This is part memoir and part collection of essays exploring pop culture, nostalgia, and lessons learned from growing up in the millennial generation. It is both entertaining as you take a trip down memory lane, and serious as she examines the world we were brought up in.

Some essays were more relatable than others (AOL instant messenger, going out tops), and some parts will have you cringing (Facebook albums), but overall I enjoyed the reflections on the millennial experience.

I adored this book. I'm not sure if it's just because I had a similar millennial girl suburban childhood, but I think I'd love this even if that weren't the case. I've always loved Kate's podcast, so I went into this knowing what I was going to get. I loved the nostalgia, the emotions and the humor. It wasn't just simply a 'millenials remember this this this list', but it really explored how millennial pop culture formed our world and where we are all now. I laughed, I cried, I just loved this so much.

Kate Kennedy’s One in a Millennial has two purposes. The first is to act as a pop culture dictionary of sorts — a deep dive into the influence of pop culture on kids, teens, and adults of the decade. The other is an exploration of one millennial woman’s experience growing up in the 2000s and coming to terms with girlhood, womanhood, and everything in between.

One in a Millennial is a celebration of girlhood; of the things that made so many of us the women we are today. Kennedy describes pivotal 2000s milestones including but not “Limited Too”: using AOL Instant Messenger to communicate with crushes and friends and getting your hands on the holy grail — the American Girl doll (mine was Felicity, thanks for asking).

One of the things that Kennedy does a great job of in this book is dismantling the idea of being “cringe”. Sure, things may go in and out of style. But as Kennedy proves, inherently female interests are constantly under attack. We are taught to hide or modify parts of ourselves in order to be marketable or interesting to those around us.

Although this book claims not to be a memoir, it did have very personal elements. As readers, we learn a lot about Kate Kennedy; her upbringing, her experiences, her work, and her current life. I would argue that in a book like this, there is a natural desire to connect the content to human experiences. In that regard, I didn’t mind the blend between nonfiction and memoir here.

Some of you may wonder: Do you have to be millennial to enjoy One in a Millennial? To that, I say: “Maybe? But probably not.” If you have a deep appreciation for pop culture and a passion for uplifting women and celebrating girlhood, One in a Millennial will likely be your exact cup of tea. Filled with references and (sometimes cheesy, but mostly endearing) pop culture puns, this book is a time capsule to an early digital world.

Well I LOVED this book! I haven't ever listened to Kate Kennedy's podcast, but after reading this hilariously tender book, I will definitely be adding it into my weekly rotation. I feel like this book truly encapsulated the female millennial experience in all of the funniest and bittersweet ways. It made me look back on my childhood with a lot of fondness, but also some side-eye. I would absolutely enthusiastically recommend this book to any female millennial to feel seen and understood, and I would also recommend it to parents of female millennials on the hope that they might learn how to understand their child better. I hope Kate Kennedy continues to pour her random thoughts and rants into print form!

90s and 2000s girlies unite! This was a great nostalgic read for any millennial woman. I resonated with the topics the author brought up and found the tone of the writing relatable and easy to read. I laughed out loud at many parts, finding myself in many of the stories.

This was such a fun and refreshing read for a millennial. It’s so nostalgic and I found myself nodding along to so many of the sentiments Kennedy discusses. There were so many little Easter eggs I had forgotten about and there were many moments I laughed out loud at some of the things I remember doing as well.

If you are a millennial, this needs to be a must-read. There were parts of this book that I connected with so much that I thought it could have been my life. The chapters on religion could have been my autobiography. I was raised a Catholic in a world where religious criticism and opinion get you judged harshly by other people. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire book but the religious chapter was the one that I related to the most. I laughed many times during this book but also times when I felt a lot of sadness, I remember sitting on the couch with my husband singing "Miss Susie" and remembering all the words. And I laughed hard at this whole thing. It was nice to be reminded of the things that happened in elementary school that I had not remembered. Reading about the explosion of American Girl Dolls and remembering that I felt left out because my parents could not afford one resonated with me too. I would recommend this book to anyone but especially millennials. There were so many happy memories in this book but I was also reminded of some of the harder times that helped me become the person that I am today.

I struggled to get through this one, with the amount of puns, cutins and early 90s references. This just wasn’t for me.

I loved this book so much! I know it is early in the year, but this has been my favorite read so far. Relatable, hilarious, and enjoyable - I couldn't put it down. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced ARC of this book.

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4.5⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: non-fiction📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
An entertaining read that brought back alot of 90’s/2000’s nostalgia. Some of it wasn’t relatable to me but I still enjoyed this one.

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Pop culture
Be There in Five podcast
Coming of age
Heartwarming and funny
Well written
Books that make you feel seen

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
The poems
Covers alot of topics

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
Some of the stuff was very specific to the author

There were some great references that brought me back to my childhood. But ultimately, it was too wordy and I skimmed around through some of the book. It was still fun for the memories it brought up!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was an interesting read. This is a book for millennials by popular podcaster Kate Kennedy of Be There in Five. It's a bit of a walk down memory lane regarding the pop culture of that time. I'm not a millennial but I could relate to a lot of her experiences since I was just a bit older than her and a different generation. She talked about popular girl handwriting, American girls, shows, and experiences. They were the first generation to grow up with the internet.

I can relate to her frustration and that of many millennials things were not the same as they were told they could be when they get older.

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Kate Kennedy for the ARC of this book

4.5 stars, more accurately. But I gave it the 5 because I feel heard. Seriously. There are so many accurate depictions of being a millennial in this book that I could connect with. We were gifted both the blessing and the curse of growing up with so many societal shifts. I honestly failed to recognize how formative these things have been. This is a must-read for the mall junkie, Teen magazine reading, AIM using, CD collecting 30/early 40-somethings out there! We are unique and we are finally…maybe…figuring it out.

Thank you to NetGalley, St Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and author Kate Kennedy for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher for my copy! All thoughts are my own.

There is nothing more exciting to me than seeing the continued success of people I admire. I have been a fan of Kate Kennedy and the Be There in Five Podcast for the longest time. She helped get me through many sunday chores and mental health walks during the pandemic. I was thrilled to see her get a book deal and I’m even happier now that I’ve read the book. It is masterful. Even though I am on the end of the millennial spectrum (1992/1993 babies, where are you?) I still could relate to so much of what Kate wrote about. I was a little too young for the Spice Girls but I was very much an American Girl girlie. There was so much I could relate to and so much I learned, amidst Kate’s signature clever and thoughtful dialogue.

Synopsis:

“One In a Millennial is an exploration of pop culture, nostalgia, the millennial zeitgeist, and the life lessons learned (for better and for worse) from coming of age as a member of a much-maligned generation.Kate is a pop culture commentator and host of the popular millennial-focused podcast Be There in Five. Part-funny, part-serious, Kate navigates the complicated nature of celebrating and criticizing the culture that shaped her as a woman, while arguing that great depths can come from surface-level interests.With her trademark style and vulnerability, One In a Millennial is sharp, hilarious, and heartwarming all at once. She tackles AOL Instant Messenger, purity culture, American Girl Dolls, going out tops, Spice Girl feminism, her feelings about millennial motherhood, and more. Kate’s laugh-out-loud asides and keen observations will have you nodding your head and maybe even tearing up.” —NetGalley

What I Liked:

The Essay Structure: I love how Kate structured this book. It’s an essay collection instead of a tradition memoir, but it still has a memoir feel while staying fresh and fun.

The Writing: I was constantly surprised by how clever the writing was. I shouldn’t be, since Kate’s podcasting has always been quippy and brilliant, but seeing it all in written form was even more more exciting.

The Feelings it Evoked—In the audiobook, Kate opens up in such a beautiful, vulnerable way. I was moved by the emotion in her voice numerous times.

What Didn’t Work:

Nothing! I really thought this was such a well thought out, emotional, funny, relevant book.

Character Authenticity: N/A Spice Rating: N/A Overall Rating: 5/5

Content Warnings:

Infertility, pregnancy loss, ectopic pregnancy, mass shooting, mental health

4.5 stars! I absolutely loved this book and the messages it brought up. I was expecting a fun, lighthearted read & while some moments felt lighter, some more serious topics were also addressed. I loved how feminist this book was! It addressed so many important things & I absolutely would have read even more. The one thing I didn’t love was how some of the random tangents felt disconnected from what was already being discussed, but others times they matched up well. Overall, I loved this and will be recommending to everyone!

Probably my most anticipated book of the year is here!

If you aren’t familiar with Kate’s podcast, Be There In Five, I cannot recommend it highly enough (& if you’re someone I’ve forced into listening to her podcast in the past, you’re welcome)!

Here’s where I start to ramble incoherently, pardon the mess that follows. I cannot possibly fit my thoughts into a caption so I will just word vomit all over the rest of my allotted space.

What you need to know is that Kate’s specialty is deep diving pop culture and bringing so much nuance and value to the discourse surrounding it. Her book is not a memoir, but also, it is. It is both a love letter to and a critique of girlhood and growing up in the aughts - if you are a mid-range millennial with stereotypically feminine interests, her book will resonate with you, especially if you have ever felt that your interests have been trivialized. Especially if you’ve been personally victimized by evangelical teachings (which ps, if you’ve grown up in America, you have been)! This book is nostalgic and thoughtful and funny and heartwarming and so, so clever. If you appreciate good wordplay, you will find it in abundance here.

I read this book a month ago and have been sitting on my thoughts, both because I wanted a physical copy of the book to photograph, but also because I wanted to intelligently put together my feelings, and I think we can all agree that I have proven just now that I am still unable to do so. What I can clearly state is this:

Kate is truly a national treasure and the voice of my generation. I love listening to her articulate things in a way I wholeheartedly agree with but never would have been able to express myself. The woman has a gift with words! Honestly, if you have the option, check out the audiobook version of this book. Her delivery of her writing is something to behold. I didn’t listen to this book, but I have been fortunate enough to hear her read her writing live, and it is SUCH a treat.

Kate has a way with words, which has been clear to me ever since I started listening to her podcast years ago. She has the incredibly unique ability to make the mundane interesting, and that, to me, is the reason why she is the perfect person to have written this book. Girlhood can mean so many things to so many different people, but Kate makes her own singular experiences growing up incredibly relatable, even if you may not have experienced the exact same cultural markers as Kate did.

I thought this was a pretty interesting book. As a millennial, I jumped at the opportunity to read this. There was a lot that I could relate to, but, unfortunately, there was just as much, maybe more, that I couldn’t relate to. Maybe this was because the author is an older millennial than I am. So while we still had a lot of similar experiences, we also had a lot of differences. For example, she had that whole boy-crazy, pop culture-addicted tween phase, but me and almost all of the girls I grew up with didn't. I also think that because she’s American and I am not, there are a lot of differences because of that. Because of that, I felt a bit disappointed, but obviously that’s on me and not the book or author.
I thought this was well written and put together. Each chapter was full of nostalgic millennial references, jokes, and puns. Even though some of the chapters and even references were irrelevant to me based on my age, it was still great to see the development that Kate went through in finding herself and becoming who she is today. Millennials grew up in such a weird time; technology and the online world were a huge part of our lives and had a huge impact on us too. It’s nice reading about others experiences through it all.
I had both the ebook and audio, and I definitely prefer the audiobook. I still think this was written well but I just struggled reading it.

Thank you to Kate Kennedy, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I am not going to lie, I judged this book by its cover and I am so glad I did. This was seriously a flashback in a book. I absolutely loved it. I loved Kate's writing. It was so well written.

I had never felt heard or seen before until I read this one. I am being honest. Thank you for writing such an amazing book that I will forever treasure.

I’m a millennial and we get a bad rap and that’s mostly unjustified and annoying so I was looking forward to reading this book to hear some else’s perspective, but… How do I say it wasn’t for me, but it’s not that I hated it, I just couldn’t get into it, but the premise is still interesting to me…
I feel like there were so many references thrown in back to back that it started feeling like I was reading a list of millennial pop culture references. I did not finish, but I may go back in the future and revisit this one.
At this point, I think it’s more of a me problem than the book. The writing is super fast paced and I think it would end up being a quick read!