I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I adore epistolary books. I adored LOVE & SAFFRON. I love old-fashioned letters (bring them back!) and there’s something charming going on in a story about two people who’ve never met, writing back and forth to each other from across the globe.

It’s the early 90s, two young women, both absolute book lovers, Frida, an American in Paris, whose parents think she’s there for some soul-searching, a self-described book addict with a goal of reading as many books from her list before she dies. Kate works at a fictional bookshop in Seattle (hey, we all know it’s Elliot Bay Bookstore), equally devoted to books. Each has a secret, which they disclose to each other. Frida wants to work as a war correspondent, Kate dreams of finishing her semi-autobiographical novel and getting it published. Frida continues to ask for book recommendations, Kate surprises her with gems, which they discuss in their letters. Through the books they read and their subsequent letters, their lived experiences, they’re finding out who they are, discovering life. Books are their jam. Well, boys too. You’d never know these two haven’t met in person. It’s the power of books, from memoir to War Journo Dames (great genre title!) to their shared love of finding things in used books (me too!), that brought them together and the letters, which become a lifeline. Frida and Kate are open-minded, although they had opposite upbringings, their conversations and shared common ground found through various stories unite them.

To true friendship, the power of books, being transported to another time (pre-Internet, when word-of-mouth was king), this book helped two women expand their vocabulary, gain confidence, find solace, love, themselves, and explore worlds outside of their own.

I enjoyed reading about their kindness toward one another, their honesty and encouragement, all signs of true friendship. There were many aspects that reminded me of 84, CHARING CROSS ROAD.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kim Fay, and G.P. Putnam's Sons for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love epistolary novels and this was a delight! The 1990's seem like a great time to deepen a friendship through letters and across the Atlantic. This was a sweet and tender book that is very apt for the genre- uplit.

The wisest and most wonderful hug of a novel! I felt all the feels while reading this magical epistolary novel told in letters between two friends brought together by books. Kate and Frida grow immensely as young women over the course of this book, and their friendship matures into a real sisterhood without ever meeting face to face. Their love of books grounds every page of this novel—so perfect for any book lover! Loved it!

This is a lovely, feel good book that I can see doing very well. I love an epistolary novel and this one is very well done. Frida and Kate are both well drawn, engaging characters, and I enjoyed seeing their relationship deepen as time passed. My one critique was that they both seemed a little immature for their ages, but it didn’t dampen my enjoyment. I also loved all of the food descriptions!

I shared Love & Saffron far and wide so was thrilled to see another Kim Fay book available to request! I loved the dual story line, especially the scenes set in the Bosnian War...it is a period of time that seems forgotten. Thank you Netgalley.

Heads up librarians! Have I got a book for you! Kate and Frida by Kim Fay tells the story of a friendship between two women in their twenties in the 1990's. Frida write a letter to Kate, who works in a bookshop, requesting a book and from there their correspondence and friendship begins. It has lots of literary references from Judy Blume to Tolstoy and everything in between. Frida is living in Paris and is looking for her first big story. She goes to Bosnia to be a war correspondent. The description of the war is just heartachingly awful. There is a lot to think about with this novel: How the world did nothing while Bosnians were slaughtered. The importance libraries and books have in maintaining a people's history. Fay tackles family relation, M/F relations, and friendships that come and go. And then there's French food, yum. This was a Net Galley preview and will be out in March. I gave it 4 stars.
I thought Love and Saffron was better. 5 stars Maybe because I'm more of a foodie than a serious reader. I was just the right age for L&S.

1990's
The friendship between two pen pals grow as they share their love of books and food, along with their families and their lives and work. Frida is in Paris, hoping to make it to Sarajevo and work as a war correspondent. Kate lives in Seattle and works in a book shop.

Like author Kim Fay's previous book, Love & Saffron, which I adored, this book took some time to grow on me but it surely left me caring about these two young women, their lives, their heartaches and facing the difficult realities of life - all told through the letters they wrote back and forth to each other.

My thanks to Net Galley and G P Putnams Sons for an advanced copy of this e-book.

A cute, very simply written book that took me straight back to Seattle in the 1990s. What I don't understand, is why—in 2024, Fay is writing a half-Mexican main character? If Fay is of Mexican descent, cool. If not, WHY? Frida would have been the same character (read: one dimensional) if she were white, so why appropriate a culture not her own? To that end, the names of her sisters, taking tortillas to Paris, etc etc was totally cringe. It's 2024, do better. On a bright note, I adored Kate! I wish the entire book would have been about her and her life in Seattle.

I really enjoyed this novel of pen pals in the 1990s. The cultural references were spot on, and what is more iconic '90s America than Seattle. Kate works as a bookseller in a Seattle bookstore while Frida is based in Paris, hoping to become a journalist. Their friendship evolves and develops through the letters and love of books. Really enjoyed both Kate and Frida and highly recommend this book.

I received an advanced reader copy via NetGalley.

Kim Fay’s second novel KATE AND FRIDA features two younger protagonists in their 20s who are grappling with personal dilemmas and more global ones (the Bosnian-Serbian war, for Frida). They are wonderful sounding boards for each other, as well as great support systems and give each other a kick in the butt when needed.

These two women develop a correspondence in the early 1990s as Frida is looking for a book from the bookstore Kate works at. There are definitely 84 CHARING CROSS ROAD vibes with a more contemporary sensibility.

I appreciate when authors bring real events, especially ones I don’t know much about (like the conflict in Sarajevo), into their novels.

The back half of this novel speaks to appreciating what you get out of relationships and friendships but also realizing when it’s time to move on. I really love that message, especially geared toward younger people. I’m not sure how many younger people will pick up this particular novel, but I really think that would be a great target audience for it.

Kate and Frida is a novel written in letters between two twenty something women in the 1990's. Frida is an aspiring writer in Paris who hopes to become a war correspondent who starts a correspondence with Kate in Seattle when she contacts the bookstore she works at looking for a particular book. Throughout the course of several years they become close friends, confessing secrets, encouraging each other and giving each other, and consequently the reader sage advice about love, loss, friendship, life and of course books and food.

I enjoyed this slice of life novel, from the war torn streets of Sarajevo where Frida goes to try out her dream of being a war correspondent to the quite bookstore of Seattle the two women give each other support and wisdom beyond their years. Themes of experiencing and spreading joy despite being aware of the sorrow and despair in the world and the close friendship you can make even without meeting the other person resonated with me, especially in this time of online correspondence. I enjoyed the side characters as well, and the group of refugees reading the Ramona books was delightful. I think Kim Fay has written another quiet winner.

Thank you to net galley and the publisher for an e galley in return for an honest review.

Kate & Frida by Kim Fay ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Putnam Books
Pub Date: 3-11-25

Thank you @netgalley, @putnambooks, and @kimkfay for this eARC.

"That got me thinking about other things that hold our memories – like books. Except books aren’t anchored in one place like a building which means you can read a book that holds your memories anywhere. And food. If you can get your hands on the right ingredients, you can eat a dish that holds your memories anywhere too. If memories are inherent to our sense of identity, does that mean it’s possible to reassemble parts of your identity no matter where you are in the world?"

Frida Rodriguez mails a letter and a travelers check from Paris to a bookstore in Seattle. Kate Fair, a bookstore employee, is "the only person here who’s perky enough to respond". This simple request for a book starts a deep friendship between Frida and Kate, both avid readers and aspiring writers.

Told via letters between Frida and Kate from 1991-1994, what starts as lighthearted correspondence soon grows much deeper as they share a wide range of experiences with each other - from the mundane to the extraordinary.

I can't say more as you should experience the story as it unfolds! I can say that if you were born in the 70s you will enjoy the references sprinkled throughout - including references to Are You There God, It's Me Margaret?, Beezus and Ramona, and Say Anything's Lloyd Dobler.

This is my second epistolary novel this year. Both have been 5⭐ for me. And . . . before I read this story I didn't know that 'War Journo Dames' is a genre I definitely need to check out! I've already downloaded two of the books that play a recurring part of the story.

This is a book I will purchase for my bookshelf and read again and again. After meeting Frida and Kate as they navigate their 20s, my wish is to check in with them again in their 50s.

#kateandfrida #kimfay #putnambooks #netgalley

Aw this made me want to write letters to my friends and just adore female friendship even more!!! I really loved the inclusion of all the little headers as the women travelled, simply magnificent

Kim Fay did it again. Another epistolary book between newly found friends Kate, a bookseller in Seattle and Frida, an adventurer in Paris. They exchange letters in the early 1990's and share all the things from relationships, work, the world, books, food, and more. I loved watching this friendship bloom. I loved remembering my time in the 1990's. I loved the history of Bosnia. I loved the food in France. I loved the book recommendations from Seattle. So much goodness.

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the gifted e-copy of this book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the opportunity to read Kate & Frida by Kim Fay.

I fell in love with Kim Fay's writing with her book Love & Saffron. She completely sealed that love with Kate & Frida, which I will be buying in bulk to share with good friends. I laughed and I cried while reading this lovely book, but it also made me think. And the feelings were strong. Oh my, I love this book.

I absolutely adored Love & Saffron, and I wondered if Fay would be able to replicate that magic in this next offering and let me just say she absolutely has! Frida, the daughter of Joan from L&S, wants to make her mark on the world. She longs to be a war journalist like her heros and so she sends a letter from Paris to a bookstore in Seattle for a request for a book. What ensues is a heartfelt friendship between Friday and the bookseller Kate--a sweet burgeoning writer trying to find her place in the world. I adored both of these women so so much! I can't put into words well enough what it meant to me to see them on the page! If you like 84, Charing Cross Road, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, and, of course, Love & Saffron, you will devour this ! I will be it's biggest champion for sure, for sure, for sure!

A story of new friends told in letters to each other over many years. One friend works in a bookstore; the other is a journalist. Both of them trying to determine who they are and what they want out of life.

Kim Fay did a wonderful job expanding her style that she established in her first book with "Kate & Frida". I did not even notice that they were connected until right at the end when reading the authors note. I found these two women to be intensely relatable to those like me in the same stage of life. Not only that, but they were dealing with similar experiences on a global scale as well. It was all to easy for me to compare Frida's experience in Sarajevo to what is going on today in Gaza. While these conflicts have many differences, I know many people are grappling with how they can feel joy while such violence is happening elsewhere. Fay's offering of embracing joy as our duty instead of something to be guilty of, resonated with me acutely. This book was also a love story to bookstores and reading told by someone who didn't have it all figured out from the start and who felt she was playing catch-up. I believe that experiences like Kates are more common than we think and Fay shone a light on that experience for us.

Such a delightful book about friendship! This book is set in the early 1990s when two twentysomething ladies, Kate and Frida, become pen pals. The friendship blossoms as Kate and Frida share their goals and struggles as well as daily routine things. And books! The power of books is key to this story.

I enjoyed how this showcases honesty, vulnerability, encouragement, compassion, and so much more, between Kate and Frida. The Yugoslav Wars are also central to their character development. As such, many statements sprinkled throughout the letters are wise in that they seem applicable to today’s world conflicts as well. What I thought would be a fun, cute afternoon read became a timely, thoughtful read full of quotes I want to remember. For that reason, 5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and G.P. Putnam Son’s for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I love a good epistolary novel, and Kim Fay's Kate and Frida: A Novel of Friendship, Food and Books is topnotch. I enjoyed the author's earlier book, Love and Saffron (also epistolary), but I loved the new book even more.

Communicating by mail in the early 1990s ever since Frida--living in Paris--ordered a book from the Seattle store in which Kate worked, the two 20-somethings have clicked on an ever-deeper level. Each aspires to become a professional writer--Frida a war correspondent, and Kate a novelist. They first bond over the books they recommend to each other and gradually become fast friends, finding they are able to communicate with each other far more easily than with some others in their lives. As time passes, both experience challenges, some with family or romantic relationships and others with their worldview and whether it makes sense in their lives. The perspectives they gain from each other are often invaluable, but they must still deal with crises in their own way.

Frida and Kate are very different in how they approach life, and both are equally appealing. Each undergoes significant character development throughout the book, which is fascinating to read. Secondary characters are are also poignantly drawn and come alive on the pages. There are serious issues to be dealt with, but there is also an abundance of humor. I finished this book in a day and found the ending to be perfect--heartening and gratifying. Highly recommended.

My thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam/GP Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.