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.

The description of this book gave me Addie LaRue vibes, so of course I was excited to listen! Unfortunately, the execution didn't measure up to the promising concepts.

I will say first and foremost that the narrator for this book was absolutely fantastic. She did a great job of bringing this story to life - I think I would have DNFed if I had read it with my eyeballs, but this narrator kept me engaged and invested, which is always appreciated.

Personally, this story just didn't feel magical enough. For a book with a premise based in magic, it seemed just like a run of the mill historical fiction book. I thought the author took a really good idea and wrote it within an inch of its life, killing any whimsy it could have possessed. I wish the vibes of this book had leaned into the fantasy element a little heavier.

The pacing was slow and the historical elements dragged. It just wasn't for me.

Kit McKinley's a unique little girl. Born on a leap year day (Feb. 29th) 1916, her development seems to follow her leap year age instead of the actual number of years she's lived. Throughout her (very long) childhood, her parents do everything they can to protect her and give her as normal a life as can be until she reaches an age where she can take care of herself and build the life she wants.

In two words : forgettable and underwhelming. This book was such a letdown ! Where is the story ? I'll start by acknowledging that the author started with a unique and very compelling idea, and they used it to highlight / discuss interesting concepts and topics such as the very particular dynamics within families who care for a child with special needs (or with an illness). However, the story itself was boring and the characters not compelling enough. Everything and everyone felt distant, despite having a third person POV that focused on one member of the family for each part of Kit's life (or is it "because" of that that I had trouble connecting with them?). At first, I thought that it would get better once the first part (Kit's childhood) was over, but that part took most of the book, and once she became older, nothing happened really. She was dull, lackluster, bland and ultimately led an unremarkable, uninteresting life than felt more like an epilogue to her family's story. You see the sort of contradictory feeling ? For more than half of the book, I was waiting for the real story to begin, then, when Kit finally became the main character in her own book (after everyone exited the story by suddenly dying without eliciting any emotional response from me) Well ... she did nothing interesting.

🎧 Audiobook : 4/5 good job

Thank you NetGalley and RB Media for providing this audiobook for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed "The Leap Year Gene of Kit McKinley." This story follows the life of Kit, who was born on February 29 after an especially long pregnancy.

Her growth and development are slowed in such a way that every birthday is just one year for her. So, she matures at a rate that is 25% of everyone else's. This causes frequent problems for her throughout her life. Newshounds have wanted to expose her. Geneticists wanted to study her. The Nazis wanted to kill her (after studying her?).

Her family and friends who know Kit's secret are committed to keeping her safe. But there are others along the way who figure out her secret and have no qualms about capitalizing on it.

So Kit's life becomes a question of who she can trust and finding the right time to share who she truly is.

It was a thoughtful and enjoyable book that took us through the trauma of both World Wars up through more recent memory when genetic mapping becomes available.

Thank you to Shelley Wood, RBMedia, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

3.5 ⭐️
Such an interesting idea, well developed characters, love how it touched on science and world events, plus big bonus how the setting included different locations around the world - I actually gave it the extra 1/2 star because I loved the parts about Expo 86 and life in Vancouver, BC. This concept had such potential for an uplifting, adventurous storyline, but most of it was utterly depressing.

The audiobook version is well done and captures the somber tone of the book.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and RBmedia for providing me with a complimentary audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was fine. Nothing so egregiously wrong that one should DNF, but nothing so spectacular to keep one really invested. The writing style was perfectly OK. The audio narrator left a little to be desired. There was little excitement added though her telling of the story, and the attempt at a small child talking early in the book was unpleasant (it's only a line or two, so bearable). The premise of the book sounds like there is a lot of promise, and at the beginning of the book it still feels exciting. I thought we had a lot to learn about Kit's circumstance, I thought there would be mishaps along the way, but both of those are lacking in this book. The book has very little to do with the leap year gene, and is just a way to link together the stories of the people that have a role in Kit's life. The title is a little bit misleading. It's as if you read 4 separate, incomplete books. The abrupt change after the incident in the park was jarring. I was not expecting such a dramatic change in the story and how it was being told. The next changes like that I was expecting, so not quite as jarring. The different sections feel a bit disjointed, and I never felt that I got closure on any part of Kit's life.

I loved this book! It was entertaining and engaging, poignant and hopeful, and most definitely thought-provoking. This had a bit of the whimsical feel of The Curious Life of Benjamin Button, but also the serious themes like The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

The theme of eugenics was disturbing and I have to thank the stars that this all happened way before my time.

The moving around for 20 years to keep Kit's secret felt unrealistic, but I had to keep reminding myself that it was a time of paper records, no internet or databases to cross reference, just people's memories to contend with. It really brought home that it was an easier time to hide in, but that it was also a much less tolerant time to be different.

I loved the way the book talks about the advances in genetics as part of the story. It takes us from using the knowledge to discriminate against those deemed physically or mentally abnormal to a tool for exploitation of those same people in the name of corporate greed-based science.

This is a coming-of-age that spans a century and it is worth a read. And if you prefer Audiobooks, the narration is also excellent.