"Kittentits" by Holly Wilson is a whimsical and provocative exploration of identity, femininity, and the intersection of humor and vulnerability. Wilson's unique voice shines through in her playful yet insightful prose, blending absurdity with poignant reflections on societal expectations. The characters are colorful and memorable, navigating their quirks and complexities in a world that often feels constraining. This book invites readers to embrace their own eccentricities while challenging norms, making it a delightful and thought-provoking read. Wilson's bold storytelling will leave you both laughing and contemplating deeper themes long after you turn the last page.

*Kittentits* by Holly Wilson is an imaginative and audacious debut novel, blending absurdist humor with emotional depth. Set in 1992 Illinois, the story follows ten-year-old Molly, a foul-mouthed girl who lives in a semi-communal house haunted by ghosts, including a nun. When Jeanie, a dirt bike-riding ex-convict, moves in, Molly becomes obsessed with her. Despite Jeanie's harsh treatment, Molly idolizes her due to their shared experiences of grief over their dead mothers.

The novel takes a surreal turn when Jeanie fakes her death in a hot-air balloon accident, prompting Molly to embark on a wild adventure to Chicago. There, with the help of her pen pal, Demarcus, Molly seeks to hold a séance to reconnect with their lost mothers. The book is a surrealist, coming-of-age story with bold, sometimes grotesque, humor, touching on themes of friendship, loss, and growing up.

This was not for me.
I guess I thought this would be witty and fun but it was like an alien pretending to be an adult pretending to be a child barfed words they thought would be funny and shocking onto page after page. Only it reads more like Slam poetry X Cringe Soup for the Soul.
The satire was not satiring for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Zando | Gillian Flynn Books for the eARC.

What a weird, weird book! So much swearing and aggression and rage, and it’s hard to decipher what’s real and what’s not. But if you ignore all that and just listen to Molly’s story, it’s a wild, captivating ride.

Entertaining, but I feel like the author was doing too much. Also, the writing could use a lot of work. I'm interested to see how the author improves in the future.

Kittentits was a really wacky and wild read. I loved the protagonist being a young girl, it was executed perfectly! I would read more from Wilson.

Kittentits is a ride that isn't for everyone... but when it finds the right reader it's fanstatic.
This book is truly absurd and will take a bit for your brain to wrap around, but it's all in good fun!

This title was a DNF for me because the level of chaos made me worry about the girl to an extent that I couldn't relax and enjoy it. I'd been hoping for something like Miriam Toews' Fight Night, but Kittentits was too dark for me. I'm giving it three stars as a sort of "it's as much me as the book" rating.

Quirky, to say the least, not to mention unrepentantly foul-mouthed and defiantly "un-PC," the narrator of "Kittentits" might be a little to swallow for some, as evidenced by the wildly divergent reviews, but if you're looking for something a little different, a mix of Lydia Barry, Joy Williams, and Kelly Link? This might be for you.

Kittentits is a wild ride through the chaotic mind of Molly, a potty-mouthed ten-year-old navigating grief and yearning for connection in 1992. With its raw honesty and unflinching portrayal of childhood, Wilson's debut novel is a rollercoaster of emotions. Molly's unfiltered narration is both hilarious and heartbreaking, capturing the unique perspective of a young girl grappling with loss and forging unexpected friendships.

The novel's surreal elements and quirky characters add to its charm, creating a world that feels both familiar and fantastical. While some readers may find Molly's abrasive language and antics off-putting, those willing to embrace her messy journey will be rewarded with a poignant and unforgettable story about resilience, love, and the power of female friendship.

Sigh. Absolutely not. I loved the idea and I even really liked the MC's voice (though I feel more than a bit uncomfortable with her age, given her relationship with the other central character in the book). Is it realistic? Of course not. Was it fun? Yes, mostly. BUT. The use of the r-slur and the weird fixation on "Indian" things from a white girl in the '90s was...not it. Just...WHY make these narrative choices in 2024? It reads as edgelord-y in the worst ways, at best. At worst, it's just grossly racist and ableist for no reason.

Big thanks to NetGally for the advance copy. This was such a wonderfully weird book. You are thrown into the mind of a foul mouth 10 year old girl who is obsessed with a 23 year old girl who has just been released from jail. Our narrator Molly takes us on a bizarre adventure leading up to New Years 1992 at the Worlds Fair.

I noticed a lot of people had issues with the language used but honestly I remember being a weirdo kid like Molly so it felt almost nostalgic. This story had me hooked from the start and the ending was WILD!! I can’t wait to see what this author does next!! 10/10 weird girl book!

very fun, very wild book! a very unique approach of telling a coming of age story full of weird characters.

The novel "Kittentits" by Holly Wilson is a truly unique and captivating piece of literature. Despite my extensive reading experience, I have never came across anything quite like it. The protagonist, Molly, is a force to be reckoned with, evoking a sense of the rebellious and audacious spirit of a young Kenny Powers, thrown into the unsettling world of "Welcome to the Dollhouse" with a detour through "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." Her unabashed and witty observations prompted me to collect notable quotes, reminiscent of a young girl eagerly stuffing her bra.



This narrative delves into profound themes of grief, independence, companionship, family dynamics, and unapologetic empowerment. While Molly's outlandish adventures may raise doubts about her reliability as a narrator, they are undeniably imaginative and entertaining. The chaotic world she describes is vivid and surreal, captivating readers and immersing them in her reality.

Kittentits! What a cover! What a title! What promise! What a disappointment!

Tragically I could not buy ten year old, scab eating, clothes stealing, ghost seeing, potty mouthed Molly as a character in any way shape or form. I wanted to love her. I tried to love her. It didn't happen.

While this wasn't the book for me, other reviewers are eating it up so what do I know?

My thanks to NetGalley and Zando Projects for the ARC.

Kittentits has a very specific writing style that I think will either be for you or very much not for you. Unfortunately it wasn’t for me and I decided to DNF. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free ebook to review.

The title Kittentits is a nickname given to the main character and it hints at her duality. A ten-year-old with a vulgar streak, a Jane Eyre dropping f bombs amidst accidentally poetic observations, a little girl running away from trauma and headlong towards trouble.

The first person narrative is equal parts confabulation and conflagration in that the narrator is unreliable and fire follows her wherever she goes. And even though I didn’t find the children in this book all that believable for their ages, a novel doesn’t have to be believable to be a great story. In fact, maybe it’s better when it’s just on the edge. The characters are only lightly rooted in reality and become increasingly supernatural in the surreal style of David Lynch.

Carnivalesque is the best way to describe both the 1992 World’s Fair setting and the plot. But it’s not just any fair, it’s like Luna Luna, the 1987 West German carnival made in collaboration with artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Salvador Dalí and Keith Haring. I visited the recently reconstituted version of the Luna Luna park in Los Angeles funded by Drake and other art world investors. Sadly, it was all roped off rides that have become priceless to art collectors and worthless to carnies. If Kittentits were running the show, we’d all be taking joy rides on that Basquiat ferris wheel and vomiting all over the Keith Haring merry-go-round. Holly Wilson’s writing combines the best of this high-low-experience of high brow surreality and greasy funnel cakes.

I received an digital advance reader copy from NetGalley and Gillian Flynn Books in exchange for an honest review.

I found the vibe of this book unnerving and the dialog hard to follow, I was disappointed in the ending.

sigh, if i must be honest i hated this. i would not have attempted to finish if i was not reading an ARC of this. messy, hard to follow plot with unnecessarily offensive language, this is the second book from gillian flynn’s publishing company that i have regretted reading!

I have a hard time getting into this book. I also feel like the writing style is a bit off. I'm not really fond of some of the slurs in this book. 

Thank you Netgalley for the review copy.