I was hooked by the synopsis of The Kids Are Gonna Ask.

Thomas and Savannah McClair are twins whose mother passes away. This event shatters their world.

The twins were raised to be "fiercely curious" by their grandmother Maggie and want to learn more about their biological father — who is he?

They never expected their idea would cause so much interest and they are soon offered their own podcast called The Kids Are Gonna Ask.

The interviews between the twins and people their mother knew begin.......

The podcast takes place around the old kitchen table that was passed down through the generations of the family. The red it ended up being painted is iconic for Maggie and it was for the twins' mother.

This gives the sense of place and the meaning of home special relevance in the novel and I enjoyed how the scene was set. However, I did find the language a little formal at times and was struggling to follow the plot as the book is based around how the interviews play out. I did find myself eager to discover the lives and secrets of those interviewed but the pacing and language was a tad too slow for me.

I enjoyed the twins' quirks and Savannah's aspirations to work in Hollywood. Thomas was the tech buff and his enthusiasm for the Podcast idea was palpable. I really liked Maggie: kind, understanding and determined, but she also has her secrets.

Thanks to Gretchen Anthony and Park Row for my ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

3.5 stars.

This book is just not for me. The description and premise sounded clever and intriguing, but I can't get into the story. While I thought I'd enjoy a quirky cast of characters, the writing feels disjointed and I'm not connecting with the characters at all. Thanks for the opportunity. I will not share this feedback elsewhere because I did not finish reading the book.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC.

The Kids Are Gonna Ask is going to make for an amazing mini series adaptation someday, and I can’t wait to watch it.

Savannah & Thomas are twins living with their grandmother, Maggie. Their mother, Bess, died in an accident before telling them anything about their father. Curious about the man, they set out to find him by starting a podcast. And then - the podcast blows up, and their search becomes a national news story.

I read this book in 48 hours. I loved Maggie, who is an incredibly strong woman and character. I enjoyed the twins, they were two clearly drawn teenagers. I also loved learning the story of this family, and felt this book did a lovely job of discussing the many facets of grief. The search for their father forces Savannah, Thomas & Maggie to mourn Bess in new ways, all over again.

Overall, a lovely way to spend a weekend.

The Kids Are Gonna Ask follows two siblings, Savannah and Thomas, who have lived with their grandmother since their mother passed away. They never knew their father—their mother never told anyone who the father was, but merely came home pregnant from a trip during university. The siblings have a podcast about odd guests their grandmother brings home for dinner, until one day Thomas mentions wanting to find his father. A new podcast is born as they interview their mother’s old friends, track down leads, and do whatever they can to find him.

I think this book had a lot going for it. The cover reminded me instantly of Little Fires Everywhere or Ask Again, Yes, so I was expecting a lot of family drama and secrets. It also involves a podcast, which feels lately like an instant hook for most people—podcasts are huge now, especially narrative- or thriller-based ones.

The siblings are the story’s driving force, but I have to admit that I didn’t particularly like them. Savannah was inconsistent and prone to sudden outbursts for no particular reason, while Thomas was honestly unmemorable. (I entirely forgot his name while writing this.)

The story never really picked up in a way that made me want to keep flipping through to learn more. I was never severely bored enough to stop reading altogether, but not quite on the edge of my seat. When the story flipped to the father’s POV, I began to lose a bit more interest. It was too far in the story for me to really care about a new character or his struggles, so I mostly skimmed through his parts. The ending (including how they “defeat” the “bad guy”) was quite lacklustre.

Also, this isn’t YA, but the overall writing style and even the siblings’ POVs felt rather amateurish or perhaps more suited for a younger audience. It definitely doesn’t have the complexity or construction that I expected, especially coming off reading other contemporary family fiction like Little Fires Everywhere.

Two twin teenagers start a podcast to find their biological dad. I was immediately drawn in by the description. The book is a quick read and interesting story. I liked the honest relationships between the twins and their grandmother. Overall, I liked the book but wish there was a little more of a mystery to finding the dad. It seemed a little too easy.

Thank you to Gretchen Anthony, Harlequin- Trade Publishing, Park Row, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this book is so interesting and unique. Twins who’ve lost their mother looking for their biological father by way of public podcast. I thought this was a fast-paced, easy-to-read, character-driven novel but it just didn’t wow me. The drama surrounding the twins’ podcast didn’t seem realistic to me at all, however I did like the way the author showed how much of an effect it had on the twins, especially Savannah who took the brunt of the criticism (likely because she is the female). Savannah was a very intelligent young woman but was constantly criticized for it and her smarts downplayed. Thomas was the go-to person that was asked the big questions in interviews and there was definitely a misogynistic aspect to it. I loved Maggie, the twins’ grandmother. She was the most interesting character in my opinion. The rep for Guava Media, Sam, was totally cliche and bordered on cheesy. I also thought the ending was wrapped up a little too perfectly.

The sibling relationship between Savannah and Thomas changed a lot throughout the book. I enjoyed seeing both of them change and grow as they learned more about both their present and their past. Thomas keeps a pretty big secret from Savannah in this book and I personally thought she didn’t react enough to it. No one did. Thomas was almost untouchable no matter what he did.

Overall, it was a fun and quick read and I’d recommend it even thought it wasn’t my favorite.

Twins Thomas and Savannah don't know who their father is, and their mother Bess passed away before she had the chance to tell them.
Using their almost popular podcast, the twins set out to find their father. Renamed the kids are going to ask the new podcast is met with accusations and backlash regarding the fathers privacy.

The story was ok, and the writing was good.
But it was just ok.

It started out strong, but kind of fell flat near the end.

Twins look for their birth father through a podcast. Definitely a different take on life. Entertaining novel with good character development.

Driven by a curiosity to find their biological father and a desire to learn more about their deceased mother, twins Savannah and Thomas start a publicly available, mystery style podcast. Aiming to discover who their father is while learning more about their mother along the way, the twins inadvertently find themselves on an emotional roller coaster ride - one that disrupts and changes their lives in ways they could never have foreseen.

This was an engrossing, heart-felt young adult novel. I enjoyed it! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of the book.

Hyper-timely plot about twins who create a podcast dedicated to finding their biological father.

Savannah and Thomas set out to find their father via a limited series podcast; both have interest in and a talent for production and sound, plus the funds and equipment to do so. Their deceased mother leaves a trail of secrets for the twins and their grandmother to pick up in the public eye. The premise is fantastic and podcast transcripts were especially engaging. While the character development didn't quite come full-circle, their intentions were clear. The teen-speak and jargon could be off-putting for those that are unfamiliar with podcasts and/or internet culture, otherwise the dialogue was swift and chatty. Overall, a fun read with a heartwarming ending.

The Kids Are Gonna Ask was an unique concept. A set of twins lost their mother at a young age and as they are getting older they are starting to ask about their biological father. So they start a podcast to try and find him. I have to admit this book seemed more young adult then general fiction. The podcast parts were my jam!! I love podcasts so I was all over those parts.

This was really bland - it started off promising but the interactions between the main characters just flopped. I found it really hard to finish and have been trying to read it for a few weeks now for a blog tour but when a book takes that much energy to finish it's not a good sign.

Twins looking for the biological father through a podcast. I wasn’t sure I would like this book but I couldn’t put it down. There was a lot of how social media works and the greed that comes with it. Also the negativity that comes with any kind of posted issue. The twins have lost their mother due to a car accident and live with their grandmother. Now that they are older they ask all the questions about their father but the grandmother has no answers. The search reveals a lot about their mother and how the twins grew to be outstanding and confident.
The characters are realistic and humorous at times. I enjoyed the Chef and his daughter and Savanah’s friend Trigg, who was so typical of high school friends.

Definitely a favorite of the year. Newsy, but just plain fun too.

Thanks to author,publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free,it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

Savannah and Thomas McClair are twins that lost their mom in an accident when they were 13 years old. They've known their dad but they've got a grandmother, Maggie, that loves and cares for them. Maggie likes to be surrounded by people and hear their stories so every Friday night she invites a guest for dinner. When Savannah needs a project at school their podcast is born and it's based on the Friday night dinner guests.

Thomas has been wondering about his dad for a while so when a Friday night dinner conversation sways that way he gets an idea. Why not try and do a podcast and see if they can find their dad. After a few reservations from Savannah and Maggie they podcast begins.

The podcast turns out to be equally loved and hated by listeners but it's definitely gaining a lot of popularity. The McClair's have teamed up with an agency and attention is getting out of hand.

I found The Kids are Gonna Ask intriguing to begin with but I did find it dragged on a bit too long. When I found the book it was listed as General Fiction - Adult but I think it might be more appropriate in Young Adult. Aside from some excessive drinking I think it would be appropriate. I don't believe there were any curse words. Perhaps the more appropriate age would be 17 - the age of the McClair twins. Overall though I did enjoy the plot and I was invested to discover whoever the father is.

I was really looking forward to this book and when I got approved for it on Netgalley, I couldn’t wait to dive in. I hate to do this, but I am adding this to my DNF titles. I got a quarter into the story and it was a struggle for me to keep reading and I unfortunately had to give up. At first, the story grabbed my attention, but it faded very quickly a few pages in.

When Bess McClaire died, she left her preteen twins in the care of her mother, Maggie, and no one who knew who provided the other half of the twins’ genetic code. Now Savannah and Thomas are in high school, and Thomas’ desire to learn more about his biodad is growing more and more pressing. The twins decide to pursue the matter using a podcast, inspired by the wave of true crime podcasts that solve mysteries in real time. After gaining a contract with a production company, things spiral quickly out of control. The more attention they get, the more successful their search may be - but not all the attention is positive.

There are a lot of moving parts to this story, and I think that some of the side plots could have been eliminated or streamlined to give the main story more room to develop. The most surprising thing for me was how much I disliked the character of Savannah, especially in the last third of the novel. At the beginning, I was rooting for all of the McClaire family, and while I still wanted them to be successful by the end, I started to dread the chapters narrated from Savannah’s perspective. Every character, incident, and story point seems to be exaggerated as far as possible to drive drama in the story, and I’m not sure it was necessary. That all being said, if you want to escape reality and spend some time in a world that resembles 2019, this is a light and easy way to do that.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

Unique presentation of alternating between podcast and narration.
Storyline was interesting but the main characters were not overly likeable

In the age of podcasts and precocious teens The Kids Are Gonna Ask takes a fresh look at an age old story-family and biology. Twins Savannah and Thomas are raised by their charming grandmother, Maggie, after an accident took the life of their mom, Bess, four years ago. Not knowing their father (he's never been part of their lives) Maggie keeps the house filled with a cast of unusual dinner companions which leads to the first podcast by the twins and life moves along swimmingly-until natural curiosity about their paternity changes the course of their podcast and lives forever because, after all, The Kids Are Gonna Ask.

The book is well written, if not a little long, to get to the heart of the matter but there is decent character development and an interesting reflection on how social media creates rising stars out of seeming normal, every-day people and then throws them away eagerly. Family dynamics, secrets and the question we all seek at some point or another "why are we who we are" are themes in this novel.

Thank you to the writer, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

I loved The Kids Are Gonna Ask. A podcast where a pair of twins are trying to find their biological father sounds like something that I would actually enjoy listening to.

We get a few different point of views in this. Thomas and Savannah, who are twins trying to find their biological father, a few years after their mother has died. Their mother really never talked about their dad, except for a few things here and there, so they really didn't know where to even start looking for him. Another point of view is Maggie, who is Thomas and Savannah's grandmother who is now raising them. Not only did she lose her daughter, but she also lost her husband right before the twins are born. And finally, we get a fourth point of view, of a man who is possibly the twins father.

I have been trying to read more "adult" books, rather than YA and this felt like a good bridge, since it's an adult book, but since half the book is in the point of view of teenagers, it has a youthful feel to it.

**Will be posted to goodreads two weeks before the publication date.