DNF. 0/5 ⭐️

Did not find it relatable or interesting. Was difficult to get into. I thought it was be a fun, nostalgic read but I felt the storyline going in all different directions.

In one word - AMAZING! Kate is a voice for a very specific subset of women who came of age between 2002-2009. Every story is somehow relatable, even though we didn’t grow up in identical situations. She writes conversationally, as if she’s sitting across from me having coffee and debriefing last night’s events. A great book about millennial girl-and-adulthood and a fantastic read.

This was a lot for me. There were some chapters that made me feel so seen and others than just did not strike me as millennial. Maybe the other kids were doing it and I didn't know? What was this handwriting thing? And also, I remain confused about why "Limited To" was capitalized constantly in the book. I truly thought it was a type for the store, and maybe it was, or an allusion to what the store stood for, but that could just be me making this up.

I was excited for this book because of the content rather than the author, but I bet others are coming for the author rather than the content. If so, they will probably be thrilled.

Full disclosure, I didn’t finish this book. I’m a little over 1/3 of the way in and it has taken me over 30 days to get that far. Despite the nostalgia of American girl dolls (likely where my love of historical fiction began), the girl talk game, gel pens, instant messenger (I was an MSN girly instead of an AOL queen myself) etc., I couldn’t get into the book.
My biggest complaint is that the chapters are just way longer than they needed to be and the prose, while funny and riddled with puns, was a bit too much at times for me.
I could relate a lot to the author’s experiences as a millennial that grew up in the 90s and early 00s, I think the writing style just wasn’t for me.

I was already a fan of Kate Kennedy from her podcast, Be There in Five, so I was thrilled to see that she wrote a memoir! Kate Kennedy truly has a way with words and this book is no exception. She expertly navigates pop culture, art, life and coming of age as a millennial. Obviously, her experience is unique, but I related to so much of it. Her words took me back in time and also helped me make sense of where I am today as a woman who grew up in the 90s and early 2000s.

I felt so seen by Kate’s writing and highly recommend this to all my millennial friends who liked American Girl dolls, used AIM, wore a tank top under all your tees, listened to the Spice Girls, went to youth group, desperately wanted to be cool, still think about the source of all our body image issues and like Taylor Swift. This one is for me and you!

The cover of the book is perfection and I loved how she interspersed her poetry and side tangents throughout the memoir. Since she narrates the audiobook, I plan to listen to it as well for a second read of it. I can't wait to see what else she does in the future!

before starting this book, i don't listen to be there in five and i don't know much of anything about kate kennedy. it was a great dose of nostalgia but beyond that, there's not much there to be invested in. though i am also a millennial, i remember enough of my childhood and before college years where i don't need to read almost 350 pages of someone else's

As an elder millennial, born in 1984, this book was such a fun trip down memory lane. There were multiple parts I found myself telling a similarly-aged-friend about the next day. In a lot of ways this felt like a story I could have written myself and I loved that. This is definitely a book I will be recommending to my fellow millennials as it feels nice to not feel alone in how we grew up and to share in the laughter of some of the nonsense we go into.

I thought this book would be more pop culture and less memoir. Even though she says repeatedly that it isn’t a memoir, it pretty much is. I loved the American Girl Doll chapter, and any pop culture references were really fun, but it talked a lot more about personal religious experiences, and life events than I expected. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy.

Even though I didn't read this one cover to cover I did enjoy the walk down memory lane as a fellow millennial. And the problems she talked about us facing now were spot on. But the chapter that I related to the most was the one in which she talked about how big purity culture was in the 90s and 00s. And she was right it was big and it was problematic to say the least. It affected a lot of us girls, and while I didn't lose my faith because of it it did effect me to the point it took therapy to straighten me out. But this was an enjoyable read and a walk down memory lane.

I enjoyed One In a Millennial but thought I’d like it more. I am an Xennial who’s obsessed with nostalgia, and I thought it would be a deep dive into wonderful pop culture that was crucial to my formative years. Instead, everything was woven around the author’s memoir. Normally I wouldn’t mind, (and she’s a very good writer) but I had a hard time staying focused and progressing through the book. It’s a shame because I enjoyed so many of the references (I mean she brought up the evilness of the devils food SnackWells era as well as the only Sheryl Crow lyric I’ve ever related to.) Maybe it was hard to read because I was cringing for a good chunk of her preteen stories. It’s most likely because I saw myself in her desperate need to be liked and the simultaneous immersion into tv, music, etc. But I did love reading about this generation and feminism. And I caught 90% of her deep cut references which is always fun. If you were born between 1980-1990 and enjoyed feminine pop culture growing up, you’ll most likely enjoy this. I was just looking for a different twist to the material execution. 3.5 stars but I’ll round up for the copious amounts of references.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for kindly providing a copy of this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Despite being a millennial, I don't think I was the target audience for this book. I'm at the tail end of the millennial generation, and often fluctuate between relating to millennial and gen z culture. This book was heavily reliant on references (most of which I understood) and explaining life during a certain time. I just didn't relate in the way I was meant to because of my age.

There were certain essays that I enjoyed (the popular girl handwriting one comes to mind), and others I didn't.

I think fans of Kate Kennedy and older millennials will really enjoy this one!

This book was so wonderfully sweet, weird (in a millennial way) and authentic - and I can say that as a fellow millennial.

Each chapter is filled with references to the things that made growing up equal parts cringe and empowering. Did I discover what girl power meant via the Spice Girls? Yes. Was I, as a redhead, forced to be Ginger Spice (aka Sexy Spice) when dressing up as the girl group with my friends at a time when I was in the throes of puberty? Also yes. It was…a time.

I know this is a very *millennial* phrase but this book made me feel very seen. Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

I truly cannot express just how much I loved “One in a Millennial” by Kate Kennedy. I was intrigued during just the first paragraph of the prologue &, by the time I reached “Serotonin, Plain and Tall,” I was convinced that Kennedy & I must be the exact same person. There’s no doubt - when it comes to audiences, this book is not going to be for everybody, though I do believe that everybody should read it. Not only is it a love letter to a very specific experience that was shared by many within the Spice Girls Generation, Kennedy also has laid out layers of our generational experiences in a way that truly illustrates the whys & the hows of who we are.

From late night sleepover conversations to going out-out, Kennedy writes with brutal honesty & with such a uniquely lyrical style that I’ve never experienced but want to read more of. This book had me laughing & crying & noting things to share with others like, “see! I wasn’t alone or crazy or misguided.” (Let’s be honest y’all, I’ll be sharing a lot of this with my therapist because Kennedy manages to put words to feelings I could never identify, let alone accurately describe.)

If you grew up spending hours choosing the perfect AIM screen name based on the interests of your current crush & dreaming about the vacation boyfriend you’ll one day meet, this book is for you. If your love for pop culture & “girly” things only ever made you feel uncool & unworthy, this book is for you. If you relished in sleepovers & MASH & Light As A Feather, Stiff As A Board, this book is for you. This book is perfectly timed to the release of media like Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” movie, which shows that we are not too much & that there is space for us in this world, even if we love trendy fall drinks & popular boy bands.

Oh, & I have to declare: “Girl, Boss Your Face” is my absolute new favorite phrase & I’ve already entrenched it deep into my daily language.

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for providing a digital advanced copy of this book for review. All thoughts & opinions expressed are my own.

There's only one way to describe this book and it is "Memory Lane"

This was such a fun book to read and look down at the "good ol days" and was so real and relatable, but also heart-warming and real.

Books like this make me proud about the time that I grew up.

This is a must read if you are "One in a Millennial"!

Kate Kennedy has such a unique voice and storytelling style. I think this title will resonate best with millennials, but Kate's pun-filled story is best for anyone who has ever felt like their hobbies and interests were "basic" or unimportant.

When I first started it, I was like...."Is this my bible?????" It captured some deep memories of growing up in the 90s and 2000s that made me go OMG I REMEMBER THAT'S EXACTLY HOW I FELT.
It had as many ups and downs exploring the millennial experience as millennials had experiencing the last 30 to 40 years. Along fun tangents about "popular girl handwriting" and the politics of American Girl Doll ownership, were heavy topics such as the influence of religion and purity culture on teenage girls, infertility, and finding belonging (even as an adult).

The opening chapter promised to be a comment on pop culture "culture", millennial identity, and celebrating the historically "silly girl" things that we shouldn't be ashamed to love. As I have seen some others comment, this was less of a collection of cultural comment essays and more like a memoir. I think the style threw me off the most. When I started reading, I was tickled by the fun word play, almost slam-poetry-like cadence, and run on sentences that made me feel like I was reading a text from my friend. But then I was over it.

Rereading sentences because they are complicated and funny and I want to make sure I get the joke was fun for the first three chapters and then I was so annoyed that I switched to the audio book. Switching to the audio book, I felt was a good choice since the author hosts a podcast and the book already seemed like it was meant to be spoken.

Unfortunately the audio book didn't do it for me either. Kate had an opportunity to really lean into the "girlfriends gabbing" style that she wrote, but instead, she gives a pretty flat read over the funny jokes and wordplay. Sadly, the audio book left me feeling like I was listening into one of her therapy sessions (again, because this is really a memoir).

It's a bummer because there are a lot of things that I really liked but I can't get over the fact that this needed another round of editing.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

what a fun, nostalgic book!! As a 90's kid, I found Kate Kennedy's story really relatable. Also, the fact that she's a Swiftie made me love it even more. Kate was also a great narrator. You could definitely hear the emotion and passion in her voice as she was telling her story.

UGH this book was incredible. It was like reliving so many moments from my past and I love her way of storytelling. She has such an amazing way with words and I can't recommend this book enough. I laughed so many times and this was such a fun read.

This was just okay for me. I LOVED the millennial references but did find some topics to be repetitive. There were also really great chapters and others that I found to be a bit dull and I was zoning out quite a lot. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It's been a long time since I've highlighted so much in my Kindle. Parts had me laughing out loud and others had me wanting to yell AMEN. I've heard that the older millennials are the most nostalgic generation, and it was pure nostalgia that had me picking this one up. She says multiple times that it's
"not a memoir" but I
wholeheartedly disagree. It's absolutely a memoir-especially the second half.