Correy is a werewolf, and it only gets worse for her from there. At a college party one night, she finds herself cornered She does what any trapped animal would do; she fights.

As time passes, the magnitude of what happened that night slowly begins to sink in for her. Now, she and her friends must work together to cover her tracks, and Correy must grapple with what it means to be a woman, a human, a wolf, and over all, a social animal.

Werewolves are almost never depicted as women, despite the parallels that can be drawn to the human feminine experience. Women are expected to conform to idealized standards, such as being docile, kind, and peaceful; they are expected to confine themselves to the realm of the domestic, instead of being allowed to indulge in impulse and be their authentic selves. The inversion of the typical werewolf trope in the monster novel allows for exploration of femininity, gender roles, self-control, viciousness, protectiveness, and family.

Social Animals: Species is the first part of a three-part thriller series. Its sequels are Social Animals: Genus and Social Animals: Family.