A Dark but Sadly Realistic Book 
 When I requested THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES, the truth was that I knew very little about it other than that it was written by one of my favorite authors and had animals on the cover (which I am a total sucker for, see THE UNEXPECTED EVERYTHING). Clearly, I had no idea what I was getting into. Rape culture, slut shaming, sexism, and animal abuse are all depicted or mentioned in this book. It's an important read about genuine issues, one that makes us think twice about what we otherwise are eager to push back into the shadows and pretend does not exist. 
 A Story That Hooks You 
 While McGinnis is on my author auto-buy list, I enjoyed her other works more, at least as a whole. I flew through THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES though, devouring it in about three hours with no breaks because it was sort of morbidly readable. I had to know what the end game was going to be. That's not to say there aren't lighthearted moments. There is humor and character development and healthy relationships among the damaged dynamics of other relationships. Speaking of those relationships, I had mixed feelings on the characters. While they were all fleshed out and unique, some got on my last nerve and I felt that some never learned a single thing from their actions. However, my biggest issue was the problem that, in my opinion, there didn't seem to be a clear plot. 
 But One That Lacks Clear Direction? 
 A good chunk into the book I realized there was no main conflict or overarching problem that needed to be solved (or could be solved by the end of the book). View Spoiler >> THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES could be considered a character driven novel but it didn't seem like the main character really struggled enough with her actions or guilt enough to merit that description. I guess what I am saying is that I did not feel anything was solved other than drawing attention to issues that need to be brought to light, which is of course important in its own right. In that case, I wish more focus has been placed on victims rather than the dealing of the criminals. 
 Overall, I would still recommend this book as long as you are not sensitive to the issues being discussed in it. THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES is an important read, and I'm glad it occupied my Saturday morning.