Book Review: Pizza Girl

PIZZA GIRL | Jean Kyoung Frazier
06.09.2020 | Doubleday
Rating: 4/5 stars

Eighteen-years-old, pregnant, and working as a pizza delivery girl in suburban Los Angeles, our charmingly dysfunctional heroine is deeply lost and in complete denial about it. She’s grieving the loss of her father who she has more in common with than she would like to admit. She’s also avoiding her supportive mom and loving boyfriend, all while doing whatever it takes to not think about the future. Her world is upended when she becomes obsessed with Jenny, a stay-at-home mother new to the neighborhood, who comes to depend on weekly deliveries of pickle-covered pizzas for her son’s happiness. The ties of motherhood and feeling unsure about your place in the world bind these two together in what becomes a strange and complicated relationship.

PIZZA GIRL is a stunning coming-of-age story about a young girl lost and unsure of the course her future will take. Our unnamed narrator reminds readers that life is messy and we’re all struggling to make our way through. The emotions coursing throughout PIZZA GIRL are raw and unfiltered, which gives us a direct look into the sometimes cringeworthy thought process of our main character. In addition to this view, we also are gifted with a solid cast of secondary characters whose lives we get to glimpse and understand what drives them. While Jenny is the most well-rounded secondary character, there are many others whose flaws and troubles shine through to make them genuine components to the flow of the story.

PIZZA GIRL contains a lot of serious moments mixed with some heartbreaking reflections, but the author manages to weave humor throughout the book that all combines for an incredible read. I absolutely adore when authors are able to bring humor to their stories because at the end of the day not everything about life needs to be taken so seriously, which is a notion that shines through in PIZZA GIRL. I’m in awe that Frazier was able to pack so much into a book that clocks in around 200 pages. I can’t wait to see what this talented voice comes up with next!

This book is available to buy from: Amazon | Book Depository

A huge thank you to Doubleday for my gifted copy!

Disclosure: What Jess Reads is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This in no way influences my opinion of the above book.