Reviews

Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier

_fran's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

3.5

gasperyjacques's review against another edition

emotional reflective

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

ladykillller's review against another edition

dark funny reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

joensign's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Stalking, Pregnancy, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Grief

Minor: Vomit

nebelbaer's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

stjehanne's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

moreglittermorefur's review against another edition

emotional funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

easyvisionary's review against another edition

3.0

I think I just wish more happened. There felt like there was going to be a huge climax point and then it’s just like nothing happened??? And then everything got resolved???

jess_mango's review against another edition

4.0

First of all that cover. It looks like something you'd get airbrushed on a tee with a fringed hem at Hampton Beach one summer in the 80's. Totally retro-chic.

Pizza Girl is a short darkly comic novel about an 18 year old woman who lives in the 'burbs of L.A. with her boyfriend Billy and her mom. Her mom migrated to the States from Korea with the hopes of American Dream and ended up in California by way of Chicago. Our protagonist, who remains unnamed until the end of the book, finds herself in a bit of a rut. She is pregnant and working as a pizza delivery person at a local pizza joint. She reminisces about her dead dad who was drunk most of the time. She reminisces about her recently deceased dad. She is completely dysfunctional.

One day a woman, Jenny, calls into the pizza place and requests a pepperoni and pickle pizza, which isn't on the menu. Our protagonist runs out to a grocer and buys pickles which she chops up herself to put on a pizza. She delivers the pizza and develops a bit of an obsession with Jenny.

I really enjoyed this one and it was a pretty quick read since it clocked in at right around 200 pages. It also just flew by for me because it was quirky, clever, and darkly weird. Sardonic! We have a flawed heroine that we can't help but root for and hope she gets her stuff together.


I received a review copy of the book via NetGalley. Thank you Doubleday Books!

dinasamimi's review against another edition

3.0

Funny, strange, cringe and heartbreaking all at once. If you're into the spiraling protagonist, this is your jam. The story doesn't go very far though -- plot and general ennui vibe are definitely more tedious than they are worth.