Millennial nostalgia seems to be everywhere right now as some fashion and trends are coming back into popular culture and a new generation is experiencing them. I love nostalgia and actually found this book from an Instagram ad that was clearly targeted to my demo. I saw the millennial pink cover with the ‘hot-girl handwriting’ sharpied burnt CD and knew I had to read it. So kudos to the marketing and cover design team!

Even though Kate grew up in Virginia and I in New Jersey, the amount of similarities of our millennial experiences was astounding to me. From specific Marykate & Ashley movie references, to the constant wish for a ‘vacation boyfriend,’ to mentioning the ‘girl with the green ribbon around her neck’ (you remember the horror story), to discussing Bath & Body Works hand sanitizers and the “hot girl scents of cucumber melon, warm vanilla sugar and sweet pea” I was astounded by our shared pop culture experiences! I absolutely thought cucumber melon was specific to my school, lol.

Some quotes that I had to bookmark based on how much I related to them to how much they made me laugh—

“Now, you curate a photo or two of the whole evening, but back then, your friends would mass-upload every goddamn photo like it was a makeshift animated flip-book of the nights least notable details. Social media wasn’t the highlight reel it is today; it was more like bad ongoing CCTV footage captioned with inside jokes. No accidental pocket photo, duplicate or legally questionable photo of a person underage-beer-bonging went undocumented, much to my hungover horror. Though I will say, there are few things more character building than waking up to an email that says, “You’ve been tagged 63 times in so-and-so’s album ‘cuZ tHe PaRtY dOnT StArT TiL I WaLk iN’”

I was the friend curating these Facebook albums, and yes indeed posted photos of the inside of a pocket with some kind of caption like “haha who had my camera here?” 🤭

“Legend has it that every time “Heart & Soul” plays, not unlike a bell ring, a person with the middle name Marie, Elizabeth, Lynn or Nicole gets their wings.”

This made me lollll.

“Even though clinical depression wasn’t on my radar, it seems like it should be pretty obvious from the volume of times I was listening to “The Blower’s Daughter” by Damien Rice on repeat’”

So specific, but this was absolutely my go to angst song and I totally left shady away messages with lyrics from it on AIM.

The book lost me a little as it kind of shifted more into memoir than essays, but I think the author’s perspective is very thoughtful. I like how she delved into the misogyny and extreme beauty standards of this time as well as the pressure to conform and not be an individual. The author is very vulnerable and I think many will see themselves in her struggles. I think at times some of the essays just got a little repetitive/meandering for me and felt like the author made the same points like 100 times. It was kind of like the Barbie movie ‘speech’ for me—well written and insightful, but feminist thought and theory I’ve mused on for years so there was nothing ground breaking. But that won’t be the case for all readers.

3.5 stars

Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Happy {almost} publication date to the one, the [not] only Kate Kennedy! I adore this woman and her words! And, thanks in part to her, I will NOT apologize for the number of exclamation points used in this review!

Part memoir, part walk-down-memory-lane, part social critique, Kate's book made this millennial feel seen, understood, and appreciated in ways mainstream media never could/would. Her razor-sharp wit and niche pop culture references made me LOL, quite literally! The structure of the text mirrors her personal, and in turn, our collective growth and evolution as a generation. Queen of the disclaimer, Kate makes a point to clarify that her experiences are simply that, *her experiences*; however, her story resonated with my own in countless ways.

I tackled this book twice - once in text and once in audio format. I recommend both highly, but thanks to her career as a podcaster, Kate writes in a cadence that is often elevated through spoken word.

I'm not sure if/how this would read as a non-millennial, but as an often misunderstood and scapegoated generation, I would wager it a worthy read for all, regardless of age.

Once in a Millennial hits shelves 1.23.24.

*This book was read and reviewed in partnership with NetGalley.*

This book was part pop culture commentary, part memoir as podcaster Kate Kennedy reflects on various trends throughout her life. In this book, she discusses a wide variety of topic from American Girl dolls, to going out tops (IYKYK), and even more serious topics such as the purity culture from the early 2000s. This book was a fun walk down memory lane as a fellow millennial, but also made me think differently about some aspects of culture and how they may have impacted our generation. While there weren’t any earth shattering revelations, this was a fun read for a bit of millennial nostalgia. Kate Kennedy narrated the audiobook herself and listening to it felt like chatting with a friend.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and Macmillan Audio for the advance copies.

With reverence for the ways in which we as a generation expressed ourselves, irreverence for things like the perfect AIM screen name and thoughtful analysis of how these factors turned millennial girls into the the women we are today, One in a Millennial takes a crack at the ubiquitous experience of growing up in the 90s and early 2000s.

Though I am a few years older than the author and experience the same cultural milestones as a high schooler and not a middle schooler, so many of her experiences rang true for me. But nothing more so that the chapter titled “Pumpkin Spice Girl”. Reading this felt like having a conversation with a friend who grew up in a different state but somehow still listened to the same music and still had the same posters on the wall. I really enjoyed the reading experience, but also wish I would have listened to One in a Millennial on audiobook to listen to Kate Kennedy narrate her formative years and the way they have shaped her now as a thirty-something.

4.5 Stars!

This book is for every 30 something millennial girl who grew up in the 90s; its literally an ode to our girlhood (in memoir form despite being told its not a memoir). A nostalgic trip down memory lane of the girl we were and how much all we that loved & were influenced by played a role in the women we've become.

So many of Kate's experiences and/or feelings I genuinely could've written myself - probably even word for word. I LOL'd so often at how vividly she depicted parts paralell to what feels like my very own memories.

The entire book is basically one 90s pop culture reference after another that is just so poignantly intertwined within the essence of what shaped our young lives. Granted some experiences were not similar to mine, it was written so well that I still felt a sense of nostalgia to her experience. Not everyone person will feel a connection to this the way I did and Kate herself acknowledges that that may be the case - but I do feel there's a chapter in here for everyone.

Focused on all the most important F words of our lives - friendships, feelings, fangirls, feminism & fitting in, this book is a "basic" reference to the girls we once were. I loved the nostalgia of it, and defintely recommend it for when you want a light and easy read to put a smile on your face. Kate brought validation to our upbringing with a "zig-a-zig-ah" and I am so here for it.

This book is not for everyone BUT the people that it is for will revel in the nostalgia. Kate is funny and reflective in a way that makes us look back and not feel stupid at all the little things we did (like pining over boys on AIM) because it was more of a collective feeling than we realize.

Some of the passages felt a bit long to me, but over all each essay had me in multiple different feels.

3.75 stars

As an elder millennial…this book is so ridiculously relatable. Honestly, almost painfully so at times. Don’t let the cute millennial pink cover fool you—while there certainly are a plethora of light-hearted moments within a massive amount of pop-culture referencing nostalgia, there is also a surprising amount of thought-provoking depth. I cried almost as many times as I laughed, and I think I will be processing a lot of the thoughts and memories that this book brought up for quite awhile.

Having been born in 1981, I am at the very beginning of the timeframe some consider to be millennials. I was excited to read this and thought I might find some humorous stories that I'd also experienced and then others I could possibly relate to. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case. There were some things I nodded my head at, but maybe the almost 10 years between my age and the author's made a bigger difference than I expected. I was also hoping for shorter chapters and more humorous thoughts, but these felt so long. Interspersed were little snippets about some specific things, but the chapters themselves felt overwhelming to read and really specific to the author's own experiences. I didn't make it past the first section, which covered things like American Girl dolls, boy bands, sleepovers, crushes, and church youth group culture. I appreciate the ARC, but this wasn't the book for me.

Even though I didn't get all the references, I did appreciate many of Kate Kennedy's insights about her millennial experience.

I've never listened to the author's podcast, but I think fans of the podcast or people who had very similar experiences growing up as the author will really enjoy this memoir.

For me, I really enjoyed the pieces where I got the references, but there were just so many references I didn't get that I know I couldn't appreciate the book, its insights, and its humor in its entirety. My own millennial experience growing up was so different from Kennedy's in so many ways that I just had zero understanding about some of the pop culture moments being referenced. I could still appreciate the conclusions and final commentary, but not fully grasping the significance of a moment that an entire chapter or section was based on left me confused most of the time.

This book brought back much nostalgia for the late 90s and early 2000s. I felt completely called out when the author reminded me of my obsession with wanting a canopy bed. I recommend this book if you are looking for a “OH! I remember that.” For example, if you remember ‘tight squeeze, cool breeze... now you've got the shiveries!’ You are my people.

As a millennial girly I felt myself agreeing to SO MUCH of this book probarly because I'm nosy, intense and indecisive too. Between going out tops, boy bands, facebook albums, and fitting in I feel like Kate captured a lot of my experiences.

I truly connected with her essays on timelines and how we are the first generation to compare milestones in real time on social media. I guess before social media we would just find out hot goss but now it seems like every weekend feeds are filled with engagements, weddings and baby announcements. I loved the line "No one can prepare you for the period of time in your mid to late twenties when your social life is literally only other people's milestones." It gets so easy to identify yourself by those things and be disappointed if you're hitting those milestones with everyone else in your circle.

Loved this book thanks St Martin's Press and NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I came for the mixed cd cover, stayed for the daybed, beaded door drapes, YM magazine, Lisa Frank, Limited Too, Snackwell's, Love Spell, AIM screen names, 99 bananas, Spice Girls, Nsync and American girl dolls references (among so many others). This spoke to my 90s self! Kate did a good job capturing all the nostalgic references, which made it fun to take a trip down memory lane. The only reason I'm giving it 3 stars is because it is extremely long-winded. I feel like the word count could have been cut even more than she mentions.

I really enjoy Kate Kennedy, but this book fell flat for me. It seemed full of the author's personal nostalgia instead of insightful commentary or an interesting thesis about millennial culture. I've listened to a few episodes of Kennedy's podcast, and most of the chapters in this book would make for better podcast episodes than reading material.

4.5+ stars

Okay, I loved this book. The nostalgic exploration of the things many millennial women grew up with was delightful. The stories, references, writing made me laugh, roll my eyes, and nod in agreement. Humour, love, acceptance, and sorrow all had a place in the text. From purity culture to music to feminism to fashion, the author addressed a range of topics, many of which are things considered traditionally “feminine” that she and many others did and do enjoy. It also had some great lines, such as when the writer described worship songs as “kind of like boy band love ballads that we’re singing to jesus” and further explored how sexist ideas are not new since many are “preconceived notions [that] have been around since god first cancelled a woman for eating.” Long story short, I enjoyed many things about this book, and I already know a least a couple of friends to whom I’ll be gifting a copy in the relatively near future.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

No surprise that I absolutely loved this book! Much like Kate’s podcast, her book eloquently describes millennial experience in a way that is both humorous and reflective. As a “zillennial” born in the late 90’s I still found many of the anecdotes relatable to my own girlhood. Kate has a unique way of making her reader feel seen and understood with her analytical approach to feminine interests society often deems unimportant/unserious. Would highly, highly recommend this to millennials and zillennials alike!

"One In a Millennial" is an exploration of pop culture, nostalgia, and the life lessons learned from coming of age as a millennial. As a pop culture commentator and the host of the popular millennial-focused podcast "Be There in Five," Kennedy brings her perspective to the table in this book, featuring a blend of humor and seriousness.

Kennedy's narrative is undoubtedly from the viewpoint of one millennial's lived experience, but she still delves into important topics such as intersectionality, feminism, privilege, reproductive rights, and the pervasive misogyny that has defined millennial culture for much of our lives.

The author's ability to intertwine personal anecdotes with broader societal reflections makes "One In a Millennial" a thought-provoking read. It invites readers to reconsider the depth that can emerge from seemingly surface-level interests. This book serves as a mirror to millennial experiences, encouraging introspection and fostering a deeper understanding of the complexities inherent in navigating the cultural landscape of our generation.

This was as nostalgia inducing and relatable as I had hoped, with lots of humor and interesting insights. Made me feel simultaneously old and young again hearing about malls, fashion trends I would like to forget and the complicated highs and lows of sorority life. Her writing style was at times too cheesy/blog writer humor for my sensibilities, but I think a lot of people may enjoy that type of cleverness. Just was too heavy handed on the puns and wordplay for me in that regard.

In this memoir he author writes about various topics from her childhood and adolescence through college and her adult working life. All the references to the 90's and 2000's pop culture were spot on. TW: Also touches on pregnancy loss.

I absolutely loved everything about this book! I am only a couple of years older than the author, so this book was very nostalgic for me, and I could relate to so much in this book. I loved the author's honesty throughout. The chapter that really resonated with me the most was when the author opened up about her struggles with fertility. Again, I really appreciated the honesty in this chapter specifically, and it really made me feel less alone in my own struggles. This book also really opened my eyes to a lot of the messaging that was pushed onto us as kids that totally went over my head, and honestly, still did as an adult. It was very eye opening. I think this is a wonderful book for millennials to read. I can't wait to purchase my own copy and dive into again, and I will definitely be recommending it to our patron's. I already have a few in mind who I know will love it.

Like most of Kate’s podcast episodes this one took me a long time to finish but in a good way. It is very similar to the podcast but in written form. She covers things from her past with nostalgia and pop culture mixed in!