Book Review
A Good Animal by Sara Maurer
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: February 24, 2026
Format: Hardcover - 288 pages
Kindle - 275 pages / 3.4 MB
Audiobook - 8 Hours 26 Minutes
Nook - 288 pages / 4 MB
ISBN (Hardcover): 978-1250383563
ASIN (Kindle): B0F5PDT7M8
ASIN (Audiobook): B0F6FZP3P6
ISBN (Nook): 978-1250383570
Genre: Literary Fiction / Coming Of Age
Buy The Book
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I also purchased a hardcover from my monthly BOTM subscription.
Book Description:
A heart-wrenching coming-of-age debut novel by a stunning new voice in fiction, for readers of Barbara Kingsolver and Ann Patchett.
In the farm country outside Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan—a border town where life moves slow and dreams run fast—most kids want out. Not Everett Lindt. He’s set on staying put, rebuilding his family’s sheep farm, and carving a future from the land he loves.
Then he meets Mary, a new girl in town with restless energy and bigger plans. When their relationship reaches a crossroads, Everett sees a life together; Mary, however, is desperate to find a way out. Together, they make an impulsive choice—one that will change everything.
Tense, lyrical, and deeply felt, Sara Maurer's unforgettable debut breathtakingly captures the ache of first love, the beauty and brutality of rural life, and how one decision can echo through generations and shape who we become.
My Book Review:
In her debut novel, A Good Animal, author Sara Maurer weaves a beautiful coming of age story about a small-town boy and a city girl, first love, and very different dreams for their futures.
Everett Lindt is a small-town boy from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Everett comes from generations of sheep farmers, and he knows his future is to continue working the family farm.
Mary Williams is the new girl in town, she has lived in many places with her father, a career Coast Guard officer. She knows that Sault Ste. Marie is just another stop in her journey, as she has big dreams and plans to move to California and attend art school after she graduates from high school.
When Everett meets Mary, he's instantly smitten, but it takes a while for her to be interested in him. Follow along as Everett tells his story about spending nine months with Mary from the Summer of 1995 until Spring 1996. Their time together fuels first love and the agony of different future plans, with impulsive choices and decisions that will put them at a difficult crossroad that will ultimately change their life.
A Good Animal is a beautifully written coming of age story. I loved how the storyline follows Everett and Mary as their relationship develops over the space of nine months. I loved the opposites attract storyline: a small-town farm boy meets a city girl, the differences between farm life and city life, and the agony that comes from wanting different dreams for the future, and the consequences of their choices and decisions.
I loved Everett, I admired his dream to continue with his family farm after graduating from high school, he's centered and knows what he wants for his future. Unfortunately, he gets swept up in first love agony over Mary (I was not a fan of hers), how he tried to convince her that small-town life with him would be all she needs, and how his desire led to impulsive actions that ultimately changed both of their lives.
A Good Animal is an angsty and heartbreaking tale that takes the reader on a roller coaster ride where they experience the full gamut of emotions. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that I thoroughly loved the description of small-town life, and learning everything about the life of a sheep farmer. I loved reading about the life cycle of the ewes, rams and lambs, but I have to admit that it made me smile but also cry in certain parts of the story ... sigh.
Finally, I would like to congratulate the author on a beautiful debut novel. She knew how to draw the reader into Everett and Mary's story as their relationship unfolded. I hope to read her future novels.
A Good Animal tugs at the heartstrings and will leave the reader emotionally spent.
Rating: 5 Stars 
About The Author
Sara Maurer lives with her family in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. She earned her bachelor's degree from Albion College and master's from Eastern Michigan University. She honed her creative writing craft while completing Stanford's Continuing Studies Novel Writing Certificate program. Her short fiction can be found in Dunes Review, Hominum Journal, and The Twin Bill. A Good Animal is her first novel.
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