused a minor to further his music career. I guess. All this is to say that everyone is realistically doing what they can to survive.

When Rodrick Maeve announces his latest invention—the time machine—everyone freaks out and praises this celebrity for his innovative ideas. They hold out hope for a day when the animals can come back, and things can resemble more normality. Jenlena starts sleeping with Rodrick, and her crew is anxious to hear the outcomes of their decaying world.

Told in an absurdist, fictional manner, Mood Swings is very reminiscent of the mood swings and meltdowns that our world experiences daily. Will there be another world war? Is climate change killing us all? When will cars fly? All this to say that I enjoyed such reflective fiction and look forward to more of Frankie Barnet's work to come.

A wonderfully weird book! This kept me guessing and on my toes the whole read. I liked the writing style and it was just so unique. The ending wasn’t my favorite but overall I liked it!

This was such an unexpectedly fun read!! Went into this with no clue of the premise (I just really loved the weird cover haha), and couldn't put this down. The pacing was perfect, the characters full of heart and oddness, and the premise so entertaining. This book reminded me how much I love dystopian and climate-change awareness books. Would have loved more time with certain characters and less with some, but overall I'd highly recommend this book!! Thank you to NetGalley and Astra Publishing House for this book!

I have not laughed so hard reading in years (ok, since Book of Ayn, but still! there are few books that can make me cackle like thus). MOOD SWINGS is a riotous gem of a novel. I didn't want it to end. I can't wait for Barnet's next. Thanks to the publisher for the e-galley!

I LOVED Mood Swings and I cannot believe that this excercise in mind boggling mayhem and preconception busting is a debut novel?

Before I go any further, get this book. Go to your library, buy it on any format, just get this book and you will not be disappointed, of that I can assure you with utmost enthusiasm

Onwards to the review!

The world is changing, everybody is terminally offended about something and this includes the animals. The problem is, the animals go on a malevolent rampage and get annihalated. Not the smartest move on the part of the human race as houseplants do not give cuddles, let alone the litany of other interactions humans have with animals, but it seemed to be a better choice than the animals gaining a significant and undoubtably very messy victory over the humans

Enter Jenlena, houseplant seller and dog cosplayer to fulfil all your post-fauna companionship needs! It's a far cry from her dreams of being a poet, but heyho, got to get paid. Her bestie Daphne is no better off, battling with depression and a constant disappointment with soceity in general, it seems that a relationship with a supposed time-hopping but largely cancelled billionaire will make everything all ticketyboo again? Won't it?

It is mind-boggling just how ridiculously plausible this all is while at the same time, completely impossible to achieve. Frankie Barnet has a great way of observing the world and illustrating its ever-increasing foibles with a wry humour and razor wit. Reminiscent of Dylan Moran crossed with Dennis Leary, but catapulted into a contemporary sensibility and associated cynicism. Yip. close. But oh so very unique and I am here for it

I absolutely adore the references to contemporary culture, politics, soceity and perceived wealth and I can just imagine the side eye! The things is, this book is not just a screamer of hilarity, but also an observation of the dark realities of the current trajectory of significant issues pertaining to human rights and specifically, to those of bodily autonomy and safety

Mood swings is fresh, engaging, a new type of dystopian masterpiece that I can easily read over and over and over again.

Absolutely motherflipping genius

Thank you to Netgalley, Astra Publishing House, Astra House and the immensely unique and talented Frankie Barnet for this ground-breaking ARC. My review is left of my own volition and all opinions are my own

MOOD SWINGS is an absolutely bonkers book and I think I loved it. Maybe. It will certainly stay with me, at the very least. It's unlike anything I've read, but at the same time, felt a lot of MADE FOR LOVE by Alissa Nutting vibes. My second book in a row about climate apocalypse! It's obvious that this book is not an easy read, and certainly stay away if you don't like the idea of all the animals in the world dying.

We follow two disaffected 20-something women who are passively affected by the changes in the world (weird weather, weird cults, weird billionaires). They have cancelled boyfriends and an apartment that may or may not have burned down on purpose. They are poets, but don't really write anything. Jenlena and Daphne are the climate antiheros we rarely see in literature and Barnet's frank wit, cutting commentary, and truly unique prose make this a once in a lifetime book. It's weird and wonderful.

I love the prose in this very trendy, off-beat debut lit fic, but the plot fell a little flat for me. But really, the plot wasn't the point here. What is it like to be a young person when the world is falling apart, when your ambitions haven't even really developed yet? What is hope when good things have kind of disappeared?

Darkly funny. Gorgeous attention to language. Also, that cover is incredible.

What a delightful weirdo of a read. From the jump, Mood Swings slams with a dystopian potpourri that can overwhelm — and that’s the point. Part satire, part existential dread, Barnet’s sharp, yet not-too-serious commentary on the future is worth all the wackiness within.

Engaging, witty, and hilarious. Mood Swings felt like a fresh take on the dystopian genre. One of the most unique books I have read for a long time, and one that I won't be forgetting any time soon. Absolutely wonderful!

This book was wonderfully weird. I really liked the premise and writing style, the mix of normal prose and social media posts. I feel like every chapter had at least one line that was strikingly poignant. The only downside was I felt the ending was a bit underwhelming. But overall I had fun reading this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Astra House for the ARC!

Mood Swings completely flipped my head around and made me rethink dystopian and climate fiction. This book kept me curious and frankly guessing the entire time because it's so delicately woven and so surprising in both the language and plot development. I really appreciated how this book covered sexual violence, bodily autonomy, and consent while in an apocalyptic setting, and the references to social media and Instagram poets kept me chuckling but also mortified. This one feels like a great combination of RO Kwon's The Incendiaries meets Allegra Hyde's The Last Catastrophe.

Entertaining and wholly original. A recommended purchase for collections where offbeat litfic is popular.