Seventeen-year-old twins Savannah and Thomas McClair lost their mom in a car accident four years ago but thankfully still have their grandma Maggie, whom they adore. Now that they’re getting older, Savannah and Thomas begin to wonder more about their biological father’s identity. Their mom never told anyone-including Maggie-who he was.
With Maggie’s blessing the siblings begin producing a podcast called The Kids Are Gonna Ask, in which they give listeners the details they know about their mom around the time they were conceived and hope someone will be able to provide enough information to lead to their father.
The podcast quickly gains popularity and becomes fully sponsored by a trendy media company —and that’s when things begin to fall apart. Soon Savannah and Thomas experience serious backlash from the public regarding their bio-dad’s rights to privacy and they begin to wonder if a public platform is the best way to learn more about their mom and find out who their father is.

I loved the idea of this novel. It’s timely and follows the entertaining podcast format trend. I like that this is a totally plausible story of young adults searching for their biological father and it looks at the power of social media— both the advantages and pitfalls.

Unfortunately, the execution was lacking. There wasn’t a lot of depth here. Readers learn pretty quickly who the father is and it doesn’t take much detective work or listener participation. I also felt like I was missing something with the huge firestorm over paternal privacy. I mean, I get it being a concern but it felt like an odd choice of conflict to focus on.
The climax is honestly hard to pinpoint because we know the identity of their dad for a good portion of the novel and a conflict between the twins is quickly resolved. The “villain” was stereotypical and easily defeated.
Overall, a great concept but it barely scratched the surface with character development and the resolution was underwhelming.

Thanks to Park Row and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The Kids Are Gonna Ask is scheduled for release on July 28, 2020.

I definitely enjoyed this book but it wasn't what I expected. I expected it to be less of a spectacle as far as recording the podcast went. I just think I expected more but was let down. The writing felt scattered.

The Kids Are Gonna Ask follows the story of these twins, Savannah and Thomas, who live with their grandmother, Maggie after their mother's death. From the beginning of the book, the twins set out to find their biological father. This sounds like a recipe for disaster, right? Well... as a result, they find themselves (and their podcast) gaining popularity, AND they accomplish their mission. Follow along for the aftermath of them setting out to find their dad.

Personally, this book was not my favorite. I think the direction of the story was great, but the execution left a lot to be desired. I practically had to force myself to continue reading because I had a difficult time maintaining focus. Some areas were filled with excitement, and even a little humor; but other parts made the story seem as if it were dragging on longer than necessary. Overall, the book is not terrible, but it is not my favorite.

I enjoyed the setup for this book - I think it was interesting, and topical. It sounds like a podcast that could absolutely be made today. But there were some story points that just didnt work for me. I didnt understand why there would be such a public backlash about paternal privacy. I also felt like the backstory with the mom's high school boyfriend wasn't fleshed out enough. I would have liked to see more development with the relationship between Maggie and Bart, and I would have loved to know what happened with Bart's daughter, since that was the one story that wasn't really wrapped up. The media characters were over the top. The could have been toned down a bit. It was an entertaining read, but I definitely think the narrative could have used some editing.

This book just didn't work for me. I didn't like the podcast story line and the unnecessary details. I read over 100+ pages and just couldn't continue. Unfortunately, it was a DNF for me.

Thanks to Net galley for my advanced ebook copy.

A very interesting and timely novel! Thomas and Savannah lost their mother before she could (or did) tell them about their "biodad" and this book chronicles their search for him through a podcast they develop. The story explores many topics - growing up without a father, the pitfalls of learning personal information in the public eye, sibling relationships - and weaves them together pretty seamlessly. There were a few points where I felt the story was moving excessively slowly and I definitely felt more connected to Jack's parts than those of Thomas and Savannah - maybe it's a function of my age? It's a story I haven't read before and I appreciated the creativity.

I enjoyed this story. I did have trouble understanding the podcast parts - different generation - but the book is well written and the characters are real and believable.

This book deals with honest emotions- loss, live, tragedy, grown up and growing stronger.

I wish to thank Net Galley and the Publisher Harlequin – Trade Park Row for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and am reviewing an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book really touched my heart. It is written in a way that fully reflects the internal turmoil of a search for family roots. It begins with a set of 17 year old twins eager to learn the identity of their biological father. At the age of 13 their mother suddenly dies in a tragic accident and they are raised by their grandmother. They are now trying to unravel the family story of a romance about which they never knew. The book is very modern in that it reflects the use of social media and podcasts. It is obvious to me that the author has spent a good deal of time researching the process and the personal emotions behind such a journey and the sensitivity of the people involved.

As an adoptee who has done the family search I can truly identify with these two young people and their grandmother. I feel the author did an outstanding job of describing the emotional turmoil of such a reveal. Will they find their biological father? Will they like him? Will opening this door change their feelings for the mother they adore?

I loved the book! I feel it will appeal to young people and adults. The characters are likeable and lots of fun. The story is easy to follow.

Twins Thomas and Savannah McClair are being raised by their grandmother, Maggie after losing their Mother when they were just thirteen.

They never knew who their father was.

Maggie tries to keep everyone’s spirits up, by having guests over for Friday dinners. They gather at her bright red, 120 year old dining room table, passed down from generation to generation.

Her great grandmother was taught that “men carried the conversation, and women the dishes.”

Her grandmother, told her, upon inheriting it, that it would stay RED in color as a reminder that “everyone has a voice, and every voice deserves a place at the table.”

It’s seen homework, arts and crafts, and mugs of hot chocolate!
It’s held the the comfort food of funerals, and meals of celebration.

And, now it’s the location where the idea for a Podcast, was born-a school project, which grew into a quest to find the twin’s biological father.

I liked the premise, but found the some of the characters to be a be a bit too eccentric, and some of the dialogue a bit too “cheesy” so despite Podcasts being relevant, this just didn’t really ring true!

But, if you just feel like reading something light and quirky, “The Kids Are Gonna Ask” just might have a place at the table for you!

Available on July 28, 2020

Thank You to Park Row Publishing for providing a digital ARC through NetGalley in exchange for a candid review!

2.5 stars - I was really unsure how to rate this book because I think the book has a really interesting premise however, I don't think the execution was the best it could be. The book did grab my attention from the beginning because I really liked the family dynamics that were present, but after about 100 pages I started to lose interest. The book was not hard to follow per say, but I feel like there were too many perspectives for the story that wanted to be told. Additionally, I feel like the plot went on for a long time as these twins moved to explore a relationship with their biological father but then the resolution was so quick? They defeated the "villain" of the novel quickly after finding out what he had done (and the explanation for that is still a little muddled in my head) and the ending felt opened and unexplained - which is not something I personally enjoy. Despite all this, I think if you like books that center around podcasts and are mysterious without being scary, this book could be for you!

After the accidental death of their mother and encouraged by their free-thinking grandmother, 17 year-old Minnesota twins Thomas and Savannah McClair determine to find their bio-dad by creating a podcast. When it goes viral, their lives and original goal spiral almost out-of-control in a hot national debate in which the twins learn the hard way that that revealing long-held secrets can have unintended consequences. Filled with likeable and quirky Minnesota characters, this timely and provocative novel explores our notions of family and our current fascination in DNA to help find lost relatives. A fun and engaging read perfect for book clubs.

I loved this book. It was sweet, funny and touching.
17 year old twins are searching for their biological father. Their mother has passed early having never told them. This search turns from small podcast to worldwide interest.

From the start this novel read a bit young for me and I just wasn't drawn into the story. I gave it to 10% and decided I'm the wrong reader. I see many 4 star reviews so it must be me.

Five stars for The Kids Are Gonna Ask, written by Gretchen Anthony. I wasn't sure what to expect going into it, but loved reading this book! Really good character development and storyline that kept me turning the pages until the very last page.

Completely original, totally entertaining story of twins trying to find their birth father. When Thomas and Savannah were only 13 years old they lost their beloved mother in an automobile accident. Having lived with their smart, fiercely independent grandmother since birth, they continue to live with her and thrive. When the twins are in high school their curiosity increases and they decide to try to find their birth father by doing a podcast. The podcast becomes a huge hit and everyone has their own opinion of what and why the kids are pursuing their search. Beautifully written, smart, heartfelt story of family and the choices people make. Highly recommend.

The premise of <i>The Kids Are Gonna Ask</i> is very trendy right now - a podcast storyline about 2 teenagers that are looking to find their biological father after their mothers untimely death.

This is the second “podcast themed” book I’ve read this year and while the plot is intriguing, I felt that the story dragged at points and could have had a lot more intrigue.

Savannah and Thomas are 17-yr-old podcasting twins who lost their mom 4 years ago and never knew their dad. While they love Maggie, the grandmother who has always helped raise them, they decide they'd like to find their bio-dad. They decide to use the podcast format to try to find their dad, but once they have a corporate sponsor everything spirals out of control. This was a really thoughtful look at the pros and cons of current social media and how quickly an audience will jump on public shaming. Throughout the book, however, is a really sweet look at the strength of family and the importance of sticking together.

I LOVED this book. What these teenagers have been through in this story, I myself have survived somewhat. So much of the emotion was so realistically portrayed, I think the author did a fabulous job. The writing pulled me in and kept my attention throughout the story. At one point the author referenced Beetlejuice. Not being familiar with this movie I have no idea what she was trying to express. Yet on other references, such as the twilight bark, the author explained the reference and it was completely clear what her intent was.

The story was very well told and I wish you the best once it hits the market.
Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing for a Free advanced reader copy of this novel for my honest review.

So many mixed feelings about this book. As an adoptee, I've never wanted to find my bioparents (really? what's with that? what's wrong with"birth parents"?); my sister, on the other hand, wanted to find hers. I know many who have searched, and some (like my sister) have had a good result while others have had bad, or even traumatic ones. That Thomas and Savannah want to find their father - they call him biodad, but they never had an adopted father or a stepfather, so that's a bit confusing to me - is not surprising. To someone of my age, making that search public via podcast does feel a bit odd (see: bad result above) but to YA readers it may feel totally normal. How the search unfolds, the challenges they find along the way, and the final result were not surprising. I just wish the conversation about why this was a bad idea wasn't done the way it was.

eARC provided by publisher.

Twins? A podcast? Did they write this for me? It felt fairly fresh and modern for what was a fairly basic family parentage drama without feeling forced. I thought the family seemed authentic and no one seemed one dimensional which is often an issue in family dramas. I want to see what else she has written!