Cover Image: The Kids Are Gonna Ask

The Kids Are Gonna Ask

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

This is charming and I really enjoyed the different perspectives. It's also a really fun premise for a book!

Was this review helpful?

DNF - Did not finish. I did not connect with the writing style or plot and will not be finishing this title. Thank you, NetGalley and Publisher for the early copy!

Was this review helpful?

This is a great intelligent story. I really love the plot, I love the way the facts of the kids life brought them fame. It was funny and very believable. Great character development. Thank you for my advance copy

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed this. It was a nice read that flowed well. It held my interest and kept me reading. I ran out of time to write a formal review for my blog, but I wanted to share that I enjoyed this one very much!

Was this review helpful?

This one let me down a bit. I loved the concept of two teens taking ownership of their hunt for their father. I loved the use of a podcast to go about it. I guess I just think the development of the story fell flat. I wanted more growth or more of a twist. There is nothing wrong with this book, really, it just didn't go far enough.

Was this review helpful?

Interesting book about twins who use a podcast to find out who their father is, after their mother dies in a car accident. The book touches on the effects of social media and how the world judges people based simply on information they see or hear online. An interesting plot told from the perspective of each twin, their grandmother and their father.

Was this review helpful?

Interesting premise but found this a bit cheesy in the end. Would’ve liked a little more depth but overall it was fine.

Was this review helpful?

Perfect read for podcast junkies like myself! Twins start a podcast about the father they never knew. And now.. their mother unexpectedly dies. There family has secrets and grandma is not giving them up. The twins mission to find their father goes viral and their lives change over night. So what happens when their dad actually finds them? This was SO SO good! I couldn't put it down.

Was this review helpful?

This is an interesting and moving story about twins whose mother dies and they don’t know who their biological father is. They decide to produce a podcast to search for him. I enjoyed this format, as I have in other books utilizing this as a backdrop to move the story along. I also enjoyed the multiple viewpoints that we get to experience. There were poignant and sad sections exploring the grief these two young people experienced. I thought that this was a decent and good story.
My only negative is the pacing at times was slow or stuttering. But this did not dramatically reduce the positives of this story.
Recommend.
#TheKidsAreGonnaAsk #NetGalley #Harlequin #ParkRow

Was this review helpful?

The Kids Are Gonna Ask was a fun read, filed with moments of grief, sadness, uncertainty and joy. I loved the way the story was written from multiple POVs and how close-knit the family was. I also really liked the bio-dad! The podcast storyline was timely and made for a unique perspective of the kids’ journey to find their father.

At times the book was a little slow and wordy. Other times I didn’t want it to end! I wished more time would have been spent on the “after” portion of meeting their biological father. They had almost 18 years to make up for and it was smashed into a few short chapters.

Was this review helpful?

Interesting premise, especially as someone who likes podcasts. Unfortunately I didn't feel strongly about the book, and could have done without reading it- it dragged a bit.

Was this review helpful?

Podcasts are a recent popular form of entertainment, so it's not a surprise that novels featuring podcasts would not be far behind. Gretchen Anthony's The Kids Are Gonna Ask features twin teenagers, Thomas and Savannah, who host a podcast that takes place at their dinner table. Their grandmother Maggie likes to invite all kinds of interesting and odd people to dinner, and Thomas and Savannah created a podcast around that.

Thomas and Savannah live with Maggie; their mom Bess died in a car accident years before, and they don't know who their father is. They decide to create a podcast about searching for their father's identity, with Maggie's reluctant blessing. (Maggie doesn't know the father's identity.)

Thomas and Savannah hope that the podcast might go viral, helping increase their chances of finding their father. Their wish comes true when a national podcast producer hears their story and wants to bring them to a wider audience.

It all sounds too good to be true, and as we all know with social media, things can go wrong. (The news is filled with stories about people who have said something on social media that ends their careers.) Thomas and Savannah's story blows up, with people choosing sides and voicing their opinion/threats on social media.

I found that part of the story so spot on. I follow lots of social media, and it always astonishes me how people get so angry that they write horrible things online that they would never say in person. I do not understand how people can get so worked up about things that do not personally affect them. Everyone has an opinion about what the kids are doing and feels free to share it.

Thomas and Savannah are typical teenagers- Thomas runs track, and Savannah has set her sights on becoming a producer. She is symbolic of young women today who speak their minds and will not settle for being treated less than because she is female. Their twin sibling relationship is well done too.

There is some good foodie parts to this novel- Maggie has a personal chef, Bart, who makes delicious food that had me salivating. (Who wouldn't love a personal chef? Never having to decide what to make for dinner each night is such a luxury.)

At it's heart though, this is about Thomas and Maggie looking for their father, and also hoping to find out more about their mother, who was taken too soon. It's a beautiful family story, with warmth and humor, appealing to all ages, from teenagers to middle-aged adults (I loved the character of Maggie). I recommend The Kids Are Gonna Ask.

Was this review helpful?

Love a podcast set in a book. This one was a little darker for me than I realized going in, but this is an enjoyable read!

Was this review helpful?

This is the second book I’ve read from this author, and the second book that’s a little... odd.

I did enjoy the story of twins searching for their biological father via podcast. But some of the things that happen are a bit extreme, odd, and even unbelievable.

I like the twins and the grandmother. The other characters were kind of annoying. Overall an interesting idea and story.

Was this review helpful?

I was intrigued by the premise of this book, but the execution failed for me. I got bored and felt like this dragged on and on. By the end, I was just trying to get to the end, and I was glad when it was over and I could move on.

The premise of two teenagers using a podcast to try to locate their biological dad is interesting. These twins lost their mother a few years ago, and they never knew who their dad was. They live with their grandmother, but she doesn't know the identity of the father either (really?). By putting this on social media, they are then subject to trolls and criticism.

The novel goes from the twins' perspective to their biological father and some other minor characters in the book. I wasn't invested in any of the characters and honestly thought this would have been better if 100 pages had been removed. There is so much extraneous stuff in here that it really took away from the story.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC digital copy. I have not been compensated for my opinion and this is an honest review.

Unfortunately, I was unable to finish reading this ARC digital copy before it was archived. The book is no longer on my Goodreads "want to read" list, but I will update my review to reflect an updated opinion if I decide to finish at a later date.

Was this review helpful?

This was completely different from what I have been drawn to lately. It was a fun and heartwarming story.

Thomas and Savannah lost their mother in a freak accident. An accident that made them question the other half of their parentage. A question that starts a phenomenon.

When their podcast starts garnering national attention Thomas and Savannah are even more excited to search for the man who helps make who they are. A search that will test love, loyalty and strength for all involved.

Was this review helpful?

I was unable to finish this one. There was a lot of weirdness in how young people were written and how things like going viral work that really challenged my ability to buy into the story.

Was this review helpful?

The humor in this book made me love it even more. A tale about family and fame it was sweet, and very well written.

Was this review helpful?

I liked this quirky book filled with eccentric characters. I enjoyed the humor along the way.
Many thanks to Harlequin and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Was this review helpful?