This was very weird and very good. Definitely recommend if you like Miranda July. It was so cerebral but also unexpected! I read it in one day and enjoyed it immensely. So well written and so interesting!

If You Love, Let It Kill You comes out next week on July 15, 2025, and you can purchase HERE!

One day, they will understand the subtleties of the world, the absurdity and sadness and isolation of what it means not just to be alive but to be alive and a middle-aged woman on the brink of invisibility.

if anyone read that vulture article from a while back about the four authors and the two marriages and the affair that none of them can stop writing about...this is the second book (in addition to innumerable short stories) about it by the most successful and talented and (in my purview) likable of the bunch.
it's very funny and startlingly honest autofiction. i think the people i appreciate most in f*cked up situations are those who don't shy away from their f*ckups, and this book, by and about a woman who has discovered that her ex husband wrote a short story about her murder at the hands of a homeless man and is driven insane, certainly doesn't. i enjoyed it very much.

I realise I'm probably very late to the autofiction party, but this is the first tme I've (knowingly) read a book on this genre. While there were sone moments of humour it mainly left me cold, talking cats in books are something I try to avoid, and a lot of the time it just felt like a spewing of ideas, memories and thoughts which I wasn't interested in. Possibly if I'd heard of the author before or knew anything about her life I would have found more to engage with.
Thank you to netgalley and Henry Holt for an advance copy of this book.

I enjoyed most of the humor of this book, but some of the occasions described were just not as interesting to me as I’d hoped. The talking rescue cat seemed out of place and the descriptions of the game the FMC played called “dead body” wasn't that entertaining, and they took up some real estate in the book. This work focused a lot on the really bizarre things that the FMC did as a reaction to learning her ex-husband was publishing a novel that featured her in an unflattering light. I guess I was expecting more of a revenge story? Maybe I wasn’t sure what I was expecting. To me the most interesting thread of the story was the FMC’s dynamics with her own nuclear family, her Mom, Dad (divorced) and sister.

(3.5 stars)

I know this is autofiction so I want to tread lightly. I did not especially enjoy the protagonists tone or attitude throughout this story. She is very self absorbed and somewhat cruel and judgemental to everyone around her. The way conversations and interactions were written was also not my favorite. I said and then he said and then I said. I get it is a stylistic choice but it’s just one that didn’t work for me. The cat stuff was fun but ultimately that’s about all that I enjoyed here.

Hated the main character and hated the story. I felt like Bruce was the only redeeming thing in this book. She treated him like shit.

I loved this book! It was super unique and creative. I have never read anything quite like this. This is a book that actually had me reflecting on my own life, I’m not sure if that was intentional or not, but I liked it.

This novel is unhinged in the most deliberate way. It blends surreal detours (yes, the cat talks), dark heartbreak, and razor-sharp emotional honesty without ever slipping into the self-indulgent or performatively quirky. Pittard doesn’t try to make midlife chaos cute. She just lets it simmer in its own weird, wonderful unease.

At the center of the story is Hana, a creative writing professor in a messy, non-linear stage of life. Her ex-husband, also a writer, is actively mining their former marriage (and her new relationship) for content, and her current “husband” has an 11-year-old daughter who sees Hana as a mother figure, though Hana herself never wanted children. Meanwhile, her entire family (minus one snarky brother) lives within walking distance, her students are a little too familiar, and her emotional landscape includes the ghost of a dead dog and the lingering scent of a romantic misfire with a mysterious man.

The characters are imperfect, sometimes infuriating, and entirely real. This isn’t autofiction that flatters the authorial ego; it’s messy, vulnerable, and startlingly relatable. While the novel isn’t flashy or gimmicky, it is sly. There’s wit woven through even the bleakest moments— reality that refuse to resolve neatly, because, well, life rarely does.

Pittard leans into the chaos with intention, capturing that eerie stillness of midlife panic; the quiet horror of waking up one day and realizing you have no idea how you got here. It’s about questioning every choice: relationships, career, even your sense of self. And somehow, despite (or because of) its strangeness, it’s deeply relatable.

There’s no moral of the story, no triumphant reinvention arc. Just the raw, sideways truth of a woman trying to make sense of a life she didn’t exactly choose but somehow ended up living. It’s disorienting. It’s vulnerable. And it’s sharp enough to leave a mark.

Intrigued by the idea but autofiction just did not work for me in this case. I couldn’t get into the mess but more power to those who will.

Hannah Pittard's If You Love It, Let It Kill You is the autofiction version of our protagonist finding her domestic life unsettled when her ex-husband writes her as a character in a novel. This is of course, after Pittard herself learned her ex-husband wrote her into (and killer her off in) his debut novel, in response to which she whipped up a quick memoir(ish) detailing their marriage and his affair to be released a few months before his debut was. IYLILIKY is essentially the third part of this, the autofiction version of her learning about his debut novel and the ways it disrupted her otherwise settled life. If We Are Too Many is a story of betrayal, this follow up is more about how we betray ourselves through the ruminations we fixate on and the concessions we do or do not make. 

There were some pithy lines and I do appreciate thinking about the role we play in the lives of others, but overall this felt more messy/dramatic than well executed.

I endorse the comments that have compared this to Miranda July's All Fours, even if I prefer the latter. There's a humor to it, but not one that made me laugh out loud. There's a story and character development, but the fictional elements feel like they suffer by the hand of the nonfiction. It's all somewhere between too serious and not serious enough. There's also a comparison to be made between this book and Jo Hamya's The Hypocrite. IYLILIKY similarly summarizes generational disagreements about sex, ethics, and authorial integrity, primarily in the context of our narrator having conversations with her students in a creative writing course. 

Readers who like unconventional form and stories about betrayal and domestic interruption should consider this one. Thank you to NetGalley & Henry Holt for the e-arc.

In summary: 'How are you?
"In real life?"
In the book?
"Smug. Narcissistic. Vaguely unhinged."
How are you in real life?
"Smug. Narcissistic. Vaguely unhinged." '

I'm not sure the auto-fiction category is for me, at least not from this author. Maybe I would've liked the book more had I not known the character was really based on the author herself and just known that the author herself was wholly unlikable.
I would say I spent an equal time while reading this book between thinking "Why am I reading this?" and then "Okay then part has merit." So am I glad I read it? Yes. Did I enjoy it? No.

As someone from Lexington, KY - this was an absolute treat! Not only did I love the story, but it feeling so close to home was an excellent bonus. Loved pretty much everything about this.

I was this today years old when I learned what auto-fiction is. A fictional story using elements from the author's real life. To be honest, I didn't even catch that's what this was until I saw every other review mentioning it. Apparently the ending was an actual break in the fourth wall! Now that I am aware of the format I am....confused?

I liked the concept of this novel: a bit of a mid-life crisis brought on by an ex-husband writing her into his most recent book painted in a bad light. I enjoyed a lot of the storytelling, even forgave some of the more...egregious aspects. Perhaps it is the intention of a novel like this to leave the reader in the uncomfortable space of questioning what exactly about the pages they just read is real and what is devised for literary intrigue. I hope to god the cat is in the later category.

Hmm. I'm flummoxed.

I think you might enjoy this book is you are an enthusiast of strange and unique writing. If you like the complicated, thought provoking, uncomfortable sort of book. But also, maybe, like me, you will rather think of it as a metaphor for some of life's more devastating emotional blows and the way they affect us.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was a generally zany read from start to finish. I loved parts of it, especially the narrator's verbal interactions with her family, students and partners. There was no shortage of smart and snappy dialogue. I was less delighted when sucked into the narrator's lassitude. If you are looking for an intelligent and reflective read - especially if you love academia and writing about writers - then you will certainly enjoy this book.

This was not for me. I thought it would be quirky and meaningful. Instead, I find myself extremely annoyed. I want to feel empathy for the narrator, but if this is a midlife crisis, what was she like before it? She behaves so immaturely. I’m not coming from an unscathed perspective, and I’m fairly certain I’m past midlife. I’m carrying plenty of awful experiences into my reading. I can see how her ex‘s novel would be upsetting, but I still don’t get her behavior. I can’t continue to spend time in her head.

I am immensely grateful Henry Holt and Co and NetGalley for my copy. All opinions are my own.

If an unhinged narrator going through a midlife crisis in Kentucky after her ex-husband wrote an unflattering version of her into his novel sounds intriguing, this might be for you.

Humor in books is so subjective! I've read books I thought were hilarious that others panned. I've cringed at writing that others found laugh-out-loud funny.

This book didn't really do it for me, but I don't want that to dissuade others from giving it a fair shot - read the first chapter and see if it draws you in. If the writing voice works for you, then you'll find plenty of weird-quirky-messy-poignant things to read about as you continue! The character voice is so unique, and I'm certain readers who relate to her will have a good time reading this.

If it doesn't immediately grab you, then you might be like me and find that it just doesn't click for you.

Thank you, NetGalley and Henry Holt & Co, for this ARC to read and review.

an unhinged story about grief, depression, codependent families, surreal talking animals, and messy relationships all collide in this autofiction fever dream. funny, heartbreaking and honest

Tricksy, quirky, exhausting, funny, maddening, clever, overwhelming. All of the above apply, for me, to this work of fiction. Oh and let’s not forget meta, cutesy (the cat business), and only moderately satisfying, ultimately. One could argue the book is rather too much in love with itself, but that would undervalue its undeniable charms.
A curate’s egg, therefore, of a work - good in parts.

If You Love It, Let It Kill You offers a unique and often humorous look at one woman’s midlife unraveling sparked by her ex-husband’s novel. The narrative is rich with clever observations about memory, art, and personal identity, but its meandering plot and surreal moments—like the talking cat and eccentric students—may not be for everyone. While the prose is sharp and the themes intriguing, the story sometimes feels uneven, making it a mixed but worthwhile read for fans of literary fiction with a twist.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the chance to read this early.

Thanks to NetGalley, Hannah Pittard, and Henry Holt & Co. for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

Hana is a creative writing professor, living with her boyfriend and his tween daughter (whom Hana is now parenting, despite never wanting kids) and teaching writing classes to students of whom she is alternately contemptuous and afraid. She finds out that her ex-husband, who cheated on her with one of their close friends, is about to publish a thinly-veiled roman a clef about the end of their marriage in which the character who represents Hana (a) doesn't appear in a good light, and (b) is murdered in a random act of violence in the course of the plot. Hana has Reactions. Various members of her family and professional community float through the plot and also have Reactions. Hana has philosophical conversations with her father and gets dirty text messages from a guy she had a fling with while blackout drunk. Reactions continue to ensue.

I went on a little bit of a journey with this book! I requested the ARC because I liked the cover and title - I had never heard of Hannah Pittard. Started it dubiously, because I'm not a fan of the literary genre "self-absorbed academic considers having an affair" and I have a low tolerance for navel-gazing, but then I wound up enjoying the absurdity and self-referentiality. (For example, Hana complains that her undergraduates always want to put a talking animal in their stories, and in the next chapter she finds a talking cat in her garage.) I enjoyed the time I spent with this book despite not necessarily enjoying Hana as a character.

It was only after I finished it that I discovered this book is "autofiction." Hannah Pittard's actual ex-husband is apparently actually publishing a book about the end of their relationship in which he cheated on her with one of their closest friends, etc. etc. Honesty, that made me like the book less than I did while I was reading it. Upon reflection, I can see that there are bits that are present in the story but don't lead anywhere or contribute much - presumably because they happened to two-n Hannah, so she makes them happen to one-n Hana in the book. They feel a little... undigested.

Still giving it 4 stars because that was my opinion while reading it. My advice: don't research your authors.