Thank you to St Martins Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

Although it was a little lengthy; this was a super enjoyable laugh out loud walk down memory lane for all of us 90s girlies!

What a fun read! I am not quite a millennial (1980 - holla :)) but I am barely a Generation X-er. I feel so left out. Ha!

The beginning of the book was slow for me, and I did not love the lonnngggggg analysis on penmanship. But, once that segment was over, I really enjoyed the book.

There were so many relatable areas -- and I definitely felt seen. The segment on church, the analysis of Saved by The Bell (is there any wonder why boys of the 80s/90s may have looked down on girls?? They were told by TNBC that girls were dumb and shouldn't be taken seriously. Which by the way makes me super annoyed by those TV writers), the clothing choices, wanting to fit in, etc., etc., etc.

Many times, I felt myself reminiscing about my own childhood. I had a phone in my bedroom. With my own line!! But, sadly, we did not have cable or a pool. I drove a hunter green Grand Am and dresses in Abercrombie.

Man, this book was a trip down memory lane. And, it was definitely enjoyable. Also made me sort of wish this new generation, babies born in the late 2000s, tried a little harder to fit in and not stand out so much (as a mother of a 16-year-old, I wouldn't mind a little more JCrew and a little less angsty teen. :)

I really related to the author in many ways, and I had so much empathy for her.

I definitely enjoyed the audio version of the book more than the written version (the poems were a little long for me in the written version, easier to listen to on 1.25x speed).

I recommend this book if you'd like to take a walk down memory lane.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillian Audio, and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy of One in a Millennial in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

OMG I LOVED THIS BOOK!!

I’m a long time BETH, so I jumped at the chance to review this. This book was so wonderfully nostalgic. I loved revisiting my 90s childhood through Kate’s magical words.

This was such a fun trip down memory lane by an author who could literally be my personality clone. In One in a Millennial, Kate Kennedy, host of the podcast Be There In Five, takes us on a journey back to the early 90s in elementary school, all the way up to the struggles millennial women are facing today. So much in this book resonated so much for me, and had me belly laughing to boot. My favorite chapter was You’ve Got Male which delves into the world of AOL instant messenger and how huge an impact it had on our day to day lives. Being just one year younger than Kate and coming from a very similar background, this is one of those books I felt was written just for me.

In the back half of the book, it shifts a lot to memoir territory, which I like but was not what I was expecting. The pace slowed towards the end, but overall this was an outstanding look at what it meant to have grown up a millennial.

I did not finish this book. It read very much as a list of things teen girls did while growing up as a millennial, without offering much beyond a heavy dose of nostalgia. I wasn’t getting much out of it or looking forward to picking it up so I chose to put it down for good.

💿 One in a Millennial - Kate Kennedy

If you’re a Millennial, you NEED to read this. I laughed, I cried, I felt SO seen. I didn’t know what I was expecting when I read this, but I’m really glad I started the year off with this light, funny, easily connectable, memoir-ish book.

Every chapter had something I could identify with. I’m in the late end of the “millennials” as I was born in 1994 (yikes, 30 soon) but I still felt so seen by all of these memories. I loved Kate’s ability to laugh about how we grew up, reminisce about our favorites and least favorites in the 90s, 2000s, and today, and her ability to identify our “issues” and how that’s effected the way we are today. I connected with her stories and laughed with her, I was pissed at some of the bad things were blamed for, and I loved her story telling. I’ll say it one more time, if you’re a Millennial, this is a must!

Keep your eyes open for this one coming out 1/23! Thank you Netgalley, MacMillan Audio, and St. Martin Press for the early ARC copies!

This book was so much fun! I loved all of the millennial playbacks it was a blast from my past. I’m a sucker for these kind of books and this one did not disappoint!

Beloved podcaster Kate Kennedy explores pop culture, nostalgia, and life lessons of an often-besmirched generation.

One in a Millennial brought back so many memories from my childhood. The hanging door beads, dial-up internet, and American Girl Dolls were some of my favorites then and I still look back fondly on getting a new American Girl Doll and accessories at Christmas and playing with my cousins. This does lean towards a memoir in my opinion. I do think this book is the perfect example of growing up in different times and how the things that your are exposed to really shape your character and outlook on life. Millennials are referred to as quirky and this definitely can help explain why. This leads me to wonder if any of us have ever had an original thought (lol).

I did not know that Kate had a podcast, but I definitely plan to look into it after this book.

I’m technically a year too old to be a millennial, but I suppose I identify as one anyway? So many of the cultural touch points referenced in this book resonate with me, from boy bands and Bath and Body Works’ scents (Cucumber Melon forever!) to purity culture and popular-girl handwriting and everything in between.

I’m a regular listener of Kate Kennedy’s podcast, and I particularly enjoy her *super* deep dives on topics like fandoms, influencer culture, reality TV, Mormon mommy bloggers, MLMs, cults, and American Girl dolls, to name a few. And this book, not surprisingly, takes a similar in-depth and analytical approach to topics that are often dismissed as superficial or silly or shallow simply by virtue of being of interest to women.

<i>”Why was I worried my hobbies weren’t good enough, why did I accept that they’d be weaponized against me? Why would I ever let someone who drafts make-believe football teams make me believe I should be embarrassed by my interests?”</i>

The writing style won’t be for everyone—it’s very conversational and stream-of-consciousness, even compared to other memoirs. And the target audience is niche by design. But I found it simultaneously entertaining and thought-provoking, and at times quite emotional. Kennedy writes about agonizing over the decision to become a parent (“Childless Millennial” is one of her most-listened-to episodes) and her subsequent fertility challenges, and also about mental health and sexuality.

<i>”Purity culture tells you that abstaining from sexual interactions is what makes you a valuable person, whereas hookup culture solely values your participation. …In both cases, it requires a level of disconnection from yourself and your body and a tendency to listen to those around you for cues about how you should act, where you should have boundaries, and what your sexual behavior means about you as a woman.”</i>

At the same time, so much of “One in a Millennial” is just fun and funny amd punny and nostalgic. The music references alone were a trip down memory lane.

<i>”I get [my mom] not wanting me to scream-sing in fifth grade, “IS SHE PERVERTED LIKE ME? WOULD SHE GO DOWN ON YOU IN A THEATER?” per the Alanis of it all. In fact, I was so committed to sexy song lyrics, one time my parents found the lyrics to Shaggy’s “It Wasn’t Me” in the printer tray, and I’m 99-percent sure it was me who printed them out. I have to laugh thinking about my mom and dad reading a Word document printed out with lines like “picture this we were both butt-naked bangin’ on the bathroom floor” without melody or context.”</i>

I thought Kennedy was honest in acknowledging her privilege as a cis het white woman, though of course ymmv. (“Anything that made me feel different, I changed. Now I see what a privilege it was to not have this disconnect grounded in my identity or skin color or sexual orientation or abilities.”)

In the prologue, she writes that “in my bones, I don’t know how to not care the most.” And I think that care comes through on the page.

**Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc.**

Full disclosure: I don't listen to podcasts and due to a busy scheduling juggling work and family, and I don't have time to keep up with pop culture much anymore, so I had never heard of Kate Kennedy prior to this book. But as a millennial myself, I was intrigued by the title and description blurb, which led me to request an arc of this novel. I alternated between reading the digital version of the book and listening to the audiobook, which was narrated by Kate Kennedy herself, so I enjoyed that more.

I was very surprised by how much this book resonated with me and with how much in common I have with the author. From rehashing the trends of my childhood in the 90's (Yes, I was an American Girl doll collector), to experiencing a mass tragedy as college students (Her: The Virginia Tech Massacre; Me: 9/11), to later discussing the political issues that impact women today (See: Supreme Court Dobbs v. Jackson WHO), this book was a trip down nostalgia lane that connected how (many) millennials like myself evolved within the context of the socio-political-pop culture of our time.

Of course, like the author, I have the privilege of being a blonde white woman hailing from a middle-class suburban family. So her (and my) experiences highlighted in the book certainly do not speak to all millennials. That being said, it was meaningful to me, and I'm glad I read this book as my last of the year to reflect on the past as I move forward into 2024.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, NetGalley, and Kate Kennedy for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Not exactly the reminiscing that I thought would be happening, as a millennial myself, but not a bad read. I had to take a couple breaks reading it, the pacing was off.

As a millennial this was a nostalgic read. It gives memoir vibes although it’s not. Perfect if you want to be nostalgic.

As a millennial I was looking forward to reminiscing about boy bands, butterfly clips and Lisa Frank along with the author. I’m not sure exactly what this book was trying to do. It was a bit memoir, a bit history and a bit self-help. The chapters were extremely long and I felt that there was a lot of rambling on.

Honestly, when I first started this book it felt like a reading assignment and I had to put it down for a bit and come back to it. Don’t get me wrong there were some good parts that I enjoyed but overall I think it needed a bit more editing and refining.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Introducing "Millennial Musings" by Kate Kennedy: A Journey through the Pop Culture Phenomenon

Step into the vibrant world of pop culture with renowned podcaster and influential voice of our generation, Kate Kennedy. "Millennial Musings" is a captivating exploration of all things nostalgic, the ever-evolving millennial zeitgeist, and the invaluable life lessons learned amidst the trials and tribulations of being part of a generation often misunderstood.

As both a pop culture commentator and the charismatic host of the wildly popular podcast "Be There in Five," Kate effortlessly blends humor and depth as she delves into the complexities of embracing and critiquing the very culture that has shaped her as a woman. Through her unique perspective, she passionately argues that profound insights can arise from even the most seemingly superficial interests.

Prepare to be enthralled by Kate's signature style, a delightful fusion of wit and vulnerability. "Millennial Musings" is a masterful combination of sharp wit, uproarious humor, and heartwarming anecdotes. With her astute observations, Kate fearlessly explores a wide range of topics, many of which resonate with me, although I am a generation ahead of Kate.

I laughed. I cried. I laughed til I cried.
Pop culture, social media and many other outlets influence us in ways we don’t even consider. I thoroughly enjoyed “Once In A Millinial,” and found myself wanting to read more.

One in a Millennial started off with a fairly interesting (yet very long) prologue. I went into this book excited to reminisce on my parts of my childhood and hoping for something more along the lines of The Nineties which I really enjoyed. However, One is just not as deep or as meaningful as a traditional memoir and not as informative or interesting as a commentary/expose on the time. It felt like it was confused and didn’t know what it was trying to be.

I found myself skimming or reading which not actually absorbing the info. When the book started to feel like homework I had to complete I had to finally throw in the towel.

I just don’t think this book is for me which is why I rated it the way I did. It wasn’t bad and I’m sure people who listen to her podcast really enjoyed it. I didn’t feel right rating it lower because it just wasn’t a good fit. It’s not you, it’s me One.

Thank you netgalley for the arc

I read 40% of One In a Millenial, but ultimately did not finish it. It started out really strong, and as a Millenial, I felt like I could relate to so much of the subject content. However, it’s too long and certain sections just felt like rambling. I do think this book makes a lot of great points about the world in which Millenials were raised and there’s a lot of witty humor, but overall, it just wasn’t succinct enough to keep me going. I think I would have enjoyed this one on audio, and I will check out the audiobook from my library once it’s released. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC of One in a Millennial in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fun trip through 90s nostalgia but you can definitely tell that the author is a podcaster. Many of the sentences felt like they were a run-on thought rather than fleshed out ideas. I think part of the issue is that I was born in 1995 so I’m *barely* a millennial so I maybe just didn’t relate in the same way as other readers might. I’m also not the biggest nonfiction girlie so this just wasn’t really for me.

I can DEFINITELY see how people will enjoy this though!

“One in a Millennial” does a beautiful job telling the story of the author’s journey within her generational touchstones to become a more well-rounded self-actualized person in her childhood and young adulthood. Funny, sad, introspective essays are woven together to tell the story of one slice of the millennial generation as they age into a more reflective, powerful period of their lives. Loved the longer, deeper view of this group that has become an internet punchline.

I love listening to Kate Kennedi’s podcast and One in a Millenial felt like an extension of that. Kate’s perspectives, pop cultural deep dives, and musings over serious topics will capture the attention of any millennial.