I had to stop reading at 8% due to the references to lust, sex, masturbation, and porn. I see that others loved this story, and so the problem here is with this reader. Thanks, anyway, to NetGalley, for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

a stunning reflection on grief and how it stays present in almost everything that we do. the writing is gorgeous and since I personally love a main character that’s flawed and real I loved Kit and her internal dialogue during all of her experiences after losing her sister and becoming a stay at home mom. this is funny, and sometimes infuriating, but it made it understand her grief and feel it.

thanks to knopf and netgalley for the digital arc.

This book enveloped me in its words, characters, genuineness, pain. I think this is a must-read for anyone with sister issues. It's like salt in the wound yet cleansing.

The writing in this book was beautiful. Not over-complicated, but you get wrapped up in Kit's emotions. Normally I'd say she's an insane lady (my favorite genre) but I get it. She's grieving. She's valid in everything she does ngl.

I'm not usually a highlighter but there were so many good quotes in this book. Kimberly King Parsons gets it.

I highly recommend this book and can't wait to see everyone's thoughts when it's released.

*NetGalley ARC

Kimberly King Parsons’ We Were the Universe is a book about grief, and letting go of who we were in order to become better versions of ourselves. Gritty, biting, and dark, the story unfolds slowly as we are dragged through every thought and fantasy that pops into Kit’s head. The best part of the book is Kit’s daughter, who is precocious, smart, funny, and a real handful! Unfortunately, I didn’t find this book all that laugh-out-loud funny as the description implies, and although the writing was good, I just found the whole thing depressing and difficult to get through.

This book made my heart heavy but in a good way. It made me think and feel more than any other novel is a while.
Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

Very funny and quite well written, but not my cup of tea. I found the main character quite annoying (at least she was funny about it) and so I had a hard time empathizing with her motivations. She brought out the mother in me who just wanted to shake her and tell her to get a grip.

This book was just average to me. I had problems with the writing style and the main character, Kit. Kit was so annoying and immature, but I understand her personality and behavior was like that on purpose. I wished the author would've concentrated more on Kit's childhood trauma and the death of her sister more. That part of the novel was the most interesting and profoundly touching. Overall, I felt disappointed by this book. It wasn't what I thought it was going to be. The synopsis felt misleading to me. The prose felt awkward at times, and Kit just aggravated the hell out of me. Decent story but lacks originality.

Thank you, Netgalley and Knopf for the digital ARC.

Hey all! This one was spectacular and a great novel! I utterly loved the characters and even when it got surrealist at points it all had very strong points. Thanks for the arc and cheers!

Thanks Knopf and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's copy!

Available May 14 2024.

Wild and expansive, Kimberly King Parson's We are the Universe is a touching debut. The story follows Kitty's struggle to balance the grief of her sister's suicide along with her new role as a mother & an ever growing sense of loss of purpose. It's bitingly funny when Kitty goes through her day to day with her daughter Gilda and comments on the other moms, toddler classes and more. At the same time, Kit's own past as a troubled, drug addled teenager with a complicated family life is never far behind. At it's best the book is split between these two dynamics, switching indeterminately to manic observations and tired situations. I laughed, I wiped my eyes a few times, and mostly I wondered - what are we take from here? But maybe that's just the point- the gift is in the grift.

Kimberly King Parsons has written a novel that drew me in amazed me as I read each page. So involving I will be recommending to everyone who loves literary fiction.#netgalley #weweretheuniverse.

obsessed is an understatement! this was one of my all time favorites of this whole stinkin year. kimberly king parsons blows my mind. this book absolutely gutted me and made me laugh out loud, often multiple times on a single page. loved the exploration of grief, loss, desire, sex, identity, nostalgia and loss. seriously adored, will shout about it from the rooftops. can't wait to tell everyone i know to read it <3

thank you netgalley!

I devoured Parsons' short story collection, and when I saw she had a novel forthcoming, I was overjoyed. In some sense, the novel is more digestible than some of her stories, more straight, more safe. In others, this is a wild beast. I thought often of Gaitskill's VERONICA, especially in the way Parsons navigates the past, often pulling it into the present moment, often both happening at once. This makes absolute sense in a novel tackling grief (our MC Kit is still grieving over the loss of her sister Julie). Though little "happens" in the present tense, we spend so much time in Kit's head, so much time in the past, that it hardly matters--which isn't to say the present is boring, it's fascinating in it's own ways.

In short, I loved this book. I would have read hundreds more pages. Can't wait for whatever Parsons does next.

Thanks to the publisher for the e-galley!

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.

This book was interesting to get through and I’d say borderline difficult at times. We’re in Kit’s head for the majority of the story. She’s a young mom to a very hyperactive toddler who rules her entire life. Every day is spent playing house and trying to hold everyone around her together but she’s neglecting herself. Kit’s thoughts are often claustrophobic and dark, swirling with the grief of losing her younger sister Julie a few years prior and a rough childhood which have left lasting scars.

It’s a journey of learning to love yourself, the difficulties of motherhood, and processing grief. There were really lovely sentiments and quotes throughout and it left me wanting to go hug my mom and sisters. Life is beautiful in all of its chaos and this book is a testament to that.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf for the ebook. Kit, young mom of a wildly inquisitive daughter, feels anxious and alone in the world, even though her husband tries to be there for her, her mother is constantly calling her, mostly about the police bothering her about being a hoarder, and has her best friend whisk her away to Montana for a few days. He says it’s to get over being dumped by his boyfriend, but really it’s to try and give Kit a break. But Kit doesn’t need a break. Kit needs to let go of her younger sister who died a few years ago. Beautiful Julie seemed to have a lovely life ahead of her— She was the lead singer in their band, but drugs got her and never really let go. A novel about dealing with grief narrated by such a fun lead character.

An important book everyone should read. Kimberly King Parsons put everything into this book. I felt so deeply one every page. Just a stunning example of beautiful writing.

Oh WOW this book - Kimberly King Parsons is one to watch!! Being inside of Kit’s mind for the length of this book was fascinating and entertaining and scary and weird and fun, and I loved it. The depiction of grief over the loss of her sister, Julie, was so real and moving - it made me want to cry and hug my sister. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever read anything like We Were the Universe, and I can’t wait to read whatever Kimberly King Parsons does next.