What a silly little book that just tickled me in the best way. I'd like to read it again before providing a more detailed review on my Goodreads page, but here are some things I really enjoyed.
-the crass tone that sets the vibe
-a spitfire MC who joins the ranks of my favorite "unhinged women" books alongside the characters created by Anna Dorn and Eliza Clark
-humor aplenty, but the story remains in focus
-a refreshing reminder that we all view the world in different ways.

Thank you to Holly Wilson and the publisher, Zando/ Gillian Flynn Books, for approving me for this ARC. I loved it and can't wait to add a physical copy to my collection.

Alright, the book is called Kittentits ffs. Of course it was funny and bizarre. Molly, the foul-mouthed 10 year old, is absolutely wild, and her friendship with Jeanie was unconventional and controversial. I really enjoyed the whole Jeanie and Mombie storyline, I thought it was so interesting. It was honestly my favorite part of the book.

Molly is full of cuss words and loneliness, sees ghosts, and has a desperate need for adventure and attention. She’s slightly annoying, but it just made her narrative that much more believable. She was a good reminder that kids just want to be seen, and heard, and included.

This book explores friendship, adolescence and grief in a unique and funny way. The 90s nostalgia was real with this one, especially in the language choices. The language will definitely be divisive (there was a lot of use of the R* word which was pretty off-putting), and if I’m being honest with myself - it was a bit of a chore to get through. I liked a lot of the characters but the story itself struggled to hold my attention. I really wanted to love it but it was mostly just alright for me.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Zando for the eARC. Unfortunately this one was a bit of a letdown. I may be overly sensitive but I couldn't deal with the repeated use of the word re***ded and t*rd. I know it was probably used to convey Molly's immaturity and the time period but it became repetitive and took me out of the story.
Again, I fully admit that I'm more sensitive than others on this issue.

I am a fan of the transgressive, trash-talking female trend in recent novels — it can be cathartic to read about women loosening their girdles and refusing to act ladylike — and while it might be off-putting to see a ten-year-old curse and fling around words like “tard” and “lesbo” like Molly in Kittentits, when you come to understand that her antisocial behaviour is guarding a crushed and neglected heart, it’s the distance the reader has to travel between unlikeability and understanding that makes this a special and worthwhile journey. Layer on some surreal and absurdist elements — this is a novel with ghosts and miracles, puppets and wax dummies, a psychic cowgirl in an iron lung and feuding conjoined twins — and I can see how this wouldn’t be for everyone; but it was for me. I am a fan of just this sort of thing: interesting, out-of-the-box storytelling that reveals something true and relatable about being human; I was surprised and intrigued on every page and ultimately moved; I am delighted to have had this introduction to the work of Holly Wilson.

I really wanted to like this book and I think I would have if Molly was like, 14 or 15. She was written as too grown up for a 10 year old, and her interactions with those around her would have felt much more believable. Overall I will read more by this author.

Holly Wilson has created a completely unique and endearing-in-spite-of-herself character in our protagonist, Molly. I love when a writer is able to capture universal feelings of childhood within an extremely specific story, and Wilson definitely does that. For example, when Molly is sitting outside, kicking her feet against the porch waiting for the mail and looking at the sky - I felt that deep down. I suddenly accessed the feeling of looking at my bedroom through the eyes of another and only seeing "kid stuff", while being desperately intrigued by the room of an older person. And I can conjure quite clearly the whole sensory experience of a Garfield-and-Odie-in-shell-bras sleeping bag!! More broadly, throughout: the desperate desire to be taken seriously, to be seen as a whole human, and the straining against the limitations of being a kid without even fully knowing what they are. It's all familiar, coded deep down, and this book got some old neurons firing.

I loved, too, Molly's language, divisive as it may be. Wilson offers a very clear explanation early on, when Molly explains that her first encounter with profanity opened her up to possibility, charged her up with new powers, and gave voice to feelings she had not been able to express before. I understand that, and I think that many kids have something that does this for them: it might be drawing, it might be running, it might be poetry, it might be profanity. But something flips a switch and makes them feel able to take up a little bit of space in a big, confusing world.

I also *loved* Roger the Goth Librarian - I vote for Wilson's next book to be about him :)

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy!

Kittentits was a wild ride in ways I wasn't expecting. Told from the perspective of a 10-year-old girl named Molly, we are provided with a unique and hilarious perspective of her understanding and perception of the outside world.

While she did feel a little too 'grown-up' at times given the language, perhaps she was beyond her years given the circumstances of her life.

What I really liked about this was the various subjects Wilson touched on — family, friendship, abandonment, grief — all through the eyes of a child.

Molly was a memorable character and will be one I think of often. Thanks to the publisher for the eARC, and I look forward to whatever else Holly Wilson has coming next.

From page one, Kittentits does not come across as a series novel. It's crass and told from the perspective of a 10 year old (who can see ghosts?) that so desperately wants to be seen (as many young children do) by an adult in her life that really shouldn't be the object of her affection. And yet.... There are so many good nuggets and quotes timed so perfectly to get you to reflect on life, relationships, and how we present ourselves to the world in addition to the absurdity.

I loved every minute of this and will definitely be purchasing a copy when it's released.

This is a raucous, roller-coaster ride of a book with a spitfire heroine and a refreshing, modern approach to what a coming-of-age novel can be. We touch on friendship, grief, family, abandonment and all the rest of the messy nitty-gritty of life lived large and loud, Molly is a memorable ball of energy with a gimlet-eyed take on the world and flashes of wisdom and understanding beyond her years. She would take Holden Caulfield's lunch money and slap him upside the head, which is fine by me. This book is bold and absurd, just like life, and Molly is the friend you didn't know you needed.

honestly incredibly fun book by flynn's imprint. the adventures were funny and the characters were strong. thanks for the arc

Kittentits by Holly Wilson is the debut novel about 10 year old Molly who lives in the run down House of Friends with her formerly blind dad and Evelyn.

Molly meets Jeanie when she moves into the House of Friends and quickly becomes enthralled with her, and despite Jeanie treating her horribly follows her around and idolizes her.

During the story, Jeanie fakes her death, Molly runs away to meet her pen pal and tries to find Jeanie.

I think I might be too old for this book, but if I were younger, I'd probably love it - I'm too much of a mom now and kept thinking about all of the danger, and none of the excitement. I wasn't able to lose myself in the story.

This is a great book for younger teens/adults, not middle aged women who worry too much.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All opinions are my own.