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The Problem Drinker
Not yet published
Expected 2 Jun 26His girlfriend is horror famous, his own writing and acting is floundering, and he is drinking to make sense of it all.
Kyle Kouri’s debut non-fiction collection is full of ‘whiskey courage’ staring at the abyss of family, writing rejection, relationships, and his own drinking. From hijinks at AWP to hustling in the movie business, Kouri bridges the gap in drama between indie and horror.
At turns hilarious and heartbreaking, The Problem Drinker is the story of an artist living with another artist, yearning to move the needle in his career, amidst a sea of personal tragedies and comedies. If F. Scott Fitzgerald had one foot in the 2020s horror scene, that’s the spirit of Kouri’s caustic and big-hearted, lush and refreshingly candid debut.
Kyle Kouri’s debut non-fiction collection is full of ‘whiskey courage’ staring at the abyss of family, writing rejection, relationships, and his own drinking. From hijinks at AWP to hustling in the movie business, Kouri bridges the gap in drama between indie and horror.
At turns hilarious and heartbreaking, The Problem Drinker is the story of an artist living with another artist, yearning to move the needle in his career, amidst a sea of personal tragedies and comedies. If F. Scott Fitzgerald had one foot in the 2020s horror scene, that’s the spirit of Kouri’s caustic and big-hearted, lush and refreshingly candid debut.
- GenresNonfiction
230 pages, Paperback
Expected publication June 2, 2026
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101 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 1, 2025
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
What a book…. Damn, I’m thirsty.
This paints such a beautifully romantic portrait of what it means to be a writer and a renegade. Doused in alcohol, and dripping with rawness and honesty, this reads like literature gone gonzo.
The author’s emotions catapult off the page, and while his habits often made me uncomfortable, he also somehow made me understand the importance of every sip.
Here’s hoping that this is indeed a jumping off point for a career worthy of success…
What a book…. Damn, I’m thirsty.
This paints such a beautifully romantic portrait of what it means to be a writer and a renegade. Doused in alcohol, and dripping with rawness and honesty, this reads like literature gone gonzo.
The author’s emotions catapult off the page, and while his habits often made me uncomfortable, he also somehow made me understand the importance of every sip.
Here’s hoping that this is indeed a jumping off point for a career worthy of success…
November 23, 2025
2.75
First off the bat, acknowledging that this is a memoir, you have to give the author credit for really putting himself out there. He didn't shy away from the ugly, both with the people in his life as well as himself. It would have been easier to sensor things and he even wonders if perhaps he was a bit too cruel. I do think that his honesty added a real and human side to things.
That being said, the writer does come across as a very bitter person frequently. Dare I say even whiny at times. Some of it is understandable. He's art isn't taking off in the same way everyone around him is and I know it's hard to want something that everyone else is getting. But also he seems like someone who sits around with a cigarette in his mouth haressing people that literature is dying with an elitist attitude. Memoirs are kind of weird because I don't feel good judging the author as a character because he is a real person but I guess that's the risk one takes writing something so personal.
I was originally drawn to this book because I have multiple loved ones who also struggle with alcohol. I enjoyed the chapters like 'Courage' but a lot of it felt to me like a celebration of drinking. Which, obviously nothing wrong with that if that's how you want to live your life but it wasn't what I was expecting.
There are some chapters in this book that feels like he was right on the cusp of something profound but then the chapter ends and I'm left trying to figure out what exactly he was trying to say. A think a bit more expansions or time to let things cook would have worked well. I think some more descriptions to the scenes would have made them a bit more interesting or literary. At times it felt more like "then we did this. Then they said this. Then I said this. Then we went here".
I personally think the chapters that surround his family, especially his mother and sister B are the best parts of the book. I would have loved more of them, perhaps even more insights into his childhood because his mother was quite the character.
I am not someone who really cares that much about people getting to hang out with celebrities so the constant name dropping that I felt went on in the book got a little exhausting for me. There is also a chapter when he mentions that he is staying at an A list celebrities apartment which is like 'ok, cool. That's fun." But then he keeps referring to it as the A listers apartment multiple times, like he really wants you not to forget he's staying at a big stars place. But it's not like anything crazy happened where it was relevant that he was staying at an A listers house. He just seemed to want people to be aware that he knows famous people.
Im sure there is a target audience for this, perhaps someone a little more lost in their current phase of life and need some encouragement things will work out.
Thank you to Netgalley and Clash Books for the arc in exchange for my honest review.
First off the bat, acknowledging that this is a memoir, you have to give the author credit for really putting himself out there. He didn't shy away from the ugly, both with the people in his life as well as himself. It would have been easier to sensor things and he even wonders if perhaps he was a bit too cruel. I do think that his honesty added a real and human side to things.
That being said, the writer does come across as a very bitter person frequently. Dare I say even whiny at times. Some of it is understandable. He's art isn't taking off in the same way everyone around him is and I know it's hard to want something that everyone else is getting. But also he seems like someone who sits around with a cigarette in his mouth haressing people that literature is dying with an elitist attitude. Memoirs are kind of weird because I don't feel good judging the author as a character because he is a real person but I guess that's the risk one takes writing something so personal.
I was originally drawn to this book because I have multiple loved ones who also struggle with alcohol. I enjoyed the chapters like 'Courage' but a lot of it felt to me like a celebration of drinking. Which, obviously nothing wrong with that if that's how you want to live your life but it wasn't what I was expecting.
There are some chapters in this book that feels like he was right on the cusp of something profound but then the chapter ends and I'm left trying to figure out what exactly he was trying to say. A think a bit more expansions or time to let things cook would have worked well. I think some more descriptions to the scenes would have made them a bit more interesting or literary. At times it felt more like "then we did this. Then they said this. Then I said this. Then we went here".
I personally think the chapters that surround his family, especially his mother and sister B are the best parts of the book. I would have loved more of them, perhaps even more insights into his childhood because his mother was quite the character.
I am not someone who really cares that much about people getting to hang out with celebrities so the constant name dropping that I felt went on in the book got a little exhausting for me. There is also a chapter when he mentions that he is staying at an A list celebrities apartment which is like 'ok, cool. That's fun." But then he keeps referring to it as the A listers apartment multiple times, like he really wants you not to forget he's staying at a big stars place. But it's not like anything crazy happened where it was relevant that he was staying at an A listers house. He just seemed to want people to be aware that he knows famous people.
Im sure there is a target audience for this, perhaps someone a little more lost in their current phase of life and need some encouragement things will work out.
Thank you to Netgalley and Clash Books for the arc in exchange for my honest review.
December 8, 2025
ARC for review. To be published June 2, 2026.
4 stars
So, when I started this memoir in short vignettes (some are only a paragraph) I thought, “I am really going to despise this annoying, crybaby asshole.” Good Lord, is he self-centered. But then his story kind of grew on me and I came to enjoy reading about his fascinating family (who might all sue him when this is published,) his relationship with girlfriend CJ Leede, author of MAEVE FLY (she is far more successful than him and it. Is. Killing. Him.), his work and his excesses (title is no lie. Assuming he drinks like he says I don’t know why he doesn’t have serious health problems already.
He definitely thinks he’s far grander than he is, but he’s doing what he can to get there, writing, acting, directing, riding coattails…whatever it takes. He’s a bit of a misogynist, which is infuriating, here’s hoping he runs into lots more women who control his career prospects.
He’s apparently tried to get a book deal for years and this is the first thing that has worked out for him. For me, he definitely had enough good stories to fill a book, next up is to see if there’s talent backing up those tales. If you love Bret Easton Ellis, here’s the newish installment, with the knowledge he’s certainly not the original or even close.
4 stars
So, when I started this memoir in short vignettes (some are only a paragraph) I thought, “I am really going to despise this annoying, crybaby asshole.” Good Lord, is he self-centered. But then his story kind of grew on me and I came to enjoy reading about his fascinating family (who might all sue him when this is published,) his relationship with girlfriend CJ Leede, author of MAEVE FLY (she is far more successful than him and it. Is. Killing. Him.), his work and his excesses (title is no lie. Assuming he drinks like he says I don’t know why he doesn’t have serious health problems already.
He definitely thinks he’s far grander than he is, but he’s doing what he can to get there, writing, acting, directing, riding coattails…whatever it takes. He’s a bit of a misogynist, which is infuriating, here’s hoping he runs into lots more women who control his career prospects.
He’s apparently tried to get a book deal for years and this is the first thing that has worked out for him. For me, he definitely had enough good stories to fill a book, next up is to see if there’s talent backing up those tales. If you love Bret Easton Ellis, here’s the newish installment, with the knowledge he’s certainly not the original or even close.
November 30, 2025
*Thanks to NetGalley and CLASH for this ARC. This review contains my honest, authentic thoughts and opinions.*
IDK man, more like 2.5. The micro chapters that felt more like ideas and the name-dropping really took me out of the experience. And as someone who comes from a family of alcoholics, it bothered me how much he glorified drinking in excess. Maybe this book just wasn’t for me, but I love CJ Leede (his girlfriend) and I wanted to read something by someone she loves. I wanted to like it…but……………eh.
IDK man, more like 2.5. The micro chapters that felt more like ideas and the name-dropping really took me out of the experience. And as someone who comes from a family of alcoholics, it bothered me how much he glorified drinking in excess. Maybe this book just wasn’t for me, but I love CJ Leede (his girlfriend) and I wanted to read something by someone she loves. I wanted to like it…but……………eh.
September 5, 2025
I read an excerpt from this book, and it only made me want more!!!! I’m thirsty as hell to read this book, and it seems like it’s becoming a problem…
November 19, 2025
Reviewing a memoir feels a bit like wading through a minefield, but in the case of Kyle Kouri‘s The Problem Drinker, not writing about such a book feels like a crime. Even as I sit here and try to summarize all that I’ve read within these pages, I’ve come to the conclusion that there is no easy way to sum up a book like this, a collection of reflections on life’s biggest problems we universally, yet solitarily face. But what I can promise to unpack here is how The Problem Drinker made me feel, and boy, did I feel a lot.
If there was a version of Fox Mulder who searched for the truth in bars, then it’s safe to say that version would be named Kyle Kouri. And what truth does he seek? While UFOs are cool, Kouri ponders other questions that you and I have probably pondered before as well. Why is addiction a thing? How come grief feels like this? Does anyone every really understand us the way we think we should? Will I ever make it?
A man who is driven by his craft in a few artistic fields, Kouri pens this book with equal parts stern reality and vivacious romanticism. The Problem Drinker is a book that unpacks what it means to be human, to be an artist, in all its impulsive, raw, beautiful, and sometimes ugly ways. And like a true artist, both emotional events and small mundanities are held equal in Kouri’s eyes, instances that are rife with possible meaning and impactful ramifications. This plight for understanding, for truth, in all things proves that answers are sometimes found in glass bottles, sometimes on days of sobriety. Never has such pondering felt so relatable.
The smallest moments are those that shine in this debut memoir, the contemplations of first sips of a drink, recalling bittersweet memories, and the rawness in which these are recounted. This is a book that explores a tenuous relationship with art, the desire to create with meaning, and the fickle need to be accepted, to attain, to accomplish. Kouri is honest about the uncertainties we face in this life, the toll of loss, and the accumulation of grief. This is not a book sprinkled with sugar, rather a cocktail poured with a heavy, bitter hand.
Doused in relatable honesty, Kyle Kouri’s The Problem Drinker offers no solutions; no, it offers something better. It is a weathered face at the local dive bar, a gruff bartender pouring your favorite cocktail in the way only they can. It is a drinking buddy, the best kind of company that may encourage you to pick up an ink pen and jot that idea that’s been rattling around in your brain on a cheap paper napkin. It is a strong shot of liquor, a shock to the system that is equally grounding and otherworldly all at once. And it nearly guarantees a hangover, a wish for more writing like this.
If there was a version of Fox Mulder who searched for the truth in bars, then it’s safe to say that version would be named Kyle Kouri. And what truth does he seek? While UFOs are cool, Kouri ponders other questions that you and I have probably pondered before as well. Why is addiction a thing? How come grief feels like this? Does anyone every really understand us the way we think we should? Will I ever make it?
A man who is driven by his craft in a few artistic fields, Kouri pens this book with equal parts stern reality and vivacious romanticism. The Problem Drinker is a book that unpacks what it means to be human, to be an artist, in all its impulsive, raw, beautiful, and sometimes ugly ways. And like a true artist, both emotional events and small mundanities are held equal in Kouri’s eyes, instances that are rife with possible meaning and impactful ramifications. This plight for understanding, for truth, in all things proves that answers are sometimes found in glass bottles, sometimes on days of sobriety. Never has such pondering felt so relatable.
The smallest moments are those that shine in this debut memoir, the contemplations of first sips of a drink, recalling bittersweet memories, and the rawness in which these are recounted. This is a book that explores a tenuous relationship with art, the desire to create with meaning, and the fickle need to be accepted, to attain, to accomplish. Kouri is honest about the uncertainties we face in this life, the toll of loss, and the accumulation of grief. This is not a book sprinkled with sugar, rather a cocktail poured with a heavy, bitter hand.
Doused in relatable honesty, Kyle Kouri’s The Problem Drinker offers no solutions; no, it offers something better. It is a weathered face at the local dive bar, a gruff bartender pouring your favorite cocktail in the way only they can. It is a drinking buddy, the best kind of company that may encourage you to pick up an ink pen and jot that idea that’s been rattling around in your brain on a cheap paper napkin. It is a strong shot of liquor, a shock to the system that is equally grounding and otherworldly all at once. And it nearly guarantees a hangover, a wish for more writing like this.
December 5, 2025
Oh boy, bishes, one helluva review is incoming for this beauty.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Problem Drinker — 5⭐️
This book is my biggest nightmare. It was so uncomfortably relatable and I had to read it all in one sitting (and I did). I went into this not knowing/not remembering what it was even about.
I’ve recently become obsessed with C.J. after reading Maeve Fly in October, and then I won American Rapture in the Goodreads giveaways, which felt like the universe personally handing me a gift.
(Enough about C.J.) 😅
But the whole “I’m a struggling writer and my girlfriend is a famous author” situation in this book? A blessing and a curse. Writing is already hard. Watching someone compare themselves to a partner who’s killing it? Oof.
This book hit me hard. It was emotional, raw, and probably the most relatable and impactful thing I’ve read in a long time. I drank this book way too fast and it fucked. Me. Up.
Thank you NetGalley, CLASH Books, and thank you, Kyle. Cheers. 🥂
This book is my biggest nightmare. It was so uncomfortably relatable and I had to read it all in one sitting (and I did). I went into this not knowing/not remembering what it was even about.
I’ve recently become obsessed with C.J. after reading Maeve Fly in October, and then I won American Rapture in the Goodreads giveaways, which felt like the universe personally handing me a gift.
(Enough about C.J.) 😅
But the whole “I’m a struggling writer and my girlfriend is a famous author” situation in this book? A blessing and a curse. Writing is already hard. Watching someone compare themselves to a partner who’s killing it? Oof.
This book hit me hard. It was emotional, raw, and probably the most relatable and impactful thing I’ve read in a long time. I drank this book way too fast and it fucked. Me. Up.
Thank you NetGalley, CLASH Books, and thank you, Kyle. Cheers. 🥂
September 9, 2025
Okay, so there are two reviews rolled up in one here. First off, just my candid two cents: this is the memoir I never knew I needed and it came along at the absolute perfect time. I loved this. This guy is a star. Below is my "official" review/blurb. I hope this resonates with all of you as much as it did for me.
"Exquisitely raw, self-aware, and fresh out of fucks to give, The Problem Drinker threads the world’s finest needle by giving voice to a dying art: late nights, stiff drinks, and the fickle agony of love and family. Kouri’s voice lives somewhere between Hunter S. Thompson and David Sedaris. It’s as messy as it is intellectual, with a wholly unique, heart-wrenching irreverence. From one so-called problem drinker to another, I am so glad this book exists.”
"Exquisitely raw, self-aware, and fresh out of fucks to give, The Problem Drinker threads the world’s finest needle by giving voice to a dying art: late nights, stiff drinks, and the fickle agony of love and family. Kouri’s voice lives somewhere between Hunter S. Thompson and David Sedaris. It’s as messy as it is intellectual, with a wholly unique, heart-wrenching irreverence. From one so-called problem drinker to another, I am so glad this book exists.”
December 7, 2025
I recently read Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 and called for a resurgence of the raw, the gonzo, and the vulnerable. I'm not surprised, but I'm pleased, that we have it in Kyle Kouri. When describing The Problem Drinker to friends and family, the word I use is, "Excellent."
The stories are moving and visceral. Readers gain a genuine sense of the relationships within. I want a gin martini at a wooden bar with comfortable leather chairs now.
The stories are moving and visceral. Readers gain a genuine sense of the relationships within. I want a gin martini at a wooden bar with comfortable leather chairs now.
November 21, 2025
I finished the book in less than three hours, which should say something about it's addicting quality. Raw and unrestrained and griefstricken still somehow bursting with untamable love/lust for life. Can't wait to have a physical copy of this.
August 29, 2025
Best book I‘ve ever read. Author���s super hot
September 5, 2025
dang incredible book. incredible author. incredible chuck tingle cameo what more could you ask for
September 6, 2025
Next great American author? I think so! He is also super hot, just don’t invite him to your pool party!
September 6, 2025
Incredible book. I just wish the author had more books I could read!
November 19, 2025
Author's girlfriend is super hot ;)
Will update review once I get my hands on this one but I know I'm going to love it!
Will update review once I get my hands on this one but I know I'm going to love it!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews