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The Hitch
“A wonderful storyteller with a vibrant voice.” —The New York Times
From the author of the cult classic Treasure Island!!!, a delightfully unhinged comedy following a woman as she attempts to exorcise the spirit of a dead corgi from her nephew and renegotiate the borders of her previously rational world.
Sara Levine debuted with her outrageously original and unforgettable novel Treasure Island!!!, which became a cult classic and bookseller favorite. With the ferocious absurdity of Rachel Yoder’s Nightbitch and the inventive comedy of Kevin Wilson’s Nothing to See Here, Levine’s highly anticipated second novel, The Hitch, follows a woman as she attempts to exorcise the spirit of a dead corgi from her nephew and renegotiate the borders of her previously rational world.
As an antiracist, secular Jewish feminist eco-warrior, Rose Cutler is convinced she knows the right way to do everything, including parent her six-year-old nephew Nathan. When his parents reluctantly agree to let Rose babysit him while they go on a vacation designed to save their marriage, she is determined to follow their rules and not overstep. But on her first day with Nathan, Rose’s beloved Newfoundland attacks and kills a corgi at the park and Nathan starts acting barking, overeating, talking to himself. Rose believes this is how Nathan’s child imagination is coping with the dog’s death, but Nathan insists the dog isn’t dead; her soul leaped into his body, and now she’s living inside him. With only a week left before his parents return, Rose races to banish the corgi from her nephew.
An off-kilter comedy about loneliness, bad boundaries, and the exacting nature of unconditional love, The Hitch is a big-hearted novel that exposes the fault lines of our pieties and asks how far a person should stretch to fit into their own family.
From the author of the cult classic Treasure Island!!!, a delightfully unhinged comedy following a woman as she attempts to exorcise the spirit of a dead corgi from her nephew and renegotiate the borders of her previously rational world.
Sara Levine debuted with her outrageously original and unforgettable novel Treasure Island!!!, which became a cult classic and bookseller favorite. With the ferocious absurdity of Rachel Yoder’s Nightbitch and the inventive comedy of Kevin Wilson’s Nothing to See Here, Levine’s highly anticipated second novel, The Hitch, follows a woman as she attempts to exorcise the spirit of a dead corgi from her nephew and renegotiate the borders of her previously rational world.
As an antiracist, secular Jewish feminist eco-warrior, Rose Cutler is convinced she knows the right way to do everything, including parent her six-year-old nephew Nathan. When his parents reluctantly agree to let Rose babysit him while they go on a vacation designed to save their marriage, she is determined to follow their rules and not overstep. But on her first day with Nathan, Rose’s beloved Newfoundland attacks and kills a corgi at the park and Nathan starts acting barking, overeating, talking to himself. Rose believes this is how Nathan’s child imagination is coping with the dog’s death, but Nathan insists the dog isn’t dead; her soul leaped into his body, and now she’s living inside him. With only a week left before his parents return, Rose races to banish the corgi from her nephew.
An off-kilter comedy about loneliness, bad boundaries, and the exacting nature of unconditional love, The Hitch is a big-hearted novel that exposes the fault lines of our pieties and asks how far a person should stretch to fit into their own family.
Audible Audio
First published January 13, 2026
About the author
Sara Levine
10 books155 followersHi! I wrote the novel THE HITCH which was published by Roxane Gay Books, an imprint of Grove Atlantic, in 2026. THE HITCH was selected as a New York Times Book Review Critics Pick, People Magazine's Book of the Month, and NPR's Book of the Day.
I am also the author of the novel TREASURE ISLAND!!! and the short story collection SHORT DARK ORACLES.
If you haven't read Robert Louis Stevenson's TREASURE ISLAND, I recommend the Penguin's Mass Market paperback which includes my Afterword.
Sign up for my newsletter at
https://delusionsofgrammar.substack.com/
I am also the author of the novel TREASURE ISLAND!!! and the short story collection SHORT DARK ORACLES.
If you haven't read Robert Louis Stevenson's TREASURE ISLAND, I recommend the Penguin's Mass Market paperback which includes my Afterword.
Sign up for my newsletter at
https://delusionsofgrammar.substack.com/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 382 reviews
March 26, 2026
Rose Cutler is the owner/operator of a successful yogurt company. She’s single and childless, but she has a brother, Victor, and a nephew, Nathan (and a sister-in-law, unfortunately). Nathan is a source of joy in her otherwise rocky life, so she’s thrilled when Vic lets him stay with her for a whole week while he and his wife jet off to Mexico.
But on day one, Rose and Nathan take Walter, her 150-pound Newfie for a walk. He’s an excitable type, so when they run ever so slightly afoul of an equally excitable corgi, he…mauls it. But that’s not the half of it: soon, Nathan is barking and sniffing. And he claims the corgi’s soul is “inside” him, telling him secrets of the people around him, and knock-knock jokes. The whole situation gets him a black eye, a neck brace, and an ability to almost LOOK like a corgi. What’s Rose gonna tell Victor?
It’s a wild, wooly tale: something you wouldn’t expect from a story with a corgi. (Ha-cha-cha!) But for all the magic and even exorcism, what makes this book sing is Rose.
You know that person? Tells you the poison in your food, gives you opinions you don’t want, snipes at your fashion or taste in…everything? In other words, the most opinionated, judgy, and snarky person you know?
That’s Rose.
It’s ok, though, because she’s also really funny. Levine gives her a voice that’s every bit as sarcastic and witty as I’d expect her to be. It’s a good thing that she’s so damn smart, and prickly, and naturally irritable, because it gives her a sense of humor to which I can relate. Rose, as first-person narrator, does a wonderful job of both world-setting and advancing the plot. As she gets ready to house Nathan, how she sets up her house reveals a mountain of quirks and peeves, some of which were just unreal. Oh, and if you’re a hardcore foodie, especially a vegan one, you’ll love this lady. I'm neither of those things, but Levine made it fun to watch.
The plot borders on madcap, at least through the half. We go through lots of quick chapters of Rose’s observations of Nathan, all while her business flirts with bankruptcy. Then it becomes a unique quest: getting the corgis soul out from a stubborn child before his parents find out. We slip a bit into a lull, where Nathan’s possession seems to stall and the danger just hovers.
But stick with it, because at the three-quarter mark, there’s some spiritual nuttiness and existential philosophy, thanks to a few McNuggets and a Big Mac. The things that build are more concept than example, but I found X’s revelations fulfilling and even joyful.
I wasn’t surprised to have found a non-traditional ending, given the content and flow. I’ll say no more to avoid a spoiler, but I was nicely satisfied.
I’m writing this on a flight back from Austin, where you’ll often hear the phrase, “Keep Austin Weird.” In this case, Levine keeps it delightfully weird. The Hitch is a funny, crazy story told by a one-of-kind oddball.
But on day one, Rose and Nathan take Walter, her 150-pound Newfie for a walk. He’s an excitable type, so when they run ever so slightly afoul of an equally excitable corgi, he…mauls it. But that’s not the half of it: soon, Nathan is barking and sniffing. And he claims the corgi’s soul is “inside” him, telling him secrets of the people around him, and knock-knock jokes. The whole situation gets him a black eye, a neck brace, and an ability to almost LOOK like a corgi. What’s Rose gonna tell Victor?
It’s a wild, wooly tale: something you wouldn’t expect from a story with a corgi. (Ha-cha-cha!) But for all the magic and even exorcism, what makes this book sing is Rose.
You know that person? Tells you the poison in your food, gives you opinions you don’t want, snipes at your fashion or taste in…everything? In other words, the most opinionated, judgy, and snarky person you know?
That’s Rose.
It’s ok, though, because she’s also really funny. Levine gives her a voice that’s every bit as sarcastic and witty as I’d expect her to be. It’s a good thing that she’s so damn smart, and prickly, and naturally irritable, because it gives her a sense of humor to which I can relate. Rose, as first-person narrator, does a wonderful job of both world-setting and advancing the plot. As she gets ready to house Nathan, how she sets up her house reveals a mountain of quirks and peeves, some of which were just unreal. Oh, and if you’re a hardcore foodie, especially a vegan one, you’ll love this lady. I'm neither of those things, but Levine made it fun to watch.
The plot borders on madcap, at least through the half. We go through lots of quick chapters of Rose’s observations of Nathan, all while her business flirts with bankruptcy. Then it becomes a unique quest: getting the corgis soul out from a stubborn child before his parents find out. We slip a bit into a lull, where Nathan’s possession seems to stall and the danger just hovers.
But stick with it, because at the three-quarter mark, there’s some spiritual nuttiness and existential philosophy, thanks to a few McNuggets and a Big Mac. The things that build are more concept than example, but I found X’s revelations fulfilling and even joyful.
I wasn’t surprised to have found a non-traditional ending, given the content and flow. I’ll say no more to avoid a spoiler, but I was nicely satisfied.
I’m writing this on a flight back from Austin, where you’ll often hear the phrase, “Keep Austin Weird.” In this case, Levine keeps it delightfully weird. The Hitch is a funny, crazy story told by a one-of-kind oddball.
January 15, 2026
3.5 Stars. Thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for an advance copy of The Hitch by Sara Levine. This is a dark, unique, and bizarre story. It is told with humour, which sometimes seems forced. It is a quirky combination of comedy and character study with supernatural elements.
Rose Cutler describes herself as an anti-racist Jewish secular feminist eco-warrior. Others tend to describe her as a misanthrope, judgmental, intense, self-righteous, and lacking in emotional connections with most people. She becomes estranged from her friend Omar and is lonely. She has fixed opinions. She dislikes a Polish restaurant because of the Polish government's actions during WW2, and believes Aunt Jemima pancakes (name now discontinued) referred to slaves making pancakes for their masters. She tends to micromanage everything.
There are vegan recipes and food discussions scattered throughout the book. Rose has run a yogurt company, and her food consisted of grains, vegetarian and dairy products. She is now trying to sell her yogurt company after a Chinese study suggested the evils of dairy products. The fact that her latest yogurt flavour was contaminated is a drawback for possible sales.
She is devoted to her Newfoundland dog, Walter and dislikes corgis. Rose wants to look after her 6-year-old nephew, Nathan, after she learns that his parents are visiting Mexico for a week. They reluctantly agree, insisting that Nathan follow his strict home and school routine. Rose is excited about Nathan's upcoming visit and redecorates a spare bedroom for him. She paints it a shade of grey, which her nephew will call sweatsock grey. She prepares a list of nutritious vegan foods for him.
There is trouble on his first day. Rose walks her Newfoundland dog to a park with Nathan. Her huge dog kills a corgi. Nathan begins to act strangely, barking, overeating, and frequently behaving like a dog. Rose believes he is traumatized from seeing the corgi killed. Instead, Nathan is delighted. He believes the corgi's spirit has entered his body, becoming part of him. He was never allowed to have a pet dog, cat, or even a tiny animal, and now he has an 'inside dog.'
Rose is in a panic, as she must find a way to banish the corgi's spirit from inside Nathan before his parents' return. She believes the ordeal has made her a better person, which, selfishly, she attributes to success. Little character change or growth is displayed. She remains a caricature.
Recommended for readers who enjoy an unusual. humorous, offbeat story. Publication is scheduled for January 13/2026.
Rose Cutler describes herself as an anti-racist Jewish secular feminist eco-warrior. Others tend to describe her as a misanthrope, judgmental, intense, self-righteous, and lacking in emotional connections with most people. She becomes estranged from her friend Omar and is lonely. She has fixed opinions. She dislikes a Polish restaurant because of the Polish government's actions during WW2, and believes Aunt Jemima pancakes (name now discontinued) referred to slaves making pancakes for their masters. She tends to micromanage everything.
There are vegan recipes and food discussions scattered throughout the book. Rose has run a yogurt company, and her food consisted of grains, vegetarian and dairy products. She is now trying to sell her yogurt company after a Chinese study suggested the evils of dairy products. The fact that her latest yogurt flavour was contaminated is a drawback for possible sales.
She is devoted to her Newfoundland dog, Walter and dislikes corgis. Rose wants to look after her 6-year-old nephew, Nathan, after she learns that his parents are visiting Mexico for a week. They reluctantly agree, insisting that Nathan follow his strict home and school routine. Rose is excited about Nathan's upcoming visit and redecorates a spare bedroom for him. She paints it a shade of grey, which her nephew will call sweatsock grey. She prepares a list of nutritious vegan foods for him.
There is trouble on his first day. Rose walks her Newfoundland dog to a park with Nathan. Her huge dog kills a corgi. Nathan begins to act strangely, barking, overeating, and frequently behaving like a dog. Rose believes he is traumatized from seeing the corgi killed. Instead, Nathan is delighted. He believes the corgi's spirit has entered his body, becoming part of him. He was never allowed to have a pet dog, cat, or even a tiny animal, and now he has an 'inside dog.'
Rose is in a panic, as she must find a way to banish the corgi's spirit from inside Nathan before his parents' return. She believes the ordeal has made her a better person, which, selfishly, she attributes to success. Little character change or growth is displayed. She remains a caricature.
Recommended for readers who enjoy an unusual. humorous, offbeat story. Publication is scheduled for January 13/2026.
September 7, 2025
Ever dreamed of a book mixing vegan recipes, food lectures, and a six-year-old sharing his body with the soul of a corgi named Hazel? Look no further—Sara Levine’s The Hitch delivers.
The protagonist is Rose Cutler, an “anti-racist, Jewish secular feminist eco-warrior” … and she is every bit as intense as that sounds. From moralizing about eating at a Polish restaurant in Chicago [because of the Anschluss—how Poles voted to join Nazi Germany], to a dissertation on Jefferson’s “pancake-making slaves,” to vegan recipes including one for chocolate silk pie where “nobody ever knows they’re eating tofu” [I asked a vegan friend and fantastic baker who said the recipe would “make something that would resemble a chocolate silk pie” but that people would definitely know it was tofu], Rose is a character I personally came to love—even as her obsessions make life harder for herself and everyone around her.
One of Rose’s favorite people is her 6-year-old nephew, Nathan. When his parents go to Mexico for a week, Rose campaigns hard to watch him. When they reluctantly agree, Rose goes… full Rose. She creates a binder of researched vegan meal plans and designs a bespoke bedroom painted Wevet [what Nathan calls “sweatsock grey”] because “inky blue seemed better for an accent wall… and yellow too reminiscent of a weeping clown.”
Rose—who runs a multinational yogurt company she now wants to sell after reading a Chinese study on the evils of dairy—has two other main loves: her Newfoundland, Walter, and her best friend Omar, who dares to start using Grindr again just when she needs him most. And she needs him—because on a walk with Nathan, Walter kills a corgi named Hazel. Hazel, a corgi who inexplicably knows all of Shakespeare and has telepathy, chooses not to move on and instead inhabits Nathan’s body.
Nathan, whose mother won’t let him have so much as a grasshopper mouse, is delighted—he finally has his “inside dog.” Rose is… well, let’s just say, less than delighted. As her life begins to unravel—her company won’t sell, her new yogurt flavor Gotcha Matcha [“I eat it at my dacha” campaign] goes wrong, Nathan’s parents (through Nathan) reveal what they really think of her [6-year-olds, after all, tell the truth], and her blow-up with Omar strains her closest friendship—Rose has less than a week to put everything back together before Nathan’s parents return.
The Hitch is offbeat, sharp, and full of oddball charm. While Rose can be exhausting, she’s also strangely endearing, and Levine never loses sight of the humanity beneath the satire. If you enjoy books that are witty, messy, and completely unlike anything else you’ve read this year, this one is worth the ride.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Grove Atlantic for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
The protagonist is Rose Cutler, an “anti-racist, Jewish secular feminist eco-warrior” … and she is every bit as intense as that sounds. From moralizing about eating at a Polish restaurant in Chicago [because of the Anschluss—how Poles voted to join Nazi Germany], to a dissertation on Jefferson’s “pancake-making slaves,” to vegan recipes including one for chocolate silk pie where “nobody ever knows they’re eating tofu” [I asked a vegan friend and fantastic baker who said the recipe would “make something that would resemble a chocolate silk pie” but that people would definitely know it was tofu], Rose is a character I personally came to love—even as her obsessions make life harder for herself and everyone around her.
One of Rose’s favorite people is her 6-year-old nephew, Nathan. When his parents go to Mexico for a week, Rose campaigns hard to watch him. When they reluctantly agree, Rose goes… full Rose. She creates a binder of researched vegan meal plans and designs a bespoke bedroom painted Wevet [what Nathan calls “sweatsock grey”] because “inky blue seemed better for an accent wall… and yellow too reminiscent of a weeping clown.”
Rose—who runs a multinational yogurt company she now wants to sell after reading a Chinese study on the evils of dairy—has two other main loves: her Newfoundland, Walter, and her best friend Omar, who dares to start using Grindr again just when she needs him most. And she needs him—because on a walk with Nathan, Walter kills a corgi named Hazel. Hazel, a corgi who inexplicably knows all of Shakespeare and has telepathy, chooses not to move on and instead inhabits Nathan’s body.
Nathan, whose mother won’t let him have so much as a grasshopper mouse, is delighted—he finally has his “inside dog.” Rose is… well, let’s just say, less than delighted. As her life begins to unravel—her company won’t sell, her new yogurt flavor Gotcha Matcha [“I eat it at my dacha” campaign] goes wrong, Nathan’s parents (through Nathan) reveal what they really think of her [6-year-olds, after all, tell the truth], and her blow-up with Omar strains her closest friendship—Rose has less than a week to put everything back together before Nathan’s parents return.
The Hitch is offbeat, sharp, and full of oddball charm. While Rose can be exhausting, she’s also strangely endearing, and Levine never loses sight of the humanity beneath the satire. If you enjoy books that are witty, messy, and completely unlike anything else you’ve read this year, this one is worth the ride.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Grove Atlantic for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
January 9, 2026
Two words: ghost corgi. Ok, now that I have your attention, this book is so can’t and absurd and unlike anything I’ve ever read. It was a wild ride from start to finish and an experience unlike any other. Not only was this story unpredictable, but it also proffered some hard-hitting reminders: life can’t simply be split into good and bad, eight-piece Finnish dining room sets and yogurt bloat, and sometimes it takes a probably-not-evil dog entity to remind us of that. Though I don’t fully understand what I just read (I’m either not intellectual or not possessed enough), I have no complaints. And, full disclosure, I expect to have ghost corgis on the brain for the foreseeable future.
January 18, 2026
“The Hitch” had everything going for it: a curious premise, with a dog at the center of the narrative. The choice of a stream-of-consciousness style is, in fact, a strength — it pulls the reader directly into the protagonist’s mind in an immediate and unsettling way, creating a strong sense of isolation. The book falters, however, exactly where it most needs to hold attention: in its protagonist. Rose is written so thinly that she borders on caricature; what may have been intended as ironic or eccentric comes across as simply exhausting. Her limited self-awareness, combined with a rushed and forced final arc of transformation, makes deeper emotional engagement difficult and drains any sense of narrative payoff. There are flashes of sharper writing, moments when the text hints at something more thoughtful beneath the surface, but they are ultimately lost in a deliberately flat narrative voice. A book of wasted potential.
March 18, 2026
There is a blurb on the back of the book from author Kevin Wilson, calling the novel "Beautiful and bizarre." Knowing that Wilson thinks of it as bizarre made me pause a little before reading it. I enjoyed the first two-thirds of the novel before it fell off the rails for me.
The premise is that 6 year old Nathan comes to stay with his Aunt Rose for a week while his parents vacation in Cancun, Mexico. His parents are hesitant about this, as they know that Rose is eccentric with some personality flaws. However, Rose is insistent that she can care for Nathan and wants to, as she adores him.
As the week begins, Nathan pets a corgi in the park while visiting there with his aunt and her huge Newfoundland dog (Walter). Unfortunately, when the corgi nips Nathan's ankles, Walter attacks the corgi, who dies. When they get home, instead of being upset,Nathan tells his Aunt Rose that the corgi is now inside of him and alive. During the course of the week, Nathan has fun acting like a dog and voicing the corgi's thoughts. He does this so convincingly, that Rose starts to believe that the corgi is indeed alive within Nathan. The author writes in such a way that she leads the reader to imagine that this might be true.
Earlier, I mentioned that Rose is eccentric. She is in her early 40's, has just one friend, and is extremely rigid. Rose thinks she knows how everyone else should be living. At first, the author describes her in a humorous way, but Rose began to wear on me as the story continued.
For me, the story went off the rails when
2.5 stars
The premise is that 6 year old Nathan comes to stay with his Aunt Rose for a week while his parents vacation in Cancun, Mexico. His parents are hesitant about this, as they know that Rose is eccentric with some personality flaws. However, Rose is insistent that she can care for Nathan and wants to, as she adores him.
As the week begins, Nathan pets a corgi in the park while visiting there with his aunt and her huge Newfoundland dog (Walter). Unfortunately, when the corgi nips Nathan's ankles, Walter attacks the corgi, who dies. When they get home, instead of being upset,Nathan tells his Aunt Rose that the corgi is now inside of him and alive. During the course of the week, Nathan has fun acting like a dog and voicing the corgi's thoughts. He does this so convincingly, that Rose starts to believe that the corgi is indeed alive within Nathan. The author writes in such a way that she leads the reader to imagine that this might be true.
Earlier, I mentioned that Rose is eccentric. She is in her early 40's, has just one friend, and is extremely rigid. Rose thinks she knows how everyone else should be living. At first, the author describes her in a humorous way, but Rose began to wear on me as the story continued.
For me, the story went off the rails when
2.5 stars
February 24, 2026
2.5
The words “unhinged, off-kilter, and bizarre novel” in the Book Description are accurate.
The words “unhinged, off-kilter, and bizarre novel” in the Book Description are accurate.
October 2, 2025
This book is so weird and funny and quietly devastating!!! Telling everyone I know to read it <3
January 4, 2026
This book RULES. I read it too fast even though I tried not to because it’s like watching a maestro fuck with you. Every word, every sentence, is crafted to both stabilize you and knock you over. It’s so playful and strange and hilarious. Thank god Sara Levine is back!!
May 19, 2026
"Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,And waste its sweetness on the desert air." - Thomas Gray.
I’ve always loved that quote, first brought into my awareness from the film Bull Durham, and as I finished this slim novel, it wafted into my mind as I wrestled with the fact that ultimately, I could not bring myself to say that I enjoyed this work.
From the start, I thought that I would connect with and love this book. Quirky, semi-magical / mystical central plot premise involving the spirit of deceased dog inhabiting the body of a six year old boy? Check, I’m in. Interesting main character with past family trauma and significant personality quirks and issues? Check again, very in. A talented author with a gift for capturing an authentic voice? Check, check, check.
But as I worked my way through the book, I found myself disliking the main character more and more…snowballing near the end to the point where I found myself almost rooting AGAINST her. And while I often enjoy an unlikable and/or unreliable narrator, I just could not bring myself to align with, nor enjoy this narrative. The main character, for me, had such a deficit of humanity, I found that I was simply over her, and could not produce much in the way of empathy for her.
So while I admire the talent of the author, and the large swing with such an unusual central premise, I think in this case, I am the desert air for this book, upon which it’s potential sweetness (to some others perhaps) is wasted.
I’ve always loved that quote, first brought into my awareness from the film Bull Durham, and as I finished this slim novel, it wafted into my mind as I wrestled with the fact that ultimately, I could not bring myself to say that I enjoyed this work.
From the start, I thought that I would connect with and love this book. Quirky, semi-magical / mystical central plot premise involving the spirit of deceased dog inhabiting the body of a six year old boy? Check, I’m in. Interesting main character with past family trauma and significant personality quirks and issues? Check again, very in. A talented author with a gift for capturing an authentic voice? Check, check, check.
But as I worked my way through the book, I found myself disliking the main character more and more…snowballing near the end to the point where I found myself almost rooting AGAINST her. And while I often enjoy an unlikable and/or unreliable narrator, I just could not bring myself to align with, nor enjoy this narrative. The main character, for me, had such a deficit of humanity, I found that I was simply over her, and could not produce much in the way of empathy for her.
So while I admire the talent of the author, and the large swing with such an unusual central premise, I think in this case, I am the desert air for this book, upon which it’s potential sweetness (to some others perhaps) is wasted.
August 15, 2025
rocky start, but wow was i amused once Rose met her nephew’s “inside dog” !! totally hilarious, tail-wagging chaos written to the tune of unhinged girl fiction.
+ though it felt a little misplaced, i honestly found her random vegan recipes & food studies musings cute and part of the character building.
Thank you NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the ARC.
+ though it felt a little misplaced, i honestly found her random vegan recipes & food studies musings cute and part of the character building.
Thank you NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the ARC.
December 16, 2025
Quirky, funny, with a slightly manic undercurrent of sadness.
March 1, 2026
What I weird book. It made me laugh, mostly into the first third. And I crave books that make me laugh. But then it got weird and then it went nowhere.
I don't mind an unlikeable protagonist, but I don't think I could get into the story from the middle of the book on.
Didn't dnf mainly put of curiosity but it did feel like I ended up staying to watch a train wreck.
I don't mind an unlikeable protagonist, but I don't think I could get into the story from the middle of the book on.
Didn't dnf mainly put of curiosity but it did feel like I ended up staying to watch a train wreck.
May 6, 2026
I really enjoyed this crazed comedic romp, living in the wild narrative voice of Rose Cutler for 300 rapid-fire pages. It reminded me throughout of Maria Semple's "Where'd you go Bernadette" (which I mean as a compliment), with a dash of Kevin Wilson-style tenderness, and just a smidge of a George Saunders-esque slanted reality. (Excellent company.)
Little bits of sturdier thematic material came through amidst a torrent of Rose Cutler opinions and goofy rants -- ideas about how we deal with loneliness and trauma, how we embody pain and our pasts and our families, and how we can also try to find pathways through to healing and reinvention.
Really it was just a treat to read, parts were legitimately very funny, and the whole zany escapade rushed along wonderfully, with those quick occasional detours into emotionally heavier eddies. Then the end came and it hit with a mix of "gut punch" and "Thelma & Louise-style suddenness." I don't think it's a spoiler to say the ending was abrupt, wistful, and left me wishing for a bit more. But then, the best endings do leave you wanting more, I guess, right?
Little bits of sturdier thematic material came through amidst a torrent of Rose Cutler opinions and goofy rants -- ideas about how we deal with loneliness and trauma, how we embody pain and our pasts and our families, and how we can also try to find pathways through to healing and reinvention.
Really it was just a treat to read, parts were legitimately very funny, and the whole zany escapade rushed along wonderfully, with those quick occasional detours into emotionally heavier eddies. Then the end came and it hit with a mix of "gut punch" and "Thelma & Louise-style suddenness." I don't think it's a spoiler to say the ending was abrupt, wistful, and left me wishing for a bit more. But then, the best endings do leave you wanting more, I guess, right?
March 27, 2026
Really bored of predictable books where the plot is just the main character having one long crashout
March 2, 2026
[3.5/5]
This one goes out to all y'all bitches in Evanston. Evanston-core bby!! This is a book which could be about anybody at your local Unitarian Church (non-derogatory, I also roll with the UUs, we're lovely, and we would prefer you bring vegan, nut-free cookies to coffee hour). Levine's finger is so perfectly on the pulse of an extremely specific kind of person. And if you have ever been around these people, I think you will be rolling on the floor when you read this. If you don't like satirical craziness, this will not be for you.
Anyway, I love Hazel the ghost corgi, who seems to have nothing but goodwill. There are no good dogs or bad dogs. I am converted to whatever religion Hazel is creating. This audiobook was a couple hours of unmitigated lunacy. I think the overall "message" is a bit muddy and what I can see, I don't know if I totally click with it. But I don't care. I'm here for a good time (there are no good times or bad times, it is your thoughts that make it so amen hazel).
You are welcome for a review as unhinged as this book. Enjoy!
This one goes out to all y'all bitches in Evanston. Evanston-core bby!! This is a book which could be about anybody at your local Unitarian Church (non-derogatory, I also roll with the UUs, we're lovely, and we would prefer you bring vegan, nut-free cookies to coffee hour). Levine's finger is so perfectly on the pulse of an extremely specific kind of person. And if you have ever been around these people, I think you will be rolling on the floor when you read this. If you don't like satirical craziness, this will not be for you.
Anyway, I love Hazel the ghost corgi, who seems to have nothing but goodwill. There are no good dogs or bad dogs. I am converted to whatever religion Hazel is creating. This audiobook was a couple hours of unmitigated lunacy. I think the overall "message" is a bit muddy and what I can see, I don't know if I totally click with it. But I don't care. I'm here for a good time (there are no good times or bad times, it is your thoughts that make it so amen hazel).
You are welcome for a review as unhinged as this book. Enjoy!
May 19, 2026
Rose Cutler thinks she knows everything and isn’t afraid to tell you. She cajoles her brother into allowing her to care for his six year old son Nathan as he takes his wife on a trip to Mexico. On a walk with her Newfoundland Walter, a corgi named Hazel is killed by the big dog. Nathan insists Hazel’s spirit has jumped into him. As the week progresses Rose becomes obsessed with exorcising this possession of her nephew sending her into an increasing downward spiral.
The story is darkly comic with Rose’s sanctimonious judgments of everyone else while being completely unaware of her own self. Just when there is a glimmer that she might just achieve some self awareness she pivots and misses the point completely.
I most enjoyed Nathan/Hazel with his knock knock jokes and Shakespeare quotes. He seems like a pretty great kid. An entertaining read that I look forward to discussing at my local indie bookstore book club.
3.5 ⭐️
May 24, 2026
I think you need to be high to understand this book. It is utter chaos. If you are a mom or animal lover you will hate the main character and many aspects of this book. I do see the message of the book, but the delivery was just not for me.
I feel to give this book a proper review I need to speak in utter nonsense.
The lady drinking the sauce will guide you down the right path in life because the child speaks nonsense. Corgis have jokes, chihuahuas are demons, it’s ok to be gay, everyone is lonely, I will stalk you till you’re 18, be the Alpha. Got it? Ok
I feel to give this book a proper review I need to speak in utter nonsense.
The lady drinking the sauce will guide you down the right path in life because the child speaks nonsense. Corgis have jokes, chihuahuas are demons, it’s ok to be gay, everyone is lonely, I will stalk you till you’re 18, be the Alpha. Got it? Ok
May 24, 2026
I hated this book. I wish I could go back to who I was before I read this book.
February 14, 2026
This is quite possibly the most bat-shit (or should I say cat shit) crazy novel I’ve ever read, but… I loved it? I actually laughed out loud several times. I don’t often do that while reading. Bizarre but heartfelt at the same time, this story made me ponder more than the possibility of a corgi’s soul attaching itself to a child’s body. Not for everyone but I recommend it.
Read
May 12, 2026I liked Walter.
Review of advance copy
(4.75/5, rounded up)
𝘗𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘷 𝘑𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦, 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦.
Astute, wry, original af. Sara had me ordering 𝙏𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙄𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙!!! before I'd even hit 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝's halfway mark.
This sense of humor is my fav kind, & it was leveraged expertly. I legitimately LOL'd-...I lost count of how many times. & the humor is so well-backed, 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝 is 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘵. Chock-full of education & commentary without ever losing you in the midst.
𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭, 𝘯𝘦𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤.
I fuggin loved Rose, our FMC. I saw so much of myself in her, like it or not 😅😂 She reminded me of the characters we know & love from 𝘌𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘈𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯, or 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘦 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘤𝘩's 𝙎𝙖𝙙 𝙅𝙖𝙣𝙚𝙩. I immediately texted @lady.and.the.book to let her know this one's a must, esp bc I need her thoughts on whether or not Janet would be able to stand Rose 🫣
I can't wait to come across reviews for this one, esp from dog owners. I'm a cat lady, so some of the more pointed comments just had me rolling... I'm curious how owners of 1 specific breed will feel. I've gotta just leave it at that tho, for spoiler's sake 🤫
I cannot recommend this one enough, I'm obsessed. But if you get offended easily—consider this your warning, ya may end up w hurt feelings 🤭
𝘗𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘷 𝘑𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦, 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦.
Astute, wry, original af. Sara had me ordering 𝙏𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙄𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙!!! before I'd even hit 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝's halfway mark.
This sense of humor is my fav kind, & it was leveraged expertly. I legitimately LOL'd-...I lost count of how many times. & the humor is so well-backed, 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝 is 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘵. Chock-full of education & commentary without ever losing you in the midst.
𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭, 𝘯𝘦𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤.
I fuggin loved Rose, our FMC. I saw so much of myself in her, like it or not 😅😂 She reminded me of the characters we know & love from 𝘌𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘈𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯, or 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘦 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘤𝘩's 𝙎𝙖𝙙 𝙅𝙖𝙣𝙚𝙩. I immediately texted @lady.and.the.book to let her know this one's a must, esp bc I need her thoughts on whether or not Janet would be able to stand Rose 🫣
I can't wait to come across reviews for this one, esp from dog owners. I'm a cat lady, so some of the more pointed comments just had me rolling... I'm curious how owners of 1 specific breed will feel. I've gotta just leave it at that tho, for spoiler's sake 🤫
I cannot recommend this one enough, I'm obsessed. But if you get offended easily—consider this your warning, ya may end up w hurt feelings 🤭
Read
March 19, 2026I read The Hitch for two reasons: a rave review from Alexandra Jacobs,* and the fact that I bought Sara Levine’s previous novel, Treasure Island, 15 years ago, and never got around to reading it. So. Yeah. Guilt. I read this book because I felt guilty.**
Thankfully, it’s good. Not a novel I would hand to the anti-contemporary novel crowd, as it’s very much of a style and tone that I feel would drive them to write multiple hit pieces on Substack. But it made me laugh multiple times. And there aren’t enough truly funny novels.***
Our narrator is Rose. She’s an ardently secular, anti-racist Jewish feminist: precisely the sort of person the anti-woke crowd take the piss out of. Rose made it big selling artisanal yogurt, “believing yogurt was a health food,” only to discover, to her horror, the links between animal products and heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.**** She’s been trying to sell her business ever since.
While Rose has no interest in having kids, she adores her six-year-old nephew, Nathan (“especially since he’d gotten out of diapers”). She’s excited to spend eight whole days with him as Nathan’s parents try to repair their marriage. Astrid, Nathan’s mum, can’t stand her sister-in-law and would rather Nathan stay anywhere else, but circumstances prevail.
Anywho, Nathan moves in with Rose. All is going fine (more or less) until they visit the dog park and Rose’s Newfoundland, Walter, kills a corgi (“snapped her neck like she was a rabbit”). Yes, The Hitch is another literary novel where the dog dies. Except… there’s a wrinkle. The soul—the life force, the consciousness—of the dead corgi enters Nathan’s body. Not figuratively or metaphorically, but literally. Nathan becomes part six-year-old and part annoying small dog, and much hilarity (seriously, I laughed a lot) ensues.
If The Hitch were just about an opinionated, narrow-minded, privileged woman (or man*****) looking after her six-year-old nephew while, at the same time, desperately trying to sell her artisanal yogurt business, as her staff investigates a case of bloated product (suggesting bad bacteria in the culture), I would have stopped reading. Life is too short, and I have more Elizabeth Taylor, Penelope Fitzgerald, Elizabeth Gaskell, and Anita Brookner****** to read. But the absurdist element, which, as I say, isn’t a metaphor—Nathan is possessed by a corgi—gives The Hitch a uniquely askew perspective. Yes, Rose can be really annoying, but her failed attempts to deal with Nathan’s situation force her, for the briefest of moments, to reflect inwardly, to recognise how lonely she is.*******
There’s an argument to be had that Levine has a finger on the scales in presenting us with a caricature of a certain type of “progressive woman”, only to smooth her spiky edges across the course of the novel. I think Levine realises this, and so is careful that Rose never truly betrays her core principles. If she changes at all, it’s her realisation of how much loneliness and disconnection from family, friends, and co-workers have shaped her life. Not that she intends to remedy the situation. The act of recognition is enough.
It’s an interesting portrayal, frustrating, tragic and funny. But Rose won’t be for everyone.
*Not typically a go-to reviewer for me; I often bounce off her style. But she was so effusive about The Hitch that I couldn’t do anything else but pay attention.
**We all do this. I bet more than once you’ve read the latest novel by an author whose previous books sit unread, mouldering in a box in your garage. It can’t just be me!
***There are novels that are marketed as “funny” but barely elicit a chuckle. I’d point to examples, but why be rude?
****I don’t know why this came as a surprise to Rose.
*****I’ve read enough novels to last a lifetime about neurotic, lonely men. So, I suppose it’s fair that women are given the opportunity to join that less-than-auspicious canon.
******Or in the case of Brookner, read for the first time.
*******Made worse when Omar, her best friend—or only friend (the one person who will put up with her regularly outside of work)—cracks the shits with Rose after she treats him poorly because, in a moment when she needed him, he didn’t pick up his phone.
Thankfully, it’s good. Not a novel I would hand to the anti-contemporary novel crowd, as it’s very much of a style and tone that I feel would drive them to write multiple hit pieces on Substack. But it made me laugh multiple times. And there aren’t enough truly funny novels.***
Our narrator is Rose. She’s an ardently secular, anti-racist Jewish feminist: precisely the sort of person the anti-woke crowd take the piss out of. Rose made it big selling artisanal yogurt, “believing yogurt was a health food,” only to discover, to her horror, the links between animal products and heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.**** She’s been trying to sell her business ever since.
While Rose has no interest in having kids, she adores her six-year-old nephew, Nathan (“especially since he’d gotten out of diapers”). She’s excited to spend eight whole days with him as Nathan’s parents try to repair their marriage. Astrid, Nathan’s mum, can’t stand her sister-in-law and would rather Nathan stay anywhere else, but circumstances prevail.
Anywho, Nathan moves in with Rose. All is going fine (more or less) until they visit the dog park and Rose’s Newfoundland, Walter, kills a corgi (“snapped her neck like she was a rabbit”). Yes, The Hitch is another literary novel where the dog dies. Except… there’s a wrinkle. The soul—the life force, the consciousness—of the dead corgi enters Nathan’s body. Not figuratively or metaphorically, but literally. Nathan becomes part six-year-old and part annoying small dog, and much hilarity (seriously, I laughed a lot) ensues.
If The Hitch were just about an opinionated, narrow-minded, privileged woman (or man*****) looking after her six-year-old nephew while, at the same time, desperately trying to sell her artisanal yogurt business, as her staff investigates a case of bloated product (suggesting bad bacteria in the culture), I would have stopped reading. Life is too short, and I have more Elizabeth Taylor, Penelope Fitzgerald, Elizabeth Gaskell, and Anita Brookner****** to read. But the absurdist element, which, as I say, isn’t a metaphor—Nathan is possessed by a corgi—gives The Hitch a uniquely askew perspective. Yes, Rose can be really annoying, but her failed attempts to deal with Nathan’s situation force her, for the briefest of moments, to reflect inwardly, to recognise how lonely she is.*******
There’s an argument to be had that Levine has a finger on the scales in presenting us with a caricature of a certain type of “progressive woman”, only to smooth her spiky edges across the course of the novel. I think Levine realises this, and so is careful that Rose never truly betrays her core principles. If she changes at all, it’s her realisation of how much loneliness and disconnection from family, friends, and co-workers have shaped her life. Not that she intends to remedy the situation. The act of recognition is enough.
It’s an interesting portrayal, frustrating, tragic and funny. But Rose won’t be for everyone.
*Not typically a go-to reviewer for me; I often bounce off her style. But she was so effusive about The Hitch that I couldn’t do anything else but pay attention.
**We all do this. I bet more than once you’ve read the latest novel by an author whose previous books sit unread, mouldering in a box in your garage. It can’t just be me!
***There are novels that are marketed as “funny” but barely elicit a chuckle. I’d point to examples, but why be rude?
****I don’t know why this came as a surprise to Rose.
*****I’ve read enough novels to last a lifetime about neurotic, lonely men. So, I suppose it’s fair that women are given the opportunity to join that less-than-auspicious canon.
******Or in the case of Brookner, read for the first time.
*******Made worse when Omar, her best friend—or only friend (the one person who will put up with her regularly outside of work)—cracks the shits with Rose after she treats him poorly because, in a moment when she needed him, he didn’t pick up his phone.
May 17, 2026
Rose is a very unlikable unhinged character, which is normally my bread and butter. Unfortunately on audio I found her less funny and more grating than maybe I would with eyeballs? She certainly has strong know it all energy. I will say that her swing from exceedingly rational to exceedingly irrational is quite a fun ride and certainly has fever dream energy. I’ll have to discuss with my friends who read it and loved it to see what I’m missing!
Read
March 7, 202612% and the main character is so annoying, thinks is better than others and has managed in this 30 pages speak ill of plastic, decorations, carnivore, ADHD, all inclusive hotels, not living in the mainland, starting a business, the education of the nephew, the activities he's in, pancakes, and I am sure I am forgetting a lot.
and there's recipes mixed with the rest? sorry, not for me
and there's recipes mixed with the rest? sorry, not for me
February 4, 2026
Absolutely
March 26, 2026
This book was just plain weird. I didn't like it but I didn't dislike it. It was a quick read and kept my interest enough, but it was odd.
*I won this in a Goodreads Giveaway*
*I won this in a Goodreads Giveaway*
May 5, 2026
Wild ride. Laugh out loud funny early on but the book lost some momentum midway through and really just fell apart at the ending.
May 15, 2026
clever writing, just not that funny
May 20, 2026
What a weird little book. It was fun, but the main character annoyed me. I think that was the point, but still.
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