Thank you, NetGalley for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Any book with the Spice Girls in it is an automatic read for me. Being a quintessential millennial, I figured the nostalgia in this book would grip me. The trip down memory lane, recalling my AIM days (@abbidoyo @smoothchick714 @baberoo90 - seriously, what's a baberoo?), and that cringe-worthy dial-up tone brought joy.

Even though Kate Kennedy acknowledges her left-leaning stance, I was taken aback by her adeptness in linking her challenges – both political and personal – to millennial themes. Either way, I relished this book and am fully prepared to embrace Girl Power, even if it means flaunting my love for basic pumpkin spice lattes.

And if you're not convinced to read this yet, i'll let the book speak for itself:

"I was, and always have been, with the bandwagon."

"I loved a freezer filled with loose old Thin Mints and tongue-dying desserts and highly processed foods like Kid Cuisines, though I shudder thinking about how it really f'ed with my vibe watching TGIF when the hot pudding would cross-contaminate the corn. Like a yellow marker you accidently drag over black ink; once they mix, it's never the same."

"For millenials, the Spice Girls are kind of like the Magnificent Seven from the 1996 U.S. women's gymnastics team. We didn't choose them, they chose us."

"Graphic lyrics aside, I loved this game because the yolk running down or the fake blood running down your back would be demonstrated by a sort of back-scratching soothing gesture, and I'm nothing if not a slute for a back scratch."

"The nursery rhymes and fairy tales and general fanfare surrounding your wedding and babies start so early, it's less of an option you learn about than it is the framing for what you build your life around."

If you're still caught up in the euphoria of the Barbie movie, this book is an absolute must-read.

I am Gen X. My sister is a millennial and frankly I've never entirely understood her LOL so I've been picking up books about the millennial mindset every now and then to see if I could get a peek inside her brain and figure out what exactly is going on in there. Unfortunately, I continue to be stymied...

Kennedy has done a fine job here and if I was her demographic I would probably have thoroughly enjoyed this one. She has taken an authorial approach that dances the line between informative and entertaining, and if these were my references and my experiences, I would probably have really enjoyed reading it. Instead I found myself struggling to connect with what she was trying to explain, much in the way I've struggled to connect with my sister when she tries to explain herself similarly.

I was not the target audience here, and that was blatantly apparent from the beginning. As a result I can only give it three stars - but can certainly see where others who do fall within the relevant demographic might find it a much more connective and engaging experience.

I really enjoyed reading this book! It is not a memoir per se, but more of a long form commentary on social world. Some of the chapters felt a bit rambling and as an avid listener of the podcast, some of the stories and references were repetitive. Overall it was an extremely enjoyable book and I am so happy for Kate! The authors outlook on the world is fresh yet nostalgic, bringing new perspectives to girlhood memories.

Thanks netgalley and St.Martin’s Press for a copy of this novel. I was sooo excited for this book because I love all things millennial. But I was disappointed. The first two chapters were good and nostalgic. Reminded me of a lot of things I forgot about in my childhood. But then I feel like the book just became about the authors life and her writing about herself. A whole chapter on how boys didn’t like her in college. A chapter about her depression she didn’t realize she had (even tho she stayed in bed all day with spilled food on her sheets). A chapter about her fertility issues. Now I’m all for writing about that and supporting women. It just wasn’t what I thought the book would be about. She would occasionally throw in an early aughts reference during all of this. But I didn’t think it had much to do with growing up as a millennial. I would say it was more of a self help and how to live your life book.

I did like how she talked about how women liking stuff would be shamed. If you were passionate about something and boys said it was uncool then you were made to feel terrible about it. Like why can they go to sporting events all over the country and dress up and that’s normal. But if a female loves Taylor Swift and dresses up for her concerts, then it’s mocked? Spice Girls will always be cool. Eight year old boys didn’t know shit.

I loved this book. As a fan of Kates podcast I feel like I could hear her voice in my head as I was reading and it made me homesick and nostalgic. I was transported back into the mall that smelled like cinnamon pretzels or sitting on my cousins floor playing mall madness using a t-shirt to muffle the sound of the speaker since we were meant to be asleep. This book was fun and I’m excited to see others talking about their experiences as preteens/teens. Would be fun with a digital download for a Spotify playlist.

If you were born in the 1980s and are feeling nostalgic (or are a big fan of 1990s/2000s pop culture), you will probably enjoy this memoir.

I loved the concept and definitely smiled in recognition at times when a certain song or cultural moment was referenced. Overall, while fun, I found it a bit too disjointed and the chapters too long. Recommended to readers in the particular mood to reminisce about their childhoods/adolescences.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. I was very excited to read and it did bring back a lot of childhood memories but I couldn't fully get into it. It was a stream of consciousness more than anything. Just not for me.

It’s about darn time someone speaks for women everywhere and legitimizes our interests, despite society ragging on us for ages. I’m a long time fan of Kate and it’s fun to see her thoughts translate to such fascinating pieces of work (be it in podcast form or a book). She is brilliant and that is reflected on these pages. The biggest qualm I had with the book is the length of the chapters. I think breaking up the chapters into sections would’ve been more digestible and added a bit more structure to the flow. Overall, I loved this and even as a younger millenial (I couldn’t relate to everything), I’d recommend for her witty and profound commentary alone. 4.25/5 stars.

First, I felt hooked by this book from the beginning of the prologue. It was nostalgic, funny, and felt incredibly relatable. This book touches on a ton of important issues, and I believe that it would probably be excellent as an audiobook.. That said, reading it started feeling tedious and I ended up DNF'ing partway through the Popular-Girl Handwriting chapter. It was just too repetitive and started feeling overly cliché rather than nostalgic.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC.

I really enjoyed this book even thought I have never heard Kate's podcast! So I will include that i do not feel like the podcast is at all a requirement to enjoy this book. I will say this book is definitely better enjoyed if you are a millennial or care about this culture otherwise you will probably hate it. but AS A MILLENIAL, it was such a fun road trip down memory lane revisiting growing up as a millennial. it was a lot of fun to revisit the things that have shaped us as adults in the times of the early internet, pop cultures influences and it feel VERY relevant to know as so much of this trends are being revisited by a new generation. I hope they read this book and can see a bit of what life was like for us with what our day to day culture was like. I really enjoyed her thoughts on purity culture. I know "going out tops" are virally made fun of tiktok so i hope there's a book-tok and crossover for the release of this book it definitely spoke to some inalienable truths of being a millennial so I hope she considers it a job well accomplished. My personal favorite insights came from her thoughts of motherhood which is something i think about and live daily and i loved hearing another from my generations perspective.

I didn’t know about the author’s podcast, but consider me a new listener! This was nostalgic and fun and I resonated with it entirely too much! As a younger millennial, I didn’t get all the references, but those I did were spot on. This was heartfelt and funny and I’m def a fan!

I HAVE NEVER FELT SO SEEN AND UNDERSTOOD. I've been a long time fan of Kate Kennedy's podcast, and the community of women she's gathered from it. Kate's storytelling is entertaining, so smart, and the joy and agony of the nostalgia of it about knocked me over. It's unapologetic + insightful cultural commentary that I can't wait to recommend to everyone. Thank you so much for the ARC, Netgalley!

Millennial nostalgia at its finest!! I love Kate’s way with words and this book is no exception! It had me feeling all the feels. I can relate to so much of what Kate talks about and it’s honestly a little healing to know I am not alone with some of my experiences! Thank you Kate for writing this book!

Parts of this book really resonated with me since I am a millennial. Other parts were just long-winded, I was very annoyed when I read the word “zeitgeist” at least six times in the introduction (please fix that). I did laugh several times.

I did enjoy this book overall!

This was the perfect mix of own up to it and let me tell you about it. I sympathized, I felt understood, I embraced it all. The personal essays were the perfect length for a deep dive while not leaving you dragging. The millennial experience is summed up nicely while also showing space for it to be only one perspective. I learned a lot, I laughed a lot, I embraced what I like, which is this book!

One in a Millennial is exactly the relatable memoir you think it's going to be. Full of oh-so 90's and 2000's nostalgia and pop culture references this is a good read. As you read the book you get to remember your own life as you grew and can find comparisons to the references made. This is especially relatable as another grown up millennial.

"One in a Millennial" by Kate Kennedy is a delightful and insightful exploration of the millennial experience, perfectly capturing the essence of a generation that straddles the line between pop culture fascination and heartfelt introspection. Kennedy skillfully dissects topics ranging from the iconic AOL Instant Messenger days to the complexities of millennial motherhood. Seamlessly blending humor and poignancy, she highlights the profound impact that seemingly superficial interests can have on personal growth and identity. Her relatable anecdotes and astute observations make "One in a Millennial" a must-read for anyone seeking a nostalgic yet deeply resonant exploration of the millennial zeitgeist.

As a librarian, I often reference Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop seminal essay that books can be "Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors." As someone in her early 30s, this book was a mirror I didn't know I was missing. It is so powerful to read a book that takes experiences you also experiences as serious moments, rather than minimizing them like so many other voices in society have. One in a Millennial explores fun cultural moments like American Girl Dolls and also the deep shame and insecurity that came from growing up steeped in messages about sexual purity and thinness being a girl's most prize attributes. Kate is a wonderful writer, making me laugh and cry in the most unexpected places. I don't think you have to be a millennial woman to enjoy this book if you want a look into a wild time to be growing up! I also recommend Kate Kennedy's podcast, Be There in Five.

#NetGalley #OneinaMillennial

I absolutely loved this book. Kate Kennedy you are a delight and I’ll read any book you write.

One in a Millennial is a book for all millennials who grew up spending Friday nights in malls and movie theaters and the remainder of their nights trying to impress their crushes on AIM. Kate analyzes millennial pop culture with a critical lens — not only reminiscing about the Spice Girls but deconstructing the ways they relate to many women who are also reduced to their most baseline traits, not only reminding you of “popular girl handwriting” but discussing the ways in which that played into forging a sense of identity and individuality as a kid.

To quote something Kate wrote in her acknowledgements: “I’m so grateful the Venn Diagram of our pop culture references is a circle.” When you can reference my ultimate childhood crush Mimi Siku from Jungle 2 Jungle in a chapter about the cultural significance of a trundle bed, you have me sold.

This book is an intellectual deep dive on millennial nostalgia, a defense of women’s interests that are often reduced to being called “basic,” and a funny, punny and relatable trip to the past to relive many bits of history that many of us may have never realized were so universal.

While reading this book I couldn’t help but wonder… am I JUST like Kate or are we JUST like all other millennial girls?

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I agree with others that this seemed long-winded and hard to follow at times, but overall it was a fun read that brought back memories of my childhood.