One In a Millennial is a nostalgia filled collection of personal essays that delivers funny and heartwarming stories that any millennial woman can relate to. From AOL instant messenger to going-out tops, Kate Kennedy recalls those little details you might have momentarily forgotten but will never truly forget. The author focuses on specific details from childhood, teen years, college, and beyond with a heavy focus on pop culture influences that deliver on nostalgia but are also clearly well-researched.

I'm a few years younger than the author but I had a great time reminiscing on those little details that played a larger impact on my development, such as my early introduction to the Internet and the heavy influence of purity culture. I would classify this more as a collection of essays than a memoir, and a few of these essays could have benefited from additional editing with some chapters feeling long and repetitive. With that said, If you don't mind as many pop-culture references as you might find in a standard episode of Gilmore Girls, and you feel like reminiscing on the late 90s and early aughts, this book will certainly deliver!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.

One in a Millennial is a memoir about growing up as a millennial. While I am all GenX and proud, I loved reading about the millennial experience from American Girl to Spice Girls to Limited Too and Parent Trap. The pop culture references were spot on and I found myself giggling several times. But what really stood out for me was the misogynistic messages portrayed to girls back then (and in my childhood too). The messages that a feminist was angry and unlikable, being in STEM was for nerds (and really not for girls at all) and the real goal was to be popular and thin and just be interested in fashion and the mall. The examples from Saved by the Bell as to this point were so perfect.

One in a Millennial is a fun blend of memoir and social commentary about growing up online and all the trends we strangely followed as children. I especially like the later chapters, where the author talks about the effects the internet and pop culture have had on her decisions as an adult, like deciding whether or not to have children.

This book is Chicken Soup for the Millennial Soul! As a fellow millennial who grew up with The Limited Too, tabloid magazines, and Chupa Chup lollipops, I felt seen by this book. Kate's essays are humorous, nostalgic, and often poignant as she examines the trends and moments that shaped our generation, and the way it shaped how millennial women see themselves.

One in a Millennial is quite the trip down memory lane - nostalgia galore, most chapters reminding me of things buried deep for decades. Kate Kennedy brings her story to life and how events, relationships, trends shaped her as she transitioned to adulthood. This a great read to get lost and feel a range of feelings as you move along with her.

Thank you to Netgalley and to St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

Millennial nostalgia seems to be everywhere right now as some fashion and trends are coming back into popular culture and a new generation is experiencing them. I love nostalgia and actually found this book from an Instagram ad that was clearly targeted to my demo. I saw the millennial pink cover with the ‘hot-girl handwriting’ sharpied burnt CD and knew I had to read it. So kudos to the marketing and cover design team!

Even though Kate grew up in Virginia and I in New Jersey, the amount of similarities of our millennial experiences was astounding to me. From specific Marykate & Ashley movie references, to the constant wish for a ‘vacation boyfriend,’ to mentioning the ‘girl with the green ribbon around her neck’ (you remember the horror story), to discussing Bath & Body Works hand sanitizers and the “hot girl scents of cucumber melon, warm vanilla sugar and sweet pea” I was astounded by our shared pop culture experiences! I absolutely thought cucumber melon was specific to my school, lol.

Some quotes that I had to bookmark based on how much I related to them to how much they made me laugh—

“Now, you curate a photo or two of the whole evening, but back then, your friends would mass-upload every goddamn photo like it was a makeshift animated flip-book of the nights least notable details. Social media wasn’t the highlight reel it is today; it was more like bad ongoing CCTV footage captioned with inside jokes. No accidental pocket photo, duplicate or legally questionable photo of a person underage-beer-bonging went undocumented, much to my hungover horror. Though I will say, there are few things more character building than waking up to an email that says, “You’ve been tagged 63 times in so-and-so’s album ‘cuZ tHe PaRtY dOnT StArT TiL I WaLk iN’”

I was the friend curating these Facebook albums, and yes indeed posted photos of the inside of a pocket with some kind of caption like “haha who had my camera here?” 🤭

“Legend has it that every time “Heart & Soul” plays, not unlike a bell ring, a person with the middle name Marie, Elizabeth, Lynn or Nicole gets their wings.”

This made me lollll.

“Even though clinical depression wasn’t on my radar, it seems like it should be pretty obvious from the volume of times I was listening to “The Blower’s Daughter” by Damien Rice on repeat’”

So specific, but this was absolutely my go to angst song and I totally left shady away messages with lyrics from it on AIM.

The book lost me a little as it kind of shifted more into memoir than essays, but I think the author’s perspective is very thoughtful. I like how she delved into the misogyny and extreme beauty standards of this time as well as the pressure to conform and not be an individual. The author is very vulnerable and I think many will see themselves in her struggles. I think at times some of the essays just got a little repetitive/meandering for me and felt like the author made the same points like 100 times. It was kind of like the Barbie movie ‘speech’ for me—well written and insightful, but feminist thought and theory I’ve mused on for years so there was nothing ground breaking. But that won’t be the case for all readers.

3.5 stars

Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Happy {almost} publication date to the one, the [not] only Kate Kennedy! I adore this woman and her words! And, thanks in part to her, I will NOT apologize for the number of exclamation points used in this review!

Part memoir, part walk-down-memory-lane, part social critique, Kate's book made this millennial feel seen, understood, and appreciated in ways mainstream media never could/would. Her razor-sharp wit and niche pop culture references made me LOL, quite literally! The structure of the text mirrors her personal, and in turn, our collective growth and evolution as a generation. Queen of the disclaimer, Kate makes a point to clarify that her experiences are simply that, *her experiences*; however, her story resonated with my own in countless ways.

I tackled this book twice - once in text and once in audio format. I recommend both highly, but thanks to her career as a podcaster, Kate writes in a cadence that is often elevated through spoken word.

I'm not sure if/how this would read as a non-millennial, but as an often misunderstood and scapegoated generation, I would wager it a worthy read for all, regardless of age.

Once in a Millennial hits shelves 1.23.24.

*This book was read and reviewed in partnership with NetGalley.*

This book was part pop culture commentary, part memoir as podcaster Kate Kennedy reflects on various trends throughout her life. In this book, she discusses a wide variety of topic from American Girl dolls, to going out tops (IYKYK), and even more serious topics such as the purity culture from the early 2000s. This book was a fun walk down memory lane as a fellow millennial, but also made me think differently about some aspects of culture and how they may have impacted our generation. While there weren’t any earth shattering revelations, this was a fun read for a bit of millennial nostalgia. Kate Kennedy narrated the audiobook herself and listening to it felt like chatting with a friend.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and Macmillan Audio for the advance copies.

With reverence for the ways in which we as a generation expressed ourselves, irreverence for things like the perfect AIM screen name and thoughtful analysis of how these factors turned millennial girls into the the women we are today, One in a Millennial takes a crack at the ubiquitous experience of growing up in the 90s and early 2000s.

Though I am a few years older than the author and experience the same cultural milestones as a high schooler and not a middle schooler, so many of her experiences rang true for me. But nothing more so that the chapter titled “Pumpkin Spice Girl”. Reading this felt like having a conversation with a friend who grew up in a different state but somehow still listened to the same music and still had the same posters on the wall. I really enjoyed the reading experience, but also wish I would have listened to One in a Millennial on audiobook to listen to Kate Kennedy narrate her formative years and the way they have shaped her now as a thirty-something.

4.5 Stars!

This book is for every 30 something millennial girl who grew up in the 90s; its literally an ode to our girlhood (in memoir form despite being told its not a memoir). A nostalgic trip down memory lane of the girl we were and how much all we that loved & were influenced by played a role in the women we've become.

So many of Kate's experiences and/or feelings I genuinely could've written myself - probably even word for word. I LOL'd so often at how vividly she depicted parts paralell to what feels like my very own memories.

The entire book is basically one 90s pop culture reference after another that is just so poignantly intertwined within the essence of what shaped our young lives. Granted some experiences were not similar to mine, it was written so well that I still felt a sense of nostalgia to her experience. Not everyone person will feel a connection to this the way I did and Kate herself acknowledges that that may be the case - but I do feel there's a chapter in here for everyone.

Focused on all the most important F words of our lives - friendships, feelings, fangirls, feminism & fitting in, this book is a "basic" reference to the girls we once were. I loved the nostalgia of it, and defintely recommend it for when you want a light and easy read to put a smile on your face. Kate brought validation to our upbringing with a "zig-a-zig-ah" and I am so here for it.

This book is not for everyone BUT the people that it is for will revel in the nostalgia. Kate is funny and reflective in a way that makes us look back and not feel stupid at all the little things we did (like pining over boys on AIM) because it was more of a collective feeling than we realize.

Some of the passages felt a bit long to me, but over all each essay had me in multiple different feels.

3.75 stars

As an elder millennial…this book is so ridiculously relatable. Honestly, almost painfully so at times. Don’t let the cute millennial pink cover fool you—while there certainly are a plethora of light-hearted moments within a massive amount of pop-culture referencing nostalgia, there is also a surprising amount of thought-provoking depth. I cried almost as many times as I laughed, and I think I will be processing a lot of the thoughts and memories that this book brought up for quite awhile.

Having been born in 1981, I am at the very beginning of the timeframe some consider to be millennials. I was excited to read this and thought I might find some humorous stories that I'd also experienced and then others I could possibly relate to. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case. There were some things I nodded my head at, but maybe the almost 10 years between my age and the author's made a bigger difference than I expected. I was also hoping for shorter chapters and more humorous thoughts, but these felt so long. Interspersed were little snippets about some specific things, but the chapters themselves felt overwhelming to read and really specific to the author's own experiences. I didn't make it past the first section, which covered things like American Girl dolls, boy bands, sleepovers, crushes, and church youth group culture. I appreciate the ARC, but this wasn't the book for me.

Even though I didn't get all the references, I did appreciate many of Kate Kennedy's insights about her millennial experience.

I've never listened to the author's podcast, but I think fans of the podcast or people who had very similar experiences growing up as the author will really enjoy this memoir.

For me, I really enjoyed the pieces where I got the references, but there were just so many references I didn't get that I know I couldn't appreciate the book, its insights, and its humor in its entirety. My own millennial experience growing up was so different from Kennedy's in so many ways that I just had zero understanding about some of the pop culture moments being referenced. I could still appreciate the conclusions and final commentary, but not fully grasping the significance of a moment that an entire chapter or section was based on left me confused most of the time.

This book brought back much nostalgia for the late 90s and early 2000s. I felt completely called out when the author reminded me of my obsession with wanting a canopy bed. I recommend this book if you are looking for a “OH! I remember that.” For example, if you remember ‘tight squeeze, cool breeze... now you've got the shiveries!’ You are my people.

As a millennial girly I felt myself agreeing to SO MUCH of this book probarly because I'm nosy, intense and indecisive too. Between going out tops, boy bands, facebook albums, and fitting in I feel like Kate captured a lot of my experiences.

I truly connected with her essays on timelines and how we are the first generation to compare milestones in real time on social media. I guess before social media we would just find out hot goss but now it seems like every weekend feeds are filled with engagements, weddings and baby announcements. I loved the line "No one can prepare you for the period of time in your mid to late twenties when your social life is literally only other people's milestones." It gets so easy to identify yourself by those things and be disappointed if you're hitting those milestones with everyone else in your circle.

Loved this book thanks St Martin's Press and NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I came for the mixed cd cover, stayed for the daybed, beaded door drapes, YM magazine, Lisa Frank, Limited Too, Snackwell's, Love Spell, AIM screen names, 99 bananas, Spice Girls, Nsync and American girl dolls references (among so many others). This spoke to my 90s self! Kate did a good job capturing all the nostalgic references, which made it fun to take a trip down memory lane. The only reason I'm giving it 3 stars is because it is extremely long-winded. I feel like the word count could have been cut even more than she mentions.

I really enjoy Kate Kennedy, but this book fell flat for me. It seemed full of the author's personal nostalgia instead of insightful commentary or an interesting thesis about millennial culture. I've listened to a few episodes of Kennedy's podcast, and most of the chapters in this book would make for better podcast episodes than reading material.

4.5+ stars

Okay, I loved this book. The nostalgic exploration of the things many millennial women grew up with was delightful. The stories, references, writing made me laugh, roll my eyes, and nod in agreement. Humour, love, acceptance, and sorrow all had a place in the text. From purity culture to music to feminism to fashion, the author addressed a range of topics, many of which are things considered traditionally “feminine” that she and many others did and do enjoy. It also had some great lines, such as when the writer described worship songs as “kind of like boy band love ballads that we’re singing to jesus” and further explored how sexist ideas are not new since many are “preconceived notions [that] have been around since god first cancelled a woman for eating.” Long story short, I enjoyed many things about this book, and I already know a least a couple of friends to whom I’ll be gifting a copy in the relatively near future.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

No surprise that I absolutely loved this book! Much like Kate’s podcast, her book eloquently describes millennial experience in a way that is both humorous and reflective. As a “zillennial” born in the late 90’s I still found many of the anecdotes relatable to my own girlhood. Kate has a unique way of making her reader feel seen and understood with her analytical approach to feminine interests society often deems unimportant/unserious. Would highly, highly recommend this to millennials and zillennials alike!