I'm not sure I can adequately describe exactly how much I loved this book, but I will try. Just know that I have listened to the audiobook, narrated perfectly by Eleanor Caudill, at least five times already because I just can't get enough of this quirky, eccentric family. The siblings are so eclectic and unique, yet their bond and quarrels are so traditional. The descriptions of the animals are hilarious and had me laughing out loud. The family drama is based in love, but explodes outward from there into a zany wild ride that left me feeling all the feels.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.*

I have had the pleasure of knowing Michelle online for nearly 20 years and have enjoyed all of her previous books. Obviously, some more than others, but all of her previously published works were historical fiction.

Darling Beasts makes a departure from type and tells a wacky family story with a paranormal twist.

This family drama tells the story of the Gunn family - targeting the three adult children that are heirs to a media fortune who are faced with the downfall of the company when their uncle is caught in a scandal and their father decides to save the family. name by running for office. The siblings have shared and individual trauma which is touching and somehow funny. One of them has a bizarre condition that causes the spontaneous appearance of wild animals.

I cannot explain why this works but it does.

I enjoyed the curious characters and the utter absurdity of the condition. I felt like the story ended abruptly but maybe that is because I wanted it to be a series.

*with thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Darling Beasts is a bit out of my traditional wheelhouse, being contemporary magical realism centered around a hapless and once-affluent family. What initially grabbed me was the incredible cover, and I was sold by both the conceptual syndrome one of the characters has (where wild animals spontaneously appear against her will at odd times), and the Schitt's Creek of it all.

Gable has created a family loosely based off of the Scripps, where the family patriarch--after losing his family company and a lot of money--decides to run for Congress on a whim. This completely blindsides his three adult children, who are navigating chaotic lives of their own, deliberately separate from each other, especially when it's made clear that this run for office is going to involve all the members of the family, regardless of how they feel about it or each other. Moving even temporarily to the West Coast has the siblings scrambling, confronting the past injustices they've faced and their general inability to communicate with anyone they're related to. But against all odds (and often each other), will they still manage to be there for their father... and figure out why the hell he's running for office?

The concept of this is outrageous from the get-go. That is absolutely one of the book's appeals. Funny commentary on the ridiculousness of the wealthy with a backdrop of family secrets and old insecurities? Sold. Though I went in expecting the characters to be the antiheroes of their own stories, squabbling amongst themselves and wrecking havoc, I never really connected with any of them. My previous likening (and marketing) of this to Schitt's Creek may have in fact done me a disservice; while I couldn't stand the characters of that show at first, their quirks remain endearing despite everything, and they come into their own as individuals and as a family. Sadly, I didn't find that with Darling Beasts. The miscommunications--and refusals to communicate or listen--continue until the last minute amongst the Gunn family, but particularly among the three siblings. Talia, the oldest, cannot fathom that her siblings have experienced their lives differently from her own, especially when it comes to their deceased mother--and she refuses to try. The middle child, Gabby, presented initially as the kind one (and possibly the most sane), swiftly deteriorates as she attempts to find an answer to her PBS, calling her intelligence into question. And the youngest, Ozzie, is a quintessential influencer bro, his personality flat and unlikable aside from when he talks about Winnie the Pooh. Much of their personalities and utter lack of interpersonal skills can easily be attributed to their upbringing and their own traumas, but I still found myself constantly irked by them, seeing little to no redeeming qualities as the story continued. Then, towards the end, the reason for their gathering together for their father's campaign is revealed, and they... suddenly tolerate each other? The entire premise is supposed to be nonsense, but their almost deus-ex-machina-character-development is truly nonsensical.

That said, Gable has created her main characters' personalities extremely well in how they come across on the page. In each chapter from the siblings' individual POVs, who they are, how they think, even the slang they use paints a clear picture of them as people. I just wish that, like I eventually did with Schitt's Creek, I actually like these people.

If you're looking for something irreverent, silly, and don't need to love the characters in order to enjoy a story (that's definitely something I struggle with, as a reader), I'd absolutely recommend trying out Darling Beasts. It's unique and yet familiar at the same time, and its absurdity does not detract from the hope you feel at the end. Personally, I'm still proud of myself for figuring out it was a cassowary as soon as it was mentioned. (Seriously, they're dinosaurs. Look at them. They will mess you up.)

Thanks to NetGalley and Graydon House for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Rating: 3 stars

Review posted to StoryGraph: July 11, 2025 (https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/a9c73b71-4560-4277-9abf-d37b0d5607fb)
Review posted to Instagram: PENDING

This was a solid family story with a touch of quirk that made it entertaining. A solid story with good characters- I enjoyed each of the siblings as characters. I'd certainly read more from this author.

This book just wasn't for me. I thought it had a fun start, but I couldn't connect with the characters and felt like nothing much happened. I wish the magical realism played a bigger role.

I’m so sorry, but I was unable to finish this book. I wasn’t able to get pulled into the story. The pacing was slow.

the biggest flaw here for me was that it was trying to be both a political story/family story and a magical realism manifesting animals disease book, but missed the mark on the transitions. 3 stars. tysm for the arc.

PBS - Portum Bestiae Syndrome. You won’t find it in a google search, but you’ll learn all about it as you dive into the world of the Gunn’s. Two sisters, a brother, a father and a step-mom. A full supporting cast, animals included. This is a funny, yet complex human relationship story. It reads well with character-switching chapters and little random breaks. The pace was nice and steady. I recommend this for an easier read that’s light with a dip into some substance.

I really liked the way this one started, and was clicking along and enjoying the snark and back-and-forth between the siblings until about 25% in - when I realized that the snark and back-and-forth was all there was to the book... It began to feel repetitive and the different voices of each character were so stereotypical for their stated personality that they started to irritate me. There was not a lot of there there, and it started to detract from the story for me. I wanted some development or engagement beyond each of them in their own bubble, complaining about nearly the same things over and over again. Even the mysterious eponymous beasts weren't enough to keep me engaged in this one, and I DNF'd shortly thereafter...

2.5⭐️

I normally love books featuring out of touch rich people having to live like a 'normal' person ala Schitt's Creek. But something about this book didn't really work for me. There didn't feel like there was growth with any of the rich characters. The siblings did seem to get a bit closer but there wasn't a overall they didn't seem to have learned anything. Their father wasn't much better than his children and his political career felt like a joke from start to finish.

I think what really bothered me about this was Gabby's Portum Bestiae Syndrome. This being the only bit of magical realism in a book about out of touch people just felt jarring. Especially since most of Gabby's family didn't even believe it was real. The random animals popping up whenever Gabby felt stressed should have been fun but instead felt like I was reading a different book momentarily before jumping back into a political career. I definitely think it's possible to blend genres but this just didn't have that transition for me.

Thanks Netgalley and Graydon House for providing this ARC to me!

I enjoyed this light family drama reminiscent of Schmitt’s Creek. It wasn’t mind blowing, my life wasn’t altered in reading this, but it was enjoyable. There was some tensions that could have been explored more, but overall it was a light, entertaining comic family drama.

The premise of this was fun—three siblings find themselves at the whim of their wealthy father who has decided to run for government and one of the siblings has a curious condition that involves exotic animals popping up whenever she is in distress. The story has a chaotic, zany energy. I enjoyed the different narrators and each of the siblings had a distinct personality and I would have loved more character development/insight into the Gunn siblings and even Marston.

Thank you to Harlequin Graydon House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

Tolstoy wrote: All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. The Gunn family is not miserable, but they aren't happy either, and at least one member is unhappy in a very unusual way. The Gunn family once owned a major media empire. But a family member decided to get both greedy and creative with company funds, leaving the company in ruins and their personal finances uncertain. Marston Gunn calls his adult children to their soon-to-be-sold childhood home to make announcement. He has decided to run for the U.S. Senate, and he wants them to help. The kids are less than enthused. Talia, the oldest, is a corporate lawyer still trying to make a professional name for herself. Ozzie, the youngest, is an influencer who calls himself DegenerateOz. Despite his nom de Web, he is a rather nice guy who puzzles and frustrates the people around him. Gabby, the middle child, runs an experimental theater company in a barn in upstate New York. She also suffers from Portum Bestiae Syndrome (PBS for short). When she gets stressed out, a random animal will appear. This is rather bad for her finances, as rehoming exotic beasts is expensive Then their step-mother lowers the boom - come to California to help your father, or your trust fund allowance will be cut off.

So off to California they go. They will stay on a family property, one that is full of memories for them. Their mother died there. Was it natural causes, or was it suicide? The adult children aren't sure, since their father was less than open about the circumstances of her death. In fact, that is a theme running through the book - secrets and resentments festering instead of being acknowledged and dealt with.

But this is not a heavy, depressing book. Yes, they deal with serious issues, but there is also the absurdity of the whole senatorial race, Gabby's awkward relationship with a fellow PBS sufferer, and a hot-air balloon publicity stunt that goes awry.

A pleasant read for people who don't mind a little fantasy with their family drama.

The novel shines in its exploration of sibling dynamics and the absurdities of wealth and media influence. Gable's prose is sharp, and her characters are well-drawn, making their emotional journeys compelling. The magical elements, particularly the spontaneous appearances of exotic animals, add a whimsical touch that sets the book apart. Overall, Darling Beasts is an inventive and entertaining read that, despite some narrative hiccups, offers a unique take on family and fame.

It’s sort of giving schitts creek meets shameless meets the kardashians. Felt a bit all over the place and the writing wasn’t the greatest but still an enjoyable read.

This book was SO not at all what I was expecting! It was so much better. I had to stay up late a few nights to keep reading because I couldn’t put it down. Wonderfully done.