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.

I feel like I have so much to say about this book that my brain is numb. When I started this I had no idea it was autofiction. The premise sounded interesting and there was a talking cat; obviously I was sold.

Just overall this doesn't hold up as a story. It just... peters out at the end into a pathetic death of "but forget literally all 250 pages before this, I will be the bigger person, so haha." Because being a character in someone else's story is a "gift", which, sure however you wanna spin it so you can have the last word.

The entire mess of filial issues and family bonds and abuse that is brought to us on a platter in the first half of the book only to be ignored for the second half and then to end on "suddenly I appreciate this abusive and co-dependent relationship I've had with my family members and I suddenly feel so guilty for being distant with them because of it! Let me text them that I love them." Bruh, compartmentalize much?

There also was a severe lack of talking cat for something that is pitched to be one of the book's selling points. This is just opinion, but that section was so negligible that I'm not sure why it was included beyond showing the reader that the MC is writing this book via taking advice from her students, ergo: autofiction.

I still haven't read into the author's past about her cheating ex-husband and his book and whatnot, which is also not really worked through in this book either! It's mentioned a few times, cited as a point of anxiety and brought up sometimes before it's all turned on it's head so MC/author can get those bigger person brownie points. Eugh.

2.5 rounded down because I still feel the sting of betrayal.

This novel was a slog. And it’s not very long, so that it’s a testament that I’d put it down after a few pages and not want to pick it back up.

Inspired by her own life, Hannah Pittard names herself Hana P. in her upcoming release IF YOU LOVE IT, LET IT KILL YOU. She is divorced, and her ex will be publishing an unflattering portrayal of her in his new novel. (Side note: I wanted to read the book from her ex-husband!)

This novel is meandering, navel gaze-y, narcissistic, but does have a cat that only the main character can hear and an imaginary dog if you’re someone who does like prominent pets in your books.

Hana lives across the street from her sister, and her quirky parents make appearances. Her new boyfriend puts up with her (why?), and she seems to have a decent relationship with his 11-year old that doesn’t get a name.

I wasn’t a fan of the main character, her actions, or thoughts. I mainly wanted her to visit a therapist and/or get some medication for most of this novel. And, without even knowing him, I’d like to read her ex’s novel.

IF YOU LOVE IT, LET IT KILL YOU will release on July 15, 2025.

This is a difficult one to review and a hard one to describe! If you like weird, stream-of-consciousness stories than you may love this one. It's very raw and real. The writing style definitely won't be for everyone. I think this will be a divisive one - you'll either devour it or DNF it.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of If You Love It, Let It Kill You.

I've never read this author before but apparently its considered auto fiction, aka autobiographical fiction.

I can safely say this isn't for me. Or maybe it's just the author. I get it, we're not going to like all the authors we read.

The premise sounded intriguing but I was turned off by the writing style, the tone of the main character, and the rambling stream of consciousness format.

I found it distracting, annoying, and I couldn't stand the main character.

She came off as unlikable, whiny, and self-centered.

I'm not the right audience for this and this author is just not for me.

This felt like a sort of novelization of Pittard's memoir We Are Too Many; I really loved that memoir but unfortunately it kind of "spoiled" the story here. Very very similar plot points.

I had no knowledge of the real life story that inspired this book -- and inspired seems to be underselling it. Knowing the backstory makes this so much better if you're messy. Still, going into this with no outside info was still fun.

If you've read Pittard's previous book, this one will not come as a major surprise. It has a similar choppy style where the story is shared in bits and pieces and also the story won't be a surprise to you because it's the same plot her previous book was about. Obviously it's the next phase but, to me, it felt mostly repetitive and there was noting revelatory in it.

I like her writing style and enjoy reading it but I did not really enjoy this mesh of real life/fiction and the characters/life she shared. I felt nothing was as deeply explored as I would have liked.


with gratitude to netgalley and Henry Holt & Company for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Henry Hold & Company for the ARC!

Going into this book I knew nothing about the inciting incident for it, but when I was halfway through I read up on it because I was struggling through the cat-related events described in the book. Honestly, if the cat was not in this book, I would have rated it higher, but the bizarre behavior of the narrator has put me off so much that I was considering DNFing it. If you are sensitive to casual animal cruelty, you have been warned.

Cat aside, the book is about a female writer/professor having a bit of a mid life crisis. Having taught college students myself, those parts resonated with me a lot. Not that I ever felt like I didn't understand the narrator in parts that were not similar to my life, as Hana is fleshed out and coherent in her actions (apart from the cat, that one drives me up the wall). All of the other characters that make an appearance feel like real people instead of cardboard versions of people, which happens all too often in books with a large supporting cast.

I had no background on the drama that surrounds Hannah Pittard and her ex-husband, but honestly I am a sucker for some mess. I liked that this kind of was a revenge novel without being one at the same time - it centers on Hana and her life, her family, her new relationship after she finds out her ex-husband has written a novel that portrays her poorly. The writing style is so fun and lighthearted while also touching on deep and serious topics. The entire thing is super quirky and funny and weird and I loved it.

This one comes out 07/15/2025. Thank you to Henry Holt & Co. and NetGalley for the ARC.

I enjoyed this book. The writing is gripping. However to me it was a little too like All Fours by Miranda July but not as good. When I learned it was auto fiction it made it more interesting to me. I did however like the format of the book. I thought it was interesting to make the book like she’s writing it and reading it to her class. I enjoyed the trigger warning subplot with the students. That is an area I’m very interested in and sided with the author. I also felt like some of the characters were too cliche especially the male student. It was an enjoyable and fast read.

This is a unique book that I really enjoyed! I was immediately hooked by the narrator; I loved the stream of consciousness style. I did not know going in that this is an autobiographical novel. I loved how Pittard told her story. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

This wasn't what I was expecting and while it's probably great for someone, I'm not that person sadly.

A deeply unpleasant read. Somehow I didn’t realize this was ‘auto fiction’—sometimes the more gossipy and shallow aspects of contemporary literary lights don’t register with me, I’m not on much social media and avoid reading pieces about authors, whom I find fairly irrelevant once a book is published, vs reviews of their books, which can be interesting sometimes, so honestly I just thought this book was about a snippy person who wished her ex husband had more hair. And he seemed a very self centered typical guy and also not very interesting, just a person who hasn’t figured out yet what to do with his life. I began to wonder why anyone had decided to spend their time writing such a shallow book, and after that I began to wonder why I was reading it, and then I came to the end.

Holy smokes! I have a love/hate relationship with this author. I enjoyed her earlier novels, but I had a difficult time getting through this one. The writing style is very grating and obnoxious to say the least. The prose is stilted and awkward. I just couldn’t into the plot or the abundance of oddball characters. This book is loosely based on the author’s personal life, just check out her memoir from last year. This novel can best be described as auto fiction. The so-called plot is stupid and childish. I wish this author would get over herself and stick to writing warm and engaging family stories like she did in the past. This book reeks of pretentiousness. Ugh.

I'm not sure how accurate it is to categorize this book as fiction. It's well-written and sharp and funny, but it's also tiring and claustrophobic and pompous. .