This was such a nostalgic read, it felt like sitting with old friends talking about the good old days. So much relatable content. Sometimes I feel like I'm perpetually stuck in the 90's (with no shame about it) and as such, this book was made for me!

I am on the late end of Gen X, so while I recognize the references, I feel a bit more cynical about how pop culture from the nineties had such a huge effect on how we see ourselves. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the writing style. The author inserted random mentions of pop culture into her sentences in a bid for cleverness. Overall, this was just okay. Maybe I’m more of a Gen Xer than I thought.

I went in to this book thinking it would be a nostalgic trip down memory lane. And I some ways, it was. The first half was particularly fun to read as a millennial. I especially loved the chapter about AIM and how it shaped the way we talk to each other. The second half of the book fell a little flat for me, and seemed like a lot of essays about why she wanted to write a book. I am not familiar with her podcast, so that may be a part of why the rest didn't resonate with me. I wanted more nostalgia! I loved reading her take on Limited Too, gel pens and Saved by the Bell. It is an enjoyable read for anyone who came of age in the early 2000s and touches on the early internet, purity culture, boy bands and also the trauma our generation has endured through countless school shootings.

Kate Kennedy's "One in a Millennial," is a sharp, witty, thoughtful analysis of pop culture through the frame of womanhood. Kate's observations and one-liners had me laughing out loud. There was no millennial stone left unturned from American Girls to the Spice Girls, with some Taylor Swift lyrics aptly sprinkled in. The zeitgeist topics were uniquely and candidly explored. These essays were a fun trip down memory lane and helped me remember things about my childhood that I had forgotten, like AIM screen names and popular-girl handwriting. Kate's approachable writing style made me feel like I was having a conversation with a friend over coffee. Her essays left me with a lot to reflect on. The humor was clever and serious topics were dealt with reverently. This is a book you'll want to reread and lend to all of your friends!

I feel both seen and attacked.

The way I laughed, sent quotes to friends, and cringed while reading this book is wild. I was unfamiliar with Kate Kennedy prior to reading this book - but will definitely seek out more of her work. She so perfectly captured the zeitgeist of the time and so many of the small, cultural influences that impacted my girlhood. From the classic white girl sleepover, complete with some spooky stuff, to American Girl Dolls to fashion and sororities - I laughed so hard reading this book.

I want to cry thinking about it. My girlhood is wrapped in every morsel of nostalgia that Kate Kennedy immortalizes in the pages of her book, One In a Millennial. Kate is a podcaster but I see her as a modern historian and thought leader of the millennial experience. Kate leaves no facts unchecked in her book of essays on the millennial experience. I believe that life is difficult to simultaneously live and dissect and Kate does such a good job of reverencing girlhood experiences while not blindly praising them. I envision myself turning to this book again and again not only for the nostalgic hugs but for the sharing of feelings over drinks and snacks that this book feels like to me. This book is like getting together with the girls of your girlhood and rehashing memories and feelings with all the insight, humor and compassion that age brings. If you love Kate’s podcast, Be There In Five, you will love her book. And even if you’ve never listened to her podcast, her book will still hit you right in the feels.

I loved the concept of this book, but the execution is a little flawed. It reads much more like a trip down the author's memory lane than what I expected - a commentary on how millennials like me became the way we are. While I love the reminiscing of the past, I struggled to get through this book because of the writing style. I am a completist, so I will finish it, but it will likely take me a while since it isn't really grabbing me. Not sure if I'd recommend this one or not. If you like her podcast, you'll probably like it, but otherwise... I'm not sure.

I absolutely love Kate Kennedy’s podcast Be There in Five, but this book was missing a little bit of some thing for me. For those who love the idea of a book, full of
Kate’s podcasts in written form, this will be for you, but I myself was expecting something a little different than the podcast. I wish I could’ve given this all the stars but ultimately it was I typically look for in a nonfiction.

I’ve never listened to Kate’s podcast, but I really loved this book!
Born in 1993, I’m a full on millennial and I found this so poignant and interesting even though this book ended up being a lot different than I expected.
I expected this to be more like a memoir than a think piece, but I think the think piece structure this is in works much better for the subject matter.
This was so niche but it made me feel really seen. For most millennials, we grew up in that weird in-between time where social media was absolutely a big part of our teen years but not quite what it’s like today.

I'm definitely the target audience for this (32 year old mom of 2) but I had trouble getting into this one! If you follow her on Insta and are already a fan of her wordsmithing and style then I'm sure you'll be a big fan. I needed a little more funny pop culture references and honestly just less big words. I don't want to have to work so hard to read this style of book. This would be a great gift for the millennial in your life though and I see how people can connect with her message!

Fans of Kennedy's podcast will love this book, it is written in her signature long form, pop culture heavy prose. Not for every reader, since Kennedy seems a little over impressed with her own cleverness, but a relatable reflection on millennial girl to womanhood.

This millennial pop culture/memoir was totally hit-or-miss for me throughout. Half of the time I really enjoyed the references, recollections, and stories Kate Kennedy told, but then the other half it was way too full of random unrelated stories and tangents that had little to do with the essay topics. I feel like this book could have really been great with tighter editing and less thrown in at the end that has less perspective than earlier chapters.

Overall I did enjoy, and would recommend to others who grew up in the 90s and came of age in the 2000s. I think audio might also be a better experience.

I was expecting more of a memoir, but it's not that. It's more of Kate's musings on many different millennial topics, some of which deeply resonated for me since Kate was born a mere two months before me. If you like her podcast, you will obviously like the book. If lines like "I wasn't in the market for someone being Contempo Casually cruel (in the name of being honest) about my outfit" make you laugh, then this is also probably up your alley.

Really fun, sharply perceptive, and laugh out loud funny. I can’t wait to listen to the audiobook version of this too! If you’re a pop culture obsessed millennial, don’t wait to read this. It’s gold.

I really do think this book needs a different marketing strategy. I requested an advance copy of this because the description said it was a commentary on millennial pop culture when this is really a memoir. The author writes about various topics from her childhood and adolescence through college and her adult working life.

While I enjoyed some of the essays and anecdotes, I found most of the book dragged on and I was skipping parts to just get through it. I wouldn't say this is about the universal millennial experience but is more about the author's unique experiences and while I related to some parts of the book others didn't resonate with me. As a young millennial I'm a bit too young for some of the nostalgic topics that were covered but others were spot on for me. I do think this is a good book for fans of the Be There In Five podcast but I'd never heard of the podcast and haven't listened to any episodes so I'm not invested in Kennedy as a person or in her life. This missed the mark for me but could be enjoyable to those who are fans of the author already.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for a review! This was a very relatable and humorous read for a millennial like myself, and I enjoyed the trip down memory lane. It was unique, but I had some trouble fully connecting with the author, and I may have had a better time with that if I listened to her podcast. I felt there was some missed potential here, and it's outside my typical genre. I would recommend this for the millennial girlies out there looking for a nostalgic read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this advanced copy of One in a Millennial. Ive never heard of Kate before, or the podcast before; but being an older millennial I figured it would spark some core memories of my own; and I’ll say that at least in part I was able to connect with many of the themes in this book, but it definitely read more like an autobiography and when I had no clue who Kate was, I found it hard to recall connect. I will look up the podcast and go that route to try and get to know her and then try this book again; but for me personally it was just alright.

Enjoyed the nostalgia. I’ve never listened to the author’s podcast so I didn’t realize it was going to be about faith/religion, a bit of a turnoff for me.

If you are a fan of Kate Kennedy and her podcast you will enjoy this book. It's a bit young for me so I had a hard time relating to some of this and found myself skimming some. But the author is so smart and I am in awe of how she breaks down ideas and is not afraid to share her thoughts productively. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

“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.”

Wow, this was so nostalgic and heartwarming. I have never related so much to a book before, being a millennial myself. Loved it!!