I am solidly a fan of Be There in 5 podcast. I think it takes quite a bit of skill to host many episodes monologuing by yourself and still keeping listeners engaged and interested. I assumed this would translate well to a book but unfortunately I was a little disappointed by this.

Yes I agree with other reviewers in that thought this was going to be more of a retrospective commentary on millennial culture and turns out it’s more memoir. The thing is I would’ve been still interested if it was only memoir! My issue is that this toes the line in between the two to the point where I’m reading pages and pages about daybeds and not really anything about Kate’s feelings coming of age. It’s doing neither genre to its full potential.

It does read like a research paper at times when describing things I am well aware of. I didn’t find it relatable in the way it intended me to because I was there. This book would be better for a different generation to read but as a millennial I don’t need such detail described about American Girl dolls without telling me anything new as I lived through it. I’ve watched YouTube deep dives with more history on AG where I could actually learn and feel something (particularly the discontinued historical dolls). But instead we have both genres watered down to fit space for each other.

There were moments I found so charming and even laughed out loud like when Kate would briefly describe a situation specific to her (namely the time her parents found printed out lyrics to “it wasn’t me” by shaggy) but the problem is then the moment was gone and we’re back to getting descriptions on how AOL messenger worked, something millennials already know!!

Since I do my best to not DNF ARCs I did continue with this and it did get better. If I was solely rating the first 25% it would be a 3 star but honestly the chapter on religion really resonated and gave me something new to reflect on and that feeling of commiseration. If this wasn’t an ARC I really think I would have DNFed and missed out on this.

I also appreciated the retrospective look on popular shows of the time and bringing new commentary on them. This does have gems.

Overall if you are a fan of Kate and/or her podcast then of course read this. If you are a millenial looking for a deep dive into the generation or someone’s experience with it, I’m a little on the fence of automatically recommending it. Thank you to St Martin’s Press for inviting me to review this book, I was definitely going to give it a try regardless.

I vividly remember starting Be There in Five (with the Mormon mommy bloggers episodes, of course) while driving through Utah (kismet, I think!) on a solo trip. I was totally hooked on the long form podcast format, the side quest rambles, and that Kate was talking about the same things my friends and I were talking about. Kate's book reads much like her podcast, with lots of talk about millennial-isms, things we loved growing up, and existing today.

TW for talk of infertility and pregnancy-related things.

As an Elder Millennial I identified so hard with this book. Our experience is so unique, yet we all share an understanding of this time in our lives. Wonderful read!

This book made me feel so seen. Love, laughter and some sadness for what we went through. I. Thought the pacing was done really well.

Even better than I expected. I felt so seen by this book! When I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley (thank you!), I wasn’t familiar with Kate Kennedy or her podcast ‘Be There In Five’. I didn’t quite know what to expect, but I knew it would at least be a fun, relatable read with a bunch of (amazing) millennial pop culture references. It was all of that but so much more! I wasn’t expecting the book to be this fun while simultaneously having such depth, but I was pleasantly surprised. Kate’s analyses about the culture many millennial women grew up in are so well-thought-out, in-depth, thought-provoking, and, more than anything, fun to read. I immediately subscribed to her podcast after reading this book and I can’t believe I’ve been missing out on her work for this long! While I already have the digital ARC of this book, I will absolutely be buying a physical copy of this book for myself and all of the millennial women in my life.

Very sweet and nostalgic! Loved the topic and enjoyed the read so much. :)

Thank you NetGalley and Kate Kennedy!

Full disclosure: I've been following Kate on Instagram since her doormat days and still, years later, look forward to hearing her voice on my feed. She truly has a way with words and is one of those fast talkers who I feel like could give an entire intelligent dissertation filled with appropriate puns and other wordplays on a whim. I'm often envious of how her brain works.

I'm a few years older than Kate, but very much in the (elder) millennial group and have always been able to relate to her in so many ways. From American Girl Dolls to celebrity obsessions to Instant Messenger to trying to fit in to building my own business, I was really excited to hear everything she has to say on being a millennial and pop culture.

This book isn't billed as being a memoir, but in many ways, it is. Kate really leans on her personal experiences with pop culture and not all millennials will be able to relate (she is very transparent about how privileged she is in many ways). Despite the cutesy wordplay, the book really is an intelligent, almost academic, look at millennial pop culture topics. Not all the chapters are easy breezy (Cover Girl) and you may find them heavier than what you're looking for in a pop culture book.

I personally loved this and especially enjoyed how she pulls apart much of the experiences lots of us had growing up as millennial females that have shaped who we are today. I will never look at Saved By the Bell the same way again! She also does a deep dive on the term "basic" and how women's interests are often diminished and mocked.

I worry slightly that those who don't know already know who Kate is might think her book is too filled with cutesy wordplay (there are A LOT of puns), but I think knowing Kate, I just know this is literally how she speaks. I haven't listened to it, but I feel like the book would be absolutely fabulous on audio and is probably really how it's meant to be consumed.

If you want an intelligent look at millennial culture that will bring back lots of fun memories while also giving you a different lens through which to look at your experiences, definitely check this one out!

"One in a Millennial" is the perfect read for any millennial in need of some nostalgia. I follow Kate Kennedy online and was excited to read her debut book. This is written in her tone and it's like you're listening to her talk. Which is turn was a little but I still enjoyed it.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my digital arc in exchange for my review.

If you are millennial white, middle class female this book is an absolute accurate description of the 1990s and 2000s. her humor and heart make it very relatable. Sometimes I laughed out loud, and other times I was nodding my head in agreement. Great read, but if you do not relate to the above criteria- you may not find it enjoyable.

This book reads as a memoir that will hit home with those of “my generation” to risk that phrase sounding dated. I loved remembering things from the past that would really only mean something to the millennial culture. It made me happy and was a fun book!

I was hoping for a VH1 "We Love the (Decade)" type of book, but it was more of a memoir. Definitely relatable to millennials and will resonate there, but it's a lot less funny and a lot more introspective that I would have liked.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy in return for an honest review. This book was so fun and witty. There were so many things from my past that she talked about that I had forgotten about. My only critique is that it felt a little long

Kate Kennedy is the host of the podcast "Be There in Five." Now she's adding "author" to her list of careers with "One in a Millennial: On Friendship, Feelings, Fangirls, and Fitting In." Throughout this book, Kennedy is pointing out "the dichotomy between celebrating the things I grew up with for what they were while also criticizing the way they shaped my worldview." In her book, she talks about silly topics such as the Spice Girls and American Girl dolls, while also talking about more difficult topics such as purity culture and infertility.

I enjoyed the walk down the memory lane of my childhood, and also appreciated how open and transparent Kennedy was, while also adding her trademark humor. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Unfortunately, I was unable to complete this book. It simply became too much of a slog and I couldn't bear it any longer and had to quit reading (which is a very uncommon occurrence for me - I usually stick most books out). At first I enjoyed the familiar references to brand names and and trends of the 90's and was excited to continue reading. However, each chapter seemed to get progressively worse and worse. I started skipping pages as Kate continued to drone on (and on!) about waterskiing at church camps while being (in hind sight) indoctrinated with the religious "purity" movement. I finally called it quits when I started on the next chapter about HANDWRITING (yes - literally handwriting, not "the art of writing"), which my Kindle predicted would take me 45 minutes to finish reading (yes 45 minutes for that single chapter, not the remainder of the book). Maybe rambling on and on about topics (especially while interviewing a guest) is a successful model for Kate Kennedy's podcast, but it made for a terrible (in my opinion) writing style, which I couldn't endure.

I adored this book, I found it to be full of wisdom. It was also very entertaining and relatable if you are a millennial (guilty). I find it silly as we get older we hold onto those moments from when we were younger and we don't even know it. This book will remind you of those moments.

’ve listened to many of Kate’s podcast episodes and her same witty and insightful voice is in this book, mercifully with more editing. I am no doubt the target demographic for the book being born in 1989 and a lover of pop culture. There were some lines that were so smart and insightful it truly stopped me in my tracks, but often times I feel like it was well trodden territory. Do I think this because I am aware of Kate’s internet prescience or because it truly has already been covered in the media landscape? I think the book is part cultural criticism and part memoir, so it may struggle to find exactly what to bill itself as when it comes to marketing. With all cristicsms aside, I truly enjoyed the book and found it best consumed in small bites.

Thank you Kate Kennedy and St. Martin’s Press for this awesome E-ARC! Growing up as a 90’s baby (1995) the millennial nostalgia was STRONG!! So many memories were brought to the surface - all in good ways - of how it was growing up, seen in the societies eye, and the challenges we face(d) in this particular generation. If you’re a millennial (born 1981-1996) I highly recommend this memoir!

I didn't know the author's podcast before reading this, so she was a stranger when I started the book, but now feels like a BFF I'm going to try to impress with my AOL away messages. I'm a few years older than Kate, and from a different background, especially socioeconomically, but many of the cultural touchstones she explores were vital to my adolescence too. And it's been interesting to think back on the cultural messaging I absorbed without questioning, especially when it came to body image and "crazy" female characters like Jessie Spano. All in all, a fun, nostalgic read!

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

I loved this and it was like walking down memory lane! The only thing that was hard is the length. Chapters were long so it wasn’t easy to put down and come back - I ended up skimming. It felt wordy at times too. But, overall enjoyed!

I absolutely loved this book and will be purchasing it for all of my female friends. I've never felt so seen and had no idea how many of my experiences were shared. Fun, insightful, and poignant - one of my favorite reads of the year.