Half His Age

by Jennette McCurdy

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of I’m Glad My Mom Died comes a sad, funny, thrilling novel about sex, consumerism, class, desire, loneliness, the internet, rage, intimacy, power, and the (oftentimes misguided) lengths we’ll go to in order to get what we want.

Waldo is ravenous. Horny. Blunt. Naive. Wise. Impulsive. Lonely. Angry. Forceful. Hurting. Perceptive. Endlessly wanting. And the thing she wants most of all: Mr. Korgy, her creative writing teacher with the wife and the kid and the mortgage and the bills, with the dead dreams and the atrophied looks and the growing paunch. She doesn’t know why she wants him. Is it his passion? His life experience? The fact that he knows books and films and things that she doesn’t? Or is it purer than that, rooted in their unlikely connection, their kindred spirits, the similar filter with which they each take in the world around them? Or, perhaps, it’s just enough that he sees her when no one else does.

Startlingly perceptive, mordantly funny, and keenly poignant, Half His Age is a rich character study of a yearning seventeen-year-old who disregards all obstacles—or attempts to overcome them—in her effort to be seen, to be desired, to be loved.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Audiobook, Romance, Literary Fiction, Adult, Adult Fiction

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 20, 2026

About the author

Jennette McCurdy is the author of I’m Glad My Mom Died, winner of the 2023 American Library Association Alex Award and the 2022 Goodreads Choice Award for Memoir & Autobiography. The book is a #1 New York Times bestseller and has spent more than eighty weeks on the list. It has been published in more than thirty countries and has sold more than three million copies. McCurdy is creating, writing, executive producing, directing, and showrunning an Apple TV+ series loosely inspired by I’m Glad My Mom Died, starring Jennifer Aniston. McCurdy’s debut novel, Half His Age, will publish January 2026.

source: Amazon

Reviews

[amie · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I‘ve observed Mom long enough to know that nothing scares off a man like what a woman wants from him.”

Half His Age is vulgar. It’s bold, piercing, poignant. McCurdy has created something uncomfortably evocative. I ended up unable to sleep ‘til 3am because what I was reading made me so angry and uncomfortable. She really does not let us doubt for a moment what’s happening to Waldo, and yet she manages to balance that with some really careful nuance and characterisation that reveals so much if you take the time to notice it. The abuse is the story, yes, but it’s also a tale of power, neglect, how dangerous loneliness can be, over-consumption, mothers and daughters, internalised misogyny, friendship — and she handles it all.

It’s so refreshing to have one of these books where the girl isn’t a perfect victim: Waldo’s unlikeable; she’s self-centred in a way you’d call narcissistic if she were an adult. She judges everyone around her; she over-consumes; she’s sexually aggressive; she actively pursues this balding married man, her teacher, from day one. She thinks she understands everyone and everything; micro-analysing the way a woman smiles at her husband over dinner, the looks of pity in her best friend’s eyes. She projects what she wants to see, creating fictions of the people she interacts with, convinced she understands their motivations better than they do themselves. She invents a fantasy where his wife is a burden, a bore, a villain. Him, the poor, emasculated, helpless, miserable man who needs saving from his terrible wife/life.

Yet she doubts herself implicitly; buys makeup and clothes in excess to feel something, wants to shape herself into everything she thinks others want her to be. She is ashamed of her upbringing, she self-deprecates by calling herself white trash before others can make the comment themselves. She’s a walking contradiction in clothes she hates and makeup that doesn’t match her face — exactly as a 17 year old girl would be! I almost hated her, yet wanted so badly to give her a hug and give her the advice and care she clearly never received from her Mother.

I really appreciate how this book doesn’t shy away from parental blame — although, a few more sentences condemning the deadbeat Father wouldn’t go amiss. Other books I’ve read with similar themes do show how young girls with dysfunctional family relationships are more likely to be preyed upon, precisely because their family won’t notice what’s happening to them. This one takes it a little further; making so many direct parallels between inappropriate behaviour from her Mother and Mr Korgy, and how Waldo has to shape herself to satisfy them both in frighteningly similar ways.

She had to grow up too fast and never really got to be a child. Yet, every assertion of her maturity only serves to remind us how young she is. McCurdy expertly captures that dichotomy between how old and mature you feel at 17, and how young and naive you truly are. This book does not let us forget for a second that she is still a child (and quite clearly still looks like a child); whether that’s when her Mother doesn’t notice she hasn’t been home for weeks, or when her hand can’t fit around his [redacted].

He taunts and manipulates, he exerts his power and experience over her. She thinks she’s going crazy when she’s not completely happy with their arrangement, when she has to baby him and reassure him, beg him to be with her. His abuse is textbook, as is her Mother’s, and as is how she handles it. And yet reading it feels fresh and sharp. It makes your skin crawl; you almost want to stop reading but can’t look away. It perfectly captures that pretence of reluctance: the way the man in power will manipulate the situation until the underage girl is begging him to give her a chance, promising she won’t tell anyone. I cheered when she finally starts to put things together and questions his words, only then does she truly start to become her own person.

I don’t necessarily think this is a perfect book, but with the way I kept wanting to scream at the characters and throw it at the wall it feels wrong not to give it a 5. This could obviously be quite triggering for some, but if you can handle the subject matter I absolutely recommend it.

[lana]

post read: this was definitely a formidable read. the writing and characterization was intentional and crystal clear. the circumstances of the novel are harrowing to say the least. it's unabashedly honest to the point where it is sometimes grotesque but hey isn't that how things truly are? as someone who is gen z, i was throughly impressed by how mccurdy captured the unique hell that is growing up with everything a touch away thanks to phones and the mass internet. this has a lot to say about a lot of things that will definitely leave you staring at a wall and questioning what just happened. waldo as a main character is endlessly interesting and really challenges everything you make think about this type of story. she is worldly in a way she shouldn't have to be but also at times so naïve you can't help but want to protect her. at the end of the day this story is all about her. mr korgy is obviously a large part but he is so loserish and cringe worthy that he's not worth noting for me personally. i would throttle him given the chance, with no hesitation. not much i can express properly but this will definitely be a catalyst for lots of discussion and i am going to be thinking about this one for a while. my biggest thoughts are that capitalism is a disease and a weapon of mass torture and that young women are our strongest soldiers...


pre read: the second i get to read this it's OVER (positively)


early copy was accessible to me as i work at PRH. all opinions expressed are my own.

[Sunny Lu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow wow wow wow wow. The endless gaping wound of teenage girlhood and the sharpness and bite of the voice and observations

[leah · Rating 1 out of 5]

unfortunately i didn’t like this, which is a shame as i enjoyed the audiobook of ‘i’m glad my mom died’.

it’s repetitive and predictable, with juvenile writing that quickly becomes grating. it says nothing new, offering no nuance nor genuine introspection, despite being a book that includes themes of grooming, abuse and power. this shallowness is continued through the obvious insights such as: ‘women are slaves to the beauty industry! consumerism bad! i shop on shein to fill the void! gen z are always on tiktok!’ - which are repeated by the main character many times throughout the novel. the sex scenes and explicit language are also haphazardly thrown in for shock value, not really serving much purpose besides that. i’ve read stories like this many times before, and better

[Nat (short hiatus) · Rating 2 out of 5]

In very plain words, a teenager, Waldo, meets a not-really-attractive-but-also-attractive school teacher and wants him, desperately. Sorry, a deranged teenager. That’s right, because as much as this book adopts a coming-of-age arc, it’s really just about an erratic girl who has no self control and awareness. Or as an alternative, this is just a badly written porno film.

I mean:
“My vagina pulses. It’s not about him being a failure. I don’t know whose vagina would pulse at that. It’s about him being able to call himself one. Him being able to be honest about his regrets, his status, his shortcomings.”

Though I believe not all books are meant to inspire intellectual thought or convey moral lessons, I’ve always felt—ever since I first began to comprehend words—that a decent work carries some hidden, underlying message. So now, for all the guys trying to catch a girl’s attention, maybe try honesty. It clearly worked for Waldo.

On a serious note, I can’t seem to grasp what takeaways this book is actually trying to convey. Waldo has a mom who got pregnant at 16, grew up in a trailer, and an absent father, while her mother fails to manage her emotions or recognise her daughter’s need to be seen. It’s nothing new, really. There are plenty of films and books that explore the same themes: difficult upbringings, single parents, etc. This just feels like a poorly written version of one of those—or at least, that’s how it comes across.

Beyond that, the story’s trajectory is largely mediocre. It circles over the same events—shopping, secret make-out sessions, grooming by her teacher, sex—without much variation or depth. Even near the last two chapters, I thought I’d finally reach the ending I’d been waiting for. In fact, I found myself smiling, thinking, “This is it—the moment Waldo desperately needs.” And then, it hit me like a punch in the face.

Waldo is clearly an unstable individual. She goes on shopping sprees to fill the void that haunts her—the emptiness that surfaces whenever what she truly desires is out of reach. At times, her desperation and aching longing to be wanted can even feel resonant. Despite her vulgarities, she often appears disheartened and pensive, and sometimes a glimpse of vulnerability. Yet that is not enough to excuse her wrongdoings. She is selfish, uncaring, and, dare I say, delusional—literally a psychotic presence whose actions is entirely unhinged and unsettling. To Waldo, making mistakes is growth. Then again, I see no growth, especially as she keeps making the same, recurring mistakes.

On the prose, the first-person writing’s blunt tone aligns with Waldo’s personality, enhancing the nuance of her character. Yet, it reads more like an obscene, disturbing diary of a troubled youth, with its truths spilling out unfiltered and unrestrained. Even though it was at times humorous, it remains unexciting.

I can see why people would enjoy this (I really can’t), as it tackles troubled teens and their struggle with acceptance. I didn’t enjoy this all that much, but some had, so cheers to that. Moreover, I’ve seen positive reviews for this, so maybe it’s partly my fault for not getting the gist of the novel. My distaste isn’t going to stop me from reading Jennette McCurdy’s previous work, though. In fact, I’m more enticed by the thought of reading it.

2 stars

[꧁ ༺Minne༻ ꧂ · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m actually sorry that I feel this way. I really enjoyed her memoir, but this was vulgar and deeply off-putting.
I rarely give one-star ratings. I understand the effort it takes to write a book and put it into the world, and for that alone, it feels harsh to rate something so low. Still, this left me with no other choice.

So what went wrong?

The short answer: everything.

There is NO finesse to this book. It feels raw, not raw in a way that feels real, but raw in a way that stinks and I feel offended. The book opens with a sex scene involving seventeen-year-old, Waldo and her choppy, intrusive inner monologue. It isn’t the presence of sex itself that disturbed me, but our main character’s voice. Waldo’s narration feels deliberately engineered to shock and unsettle the reader, to provoke discomfort rather than insight.

There’s a glaring disconnect between the sexual awareness attributed to her and the way her voice is written. At times, she reads like a 10 year old.
I am aware that sometimes this kind of dissonance is an intentional literary choice, used to add depth into a character and show the extent of their abuse. Here, it’s hard to tell whether it’s deliberate or simply the result of careless writing. Either way, the prose feels fractured and disjointed, and it ultimately detracts from the story.

"My vagina pulses. It’s not about him being a failure. I don’t know whose vagina would pulse at something like that. It’s about him being able to call himself one. Him being able to be brutally honest about his regrets, his status, his shortcomings.”

“My body turned off. I became a block of flesh with no soul inside it. A fuckable ghost. As he railed me, I stared at the ceiling and tried to remember if I was out of Cocoa Pebbles or needed to pick some up on the way home.”

“His laugh turns into a moan of agonizing pleasure. I gradually escalate my riding to bouncing - a happy, gleeful, giddy bounce.”

Giddy bouncing sex. Right. And texts like these are littered across the book.

Now even if the writing were easier to forgive, there remains the problem of the emotional distance I felt as a reader. I never knew how I was meant to feel about Waldo. Was I supposed to pity her? Be repulsed by her? Root for her? Mourn her? Too little attention is given to uncovering her background or to depicting the grooming that precedes her pursuit of her thirty nine year old married teacher. The book reads as though it were written for readers already familiar with the author’s background and personal story, rather than as a fully realised novel intended for a general audience. The result? I didn’t care for Waldo at all, which I think is the book’s greatest failure.

That emotional disconnect extends to the novel’s broader ambitions to create commentary. The author takes a familiar narrative about a young girl with a dysfunctional mother and a traumatic upbringing and tries to make it feel transgressive by leaning into crassness and shock. What I find interesting is that Waldo is positioned as both victim and participant in her own harm, but unfortunately the framing never feels thoughtful or interrogative. Instead, it feels exploitative.

In the end, what could have been a meaningful exploration of power, abuse and grooming, childhood trauma, and vulnerability instead reads as hollow and sensationalised.

Which leaves me asking: what was the point of writing a story like this? What, exactly, was the target?

[Meike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't underestimate the literary skill of former child actress Jennette McCurdy: This is a version of Lolita, but from Lolita's perspective, and it goes into very uncomfortable territory - which brought the chronically online without any media literacy to tears before the novel was even published. Listen, you idiots: Literature does not owe you comfort, and it's not doomed to deliver clear messages that are easy to digest. So move on or get ready to get be disturbed, but not without purpose: McCurdy tells the story of 17-year-old Waldo who enters an affair with her teacher, and she describes how the teenager struggles with her perceptions and emotions, and how she grapples with the power imbalance. Waldo is not stupid, and while she is a victim, being a victim is not her personality. The fact that the author gives us a complex character that is easy to identify with renders the novel so intriguing.

Waldo lives in a trailer park with her mother who had her when she was a teenager, and she has known nothing but a single parent trying to get by on minimum wage jobs while testing out a string of men who she hopes could fix her, until her next bout of depression. Meanwhile, Waldo, whose only friend is a Mormon she suspects to pity her, feels like she has to take care of the household. Waldo lives off highly processed foods and struggles with a shopping addiction that she finances with a job at "Victoria's Secret". From the women there and her mother, she learns about the importance of beauty for a woman, and internalizes that she has to manage her body accordingly. Enter new literature teacher Mr. Korgy (whom she will call by that name throughout the whole book): The fourtysomething teacher for literature is a failed writer with a wife, young child, and midlife crisis, and Waldo is intrigued by him.

What plays out then is, until around the middle part of the book, rather predictable, which doesn't detract from the enjoyment of reading the text though, because the star is the perspective: A smart teenager who suspects what's going on the whole time, but who is naive and lonely enough to go through wit it anyway. McCurdy is never pitying or belittling her main character, she gives her agency and great psychological plausibility, which makes this narrative so valuable: There is desire, and power, and a sense of adventure, but all these aspects never exculpate Mr. Korgy, but show why Waldo would act like that.

The most ironic aspect of some people whining that Waldo should have been a grown-up, and that McCurdy shouldn't have written so many and such explicit sex scenes between a teenager and a grown man, is that I firmly believe that this novel will do more to protect teenagers from predatory grown men than all well-intended, clean advice. Because McCurdy's text is honest and believable, it takes Waldo seriously and shows how even an alert girl can get caught up in such a situation. The author employs her unique position as a media figure with a heavy backstory (I’m Glad My Mom Died) to give a voice to victims, but not by instructing them, but by telling a story.

And I applaud that.

[Destiney Bomberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an uncomfortable read and yet I couldn’t put it down for a single moment 🧍‍♀️

[Autum · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was terrible. Like. . . So fucking bad.

Most of it read like a terrible porno that was trying really hard to be relatable. Some moments I was interested but most of it I was cringing. Especially the scene with her period blood all over his face and her asking him to hit her face with his bloody dick.

Not to MENTION that we are having graphic sex scenes with a minor laid out for us on page. I fear if a man or someone not famous wrote this we would be rioting dare I say. The MC gives atrocious pick me vibes and “I’m not like other girls” energy.

But back on the gross topic, let me just read you some quotes.

“I fantasize that I lift his shirt and touch his paunch. Watch it jiggle. Study the curly hairs on his belly and lick them straight”

HELLO????

And

“I fantasize that I crouch down under his desk and unbuckle his pants. . . Then reach into his boxers and cup his wrinkly balls.”

But wait

“I lift my skirt and look at him. He smiles, blood smeared on his lips and cheeks like he’s having the best meal of his life. It’s not a creepy gesture, something out of a slasher film. It’s something deeper. More substantial. It’s evidence that I can cling to in my moments of doubt.”

Not to shame but… cling to what girl your period blood is clinging to his mouth and face and I’m GAGGING that is nasty.

But… she goes

“Slap my face with your bloody dick”

Like oh okay. She says it TWICE.


I’ll pass.

Special thanks to the author and publisher for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Brooke Averick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this quickly because the writing was kind of addictive and the chapters were short, but I don't think I got anything out of it in the end. I liked that it was disgusting and didn't glorify the relationship, but I found a lot of parts to be gratuitous. I also didn't find this to be about rage at all, which is how it's being marketed. This was missing something for me.

[Abbie Konnick · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 🌟 what an incredibly sad, hard & raw book…One that I don’t think we’re necessarily supposed to enjoy, but Jennette tells the story in such a unique, shockingly honest way that I really appreciate it. The subject matter is undeniably difficult, but I think Jennette did a fantastic job of writing it. The audiobook makes it MUCH more impactful, as Jennette is the narrator. I did have a hard time separating her from the female main character in the book, but maybe that was purposeful? Either way…a difficult but strong addition to your tbr!!

[Cathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gonna get a little cynical and say I don’t think this would have been picked up by any publisher had it not come attached to a name that would make it a guaranteed bestseller no matter what. It’s very blandly written and has nothing particularly poignant to say about the subject matter. The one aspect I found semi-interesting was the dynamic between the protagonist and her mother, but of course the book mostly wasn’t about that.

Thank you to Libro.FM and Random House Audio for the ARC!

[ଘRory]

_Full review to come!

_just a few pages in n I think I need a new highlighter cuz the quotes are quoting 🧚


_Looks like the new year is cuddling me with a copy of this book 😍 Someone plz pinch me! 👻

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a woman is so fucking hard.

[Léa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was such a miss for me but did in fact get me out of my reading slump so.... silver linings!!!!

Whilst this book had SO much to offer in the conversation of teacher x student relationships, I found it lacked nuance, included a ton of self insertion and pretty surface level character development. Jennette McCurdy is by no means a bad writer and there were moments were I couldn't put this book down however paired with the subject matter, the subpar imperative conversations left me feeling slightly icky. I adored the exploration of how messy being an adolescence / teenager can be and often is. Waldo's inexplicable desire, craving to be understood and seen was an element that I did love reading about: it was raw. However, the character development essentially felt like it stopped there.

[Des · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so gross. It was also honest in ways that is hard to put in words, and so much of it made me uncomfortable but I can’t pretend that I didn’t love feeling that way as I read. It has the overwhelming sensation of being 17/18: how you think you know everything, thinking you are better than who came before you but unknowingly (and sometimes knowingly) repeating their mistakes, dreaming for the future, but overall, the wanting. Wanting so much for yourself and not knowing how to get to it. And if you get it, then what? What do you want next?

While the writing was simple, it created such messy complex characters and didn’t shy away from addiction and poverty and the overall vibrancy of obsession; I found myself obsessed with it as I read it and devoured it so quickly. Do I think this is going to be the most incisive look at abusive relationships and power dynamics between class, age and gender? No. But for what it was, it was deeply compelling, unfailingly human and very much contained in its truth. I think it was a hell of a ride.

Waldo, I am so sorry sweetie, you deserved more than what you got. Men like Mr Korgy, I hope you never find peace. Jennette McCurdy I would like another

[Meghin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book felt very icky to me. A 17 year old and her almost 40 year old teacher with extremely explicit sex scenes throughout. It was very obvious that the author’s trauma was put into this book (Nickelodeon, her mom), and I just couldn’t separate that from the story. The writing felt very simplistic, and some sentences felt like they were added in to try to create depth, but instead ended with me going, “Huh? Why did this random thing need to be mentioned?” Overall, I didn’t feel as though this had enough depth for me to justify the point of the novel. I was hoping for something closer to My Dark Vanessa, but that didn’t happen.

[Haley Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ Being a teen girl means having a deep, disgusting, cavernous desire that can never be satisfied.
Half His Age is equally gross and engrossing. all the characters felt real, the writing was blunt, and pacing was fantastic. I couldn’t put it down!

thank you LibroFM for the ALC

[michele ✡︎]

people screaming crying throwing up over this book's premise because they think jennette mccurdy is writing a taboo age gap dark romance reminds me of when suzanne collins wrote the ballad of songbirds and snakes and people threw fits because they thought writing from president snow's point of view meant she was glamorizing him

[rory gilmore · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - i just wanted more from all of the characters. they all felt a little underdeveloped except mr korgy. and the ending was too abrupt for my liking :(

[afra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, well… this was disappointing. Where do I start? (Buddy Read with Idil ❤️)

After McCurdy’s memoir sold so well, she must have decided she’s not only a writer but also an audiobook narrator, because this is easily one of the worst Audible listening experiences I’ve ever had.

First of all, there’s a reason audiobooks are read slowly. There’s a reason they’re read clearly, at an accessible pace, without heavy accents. McCurdy has said on a show that she finds slow audiobook narration annoying and that’s why she narrated her own book. Unfortunately, her Cali accent did nothing but irritate me. My rating for the narration: 0.

Second, the writing style. The structure and language show absolutely no literary concern, it’s written in an extremely casual, street-level tone. Even though I’m not a native English speaker, I encountered countless mistakes and stylistic issues while reading (listening).

As for the content: it is described in great detail and written from a very conservative perspective, featuring deeply disturbing fantasies, pedophilia, child abuse, grooming, and more. Anyone considering this book should seriously ask themselves whether they’re comfortable engaging with these topics. The choice of making the character 17 years old is particularly ironic and unsettling. I found myself repeatedly asking one question: Why? WHY???

The book briefly touches on themes like capitalism, consumerism, and inherited trauma from her mother, but there’s honestly not much to say there. Because when a book is 90% porn and 10% trauma, it only feels fair to allocate my criticism in the same proportions.

The only reason I’m giving it two stars is, surprisingly, that I keep reading whatever she writes. Even when she annoys me, I still read. I guess sex sells and ragebait sells really do work, just as the author intended.

But I don’t recommend it.
Don’t read it.
DO
NOT
READ
IT

[DianaRose · Rating 4 out of 5]

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!!

i’m very torn on whether or not i liked this, and i was also torn on whether or not i would rate it; the main reason being this is a novel following an underaged girl having a sexual relationship with her high school english teacher.

of course, discomfort in the glaring power imbalance of this relationship is the whole point that jennette was trying to make, but it still didn’t make it any easier to read.

on top of the sexual relationship between a child and a grown man, there is also child neglect and addiction — waldo’s mom was a teen mom who ultimately provided very little parenting for her child and left her extremely emotionally neglected, not to mention practically abandoning her child for any man that shows the slightest interest in her; waldo also has an insane shopping addiction she can’t afford.

also, i just hate the name waldo lol.

while jennette does a very good job at depicting an emotionally unstable and depressed teenage girl, i’m torn on whether or not i also enjoy her writing. i feel as though her voice shone through in her memoir, and while i technically flew through this novel (the chapters were very very short) i’m not sure i’m impressed with her writing here.

overall, i think that because of the fact she depicted such a horrible topic in a way that left me so unnerved and alert, i would recommend this to others, but only with the explicit understanding of knowing the author’s personal unfortunate history.

——
no one talk to me until i finish reading jennette’s debut novel

[Rachel | rachelturnsthepage · Rating 1 out of 5]

“The point is to feel disgusted”… ok…

I kept seeing mixed reviews and my interest was piqued. I love a polarizing book. But this was revolting, vulgar, and graphic in a way that felt more repetitive than meaningful. The scenes are clearly meant to shock, but there’s no further insight or payoff, just one gross moment after another with nothing to ground it.

Waldo is insufferable, and Mr. Korgy is straight-up repulsive. None of the characters had complexity or depth. They felt hollow and one-dimensional.

There isn’t a plot. There isn’t an ending. So what was the point?

I hated it. And I can’t help thinking, if a lesser-known author (or Colleen Hoover) had written this exact book, the reviews would not be nearly as generous.

Thank you to PRH Audio for the free audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5. Look, this is a dynamic that, at this point, has been written about ad nauseum. We've explored it from every angle, from every gender, from the top to the bottom and the bottom to the top. In my humble opinion, if you're going to write about a relationship between a student and their teacher in 2026, it's got to have something fresh about it. It needs to feel subversive, be a twist on the age-old tale, or at least be damn well-written. This is none of those things. Sure, maybe it's cruder than the many iterations that have come before it, but I'm not sure that's the originality I'm looking for. It follows along its predictable trajectory, stays nice and comfortable up on the surface, and ends just as you would expect.

[Celine · Rating 4 out of 5]

messy messy fun!

[Cassie E · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at chapter 20 — I hate when bad literature is hyped up because it’s about the trauma of being a woman :/

[Jan Agaton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think aside from the obvious discomfort this gave me, what I didn't like is the deliberate self-insertion? I'm not sure how to articulate my feelings. I liked the writing for the most part, and I understand the point of the story, which is coming-of-age and disgustingly raw & messy adolescence. I also appreciated that McCurdy narrates the audiobook, but at the same time, knowing the Nickelodeon situations, that made it even harder to separate the story from her real-life experiences.

[Hanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

An attempt at depth that simply didn’t work. This will be a long review, so in short: if you’re hoping for something deep and insightful in this book, don’t waste your time.

I honestly don’t understand what point the author was trying to make here, but whatever she was trying to say, she said it wrong. Both main characters, the victim and the predator, are portrayed terribly, and that makes this book not just bad, but dangerous.

Let’s start with Mr. Korgy, a 40-year-old creative writing teacher. I’ve read several books that deal with this topic, and usually child predators are portrayed as what they actually are: terrifying. Pathetic, yes, but also manipulative, calculating, abusive, and careful. They groom, create dependency, and that’s what makes them horrifying. Mr. Korgy is not horrifying. He’s portrayed as a sad, unfulfilled loser who’s unhappy in his marriage (which, btw, includes a wife and a child). The biggest problem with his character is that he’s barely portrayed as a predator at all. He doesn’t groom Waldo. He doesn’t manipulate her. He doesn’t build trust or slowly blur boundaries. Instead, Waldo initiates everything. He resists a bit, then just goes with the flow.

And what’s worse, later in the book it might feel like Mr. Korgy actually cares about Waldo, taking her on dates, risking his marriage, eventually admitting his “love.” The author presents him as a lost, pathetic man, rather than what he actually is.

But that’s not how it works in real life. Predators don’t “love.” They lust. They desire control, getting off by the power imbalance. By portraying Mr. Korgy the wrong way, the author turns a predator into a tragic romantic figure. I am afraid, a vulnerable teenage girl could read this book and walk away thinking that older men can truly love younger girls, that they’re not just there to use them. That alone makes this book dangerous.

Now let’s talk about Waldo. She’s 17, lives with her mother, no father in the picture. Of course. Her mother is immature, got pregnant as a teenager, and is still desperate for male validation. She’s emotionally absent, always disappearing on dates, forcing Waldo to grow up too fast and basically parent her own parent. That part actually makes sense. The author does a decent job portraying a broken family dynamic and how neglect affects a child.

My first issue with Waldo is that she’s too self-aware. Her inner monologues are far too mature. Yes, teenagers can be thoughtful and deep, but a lot of her thoughts feel like the author speaking through her, trying to sound profound. It completely broke the illusion of a real 17-year-old for me. Waldo lacks the confusion and messiness that actual teenagers have.

Waldo is also numb, empty, unfulfilled, seeks approval and struggles with daddy issues (which also makes sense). So here she sees Mr. Korgy and convinces herself that he is the answer to all of that. I could accept that if it came after manipulation, grooming, and emotional dependency. But no, the first time Waldo sees her teacher, she thinks, “my vagina pulsed.” She masturbates to his pictures. Fantasizes about him. She is completely obsessed.

And let me be clear, I stand by the thought that a minor is always a victim. Always. No matter what they do.

But there is a moment in the book where Waldo straddles her teacher, dry-humps him, sucks his fingers, and demands to fuck her while he’s begging her to stop. I am not excusing the teacher here, he is a grown ass man and could (must have) physically push her away.

And I see what the author (probably) was trying to do here. To portray a victim who doesn’t feel like a victim. A victim who is bold, lusting and pushing. So I don’t mind Waldo being disturbing or hypersexual. But written this way, the book feeds a disgusting idea: that teenage girls are freaks who just want to sleep with older men. A sick reader could easily use this book to justify that belief.

This story could have worked if the author just added a small detail. For example: if Waldo had been sexually assaulted at a younger age by one of her mother’s boyfriends. That single detail would change everything. It would point out that some victims of SA can struggle with hypersexuality. It would add depth to the story. Then Mr. Korgy could have been written as an actual predator, someone who learns about Waldo's past, positions himself as her savior, builds trust, and exploits her vulnerability. That would show how predators really operate. And the ending could have focused on how the relationship with an older man affected Waldo by actually exploring her victimhood.

But the author didn’t want to do all that. By the second half of the book, I couldn’t even tell what the author was trying to say. Is this about neglect? Love addiction? Teenagers not knowing what they want? That Waldo just loved the chase and got bored once she got what she wanted? And if that’s the case, why make the age gap? Purely for shock value? To make the book seem edgy and deep, without actually engaging with the reality of abuse, power imbalance, or victimhood?

The author tried to explore too many things and ended up exploring nothing. Just played with provocative words and called it literature. Not every book needs a deep meaning. But if you choose to write about such a sensitive topic, do some research first. You don’t just throw in graphic scenes for shock and call it “bold” and thought-provoking.

[♥Milica♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Half His Age was so weird, and kinda gross (okay, very gross), but it was somehow still easy to read, so that must count for something.

The writing style / book structure is similar to I'm Glad My Mom Died, I don't know why I expected it to be different? In a way, I felt as if I was reading an extension of her memoir, because some of McCurdy's trauma was clearly written into this book.

There are so many graphic sex scenes, meant to make the reader uncomfortable and I have to say that they succeed!! The book literally starts with a sex scene, so if you like to listen to audiobooks without earphones like I do, mayhaps reconsider.

Speaking of, the audio is narrated by the author, and, once again, the delivery was similar to her memoir, which made it a little hard to separate the two. And I know it's not just me saying this, other people had this issue as well.

Now, Waldo is both a victim and a perpetrator, she is the one who initiates everything, and there's even a scene between her and Mr Korgy where he keeps saying no, but she continues anyway.

Obviously, he should have pushed her away / stopped her, and he didn't, but I think more time should've been spent on him gaining her trust as predators often do before anything like that even happens. Because the way that this reads, is that she zeroed in on him, and he just went with it.

Their relationship afterwards does show the power dynamic a bit more, and I kind of like the fact that she's not a "perfect" victim, and is unlikeable as a character, but I think this story could've been told in a slightly better way.

The ending was somewhat abrupt, but at least there was some character growth (minimal though, don't expect a lot).

Overall, I think I liked this? I mean, I didn't dislike it, other than the sex scenes, but it's far from perfect, and not something I'd recommend to just anyone.

The short chapters really helped this book's case, I still think McCurdy is a talented writer, and I'll gladly read whatever she puts out next. Ideally, it won't be something similar to Half His Age.

3.5

[Temi (temisreads) · Rating 2 out of 5]

just no.

i don't even know what to say other than this book just felt icky. it was SO graphic and while i am normally fine with that, it felt that these scenes were thrown in there just to shock the reader. there was no commentary on how distratrous, predatory, and manipulative these relationships are. i did read this is one sitting so yay for that? but this was sadly just a huge miss for me. i had a grimace on my time listening to this one.


p.s. the scene with the fmc's **time of the month** is genuinely one of the worst things i've ever read. why would she put that in here😩