Fish Tales is a sexy, dark, and sometimes deliciously grimey dive into a world that feels as raw as it is intimate. Netty Jones doesn't hold back, and that’s part of what makes this book hit so hard—it’s bold, visceral, and charged with a kind of gritty sensuality that lingers long after you turn the last page.

The story is intense and layered, and while the shifting points of view add depth to the characters and the world, I’ll admit they threw me off a bit at first. Especially in the beginning, it took some time to get my footing with who was speaking and how it all tied together. But once I settled into the rhythm, it started to click and the emotional weight behind each perspective really started to land.

Jones excels at capturing the tension between desire and danger, beauty and brutality. There’s something almost cinematic about the way the scenes unfold—moody and charged, like smoke curling around a dim light.

If you're into stories that don’t shy away from the messier sides of human nature and love a narrative that straddles the line between seduction and survival, this one’s definitely worth the ride.

Fish Tales is a raw, electrifying plunge into the chaotic world of the 1970s, where excess, hedonism and self-destruction collide in a wild swirl of desire and defiance. Nettie Jones delivers a stunningly messy and captivating portrayal of a woman’s journey through freedom and self-destruction, set against the backdrop of New York and Detroit's bohemian and affluent circles.

The protagonist, Lewis Jones, is an unforgettable character. In her thirties, she exudes freedom, confidence and chaos, navigating a world of lavish parties, drugs, sex and complicated relationships. The book isn’t so much about a structured plot as it is an exploration of Lewis’s turbulent life, which is as disjointed and fragmented as her own experiences. Once I got into the rhythm of the narrative, though, it was impossible to put down. It is the kind of book that lets you feel the disarray of a life lived on the edge, unfiltered and raw.

The supporting characters, particularly Lewis’s husband Woody and her friend Kitty Kat, each play crucial roles in revealing different layers of Lewis’s identity. But it is the presence of Brook – an enigmatic, often cruel figure – who truly shifts the trajectory of her life. The relationships are messy, filled with exploitation and emotional highs and lows, and yet, they never feel pitying. Jones’s matter-of-fact tone, even during the most difficult and uncomfortable moments, makes the book all the more compelling.

The thematic explorations of sexuality, race, power and identity are boldly handled, and the chaotic, fragmented structure feels entirely purposeful. It mirrors the turbulence and messiness of Lewis’s existence in a way that feels authentic. Fish Tales is unapologetically sexual, daring, and full of desire and anxiety. The book is as much about the search for self as it is about the destruction of the self, and it rings strikingly true in today’s world, where ego and identity often overshadow the pursuit of genuine freedom.

This is a book about freedom, love and destruction in equal measure, and it’s an experience worth diving into. Fish Tales deserves its reissue and the recognition that comes with it – it is an unforgettable, complex, and unapologetically bold story.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

Fish Tales is a brilliantly messy, hedonistic story. This is not a book with a rich, cohesive plot - it’s chaotic and very character-driven in a way that feels entirely intentional. The disjointed structure reflects the chaos of Lewis’s life, and once I got used to it, I was completely drawn in. Through her journey, we meet a cast of vivid, larger-than-life characters, each adding their own layer to the story and feeding into Lewis’s self-destructive persona. She is often exploited and abused, but never written with pity - her voice carries strength, vulnerability and complexity, and the matter-of-fact tone, even in the most uncomfortable moments, only adds to the impact. It’s a bold and unapologetically sexually-charged book, and I hope the reissue gets the recognition it deserves.

Thank you so much to Virago and NetGalley for this advance ARC!

Between the bohemian demimonde of New York and the affluent Black community of Detroit in the 1970s, Lewis Jones is a party girl for the ages—a woman in her thirties who has reached a point of freedom, confidence, and mayhem. She is supported in her adventures, in every way, by her husband, Woody. She is accompanied by her friend Kitty Kat, a gay hustler with impeccable style and a knack for finding all the best spots. She soaks in baths of champagne, powders her nose with cocaine, wakes up on silk sheets with a variety of lovers. And then she is finally, truly upended by the handsome, erudite, often cruel Brook—a man who won’t tolerate her attempts to take control.

Nettie Jones is a great writer. Fish Tales reminds me a lot of Corregidora by Gayl Jones in a good way, the writing about 70s Black America, both sharp and frank and brilliant. Fish Tales is a party story, a Gatsby style champagne fuelled tale of opulence, desire, touching on race and sexuality in the process. It’s a fun novel that is pretty fast paced and there is a lot to take in. We meet Lewis Jones in her early years and watch as she is quickly picked up by predatory older men. Further in we see a different side to Jones, a woman unafraid to call a phone number and ask for a couple of male hookers. I think in the present we often don’t imagine women of the 60s and 70s being so unashamed in their pleasures and desires, and Fish Tales makes this a refreshing take.

Formatting wise, I really enjoyed the short chapters. I think that was a perfect device for this novel, being so short with so many characters to meet, the briefness of the chapters allow you to see a snapshot of Jones’s relationships, just the perfect amount to understand the people in her life, how she feels about them and the impact they create.

I love that ‘forgotten’ classics like Fish Tales are being reprinted for the modern reader. This is a loud, look-at-me, understand-me story that should be read by millions of women. For a book written in the 70s it is strikingly current in its themes of sex, drugs, alcohol, and love.

I loved the author’s note at the end, confirming that Nettie Jones had met Gayl Jones – who inspired her to write! I won’t spoil it but I loved understanding Jones’ reasonings for writing Fish Tales and what it means to her.

I really liked Lewis as a character.
I never heardof this book despite it being an older book.
I thought this would be mermaids or fish but it was an interesting but dark read.

I really did like it though most characters were unlikeable.

Thank you to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for the ARC!

3.5! Rounded up

Despite my rating, this was a fascinating and for me a quick read for how I sped through it just taking in all of the people we get to meet and see through Lewis. I felt that even if I thought the short chapters were good for a sense of moving on from one to the next, having more with certain characters and even some chapters of just Lewis would have really made me love this more. I just wanted a more filler for some characters and situations that happen here.

However, I am beyond happy to have read this as it has been forgotten but has now been put to be published.

You are thrown into situations that are raw, awkward, uncomfortable, wild, worrying, shocking, disturbing, it is not a happy read and can even be bleak. But what one hell of a read it is.

Where do I start? This book left me so overwhelmed. I couldn't put it down for a second and when I finished it I wanted more of it. I wanted more books. So so good.