** spoiler alert ** Thank you, NetGalley, and the publisher, for providing an audio arc in exchange for my honest review.

To me, this was a wonderful book that, unfortunately, did not have a great ending. Other readers may find it more satisfying. It left me wanting to know more about Kit's future.

What I loved:

- The writing is beautiful and reminded me of Ann Patchett's storytelling
- I enjoyed the sprawling family saga throughout the years and the connection to historical events.
- Wood explores body autonomy, ethics of scientific research, and connections between eugenics and genetics. The unique situation of Kit and the leap year gene lets the author showcase a lot of these issues in an interesting light.
- Wood does a great job exploring family and friends dynamics and how such a big secret could change and shatter relationships.

What I have questions about:

- This might be a thinly veiled irony, but we get pages and pages on eugenics in North America and Europe in the early 1900s and how awful it is to have a desire to "clean up humanity," yet in the final chapters, the talk about genetic research and the "scissors" to cut out the parts that are "bad" (hereditary disease, etc.) is very similar in nature. I get that the modern genetics approach is different from actually killing kids and sterilizing adults, and what is considered "bad" has changed as well - thank god. Maybe that similarity in language was the author's point all along.
- We follow Kit and her family for 100 years, yet when it finally becomes interesting, the story ends. And I mean interesting in terms of Kit's maturity, her desires for the future, and her relationship with Will.
- We learn so much more about Kit as a kid than about her personality as an adult. We get all the side stories - and they are wonderful, don't get me wrong - but I wish we knew more about Kit's life besides "she likes to run, she is skinny, she moves around a lot, she finally got a dog, she went to medical school."

Overall, I really enjoyed it - truly. I just feel the ending sort of left me wanting more.

I was very intrigued by the premise of this book, but it just wasn’t what I thought it was going to be. Rather than spend much time exploring the peculiarities of Kit, it’s a rather depressing journey though living through war, etc. Kit also never really won me over. There’s a lot of character development here, but for me this was a long, snoozy journey that I barely made it through.

3.5 stars
This story was so unique! I loved it! It had a saga feel without having to deal with too many character changes along the way (think: Ken Follet’s 3000+ pages of the Century Trilogy). I wish that we’d gotten more of Kit’s POV as the book was more a commentary on her condition and the people around her than an exploration of her inner experiences. And the ending was so abrupt that I would have thought the audio file was corrupted, except it did say “the end” after the last sentence. Something went horribly wrong in the editorial process of ending the book!!

"The Leap Year Gene of Kit McKinley" by Shelley Wood is a combination of historical fiction with speculative fiction. This book was very good, but also very long at 400+ pages or 13 and a half hours in the audio. I listened to the audiobook, expertly narrated by Rachel Botchan.

The premise of the book is that Katherine, aka Kit, was born on leap day, Feb. 29, 1916, and she only grows one year for every four years that she is alive. Her sister, Helen, is born twenty years later and grows at the regular 1:1 rate so that by the time she is 10 years old, she starts to look older than Kit. Her mother, Lillian, is a well-known biologist who spends her life trying to understand why her daughter is growing so slowly. Because Kit is such an anomaly, she is in danger of the press and scientists who want to experiment on her, as well as eugenics issues in Germany.

The book covers a lot of history from 1916 to 2016. Many major world events happen as they travel from one place to another, trying to protect Kit.

You might think it's a good thing to age so slowly, but it turns out to be very challenging, dangerous, and emotional. Her friends grow up and move away or marry while she only ages a few years. Some of it is heartbreaking and some is heartwarming.

Characters - 5/5
Writing - 4/5
Plot - 5/5
Pacing - 3/5 some parts are slow
Unputdownability - 3/5
Enjoyment - 4/5
Narration - 5/5
Cover - 4/5
Overall - 33/8 = 4 1/8 rounded to 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.

This is the best book I have read in a while. The plot was ingenious: Kit was a leap year baby, born ion February 29, 1916. She had a gene that made her age differently than everyone else (except, of course, other babies born on leap year day with the same gene). It sounds like a wonderful thing; who wouldn't love to age slowly? There are many difficulties with it, for example how her family would explain it to others, navigating her relationship with her sister who does not have the gene, and who she can share the information with. Kit wrestles with the ethical problem of whether making public her gene could help other people and whether she has any sort of obligation here.
In addition to this science fiction side of this novel, there is a good deal of history within it, as the book spans 1916 to the present. Referenced is the eugenics movement in Nazi Germany, since Kit and her family lived at the time in Europe, with the fear that comes with the discovery of her secret.
I was spellbound the entire novel, from start to finish.
I listened to this on audiobook and the narrator had wonderful inflection and appropriate accents.
Thanks to NetGalley and RB Media for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and RB Media for my copy of The Leap Year Gene of Kit McKinley by Shelley Wood Narrated by Rachel Botchan in exchange for an honest review. It published August 6, 2024.
First off, Rachel Botchan did an excellent job reading this book. I highly recommend her skills!
This was a sweeping, interesting novel that I did not want to stop listening to. I found it to be so detailed and captivating that I kept thinking about it even when I had put it down. The character development was top-notch, the suspense had me on the edge of my seat, and the hard times had me choked up. What more could you ask for?
The only disclaimer is there is some graphic sex scenes that are easily skipped.

Fascinating concept but lost so much in delivery. It ceased to be about Kit and just dragged on about life in general and the war in particular. A more focused novel on Kit McKinley, as the title suggests, I would have enjoyed it more. This was just slow and uninteresting.

I'm so glad I got the chance to listen to The Leap Year Gene of Kit McKinley by Shelley Wood.

Such a unique concept and such layered storytelling.

I was hooked on the life of Kit McKinley and her family. I was in awe of the saga that span more than a century. I wasn't bored for even a moment in the book and it felt good reading such a wonderful book after so long. This is definitely one of my favourite reads this year.

This story follows one peculiar woman for a century of her life. There are boring times, tense times, heartbreaking times. But all of the time makes up the story of Kit McKinley.

I do find that the story moves a bit slow for my taste but it was excellent. The loss that Kit suffers would be my biggest worry in living so long. That was captured very well by the author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my advance copy of this audiobook

Audio format. This is a historical fiction/literary fiction book about Kit McKinley, a person born on Feb 29th of a leap year. Kit does not age at the rate of a "normal" person but rather only seems to grow or slightly age every four years. The books spans her entire life from WWII right up to present day. As the title illudes there is a lot in this book about genetics and eugenics and now Kit's family had to deal with her "condition" and keeping it quiet. While it's not crazy scientific I could see this part of the content might not be for everyone as there is a fair amount of discussions of genetics throughout the book.

What I liked:
-Narration was excellent. I enjoyed the emotion and tone of the narrator.
-I personally loved the scientific element to the story; lots about pharmaceuticals and genetics
-I loved how the story spanned so many decades - from WWII right up to present day
-I enjoyed the theme of love, family and duty throughout the book.
-I enjoyed how this story was told from 4 points of view (in four parts)

Areas for Improvement:
-My only criticism of this book was that it was LONG. Even at 1.75 speed it took me a very long time to get through this. I do feel it dragged on in parts for me (especially early to mid way through) and did seem longer than the 416 pages of the paper book. I think I would have given this book another star if 100 pages were cut out and I don't think that would have affected the story.
- Because the book so many decades and so many characters it was a little challenging to keep track by the end of the names from earlier in the book (but this might be specific to the audio format as I struggle in this area in audio sometimes)

I would recommend this book if you enjoy a long historical fiction that spans over decades AND you have a little interest in science (specifically genetics). I give this a 4/5.

Thank you to RBmedia | Recorded Books for a copy of this Audiobook in exchange for a review.

I was very intrigued by the premise: a young girl born on leap year but only ages 1 year every 4.

There is so much you can do with that but here it’s barely a factor as the author seems to just want to tell a very slow and very boring historic novel.

I was hoping for something like the Age of Adeline or even Oona Out of Order but all I’ve read at 40% is this young mother and her husband (the brother of her dead husband, gross) and the child who move often because of her condition, which fine, but almost everything discussed is the nazi war or the careers of the parents. To which I say who cares. The book is supppsed to be about Kit.

This is a beautiful story packed with lots of history references, geography, genetics, medicine. It's a lot but it's also beautifully written.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of the audio.

An intriguing concept that leans towards the scientific side of magical realism: what would life be like if a unique gene meant you aged only one year for each four years an average person experiences? Such is the life of Kit McKinley, who only reaches into her early 20s before watching many generations come and go. "The Leap Year Gene of Kit McKinley" follows Kit from her birth in 1916 through to her biological 20s in the early 2000s. Worried at public reaction to her glacial aging, Kit's family does their best to keep her unique trait hidden from view — frequently moving countries and swapping out birth certificates to conceal her true age. It isn't until Kit reaches adulthood and can blend into society more seamlessly that she has the breathing room to truly be herself — and discover who that self is.

Thanks to the many years that slip by in this novel, it reads much like historical fiction, with a slice-of-life look at many meaningful historic moments. While I enjoyed the concept overall, this book wasn't quite a home run for me. I struggled with some uneven pacing, getting bogged down in the side story of Nazi eugenics and then again when it came to Kit's slowly developing sexuality. Like her life in general, these sections seemed to drag. I'm rating this a 3.75 rounded up, mostly out of a nod to a unique and fun concept, but lagging a bit in execution. It's hard to put my finger on what felt missing, but there's something there that kept it from fully sweeping me in.

Rachel Botchan did wonderfully as narrator, with a range of voices that helped bring dimension to the characters.

A big thank you to NetGalley, Shelley Wood, and RBMedia for an advance copy for my honest review.

This novel is an interesting thought experiment. What if being born on a leap day (Feb. 29th) meant you only aged at 1/4th the usual speed? Imagine as a parent if after a year of life your child could barely hold up her head, and is just able to sit up on her own after two years (6 months' developmentally to her)? That's the story of Kit McKinley. Her parents have to figure out what to tell people: nosy neighbors, a succession of nannies, and, when she is older, her teachers. They must continually adjust her official birth record. It's also interesting to consider the mind of a person who has spent 20 years on the planet but looks like a 5 year-old, and who takes 4 times as long to get through the tumultuous teen years!
The story of Kit starts around 1916 and develops in intensity in the 1930s as her scientist mother searches for answers in genetic research while sidestepping discussions of eugenics in the U.S., France, and Germany. Later, as Kit comes into her own, she must make decisions about whom she will trust with her secret.
Throughout the novel there were issues with pacing. Some parts of the story drag while in other parts we take huge leaps. Some ideas presented were not fully developed, including aspects of Kit's physiology. I can't say more without spoiling parts of this interesting story. If you are curious about "what-if?" scenarios you will likely enjoy this as a book or audiobook. Since I enjoy speculative stories, I give this a 3.75 and rounded up to 4 stars.
My thanks to the author, publisher, producer, and #NetGalley for access to the audiobook for review purposes. It is available now to rent, borrow, or buy.

Kit McKinley is a special sort of kid. Born on February 29th, 1916, she's a bit of a rarity. She takes her own time in all kinds of unexpected ways, most notably she ages a year for every four that pass in the world around her.

Her story is told in four parts, first from the perspective of her uncle Ernest, then her mother Lillian, next her sister Helen, and finally, from her own curious and beautiful viewpoint.

This tale spans 100 years, following Kit through numerous countries, learning experiences, new friends, and adversaries who hope to take advantage of her unique nature.

Kit's journey reminds us again and again of the importance of family, friendship, and honesty with those we love. None of us ever really knows how long we have together.

"Kit knows better than anyone: it's not eternal youth we need, but love and the chance to hold on for as long as possible."

I listened to this as an audio book. The story was just incredible, I couldn’t help but absolutely fall in love with all the characters. This book took me on an emotional ride through Kits life. Switching POVS in her family was amazing. The difficult years it travelled through particularly beginning of WW2 taught me about things I didn’t ever know about. Like eugenics, and was written in such a beautiful way although the topics could get horrifying. It’s crazy that it wasn’t completely fictional and those things really had been done by other humans. I was so fascinated on how Kits life would work with her gene and the author did it so well. I feel like looking for someone like Kit in the real world and they’re also just hiding like Kit. It felt so real. I had to listen to the very end as fast as I could cause I had to know what happened in her life and I’m grabbing a physical copy as soon as I can. This is going to be on my favorites of all time and I really recommend it !

I absolutely Loved everything about this story! I at first drawn to the fact our protagonist was born on leap year 1916 which happens to be my Grandmother's birthday. She used to joke "I have only had sixteen birthdays. I look older, because I've had a really hard life." The character in the story is completely opposite. The voice acting was superb, as I was immediately pulled into the story. Outstanding storytelling by author Shelley Wood!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an audio copy to listen to in exchange for an honest review.

Oh this story was so good! I love the whole premise and it really explores the genetic component. I was not emotionally prepared for the WW2 timeline and how it impacted Kit and her family. The only wish I had for the story would be that it was longer. I really really wanted the story to keep going.

The narration was good; although I really don't like when adults do baby voices in books.

The Leap Year Gene of Kit McKinley by Shelley Wood
Narrated by Rachel Botchan

Historical fiction interests me and I often read books in the WWII era. This story centers around Kit, a very unique leap year baby. Her mother, Lillian, had an unbelievably long pregnancy which she, and the few who know of her condition, attribute to the stress of learning her husband had been killed in the war. At some point her brother in law, Ernest, is notified of this pregnancy and he rushes to Lillian's aid, to give her support as he thinks she must be near her due date. Now one more person knows of this unusual pregnancy and Ernest becomes one of Kit's staunchest protectors during the time that he's in Kit's life.

When Kit is born she is born on Leap Year Day of 1916. For anyone but the rarest of the rare, being born on a Leap Year Day means nothing other than a quirk on the calendar. But for Kit, and anyone like her if there are others like her, she actually ages at the rate of her calendar birthday. At first glance that might seem like a bonus in life but I soon knew I'd never opt for this special "gift" if I had a choice. The problems that come with a baby, child, adult aging four times slower than every other person are myriad and it soon becomes obvious that Lillian and Earnest must go to great lengths to keep Kit's secret.

Lillian works in the world of scientists and she knows just how important Kit's situation is to the science world if they could get their hands on her. Drug companies, scientists, doctors, researchers, and journalists would all love a piece of Kit if they find out about her. Could she hold the answer to anti aging? What makes her different? How did this really happen?

Imagine having a child that doesn't finish puberty until she's more than sixty years old in normal time. How does a parent raise a child that is a child longer than they will probably be around to raise that child? The only way Lillian and Earnest can keep Kit from attracting notice is to move constantly, severing ties and friendships over and over, and they continually raise suspicions, continually worry about the present and the future of their dear little girl.

What does a person like Kit do as she realizes just what her situation means? She's going to lose everyone, whole generations of everyone, over and over. The situation is mind boggling and the story doesn't have a real end which I think is a wise way to handle the telling of this story. We are presented with this life times four and there are so many questions that aren't answered. We are left with much to ponder, the story and science have a way to go to figure Kit out and in our present day that seems so realistic and fitting for Kit's journey. Rachel Botchan handled the narration very well, as she has with books I've heard in the past. She has a huge cast of characters to handle and did a fine job.

Thank you to RBmedia | Recorded Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

What an absolutely unique and interesting take on ‘leap year’ babies!

What if the children who were born on February 29th only aged every FOUR years, instead of yearly like the rest of the world?
What if these particular children were given the ‘gift’ of the fountain of youth?
And what if, all they wanted was to be like everyone else?

Meet Kathrine (Kit) Mc Kinley . She was born in 1916, following an extraordinarily long pregnancy…and, the death of her Dad, due to the war.

From the very beginning we can see that’s she’s different. For example: On her first birthday she weighs 15 pounds. She cannot sit up, roll over, or walk…like other one year olds!

But, at this stage of the game, it’s ok.

Fast forward a few years, and Kit is say 3, but really only about 9 mos. So all her other friends are running around, talking, etc…and she’s still not able to stand…

And so it continues…

Her Mom forms a bond with her husband’s brother, and he is in the picture…along with her sister.

They all love baby Kit and vow to protect her…whatever it takes.

The story that follows spans one hundred years! 1916-2016…and what a story it is!!

We follow as Kit goes thru World Wars, The Great Depression, The stock market crash, Hitler, Rock and Roll, the introduction of cars, computers, phones and cell phones… I mean…this was just mind blowing!! 🤯

And although she remains looking very young, she has the wherewithal of someone of a certain age…

And love. Well, love has to be off the table…

This was a very original and breathtaking book. Made me stop and think on so many levels!
And, my heart broke for her over and over again. But also for her Mom…and her Aunt…and her Dad.

Loved this one and its originality!

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me!!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #RecordedBooksMedia for an ARC of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book has already been released, so look for it on shelves now!

#TheLeapYearGeneOfKitMcKinley by #ShelleyWood and narrated nicely by #RachelBotchan.

Feel free to like, follow and friend me on: Goodreads,
Insta @ #BookReviews_with_emsr and/or
My Facebook Book Club: Book Reviews With Elaine.

Thanks so much for reading! And if you ‘liked’ my review, please share with your friends, and click ‘LIKE’ below!! 📚⭐️h