Let me start off by saying that Becky Albertelli is an auto-buy author for me. I’m a ride or die fan. I was thrilled to get this advance copy and did a dance around my kitchen to celebrate. While this book did have her signature gay character and setting in Georgia, it is not the caliber of Simon vs, Leah on the Offbeat, or What if It’s Us. Here’s why:

-One thing I love about Becky is her snarky, hilarious writing style. There was an Avril Lavigne reference early that spoke to my millennial heart, but otherwise, it fell flat

-This book brought back all my painfully awkward High School memories that I have been trying to suppress for the last decade-plus. Maybe that was intentional? If so, it hit the nail on the head. Definitely the most haunting book I’ve read this October

-How did I not know that Anderson was black until 75% way through the book? The fact that I didn’t pick up on this sooner is a critical omission of the character’s identity.

-I absolutely hated how the characters referred to the athletes or popular kids as f-boys or f-girls throughout the story. Yes, some of them were mean and slutty, but it just seemed unnecessarily harsh. Drama kids don’t like to be put into the drama kid box, and each drama kid had their own independent identity and quirks outside of the label. Why wasn’t this individualism afforded to all their classmates? It kinda seemed like Kate was jealous and obsessed with the f-people.

Again, Thank you so much to the publishers for granting me this advanced copy. I really appreciated the opportunity.

A love letter to high school theater and musical theater in general and the kind of friendships that transcend and also to f-boys who turn out to have more depth than you thought, but also a firm rebuke of the ones who remain terrible. Kate and company (her diverse and lovely group of friends and family members) will delight existing Becky Albertalli fans and anyone looking for a fast-paced, funny, and heartfelt romance.

Kate in Waiting is a great book for those "theater kids" in your school. It is a love letter to high school productions and the amazing community you are a part of when you participate.

Albertalli is known for her teen love stories, and this one adds in an element I have never read before: a communal crush. Kate and her best friend Anderson only do crushes on the same guys at the same time. These crushes are usually wonderfully unrequited, giving them the fun of swooning over someone without any of the messy relationship stuff. This is all great until their unrequited crush enters their lives for real, and now they have to navigate what might happen if he actually likes one of them back.

Super fun teen book! There is a lot of swearing, but it really reads the way teens talk. Recommend at the high school level,

I liked this a lot! The friendship between Kate and Anderson felt authentic but more importantly, so did their surroundings. There are lots of books about a friendship or a crush where the rest of the book feels thin - the family, contextual surroundings etc are insufficiently detailed - but the other relationships made it feel like Kate had a whole life. I found the setting cute and I was rooting for the romance.

I love this book so much. Becky Albertalli has truly captured the essence of why I love theater. Her descriptions of the shows and the magic that happens on stage and behind the scenes is truly perfect. Kate is a great character that I absolutely related to because of her real voice she had throughout the whole book. It was amazing getting to read a title that was focused around theater and done so well that I actually believed this school was one that could exist in real life and I wanted to visit to see the show so badly. I liked seeing the development of Kate's relationship with Andy, mostly how they navigated their mutual crush as well as the general high school drama of having a crush. Mutual crush isn't a plot I've ever seen in a book so this feels really refreshing. I can't wait for this book to be released, I'll definitely be purchasing a copy for my bookshelf!

Kate and Andy are the best of friends. Closer than family, they are inseparable. When one has a crush, they both have a crush. And so far it really hasn’t developed any further than that, until Matt comes along. I loved the premise of this book and the story really has you rooting for all the characters. My only hesitation in recommending this to upper grades in school is the language. Kate’s group friends refer to a group of jocks as f@&$ boys. And it was just WAY over used. That was my only negative experience, because other than that Becky Albertalli writes a great story!

I was provided with an eARC of this book in exchange for a fair review.

I am a big fan of Beck Albertalli's books, and this was no exception. It is probably my favorite of hers second only to Simon Vs! Kate was a great MC, and I loved following her story. I was a Noah fan from the second he popped onto the page, and Anderson was perfect as the BFF. The only reason I knocked a star off my rating was for the extreme overuse of the term "f-boy". Like...we get it...you don't have to mention it on EVERY page.

All in all, I will definitely be adding this to my contemporary rereads shelf!

I have been a long time fan of Albertalli. As an author who has included a wide range of diverse characters specifically LGBT, she has allowed for young adults to enjoy a multitude of diverse romantic comedies. This book did not fail to uphold the previous standards she made for herself.

Super awkward and relatable first intense crushes and the even more awkward and inevitable shared crush among friends is perfectly portrayed within the plot.

I loved every moment of Kate's perspective even the parts of burning embarrassment that transported me back to my own childhood.

Becky Albertali does it again! This book left me with a big smile at the end. Kate and Andy have the kind of friendship that makes high school the crazy, awesome, uncomfortable time it's supposed to be. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Kate and Anderson are inseparable, they even share crushes. Their crushes are usually not part of their every day lives, and they're usually unrequited, but Kate can't imagine having a crush she doesn't share with Andy. When one of their crushes actually moves to their town and starts going to their school, the dynamic changes. Kate and Andy aren't really sure how to handle it, is their friendship falling apart? Is another relationship falling together?

I really enjoyed this one. The whole theatre kid vibe took me back to my own high school days, and a lot of those angsty thoughts Kate goes through were also very familiar. Best friend relationships, LBGTQ+ relationships, and a heavy dose of perspective change, this is an enjoyable read.

This one took me a bit to get into. I think it was because of the communal crush premise. I'm super independent it just felt so weird to me. Now, I have liked the same person as one of my friends plenty of times (hello small town life) but the idea if Anderson didn't also like him, she couldn't get into - just odd.

Anyways, once I got past that and they were actually getting to know Matt and like him as a person, I was totally in and I really liked how the love triangle worked itself out (no spoilers - even though it's super obvious, in a satisfying kind of way). It was so nice that while messy and imperfect Kate and Anderson tried hard to put their friendship first.

While not my favorite Albertalli, I definitely enjoyed it and know plenty of teens will as well.

I love everything Becky Albertalli writes. She creates the most inclusive, lovable sets of characters ever and Kate and her squad were no exception. I devoured this book in just a few hours and I sincerely hope she writes a couple of spin-off books about the other characters. Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Many thanks to Netgalley and publishers for providing my review copy.

Kate in Waiting is a tale of musical theater, romance and most importantly friendship. This is a story written for any Gen Zer but will be devoured and adored by all. It’s a quick and charming read where we follow Kate and her BFF Anderson as they navigate a new type of communal crush (crushing on the same guy is totally their thing but this one is not like the others). You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll feel really awkward! I loved Kate and her squad. They all brought something wonderful to the table and there are so many valuable lessons tied in. Please pick this up!

Kate in Waiting is a theater geek's dream book! I have been reading Becky Albertalli books since I was in my teens and still in my early 20's she makes me feel all the joy she always has. This book is deeply rooted in friendship which is always a theme in her books and always the best parts. Kate and Anderson stole my heart from the very beginning. If you're looking for an easy, heartwarming, funny read. This is a book you will love.

Maybe I've finally aged out of high-school relationship stories? I don't know, that doesn't seem plausible, but...I was, unfortunately, kinda bored for most of this. The style was cute, the content...felt average (to me).

Five stars Five stars Five stars Five stars Five stars Five stars Five stars Five stars Five stars Five stars Five stars Five star Five stars Five stars Five stars Five stars Five stars Five stars s Five stars Five stars Five stars Five stars Five stars Five stars

Kate will capture your heart from the first chapter. Anderson will be the best friend you wish you had. This story will take you on a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs, and just pure musical theater geekiness. One minute I was complaining about this love triangle and the story not going the way I was hoping, to a whole new relationship that I’m now invested in and love. This story is absolutely amazing and has to be one of my favorites. Becky did an outstanding job!

First off, I would like to say I am thankful I am not a teenage now a days with cell phones, Instagram, and the likes. What a complicated world for teenagers to maneuver. “Kate in Waiting” is not the typical genre I tend to gravitate to and it confirms why I still do not really enjoy this genre.

Kate and Anderson are best friends. Inseparable really. Until Coke-Ad Matt comes into the picture and both are swooning. Kate and Andy make a pack that they will remain friends and be happy for each other, whatever (if anything) happens between one of them and Matt. I found this friendship rather obsessive, if you cannot function in life without the other person by your side and you cannot even face the person if they disappoint you; there might be an issue. This book is full of assumptions and as we know, assumptions make an a** out of both people. I guess that is life as a high school student though… always living in their heads.

My favorite character was Noah, I picture him like that skateboarder guy (Travis) from the movie Clueless… just sportier and less slacker; same goofy, light hearted personality. Overall, author Becky Albertalli writes a great novel! I may not relate to the characters as much, but I am sure my high school students will. There is one part in particular I loved and that was the discussion about enjoying theater because it’s a time in your life when someone is telling you what to do; where to stand, how to put your hands. You do not have to figure it out for yourself. They tied it to social anxiety. Looking back, maybe that is why I enjoyed theater so much as a student.

I would give this book 3.5 stars, but will bump it up to 4 for rating reason. Thanks to HarperCollins Children’s Books and Netgalley for this ARC. I look forward to adding it to my library after its release.

Okay, so...confession. I haven't loved Albertalli's last couple books (I know...I'm in the minority). I couldn't really figure out why, so I was hesitant to pick up this book. However, I am so so so glad I did! Albertalli's writing sings off the page. As I was reading, I realized that (perhaps), I just like her solo works better than those that are co-written. I'll have to think about that more.

My favorite aspect of this novel is how much I freaking love Kate. She's smart. Wildly funny. A loyal friend. Sensitive. Talented. At times, mean and insensitive and judgemental. Wounded. Growing. Her relationship with Andy is wonderful, complicated in all the right ways. I also appreciate how this story isn't JUST about the crushes. It's also about Kate's relationship with her father, mother, brother, friends, best friends, new friends, and...of course, Matt (who looks like he walked out of a Coca Cola ad).

The only aspect of this novel that I found underdeveloped is Kate's fear of driving. That issue is alluded to, but never really explored to its fullest potential for it to bookend the novel. Her journey is moving from the passenger seat to the driver's seat. That's great! But, in order for that analogy to really work, there needs to be more seeding throughout the novel.

I appreciated all the swearing in this book and wish publishers would allow more of that. Only the most established writers can get away with this amount of swearing. But, if a character swears...a character swears. More publishers should be open to this...though I doubt the gatekeepers would be (myself excluded).

I admire Albertalli as a writer and an advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights. There's a bit of Schitt's Creek in here...characters are gay and trans without it being their ONLY characteristic. No one is tokenized.

Also, if you haven't read Albertalli's powerful essay in Medium...you should.

This book was ADORABLE. I loved Kate and her group of friends, and I loved ultimately that it was a friendship (& self discovery) story versus a romance. Though don't get me wrong there was romance! I really loved all the theatre aspects - it really reminded me of all the productions I'd done in the past. And because Becky Albertalli's books do well in our library, I know this will be a winner with patrons, teens and adults alike.