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

I was so back and forth on how I felt while reading this book. I loved the content and the message with all the notalgia and feminism and "girl power". Based on what I recall in the book, I'm the same age as Kate and found so much of the content so incredibly relatable. However, the writing style was a little tough for me. The writing (to me) felt a little all over the place. And the constant abbreviations made me feel really disconnected. Especially the made up ones that you were supposed to remember, that were from 100 pages ago. I often was left confused on what we were actually talking about in the moment.

That being said, I plan on checking out Kate's podcast. I can tell Kate is very entertaining and incredibly relatable. I'm excited to get to know her and her life through the podcast.

As a long time listener of Kate's podcast and proud Beth, thank you to St Martins Press and NetGalley for the ARC of One in a Millennial. From popular girl handwriting, bubble chairs and door beads ... Kate remembers my girlhood better than I do. So honest and fresh, this book was a bright commentary on feminism, privilege, reproductive rights, and acknowledging the murky misogynistic culture we grew up in and how it shaped our self-worth to this day. Did you used to pop in the 2nd VHS tape for the back half of Titanic? No, me neither.

Kate wrote this book to be a celebration of identity with an urge to "remember the things that happened to us in life when we were on our own" and it was a delightful stroll down memory lane.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. The topic and description of the book was so promising and felt right up my alley. However, I expected an essay collection about millennial culture and this book was more memoir than that. The writing felt incredibly clunky and too try-hard with too long sentences that were hard to understand where the point was going. I hope this book’s works out better for other readers. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review.

My feelings after reading "One in a Millennial" are a little mixed but overall, I enjoyed it. Despite claiming not to be a memoir, it definitely felt like one. Some parts of the audiobook weren't as interesting, and the author's millennial experiences are quite specific. However, the book has great insights on intersectionality, feminism, privilege, reproductive rights, and the challenges millennial women face due to a misogynistic culture.

Thank you so much to St Martin's Press for an advance copy of this book!

This book will be published on January 23rd.

“Its hard for me to relate when people say things like “I know nothing about pop culture,” “I’m not on social media,” or perhaps the only friendship potential litmus test more effective than someone asking me to run a 5K during the early 2010s themed-race boom: “I don’t own a TV.”

As soon as I saw this cover and title, I knew this book was going to be made for me. I have never heard of Kate Kennedy prior to this but from here or out, I will be a follower! This read more as a memoir about growing up during the millennium. And anyone who knows me personally knows I thrive off nostalgia and being in a tween in the early aughts made me have such an appreciate for the era. And makes me so glad that I kept a journal during that whole time.

As I mentioned above Kate Kennedy is new to me so I was okay learning about her and her background. I thought she was honest in her growing up in the church and how that shaped her and continues to shape her.

The chapter that I was not expecting, and it was much needed was The Parent Trap. This had me crying and sharing snippets with my friend because being a female with fertility issue still feels like a taboo topic. I appreciated her raw honesty as she talks about her miscarriage and then deciding how to proceed. The parts that really got me were "It's not that I'm not happy for people; it's just a feeling you get in your stomach I can only describe as an emotional response with a direct line to my soul that my body reacts to before my mind is patched through." and then again when she talks about "how beautiful your life can be regardless of how whens turn into ifs." It just made my heart hurt but in a familiar way and brought me back to that time when my body was not kind to me.

I highlighted so many parts in this book because it all felt so real. And as a fellow Swiftie, I love picking up on the random Swift lyrics at the end of paragraphs that unless you are a Swiftie you wouldn’t know it. I also never thought I would see a reference to Jungle 2 Jungle but if I am going to read it any book, this would be the one. It just blows my mind at how all teenagers during this time shared such similar experiences (of course AIM and Limewire was mentioned). There was even discussion about popular girl handwriting (which this is 100% true) and milky gel pens (the black paper was just so cool)!

IF you are going into this book as strictly looking for nostalgia & millennial discord, you will get that but also be ready to learn more about Kennedy’s life then and present day.

One in a Millennial was an entertaining trip down memory lane. The book starts off strong, it was fun, relatable, and nostalgic.

Kate touches on American Girl dolls and all their glory. Her recap of 90s mall culture is spot on, including perusing the scents at Bath & Body Works. Her description of pregaming, complete with “going out tops”, felt very familiar to my own college experience. Other essays like the one about pretty girl handwriting and religion felt too rambling and meandering for me to say I enjoyed them.

I think the earlier chapters were stronger, or at least resonated with me more, however, I did enjoy the “Be There in Five” chapter where Kate explores her non-linear career path. From Spice Girls to AOL/AIM and plenty in between, this is an entertaining read that will resonate with many millennial women — 3.5 stars

I’m struggling to find the words to share just how much I loved this book.
“I felt so seen and understood” seems narcissistic, as if I expect all my memoirs to be relatable to me. “I highlighted 24 different passages” doesn’t give the adequate context that usually I’ll highlight maybe 4-5 times max. And “you have to read this” just doesn’t convey the enthusiasm with which I will recommend this book to strangers on the internet.

The way Kate’s written voice is so conversational and how she muses deeply about topics from fashion trends of the 90s to women’s reproductive rights makes this book a genuine treasure. I was drawn in by a stellar cover and publisher blurb, but now I want to check out Kate’s podcast and I’ll definitely be buying any other book she plans to write.

Thanks so much to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me an advance e-copy in exchange for an honest review!

** I’ve posted this review to Goodreads and I plan to also feature a review on Instagram (where my main following is) a little bit closer to release date. I will post this review to Amazon when it is released and Amazon reviews become possible - thanks again for this opportunity!

While I didn't finish this read, I believe I gave it enough of a shot. I thought this was going to be more of a general review of millennial pop culture etc that would make it super interesting and relatable. Instead, it really was a memoir, which isn't what I was looking for, and I don't believe it was marketed that way. Would suggest updating the description to reduce confusion!

I loved this book so much that I also requested and got approved for the audiobook version so I could listen to it again. I was born in 1980, so while I'm not actually a millennial, I relate to that generation without being blamed for everything they supposedly did wrong. This book gave me so many flashbacks of my own childhood, in both delightful and terrifying ways. Kate Kennedy is a fantastic writer.

Ahh so many nostalgia feels! This is such an enjoyable book! I would recommend it to any millennial and will be purchasing a copy for the library.

I like the friendly tone and honesty that the author presents, but I just couldn't really get into it. I liked her voice and her references to the 90s hit home, but this book didn't make me feel like I would devour it in one day.

Very nostalgic if you're a 90s kid! A little preachy at times (i.e. railing against the patriarchy - I thought I was just here to be entertained but you do you) but overall I was entertained by Kate's story & enjoyed it! The audio was excellent & I'd definitely go that route.

This blew me away! Every millennial woman should read this. So many of these niche experiences described by Kennedy were so reminiscent of my childhood and it was such a joy to read these memories back through her lens. So fun and immersive, I truly had a blast reading every chapter, and felt so validated in my experiences as a woman and a millennial. Laugh out loud funny, poignant, but not without acknowledging certain privileges that make up Kennedy’s points of view, which I appreciated. This very much reminded me of Amanda Montell’s musings and analysis in both Cultish and Age of Magical Thinking, and I could not get enough! I will be enthusiastically recommending this to everyone I know!

My words will never be able to fully describe the incredible prose that Kate Kennedy has mastered in her debut book. Her writing style is captivating and nuanced in a way that has me slowly digesting every sentence unlike any other book. Kate's sharp wit is easy to devour in book form. I cannot wait to also listen to the audiobook as Kate is always an incredible companion. I will recommend this book to all my friends.

One in a Millenial is a 90s and 2000s trip down memory lane from Kate Kennedy, the host of the podcast Be There in Five. The book is divided into three parts, the 90s, 2000s, and Today (lol). Each section goes through Kate's experience as a millenial growing up during those time periods.
I normally don't read non-fiction, but I was interested in this book due to the clever title and summary. This book was more of a memoir through a millenial lense, than purely a commentary on the millenial generation. I am only a casual listener of the author's podcast (a handful of episodes), but I'm sure for an avid listener this is a great read. I believe she narrates the audiobook, so it is probably like one long podcast episode, which sounds great to me!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.
ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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

I have enjoyed listening to Kate's podcast, Be There in Five, for quite some time and I enjoy following Kate on Instagram. When I saw her book on NetGalley, I requested it right away! This is an entertaining read and as a fellow Millennial, I deeply related with so many of her feelings in this book. It was fun to reflect and reminisce on many shared childhood experiences. I laughed my way through some of her stories remembering how I too struggled with my AIM username and just wanted my crush to send me a message. I also found myself agreeing with many of her takes on religion and the youth group culture that we grew up with. I felt all of the varying emotions of hindsight looking back on growing up as a Millenial and there is something so special about realizing that others had some of the same experiences and feelings as you did.

If you enjoy listening to Kate's podcast, you will definitely love her book!

📚: One in a Millennial by Kate Kennedy
⭐️: 3.5/5 (rounding up on #goodreads)

Going back to that other life where I'm a would-be sociology teacher - One in a Millennial would be the book to read on the other side of the coin to round out Toxic: Women, Fame, and the Tabloid 2000s as required reading.

So, I guess, welcome to Coming-Of-Age-In-The-2000s 101 taught by Professor InOneSitting. Nice to have you all here.

One in a Millennial, for the bulk of its content, is a perfectly chaotic read filled with millennial nostalgia - and not just the obvious references, I'm talking deep cuts. (Lisa Frank backpacks, knockoff Return to Tiffany necklaces, 99 Bananas alcohol 🤢)

Kate Kennedy does a stellar job weaving hilarious throwbacks into deeper topics - religion, feminism, mental health, male validation, among others. It all comes across as conversational and relatable from a millennial to a millennial. While the prose isn't the strongest (she self-admits to loving a run-on sentence), I sure did enjoy the 484920 Taylor Swift lyric references.

For me, the strongest parts were in 1 and 2. As we get to the latter third of the read, it becomes more current-day personal memoir than pop culture tie-ins that kept the pace of the earlier chapters quick. I'm not completely sure if Kennedy intended this to end up leaning so heavily to the memoir side, but certainly these are her personal stories.

Big thanks to @stmartinspress via @netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. One in a Millennial is out on January 23rd!

I was fortunate enough to receive both an ebook and audiobook ARC of One in a Millennial for review so thank you to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley!
I am a long-time listener of Kate’s podcast, Be There in Five, and was so excited for her book of essays on her Millenial experience. This memoir (despite protestations that it’s not), is a feminist look at millennial girlhood and womanhood. To paraphrase Kate, it’s deep dive into the shallow topics woman have often been made to feel bad for loving.

Kate’s belief in the importance of celebrating and liking what you like is one I share, and I found many of these essays both hilarious and honoring of my own experiences. She handles topics like “popular girl handwriting” with the same reverence as she does the decision to become a parent, and I have always loved that about her perspective. If you enjoy her podcast, her voice is just as strong in One in a Millennial.

I will note that this worked MUCH better on audio for me. Kate’s writing can be dense and sometimes sacrifices clarity/readability for wordplay and cleverness, and I found that significantly more noticeable in ebook than on audiobook. Kate is very clever and an earnest lover of wordplay, but I do think this translates best on audio.

All in all I’d recommend if you’re a fan of the podcast or an elder to mid millennial woman (maybe ‘85-‘96 ish?) as I think the references will land best for that group.

Love everything about Kate Kennedy!! I’ve been a long-time podcast listener, so when I heard she was releasing a book I knew I needed to read it ASAP. I always love her take and reflections on the millennial experience. She elicits nostalgia in the best way for things we loved and experiences we all went through.

As a millennial woman I was excited to read this series of essays. I knew of Kate from hearing her on various podcasts, but I haven't listened to hers specifically.

I enjoyed this book, but I found it a bit disjointed. It certainly is for the millennial woman as many of the essays were so specifically written for a very small group, which can be both a good and a bad thing. The stories were personal, funny, and really hit the nail on the head of being a millennial woman and if that is you, it can be a great read as well.