Rating: 3/5 Stars

A humorous and heart felt take on what it means to grow up as a millennial woman.

This was a little bit of mixed bag - I actually expected this to be a commentary on millennial culture and got what Kate Kennedy, the author, proclaimed this book isn’t - a memoir. Her commentary on her life, feminism and what it means to be a white woman with a whole lot of privilege was funny and achingly familiar at time, but not what I signed up for.

I think this has a specific niche audience (white girl, Lisa frank obsessed loved the spice girls in the most basic of ways type audience) - and not sure how well it would translate outside of the author’s huge, also niche instagram following.

Thanks in advance to Kate Kennedy, Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review

When I posted my favorite book of each month from 2023, I got a few questions in my DMs about July’s entry: ONE IN A MILLENNIAL by Kate Kennedy. It felt a little like cheating when I put it on the list because I read an eARC in July in a few gulps while traveling (truly the perfect Amtrak + long drive to the beach companion) and the book finally hit stores yesterday, so it felt like the perfect time to share my long-awaited (by like, three people) review!

As a long-time fan of Kate Kennedy and her podcast, Be There In Five, I’m 99.9% certain that I let out an audible yelp when this eARC landed in my inbox. I had a pretty good feeling that I would be OBSESSED with this book.

Spoiler alert: I was & am obsessed.

ONE IN A MILLENNIAL is an essay collection revolving around pop culture and nostalgia, with a millennial-tinged view of coming of age and navigating the world. Some essays are a bit lighter, while others deal with topics like feminism, and privilege. While this is an essay collection, some of them do skew closer to memoir.

While I’m a bit younger than the intended audience of this book, there were SO many things in here that hit me with a wave of nostalgia (granted, it does not take much to make me feel this way, I feel nostalgic for the 80s when I watch Stranger Things and I was born in 1997). I mean, the discussion of AIM screen names inexplicably involving brand names in order to seem like a cool surfer girl? HELLO, I was quite literally Roxychick199 on AIM.

What I truly loved about this book was that it read EXACTLY like the way the podcast sounds. Kate gets long-winded sometimes (I say with love, as a fellow long-winded gal), and she can’t resist a tangent. I loved how these were delineated as mini essays within the larger pieces. While I’m a fast reader (and ended up reading this in just a few sittings), it’s actually a book that I’d suggest slowing down while reading so you can pick up on all of the inside jokes and pop culture references.

Admittedly, I know Kate Kennedy from her social media presence, but I have not listened to her podcast. That being said, I was excited to hear about her thoughts on Millennial culture, as I am a loud and proud member of the group. The book comprised of several essays that looked into how being a millennial affected the way in which Kennedy grew up, and I enjoyed it quite a lot! This read less like a memoir and more like an examination of a culture. Some of the parts of the book totally resonated with me (like the going OUT out parts) and there were several parts that were truly quite funny. It made me realize that I didn't have the most unique experience myself, as a lot of the topics she broached applied to me as well. The book did a get a bit wordy at times, which was my only critique. Overall, it was good to see the humor in things that I used to take seriously, and I appreciated how much heart Kennedy put into this examination of being a Millennial. I'm still proud to be born when I was, and applaud Kennedy on how she celebrated this specific age group.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

I am a big fan of Kate Kennedy and was very excited for this book. Was happy to see that she was able to translate her content so well into writing. I really enjoyed this book, it was both entertaining and poignant to me as part of her demographic, millenial women. Hope to see more from her.

This is definitely a memoir and that’s not a bad thing, but let’s call it what it is. Kennedy applies social commentary to some of her most triumphant and tragic experiences as a millennial during all the iconic phases - American Girl, gel pens, Spice Girls, etc. She shares about lighthearted topics such as popular girl handwriting, as well as more emotional topics like struggles with fertility.

I genuinely enjoyed her stories and felt a lot of connection to childhood aspects I had long forgotten. Plus I laughed a lot!

Sincere thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

A very good look at what its like being a solidly middle class millennial. I enjoyed Kate's thoughts on the 90s and early 2000s.

this was an interesting read. my favorite part was the discussion of girlhood, pop culture, and the way that women are made fun of for the things they like. kate kennedy really hits the spot explaining how girls are made to feel ashamed of their guilty pleasures (meanwhile men are allowed to throw temper tantrums over sports and it’s fine…). the dialogue about being a woman and the emotions and experiences it entails was also very powerful. kennedy’s discussion of her attempts to conceive, the loss she has experienced, and her thoughts on women’s reproductive rights was also stunningly raw and important to hear.

i struggled with the repetitiveness of the millennial concept. obviously i am aware that it’s in the title of the book, but it’s referenced so much that it becomes exhaustive and almost is made to seem like an excuse for sometimes poor behavior? this led to me getting bored and losing interest quite a few times throughout the book. i also had a hard time with the faith elements. this story was kate kennedy’s alone, and it hurt me to see how the church had treated her so poorly that she lost her faith (and how commonly we see that today). i am grateful i still have such a deep relationship with my faith, but it’s difficult to see the harm it can bring to others when shared wrongly.

It feels harsh to rate this book one star, but this was marketed as a millennial book that provides social commentary on friendships, feelings, and fangirls. While these topics are mentioned briefly, it does not add anything to the conversation on millennial culture. Author Kate Kennedy says this is not a memoir but proceeds to go into great detail about specific experiences that occurred in her childhood. This is definitely a memoir. And unfortunately, I lost interest after the first two chapters. I found the so random thoughts boring and felt they could have been left out of this book. The book was already long-winded enough without the extra thoughts. I was really excited when I saw this book because I'm the target demographic for this book. If you like Kennedy's podcast. Maybe you'll enjoy the book, but I'm dnfing this book at the 70% mark because I can't listen/read anymore.

Thank you. St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of One in a Millennial

As a millennial whose life motto is "my culture is pop culture," I eagerly anticipated reading this book. I'm not a regular listener of Be There in Five, but I love Kate and trust her content and "takes" on some pressing pop culture issues. I'm just a bit younger than Kate but loved her recounting of the 90s, 2000s, and today as one subscribed to the millennial zeitgeist. Specifically in the chapters of the 90s, her stories scratched the nostalgic itch ever-present in my brain.

I know she claimed this was NOT a memoir, but I'm not sure how one can write about their experience without it falling in the memoir category. I found myself loving the 90s chapters but thought the narrative slowed a bit as we approached the present. Perhaps because I have not yet started my fertility journey, I found that the closer we got to the present, the less relatable the book became. I thought that some of the book was a little dense, wordy, and repetitive, but it was an enjoyable read nonetheless. I loved the poetic entries to each of the sections as they felt very authentic to Kate and her passion.

Will definitely recommend this to any lover of millennial culture and how they shape our experience as women in the world today!

This was absolutely not for me. I am squarely a millennial, and after chatting with my friends in the minority, but I really felt like the author was leaning SO heavily into being a millennial that it was her only personality trait. I could not relate at all and found myself getting truly annoyed at reading this one. I could not finish it. I know that is not the experience of many of my other female millennial friends, so take this as one persons opinion of an otherwise popular book. But if you prefer a more subtle foray into millennial culture, this is not the book for you. Thank you to the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’m the target demographic and tried multiple times to get into this one — even on a plane where I had nothing else to do. Unfortunately, the voice did not jibe with me and it ended up being a DNF.

I adored this book. I thought it would be surface level and overly stereotypical, but Kate Kennedy LIVED IT (this is a memoir, even though it doesn't appear to be on the surface), and I felt myself as a young girl going back and reliving it. I think it really really gripped me with the daybed chapter. I'd all but forgotten about my daybed - steel bars painted white with some sparse pink flower designs in random spots. I was brought back to those sleepovers (never slumber parties) that I'd have at my house, and I found myself smiling and even highlighting in my Kindle (something I literally never do) because it felt so comforting. Kate and I veer in drastically different directions around college age, and I found myself losing interest a tad bit due to not being able to relate at this point, but the book stayed well-written, well-humored, and well-stocked with references that I thoroughly enjoyed throughout.

I do also appreciate the millennial pink cover.

Such a good short fun read, especially if you’re already millennial. Be prepared to go for some memory trips down memory lane and not be bored along the way.

Kennedy's book claims to be a look back at the pop culture that shaped her and the rest of her millennial generation, but it's really more of a memoir than anything else. Told with Kennedy's trademark wit and wordplay, the book also suffers from the same weaknesses as her popular podcast in that it could have used a stronger editing hand. Still, there's a lot to like here, especially if you were also in the same demographic as Kennedy was growing up (white, upper middle class, and Christian). Plenty of humor and nostalgia to go around, though the book loses steam near the end as she focuses on adulthood and motherhood.

If you're going to write a memoir, market it as a memoir.

I feel as though I was tricked into reading this book, the ol' bait and switch.
Come read this pop culture social commentary, but it's actually the stories of one person's experience growing up in the 90s and 2000s. The issue is I don't know who this person is, so I did not have any real desire to read about her obsession with American Girl, or her feelings on slumber parties.

Some parts I could relate to, like the allure of a daybed, but for the most part I was not interested in what I was reading.
There was also a sneaky amount of religious talk in here, which I am not a fan of. Maybe if I knew who this author was, and knew it was a memoir, I would have known to expect that. Or if the synopsis mentioned it ?

The synopsis says

"Kate navigates the complicated nature of celebrating and criticizing the culture that shaped her as a woman"

But it was less about the culture and more about her being shaped as a woman.

Having grown up in the 90s myself, it was quite nostalgic, but felt like a 90s name drop, squeezing in as many 90s references as possible, without adding any substance.

While its reasonable to expect some personal anecdotes in books like this, I thought it was going to be an informative read, but it wasn't, it was just someone's opinions on a variety of subjects.
There were some interesting parts about the pressure society puts on women at a young age, marketing games focusing on shopping, and crushes (I too had the game Mall Madness, and all the girl talk games) it was fleeting.
Had the book been focused more on the effect this had on a generation as a whole, which is what I was expecting, or maybe stories from many people and not juts one, I would have enjoyed this one a lot more.

In the end this was not for me.

I love this! What girlhood feels like as a millennial in the best way. I was shaking my head, cringing, laughing and crying but WOW so enjoyable!

Not much to say that hasn't already been said. This book had me nodding along vigorously throughout many of the sections. As someone who spent many a night on a trundle bed in my best friend's room, I could absolutely relate.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4

One in a Millennial was a quick and entertaining read for this "millennial" who used to be VERY proud of my large burnt C.D. collection. There are so many 90s-early 2000s pop culture references so it was a fun little ride down memory lane. I think anybody who grew up in this time frame will enjoy this one. While I do think I would have enjoyed it more had it not read like a list of millennial things in the author's upbringing, I highly appreciate the nostalgia factor it brought.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me a digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

One in a Millennial is both a love letter to the late 90's/early aughts as well as a critical analysis of the times and how it impacted us elder millennials. I absolutely adored this book. It had the perfect mix of pop culture references and also a deep dive into the issues with it and how it continues to resonate now. It is full of hidden Taylor Swift references also so that was also an absolute joy. As almost all elder millennials especially one growing up in that weird straddle time between low tech and high tech, it was a confusing childhood and difficult to navigate. I appreciated Kate's open and honest approach to it all. I look forward to now subscribing and listening to her podcast.

This one didn't quite hit the spot for me. I was raised in Canada, so I think there may be some cultural differences between how american millennials and canadian were raised- but also, the millennial age category is so broad that not every experience is something someone will relate to. I was born in 93, and found some parts of this book to be a little bit older than me.