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Jennette McCurdy announced her debut novel, Half His Age, on August 28. The novel will hit the market on January 20, 2026. McCudry's novel revolves around Waldo, a 17-year-old girl who is in a relationship with her married teacher.
Many on the internet have been criticizing Half His Age for showing an affair of an underage girl with her married teacher. Some even criticized the unreleased novel for its cover, calling it "s*xualization of grooming."
However, many users on the internet defended the novel, saying that the novel will be much more than romanticizing an illicit affair.
"She's spreading awareness. Who has a problem with that ?" a netizen reacted.
Internet users push back against criticism of Jennette McCurdy’s Half His Age
While some people criticized Jennette McCurdy's debut novel, others advised against judging the book before reading it completely. Another user reminded that it's a fictional work. Some also said that those who don't like the book can skip reading it.
"Yesterday without knowing, i also thought she was romanticizing pedophila. But after learning that she is a SA victim & her intention is to spread awareness about that topic. We should first read her book before judging coz if you write about a dark subject doesn’t mean you condone it," a user added.
"Those people do realize that this is a fiction novel right ?" another user worte.
"Art becoming life life becoming life. Happens in real life. Not saying it right or wrong I am just saying thats all. If she wants to write a book let her dont mean you have to read it or like it. Let her live her life," a netizen reacted.
Jennette McCurdy, in her memoir I’m Glad My Mom Died, spoke about the abuse she faced in her childhood. While defending her debut novel, many on the internet said that Jennette McCurdy is "reframing her own trauma" through the art.
"Y’all see ‘teacher/student’ and get reactionary. What Jennette’s doing is reframing her own trauma through fiction—turning discomfort into art. If it makes you uneasy, good. That’s the point. Y’all don’t know shit shit the f*ck up," another netizen commented.
"She is a victim of SA herself... so let your judgement wait till you read it bc i dont think she is romanticising pedophilia here," an internet user wrote.
"she's my girl.... and I know she dealt with her own SA at that age... so let's give her the benefit of the doubt before attacking her for "romanticizing grooming and whatnot" when we don't even know if that's happening," a netizen expressed.
After the success of her memoir, Jennette McCurdy is all set to release her debut fictional work. McCurdy described the emotions behind Half His Age in the following words:
"Through a seventeen-year-old girl named Waldo I got to explore the complexities of desire, consumerism, class, loneliness, the internet, rage, addiction, and the (oftentimes misguided) lengths we’ll go to in order to get what we want."
The novel, whose cover was unveiled on Thursday, will be published by Penguin Random House’s imprint Ballantine in January next year. The novel is now available for pre-order.
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