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A Cigarette Lit Backwards
Set in the punk-rock scene of the early 2000s and vibrating with the intense ache of bad choices and deep longing, A Cigarette Lit Backwards is a needle-sharp portrait of a young woman and how far she’ll go to find acceptance.
A Bustle Most-Anticipated Book of the Month
Kat is dying to be accepted by the North Carolina punks; she is totally desperate to seem cool. At a punk show, she ends up backstage with a rock star and gets noticed by a photojournalist. And then—a dream come true for Kat—her reputation as a groupie icon skyrockets. But to maintain this notoriety, Kat makes a series of devastating choices, and soon enough, she becomes unrecognizable to herself and others.
A Cigarette Lit Backwards is a sometimes funny, often brutally honest novel about ambition and self-discovery and how a world of glamour and cool exerts its bold and breathless pull. In prose that seduces, glitters, and exhilarates, Tea Hacic-Vlahovic has written a novel that is both a wild party and a somber reckoning, consolidating her status as a thrilling and essential new voice for our time.
“A perfect coming-of-age story—with a perfect soundtrack—that walks the fragile in-between of finding out who you are and trying not to let other people decide for you. Welcome to the party room.” —Brendan Jay Sullivan, author of Rivington was Lady Gaga, the Lower East Side, and the Prime of Our Lives
A Bustle Most-Anticipated Book of the Month
Kat is dying to be accepted by the North Carolina punks; she is totally desperate to seem cool. At a punk show, she ends up backstage with a rock star and gets noticed by a photojournalist. And then—a dream come true for Kat—her reputation as a groupie icon skyrockets. But to maintain this notoriety, Kat makes a series of devastating choices, and soon enough, she becomes unrecognizable to herself and others.
A Cigarette Lit Backwards is a sometimes funny, often brutally honest novel about ambition and self-discovery and how a world of glamour and cool exerts its bold and breathless pull. In prose that seduces, glitters, and exhilarates, Tea Hacic-Vlahovic has written a novel that is both a wild party and a somber reckoning, consolidating her status as a thrilling and essential new voice for our time.
“A perfect coming-of-age story—with a perfect soundtrack—that walks the fragile in-between of finding out who you are and trying not to let other people decide for you. Welcome to the party room.” —Brendan Jay Sullivan, author of Rivington was Lady Gaga, the Lower East Side, and the Prime of Our Lives
240 pages, Hardcover
First published September 20, 2022
27 people are currently reading
6876 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 150 reviews
August 13, 2022
Kat, like most teens, wants to fit in, she wants to be accepted, she wants to be cool. She wants the North Carolina Punks to accept her and while backstage at a punk show, she meets a photojournalist and that as they say, is history.
Soon thereafter, her name is out there. She has achieved status, but she is also on the path of poor judgement, decisions, and choices. All that glitters is not always gold.
This was an interesting book and at times I enjoyed it and at other times, not so much. I wanted to take Kat aside, talk to her, hopefully help her see the light as her decision making also made me uncomfortable. This book wasn't entirely for me, yet I wanted to keep reading.
Others are enjoying this more than I did, so please check out their reviews as well.
Thank you to The Overlook Press and Edelweiss who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
Soon thereafter, her name is out there. She has achieved status, but she is also on the path of poor judgement, decisions, and choices. All that glitters is not always gold.
This was an interesting book and at times I enjoyed it and at other times, not so much. I wanted to take Kat aside, talk to her, hopefully help her see the light as her decision making also made me uncomfortable. This book wasn't entirely for me, yet I wanted to keep reading.
Others are enjoying this more than I did, so please check out their reviews as well.
Thank you to The Overlook Press and Edelweiss who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
July 3, 2024
"Math isn't real but death is. And I'm bored to death."
The title and the cover are what brought me here. I stayed for the music and the drama.
This was an average read. I found the cover more captivating than the actual story, but I'm still happy I read it. Now onto something completely different.
The title and the cover are what brought me here. I stayed for the music and the drama.
This was an average read. I found the cover more captivating than the actual story, but I'm still happy I read it. Now onto something completely different.
July 10, 2022
I definitely am a bit biased as to why I enjoyed this book so much. I live in the city where this book is set, and I have actually been to many of the locations mentioned in the story. So, I really enjoyed getting to read about specific malls and concert locations that I have personally been to. However, I also just found the plot and characters to be very intriguing.
We follow Kat, a North Carolina punk who is trying to be accepted by her fellow punk friends. The book definitely excelled at capturing the awkwardness and insecurity that accompanies being a teenage girl. Even when Kat made questionable decisions, I was still constantly rooting for her because of how real she felt to me. Following her spiral after the article gets released was very interesting, depicting how everything feels so important and scary when you’re 16 (my age!)
The book also discussed important topics, such as drug use and sexual assault. The exploration of how drugs can uproot your sense of normality was very clear. The sexual assault descriptions were very harrowing and shined a light on how young girls can be taken advantage of by those around them.
The book mainly gets a 3.5 from me because the ending left me feeling a little bit unsatisfied. If the book had been 20 pages longer, I think it would have wrapped up in a more satisfying way. However, I do like that we got to see Kat grow as a character and realize her own independence and importance.
Thank you to Edelweiss for the ARC!
We follow Kat, a North Carolina punk who is trying to be accepted by her fellow punk friends. The book definitely excelled at capturing the awkwardness and insecurity that accompanies being a teenage girl. Even when Kat made questionable decisions, I was still constantly rooting for her because of how real she felt to me. Following her spiral after the article gets released was very interesting, depicting how everything feels so important and scary when you’re 16 (my age!)
The book also discussed important topics, such as drug use and sexual assault. The exploration of how drugs can uproot your sense of normality was very clear. The sexual assault descriptions were very harrowing and shined a light on how young girls can be taken advantage of by those around them.
The book mainly gets a 3.5 from me because the ending left me feeling a little bit unsatisfied. If the book had been 20 pages longer, I think it would have wrapped up in a more satisfying way. However, I do like that we got to see Kat grow as a character and realize her own independence and importance.
Thank you to Edelweiss for the ARC!
March 16, 2023
A fun and sweet coming of age novel about growing up punk (or maybe punk adjacent) in the early 2000s.
16-year-old Kat just wants to fit in on the punk scene in her small North Carolina town, and though she gets her start as a self-described poseur, she quickly becomes authentic through a lucky (or maybe not so lucky) misunderstanding.
I always struggle a bit with the pleading authenticity of punk in this era, because punk (surprise!) has been done before. Though it evolves during this time from its roots in the early 1980s, it’s not exactly an original breed of music or lifestyle. Still, the characters here are excellent and Kat’s perspective feels at once painfully raw and sweetly hopeful in a way that ought to resonate with most readers no matter when they came of age or whether they had any affinity for punk culture.
I’m what these characters would have sneeringly described as a “preppy,” despite the fact that we like the same music and we’re both early adapters of the genre at this time. I find this form of gatekeeping to be fairly obnoxious (if you’re not authentic to “the lifestyle,” you shouldn’t be allowed to like this music), but it’s a pretty accurate look at how these things tend to go. And Kat’s brand of this is born more of naïveté and a desperate search to find her little corner of the world than it is of malice or snobbery, which makes her a likable protagonist in spite of her tendency to embrace musical gatekeeping.
Musically it’s also a fun trip down memory lane, and plot-wise it’s a lovely reminder that while growing up can be lonely and heartbreaking, it can also be a wonderful way to get to know and love yourself.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
16-year-old Kat just wants to fit in on the punk scene in her small North Carolina town, and though she gets her start as a self-described poseur, she quickly becomes authentic through a lucky (or maybe not so lucky) misunderstanding.
I always struggle a bit with the pleading authenticity of punk in this era, because punk (surprise!) has been done before. Though it evolves during this time from its roots in the early 1980s, it’s not exactly an original breed of music or lifestyle. Still, the characters here are excellent and Kat’s perspective feels at once painfully raw and sweetly hopeful in a way that ought to resonate with most readers no matter when they came of age or whether they had any affinity for punk culture.
I’m what these characters would have sneeringly described as a “preppy,” despite the fact that we like the same music and we’re both early adapters of the genre at this time. I find this form of gatekeeping to be fairly obnoxious (if you’re not authentic to “the lifestyle,” you shouldn’t be allowed to like this music), but it’s a pretty accurate look at how these things tend to go. And Kat’s brand of this is born more of naïveté and a desperate search to find her little corner of the world than it is of malice or snobbery, which makes her a likable protagonist in spite of her tendency to embrace musical gatekeeping.
Musically it’s also a fun trip down memory lane, and plot-wise it’s a lovely reminder that while growing up can be lonely and heartbreaking, it can also be a wonderful way to get to know and love yourself.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
August 21, 2022
A Cigarette Lit Backwards (sidenote: i love this title) follows sixteen-year old Kat as she struggles to find acceptance in the punk scene of the early 2000s - and exactly what the spiral for acceptance looks like. And I use spiral literally, because once she goes backstage and meets a rockstar and gets labeled as a groupie she finally gets the acceptance. And her decisions afterwards are an off the rails self destructive bender.
I really don't have any opinions about this book. I wouldn't say I loved it, but I didn't hate it. I wanted Kat to get her shit together and make better decisions. I definitely had higher hopes for this book - and the writing. There were topics discussed that were fleshed out and I thought really worked - drug use, sexual assault, sexism (the freud penis envy part, where she talks about envying the power people with penises have,,,,only freud reference with rights). But the prose was very to the point, and maybe that's just not my taste because I felt disappointed. I also felt a lack of completion, I got to the end and I genuinely thought my e-arc had been missing the last chapter or something. However, as a stylistic choice, to end it where things are turning I get it.
ANYWAY, good but wasn't great. I really don't know what star rating to give it.
thank you netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review
I really don't have any opinions about this book. I wouldn't say I loved it, but I didn't hate it. I wanted Kat to get her shit together and make better decisions. I definitely had higher hopes for this book - and the writing. There were topics discussed that were fleshed out and I thought really worked - drug use, sexual assault, sexism (the freud penis envy part, where she talks about envying the power people with penises have,,,,only freud reference with rights). But the prose was very to the point, and maybe that's just not my taste because I felt disappointed. I also felt a lack of completion, I got to the end and I genuinely thought my e-arc had been missing the last chapter or something. However, as a stylistic choice, to end it where things are turning I get it.
ANYWAY, good but wasn't great. I really don't know what star rating to give it.
thank you netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review
December 3, 2022
Words cannot describe to you how much I love this book.
It felt like this book was written for me. Like it was written about the teenage version of myself. The girl who wanted to be cool by standing out. I know this book is not going to hit with everyone, because it takes place during a time, a scene, and era that I still hold onto very tightly.
A Cigarette Lit Backwards follows a group of teens in the early 2000s. Not just any teens though, a group of burnouts, nobodies, punks, and poseurs. Main character, Kat freaking resonated with me. She read books, went to concerts, and hung out with the party kids without going too far herself. She still had dreams of art school saving her from herself. But that didn't stop her from shoplifting, dealing drugs, and dating the bad boys. If anything, she felt like her life finally had meaning.
At 16, Kat was everything I wanted to be.
At 27, she made me cringe.
This book was just all too relatable. I was constantly reading my own teenage shenanigans and texting my friends who made it out of it alive.
I have nothing but good things to say about this book.
I love it.
More reviews at A Reader's Diary!
It felt like this book was written for me. Like it was written about the teenage version of myself. The girl who wanted to be cool by standing out. I know this book is not going to hit with everyone, because it takes place during a time, a scene, and era that I still hold onto very tightly.
A Cigarette Lit Backwards follows a group of teens in the early 2000s. Not just any teens though, a group of burnouts, nobodies, punks, and poseurs. Main character, Kat freaking resonated with me. She read books, went to concerts, and hung out with the party kids without going too far herself. She still had dreams of art school saving her from herself. But that didn't stop her from shoplifting, dealing drugs, and dating the bad boys. If anything, she felt like her life finally had meaning.
At 16, Kat was everything I wanted to be.
At 27, she made me cringe.
This book was just all too relatable. I was constantly reading my own teenage shenanigans and texting my friends who made it out of it alive.
I have nothing but good things to say about this book.
I love it.
More reviews at A Reader's Diary!
August 5, 2024
Her last novel, Life of the Party, is prob the most entertaining book I’ve ever read and will undoubtedly be for a majority of casual readers who “get” irony and the alt club scene. This piece is less cherry-bomb poetry shards and slick, Tweetable over-sharing and more of a standard "punk sleazes prey on lost girl" story. That’s not to say it’s not fashionable or quotable, a la “Nature’s meth: teenage rage,” but prose is hardly what you’d call it. We’ve got a true (black and) blue story in our clutches so expect simplistic sentences w/ a smidgen of jokey desperation. Their flop house is everything you’d expect backstage after a grunge show: fridge doors instead of real ones, ashy carpet, ragtag of inappropriate ages. Insecurities are more subdued in this Kat character than her predecessors, she’s a bumbling outsider often without the clothes or indifference to be “anti”-conformist.
I’d like this book a tad more if I wasn’t already blown away by Party’s machine-gun pace comedy and experimental style (Playgirl-loose plot, fashionista collage talk, and nonstop debauchery). But it’s nice to see range within a similar teen dream scene. Music idols are big here for the shy, semi-basic high schooler in the era of Vice, TRL, and magazines like Fruits. What makes this girl interesting is being a Yugoslavian immigrant, classic piano player, and having desert-dry humor. Kat reminds me Of Herbs & Altars YouTube channel, which often discusses how uncool saying no to sex, drugs, or any grown-up thing felt growing up in the goth community. Not to say nonconsensual but a pressure or “internalized” mantra that meets apathy w/ excess.
The crush/being cool fantasizing is well-done, realistic, uncheesy. I like that Kat’s parents love each other, yet they are more distant friends than caretakers outside of academics. Though this is set in lush green Chapel Hill and Durham, NC, we get like no description of it or the clubs; we’re just told they’re awesome. Kat’s been used a lot for make-outs and much worse she was too meek and confused rather than sad to back out of. Kat’s a reluctant virgin, though a photo with her fav douchey rock star has everyone think she’s a tasteless groupie to be jealous of. There are some nice or nice adjacent boys she’s not so nice to either. The sexism talk falls a little flat when the MC is as guilty of and responsible for what she spouts. She realizes this sometimes.
It’s up for interpretation if some of the guys turn bad or always were, her maturing or just embarrassed at herself for ever trying to “speed things up” with her million crushes. Doesn’t make sense she cares about the violent tween saying retard when the H addicts supply him with liquor unless this is a joke. Surprised what happens at 60% but other people probably saw it coming. Another good (though not for the MC) surprise comes shortly after, though it does make me wonder why a certain someone’s financial/living situation isn’t a tad better. Then another! And another! Though I’m not sure how realistic it is. Yes, the girl is an unbalanced people pleaser willing to run away…but she’s never even been a partier. For all I know, she’s straight edge after that first booze hangover. Clever twist near 90% in. The ending is okay but could use a slightly better metaphor, maybe another more inspiring page.
I’d like this book a tad more if I wasn’t already blown away by Party’s machine-gun pace comedy and experimental style (Playgirl-loose plot, fashionista collage talk, and nonstop debauchery). But it’s nice to see range within a similar teen dream scene. Music idols are big here for the shy, semi-basic high schooler in the era of Vice, TRL, and magazines like Fruits. What makes this girl interesting is being a Yugoslavian immigrant, classic piano player, and having desert-dry humor. Kat reminds me Of Herbs & Altars YouTube channel, which often discusses how uncool saying no to sex, drugs, or any grown-up thing felt growing up in the goth community. Not to say nonconsensual but a pressure or “internalized” mantra that meets apathy w/ excess.
The crush/being cool fantasizing is well-done, realistic, uncheesy. I like that Kat’s parents love each other, yet they are more distant friends than caretakers outside of academics. Though this is set in lush green Chapel Hill and Durham, NC, we get like no description of it or the clubs; we’re just told they’re awesome. Kat’s been used a lot for make-outs and much worse she was too meek and confused rather than sad to back out of. Kat’s a reluctant virgin, though a photo with her fav douchey rock star has everyone think she’s a tasteless groupie to be jealous of. There are some nice or nice adjacent boys she’s not so nice to either. The sexism talk falls a little flat when the MC is as guilty of and responsible for what she spouts. She realizes this sometimes.
It’s up for interpretation if some of the guys turn bad or always were, her maturing or just embarrassed at herself for ever trying to “speed things up” with her million crushes. Doesn’t make sense she cares about the violent tween saying retard when the H addicts supply him with liquor unless this is a joke. Surprised what happens at 60% but other people probably saw it coming. Another good (though not for the MC) surprise comes shortly after, though it does make me wonder why a certain someone’s financial/living situation isn’t a tad better. Then another! And another! Though I’m not sure how realistic it is. Yes, the girl is an unbalanced people pleaser willing to run away…but she’s never even been a partier. For all I know, she’s straight edge after that first booze hangover. Clever twist near 90% in. The ending is okay but could use a slightly better metaphor, maybe another more inspiring page.
January 11, 2023
Kat desperately wants to be part of the punk crowd. One night at a concert Kat gets noticed by a journalist and Kat becomes a popular groupie. After this Kat begins to make some devastating decisions that lead her down a slippery path. How far will Kat go for popularity?
Ooohhhh my, the angst in this book! This completely transported me to my teen years and the punk I wished I was. There’s something so raw about the writing that perfectly encapsulates the want of freedom in your teens.
It definitely felt like the author used some personal experiences and weaved them into this character. It read very much like a memoir. I also loved the late 90s/early 2000s reference - MySpace I’m looking at you!
The ending was a bit too ambiguous for my preference and felt like it left me hanging. Thank you @mandagroup for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review, 3✨.
So happy I read this one with @bookalong!
Ooohhhh my, the angst in this book! This completely transported me to my teen years and the punk I wished I was. There’s something so raw about the writing that perfectly encapsulates the want of freedom in your teens.
It definitely felt like the author used some personal experiences and weaved them into this character. It read very much like a memoir. I also loved the late 90s/early 2000s reference - MySpace I’m looking at you!
The ending was a bit too ambiguous for my preference and felt like it left me hanging. Thank you @mandagroup for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review, 3✨.
So happy I read this one with @bookalong!
July 24, 2022
Oh, this book. It was so easy to get into, and although the punk/alt scene I grew up in was a couple of decades earlier and much tamer, this setting was recognizable in many ways. I cared about Kat and her story, but parts of it were also frustrating because I wanted Kat to make different decisions in places.
This is such a slice of time/place in the early 2000s in NC. I really enjoyed it and was willing to go where ever it took me, even if Kat made those dumb teenage decisions occasionally. The book left a lot open at the end, which I appreciated. Thanks so much to NetGalley for the ARC!
This is such a slice of time/place in the early 2000s in NC. I really enjoyed it and was willing to go where ever it took me, even if Kat made those dumb teenage decisions occasionally. The book left a lot open at the end, which I appreciated. Thanks so much to NetGalley for the ARC!
May 1, 2023
I loved every single minute of it.
September 18, 2022
A Cigarette Lit Backwards by Tea Hacic-Vlahovic is a recommended coming-of-age novel set in the punk-rock scene of the early 2000s.
Kat lives in North Carolina and is desperately trying to fit in with the group that comprise the local punk scene. She's certainly a part of the group, but remains on the fringes. Her insecurities and longing to fit in and be accepted as part of a group, and not be seen as a poseur, has led to a series of poor choices and bad decisions. When she surprisingly gets back stage and has her picture taken by a journalist, her reputation as a groupie soars. This however, leads to even more bad choices and poor decisions.
This is a novel that will no doubt have an impact and elicit a visceral reaction for some readers. The characters are unlikable and they are definitely written to be that way. However, the writing felt very matter-of-fact and bare bones to me, which left me wanting more. My heart broke for Kat even though she clearly wouldn't care about that. All I could think about while reading this novel was that someone needed to care enough to talk to Kat and set her straight. This also makes me certain that I am not the target audience.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of The Overlook Press.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2022/0...
Kat lives in North Carolina and is desperately trying to fit in with the group that comprise the local punk scene. She's certainly a part of the group, but remains on the fringes. Her insecurities and longing to fit in and be accepted as part of a group, and not be seen as a poseur, has led to a series of poor choices and bad decisions. When she surprisingly gets back stage and has her picture taken by a journalist, her reputation as a groupie soars. This however, leads to even more bad choices and poor decisions.
This is a novel that will no doubt have an impact and elicit a visceral reaction for some readers. The characters are unlikable and they are definitely written to be that way. However, the writing felt very matter-of-fact and bare bones to me, which left me wanting more. My heart broke for Kat even though she clearly wouldn't care about that. All I could think about while reading this novel was that someone needed to care enough to talk to Kat and set her straight. This also makes me certain that I am not the target audience.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of The Overlook Press.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2022/0...
January 23, 2025
Simple done well, didn't need a massive plot twist as Kat was an enjoyable character to follow right from the beginning!
July 23, 2022
I don't know, guys. I think I'm the target audience for this particular novel — I was Kat's age in the early 2000s, and so many of her experiences resonate with me — but it really just left me feeling, 'so what?'
Maybe that's the point. Or maybe I'm exactly NOT the target audience since I literally experienced Kat's life. Regardless, this one just wasn't for me. I think it's written well, and I liked that the style of the writing matched the character's voice. It's short, to the point, and packed with nostalgia! I just didn't care for Kat, or any of the characters, and that's a must for me in literary fiction (anything that isn't thriller/horror, honestly).
Kat is a teenage girl wholly wrapped up in the punk scene of the early 2000s. She details her day to day life, revolving mostly around friends, boys, and not being seen as a poseur. The crowd she's hanging with is not a great one, and they only get worse as the narrative continues. She makes the bad choices that most teenage girls make, and her situation starts to reflect these choices. At the end, she's forced to contemplate her future and the steps she needs to take to move forward.
It didn't stir much emotion in me, but maybe it will for you.
Thank you to Tea Hacic-Vlahovic, Overlook Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!
Maybe that's the point. Or maybe I'm exactly NOT the target audience since I literally experienced Kat's life. Regardless, this one just wasn't for me. I think it's written well, and I liked that the style of the writing matched the character's voice. It's short, to the point, and packed with nostalgia! I just didn't care for Kat, or any of the characters, and that's a must for me in literary fiction (anything that isn't thriller/horror, honestly).
Kat is a teenage girl wholly wrapped up in the punk scene of the early 2000s. She details her day to day life, revolving mostly around friends, boys, and not being seen as a poseur. The crowd she's hanging with is not a great one, and they only get worse as the narrative continues. She makes the bad choices that most teenage girls make, and her situation starts to reflect these choices. At the end, she's forced to contemplate her future and the steps she needs to take to move forward.
It didn't stir much emotion in me, but maybe it will for you.
Thank you to Tea Hacic-Vlahovic, Overlook Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!
July 11, 2022
Punk rock, bad behavior, mishaps of all manner mixed with brilliant cultural commentary and set in the pressure cooker of teenage obsession, passion and self discovery, A CIGARETTE LIT BACKWARDS shines with Tea Hacic Vlahovic's signature wit, humor and insight. This is a brilliant follow up to her debut novel, LIFE OF THE PARTY! Five stars across the board!
February 6, 2023
it was rlly good like narrative wise but the plot wasn’t all that interesting— I get it’s supposed to be based off of tea’s real life but eh
December 15, 2022
This was a fun quick read. The year is the early 2000s and the punk rock scene is solice for Kat and her group of grunge friends. Kat is 16 and is finding her place in the world. She's awkward and self conscious, and her inner voice is always telling her what a loser she is. All her friends are way cooler then her. They go to shows and hang out at the local trap affectionately called Dexter's Lab. After raging in a pit at a show, Kat gets pummeled and is layed out in a corner of the venue. A roadie picks her up and brings her backstage ( Holy shyt I'm going backstage!!!)
Kat comes face to face with Trippy Dope. Everyone's crush. Everyone's God. Sabrina is touring with Trippy and writing for a magazine. She snaps a picture of Kat sitting on Trippys lap and writes a piece about their scandalous backstage encounter. After it gets published, Kats life is turned upside down. Not only is she super popular, but everyone thinks she had sex with Trippy. And she is not going to be the one to set them straight. We follow Kat as all these changes are taking place and we watch our girl spiral into the ultimate "Groupie".
This book has so many music references, and since it takes place in the 2000s, we are swimming in nostalgia. Think the Gap, BeBe, juicy coutoure tracksuits, and Dr Martins with leather jackets. And studded everything. I loved that Era and it's always fun reading about it. I loved Kat and she honestly didn't know how cool she really was. But definitely relatable, being 16 and not feeling like you fit in anywhere. This was a great book and a fun read.
Kat comes face to face with Trippy Dope. Everyone's crush. Everyone's God. Sabrina is touring with Trippy and writing for a magazine. She snaps a picture of Kat sitting on Trippys lap and writes a piece about their scandalous backstage encounter. After it gets published, Kats life is turned upside down. Not only is she super popular, but everyone thinks she had sex with Trippy. And she is not going to be the one to set them straight. We follow Kat as all these changes are taking place and we watch our girl spiral into the ultimate "Groupie".
This book has so many music references, and since it takes place in the 2000s, we are swimming in nostalgia. Think the Gap, BeBe, juicy coutoure tracksuits, and Dr Martins with leather jackets. And studded everything. I loved that Era and it's always fun reading about it. I loved Kat and she honestly didn't know how cool she really was. But definitely relatable, being 16 and not feeling like you fit in anywhere. This was a great book and a fun read.
September 20, 2022
A Cigarette Lit Backwards captures all the chaos and misguided pursuits of contemporary teenage-hood. The novel is a parable of the ethics — the requirement of authenticity and the breaking of this law — of being teenage “cool.”
The plot itself is straightforward: Kat is a high-schooler in the early-middle 2000s. She suffers from occupying that middle rung of teenage society: cool enough to be unnoticed, not cool enough to be noticed by those who deign to judge others. She is every American child in that era: two parents who are successful in their respective careers — whatever they might be — a typical two-income family, part of a new immigrant class whose trajectories lack the tragedy of previous immigrant generations. Kat is white and middle-class. Her life is typical of the concerns of teenage girls of her class, her background, her community; her primary motivating desire is acceptance in the world of Cool. Casual sex, casual drug use, skipping classes, and going to concerts and underground shows are the means by which to achieve her dreams. (All hail, Ticketmaster, bestower of golden dreams and backstage passes. All Access and “Free” parking if you can afford it.)
Kat gets what she wants and predictable consequences ensue. But perhaps they are only predictable because I am the age Kat will be in 2022. The lessons of sex, lies, and the fallacy of music, drugs, and friendships have faded for me in a way that will likely fade for Kat as she matures as well. But in the turn-of-the-century world of A Cigarette Lit Backwards Kat has yet to discover how little all that matters: how sex, real or imagined, means nothing, how friendships forged in a fire fueled by drugs, infatuation, and the superficial markers of clothes, piercings, edgy haircuts, and tattoos — even forged in the trauma of drug overdoses — will fall away meaninglessly after college, after your 20s, after the hangover has cured.
Kat has not yet discovered how much she will owe in student loans. Everyone in Kat’s world has yet to encounter our morbid collective climate-change driven fate. They are just on the cusp of seeing gun violence and regular shootings in their school hallways. Have metal detectors been installed in her school yet? There is no mention of lockdown drills in the novel… A Cigarette Lit Backwards is a novel of the sunnier days of this era, before what lingered in the real darkness began to rise from a simmer to a roiling boil. This is the pre-politicized world of the 2000s, before BLM, before the election of 2016, before DACA and Dreamers, before shtuff got “real” (as if it wasn’t “real” before…)
Kat’s world is decidedly white. Appropriate for North Carolina — even in its progressive, liberal islands — where it is set.
As a historical fiction (if we can view the early 2000s as history already) the novel reflects the light-hearted, whiteness of the era. This was a moment of Britney Spears, N’Sync, and dance beats more than it was a moment of punk. Avril Lavigne — Canadian and cat-eyed — was the punkiest most 2000-era teenagers would ever get. Kat’s world in A Cigarette Lit Backwards is just ever-so-slightly darker than Lavigne’s. It is the world of wannabe punky Ashlee Simpson, just as she was caught lip syncing on SNL and tried to cover it up with a preppy little jig. Here is the punk of short, plaid skirts (held together with oversized diaper pins), rhinestone studded lip rings, and middle/upper middle class white-American, mall-lingering, Hot Topic goths.
I am too jaded, too 2022 for this novel. But it was light, funny-in-an-“ohmygod,wasIlikethat?Please,no” nostalgic sort of way; a pleasant read that was a reprieve from the typical stuff I usually read. For readers interested in taking a light-hearted trip back to the shinier world of the early 2000s, to your youth (or something like it), A Cigarette Lit Backwards will do it.
The plot itself is straightforward: Kat is a high-schooler in the early-middle 2000s. She suffers from occupying that middle rung of teenage society: cool enough to be unnoticed, not cool enough to be noticed by those who deign to judge others. She is every American child in that era: two parents who are successful in their respective careers — whatever they might be — a typical two-income family, part of a new immigrant class whose trajectories lack the tragedy of previous immigrant generations. Kat is white and middle-class. Her life is typical of the concerns of teenage girls of her class, her background, her community; her primary motivating desire is acceptance in the world of Cool. Casual sex, casual drug use, skipping classes, and going to concerts and underground shows are the means by which to achieve her dreams. (All hail, Ticketmaster, bestower of golden dreams and backstage passes. All Access and “Free” parking if you can afford it.)
Kat gets what she wants and predictable consequences ensue. But perhaps they are only predictable because I am the age Kat will be in 2022. The lessons of sex, lies, and the fallacy of music, drugs, and friendships have faded for me in a way that will likely fade for Kat as she matures as well. But in the turn-of-the-century world of A Cigarette Lit Backwards Kat has yet to discover how little all that matters: how sex, real or imagined, means nothing, how friendships forged in a fire fueled by drugs, infatuation, and the superficial markers of clothes, piercings, edgy haircuts, and tattoos — even forged in the trauma of drug overdoses — will fall away meaninglessly after college, after your 20s, after the hangover has cured.
Kat has not yet discovered how much she will owe in student loans. Everyone in Kat’s world has yet to encounter our morbid collective climate-change driven fate. They are just on the cusp of seeing gun violence and regular shootings in their school hallways. Have metal detectors been installed in her school yet? There is no mention of lockdown drills in the novel… A Cigarette Lit Backwards is a novel of the sunnier days of this era, before what lingered in the real darkness began to rise from a simmer to a roiling boil. This is the pre-politicized world of the 2000s, before BLM, before the election of 2016, before DACA and Dreamers, before shtuff got “real” (as if it wasn’t “real” before…)
Kat’s world is decidedly white. Appropriate for North Carolina — even in its progressive, liberal islands — where it is set.
As a historical fiction (if we can view the early 2000s as history already) the novel reflects the light-hearted, whiteness of the era. This was a moment of Britney Spears, N’Sync, and dance beats more than it was a moment of punk. Avril Lavigne — Canadian and cat-eyed — was the punkiest most 2000-era teenagers would ever get. Kat’s world in A Cigarette Lit Backwards is just ever-so-slightly darker than Lavigne’s. It is the world of wannabe punky Ashlee Simpson, just as she was caught lip syncing on SNL and tried to cover it up with a preppy little jig. Here is the punk of short, plaid skirts (held together with oversized diaper pins), rhinestone studded lip rings, and middle/upper middle class white-American, mall-lingering, Hot Topic goths.
I am too jaded, too 2022 for this novel. But it was light, funny-in-an-“ohmygod,wasIlikethat?Please,no” nostalgic sort of way; a pleasant read that was a reprieve from the typical stuff I usually read. For readers interested in taking a light-hearted trip back to the shinier world of the early 2000s, to your youth (or something like it), A Cigarette Lit Backwards will do it.
August 22, 2022
The punk scene of the early 2000's is observed through the eyes of sixteen year old Kat, an unpopular girl trying to fit in and be noticed. After ending up backstage at a rock concert and being photographed with the singer everyone suddenly sees her as a groupie, making her suddenly popular, but it is all a facade. To hold onto her newfound reputation Kat makes a series of bad decisions, which lead to more and more problems for her and those around her. A quick read with a gritty punk feel and unlikable, yet sometimes relatable characters that shows a darker side of growing up and figuring out who you are.
This review is of an advance copy I won in a Goodreads giveaway.
This review is of an advance copy I won in a Goodreads giveaway.
April 7, 2025
Everyone nowadays thinks that sex is the pinnacle of female freedom, and this book shows me that the writer's idea of feminism is the same. I think there's so much more that can be written about the female side of growing up and adolesence that isn't tied to the male gender. All in all, I think it should have delved deeper into Kat's psyche and show us her way of thinking about something other than men. However, the book is a light read and really entertaining. I enjoyed reading it and would recommed it to anyone who is in a reading slump.
January 27, 2024
The entire time you are reading this you feel embarrassed for the main character! But she’s a 16 yr old trying to fit into the punk scene in the time of MySpace so what do you expect?
I’m surprised I found this in the adult fiction section because it’s debatably a Young Adult novel (in content; my young teenage self would have binged this) but I did enjoy it :)
I’m surprised I found this in the adult fiction section because it’s debatably a Young Adult novel (in content; my young teenage self would have binged this) but I did enjoy it :)
July 21, 2025
throughout reading this book, i wasn't quite sure where the story was heading. the vibes of the book where there, however. it felt truly narrated by a 16 year old teen, and you could grip the built-in world. i really appreciated all the band references too.
unfortunately the ending of the story didn't satisfy me. it was too ambiguous for me personally.
unfortunately the ending of the story didn't satisfy me. it was too ambiguous for me personally.
January 1, 2023
Finished this book very quickly! Definitely was a page turner with what Kat is going to face next. I would recommend to people who like coming of age stories.
Read
February 1, 2023enjoyed it
March 23, 2023
Gritty Easy A?
Wholesome SLC Punk?
Diet Trainspotting?
Wholesome SLC Punk?
Diet Trainspotting?
February 18, 2025
proof the tried-and-true chapel hill to nyc pipeline
August 18, 2022
I received an ARC of this from the Goodreads Giveaway I must say I got a lot SLC Punk vibes from this book. I actually really enjoyed it and all the music that was referenced in it is music I am a fan of. overall it was a pretty Solid book!
September 27, 2022
5🌟 - I loved it!
Thank you @booksparks for the #gifted copy for #FRC2022 and @prhaudio for the complimentary audiobook!
If you wanted a teenage dirtbag phase, this book is for you! I ate it up! It was full of grit, angst, insecurity, awkwardness, and has all the things I love in a coming-of-age book!
Pop-punk, self-discovery, and spot on cultural commentary is at the center of this story and it took me by surprise how much I loved it! Her prose was engaging and unique, and had me wanting to read more and more!
There is always something a little special reading about a book set near where you live/have lived. It was so fun having this book set in Chapel Hill, NC which is right around the corner from me! She mentions Cat’s Cradle as a music venue that I’ve been too before which is so fun!
Overall, a poignant and gritty pop-punk coming-of-age book that fans of Daisy Jones and Groupies will enjoy!
TW: sexual assault & drug use
Thank you @booksparks for the #gifted copy for #FRC2022 and @prhaudio for the complimentary audiobook!
If you wanted a teenage dirtbag phase, this book is for you! I ate it up! It was full of grit, angst, insecurity, awkwardness, and has all the things I love in a coming-of-age book!
Pop-punk, self-discovery, and spot on cultural commentary is at the center of this story and it took me by surprise how much I loved it! Her prose was engaging and unique, and had me wanting to read more and more!
There is always something a little special reading about a book set near where you live/have lived. It was so fun having this book set in Chapel Hill, NC which is right around the corner from me! She mentions Cat’s Cradle as a music venue that I’ve been too before which is so fun!
Overall, a poignant and gritty pop-punk coming-of-age book that fans of Daisy Jones and Groupies will enjoy!
TW: sexual assault & drug use
August 3, 2023
early 2000s punk plus a fuck ton of band references my love
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