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Kitten
Not yet published
Expected 4 Aug 26Win a free print copy of this book!
24 days and 22:24:41
15 copies available
U.S. only
A magnetic, stirring debut novel about an adrift young woman whose growing fascination with her boyfriend’s cat ushers her into the possibilities of her own life—but not without first threatening to unravel it.
Katie is far from home and fresh out of college, desperate to skirt adulthood’s demands, and all too willing to let her wealthy boyfriend James make decisions for them both. It doesn’t help that she’s no longer speaking to her mother. Or that her roommate has abruptly moved out of their New York City apartment. But when James takes Katie on vacation to his family’s seaside house, he brings Silver, his childhood cat, and Katie discovers a sudden, strange, and giddy sense of connection.
Silver doesn’t mind that Katie can’t seem to get a job, hold her own at dinner parties, or make amends with her mother. Silver, who gets to lie around all day, misbehave spectacularly, be cute, gross, and still get fed, seems to have the life Katie increasingly longs for. Soon enough, they’re inseparable, and something inside Katie begins to crack open, or maybe just…crack.
Because if Katie has learned anything from her estranged mother, it’s that devotion comes at a price. As Katie’s affection for Silver deepens, all of her other relationships begin to falter. Soon, Katie must confront what it is she desires from her life, and what she might have to risk to get it.
Both darkly playful and unexpectedly heartfelt, this debut from a major new voice in fiction is a timeless reckoning with the uncertainty of becoming a person in a world that is as disorienting as it is full of hope and promise.
Katie is far from home and fresh out of college, desperate to skirt adulthood’s demands, and all too willing to let her wealthy boyfriend James make decisions for them both. It doesn’t help that she’s no longer speaking to her mother. Or that her roommate has abruptly moved out of their New York City apartment. But when James takes Katie on vacation to his family’s seaside house, he brings Silver, his childhood cat, and Katie discovers a sudden, strange, and giddy sense of connection.
Silver doesn’t mind that Katie can’t seem to get a job, hold her own at dinner parties, or make amends with her mother. Silver, who gets to lie around all day, misbehave spectacularly, be cute, gross, and still get fed, seems to have the life Katie increasingly longs for. Soon enough, they’re inseparable, and something inside Katie begins to crack open, or maybe just…crack.
Because if Katie has learned anything from her estranged mother, it’s that devotion comes at a price. As Katie’s affection for Silver deepens, all of her other relationships begin to falter. Soon, Katie must confront what it is she desires from her life, and what she might have to risk to get it.
Both darkly playful and unexpectedly heartfelt, this debut from a major new voice in fiction is a timeless reckoning with the uncertainty of becoming a person in a world that is as disorienting as it is full of hope and promise.
304 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication August 4, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 235 reviews
May 9, 2026
nobody is doing it like her !!! a star !!!!
Want to Read
January 24, 2026This cover means everything to me I'm so serious
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Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley, Random House, and Stacey Yu for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!♡
College graduate Katie is estranged from her mother, far from her home, avoiding the demands of adulthood, and is a bit lost in life. Her boyfriend, James, is her primary provider, financially and emotionally. When James takes Katie to see his family’s vacation home, his parent’s cat, Silver, joins them.
Katie finds something deeper than friendship and solace in Silver, and grows overly attached to the kitten. She begins seeing herself in Silver, almost wishing to take her place. No consequences for her actions, no responsibilities, no estranged mothers. When it’s time for Silver to be returned to James’ parents, Katie can’t fathom this. She goes to desperate lengths to keep the relationship she now values above all others.
This book has such intense, deeper meanings into relationships (romantic, platonic, parental), and transitioning into adulthood. While Silver and Katie’s increasingly odd behavior was giving the perfect weird girl litfic, Silver was representing a deeper metaphor in the book. Silver was showing Katie the laid back life that she wished she could live in. Free from her responsibilities and receiving love with no effort.
Overall I loved the story and the deeper meanings behind it all. Character growth was had and relationships reconciled. Katie’s emotions are portrayed so well in this story. My complaint is how a few scenes started feeling repetitive. For being a shorter book, I think a few locations and settings could’ve been moved around and played with more.
Go into this book knowing Katie is hard to understand, but not hard to relate to. This book is perfect for fans of My Year of Rest and Relaxation and The Bell Jar. This isn’t the kind of book you forget about!
Kitten by Stacey Yu, her debut novel, will be available on 8/4/26!
College graduate Katie is estranged from her mother, far from her home, avoiding the demands of adulthood, and is a bit lost in life. Her boyfriend, James, is her primary provider, financially and emotionally. When James takes Katie to see his family’s vacation home, his parent’s cat, Silver, joins them.
Katie finds something deeper than friendship and solace in Silver, and grows overly attached to the kitten. She begins seeing herself in Silver, almost wishing to take her place. No consequences for her actions, no responsibilities, no estranged mothers. When it’s time for Silver to be returned to James’ parents, Katie can’t fathom this. She goes to desperate lengths to keep the relationship she now values above all others.
This book has such intense, deeper meanings into relationships (romantic, platonic, parental), and transitioning into adulthood. While Silver and Katie’s increasingly odd behavior was giving the perfect weird girl litfic, Silver was representing a deeper metaphor in the book. Silver was showing Katie the laid back life that she wished she could live in. Free from her responsibilities and receiving love with no effort.
Overall I loved the story and the deeper meanings behind it all. Character growth was had and relationships reconciled. Katie’s emotions are portrayed so well in this story. My complaint is how a few scenes started feeling repetitive. For being a shorter book, I think a few locations and settings could’ve been moved around and played with more.
Go into this book knowing Katie is hard to understand, but not hard to relate to. This book is perfect for fans of My Year of Rest and Relaxation and The Bell Jar. This isn’t the kind of book you forget about!
Kitten by Stacey Yu, her debut novel, will be available on 8/4/26!
March 7, 2026
Yes, there’s a very important character in this book named Silver, who is a cat. Silver can also swim in the ocean with the main character Katie, who has just graduated from college, has no money, and a tumultuous relationship with her mother, who is indeed a narcissist. Katie is spoiled by her wealthy boyfriend, and definitely is unsure of her attachment to him.
I can relate to growing up in a narcissistic Asian household. I currently deal with it daily. 🙋🏻♀️
“My mother wasn’t human, she was my mother.”
However there are many layers to Kitten, Stacey Yu’s debut novel. It’s a “coming of age”, new college graduate, that space between ending a childhood, and getting old. Who are we, who should we become?
“You forget how small everything is when you’re a kid,” he said. “The desks, their chairs. We used to think that was normal sized.”
If you’re looking for a quirky book revolving a cat, this isn’t for you, as it’s a fairly emotional read. We’ve all been Katie before, and I felt some of her experiences at the age of 22.
Yu’s writing is exquisite and can’t wait to see what she writes next.
I can relate to growing up in a narcissistic Asian household. I currently deal with it daily. 🙋🏻♀️
“My mother wasn’t human, she was my mother.”
However there are many layers to Kitten, Stacey Yu’s debut novel. It’s a “coming of age”, new college graduate, that space between ending a childhood, and getting old. Who are we, who should we become?
“You forget how small everything is when you’re a kid,” he said. “The desks, their chairs. We used to think that was normal sized.”
If you’re looking for a quirky book revolving a cat, this isn’t for you, as it’s a fairly emotional read. We’ve all been Katie before, and I felt some of her experiences at the age of 22.
Yu’s writing is exquisite and can’t wait to see what she writes next.
March 3, 2026
This book feels like if The Bell Jar’s Esther suddenly became fixated on a cat, and I mean that in the most positive way.
This is a weird girl book for weird girls. You gotta go into it knowing the main character is just a little bit on the quirky side. Katie has just graduated from college, is living in NYC, and has absolutely no dreams or aspirations. She is completely adrift, running out of money (she had a work-study job which is officially done), stuck in a tenuous living situation with a roommate who doesn’t seem to like her, and is currently estranged from her mother. Add in a somewhat too-good-to-be -true super rich boyfriend, and you’ve got the start of something interesting conflicts.
Stacey Yu uses Katie to explore the listlessness one feels when they are estranged, or otherwise disconnected, from a mother figure. There’s some great commentary on the challenges children of immigrants face, but also a lot of observations of the general ennui that hits in your mid twenties.
And then there’s the cat - Katie became a enamored with her boyfriend’s parents’ cat Silver. Silver is free from all the restraints of the human world, and serves as a sort of symbol of effortless contentment to Katie. It’s weird, and it’s done well.
I really enjoyed Kitten and I hope it finds the right weird girl audience.
This is a weird girl book for weird girls. You gotta go into it knowing the main character is just a little bit on the quirky side. Katie has just graduated from college, is living in NYC, and has absolutely no dreams or aspirations. She is completely adrift, running out of money (she had a work-study job which is officially done), stuck in a tenuous living situation with a roommate who doesn’t seem to like her, and is currently estranged from her mother. Add in a somewhat too-good-to-be -true super rich boyfriend, and you’ve got the start of something interesting conflicts.
Stacey Yu uses Katie to explore the listlessness one feels when they are estranged, or otherwise disconnected, from a mother figure. There’s some great commentary on the challenges children of immigrants face, but also a lot of observations of the general ennui that hits in your mid twenties.
And then there’s the cat - Katie became a enamored with her boyfriend’s parents’ cat Silver. Silver is free from all the restraints of the human world, and serves as a sort of symbol of effortless contentment to Katie. It’s weird, and it’s done well.
I really enjoyed Kitten and I hope it finds the right weird girl audience.
Want to Read
January 24, 2026This may be the most important read of my life
May 18, 2026
4⭐️ - This book was weird… but like, weird in a good way?
I went into Kitten expecting something more quirky and humorous, like chaotic weird-girl lit fic with a slightly unhinged main character. And while there’s definitely some of that energy, this ended up being much deeper, sadder, and honestly way more emotional than I expected.
Katie has just graduated college, is living in NYC, has basically no money, no real plans, and absolutely no idea what she wants from life. She’s stuck in that awful in-between stage where childhood is over but actual adulthood feels impossible. Katie is losing her apartment, she has a strained relationship with her mother, and she’s being financially spoiled by her very rich boyfriend while also questioning how much she even wants him. It felt painfully relatable because I think most of us have been some version of Katie at some point, just drifting and trying to figure out where we belong.
The book explores that emptiness that comes with feeling disconnected from your mother, especially when the relationship is complicated and messy. There’s also some really thoughtful commentary around being the child of immigrants, expectations, and the strange loneliness of your early twenties when everyone seems to be moving forward except you.
And then… there’s Silver. The cat. A genuinely important character in this book. Katie becomes obsessed with her boyfriend’s parents’ cat. Silver feels like this symbol of freedom and contentment, untouched by all the stress and expectations of being human. Also yes, the cat swims in the ocean. Just go with it.
I really loved being inside Katie’s head, all her frustrations, confusion, and the constant questioning of herself. It felt honest in a way that made me stop and think about my own early twenties. The writing was beautiful and thoughtful, and even when the book felt strange, it felt purposeful.
Definitely a weird girl book for weird girls, but beneath the cat obsession and slightly odd moments, it’s really a coming-of-age story about loneliness, identity, and trying to figure out who you are.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Australia & New Zealand for the ARC.
I went into Kitten expecting something more quirky and humorous, like chaotic weird-girl lit fic with a slightly unhinged main character. And while there’s definitely some of that energy, this ended up being much deeper, sadder, and honestly way more emotional than I expected.
Katie has just graduated college, is living in NYC, has basically no money, no real plans, and absolutely no idea what she wants from life. She’s stuck in that awful in-between stage where childhood is over but actual adulthood feels impossible. Katie is losing her apartment, she has a strained relationship with her mother, and she’s being financially spoiled by her very rich boyfriend while also questioning how much she even wants him. It felt painfully relatable because I think most of us have been some version of Katie at some point, just drifting and trying to figure out where we belong.
The book explores that emptiness that comes with feeling disconnected from your mother, especially when the relationship is complicated and messy. There’s also some really thoughtful commentary around being the child of immigrants, expectations, and the strange loneliness of your early twenties when everyone seems to be moving forward except you.
And then… there’s Silver. The cat. A genuinely important character in this book. Katie becomes obsessed with her boyfriend’s parents’ cat. Silver feels like this symbol of freedom and contentment, untouched by all the stress and expectations of being human. Also yes, the cat swims in the ocean. Just go with it.
I really loved being inside Katie’s head, all her frustrations, confusion, and the constant questioning of herself. It felt honest in a way that made me stop and think about my own early twenties. The writing was beautiful and thoughtful, and even when the book felt strange, it felt purposeful.
Definitely a weird girl book for weird girls, but beneath the cat obsession and slightly odd moments, it’s really a coming-of-age story about loneliness, identity, and trying to figure out who you are.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Australia & New Zealand for the ARC.
February 25, 2026
I’ve spent the last 3 hours since I finished this book trying to find the words to best illustrate my feelings, and all I’ve managed to muster is ‘wow.’
I’ve seen 3 cats since I started reading this book, and every single one of them made me think of Katie & silver. There is power in that.
A truly commendable debut
I’ve seen 3 cats since I started reading this book, and every single one of them made me think of Katie & silver. There is power in that.
A truly commendable debut
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
July 1, 2026Being 22 really is the worst.
Read
May 31, 2026i loved this so much!!
March 4, 2026
the second i read “meow,” i meowed” i should’ve known this was going to be doozy.
my main gripe is with the writing. now, i don’t want the story to dazzle with lush prose, most of the weird lit fic that i’ve read before don’t, but the writing in them still manages to be good, fantastic even. the problem with “kitten” is that a lot of is tends to be telling with not enough showing. which makes the story feel bland and stale and frankly unimaginative (“mr hartley looked like most men.”/ “he had eyes like holes that stood close”). there were some gems sprinkled in there (“my mother’s only way of reconnecting was reanimating the child i no longer was”) but it fails at making the book any better because a lot of it’s already written badly.
scenes were rinsed and repeated so often that i found myself skimming over them like the beach scenes swimming with silver (swear there were like five of those). the relationship dynamics between katie and her mother could also have been developed better - for the spectre of it to haunt the novel from the start only for it to falter when later revealed. so much of it’s potential felt wasted.
but hey at least it was a quick, fucking read lmao.
thanking netgalley & publishers for the ARC.
my main gripe is with the writing. now, i don’t want the story to dazzle with lush prose, most of the weird lit fic that i’ve read before don’t, but the writing in them still manages to be good, fantastic even. the problem with “kitten” is that a lot of is tends to be telling with not enough showing. which makes the story feel bland and stale and frankly unimaginative (“mr hartley looked like most men.”/ “he had eyes like holes that stood close”). there were some gems sprinkled in there (“my mother’s only way of reconnecting was reanimating the child i no longer was”) but it fails at making the book any better because a lot of it’s already written badly.
scenes were rinsed and repeated so often that i found myself skimming over them like the beach scenes swimming with silver (swear there were like five of those). the relationship dynamics between katie and her mother could also have been developed better - for the spectre of it to haunt the novel from the start only for it to falter when later revealed. so much of it’s potential felt wasted.
but hey at least it was a quick, fucking read lmao.
thanking netgalley & publishers for the ARC.
March 18, 2026
4.5
deeply enjoyed this book.
sooo many themes: complicated mother-daughter relationship (complicated), pet-person relationship (something special), older man relationship (complicated as well), relationship with yourself (most complicated!)
every relationship was a different flavor of complicated.
i really liked how we went through the thoughts in the main character’s head, particularly the frustrations & confusions of a young girl in her 20s with a complicated childhood
deeply enjoyed this book.
sooo many themes: complicated mother-daughter relationship (complicated), pet-person relationship (something special), older man relationship (complicated as well), relationship with yourself (most complicated!)
every relationship was a different flavor of complicated.
i really liked how we went through the thoughts in the main character’s head, particularly the frustrations & confusions of a young girl in her 20s with a complicated childhood
June 21, 2026
maybe a 3.5? it started off strong but i found the second half quite slow and not as interesting
March 18, 2026
katie is losing her apartment, her mother, the job she’s had since freshmen year and she’s not coping with life as a twenty-something year old. when she meets her boyfriends cat, silver, she’s comforted that the cat doesn’t care about her finances or that she hasn’t spoken to her mother in a year. katie longs for silver’s life, to misbehave, be cheeky and still get fed. when their attachment grows, her life unravels, her relationships are strained and she’s forced to question what she really wants from life.
a depiction of a completely normal relationship between a girl and her girl cat!
honestly this wasn’t what i thought it would be at all, but in the best way. i went into ‘kitten’ expecting a kind of humorous, quirky ‘weird girl lit-fic’ tone, but it’s more of a gentle and quite profound portrait of a young woman trying to make sense of her life and where she belongs in it.
i could’ve ran out of tabs marking the beautiful passages on mother/daughter relationships, early adulthood, trying to connect with yourself and where/who you’re from. there was a couple of times i found myself really choked up, or just staring off somewhere trying to process what i’d read and the odd sense of recognition it stirred.
i feel in a weird way this actually helped me understand some of my own unresolved feelings towards people in my life. it really did a number on me. stacey yu do you offer talking therapy?
this is much less a fun, silly cat book and more an emotional and reflective character study. it really is fantastic and might be my favourite read of 2026 so far. also if i could swim in the ocean with a cat that would change everything bro.
thank you so much to the lovely stacey yu and hodder books for the early copy of ‘kitten’ 🥛 you can pick her up on july 30 2026!
a depiction of a completely normal relationship between a girl and her girl cat!
honestly this wasn’t what i thought it would be at all, but in the best way. i went into ‘kitten’ expecting a kind of humorous, quirky ‘weird girl lit-fic’ tone, but it’s more of a gentle and quite profound portrait of a young woman trying to make sense of her life and where she belongs in it.
i could’ve ran out of tabs marking the beautiful passages on mother/daughter relationships, early adulthood, trying to connect with yourself and where/who you’re from. there was a couple of times i found myself really choked up, or just staring off somewhere trying to process what i’d read and the odd sense of recognition it stirred.
i feel in a weird way this actually helped me understand some of my own unresolved feelings towards people in my life. it really did a number on me. stacey yu do you offer talking therapy?
this is much less a fun, silly cat book and more an emotional and reflective character study. it really is fantastic and might be my favourite read of 2026 so far. also if i could swim in the ocean with a cat that would change everything bro.
thank you so much to the lovely stacey yu and hodder books for the early copy of ‘kitten’ 🥛 you can pick her up on july 30 2026!
June 28, 2026
”Silver didn't have any potential. Maybe that was why we got along so well.”
Kitten uses a more unusual concept (woman falling in love with her boyfriend’s cat) to explore some very relatable feelings; mother trouble, tense friendships, handling relationships etc etc.
Katie doesn’t really feel like she belongs anywhere, and is self-destructive for the predictability of people being disappointed in her. It’s only when she takes things too far that she finally starts to figure out what she wants & how to get it.
Really enjoyed this, it has some lovely moments and a hopeful conclusion without making everything too easy or neat.
Kitten uses a more unusual concept (woman falling in love with her boyfriend’s cat) to explore some very relatable feelings; mother trouble, tense friendships, handling relationships etc etc.
Katie doesn’t really feel like she belongs anywhere, and is self-destructive for the predictability of people being disappointed in her. It’s only when she takes things too far that she finally starts to figure out what she wants & how to get it.
Really enjoyed this, it has some lovely moments and a hopeful conclusion without making everything too easy or neat.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
eARC provided by Netgalley in exhange for an honest review.
Kitten is a very solid debut by Stacey Yu. I'm not familiar with her work on Tiktok, and only requested this arc after my friends talked about it. I was initially skeptical of it, not only because of the current state of Booktok, but because I have not had a good relationship with contemporary litfic as of late. So I'm very pleased to report that I found this very charming and enjoyable overrall.
Katie is a realistic and compelling character, and her POV is easy to relate to. Her growing obsession with her boyfriend's cat, Silver, is the driving force of the book, and by far my favorite part of it. The main character stood out to me in particular because she seems to steer away from the obvious clichés: she's a mentally disturbed woman in her young twenties, financially dependent on her white boyfriend, of course, but where other novels exaggerate and stretch beyond the realm of belief, Yu keeps us steady in a confined narrative structure and timeline, one that works well to develop the relationships between the characters.
Yu talks of a complex mother-daughter relationship with grace and compassion. I have to admit that, unfortunately, this part of the novel wasn't the most interesting to me, especially as we only get to know the mother late into the book. I found myself wanting to read more about other characters, like Isabelle and Lou. But I can still appreciate the dynamic that's established here, the mother as an all-encompassing figure, affecting Katie's life even as she tries to steer her own path: "It's hard to do anything when you know your mother's mad at you."
Yu's style is succint and clean. I did find the ending heavy handed, as the author basically dumps all the themes of the book at once, using Katie's growing independence as a microphone to make sure the readers get the point. Which, yes, we do. On top of that, I had one or two qualms. One, in chapter ten, Yu describes Katie putting her clothes on, only to later in the same scene describe her without a shirt on. Small continuity error. Two, James often uses phrases that read to me like british slang, which is confusing considering that the book is set in New York. I even looked it up, to check if Yu is English and just got confused with the dialogue.
As a cat lover, this book seemed both sweet and terrifying. The end can be a bit heavy, but it is to be expected. Yu handles all the topics in her debut carefully, creating a smart, well rounded story that can surely impact a reader.
Kitten is a very solid debut by Stacey Yu. I'm not familiar with her work on Tiktok, and only requested this arc after my friends talked about it. I was initially skeptical of it, not only because of the current state of Booktok, but because I have not had a good relationship with contemporary litfic as of late. So I'm very pleased to report that I found this very charming and enjoyable overrall.
Katie is a realistic and compelling character, and her POV is easy to relate to. Her growing obsession with her boyfriend's cat, Silver, is the driving force of the book, and by far my favorite part of it. The main character stood out to me in particular because she seems to steer away from the obvious clichés: she's a mentally disturbed woman in her young twenties, financially dependent on her white boyfriend, of course, but where other novels exaggerate and stretch beyond the realm of belief, Yu keeps us steady in a confined narrative structure and timeline, one that works well to develop the relationships between the characters.
Yu talks of a complex mother-daughter relationship with grace and compassion. I have to admit that, unfortunately, this part of the novel wasn't the most interesting to me, especially as we only get to know the mother late into the book. I found myself wanting to read more about other characters, like Isabelle and Lou. But I can still appreciate the dynamic that's established here, the mother as an all-encompassing figure, affecting Katie's life even as she tries to steer her own path: "It's hard to do anything when you know your mother's mad at you."
Yu's style is succint and clean. I did find the ending heavy handed, as the author basically dumps all the themes of the book at once, using Katie's growing independence as a microphone to make sure the readers get the point. Which, yes, we do. On top of that, I had one or two qualms. One, in chapter ten, Yu describes Katie putting her clothes on, only to later in the same scene describe her without a shirt on. Small continuity error. Two, James often uses phrases that read to me like british slang, which is confusing considering that the book is set in New York. I even looked it up, to check if Yu is English and just got confused with the dialogue.
As a cat lover, this book seemed both sweet and terrifying. The end can be a bit heavy, but it is to be expected. Yu handles all the topics in her debut carefully, creating a smart, well rounded story that can surely impact a reader.
April 24, 2026
so so good !!!
June 6, 2026
no because there really is nothing like a mothers love
June 20, 2026
i too have mother issues
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Peak sad-girl literary fiction! I love the idea of this type of book but sometimes the books are just a touch too weird for me; however, this one really captured what I love about this niche.
Katie is a recent college grad with limited employment prospects once she gets her last work-study check and no foreseeable future plan for rent/utilities. The main thing she has going for her is her 6-month relationship with James, a generous 26-year-old copywriter from a well-off family who enjoys sharing the finer things in life with her. For her birthday, James brings Katie to his family’s seaside house along with his cat, Silver, and Katie quickly becomes obsessed with the cat. And then she becomes… more obsessed than the average person gets with a cat.
I enjoyed the weirdness of this book, and although I’m a dog person myself, I loved all the descriptions of Silver and her quirky little behaviors. I feel like Stacey Yu perfectly captured what it’s like to be a 22-year-old who has no idea what she’s doing with her life and wants to avoid dealing with it. Even as Katie became more unhinged and the events of the story became more ridiculous, it still somehow felt weirdly relatable(? What does this say about me?).
I liked that the author gradually revealed more about Katie’s estranged relationship with her mother, and how it affected her behavior as an adult, including her friendship with Lou and her relationship with James. I also really enjoyed the ending, although the closest thing I have to a criticism is .
Solid 5 stars! I’m not sure if I’d recommend this book to many friends because it was genuinely weird and I don’t expect it to be everyone’s cup of tea, but for me, this was an incredibly memorable and fascinating read that hooked me and had a lot of interesting things to say about identity, independence, family / generational trauma, and adulthood. A very impressive debut!
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review!
Katie is a recent college grad with limited employment prospects once she gets her last work-study check and no foreseeable future plan for rent/utilities. The main thing she has going for her is her 6-month relationship with James, a generous 26-year-old copywriter from a well-off family who enjoys sharing the finer things in life with her. For her birthday, James brings Katie to his family’s seaside house along with his cat, Silver, and Katie quickly becomes obsessed with the cat. And then she becomes… more obsessed than the average person gets with a cat.
I enjoyed the weirdness of this book, and although I’m a dog person myself, I loved all the descriptions of Silver and her quirky little behaviors. I feel like Stacey Yu perfectly captured what it’s like to be a 22-year-old who has no idea what she’s doing with her life and wants to avoid dealing with it. Even as Katie became more unhinged and the events of the story became more ridiculous, it still somehow felt weirdly relatable(? What does this say about me?).
I liked that the author gradually revealed more about Katie’s estranged relationship with her mother, and how it affected her behavior as an adult, including her friendship with Lou and her relationship with James. I also really enjoyed the ending, although the closest thing I have to a criticism is .
Solid 5 stars! I’m not sure if I’d recommend this book to many friends because it was genuinely weird and I don’t expect it to be everyone’s cup of tea, but for me, this was an incredibly memorable and fascinating read that hooked me and had a lot of interesting things to say about identity, independence, family / generational trauma, and adulthood. A very impressive debut!
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review!
March 23, 2026
I was frustrated with this book at times, but the ending wrapped it up well.
Kitten is a story of obsession where Katie, a recent college grad with no direction besides an obsessive relationship, goes on a trip with her boyfriend James to his childhood town of Holme. On this trip, she meets Silver, James' family's cat.
Katie is immediately obsessed with Silver at an insane level. She wishes to be the cat, to have the freedom of the cat, which is compared to a childlike freedom. The book focuses a lot on the attractiveness of youth, which Katie's mother also struggles with in their relationship.
This book did well in its repetitive themes, but I feel like it tried to cover a lot of topics in its brevity including mother-daughter relationships, pet relationships, friend/roommate relationships, and romantic relationships. It tried to create a total snapshot of Katie's life along with her obsession with Silver, which was a difficult task.
It was really difficult to read the constant scenes with Silver, where Katie is just so clearly obsessed and passive towards everything else, including her boyfriend. James is obsessed with Katie, and treats her like a pet, which she enjoys. The flashbacks to her mother reveal an obsession of Katie and her youthfulness. Obsession everywhere and all consuming for everyone!
I liked the ending, where it resolved Katie's relationship with her mother and Lou, which is the opposite of the beginning of the book where she only had James.
A good read, maybe not my favorite due to very frustrating characters and the writing style, but I think it presented interesting themes and relationships! A promising debut from Stacey Yu for sure.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the digital arc.
Kitten is a story of obsession where Katie, a recent college grad with no direction besides an obsessive relationship, goes on a trip with her boyfriend James to his childhood town of Holme. On this trip, she meets Silver, James' family's cat.
Katie is immediately obsessed with Silver at an insane level. She wishes to be the cat, to have the freedom of the cat, which is compared to a childlike freedom. The book focuses a lot on the attractiveness of youth, which Katie's mother also struggles with in their relationship.
This book did well in its repetitive themes, but I feel like it tried to cover a lot of topics in its brevity including mother-daughter relationships, pet relationships, friend/roommate relationships, and romantic relationships. It tried to create a total snapshot of Katie's life along with her obsession with Silver, which was a difficult task.
It was really difficult to read the constant scenes with Silver, where Katie is just so clearly obsessed and passive towards everything else, including her boyfriend. James is obsessed with Katie, and treats her like a pet, which she enjoys. The flashbacks to her mother reveal an obsession of Katie and her youthfulness. Obsession everywhere and all consuming for everyone!
I liked the ending, where it resolved Katie's relationship with her mother and Lou, which is the opposite of the beginning of the book where she only had James.
A good read, maybe not my favorite due to very frustrating characters and the writing style, but I think it presented interesting themes and relationships! A promising debut from Stacey Yu for sure.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the digital arc.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Sometimes I think there’s nothing more painful than looking back at who you were at 22 years old. I feel such humiliation on the behalf of my former self, mixed with deep compassion for all of the ways I was hurting that I didn’t have the language to express. Stacey’s book makes you confront this pain through your relationship to Katie, her delightfully insane protagonist. Katie is insufferable but relatable, deranged but rational. She’s so weird it’s genuinely awesome to step inside of her head. Stacey has managed to capture the exact feeling of not knowing whether your desire to disappear comes from the fact that nothing matters or the fact that everything does.
This book is marvellous. And I’m not just saying that because my bestie wrote it, though it is a genuinely incredible sensation to be able to rave online about your friend’s debut novel. Love you, Stacey! Silver forever!
This book is marvellous. And I’m not just saying that because my bestie wrote it, though it is a genuinely incredible sensation to be able to rave online about your friend’s debut novel. Love you, Stacey! Silver forever!
June 13, 2026
"i felt sorry for the cars that weren't chosen just because they were uglier, even though
they cost less. if i became rich enough to take cars, i would rent the one nobody wanted." - this quote is me in a nutshell
they cost less. if i became rich enough to take cars, i would rent the one nobody wanted." - this quote is me in a nutshell
June 4, 2026
Life is hard enough without spending 300 pages trapped inside Katie’s exhausting self-absorption. At the beginning of Kitten, curiosity and empathy keep you turning the pages. You assume there must be a reason Katie is so insufferable, that some revelation regarding her upbringing or moment of self-awareness will eventually make her behavior meaningful. Instead, her fixation on her boyfriend’s cat, Silver, and her relentless inertia become increasingly tedious. Katie drifts from one poor decision to the next, wallowing in her own dysfunction while expecting the reader to find profound significance in every miserable choice. Ironically cliche, the only thing she realizes is that by not choosing , she is still making choices.
Her existence becomes a test of endurance for the reader. The novel occasionally gestures toward deeper themes, but they’re buried beneath Katie’s endless dissociative demeanor and refusal to grow. By the final pages, any curiosity about why she is the way she is has long since evaporated. You simply stop caring. The strongest emotion the book inspires isn’t sympathy or insight. It is relief that your time with Katie is finally over, along with the sincere hope that James manages to escape as well.
Her existence becomes a test of endurance for the reader. The novel occasionally gestures toward deeper themes, but they’re buried beneath Katie’s endless dissociative demeanor and refusal to grow. By the final pages, any curiosity about why she is the way she is has long since evaporated. You simply stop caring. The strongest emotion the book inspires isn’t sympathy or insight. It is relief that your time with Katie is finally over, along with the sincere hope that James manages to escape as well.
March 2, 2026
Kitten is an extraordinary debut from Stacey Yu. For me, this book transcends the “weird girl lit fic” trend- while full of weird, visceral, specific imagery, it also packs a deep, gut-wrenching punch in that part of my soul that was once 22 and terrified to be perceived as anything like Katie, our protagonist.
Katie is a childish young woman who has just graduated college and wants to be babied by those around her in specific ways that she expects, but can’t articulate to anyone or reciprocate- not her roommate/friend Lou, her boyfriend of six months James, or her narcissistic mother, with whom Katie has an obviously complicated relationship.
When Katie meets James’s childhood pet- a darling cat named Silver- she becomes obsessed with all the little mannerisms and quirks of this creature. I loved Yu’s descriptions of Silver throughout!! Katie and James are spending some time away from NYC with Silver in his hometown, where the differences in their upbringing, bank accounts, and conflict resolution styles become glaringly clear. Katie’s got $50 to her name, no real prospects, and an unstable living situation. She oscillates between a few different coping techniques, none of which involve actually asking for help or letting people in. In Silver she catches glances of what Katie decides is Silver’s support for her and a fascinating little rapport is built. She projects her own thoughts onto Silver, desperately looking to nurture something (even if it’s to Silver’s detriment).
Let me be super clear- Katie kind of sucks. But she’s immature and 22, and is starting to realize her actions have consequences. Did I hate multiple choices she made? Duh, yes, of course- but I think rating a book lower because you dislike a main character is negating the brilliant writing and pacing of a debut that will have you squirming in your seat and making this face “🫠” a lot. This is an absolutely worthwhile read and one that I’m excited to get a print copy of upon its release.
Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for an advanced copy!
Katie is a childish young woman who has just graduated college and wants to be babied by those around her in specific ways that she expects, but can’t articulate to anyone or reciprocate- not her roommate/friend Lou, her boyfriend of six months James, or her narcissistic mother, with whom Katie has an obviously complicated relationship.
When Katie meets James’s childhood pet- a darling cat named Silver- she becomes obsessed with all the little mannerisms and quirks of this creature. I loved Yu’s descriptions of Silver throughout!! Katie and James are spending some time away from NYC with Silver in his hometown, where the differences in their upbringing, bank accounts, and conflict resolution styles become glaringly clear. Katie’s got $50 to her name, no real prospects, and an unstable living situation. She oscillates between a few different coping techniques, none of which involve actually asking for help or letting people in. In Silver she catches glances of what Katie decides is Silver’s support for her and a fascinating little rapport is built. She projects her own thoughts onto Silver, desperately looking to nurture something (even if it’s to Silver’s detriment).
Let me be super clear- Katie kind of sucks. But she’s immature and 22, and is starting to realize her actions have consequences. Did I hate multiple choices she made? Duh, yes, of course- but I think rating a book lower because you dislike a main character is negating the brilliant writing and pacing of a debut that will have you squirming in your seat and making this face “🫠” a lot. This is an absolutely worthwhile read and one that I’m excited to get a print copy of upon its release.
Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for an advanced copy!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 19, 2026
I think this will be massive in the weird girl, lit-fic community. We follow Katie, who has just graduated uni and wishes to avoid being an adult at all costs and essentially does that by being the most passive person on earth.
She is dating James, who is three hears older than her. Has a stable job and he invites her on a trip to his coastal hometown and he is looking after his family’s cat, Silver, who Katie develops a serious obsession with.
Katie basically wants to be a cute cat who can be mischievous yet loved with all her flaws. And this wanting and need and deep attachment to Silver causes a lot of things to crash and burn, forcing Katie to face the real world and what consequences look like.
Now this book paints Katie to be seriously frustrating in her passivity and apathy, she is in the passenger wheel and is more than willing to let the car crash. Until you start reading all the flashbacks to her childhood and her relationship with her mother. Katie was raised by a narcissist who was as attached to her as she is to Silver. Katie says, “I couldn’t imagine loving someone else the way I loved my mother.”
I really appreciated the discussions of class differences, as Katie’s boyfriend is quite rich while she is so broke. It explores the importance of choosing rather than needing who is in your life.
However, the book fell just a little bit flat for me. I think I was just so mad at Katie and frustrated by her, that I couldn’t root for her personally. I wish her all the best but I can’t be around these people. She has such a narrow perspective (which is done really well by the author), but I was simply too annoyed by the fact that she couldn’t see how many people around her love and care for her.
Thank you to Hachette Aus for the ARC!
She is dating James, who is three hears older than her. Has a stable job and he invites her on a trip to his coastal hometown and he is looking after his family’s cat, Silver, who Katie develops a serious obsession with.
Katie basically wants to be a cute cat who can be mischievous yet loved with all her flaws. And this wanting and need and deep attachment to Silver causes a lot of things to crash and burn, forcing Katie to face the real world and what consequences look like.
Now this book paints Katie to be seriously frustrating in her passivity and apathy, she is in the passenger wheel and is more than willing to let the car crash. Until you start reading all the flashbacks to her childhood and her relationship with her mother. Katie was raised by a narcissist who was as attached to her as she is to Silver. Katie says, “I couldn’t imagine loving someone else the way I loved my mother.”
I really appreciated the discussions of class differences, as Katie’s boyfriend is quite rich while she is so broke. It explores the importance of choosing rather than needing who is in your life.
However, the book fell just a little bit flat for me. I think I was just so mad at Katie and frustrated by her, that I couldn’t root for her personally. I wish her all the best but I can’t be around these people. She has such a narrow perspective (which is done really well by the author), but I was simply too annoyed by the fact that she couldn’t see how many people around her love and care for her.
Thank you to Hachette Aus for the ARC!
March 27, 2026
thank you to random house for this arc provided by netgalley.
this coming-of-age novel is a character-driven story and will most likely not be suited for everyone's taste, but i am a big fan.
katie is someone who hasn't grown up. she is stagnant in her life. she hasn't spoken to her mother in a year, she doesn't know if she even loves her boyfriend, she is on the verge of being kicked out by her roommate, and she loses her college job upon graduating. she's confronted with a multitude of problems she is not willing to face, and this causes her to lose agency in her life. that is until she meets her boyfriend's cat, silver, of whom she becomes obsessed with and slightly jealous of. she quickly realizes that silver lives a life she's wanted - one of freedom, and one where you can be both cute and mischievous yet still be effortlessly loved and taken care of regardless.
for me, this novel was a reminder that wanting to be taken care of is both a trap and a comfort - rather choosing something or someone is more important than needing them.
yu left me feeling completely stripped and vulnerable yet healed and consoled. i will think a lot about this book.
this coming-of-age novel is a character-driven story and will most likely not be suited for everyone's taste, but i am a big fan.
katie is someone who hasn't grown up. she is stagnant in her life. she hasn't spoken to her mother in a year, she doesn't know if she even loves her boyfriend, she is on the verge of being kicked out by her roommate, and she loses her college job upon graduating. she's confronted with a multitude of problems she is not willing to face, and this causes her to lose agency in her life. that is until she meets her boyfriend's cat, silver, of whom she becomes obsessed with and slightly jealous of. she quickly realizes that silver lives a life she's wanted - one of freedom, and one where you can be both cute and mischievous yet still be effortlessly loved and taken care of regardless.
for me, this novel was a reminder that wanting to be taken care of is both a trap and a comfort - rather choosing something or someone is more important than needing them.
yu left me feeling completely stripped and vulnerable yet healed and consoled. i will think a lot about this book.
April 25, 2026
The cover for this novel is beautiful and immediately drew me in. Honestly, Stella, the cat, is the only reason why I continued to read.
Although the foundation of the story is there, and noticeable, it is not very strong. I understand that Katie is supposed to be a complex character with complex relationships, but it feels like there is no purpose for it until the last few chapters to make clear to the reader the journey of self-discovery. Katie is obviously figuring herself out but I didn’t enjoy reading about her self-discovery at all. I found her character to be annoying and strange— and not in an endearing way. I am saying that as someone who found myself understanding/sympathizing her situation multiple times but to an extent. Yes, characters can be unlikable but I feel like I should be gaining something from it; in this case, I did not.
There were parts I enjoyed such as the descriptions of Holme and Lou’s character. Lou felt like a breath of fresh air when she was mentioned and brought the book back to reality and away from Katie’s inner monologue that I really came to dread reading.
Honestly, I think someone’s experience reading this book will depend on their interpretation of Katie’s character (if my review did not make that clear enough). The book is solely character based. The writing itself is good, although not striking, and the plot is simple. Unfortunately, Kitten wasn’t very memorable for me and all will be forgotten by tomorrow.
*Thank you Random House for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Although the foundation of the story is there, and noticeable, it is not very strong. I understand that Katie is supposed to be a complex character with complex relationships, but it feels like there is no purpose for it until the last few chapters to make clear to the reader the journey of self-discovery. Katie is obviously figuring herself out but I didn’t enjoy reading about her self-discovery at all. I found her character to be annoying and strange— and not in an endearing way. I am saying that as someone who found myself understanding/sympathizing her situation multiple times but to an extent. Yes, characters can be unlikable but I feel like I should be gaining something from it; in this case, I did not.
There were parts I enjoyed such as the descriptions of Holme and Lou’s character. Lou felt like a breath of fresh air when she was mentioned and brought the book back to reality and away from Katie’s inner monologue that I really came to dread reading.
Honestly, I think someone’s experience reading this book will depend on their interpretation of Katie’s character (if my review did not make that clear enough). The book is solely character based. The writing itself is good, although not striking, and the plot is simple. Unfortunately, Kitten wasn’t very memorable for me and all will be forgotten by tomorrow.
*Thank you Random House for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
March 15, 2026
*eARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
1/5 stars.
Unfortunately this book did not leave a lasting impression on me as much as it did for others. I appreciate the idea this novel tried to convey, but it simply missed the mark.
This book follows a 22-year old Katie as she finally has a thought for the first time in her life.
My main issue with this book is the lack of showing rather than telling. I would have loved if we had actually explored a situation rather than it skipping from scene to scene. Even within one paragraph I feel like we took so many words to say nothing at all.
I, unfortunately, simply did not like Katie at all. From the beginning, I could not sit in her mind for long periods of time. I read other reviews where people said they deeply related to Katie, and I just couldn’t see how that could be possible.
I believe there may be some redeemable features, but unfortunately for me I felt Katie behaved like a child and was incredibly selfish throughout. One example speaks out to me at the end of the first part where Katie locks herself in her boyfriend's family's vacation home with his cat, Silver, because she does not want him to go back to the city with his cat to return it to his parents. This completely baffled me and kind of turned me off of the book from that point forward.
Thank you Netgalley and publishers for the ARC.
1/5 stars.
Unfortunately this book did not leave a lasting impression on me as much as it did for others. I appreciate the idea this novel tried to convey, but it simply missed the mark.
This book follows a 22-year old Katie as she finally has a thought for the first time in her life.
My main issue with this book is the lack of showing rather than telling. I would have loved if we had actually explored a situation rather than it skipping from scene to scene. Even within one paragraph I feel like we took so many words to say nothing at all.
I, unfortunately, simply did not like Katie at all. From the beginning, I could not sit in her mind for long periods of time. I read other reviews where people said they deeply related to Katie, and I just couldn’t see how that could be possible.
I believe there may be some redeemable features, but unfortunately for me I felt Katie behaved like a child and was incredibly selfish throughout. One example speaks out to me at the end of the first part where Katie locks herself in her boyfriend's family's vacation home with his cat, Silver, because she does not want him to go back to the city with his cat to return it to his parents. This completely baffled me and kind of turned me off of the book from that point forward.
Thank you Netgalley and publishers for the ARC.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 20, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the Advanced Reader Copy!
This novel was a breath of fresh air. I haven't read a book that so vividly and accurately represents that fleeting time in your life when you are figuring yourself out. Specifically that time of hazy, directionless, post-graduate stupor of thought and lack of motion forward— a mental stagnation that usually invites a type of depression that slowly creeps up on you.
This was paired well with what I think was a poignant and realistic unpacking of parental relationships and the new-adult need to digest childhood traumas. This can look like a period of cutting ties with a parent, pitying them, humanizing them, and then concluding with eventual acceptance of who they are and reconciliation.
I found the main character extremely relatable, but I can see how not everyone would. Katie is a personality indeed very much like a cat. She is unsure of what she wants in a sense, and is unpredictable and skittish when it comes to giving or receiving affection. She is a comfort to late bloomers everywhere. It was an interesting journey to watch her transition from wanting to be cared for and taken care of like a pet, to finding her independence and way in the world. I can relate to the desire to default to someone who is more sure of themselves, and more adult than me to make the hard decisions (and the small ones too like where to eat for dinner).
The writing style was enjoyable as well. I don't often highlight a ton while I'm reading, but I found Yu's metaphors and similes delightful and insightful. It made the book all the more atmospheric to read.
This novel was a breath of fresh air. I haven't read a book that so vividly and accurately represents that fleeting time in your life when you are figuring yourself out. Specifically that time of hazy, directionless, post-graduate stupor of thought and lack of motion forward— a mental stagnation that usually invites a type of depression that slowly creeps up on you.
This was paired well with what I think was a poignant and realistic unpacking of parental relationships and the new-adult need to digest childhood traumas. This can look like a period of cutting ties with a parent, pitying them, humanizing them, and then concluding with eventual acceptance of who they are and reconciliation.
I found the main character extremely relatable, but I can see how not everyone would. Katie is a personality indeed very much like a cat. She is unsure of what she wants in a sense, and is unpredictable and skittish when it comes to giving or receiving affection. She is a comfort to late bloomers everywhere. It was an interesting journey to watch her transition from wanting to be cared for and taken care of like a pet, to finding her independence and way in the world. I can relate to the desire to default to someone who is more sure of themselves, and more adult than me to make the hard decisions (and the small ones too like where to eat for dinner).
The writing style was enjoyable as well. I don't often highlight a ton while I'm reading, but I found Yu's metaphors and similes delightful and insightful. It made the book all the more atmospheric to read.
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