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.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6805019465

Enjoyed this poignant sweep novel set over a millennium spanning from 1910s-current era. What would it be like to experience world
Wars and modern technology. It was a slow heartbreak of watching all the people you love grow and leave your life. Would you really wish for a longer life?

** 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