Pizza Girl is the debut novel by Jean Kyoung Frazier, and follows a few weeks in the life of a pregnant eighteen-year-old pizza delivery girl, who remains nameless until the very end of the novel. Disassociating herself from her life, and those who love her, this deeply-flawed protagonist begins to imagine a world without herself in it, and an end to her unfulfilling existence.

I found this to be a story of someone who felt like they needed saving from their life, only to take it upon themselves to try and save somebody else. I wouldn’t necessarily say that it was a pleasant reading experience, but to be honest I don’t think you’re supposed to ‘enjoy’ reading a story like this- so I can definitely understand why reviewers who have come to Pizza Girl expecting a humorous ‘coming of age’ story would be disappointed and feel mislead.

Based on the thoughts and feelings that I had, both whilst reading and whilst writing this review, I am going to give this book a rating of 3/5 stars. I read it fairly quickly (two reading sessions over two consecutive days) but I wasn’t really invested in the story, more just passive reading than really connecting with it. Saying that though, I don’t think that it will be a forgettable story and I can definitely foresee it popping into my head on occasion, especially if I ever witness the horror of someone eating a pizza with pickles on it!

I didn't hate it but also didn't love it. The Story follows Pizza Girl who seems to become obsessed with Jenny (customer) and instead of the main focus being on this I wished it would have delved more into the relationships between herself and her mum, boyfriend and history with her dad.

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am only ever completely honest in my reviews and this one is so disappointing to write because I was really looking forward to it. However, I really did not enjoy this novel. I should have known from the comparisons to Convenience Store Woman that this would be the case, but having read the synopsis it really looked like something I would like. Unfortunately, this gave me the exact feelings I felt reading that other book.

The protagonist is described as “charmingly dysfunctional” in the synopsis and I find this misleading. The protagonist is definitely dysfunctional but the things she does in this book are far from charming. Eighteen years old and pregnant, she is completely lost in life and doesn’t know where she’s heading, making worse and worse decisions as she goes on. It was difficult not to judge her for some of these decisions as they seemed so out of the blue, particularly the main crux of the story, that I could sense the author writing at all times.

Jean Kyoung Frazer attempts to discuss alcoholism, pregnancy, obsession, love, depression and addiction but personally I felt like they were all done pretty poorly. This was mostly due to a lack of development in the characters; there was a main plot point at 90% of the way through and then the characters suddenly change. That’s not development, that’s a U-turn.

I was unbelievably frustrated the whole way through this book and honestly, I’m surprised I finished it. I think if you loved Convenience Store Woman, you would also enjoy this, but this just wasn’t for me.

1 out of 5 stars!

TWs: Alcoholism, ingesting alcohol while pregnant, suicidal thoughts, discussions of anxiety and mental health problems, stalking, use of a homophobic slur.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an advanced copy in exchange for an honesty review.

This was such a thought-provoking, existential book. The main character, known only as 'Pizza Girl' until near the end of the novel, works in a pizza takeaway and becomes fixated on a woman, Jenny, who is one of her customers.

Pizza Girl is pregnant with her first child and lives with her partner and her mother, but struggles to find meaning in her day-to-day life. She's direct and often blunt when describing her family, coworkers, and society in general.

At times, she feels adrift and detached from reality and doesn't seem to have found her place in the world. This changes when she meets Jenny, who is a mother to a young son, and orders a pizza every Wednesday. Pizza Girl's life starts to revolve around seeing Jenny and she finds herself magnetised and attracted to her.

The narrative style is thoughtful, asking big questions about our place in the world and where we find meaning. There are some moments of incredibly dark humour that really caught me by surprise, but they worked well in the audiobook.

Although more of a character-driven novel, the plot turns melancholic and tragic as Pizza Girl's behavior becomes increasingly erratic and harmful to both herself and those around her. There are some really dark themes in this book, but I found it a really interesting deep commentary on family, social expectations, and small-town American life.

There's a homophobic slur used early on in the novel that I thought really didn't need to be there, but aside from that, I enjoyed this book a lot and whizzed through it in a day.

Sadly I am not the audience for this book. It is a young adult novel, not a coming of age as the time frame is too short and not much emotional growth happening either.
Pizza girl is not a particularly likable character. Her musings are boring. At least for me there are. Her problems could have been interesting to explore, but it's not the case here, as they are mostly just hinted at.
I also feel very strongly about mothers keeping children despite not wanting them and I particularly despise alcohol consumption, especially in such a high dose, during pregnancy! This subjects should be presented in such a light tone, at least as far as I am concerned.
I am sure for the right bracket of age this is going to be a good read. Sadly it was not one for me, but I am grateful for the opportunity. Thank you.

This book was very forgettable. It follows the story of an unnamed self-absorbed protagonist (who is young and pregnant) and her obsession with a woman she delivers pizza too. The obsession or connection these two characters share is never really explained or explored. The most common thing I can think that these women share is their level of self absorption which is written in such way that you're not amused or entertained just irritated.

Like the character's in the novel this book is so shallow and surface there is nothing to get out of it other than irritation that you wasted time reading it or money buying it. The relationship between these women is so forced that the obsession shared doesn't even make sense because the author doesn't develop anything it's just written plainly, which I guess is the theme of this entire book.

It's just 200-something pages of a character sabotage her life for the sake of it? OR Is it grief? Is sexual identity confusion? Is it bi-polar disorder? Is it alcoholism? Is it narcism? Don't worry all these questions are answered in the end. I'm fucking kidding nothing is answered in the end because like I said there is no form of development within these pages.

I loved this book. Superb writing about a girl and her fascination. The novel follows a girl who seems detached from everything; a rite of passage in any teenage life, anywhere in the world. It just so happens that we fall into the tender character study of a girl searching for her place in the world. The narrator doesn't shy away from revealing the worst parts of her personality, which is written in such a way that you really feel for the girl.

If there's quote that really captures the listless narrator it's this one: “They could support a teenage pregnancy, but not this, not a person who drifted from one moment to the next without any idea about where she was headed.”

I looked up the book to see the cover in colour, and I discovered a great on finding the artwork by Tallboy. It is amazing, the sort of cover that makes you desire it so much you don’t really care what the topic is, who wrote it, and how you came across it. What's even better is that the story is a delightful, sometimes dark, odd story that stays with you for a long time.

Pickles do go on pizza, they go so well, I even treated myself to one with extra cheese and pickles. In the UK, gherkins (pickles) are available as a topping at domino’s, something or other to do with their cheeseburger pizza. Order one, sit back, and read this book.

I was very excited to read this book as I have seen so much about it around bookstagram. I really felt for the character, who remained nameless for the majority of the book. I feel that the protagonist felt so lost with many decisions and too much happening all at once. I really did feel her struggle and pain however, sometimes I just wanted to shake her and get her to realise what she was doing and how she was pushing everyone away. Overall, I found this a good read and would recommend this as a great contemporary fiction book, if that is the kind of thing you are into!

Pizza Girl is unlike anything I've read before, in a good way. This a quirky story about a pregnant teenager 'pizza girl' who strikes up an unlikely friendship with a middle aged mother. PIzza Girl is kind of a quirkier Juno!
This definitely reads more like YA than adult, so if you are a YA reader you might enjoy this one.

Fantastic debut novel.

Refreshing, youthful and glaringly frank.

Love that the main character is less than thrilled about being pregnant, despite both her mother and boyfriend being over-joyed and love love love that she is American-Korean. A rare bird amongst protagonists.

Look forward to seeing what else this new writer creates.

Took me a while to get into this book as there’s not much of a storyline and it’s hard to follow at times.
It’s told from the point of view of Jane, the Pizza Girl. She’s young, pregnant and living with her mum and boyfriend. She develops a crush on one of the customers and stalks her.
Bit of an abrupt ending and certainly not a happy ever after story.

That was unexpected, but in a good way! I wasn't exactly sure what I was getting myself into, I didn't pay much attention to the synopsis I just liked the title... It is one of those books that reminds you that you don't always know what is going on in other people's lives or in their heads. And sometimes people don't have clear cut answers for why they do the things they do. Sound a bit vague? Sorry I don't mean to be, I just don't want to give too much away! However, I do think it's worth a read as it was entertaining yet real, relatable.

I loved this. The characters were so well written they really came to life. I would recommend this for all ages.

Disappointing!
I enjoyed this book at first as was very interested to move through the storyline and see what progressed with the characters. The first few chapters kept me hooked but then it just fell flat and I struggled to get to the end quite frankly. I felt there was no real "hook" to the story and could have been a lot better

I thought the protagonist of this book was actually a really interesting character, however, all the exploration of her relationships was very surface level, and the book often became repetitive. I didn't really understand her fascination with Jenny, and the book seemed to end without resolving anything.

Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier a three-star read. I had high hopes for this one, but it missed the spot. I am gonna be short and sweet as I don’t want to put off anyone who will enjoy this one, but for me it just felt too self-indulgent. If I'm honest I only gave it three stars as there is some very good dark humour interspersed in the story, if it was just the majority of the characters I wouldn’t have given it such a good rating.

We follow our unnamed pizza girl as she tries to navigate her job, coming-of-age, and her pregnancy. Suffocated by an overprotective home life in the form of her mother and boyfriend, Pizza Girl becomes obsessed with Jenny, a stay-at-home mother new to the neighbourhood, who depends on pickle-topped pizzas to maintain her son's happiness.

Overall I enjoyed this. It was an often-tender, funny, and bleak insight into a young girl's mind and that overwhelming feeling of just being directionless, especially when everyone wants you to pick a path to follow. I would have liked a little more from this, and the tone of the writing and the level of Pizza Girl's self-obsession left me exasperated at times and struggling to sympathise with the MC.

A quick, and different, read. Would recommend to those who aren't particularly needing their stories neatly wrapped up, who enjoy slice-of-life and a lil bit of emotional turmoil.

Big thanks to the author, NetGalley, and HQ for the eARC. Out now in the US and due out in the UK on the 17/09/2020!

Refreshing, fun, and a unique voice that I hope does more. Everyone either wants to be eighteen or currently hates being eighteen--Frazier captures this in a way that few other authors can.

Thanks for my copy of Pizza Girl.

Pizza Girl is about a young pregnant girl in America who becomes obsessed with a customer. You then follow that obsession as it goes down a dark path.

Pizza Girl wasn’t really a read for me in the end, I didn’t have any empathy or enjoy any of the characters. Pizza Girl wasn't a particularly likeable character either which I think was a bit factor in me not overly enjoying this read.

Pizza Girl is about a young pregnant girl in America who is disillusioned with her life. She becomes obsessed with a customer - Jenny, which draws her down a dark path. Pizza Girl wasn't a particularly likeable character, and I didn't feel much empathy for her as the story progressed, which I think lessened my enjoyment of the book.