Girl Gone Wild

by Courtney Kocak

The Hollywood Misadventures of a Small-Town Girl

Tales of ambition, delusion, drugs, sex, and misogyny... including selling T-shirts on the Girls Gone Wild bus

GIRL GONE WILDis a collection of exploits and delusions about chasing your dreams with reckless abandon and what happens when their pursuit becomes a new kind of trap. In this memoir-in-essays, Kocak takes readers along on her heady metamorphosis from girl to woman and from dreamer to professional artist, as she is transformed in this unwitting feminist coming-of-age. It's a wild, cringeworthy, and often heartbreaking tale, but with Kocak's wry wit and clear-eyed accounting, it's nothing short of captivating.

Genres: Memoir, Feminism

322 pages, Paperback

Published April 1, 2026

Reviews

[Fran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could not put this down. It's a 5 not because it's perfect but because it's a great read -- a rough, wild ride of a memoir about woman's journey from will-do-anything-wanna-be-actress to writer. Most of the time my jaw was on the floor but the Grandma Betty essay had me in tears with a full heart. A writing friend asked why I liked it and my immediate response was "brutal honesty and graphic description." A glimpse into a life nothing like my own with some of the same universal life lessons -- I will be passing it on to my daughter and niece.

[Carrie Schuller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the book. Living in the author's hometown gave me some moments of amusement that might be lost on people not from Jackson. She does a good job connecting with her readers.

[Michelle Glogovac · Rating 5 out of 5]

It takes true bravery, purpose and confidence to share your entire story with the world. Courtney Kocak does not hold back any details in regards to what her life has been like and I greatly appreciate her for that. From childhood to discovering who she is as a person and a woman, detailing mistakes made, lessons learned and so much more, Courtney allows us into her life while also allowing us to reflect on our own. I appreciate how she approaches so many important aspects of not only her life but the world we all see around us, from #MeToo to abortion to feminism...she talks about all of it. I enjoyed GIRL GONE WILD and found it utterly refreshing to read a memoir that shared the actual truth of someone's story!

[Nan Bauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Courtney is the Captain Kirk of memoirists, boldly going to places no one in their right mind goes--which makes this book an absolute blast to read. Girl Gone Wild offers a no-holds-barred joyride through a fierce and uncompromising life, and at the same time is a portrait of growing up Midwest in the late 80s and 90s. But for as much as I laughed while reading, what I most love about the book is her honest reckoning with both the courage and the cost that it takes to not just follow a dream but figure out the difference between the dream and the rabbit holes. I also really love the essay format; you can pick up any chapter in the book and read it as a stand alone or read it straight through from cover to cover. No matter which chapter you choose, she'll make you laugh and think hard.

[Jennie Kirby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Trio House Press for this copy in exchange for my honest review. This is a raw, tell-all of a young woman’s very challenging and sometimes delusional life as a dreamer. She spills her heart on every page, exposes all her darkest memories and experiences without apology. I can’t imagine the bravery it took to share your entire life with an audience, but she did it in a way that made this an addictive page turner. I found myself relating to her in many ways as a partying 90’s teen myself. I devoured this in 2 days, it’s so readable and punchy, with humor and intrigue. If you like unfiltered all-in experiential memoirs that don’t hold back, broach sensitive topics that actually affect young women, and are unapologetically feminist, this is the one. 4.25 ⭐️

[Csimplot Simplot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book!!!

[Mediaman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Creative non-fiction that's not worth reading.