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Tizzy: A Novel
Tizzy's trying to keep her cool.
It's the 90s.
She's nineteen, fueled by caffeine, riot grrrl, and repression.
She's got a boyfriend, a job at the hip campus co-op, and a roommate who burns sage in the bathroom. But when her body starts to short-circuit, memories she's spent years keeping at bay surge to the surface. To top it off, Tizzy finds herself drawn to TJ, her boyfriend's best friend - all swagger, sarcasm, and unexpected tenderness in her leather jacket and combat boots.
With her nervous system lighting up in ways she can no longer ignore, Tizzy begins to realize she must face what she's been running from. Tizzy is a fever dream of denial and desire, a coming-of-age novel in which the key to healing is feeling everything.
It's the 90s.
She's nineteen, fueled by caffeine, riot grrrl, and repression.
She's got a boyfriend, a job at the hip campus co-op, and a roommate who burns sage in the bathroom. But when her body starts to short-circuit, memories she's spent years keeping at bay surge to the surface. To top it off, Tizzy finds herself drawn to TJ, her boyfriend's best friend - all swagger, sarcasm, and unexpected tenderness in her leather jacket and combat boots.
With her nervous system lighting up in ways she can no longer ignore, Tizzy begins to realize she must face what she's been running from. Tizzy is a fever dream of denial and desire, a coming-of-age novel in which the key to healing is feeling everything.
221 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 26, 2026
About the author
Elena Azzoni
3 books8 followersElena Azzoni has performed her written and comedic stage work at various venues throughout New York City and the San Francisco Bay Area. In November 2007, her one-woman show, This Is the Way I Pray: Confessions of a Yearning Heart on a Sugar High, received standing ovations each night of its sold-out run at BAX Theater in Brooklyn, NY. She also appeared as a “Straight Coach” in a comedy sketch on the Logo Channel, and in the debut issue of the I Heart Brooklyn Girls calendar. Elena received an MFA from New College, and a BA in Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies from UMASS, Amherst. She currently lives in Paris, France.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 10, 2026
I started college in the fall of 1990 so the setting of this book brought me back to my last teens and early 20s. PJ Harvey, The Sundays, Clinique black honey lipstick (to name a few things) were all a part of my youth!
I listened to the audiobook-read by the author-and her voice fit the main character perfectly.
I appreciated that though this book has serious themes like sexual abuse and exploring your sexuality, the writing was so accessible and I will not hesitate to share this important work with my two teen daughters.
I loved how the author skillfully wove conversations about nervous system regulation and therapy into the story telling.
I highly recommend this book to all.
I listened to the audiobook-read by the author-and her voice fit the main character perfectly.
I appreciated that though this book has serious themes like sexual abuse and exploring your sexuality, the writing was so accessible and I will not hesitate to share this important work with my two teen daughters.
I loved how the author skillfully wove conversations about nervous system regulation and therapy into the story telling.
I highly recommend this book to all.
April 3, 2026
You’ll laugh, cry, and love it all. Azzoni writes about a hard topic in a light and true way. I couldn’t love this book more.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews