Like so many others, I remember getting caught up in the “Cat Person” excitement when the story was published by the New Yorker back in 2017. At first glance, a short story about a 20-something college student and her flirtation with an older man doesn’t seem like something that would go viral. But it did what all good stories do: it sparked a conversation. A conversation about sex, gender politics, and power dynamics.

So when I heard Roupenian would be releasing her first short story collection in 2019, I knew I needed to get a copy. I hoped it would be full of engaging well-written stories like “Cat Person,” and for the most part, it delivered. The stories in You Know You Want This show a darker side of humanity and dissect the different power dynamics we may encounter in our lives—both toxic like in “Bad Boy” where a couple begins manipulating their single friend, and shifting like in “Biter” about a young woman with a love of biting who is waiting for the opportune moment to clamp down on her co-worker.

As you may be able to tell, there is often a violent or grotesque slant to the stories and even a few moments that are hard to read (pro tip: do not read “The Matchbox Sign” before bed). Sometimes they even walk the line into the supernatural. They weren’t all standouts, however. Some were much weaker than others, like “Sardines” or “The Mirror, the Bucket and the Old Thigh Bone.” But all of them made me pause and take a moment to digest what Roupenian was trying to say.

You Know You Want This is a collection of stories about women, about how women carry themselves, how they make decisions, and how others interact with them. And even though I didn’t love all of the pieces as much as “Cat Person,” I was impressed with the collection. If you’re a fan of writers like Kelly Link and Carmen Maria Machado, I think you will be impressed by Roupenian too.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"No," she said. "I told you, I don't want to listen to your stupid tape."

"Yes, you do," he said. "You just don't know it yet." He reached up and slid the headphones over her ears. She could smell his body odor, a mix of cigarette smoke and sweat and sour breath. She was about to snatch the headphones off when she heard a dusty crackling, like the static at the start of a record, and then a man singing, accompanied by rough strokes of acoustic guitar. His voice was high and melancholy and just a little off-key. It reminded her of the way she's felt after she'd drunk the vodka, as though an entire planet were pressing on top of her, holding her down.

— from "Look at Your Game, Girl," in You Know You Want This, by Kristen Roupenian.

Did you read "Cat Person" last year? Go read it now, and be horrified by the prospect of online dating and the impossibility of knowing someone via text.

Since reading this collection over the holiday, several of these stories have faded from my memory already. But some of them are standouts. That includes the now renowned "Cat Person." I would put "Look at Your Game, Girl," and "The Good Guy" in the same of category, maybe "Bad Boy." Insightful, uncomfortable, effective.

I think Roupenian is at her best when exploring sexual dynamics, the mysterious gaps between people. She exploits the uncertainty between people, the failure of trust. You know you want it, but do you know what it is you want so bad? That thing you want — it's dark, aggressive, transgressive.

Other stories border on weird horror, had supernatural elements. Those stories are weaker in my view. Possibly because the space between natural and supernatural elements is so much wider than the chasm between men and women; the tension is not so tightly contained.

Could not finish this. I read the first couple stories and they were just too weird for me. Not my type of story

Had to quit reading, the stories were all just too strange and grotesque. The author was very imaginative, but not for me.

This was a collection of short stories that the author wrote after her most famous short story, Cat Person was published in the New Yorker. That story I believe I read out loud to three people it was that good---humorous and tragic all mixed into one about a dating experience gone wrong, very wrong. My interest was thus piqued for this author's other work given my love of that particular short story.

I found her other short stories were a bit of a mixed bag. Some were outlandishly shocking, like "Biter" about a woman who fantasizes about biting her coworker and "Death Wish" that involves a man who meets a woman on Tinder who wants to be punched AND kicked before they have sex. Those two stories, although outlandish, were nonetheless interesting and gave me a feeling of wanting to know more.

The "Boy In The Pool" involved a man in a pool in a soft core porn that teenagers watch over and over again, all to bring that guy to a bachelorette party left me wanting more. I felt there was more to the story that could have been written. The characters just weren't fleshed out enough for me.

In addition, "The Mirror, the Bucket, and the Old Thigh Bone" and "Scarred" were too fantastical for me. I felt like the characters could have been written better for me to enjoy them more.

But then there were stories like "The Good Guy" and "the Matchbox Sign", where I was sad when both stories ended. It involved characters who were both flawed, or were they? I liked that the author left it yup to the reader to decide.

Overall, I read these stories quickly and was satisfied with the majority of the stories within this book. I would recommend "Cat Person" especially to anyone who needs a good laugh. A recommended read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance e-copy of this book for my honest review.

Like many readers, when I read Kristen Roupenian's short story Cat Person, I loved it and immediately wanted more. You Know You Want This did not disappoint. I loved the weird and wonderful short stories, my favourites were Look at Your Game, Girl and Biter. I can't wait to see what else Kristen will write. Thank you to NetGalley and Scout Press for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book. It was my first time reading a book by this author. This book is for 18 plus crowd I look forward to other books by this author.

I enjoyed reading this book. It had a good story to it. It is made for the 18+ crowd. It is my first book by this author. I hope to read more books by this author. I liked the variety of characters in it.