Kit McKinley was born on February 29, 1916 after an unusually long pregnancy. Her mom, Lillian, was a war widow, whose sister and late husband’s brother helped raise Kit. They soon noticed that Kit was not aging as quickly as other children, seeming to age 1 physical year every 4 calendar years. For decades, her family moves around, keeping her secret safe from the press, Nazi scientists, and pharmaceutical companies, until Kit is old enough to pass for an adult and make decisions herself.

Based on the blurb, I expected part of the book to cover what decision Kit made regarding revealing her secret to the world and what consequences her decision brought about in her adult life. However, the book ended just at the hint that she could make that decision herself, so I was personally a bit disappointed based on expectations from the blurb. The story that was told was interesting and well-written. The story is written from multiple points of view, mostly those taking care of Kit, with Kit’s own voice being added once she gets older. I did feel the story could have been slightly shorter, as the plot dragged at times.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an audio ARC of this book.

It seems Kit McKinley is born with a gene that coordinates with Western calendar's February leap year. . .and since being born on that once in 4 years date (the 29th), she has a yearly growth rate that is 1-to-4 compared with other children. In other words, when she has been alive 8 years she's aged only to the stage of a two year old. Eight years of diapers (if she was a late learner) would be challenging.

Lucky for the long line of her caretakers who also have to move often, and become adept at ID fraud, Kit is precocious - sorta - and her adventures kept me reading. I wanted to bond with these characters with this problem that is fresh and new, but I didn't. Her keepers are in thrall to her as an 'experiment' and the end was rather dismaying - potentially she could live for centuries. Usually that presents as an intriguing promise in a read. . .for me, in this one, that feels like a sentence.

Unless. . . .she goes undercover and becomes a spy???!!? Ok. Maybe then I'll stay in. (So, 2.5 stars, rounded up.)

*A sincere thank you to Shelley Wood, RBmedia, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.*

"The Leap Year Gene of Kit McKinley" is a historical fiction book about Kit McKinley - a girl born on the 29th of February 1916. She's a bright young girl, but she ages slowly for some reason - to put it simply she ages one year in the span of four years. Since she was born during a time when being special was a bit taboo, her family has to hide her secret and protect her.

I listened to the audiobook version of the book. The story, in general, was fascinating and gripping enough to make me go back to it, although to me it was a rather slow-paced book. The characters were well developed and I loved that the plot took place in various places across the world.

The book is told from various Kit's family member's POVs and eventually from her POV. To me Kit's POV was definitely the weakest one. Everyone in Kit's family had to make sacrifices and it seemed like Kit was just a bit ungrateful to her family who put so much effort into keeping her and her secret safe for over 60 years (or more).

I would recommend the book to anyone who's looking for a historical fiction book with a twist.

My overall score is 3.5 stars.

My overall score is 3.5 stars.

Shelley Wood’s *The Leap Year Gene of Kit McKinley* is an audiobook that feels both deeply intimate and intellectually stirring, an intricate weave of science and humanity that lingers long after the final chapter. At its heart is Kit McKinley, a leap year baby with a rare genetic mutation that offers the tantalizing promise of longevity—but with strings attached. Through her journey, Wood explores profound questions about identity, family, and the inescapable influence of genetics on our lives, and the audiobook format amplifies these themes in a way that feels deeply personal.

The story’s pacing is a highlight, blending moments of quiet introspection with bursts of emotional intensity that keep the listener hooked. This isn’t just a tale about science or an extraordinary mutation; it’s an exploration of how the very fabric of our biology intersects with the choices we make. Kit’s voice—earnest, sharp, and occasionally vulnerable—pulls you into her world, making her struggles and triumphs feel tangible. The audiobook’s narration elevates this connection, delivering her story with a raw authenticity that breathes life into her character. The narrator’s skillful shifts in tone and cadence help distinguish each character, while Kit’s inner thoughts are captured with a perfect balance of fragility and strength.

One of the most striking aspects of this story is its ability to make complex scientific ideas accessible. The concept of a “leap year gene” could easily feel abstract or overly technical, but Shelley Wood’s writing, paired with the narrator’s warmth, ensures that these ideas are relatable. You don’t need to be a geneticist to feel the weight of Kit’s decisions and the ripple effects on her family and future.

The themes in *The Leap Year Gene* are universal, yet uniquely framed through Kit’s perspective. It challenges listeners to think about what it truly means to live a “full” life. How much of our identity is shaped by biology versus choice? And can science bring us hope without robbing us of wonder? These questions resonate not only as intellectual exercises but as deeply personal meditations, making the audiobook as much a journey of self-reflection as it is a narrative about Kit.

From a technical standpoint, the audiobook is flawlessly produced. The sound quality is clear and immersive, allowing the story’s emotional beats to land without distraction. The narrator’s delivery is nuanced, with pauses and inflections that amplify key moments, turning already powerful scenes into unforgettable experiences.

*The Leap Year Gene of Kit McKinley* is an audiobook that will appeal to anyone who loves stories blending scientific intrigue with emotional depth. It’s a rare gem that feels both introspective and expansive, inviting you to think deeply while connecting on a visceral level. Whether you’re listening on a long drive, during a quiet evening, or while on a reflective walk, this audiobook has a way of embedding itself in your mind and heart. Shelley Wood has crafted something extraordinary here, and it’s an experience worth savoring. Five stars, without hesitation.

While I wasn't a huge fan of the narrator I did enjoy the book and tandem reading and listening. The story is such a great concept and one I haven't read before

I loved the concept of this story. The idea of a leap year gene and a character who ages every 4 years. I wasn’t expecting it to be such a historical novel of science and the ongoing around the main character. I did enjoy the novel, it was captivating with rich lovely characters. I did feel the novel was very slow paced and went a lot of directions. If you’re looking for a slow paced historical journey through time this is your book! Creative author, great audio!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion of the book.

dnf at 33%

Another entry in the "The Time Traveller's Wife" genre. I only wonder how you can make such a fascinating story idea turn out so utterly boring? There are the eugenics, classism and fascism of the early 20th to discuss, the burgeoning science of genetics, so many interesting topics that could be explored in a book like The Leap Year Gene of Kit McKinley - yet they are only ever touched upon on a surface level, only ever serving as a motivation for Kit's family to move from place to place, lest her slow aging be discovered. Possibly the worst choice the author made, in my opinion, is having the story be told from Kit's parents' point of view (though I can only speak for about the first third of the book, since this is how far I got). To quote a popular meme: "I don't want these."

This novel has a super interesting premise, and much of the book was interesting, but it just dragged too much and tried to do too much. The political commentary was interesting, but it just tried to cover too much - from Nazi's to birth control, because Kit lives so long the book runs the gamut. But, as a reader, I just got bored and ended up speeding up the recording to get through it.

Most of the relationships started out good, but then were underdeveloped and too many things were too much of a coincidence, so it got annoying.

I'm glad I finished the book, but can't really think of anyone to whom I'd recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and RBmedia | Recorded Books for the ALC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Spanning decades and continents this is a heartfelt story about a baby born with a rare genetic disorder that has her aging one year for every four. It's also a story about sisters, family, love, the changing course of medicine in the 20th century and so much more. Original, moving and hard to put down, this was good on audio and a fun departure from the Canadian author's debut, The Quintland sisters. It would also make for an excellent book club pick, full of controversial topics sure to inspire healthy debates. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Overall 4 stars. I recommend this book for people who like historical fiction and the premise of the leap year gene. It's an interesting read.
Thank you to Netgalley, RB Media, and Shelley Wood for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review. 🌟

Dear The Leap Year Gene of Kit McKinley,
You were a spur of the moment request from NetGalley. I think I was hoping for Oona Out of Order vibes from you. Unfortunately, because you lacked the perspective of Kit for most of the story, it was hard for me to get into her head and understand her struggles. I really enjoyed your concept but you just lacked somewhat in character development and execution for me.

This book seemed a little long and sometimes seemed to drag a bit. It is a history from 1916 to the present and much time is spent on discussing pertinent topics- the World Wars, eugenics, the discovery of DNA and genetics, medical ethics-as relating to Kit McKinley., but the book would not have been as meaningful and thought provoking without this history. The premise-a leap year baby that only ages 1 year for every 4-was unique. It probably sounds inviting to look younger than your years but this book explores the problems involved for the whole family. To avoid questions about Kit and the danger they could bring in trying times, and not wanting to try to explain what even they didn't understand, the family had to keep moving. I quickly became invested in the characters, who developed throughout the book. The audiobook was well done.. Rachel Botchan did an excellent job with the narration, with a voice well modulated and easy to listen to. This book may not be fore everyone but for those interested in history and medicine I highly recommend it.

I just finished the most interesting historical epic audiobook. The Leap Year Gene of Kit McKinley was amazing. I truly enjoyed it.

3.5 Stars
Such and interesting book! This is a slow read that takes you through the life of Kit who was born on Leap day and only ages a year on the Leap years. The narrator was phenomenal and did such a great job with all of the voices and accents. Pick this one up if you love historical fiction and a good slow read. Perfect for cozy fall read.

Thank you to RB Media and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this Audio book.

ARC audiobook was provided by NetGalley. Thanks for the read!

I really enjoyed this story, which follows Kit McKinley from prior to her birth in 1916 to nearing 100 in 2015. By her 100th, she will look only twenty-five. The book follows the challenges this presents for her and everyone around her. Each character is well developed, whether with us from chapter one or only a few from the end. Most importantly, there was a feeling of normalcy amongst the chaos of all of the decisions that had to be made. It's not normal to age so slowly, to have to worry about moving regularly and forging believable documents to keep up the ruse, or to have to worry about losing the love of your life far sooner than anyone else. And yet for Kit these things are as common to think of as what outfit she might wear. She must always be careful but this hasn't shaped her into living fearfully. She is simply taking each day as it comes, and this helps guide the reader along her curious journey.

Admittedly the description led me to think it would be geared more toward the nazi risk but this wasn't the case, although it was a major event in Kit's life. Despite this, I was drawn in and couldn't stop listening.

The narrator was great - easy to listen to and could differentiate between characters with her tone. The one struggle I did have, by no fault of the author or narrator, was to truly understand the character names. Kit has wonderful travels and people all over the world that she meets. In written books, I have the opportunity to look up the pronunciation but I wasn't sure how to do this the opposite way. It didn't take away from the story at all.

Absolutely adored this book but I would have loved to see Kit through to her 100th. This isn't a spoiler - she's presumably alive given her condition - the book just stops shy of it. Unless it's leading into a sequel... in which case I take it back.

Kit McKinley was born on Feb 29. She ages at 1/4 the rate as her peers and parents. A very interesting concept.

The author has Kit in Nazi Germany when the regime was trying to purge society of anyone "special" and not within their norms.

I enjoyed the majority of The Leap Year Gene of Kit McKinley. Kudos to the author for inserting Jesse Gelsinger into the story; the first person publicly identified as having died in a clinical trial for gene therapy. I feel that I had heard of this trial, but it had slipped my mind. I'm glad to have been reminded that he was a hero.

I had the opportunity to review the advance listen copy of the audiobook. Narrator Rachel Botchan did a wonderful job with narration. The family moved around a great deal (to many countries) to keep Kit's youth more difficult to detect. There were many accents and I think she handled them perfectly.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher Recorded Books for approving my request to read the advance review copy of The Leap Year Gene of Kit McKinley in exchange for an honest review. The audio is 13 hours and 37 minutes. Publication date is Aug 6, 2024.

Wasn't keen on the last couple chapters; hence the 4 stars vs 5.

I found the premise of this book to be really fascinating. I read the blurb and couldn't wait to listen. I had the audio book version of this title.

To say it covered a lot of genres is an understatement. It ranged from romance to history to science fiction to thriller. It starts in 1915 where the baby in question is first known to be growing in utero. It's quickly noted that this pregnancy is considerably longer than most and when Kathryn (Kit) arrives, it takes a while for those around her to realise that she ages at a quarter speed of other humans which ties in to her leap year birthday.

This book covers so many themes and with it, moral compasses, history lessons and character transformations. I was on the edge of my seat with a lot of those Nazi scenes and with stomach in knots, was tense all the way though that part. Through the rest of the long book, I did sometimes find it hard to keep track of her actual age vs her leap year age.

The story after she's a teen just goes from sour relationships to everyone accusing her of making it all about her, to arguments that never get a resolution and a really unremarkable life in the end. I found that apart from Ernest and Dr Gupta, I didn't really like many of the characters or the way they interacted and didn't see many happy moments without strings attached. It was a very long book to get through and I really wish I'd liked it more, but each scene was either sadder or more hopeless than the last.

I appreciate the ARC from Netgalley and the author and publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.

An incredible concept! I love time travel and paranormal tropes and I felt like this was a blend of both. Kit, born on 29th February, only ages the equivalent of a year in every four year period and so, with her having been born in 1916, she has to live her life almost on the run as anyone discovering her “condition”, such as scientists, nazis or the media, could lead to her being experimented on.

The story is narrated by several characters, including Kit herself, when she gets older. I would have loved to hear more from Kit, especially considering that by the time she reached the biological age of 25, she would have already lived for 100 years and therefore witnessed huge changes in society and developments in the modern world.

I was disappointed that there was little reference to this aspect and it was more about Kit’s family and friends keeping her protected. Sadly this didn’t hit the mark for me and I didn’t find it as absorbing and exciting as I had hoped.

Rachel Botchan’s narration was excellent though, and she expertly brought many characters to life.

3 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Shelley Wood and RB Media for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Phenomenal book by Shelly Wood about a unique girl called Katherine McKinley (Kit) who was born on the leap day in 1916. She ages only at a quarter of the normal speed i.e. 1 year for every 4 years just like a leap year. This of course meant even her creation was far longer than normal and even before her birth her family had to hide her existence.
This sets the tone for the rest of the book with Kit's existence having to be hidden from the world less she become a medical lab rat. Born at a time in history with a lot of turmoil (WW1 & the suffragist movement taking centre stage initially) and crucially later on when kit is only 5 or 6 (in her years) having to contend with WW2 and the Nazi's and the pivotal danger that brought. I felt compelled by this point in the book the most, the stark reality of what they tried to do with "Life not worth living" was heart breaking and super tense.
Even though the book has this magical realism aspect or genetic marvel if you will, the story is more directed towards human eugenics debate and medical ethics as we see society and science evolve and through Kit's mother the dawn of genetic advances as we see her desperately researching her daughter's condition. Crucially though I feel the book overall cantered around the relationships Kit had formed throughout her life and the toll and sacrifices those in her inner circle made in order to accommodate, aid and hide Kit's secret.

A slower paced but easy to read story about a unique and emotional life of great wonder and loss. This multi POV book is perfect for lovers of The Invisible life of Addie LaRue.
The only downside was that the story only spans 100 years or so and therefore only 25 years of Kit's extraordinary life. It's ending definitely left me wanting more. a Sequel perhaps??
I have both read and listened to the book. i found the narrator had the tone of the book down perfectly and conveyed the appropriate emotion, accents and differing voices wonderfully.

Many thanks to Union Square & Co who provided me with a digital copy and RB Media who provided me with an audio copy for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Audiobook received for free through NetGalley

I absolutely loved this book both the story, characters, plot, and narrator. Was sad to see it end but was happy with it overall.