Rated 4.5 stars on StoryGraph. What Hunger is a coming-of-age horror novel following Veronica "Ronny" Nyugen who is 14. Ronny's parents emigrated from Vietnam after the war, but they never talk about their lives in Vietnam. It's the summer before Ronny starts high school and her brother, Tommy, who just graduated from high school is getting ready to leave for college. Soon after an extreme shift in her family dynamics Ronny is assaulted at a party and bites the boy in self-defense. After biting him, she starts craving human flesh and satisfies her hunger with raw meat.
This book was fantastic. I did spend a significant amount of time crying while reading it. It was written so beautifully and Ronny and her family's characters and relationships were so fleshed out and realistic. I wish Ronny's friends and her relationship with them was explored more, they were so underutilized they were essentially pointless. I think it could've added another very interesting layer to Ronny's story if they were in it more. I would definitely recommend this book, especially if you like horror that explores familial relationships, trauma, intergenerational trauma, and grief.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Absolutely incredible. I couldn’t put this down and finished reading in less than 24 hours. Eerie, unsettling and unputdownable. What Hunger follows Ronny, a 14 year old Vietnamese girl navigating life after loss. Ronny developes an insatiable hunger that starts to consume her every thought. Little does Ronny know, her and her mother are more similar than she realizes. The perfect coming of age literary horror. I cannot wait for this novel to release and for everyone to get their hands on it.

13 year old Veronica, or "Ronny" begins her first year of high school as an outcast. This is not only due to her aesthetic differences as the child of Asian immigrants, but also as the survivor of a familial tragedy. While Ronny tries to grapple with the changes her body, emotions, and relationships are facing, she develops the taste for blood, quite literally. In an accident that leaves Ronny reeling, she seeks solace in the form of raw, bloody meat.

What Hunger already had a unique and strange premise to me, but there were so many times I felt myself wincing throughout this book. I liked the "coming of age" challenges Ronny was facing, but some of the scenes were so graphic that it was a challenging to get through. The cover really drew me in, however some of the content pushed me away. I have so many mixed emotions about this book, but I can see how it comes off as deeply emotional and raw (no pun intended). I see this book as a study of rage and revenge as well as grief and loss. If you're curious. pick it up and see if this YA book could be for you!

came for the cannibalism, stayed for the complex family dynamic and coming-of-age story

I really felt immersed in Veronica’s world: the discomfort that comes with starting high school, the tension in her home, her strained relationship with her parents, etc. And I’ll always be a fan of cannibalism as a symbol for feminine rage

TY NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the chance to read this ahead of publication! As a Vietnamese American, it is refreshing to be able to support an author as she writes about familiar family dynamics which were painfully relatable.
The initial premise of the book was interesting to me: a teenager whose grief and rage manifests in a desire to eat raw flesh. It was engaging but the writing felt simplistic/the characters underdeveloped at times. The descriptions of eating raw flesh were well done - they genuinely made me feel squeamish.
2.5 stars because the ending, although I understand what the metaphor was trying to convey, felt slightly distasteful. This could be because I share the same family history though.

I LOVE THIS BOOK! Veronica has many layers (as most teenagers do). She is dealing with the difficult emotions & turmoil that is being 14 & grieving a huge loss that causes her to prematurely enter adulthood. She is the epitome of female rage and I was rooting for her the whole time! She has so much growth throughout the book, it feels like she is just as much as an observer to the story as the reader is. I also enjoyed complex family dynamics and Vietnamese history. All the characters have so much depth & the little backstories provided for each of them tied the story in perfectly. After this book, Catherine Dang has become a must read author for me!

Is it bad this made me want some pho? 🫣


Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! This book publishes August 12, 2025 📚

GOOD 👏 FOR 👏 HER 👏

After a series of traumatic events, 14 year old Ronny becomes ravenous for flesh. Though we do get a nice slash of gore, the cannibalism is more importantly a metaphor for her insatiable need to devour shame, digest grief and reclaim full personal autonomy. Both unsettling yet deeply cathartic, What Hunger beautifully illustrates racism, the patriarchy and the indescribable need to be an empowered woman that refuses to submit to the hands of her abuser.

Many thanks to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

a really compelling premise that I was excited to dive into but ultimately felt a little let down by - it never really got as deep as I wanted it to and while the writing was often really gorgeous, I also found it a bit redundant and lacking in creativity.

conceptually, i found this very interesting. i loved all of the distinct references to Veronica’s Vietnamese heritage, specifically through food, I enjoyed how familiar lore and what families do and don’t share with each other was a factor. My main critique falls in the prose; it begins to feel very repetitive, almost formulaic, but not in the most compelling way. (read this on a plane btw) but i distinctly remember two separate chapters ending almost identically and that stuck out to me. i love the concept, but the execution was not my favorite.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for sending me an ARC of this book via NetGalley. I had a pleasure reading it!

Through the lens of the macabre, What Hunger explores generational trauma, youth, and the ways in which we process loss. This short and sweet (or savory..?) novel was a refreshing take on the genre. Readers of books like The Vegetarian, Organ Meats, and fans of Jennifer’s Body will, I think, find themselves right at home with this novel from Cat Dang.

What Hunger by Catherine Dang follows Ronnie as she enters her freshman year of high school. She has a few events happen to her that alter her path in an extreme way (if you are someone who normally needs to check content warnings, please check them for this book).

This book has a lot of things that I love on a story. It’s part coming of age, part exploration of grief and part feminine rage. I also loved the cultural elements in this book. Ronnie is Vietnamese and I feel like I learned so much about her family in this book.

There were a few times when I thought Ronnie made strange decisions and I had to remind myself that she is only 14 and dealing with a huge weight. It does take a little bit for the story to really pick up but once it does, I could not put this book down.

I really enjoyed this book. I know the subject matter won’t work for everyone but it’s something that always seems to work for me. I can’t wait to get a physical copy of this!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for this E-Arc. All opinions are my own.

The best way I can describe this book is as a portrayal of grief, rage and the coming of age knowledge of learning where you family comes from. In What Hunger we follow the summer and subsequent start of high school of Ronnie, to not spoil anything I will say things happen- which is definitely an understatement. This book was a painful, at times weird, but overall a testament to moving forward because that's the only thing you can do sometimes.

Ronnie is a first generation American and I saw many snippets of her growing realization of how little she actually knew her family's history as authentic as a fellow first generation. She is the in-between generation, not Vietnamese enough for her extended family, but too other for her community to accept with open arms. This made the book stand out in my opinion as she grappled with her rage and grief. she was also learning how to understand where she came from in a way that would probably have been so different to her brother. I empathize with her experience as she's navigating these waters on her own, even with a few well intentioned people around her who do not understand the complexity of her emotions/experience.

I was gripped by the story and couldn't tell where this would end, but that is to say I think it ended in a satisfying way. This book will be on my mind for a while.

An immersive coming of age story exploring grief, alienation, and female rage, enclosed within a tight-lipped, strained family dynamic that many first generation immigrants will find familiar. As strange as it sounds, I found Ronnie's discovery of agency and connection to her family through her newfound gruesome hunger to be quite moving.

This book offers a compelling premise, blending a coming-of-age story with elements of horror and an exploration of generational trauma. The setup, with Ronny navigating the liminal space between childhood and high school, and the stark contrast with her seemingly perfect brother, is well-established. The emphasis on food as a connection to their Vietnamese heritage and a symbol of their parents' past is a particularly strong and evocative detail.

The sudden shift into the supernatural element, triggered by tragedy and an assault, introduces an interesting dynamic. The idea of Ronny's newfound power manifesting as a hunger for raw meat, linked to female rage and ancestral memory, has significant potential.

However, the description suggests that while the themes are rich, the execution might lean a bit heavily into the "visceral and emotional journey" without fully exploring the nuances of Ronny's transformation or the broader implications of her power. While the connections to Vietnamese lineage and mother-daughter bonding are highlighted, the description doesn't quite convey how these intricate themes are woven together in a way that feels completely fresh or deeply insightful, especially for readers familiar with similar explorations of trauma and female empowerment. It sounds like a solid read, but perhaps not one that pushes boundaries or leaves a lasting, profound impact.

We follow Veronica during the summer before and during her freshman year of high school. Which i'm sure many of you can remember how hard that time in life can be. Navigating this next phase of life is hard enough but Veronica, in the middle of summer, has to deal with the biggest tragedy she's ever faced. Her family is torn apart and things get tense and hard to navigate.

What follows is a coming of age story about growing up in the midst of crippling grief and discovering a feminine rage.

its a short novel that packs a big punch.

thank you immensely to netgalley and simon and sheuster for providing me an epub, and the publisher sending me a lovely ARC copy. thank you also to catherine dang for sharing this piece of literature with us all.

this was fantastic. it’s raw, it’s feminist, i learned about vietnamese culture and just enjoyed every second within the pages of this book.

the book and cannibalistic story is done in a way that’s unique and indescribable. one of a kind book.

coming to shelves august 12, 2025. my reviews are my own and arc status does not influence reviews.

This book has me invested at the beginning. A girl who develops a blood lust after terrible events in her life happen?! Ye, please. However, it failed to fully explain what caused her to have this unique craving. It gave some kind of origin but it didn't satisfy my curiosity. It let me down a little bit.

I really enjoyed this. There's a lot to unpack here: grief, family history, coming-of-age, female rage, power, etc. I liked our main character a lot and liked her growth. I really enjoyed the family history and how it's woven into the story. This book is short, yet covers a lot, and does so in a way that is easy to digest (no pun intended!).

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the free copy for review.

A haunting coming-of-age litfic that explores generational trauma, grief, and female rage through a blend of cultural identity and visceral horror.

What Hunger surprised me with how well the relationship between Ronny and her older brother is portrayed, and how I was rooting for her to come into her voice from the very beginning. Once things start getting weird (re: hungry…), I was HOOKED! I loved how unhinged her thoughts and actions became and how quickly things got out of hand. 👀 Very reminiscent of The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monica Kim which I also loved.

many would say this is unhinged but everything that occurred in this book seemed like the proper response to the situation. there’s a few layers to “life issues” as they’re fleshed out through the actions of the FMC who is an immigrant teen just trying to live life. so while we don’t get a full picture until the end the buildup was really nice. very enjoyable read. women’s wrongs are seeming more and more right.