I requested Pizza Girl because the cover was interesting and the title didn't give me any idea what the plot was. I saw this and thought "what on Earth is this" and wanted to read it.



I opted to avoid reading the synopsis so I truly had NO idea what I was getting into.


What I found was a heartbreaking story of a young girl who is pregnant at 18, dealing with the loss of her drunk father and almost overly supportive mom and boyfriend. She is trying to get through day by day and is truly not living in her life. Until one day Jenny calls her pizza shop and requests a pepperoni and pickle pizza. This pizza store was her last hope and her son will eat nothing else. For whatever reason our protagonist, Pizza Girl, decides to help her out and sets our story into motion.



I devoured this book in two sittings, though it easily could've been one had I started just a little earlier in the day. While the chapters were longer than I personally care for (I LOVE short chapters) the story was compelling and I was hooked to know how it would all end. The story could be described as a slice of life, we witness these characters for such a short amount of time, but it feels like so much happened. My only complaint is that I'm left wanting more.

The epilogue was logical and truly the right choice but I wish it had been a bit further into the future at the same time. I am left with questions that I suppose I'm not meant to have the answer to, but I don't view it as a negative. I was granted access to the characters journey and when that journey ended it was time to go.


While I do decidely love this book, it was really quite sad which I did not expect.

I didn't mean to read this book yet, but accidentally got sucked in when I read the first page. It's a quick read with well-written, flawed characters. This debut is extremely promising.

Despite being super excited to read Pizza Girl, I'm struggling to describe my thoughts on this debut novel. It is an unapologetic and honest coming of age story about a pregnant teen who becomes obsessed with a woman whom she delivers a weekly pizza. On one hand, it's extremely readable and I flew through it in hopes of a happy ending. On the other hand, it was conflicting to root for a main character doing something I felt very uncomfortable with (spoiler: drinking while pregnant). Reading these sections made me cringe a little, and if you have read "All the Ugly and Wonderful Things," you likely know the uneasy feeling I'm describing.

In reading other reviews, I'm surprised by other readers referring to this book as "hilarious" or "funny" - because while wry, I found it incredibly sad. All this said, Jean Kyoung Frazier is a fantastic writer, and I'd read something by her again.

Thanks DoubleDay + Netgalley for the chance to review early.
In addition to Goodreads, this review will be available on my Instagram: @bookish_molly

This is one of those novels that will be a runaway sleeper. What begins as an odd, almost David Sedaris-like encounter between a pizza delivery woman and a mother trying to placate her pickle pizza-loving son turns into a heartfelt and somewhat harrowing story of love, motherhood, and the lengths we go to to connect. It's really weird and lovely.

This is one of those books that I thoroughly enjoyed but it’s hard to explain why. Not a ton happened at the beginning but maybe that’s what cloning of age stories are all about. Watching someone grow and see the world from their point of view. It was awkward and weird at times, but that made the story really relatable. 4.5/5 stars. My only dislike was some of the homophobic language. I wasn’t sure what the point of it was or if it was necessary for the story.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this novel. This was a very enjoyable coming of age tale. The characters were all very likable and interesting. It was a fun read that I read in one sitting. Looking forward to more by this author.

This book was super fun! It is sort of a coming of age story about an 18 year old dealing with pregnancy, the death of her father and her new friendship that came from an unexpected place. Since this book is only about 200 pages i dont want to give too mucaway but I did very much enjoy it! Thank for netgalley for the ARC!