I think I'm being generous giving this book 4 stars. I appreciate that the author's nostalgia for her own youth is tempered with the emphasis that it's one person's experiences. She also reckons with having fondness and criticism for the mainstays of her youth. What the book lacked was much deep insight. Other books like Tacky, Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma, or Everything I Need I Get From You do this kind of work better. Still, this was eminently readable, if sometimes cringe-inducingly earnest.

“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. … She tackles AOL Instant Messenger, purity culture, American Girl Dolls, going out tops, Spice Girl feminism, her feelings about millennial motherhood, and more. Kate's laugh-out-loud asides and keen observations will have you nodding your head and maybe even tearing up.”

I took this straight from the publisher because it’s the perfect description of Kate’s book and what it feels like to read it. This book is SO good. I gravitated to it because I liked the cover, but it turns out I have a ton in common with Kate. The way she puts into words the feelings I thought I no one felt but me brought me so much joy. I kept nodding along and grinning because it’s super real and clever and funny. Kate has a way with words that is just beyond. I’m going to buy a print copy so I can mark it alll up.

While ladies born between 1984 and 1990 will probably relate to this the most, there’s a lot of content in the book that’s universal, so don’t write it off if you’re a bit older or younger.

🎧 Kate narrates the audiobook herself (yay!). It’s really well done. There was one chapter where she sounded out of breath so I was going to note that in my review, but at the end she reveals that she’s super pregnant so it all kind of made sense 😂 Highly recommended checking out the audio version!

Thank you to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the gifted audiobook.

One in a Millennial is a fun blend of memoir and social commentary about growing up online and all the trends we strangely followed as children. I especially like the later chapters, where the author talks about the effects the internet and pop culture have had on her decisions as an adult, like deciding whether or not to have children.

If you are a millennial woman, YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK! It is so so good. I have laughed, cried, cringed at so much of our childhood, yet also felt immense pride in our generation and everything we have been through.

Kate aims to “resurrect experiences that previously felt labeled or misrepresented by gender or generation, if only to make a case while I have the headspace that there’s so much more to our existence worth remembering” and she does this SO WELL!

This book is a CELEBRATION of who we were and how that shaped who we have become! It’s funny, it’s well researched, and soooo nostalgic. I said this in my stories yesterday, but I just felt so *seen* reading this. It has truly helped me feel joy about the multitudes of interests that I have always contained and also a reminder that most other folks contain multitudes as well!

Kate also adds a lot of poetry throughout that had me pausing my audiobook to just sit with the words for a while. I seriously can’t recommend this book enough!

After both reading and listening this book, I would definitely recommend the audiobook - especially if you are a Be There in Five podcast fan. Hearing Kate read the content makes the nostalgia that much better. A great listen for any millennials who would enjoy a long trip down memory lane.

This book was part pop culture commentary, part memoir as podcaster Kate Kennedy reflects on various trends throughout her life. In this book, she discusses a wide variety of topic from American Girl dolls, to going out tops (IYKYK), and even more serious topics such as the purity culture from the early 2000s. This book was a fun walk down memory lane as a fellow millennial, but also made me think differently about some aspects of culture and how they may have impacted our generation. While there weren’t any earth shattering revelations, this was a fun read for a bit of millennial nostalgia. Kate Kennedy narrated the audiobook herself and listening to it felt like chatting with a friend.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and Macmillan Audio for the advance copies.

This was an incredible read. It really felt like it could have been my own memoir. The specific references I had completely forgotten about (LYLAS, looking at boy band calendars in Waldenbooks, and others) hooked me early on. So many of my own experiences were echoed in Kennedy's writing it was almost surreal.

As an elder millennial…this book is so ridiculously relatable. Honestly, almost painfully so at times. Don’t let the cute millennial pink cover fool you—while there certainly are a plethora of light-hearted moments within a massive amount of pop-culture referencing nostalgia, there is also a surprising amount of thought-provoking depth. I cried almost as many times as I laughed, and I think I will be processing a lot of the thoughts and memories that this book brought up for quite awhile.

I’m glad this was narrated by the author, with the extremely personal nature of this book I don’t think it would have hit quite the same without it being in her own voice. She did a fantastic job making this such an enjoyable listen.

This book was such an awesome nostalgic read - the references! The puns! The throwbacks! It made me laugh and cry and helped look at the mainstays of adolescence with a new lens and helped me see trends, feelings, and adolescence in a new light. What a treat!

4.5 stars
I’ve never listened to KK’s (inside joke) podcast and I’m firmly in GenX with GenZ kids but I found this memoir fascinating! I missed so much of the cultural references in the aughts as I was either pregnant and/or raising young children. It was interesting to hear about her millennial coming of age— the references might be different than mine growing up, but so many experiences were eerily similar. I could have written many of the chapters almost the exact same so the lives of girls and women often transcend generations. But she also made a clear case for the uniqueness of millennial experiences. I’ll have to check out the podcast!

Reviewer's note: In my opinion, memoirs shouldn't receive ratings because it's unfair to rate someone else's life.

"One in a Millennial: On Friendship, Feelings, Fangirls and Fitting In" by Kate Kennedy is an exploration of pop culture, nostalgia, & the life lessons learned from coming of age as a millennial, from Kate Kennedy the pop culture podcaster and celebrator of the millennial zeitgeist. I listened to the audiobook version of this book, while there were lots of mouth noises, I found it enjoyable. This book is is a humorous and heartwarming commentary on various aspects of millennial pop culture landmarks, which included but were not limited to Teen Talk Barbie, Instant Messenger, Going Out Tops, Warm Vanilla Moisturizer and Purity Culture.

This book brought back much nostalgia for the late 90s and early 2000s. I felt completely called out when the author reminded me of my obsession with wanting a canopy bed. I recommend this book if you are looking for a “OH! I remember that.” For example, if you remember ‘tight squeeze, cool breeze... now you've got the shiveries!’ You are my people.

Thanks, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I found the first few chapters resonated with me more and I started out really likening the book. However it kinda dragged on and turned out to be just okay. The narrating was really good. Thought this seems more like a memoir.

As a millennial this book had me smiling, chuckling, and completely getting it. Kate Kennedy’s humorous retelling of her youth including American Girl dolls and The Limited Too. Her memoir felt like a walk from my past to my present (the good and the bad) which left me feeling relieved that some of these situations just weren’t me. A solid 4.5 stars for those 80s girls.

I did not want this book to end. As a fellow millennial woman, 97% of this book resonated with me. Although the author says the book is just one millennial's experience, I think anyone born between the years 1986 and 1992 will especially feel like this book may have been written about them or their best friend. I enjoyed the commentary detailing the significance of canopy beds, off hand comments about magazines drilling the fear of tss into our systems, reminiscing about the days I spent shopping at outlets with my mom, and so much more. In addition to exploring 90's/00's/10's nostalgia, the author does offer a lot of personal history, that I found moving. If you have the chance to listen to the audio version to laugh and cry with her, I highly recommend doing so. My only gripe is that the author is Team Logan, but otherwise it's perfect.

Live, laugh, loved this. I related so much to Kate’s walk down memory lane sprinkled with the growth and hindsight we’ve gained along the way. There were too many pop culture and lyric references to count and I loved them all. Many giggles, a few tears, and ultimately the feeling that we didn’t all walk through it alone. This is one I’ll be coming back to in the future. And I’ll definitely be looking up her podcast.

Nostalgic. Funny. Relatable. If you are a child of the 80s/90s/00s (aka a millennial), you are going to eat, pray, love your way through this book.

From vacation boyfriends to Now & Then, Clueless, and AIM, Kate Kennedy encapsulated what it means to be a millennial and relayed her experience in easy-to-digest essays and poems. She pokes fun at millennials in a way only fellow millennials are allowed to do. The interspersed song lyrics felt like little Easter eggs of throwback goodness.

I felt myself either going back to simpler times or thinking about what I still need to discuss at my next therapy session. I also never knew I had such strong feelings about NSync's "God Must Have Spent Have Spent a Little More Time on You" (and is that not the longest song title ever?!). The Parent Trap essay resonated most with me... Kennedy's anecdote from the HomeGoods line has been me so many times.

Absolutely recommend. The audio narration is a gem. I could feel (and often hear) Kennedy's emotion. Her wit and dry humor was refreshing. Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy.

This book unlocked some core memories for me! I really enjoyed reading the breakout sections that were in-depth about cultural icons. The part about American Girl Dolls was my favorite! Reading this felt like a big sip of a Capri Sun! So nostalgic and fresh. I also enjoyed her tone and the levity that she brought to struggles.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair review.

Loved time traveling back to my childhood (think American Girls, trundle beds, Limited Too, Lisa Frank school supplies) & teenage years (aka the draaaaama of setting an away message on AIM 😜)

The nostalgia in this book was 10/10 however despite saying multiple times “this isn’t a memoir,” it totally was LOL or maybe just because the author included so many examples of her personal experiences growing up, which some I related to and some I did not. A few parts just became a bit too preachy and I def zoned out — but overall was a fun little listen! Def recommend the audiobook if you’re interested in reading!

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced audiobook! ONE FOR THE MILLENNIAL comes out 1/23/24!

4.5+ stars

Okay, I loved this book. The nostalgic exploration of the things many millennial women grew up with was delightful. The stories, references, writing made me laugh, roll my eyes, and nod in agreement. Humour, love, acceptance, and sorrow all had a place in the text. From purity culture to music to feminism to fashion, the author addressed a range of topics, many of which are things considered traditionally “feminine” that she and many others did and do enjoy. It also had some great lines, such as when the writer described worship songs as “kind of like boy band love ballads that we’re singing to jesus” and further explored how sexist ideas are not new since many are “preconceived notions [that] have been around since god first cancelled a woman for eating.” Long story short, I enjoyed many things about this book, and I already know a least a couple of friends to whom I’ll be gifting a copy in the relatively near future.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was wonderfully, heartbreakingly, hilariously relatable. Kate Kennedy's writing is clever, witty, and authentic. If you're a millennial who is looking for an entertaining and nostalgic read that includes musings on girl power, boy bands, middle school sleepovers, and American Girl dolls, I absolutely recommend picking up this gem of a book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.