What do you think?
Rate this book
Amateur Night at the Bubblegum Kittikat
Ar twenty-six, frumpy, kindergarten aide Victoria Fedden thought she had the perfect life until her fiance locked her out of her own house and sued her. Forced to return to her family in South Florida, a place where she never felt she fit in, Victoria moved into her parents' guest room and reluctantly took a job hostessing at The Bubblegum Kittikat, South Florida's "klassiest" gentlemen's club. This hilarious memoir recounts how working in a strip club helped her recover from her breakup while giving her life and herself a much needed makeover. Amateur Night at the Bubblegum Kittikat demonstrates what miracles can happen when you stop judging yourself and others and step far out of your comfort zone (in five inch Lucite heels).
340 pages, Paperback
First published May 16, 2013
About the author
Victoria Fedden
9 books63 followersI was born to a teen mom in rural Delaware and am the granddaughter of a trucker and a General. With free spirits as parents, I've moved 30 times, living in New York, Georgia and South Florida. I have six siblings, one of whom is actually my aunt, and I've done a lot of things to pay the bills from telephone surveys to waiting tables. I've been a line cook, worked in a pottery studio, a Waldorf kindergarten and even a strip club. In 2009 I received my MFA in Creative Writing from Florida Atlantic University. I taught writing at FAU, Barry University and Palm Beach State College. I currently live in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with my family. I'm a regular contributor to elephant journal, Babble, and Scary Mommy. My work has appeared in the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Redbook, Real Simple, The Huffington Post and several anthologies. My memoir THIS IS NOT MY BEAUTIFUL LIFE is forthcoming from Picador USA June 7, 2016.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
September 9, 2013
I LOVED this book... It's hysterical and authentic. I highly recommend- but not to my conservative friends.
June 20, 2013
I loved this book! It was funny, but in the right way. It wasn't funny at the expense of the other people in the book. Victoria allows us to see her weaknesses and is often the butt of her own jokes. But it's not a comedy - it's a memoir, and while she successfully keeps us entertained with humorous stories, she also shows us the often sad stories underneath all the glitter. Most of all, she makes it very clear that where you work, how you look, etc are all superficial. That sometimes there's a great mind or a kind heart behind the lucite heels and sometimes there's a vixen wrapped in that frumpy cardigan.
July 12, 2013
Oh how I loved this book! It takes a lot of guts for a writer to put herself out there, admitting to faults and insecurities, but Victoria Fedden does it with a unique honesty and candor. So many times when reading this book I said to myself, "That's me!" and then "I can't believe she just admitted to that!" I felt like she was telling all of my secrets.
Victoria is completely at home with her writing style, so this book just flows; for a first book, there is nothing forced about the style or language. And there were so many laugh-out-loud moments. And while this book gives us a cast of characters worth laughing at, you'll find yourself laughing at - and with - the author, even more.
Get busy, Victoria Fedden. Because I simply cannot wait for your next book.
Victoria is completely at home with her writing style, so this book just flows; for a first book, there is nothing forced about the style or language. And there were so many laugh-out-loud moments. And while this book gives us a cast of characters worth laughing at, you'll find yourself laughing at - and with - the author, even more.
Get busy, Victoria Fedden. Because I simply cannot wait for your next book.
July 13, 2013
Engaging, funny, sometimes chilling true story of a Nice Girl suffering a disastrous breakup who finds recovery and empowerment in a most unconventional manner - working as the hostess at a Florida strip club. It started a little slow but by the time we get to the characters at the club and some of their stories, she's really in the groove.
I really enjoyed this first effort from the blogger behind Wide Lawns and Narrow Minds. It might have benefited from a little more show-don't-tell and tighter editing, but she's a strong storyteller who keeps you turning the pages to find out what's going to happen next.
I really enjoyed this first effort from the blogger behind Wide Lawns and Narrow Minds. It might have benefited from a little more show-don't-tell and tighter editing, but she's a strong storyteller who keeps you turning the pages to find out what's going to happen next.
June 20, 2013
Wonderful book. I couldn't put it down. Sad thing is, I have nothing to read now that compares. It was a funny, yet poignant look at a year in the life of a young woman having to start over from scratch, physically and emotionally. Told in such a way, that you are going though it all right with her, only I don't think I could have retold it with such a hysterical sense of humor. Talented author and I look forward to reading more of her work.
January 15, 2015
I debated between 2 and 3 stars - I liked parts of it, but it was about 150 pages too long and could have used some good editing. The ending helped me understand how damaged she was and if I had understood that throughout the book, I may have enjoyed it more.
December 24, 2018
Entertaining in parts, but the author flip flops between being a victim or unpleasant men and being so weak due to her own insecurities that the reader can't really sympathize with her through the whole book. Likewise, her coworkers are portrayed sympathetically one minute and then as dishonest skanky tramps the next. Overall quite an enjoyable read, but with some fairly rough patches that make it less recommendable.
July 1, 2019
What a wonderful writer.
Wide Lawns' style, wit, humanity, and soul has had me captivated for over a decade --- I've been a faithful reader since I was literally 15 years old! I put off reading her book for so long because I knew I'd be emotional when it ended --- and I was right. I don't know what to do with myself now that it's over.
(Luckily she's written a couple more since 2013.)
Wide Lawns' style, wit, humanity, and soul has had me captivated for over a decade --- I've been a faithful reader since I was literally 15 years old! I put off reading her book for so long because I knew I'd be emotional when it ended --- and I was right. I don't know what to do with myself now that it's over.
(Luckily she's written a couple more since 2013.)
May 23, 2016
Original review at http://kimheniadis.com
If you’ve read my previous reviews, you’ll realize that I don’t read a lot of memoirs, but every now and then it’s fun to take a peek into another person’s life. I’ve been entertained by Victoria Fedden for about two years now when I first stumbled across her blog; Wide Lawns and Narrow Minds, and I decided it was finally time to read her first memoir. While this book will not be for everyone, it was definitely for me. From the title and description of the book I figured it would be a riot, and I was not disappointed.
Through the book Fedden is taking a look at herself, and make lots of discoveries, as well as grows as a person. That was interesting, and wonderful, and I did enjoy that part. But what happens behind the scenes at a strip club is the reason I will recommending this to my girlfriends, as well as you.
The situations that Fedden gets herself into, in and out of the club, make it seem as if you are passing by an accident, trying to get a glimpse at the aftermath. You might cringe, but you need to know what will happen next. She is the type of friend that you want at all of your dinner parties because you just know she will have the best stories, and the even better part, that they are true.
There are so many things that I want to tell you about, but you need to read enjoy the experience of them yourself. I will say that the wedding soup catastrophe will stick with me always. And although I had never thought of it before, I now know what strippers do when they have their period.
If you think your life is in the dumps, taking a look at Fedden’s will make you realize it could be worse, but she does it in the best way possible.
If you’ve read my previous reviews, you’ll realize that I don’t read a lot of memoirs, but every now and then it’s fun to take a peek into another person’s life. I’ve been entertained by Victoria Fedden for about two years now when I first stumbled across her blog; Wide Lawns and Narrow Minds, and I decided it was finally time to read her first memoir. While this book will not be for everyone, it was definitely for me. From the title and description of the book I figured it would be a riot, and I was not disappointed.
Through the book Fedden is taking a look at herself, and make lots of discoveries, as well as grows as a person. That was interesting, and wonderful, and I did enjoy that part. But what happens behind the scenes at a strip club is the reason I will recommending this to my girlfriends, as well as you.
The situations that Fedden gets herself into, in and out of the club, make it seem as if you are passing by an accident, trying to get a glimpse at the aftermath. You might cringe, but you need to know what will happen next. She is the type of friend that you want at all of your dinner parties because you just know she will have the best stories, and the even better part, that they are true.
There are so many things that I want to tell you about, but you need to read enjoy the experience of them yourself. I will say that the wedding soup catastrophe will stick with me always. And although I had never thought of it before, I now know what strippers do when they have their period.
If you think your life is in the dumps, taking a look at Fedden’s will make you realize it could be worse, but she does it in the best way possible.
September 16, 2016
Entertaining, light reading; yet introspective with philosophical analogies.
September 28, 2013
I've been reading the blog Wide Lawns and Narrow Minds for years - for so long I've forgotten where I got the blog link from. Long enough that I was reading Wide Lawns when she was completely anonymous and worked as the manager of a gated community. Her stories of the horrible, terrible, no-good rich people were fantastic, let me tell you.
Well, this book isn't about her time at that gated community; it's about the time before that, when she was a hostess at a strip club. It's written in her distinctive voice, it's written well (though there were a few typos in the ebook edition that weren't caught), and it made a fantastic commuting read to and from work. I raced through it, and I am very glad that in a few months she's coming out with Memoir Part II, Electric Boogaloo.
I think that many of us on my GoodReads / FB / LJ friendslist would be, or would like to be I should say, friends with Victoria IRL. She would get along great in our group. The sense of humor that she's got completely makes the story great.
Well, this book isn't about her time at that gated community; it's about the time before that, when she was a hostess at a strip club. It's written in her distinctive voice, it's written well (though there were a few typos in the ebook edition that weren't caught), and it made a fantastic commuting read to and from work. I raced through it, and I am very glad that in a few months she's coming out with Memoir Part II, Electric Boogaloo.
I think that many of us on my GoodReads / FB / LJ friendslist would be, or would like to be I should say, friends with Victoria IRL. She would get along great in our group. The sense of humor that she's got completely makes the story great.
July 3, 2013
Loved it! Well-told with both humor and a thoughtful perspective. The story drew me in quickly, all the more so because it's "real." Some memoirs are too dry, or too preachy, lacking a good narrative. Not so for this one - you're compelled to keep reading thanks to the strength of the story-telling. Bravo!
November 25, 2013
This is less salacious and more mundane - I would've liked to see how the author got to her happy ending, more than just having it thrown in as an afterthought.
I did like the supporting cast and the stories were usually funny. Another great element to the story was the author's discovery of her own beauty - well told and amusing at the same time.
I did like the supporting cast and the stories were usually funny. Another great element to the story was the author's discovery of her own beauty - well told and amusing at the same time.
February 23, 2015
Once I started reading, I couldn't stop and finished Amateur Night at the Bubblegum Kittikat in one sitting.
Victoria Fedden writes about the end of her engagement and the struggles that follow. Through Fedden's humor and honesty, I felt like I had made a new best friend by the end of the book. I laughed, I agonized, and I cried alongside her throughout the book.
Victoria Fedden writes about the end of her engagement and the struggles that follow. Through Fedden's humor and honesty, I felt like I had made a new best friend by the end of the book. I laughed, I agonized, and I cried alongside her throughout the book.
April 3, 2015
Has to be one of my FAVORITE books!! Victoria Fedden is the author of the blog, Wide Lawns and narrow minds, and being a fan of that blog, I picked up her book, and haven't looked back! She's hilarious in this first book and has since followed with a second. I caught myself laughing out loud many, many times... Highly recommend!
January 5, 2015
Stinkin hilarious. Far more insight into the world of lucite wearing strippers than I'd ever imagined and a great story about finding your feet after heartbreak. I don't hate Meat Loaf as much as she does though.
October 21, 2013
Amusing. Learned a lot about strip clubs
October 23, 2013
Enjoyed this very much, she writes with humor and skill. I'm going to go read her blog!
July 10, 2014
Meh. Entertaining in the moment, but forgettable.
Like a stripper.
Like a stripper.
December 13, 2014
I liked the book a lot. She gives you a glimpse of the strip club life without judgement.
January 6, 2015
OK. Moves quickly, but not funny enough to be a 3-star book.
March 3, 2016
Entertaining, informative, insightful on a number of topics.
Want to Read
July 20, 2013I used to read her Wide Lawns blog years ago and enjoyed her writing...think I'll try her new book.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews