Lean Cat, Savage Cat: 'A salacious romp of breathtaking self-invention and spectacular self-destruction' - SERVICE95

by Lauren John Joseph

A Talented Mr Ripley for contemporary Berlin: a twisting, sensual, heady and razor-sharp exploration of creativity, fame, desire and the divided self

Charli has finished art school and now has no idea what to do with her life. She's broke, disillusioned and her flatmates hate her. One night at a bar in Soho, however, everything changes when she first encounters the charismatic musician Alexander Geist. Androgynous, glamorously handsome, mysterious and just a little sinister, he feels something like a soul mate; and so when he heads off to Berlin, Charli follows.

There, at the centre of the city's febrile party scene, Charli and Alexander embark on their great project: to make Alexander into the biggest star since David Bowie. But Alexander is elusive, mercurial; and Charli is in over her head before she realises just how self-destructive her life has become under his spell.

A story of obsession and excess, doppelgängers and disassociation, fame and the terrible things we do to feel loved, Lean Cat, Savage Cat is an unforgettable novel from one of the most exciting writers at work today.

Genres: Fiction, Queer, LGBT, Literary Fiction, Adult, Audiobook, Music

352 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2026

Reviews

[Kobe · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Siobhan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lean Cat, Savage Cat is a novel about a woman who moves to Berlin after art school and falls for a musician in a world of parties, drugs, and obsession. Charli meets Alexander Geist, charismatic up-and-coming musician, in London and decides on a whim to move to Berlin with him. There, she falls in with old friends, but becomes increasingly obsessed with Alexander as they move between parties, and as Alexander's success grows, Charli finds herself losing herself to him.

Having read Lauren J. Joseph's previous novel, I would've read this one regardless of what it was about, but in fact, the summary was right up my street: Berlin, rock stars, and a comparison to The Talented Mr Ripley that I should've remembered whilst reading. The novel has a faded glamour updated for the 21st century, with Charli the party girl who, as someone in the novel remarks, talks like a character in The Secret History, and who is fascinated by Berlin of the 1970s, Bowie and Romy Haag. You are immersed in the world as you would be in an Isherwood novel, but at the same time, there's a concurrent narrative that gives hints that things aren't all quite right. It's hard to talk more about the plot without giving anything away, so I won't.

There's so much about queerness, sex, gender, fame, and the self in this book, but the reading experience is a rollercoaster of parties, gossip, and a hint of danger. I love how the real life figures of David Bowie and Romy Haag hang over the novel, all part of the doubling that takes place throughout. By combining contemporary and 20th century Berlin in this doubling, Lauren J. Joseph makes a book that feels timeless and exciting.

[Ruben · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a bit too cool for me. A trans woman follows her new lover to Berlin for a life full of uber-cool parties, drugs and experimental art shows. I have little interest in those and there was too little plot to hold on to and keep my interest. The idea of the novel seemed mostly to show the lifestyle?

The writing is good though and the style self-assured.

[Hannah Fralick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prob a 3.5

For basically the whole book I didn’t know what I was reading. It was like watching a movie without seeing a trailer first and wondering the whole time if it’s going to end up being a horror, romance, or a zombie will pop out.

I thought the main character was intriguing, though their perspective telling the story felt kinda flat. But the more I read the more I did feel that type of writing was representing just who the character was since it was from her perspective and that she was kinda shallow and didn’t feel certain things were serious.

The ending was abrupt but it has stuck w me and I’ve found myself thinking about the book longer than others that I would rate a 3

But I still left it being like what did the book really have to say? Not really sure what the lesson/point was besides just a look into someone’s life and a chance to see into a specific lifestyle (which could be the point lol). Like maybe it would be more poignant as a short story

Also! Slight spoiler but I do love how casually queer it was. I didn’t pick up anything from the bio of the book and they don’t make it a big point that the main character is trans, she just is. So that was a nice surprise

[Beth Menendez · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don’t know if I’m just not cool enough to read this book, or if I’m oblivious but this is not a book for me. I *struggled* with the plot as I couldn’t find it. This book read for me like getting caught in the surf while having a fever dream. I’m not a prude, promise, but I did not get this book at all. Is Alexander real? Why was the police at the hospital? Who was killed? What was happening?

I leave this book exhausted and anxious but grateful it’s done, much like waking up when you are still ill but making a turn for better.

I think I’m just not cool enough for this one.

[Courtney Holcomb · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’re looking for a book that feels like a 4:00 AM cigarette in a dark Berlin club, Lean Cat, Savage Cat by Lauren John Joseph is it. It’s a high-gloss, high-anxiety dive into toxic obsession and the price of wanting to be "someone."

Story 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Characters 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Actual Rating 4.25 Stars

[LX · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much for the proof!

Really interesting read, mainly the commentary about what do to ourselves for those we want, self destruction, toxic relationships, some parts felt like they dragged for me and I have so many questions at the end?? but interesting!!!

[jocelyn • coolgalreading]

i genuinely just sort of feel neutral to this one so idk how to rate it

[Everett Hays · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lauren J. Joseph continues to solidify herself as an auto-read author for me. After falling in love with her style in At Certain Points We Touch, I came into this with high expectations—and somehow, she exceeded them.

What struck me most was just how dark this novel is. Not in a performative or gratuitous way, but in a sustained, suffocating sense that never lets up. There’s a constant, oppressive aura hanging over the story that makes it feel visceral and, at times, genuinely horrifying. It unsettled me in a way few books do. Despite its relatively short length, it took me nearly a month to finish—not because I wasn’t engaged, but because I needed space to recover between sittings. That lingering discomfort is a testament to Joseph’s control and power as a writer.

That said, there were a few minor drawbacks. The ebook contains a noticeable number of typos, and unfortunately, those same errors appear in the physical copy as well. While they didn’t derail the experience, they did momentarily pull me out of the story. I also found myself anticipating the twist surrounding Alexander’s identity a bit early on. However, to the novel’s credit, it doesn’t rely solely on that reveal—the emotional and psychological weight of the story stands on its own.

Overall, this is a superb, deeply affecting read that leaves you reeling—primarily with a sharp sense of unease. Joseph has an incredible ability to burrow under your skin and stay there long after the final page.

Fun Fact: I know it’s going to be a five-star read when I catch myself covering half my Kindle to keep from reading ahead.

[S B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lauren J. Joseph is one of those authors who undoubtedly have a talent for writing poetry and theater, both genres that do well with flowery language, overdramatization, and niche references that allow connection to a certain audience. But those authors are also very often missing the connection when it comes to concise and poignant storytelling which — it might be a matter of preference, I admit — oftentimes frustrates me. When I pick up a book that advertises itself as a tension-filled adventure through Berlin's glittering nightlife, I suppose that's what I expect. This novel failed to deliver a cohesive, structured plot and instead built itself on a lot of monologues and redundant reflections which didn't move the plot forward and instead remained chewy to get through.

BUT here is the twist: given the polysemic ending of the story, like one of those optical illusions that, if you stare at it just long enough, you see a different picture — the novel had to be read multiple times. Which is my experience with 'Lean Cat, Savage Cat'. The alternating timelines and the flimsiness of Charly create a synthetic picture of chaos to distract the reader from noticing, most importantly, the unreliability of Charlie as a narrator.

I believe this book had a lot of potential and I would recommend people to pick it up, if only to exchange ideas about the ambiguity of the ending. In my opinion the language felt a bit rambling at times, but this is a matter of personal preference.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lauren John Joseph is brilliant and hilarious and I loved this and the way she writes. I have questions though, primarily: tell me more about the cat in the freezer...

[Adam Stevenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I managed to pick up a pre-release copy of Lean Cat, Savage Cat from a book-swap, and so don’t know how different the final version of the book is to the one I read.

It’s a woozy, weird, drinky, druggy, shaggy novel about a woman called Charli who runs off to Berlin with a musician called Alexander. He wants to be the next Bowie, she wants to be his Romy Haag. I was a little unsure when the book was set at first, their are references to Obama’s presidency and Q-Anon, but a trip to the cinema nailed it at 2007 - I don’t know why it became so important to me to know when the book was set, I think because so much of the book is fluid.

Many fluids are drunk in this book. It starts with wine and celery cocktails, these are chased throughout the book with multiple other drinks, cocaine, ketamine, magic mushrooms, heroin, and probably a bunch of other substances I have forgotten. Much of the book takes place with the narrator either drunk, high or hungover and this queasy atmosphere continues throughout. It is also revealed that much of the book consists of reminiscences Charli has whilst drugged up in a hospital after a car accident. It’s the introduction of this frame that deepens the book’s mystery and makes it compelling.

I was unsure of this novel when I picked it up, the first line is very ‘first-liney’ and Charli’s habit of referring most experiences to an element of culture, or a quotation makes her seem pretentious. It’s also one of those novels about twenty-somethings of an artistic nature who live in hedonistic squalor to pursue their dubious art, it’s a milieu that can get very irritating. Luckily, it’s well characterised and the people we meet are at least as interesting as they can be insufferable. The life in Berlin is portrayed as very full-on, vibrant and extremely queer (big call-out to the drag name Fagatha Crusty).

The relationship between Alex and Charli is clearly unhealthy, and this is explored in many ways. I’m not the biggest fan of pages of explicit sex in books, but the sex described in Lean Cat, Savage Cat is probably the clearest way the dynamics of their relationship is explored, changing as they do. It never felt a sex scene was included to be edgy, or to sell the book to book-tok, but were important character moments in the story.

The biggest mystery in the book, and the thing that elevated it beyond just another La Boheme rip-off, is the reliability of Charli as a narrator and Alexander as a person. His surname is Geist, the German for ghost - though it’s implied that’s a stage name. It’s when Charli talks about him in the hospital framing scenes, and no one seems to know who he is (or be hiding something about him) that things get slippery. It turns out Charli had an older brother called Alexander, who died in a car crash, and we are left with he distinct impression that she has been seeing his ghost, or he exists as a shadow side to her. The book doesn’t explicitly have a conclusion to the mystery, but there are enough suggestions to be satisfied, the book may be worth a re-read to see what other clues are in there.

I wasn’t completely sure how I’d take Lean Cat, Savage Cat, having taken it because it was free and intriguing, but I’m glad I did because I found myself caught up in the story and engaged by the mysteries it posed.

[Jo_Scho_Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charli is at a crossroads in her life. Call it destiny or serendipity but when she meets Alexander Geist, a charismatic and handsome aspiring musician, in a late bar one night it feels like this is where she’s meant to be. So she follows him to Berlin where they quickly enter the buzzy, druggy, queer underground world of clubs and parties filled with debauchery and chaos. But as Alexander’s star starts shining brighter it becomes apparent to Charli that her own life is spinning out of control.

This was certainly a different book to what I usually read. As a middle aged woman I don’t think I’m the target audience for this one, however isn’t that the joy of books? They take you out of your comfort zone to worlds you’d never normally experience? And that was certainly the case here. At first I did struggle a little with the explicit sex but as I got deeper into the storyline I realised it was cleverly emphasising Charli and Alex’s changing relationship. Theirs is an interesting dynamic; intense, extreme, passionate, hedonistic – much like the highly atmospheric Berlin queer scene they inhabit. It often felt exhausting to read about Charli’s life, the intense friendships, the constant drama and the chaotic and relentless experiences, my own life couldn’t be further away from it. But such is the power of the writing here that I too became a little enchanted by Alex and therefore understood and related with Charli more than I thought possible.

A very interesting ending, filled with suggestion and possibility and one that made me stop and really consider what I read.

[RecycledWords · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had high hopes for Lean Cat, Savage Cat after hearing so much positive feedback on Lauren J. Joseph's debut novel (At Certain Points We Touch) and I was not disappointed.

Charli's descent from slightly chaotic London art student into full member of the Berlin arts and nighlife scene and all of the hedonism and chaos that brings with it was both painful and a delight to read at the same time. Polly felt like a true friend who genuinely wanted to be there for Charli but got frustrated with her own willingness to help herself though she does come through for her at the end. Alexander reminded me of a fairytale wolf somehow in his mannerisms and lack of consideration for others. Whilst there were graphic sex scenes depicted in the novel, the way these were narrated by Charli felt as though she was almost slightly removed from the situation and telling it as something that happened to her rather than something she was actively taking part in.

I find the lack of resolution a little tricky but appreciate that it leaves the ending open to interpretation. My own personal interpretation is that Charli has ended up in a psychiatric facility following an accident and that her breakdown is caused by long-term complex grief over the traumatic loss of her brother.

Thanks to Bloomsbur Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Nicole Steele · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am beyond grateful that I was able to get this book as a advanced reader copy throughout a Goodreads Giveaway and I thought it was very interesting, because I never heard of this book before people got released.. When I read this book, I thought it was very interesting to learn about the woman named Charlie’s story who decided to run up to Berlin with a musician. Personally when I read this I was confused at the start of that when the time of the book was being sad but throughout my time reading it I eventually figured it out. I was very hesitant at first when we didn’t and wasn’t sure what to expect throughout reading this book. Overall, I think it was enjoyable, and I couldn’t see myself reading this again, and recommending it to other people. I think the constant passes and friends in this book, kept me on the edge of my seat.

[whatzoreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Explicitly graphic, obsession-fueled dark literary fiction laying bare the dark side of fame. Lean Cat, Savage Cat, has echoes of The Talented Mr Ripley and the dangerously stylish Saltburn yet it's fiercely original. Charli trails the charismatic Alexander across Europe and into a hedonistic Berlin where they attempt to transform him into the second coming of David Bowie. This is pure feral mess, a chaotic literary indulgence, and a love letter not just to Berlin but Bowie. I can't stress enough that this will not be for everyone and the blurb on the jacket belies the absolute debauchery inside its folds. Please check content warnings, this thing reads like a sexual grenade. Aftercare advised.

I rated this 3.5 stars because the technique started to chaff after about 200 pages, a girl would've appreciated a little rhythm change and some pillow talk.

[jay ☆౨ৎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so fun. It follows Charli and Alexander on a hedonistic, debauched spiral in Berlin while Alexander is up and coming as a musician. Both Charli and Alexander were extremely vivid characters, acting on their own self-interests while sharing a pretty tragic codependency. I particularly enjoyed the carnal, queer and sometimes discomforting sex scenes which, of course, complimented the Berlin setting. Lean Cat, Savage Cat is ultimately a story of sex, drugs, fame and corruption, and was wildly unpredictable whilst maintaining an overarching sense of doom throughout. In other words, this book felt like watching a horror movie through the slats of my fingers. I enjoyed and I recommend. Thank you to the publisher for the ARC!

[Franchesca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wild ride through Berlins' nightlife as Charli follows the mysterious Alexander Geist in his pursuit of stardom, involving copious amounts of alcohol, drugs, and elicit sex, was not quite what I was expecting, but I enjoyed the journey nonetheless. I like how it was written, going back to this time in her life and ahead to Charli's present circumstance, at times dreamlike and at others more down-to-earth and mundane. As another reviewer stated, I have questions, one in particular that I asked immediately after finishing and closing the book for the final time.

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

[Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

A blurred heady whirlwind of a book, sliding in and out of focus, by turns funny and painful and banal and picaresque. It has some very good sex writing, which is always a treat - it's so easy for sex to be horrible to read. Overall, a highly enjoyable read with frequent wincing.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

[Ri Wesby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Felt like a fever dream or a comedown after a bender in the dark rooms of Berlin. Very beautiful prose and sensorial writing. I enjoyed it although at sometimes it was very graphic but never obscene. Confusing and intimidating but very beautiful in its fragility.

[Caitlin Holloway · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amalgamation of settings, themes and characters that ticked a lot of my boxes. I enjoy books that take me on a journey to the dark, bustling corners of the world, especially in settings like Berlin where culture and counter-culture run deep into the bones of the place. There were a couple of things left unanswered by the end of this book but I have walked away feeling satisfied regardless.

[Rebecca Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF, I just lost interest in the plot, the writing was really great though. I think a lot of people will really like this.

[Gee · Rating 5 out of 5]

review pending

[Amelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.3

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 * - I loved the writing but felt the plot lost both me and the book.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dirty chic psychosis, extremely hot sex scenes and multiple Hildegard Von Bingen references. Of course I was enthralled!

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

For the first 100ish pages, I so badly wanted to DNF this... I don't even know how to review it, because it did get better. I'm gonna circle back to this.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story and the characters, but I felt it wandered and lingered too long in parts and was not a fan of the ending. I wanted more for Charli.

[V ᛑᛗᛛ · Rating 2 out of 5]

The blurb really made me want to read this book. The cover too. It promised a fun, chaotic Berlin journey and a toxic relationship, and I was excited. The writing itself is very neat and polished. You can tell the author knows what she's doing. Too bad, a lot of things in the story were different from what I expected, and not in a good way. Many elements that surprised me weren't mentioned in the blurb, and they changed how I felt about the book. It's not a bad book but I just didn't really like it.

edit: now that this book's released, I might give it another try...