I'm not sure that I am the target audience for this book. I read a few of the essays and they were fine. I am not a millennial (Gen-X here), so maybe that is why I didn't connect with the stories. I'm also not Catholic, so those essays didn't mean much to me. Having said that, I do think that for the right audience, this book will be a hit. I encourage you to check it out.

I enjoyed Rookie Mistakes. It was a fun, quick read that kept me laughing and thinking "same" when the author shared stories from her childhood and adolescence. Sometimes we just need a book that makes us feel like we're not alone in figuring out the mystery of adulting, and I think Kelly does a good job of sharing her mistakes and the lessons she's learned along the way. I laughed and snorted a lot, and I think any millennial will find this enjoyable and insightful.

This book was unexpected! The parallels I felt to the author with a catholic upbringing and uncertainty for the next phase of life made this a relatable story for millennial moms in todays America

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for the gifted book!

"Equally un-new is our desire to share our own stories and make our experiences known and heard by the people around us. One might argue that's the entire reason social media and books like this one even exist--because there's really no more powerful tool than sharing our stories with each other to help us feel connected with one another."

Going into this book, I knew that Kelly is funny on Instagram, but you never know how well that will translate to a book. I'm here to tell you that Kelly is hilarious in book form too. I flew through this delight of a book. It was chock full of funny stories paired with poignant observations, plus the best placed interjections in the form of informative or hilarious footnotes. Plus she writes in such a vivid manner that I feel like I'm watching the VHS tapes of her throughout the years. You are plopped into the story and get to experience her emotions along with her. You will laugh, maybe cry, and most definitely be entertained by this read.

One time on my personal instagram I tagged Kelly in a post saying that I thought we could be real life friends and then she followed me, so I can say as Kelly's personal friend, I'm so proud of her and can't wait for you all to get your hands on this gem of a memoir.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The blurb for this book says something about it being meant for or aimed at Christian feminist millennials (which I am not), and TBH, if I had seen that prior to opening to Page One, I would have immediately hit DELETE to get it off my Kindle ASAP. Good thing I didn't read that though, because this was pretty damn funny (can I say "damn" if this is a Christian book???).

Anyway, it was truly entertaining and I actually laughed out loud at several spots, which was refreshing. When the author talked about being Catholic/Christian and her faith, I thought, "Oh no, here we go..." and got ready to jump ship. However, she never got preachy or religious at all, to my surprise. It was simply a part of her story, and what a funny one it is.

A nice quick enjoyable read. Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy!

This was a fun read following the personal essays of Kelly and her progression into adulthood, marriage and becoming a parent. I appreciated her raw honesty, sometimes awkward, hilarious and real. Loved the stories of her Catholic upbringing, her need to share her negative thoughts with her mother. Such a fun read that went by so quickly! I look forward to more from Kelly, especially with her journey during covid, her time at home all while adopting a son from another country. So much to balance! A few favorites: the first kiss, first pet, getting pregnant.