Stunning writing style, and moving language. But a very slow read and it is hard to stay engaged

Listened to the whole book whilst hiking in the sunshine, and it was the perfect company. This is a wonderful summer read, with a lighthearted and hopeful story, even if there are some emotional aspects. The relationships between all the characters were so wholesome. 

Sometimes I felt the translation meant the message was not as powerful as it could be, but the interconnected stories, the love, and the characters really made me cry. I fully recommend this book to animal lovers who enjoy an emotional story about finding family in those around us. 

I was hooked at the start, and quite enjoyed the ending, but very boring for 75% in the middle. 

Aside from some elements which felt rushed, I loved every second I was reading this book! So much queer joy and excellent writing, I could not put it down.

Olivie Blake has some of the most elegant, clever, writing I have experienced, and I have enjoyed every book I have read. Particularly, she writes anger and depression in a way that is both conversational and visceral. I really enjoyed the argument scenes in this book. However, some of the elements felt forced and anti-climatic.

For example, why kill Belen when she did? So much more could have happened with her geopolitical goals and a potential reunion with Libby. I loved the Gideon and Nico ending - fantastic!! - but reintroducing Libby was very sudden and unexplained.

I want to rate this higher because of the original elements (e.g. animal welfare), but I don't think it was done very well. This book relied too heavily on romance tropes (enemies to lovers, fake-dating, one bed, and lots of smut), with a very boring writing style. I did not enjoy the repetitive sentences and did not find the emotional revelations of either character very believable. I feel there were some intense plot-points added to the story just to make it make sense - because no one would realistically stay working as a vet in that clinic. 

I learnt a lot from this book and it offered a moving and hopeful perspective on mental health, gender, and being in the public eye. It was so beautifully written. 
However, I found the structure of the book difficult to follow, as the memoir was not organised chronologically, and each chapter discussed a new topic.