CAT PERSON AND OTHER STORIES includes a mix of literary, weird, horror, and fantasy stories that nicely display the author’s gift for storytelling and for creating memorable, realistic characters.

“Bad Boy” uses a cool second person plural point of view of a couple. The use of “we/us” nicely puts the agency as well as the blame for the story events in the hands of both people and conveys the tale as though the partners are of one mind as they push the boundaries of their relationship with a male friend.

“Look at Your Game, Girl” shows a young girl’s encounters with a potential predator. His obsession with a certain serial killer amps up the creep factor.

In “Sardines” a child’s birthday wish for “something mean” mirrors her mother’s own desires.

“The Night Runner” shows the students of a peace corp teacher who harass him to the point that he feels he’ll never fit into the community in Kenya he’s been assigned to aid.

“The Mirror, the Bucket, and the Old Thigh Bone” reads as a twisted fairytale about the horrors of love.

“Cat Person,” a controversial tale that sparked intense debate after publication in The New Yorker, examines the dynamics of a strange hookup. This story does a fantastic job of showing how we try to decipher the thoughts of others and the mental games played during dating.

“The Good Guy” examines the painful wanting of unrequited love and the fallacy of the “nice guy” and shows how early relationships can have far-reaching effects on one’s romantic relationships.

In “The Boy in the Pool,” an old movie bond three female friends.

“Scarred” conjures a woman’s deepest desires, but at a high cost.

In “The Matchbox Sign,” a wife battles a perplexing parasite problem.

“Death Wish” involves a disturbing kink that makes for a troublesome Tinder hookup.

In “Biter,” a childhood desire to bite turns into an adult obsession.

“Milkwishes” explores memories as a man recalls the quirks of a childhood friend, while celebrating his mother’s birthday.

This collection is an emotional powerhouse that digs deep into relationships and desires. While every story is a winner, the standouts are “Bad Boy,” “Sardines,” “Cat Person,” “Scarred,” and “Biter.” Each of these five stories lingered with me longer than the others. Many of the stories contain humorous elements and a brutal authenticity of the human experience that dares the reader to embrace head on. These stories are bound to touch readers in different ways.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and Scout Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc., for providing an Advance Reader Copy.

*I was sent a free ARC of this book by Gallery Books in exchange for an honest review*

This was...quite possibly my favorite read of the year so far. Compulsively readable, consumingly descriptive, convincingly real while maintaining an air of elevation. Roupenian twists dark tales about the private perversions of everyday people and how they resist or, usually, succumb to their demons. Virtually none of the protagonists are “likeable,” yet I was so engrossed in their nasty tales that I couldn’t stop turning the page, couldn’t decide firmly how I wanted it to end. Each story packs a punch and effortlessly guides a character study packed with tension to a satisfying ending. I can't wait to see what Roupenian does next.

Cat Person and Other Stories was gross. And thrilling. And engaging. And messed up. And fascinating. And I thoroughly enjoyed it for all of it's gross and thrilling and engaging and messed up and fascinating elements.

This entire collection can most simply be described as a meditation on desire and what some people are willing to do to achieve the object of their desire, And yet they all do so much more than that as well, because they also take a look at women with the capacity to be horrifying while also taking a look at the horrifying things done to them. In these stories, sometimes they are the predator, and sometimes the prey.

Not only are the stories in this collection well written and compulsively readable, but they also span a wide range of genres and topics making for an endlessly fascinating and ever-changing reading experience. These stories both revolt and repel in a way that made it impossible to put down, and while there were times reading this that I felt intensely uncomfortable, I also had no desire to put it down.

Utterly enthralling, compulsive, can’t put down collection.

This short story collection was impossible to put down and is perfect for readers who loved Her Body and Other Parties.

In this collection Roupenian explores the darker, inner dialogues we all have with ourselves, whether we want to admit to them or not. Exploring relationships between families, friends, lovers, strangers, Roupenian shows her readers that they are not alone in their darkest thoughts or imagined scenarios. Not every story will resinate with every reader, but this collection has something for everyone within its pages.

Risky, deeply imaginative and thought provoking, Cat Person will stick with you long after you finish the last page.

Wow, what a disturbing collection of stories. I almost quit right after finishing the first story, but I decided to push through and finish the whole book. Definitely not for everyone, not sure if I'd read any more stories like these.

I was looking for something different to read and boy did I get it. This is a group of short stories that really have very little in common and most definitely will leave you saying "huh" at the end of each but happily moving to the next one to see what it has in store. These are not for anyone who shocks easily or feels uncomfortable when reading personal detailed books. They are for the person who has the random thought of "I wonder what would happen if". Many of those thoughts are in this book!!!

I absolutely loved this book. This author has an incredible voice and imagination.

The stories are widely varied but each one is completely unique. Many are disturbing to read, but also fascinating and beautiful. My very favorite story was “The Mirror, The Bucket, and the Old Thigh Bone.” This story is like nothing I’ve ever read, and I couldn’t even begin to describe it except to say it is written in the manner of a fairy tale and is a dark, dark story (as fairytales usually are). “Cat Person” is great and deserving of the hype but not even close to the best story in the book. Some of the stories are laugh out loud funny while others gave me actual goosebumps.

This book is a collection of sparkling gems, mostly dark, multifaceted, beautiful, some with cracks. They stay with you for a long time and you will want to read them again, even right after you are finished.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Kristen Roupenian and Random House for this great book. I look forward to reading much more of Roupenian in the future.

Okay I just love short stories and this collection had me enthralled from the first story on. I rarely give 5 stars but I gave this book 5 stars because I absolutely loved all the stories and if you're looking for a great short story book, please get yourself this book!

The stories are bizarre, funny, mean, supernatural, you name it. After reading the first story about a couple who let a friend stay on their couch after a bad breakup and giving him advice on his terrible ex. They seem like nice friends right? Letting him stay? Wrong. The couple starts out from trying to be quiet about their sex life behind their bedroom door, to starting to leave their door open and getting off on teasing this poor guy, to letting him join in on their sexual encounters. Soon they start bossing their friend around in every aspect, telling him what to do, how to do it and basically treating him like a dog. So one day he leaves and doesn't come back or answer their texts or calls. Now the couple's sex life seems boring without him and so they go looking for him. What they find and do, I won't say because that would be giving the whole story away, but it is shocking.

From here, the stories get better and better and no they all do not have a sexual element to them so don't get worried you're stuck with a bunch of sex stories. Every story is amazing. Sometimes cruel, often weird but very, very entertaining. I read a LOT of short story books and this I highly recommend with 5 stars. I'm gonna leave this site right now to check if Kristen Roupenian, the author, has any other short story books out. I most definitely love her brain and the twisted tales she writes. Excellent job!

A very special thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for my ARC of this great book of short stories!

Cat person is a re-released group of short stories previously published as “You know you want this “. I find it difficult to rate a collection of short stories because I tend to like some and not others. I’ve broken it down by each story giving my first gut reactions to the story then tallied them all up to give the overall star rating. Below is my take on each story.

Bad Boy - awful hated this story
Look at your game girl - intriguing
Sardines - so so
The night runner - lame
The mirror, the bucket and the old thigh bone - strange but okay
Cat person - seemed unfinished
The good guy - semi-interesting
The Boy in the pool - didn’t get the point of this story
Scarred - bleak
The matchbox sign - icky
Death wish - weird but thought provoking
Biter - strangely satisfying
Milkwishes - pointless

I was very excited to read this because of the hit New Yorker short story that propelled the author to fame. Unforunately, I did not enjoy the rest of the collection. They're well written but forgettable. I honestly can't remember anything remarkable about them except for Cat Person (the horror stories in particular were not to my taste). YMMV but this collection didn't work for me.