book review • Man's Best Friend by Alana Biden Lytle • ☆☆☆☆☆ • Pub Date: May 14th, 2024

This review has been a long time coming. I finished this egalley a while ago, but I have been turning it over and over in my head ever since...

This book is about a young failed actress working in a bakery in New York City who decides to attend the birthday party of an old private school friend. It is there that she becomes increasingly enamored with the wealth and lifestyle of her friends. When a wealthy man finds her driver's license at the party and shows interest in her, she goes out with him, despite his glaring red flags and the fact that she has absolutely no interest in him. The book gets darker and darker, challenging the reader's stomach as it challenges the narrator's morals.

Alana B. Lytle's writing expertly satirizes the problematic aspects of the contemporary dating scene. This book eloquently attends to and challenges gendered power dynamics, the problem of codependency, vulnerability (especially the lack thereof), and underdevelopment of self—an enthralling exploration of love and it's intersections with power and ethics. It genuinely felt as though I was reading an overdramatized characterization of attachment styles, the narrator's being avoidant, and her love interest's being anxious. This book will keep you utterly enthralled while making you feel vaguely sick, and you'll love every second of it. I especially loved the complete power shift towards the end, it was surpsing in a sickeningly exciting way.

Thank you to NetGalley and G. P. Putnam's Sons for the advanced readers' copy of this title!

This novel had great potential and an intriguing premise. Unfortunately it was poorly executed and lacked cohesion.. It felt like a first draft.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Man's Best Friend.

I liked the title more than I did the book.

El is a failed actress looking for something...but what that is she's not sure.

When she meets a mysterious man named Bryce, she's quickly drawn into his privileged world, but when she discovers his secrets, she has to make a choice about her future and what she really wants in life.

El is not a likable character; she's not witty or charming, smart or clever.

But she's honest about her complacency, about her desire to do less, sacrificing her morals and values for a life of leisure.

The narrative was boring, tedious, filled with bratty privileged people hooking up, boozing, doing drugs, trying to sound smarter than they really are by debating whatever hashtag is trending on social media.

The story is neither suspenseful or compelling; this is not a mystery or thriller so much as whiny people whining about how hard life is while they dash off to the Hamptons or Paris and guzzle thousands in booze and snort thousands in drugs up their nose.

Bryce is pathetic, a loser, and not surprisingly, a good match for El.

I accept El's reason for accepting Bryce's marriage proposal though the ending wouldn't work if Bryce wasn't a loser.

But then, people have gotten married for less.

Thank you NetGalley, Alana B. Lytle, and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! It has a gorgeous cover, but sadly wasn’t for me. However, I still recommend picking it up, because fans of the genre may like it more.

I really enjoyed the unique writing style of this book. It started out slow but I’m glad I stuck it out because it was an overall entertaining and enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC.

I love an unlikable protagonist done well, which I feel is a rarity in the thriller genre. El is an unlikable protagonist done well. I winced at her inner thoughts, bitchy and jealous and scheming, but I still wanted her to come out on top.

Man’s Best Friend follows El, an unsuccessful actress, as she infiltrates the world of her ultra-rich childhood friends via a relationship with Bryce, a middling, boorish stalker who seems to worship her. How far would you go to give yourself security? It’s a question many women have asked themselves in one uncomfortable relationship or another, and El’s answer is - far.

This novel is a slow build but worth it. Unlike other thrillers I’ve read this year, the ending felt earned. 3.5 stars rounded to 4.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC.

A book full of unlikeable people and a somewhat predictable plot keep this at a 3 stars for me. If I think about it too much longer, this might drop to 2 stars though. So I'll leave it at what I felt by the very end.

Also, the dog thing??

Man’s Best Friend, despite showcasing incredibly unlikeable characters and a narrative that sometimes felt rushed and disjointed, manages to be a captivating thriller deserving of praise.

From page one, I did not want to put this book down. The main characters, El and Bryce, (and pretty much every other character in the book) were about as self-centered and toxic as they could possibly be. But that somehow only seemed to make them more realistic and fun to read. El’s inability form a true, intimate relationship as a friend, daughter, or partner resonates with insecurities of not being good enough and adds a unique layer to the tension throughout the novel. Bryce, managing to be both charming and horribly icky, adds a feeling of discomfort that keeps the reader rooting for El even when they’d rather not.

There are also several plot points centered around dogs in this book. I found that some of these moments were distracting to the central story, but I absolutely loved the scene at the very start of the novel. I wish that the others would have been more similar to that. I really liked the dog/owner relationship parallel; I just wish some of it had been done a little differently.

Overall, I felt that the story progressed in a very predictable way. However, the author’s writing style is very lovely to read and I enjoyed every page of this book. I will definitely be recommending this to friends when it officially releases.

*Huge thanks to Alana B. Lytle, Penguin Group Putnam, and NetGalley for providing this ARC in e-book format*

Engaging and entertaining. A recommended purchase for collections where crime and thrillers are popular.

the story follows El, a misguided, bitchy, and lonely 29-year. after her father left and she and her mother moved to new york, she was introduced to how lower and high class people live different lives at a young age. an emotionally absent mom, self absorbed and toxic friends, El has a warped view on the world to the point that she falls for people too quickly and stays with them even if she's aware of how horrible of people they are while ridding herself of friends who actually wanted to stay with her.

El is deeply unlikeable, but in a way that made me want to continue reading. she doesn't try to make meaningful friendships or relationships, which many of her friends realized towards the end of the story. she's almost good enough. there were times i thought she was going to be a "good person" instead of this hurtful "bad person."

overall, the plot and writing was great. i didn't enjoy the dog references. i understood what Lytle was trying to do, but wasn't a fan as if felt too on the nose and like she was telling me instead of showing.

thank you NetGalley, Penguin Group and PUTNUM, and Alana B. Lytle for allowing me to read an ARC of 'Man's Best Friend'.

El is befriended by wealthy Anna and Julia when the girls are in eighth grade and El, enamored with their lives, works to keep the friendships going as the women move on to separate high schools, colleges and into adult life. At a birthday party for Julia in the Hamptons as the woman reach their late twenties El meets Bryce through a chance encounter. He contacts her when they return to the city and as El has recently given up her dreams of making it as an actor she is at loose ends; she immediately becomes deeply involved with Bryce. But is this relationship good for her?

Overall decent book but I have to admit that I don’t get the thing about the dogs. Maybe I’m just slow.

After being blown away by the subtle strangeness and complex morality of Absolute Best, Alana B. Lytle’s fabulous short story published in Guernica, and the explosive weirdness of Tadpole Smoothie, her contribution to the Netflix mini-series Brand New Cherry Flavor, Man’s Best Friend left this fan pretty disappointed. It’s not tense or suspenseful enough to be thrilling. The prose isn’t poetic or engaging enough to be considered literary. There are hints towards the surreal, towards a present that not quite like our own, but it never goes far enough to be categorized as speculative. While it might find its place on your shelf as an exercise in breezy escapism, it doesn’t have the stakes of a good thriller or the ambition of a literary work.

I loved this thriller because it had enough aspects of a regular fiction story while also capturing me in the mystery. Not to spoil but my favorite part was the end because who’s really the antagonist now? (Insert my own laugh just like El’s to Julia’s reaction at Anna’s memorial).

I was not able to finish. It was complex and difficult to stay connected to, nor did I want to.
Just not my cup of tea, unfortunately
Great cover tho!

I enjoyed certain parts of this book and then other parts were just okay. I found El’s character to be be a little unlikeable at times. The premise itself was interesting so I definitely was invested in the story to see what was going to happen at the end.
Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC.

I'm not sure how I feel about this novel. It was intriguing and the characters were complex but I just didn't feel much.

I struggled to get into this book. It's such a slow book and El was just someone I cared enough to want to know more about.

The book continues on as you're introduced to new characters and I again didn't care.

The writing fell flat for me. It just seemed to ramble too. I was confused how the beginning jumped into a dogs pov and then I blinked and that was over.

I was really confused by the start of this book when it took on the perspective of a dog. I even came back to the book summary page to see if I had misunderstood the premise of this book or maybe even dowloaded the incorrect book (none of which checked out). As I finished, it abruptly switched perspectives and dove into the main part of the book which kind of dragged on. El annoyed me immensely and I honestly wanted to throw away this book as a waste but something kept me glued and before I knew it I was fully immersed in El's journey. It's this weird path that meanders but it ensnares you completely. I was very satisfied with how El was able to come out a victor in the end and emerge seemingly as a new woman. Great read despite the slow start!

I loved the way this book was written, but felt it was a little predictable. The main character didn’t feel flushed out enough and not in a “she doesn’t know herself so I don’t know her” way, more a not a complete thought way. I also wish the connection between the dogs / man’s best friend was made a little clearer. It didn’t completely fit the narrative. I enjoyed the book and finished it quickly but wouldn’t reach for it again!

Poor El! A character with a sad life and not many prospects or positivity in life. I think the authors purpose was to dislike El. The character development was underwhelming. The story line was okay. For a book with a title referencing dogs, I wish there was more dog content.