Review: The Petting Zoos

The Petting Zoos by K.S. Covert
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Petting Zoos by author K.S. Covert is a novel I wanted to like. The plot was timely and contained just enough to pique my interest and compel me to request this as an ARC from NetGalley. Try as I might, however, there are things about this book that are in need of aggressive editing. Some may be coming in the published work (e.g. formatting errors), but some appear to be a conscious effort on the part of Covert that simply do not work or are errors egregious enough to have separated me from the page.

The story itself is certainly one of relevance. A pandemic has swept the world and left in its wake a society separated by law-required masks, gloves and clothing made impervious to the virus that was discovered to have clung to it. The illness, dubbed Henny Penny, has left nothing untouched. From food supplies to the sensation of another human’s touch, each aspect of society has in some way been disturbed and transformed. Lily is a woman who, prior to the pandemic, is purported to have led a relatively “normal” life, gathering with friends, traveling to work, etc. She contracted Henny Penny, nearly lost her life, and emerged a newly minted hermit, ordering food rations, working from home and separating herself from others who survived the worst. Even when the guidelines of the government are eased and employees are forced to return to the workplace, Lily maintains her isolation to the extent possible. As a magazine writer, her prior job of reporting is no longer in her comfort zone, and so she is asked to consider penning fictional stories for the publication. Here she shines, as her talent draws in readers and garners her fan mail. When Lily simultaneously receives a request from her boss to return to reporting in order to write a story about illegally operating human “petting zoos”, as well as a letter inviting her to visit a particular zoo, and finally a private recommendation from her doctor to give one a try, Lily is forced out of her comfort zone and into a hedonistic world where humans deprived of basic contact for so many years come together to touch and be touched and to satisfy the wanting that consumes them. Lily’s journey to self-actualization is followed as she visits zoos of varying degrees, from vanilla zoos that allow only superficial touch to mocha zoos that are ruled by an “anything goes” mantra and harken back to what were once known as swingers’ clubs.

Covert begins her book with a glossary of terms one needs to know to fully appreciate the story. I found it to be off-putting and a far too sterile introduction. As a reader, I need an immediate hook, which this vocabulary exercise just didn’t provide. Covert also structures the text in a way that is interesting to analyze but difficult to read. Main character Lily begins as a flat, gray presence that is reflected in the flat gray of the writing. As she slowly emerges from her hibernation, the writing follows suit and becomes more colorful—more engaging. Whilst I understand the author’s intent, those initial monotone pages are difficult to wade through, and there’s just not enough of an immediate payout to encourage the reader’s continued investment.

The descriptions of the leveled petting zoos, and the activities that occurred within, were well written and contained just enough sensory detail to bring the events to life. Without the reader engaging with Lily as a sympathetic character, however, the scenes aren’t in any way anchored. We know next to nothing about the person Lily was before the pandemic, and only a very small amount of who she became in isolation, so finding interest in her zoo visits is difficult at best. The result is some well-written soft porn.

There are also some continuity issues here. In one scene, Lily is visiting an illegal “rave-type” event run by her neighbor, Eleanor. The scene inside the building, as well as the fact that Lily detects a scent of marijuana, is described before she even gets out of the car. It is errors such as this that again separated me from the story itself.

Overall, the writing is sound with masterful sentence structure, wonderfully sensual imagery and a plot that hits close to home in light of current events. Profound and unapologetic editing is needed, however, in order for this book to meet its true potential.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dundurn Press for allowing me to review this ARC. Publication is set for June of 2022.

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Review: The Fixer Upper

The Fixer Upper by Lauren Forsythe
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This rom-com from author Lauren Forsythe was a quick read with some witty banter and an interesting premise. There were, however, too many flaws to render it of any significant merit.

The story begins with an introduction to Alyssa (Aly), a thirty something woman with a path behind her of torched relationships, a less-than-ideal childhood and superficial friendships. She does, however, have the same two stereotypic friends I’ve repeatedly seen in this genre: Tola, a beautiful female friend who is living what appears to be an ideal life, and Eric, a gay male confidante whose flame burns bright. When Tola and Eric suddenly realize that each of Aly’s former boyfriends have, since their breakups with Aly, become madly successful, they crunch the numbers. What they discover is that Aly is consistently the catalyst for their success. The three then launch an impromptu business that sets out to give a nudge to men on behalf of their significant others in an effort to improve upon their shortcomings, from the short sighted boyfriend who doesn’t realize his girlfriend’s need for a proposal to the downright blind father who doesn’t realize he is failing as a stay at home dad. The trio insert themselves into the lives of these men for planned encounters designed to show them the “error of their ways.”

There were a few things that bothered me right out of the gate. First, the idea that men are really this stupid and easily manipulated is offensive. This didn’t strike me as light hearted or funny, but rather as pathetic and sad. Wanting others to conform instead of appreciating who they are is the ultimate example of the needs of a narcissist.

Second, Aly lies with impunity. She lies to her mother about not being available, she lies to her business partners about the financial specifics of a particular deal, and she lies about her familiarity with a former boyfriend whom she claims to have “just met.” Whilst the specifics that led to these lies were portrayed as “cute”, “noble” or just plain necessary, they destroyed any likability for, or even relatability to, her. The author’s attempts to justify Aly’s prevarications fail over and over again never quite making any of the lies acceptable, though every single character of import forgives her without so much as a second thought. It was this aversion to the truth, the deep seated flaw in Aly’s character, that made investing in her seem to be not worth the effort.

The third issue I experienced was one of authenticity. The story takes place primarily in London, the characters are decidedly British and yet the word choice, spellings and punctuation struck me as all American. Finding out the author lives in the UK came as a surprise, as the book read as if an American writer were trying to sound like a Brit.

Finally, the word yelp needs to be removed from this author’s vocabulary. Aly yelps, her mother yelps, Eric yelps, and the list goes on. I found myself shaking my head every time it was used, resulting in near whiplash.

I vascillated between a 2.5 and a 3 for this one. I enjoyed this author’s character development and pacing, I just didn’t appreciate the characters themselves. They were far too old to be behaving like immature adolescents, they possessed few likable traits and simply failed to engage me in their story.

Than you to NetGalley and Penguin a group Putnam for this ARC copy for review. Publication of Fixer Upper is tentatively set for August of 2022.

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Review: Scarecrow Has a Gun

Scarecrow Has a Gun by Michael Paul Kozlowsky
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



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First and foremost, I absolutely loved this book.  Although as a general rule, sci-fi is out of my wheel house, Scarecrow Has a Gun is so well-written that it seemed a natural process to suspend any disbelief. Author Michael Paul Kozlowsky takes a completely impossible premise, brings it to life as plausible and forces the reader to reassess everything they thought of as tangible and real.

The star of this show is main character Sean Whittlesea, a widower who lost his wife in a violent encounter when his son was still a toddler. Almost twenty years later, we find Sean with a second child and a new love.  Although his mind refuses to unlock the details surrounding that fateful day his wife was murdered, he has managed to rebuild his life.  It is on the job, however, that Sean is challenged to reassess his reality, as the author forces Sean and the reader to reconsider the accuracy and accountability of “memory”.  An involuntary member of the “Widowers’ Club”, Sean is, on a regular basis, forced to participate in sadistic “competitions” from which only one member emerges victorious. While the losers trudge back to their everyday existence, the winner rises through the company ranks, bestowed with new life, new wealth and the ability to fulfill his wildest dreams.  When Sean finally finds himself on the winning end of one of these mind-bending challenges, he is presented with a gift—a box that allows him to see, in real time, every moment of his life.  What is at first seen as the answer to Sean’s relentless pursuit of the truth regarding his wife’s death quickly morphs into an existential crisis.  How much of what we remember is based on reality and how much do we spackle over it, patching the holes with material that we mold to suit our needs?  

Kozlowsky creates in Sean Whittlesea an “Everyman” of sorts.  Although not all of us experience such profound tragedy, most of us have moments in our lives to which we wish we could return—to see those events again unfold with the benefit of hindsight.  Just how accurate are those memories we retain?  How much of the minutiae is simply “filled in” by details we remember not in reality but as a result of a need to soften the moment and make us appear more human—more compassionate—more altruistic?  These are the questions with which Sean struggles, and in doing so, instills an element of unease in each of us as we examine the entire process of simply “remembering”.   It is in author Kozlowsky’s ability to make us turn inward while accompanying Sean on his own journey that the absolute brilliance of this book is grounded.

Incredible character development, a unique and clever plot, and twists the reader won’t see coming make this an early contender for the Best of 2022.  Five big gold stars and a thank you to NetGalley and Imbrifex Books for the ARC.  The expected publication for this book is August of 2022.