Sadly, this story is not holding my attention and I have decided to abandon at 30%. I adore Kim Fay's previous book, Love & Saffron, but Kate & Frida just didn't hook me in the same way. I enjoyed both characters but I think I just didn't connect with them enough to be propelled to learn the rest of their story.

Kim Fray’s 𝘒𝘢𝘵𝘦 & 𝘍𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘢 is a heartwarming epistolary novel set in the early 1990s that follows the growing friendship between two book lovers. Financial writer Frida Rodriguez was raised in Los Angeles but is currently in Paris trying to find a way to break into international news reporting; she reaches out by mail to a Seattle bookshop a friend has recommended for some literary inspiration. Fellow American and aspiring novelist Kate Fair is the employee at Puget Sound Book Company who obliges her request for tomes.

Over a series of letters and packages and against the backdrop of significant American events and the Bosnian War, Kate and Frida write to each other and share more than just books. They exchange trinkets and give relationship updates. They discuss politics and divulge their hopes, dreams, fears, and anxieties. They dissect day-to-day happenings and their childhood memories and try to find meaning in it all. Both feel restless and grapple with how to find and fulfill their purpose.

I enjoyed reading about Kate and Frida’s lives and seeing their friendship blossom. While the pace is a little slow and the narrative a bit disjointed initially, the novel does eventually find its groove once the title characters’ bond is solidified and they each settle into their respective destinies. This is a lovely gem of story that shares the importance of sharing food and stories, leaning into kindness and curiosity, establishing found family, and cultivating moments of joy. 4.25 stars. Thank you to G. P. Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This epistolary novel takes place in the early 1990s but almost feels like historical fiction. Kate works in a Seattle bookstore, Frida is from California but is living abroad in Paris. When Frida writes the bookstore to request a book, the two strike up a correspondence and then a friendship. This book goes to some dark and unexpected places but will leave readers with a sense of joy and contentment—and a long reading list.

Publication date: March 11th, 2025

Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was such a interesting story, this book was told through letters by two women in there 20s going through different things and there shared love of books and the one girl talks about the Bosnian War and I love books that talk about war because it gives new perspective on life and even though it was fiction a lot of the things in the book were real and I love how the author. Brought two people together and told there stories through letters.
Very quick read but also very interesting

Thank you netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam Books Putnam Books

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I really enjoyed this book - I love the back and forth letters, such a fun way to share the story. The characters are really interesting, totally different lives and brought together by books and remain friends for years. Reading the setting in the '90s was fun, remembering a lot of what was going on then. I enjoyed learning their stories and watching them grow and experience life.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

I loved Kim Fay's first book Love and Saffron so much that I couldn't wait to pick up this new one of hers, written in a very similar style except that instead of being centered around food/recipes like Love and Saffron, this one was about books. It brought every bit of bookish joy that I was hoping for, but was almost too similar to Love and Saffron in many ways for me to enjoy it wholeheartedly as a novel that stands completely on its own.

Kate and Frida is an epistolary story set in the early 1990s, written in the form of letters exchanged between Kate in Seattle and Frida in Paris. Kate is a bookseller who dreams of becoming a novelist and has a complicated relationship with her family, and Frida is a free-spirit who longs to be a foreign war correspondent. The two women develop a special friendship through their letters over the years, each teaching the other valuable lessons along the way and becoming intertwined in each other’s lives in a way that neither could have imagined.

I thoroughly enjoyed the pure communication between Kate and Frida in that it felt so real - these two young women weren’t afraid to say what was on their mind and completely call each other out when one of them needed a wake-up call. The 1990s nostalgia throughout the story was SO much fun, and I loved that centering the plot around books introduced me to lots of novels from the 1990s that I hadn’t heard of previously. What kept me from 5 stars on this one is that it felt too similar to Love in Saffron from the covers that are almost identical, to the feelings I felt while reading about the friendship between two women. It even veered into food writing, focused heavily on the importance of food to relationships and included recipes at the end.

Don't get me wrong, there is certainly LOTS to enjoy about this one and I still had a lovely reading experience with it, but I would also love to see Kim Fay branch out a bit more into something new for her next novel. Thank you so much to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This one was a quick read and I enjoyed reading the ups and downs of supporting each other through friendship. I loved the history of Bosnia woven throughout the story.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC copy. This review is mine alone.

Kim Fay's Love & Saffron was one of my favorite books of 2024 and Kate & Frida is going to be one of my favorites for 2025. In this gem of an epistolary novel, we follow Frida, a young woman in Paris, and Kate, a young bookseller in Seattle, as they become acquainted over books and become friends as the two of them share their joys, their heartaches, their triumphs, and their failures.

Full of friendship, food, books, laughter, tears, and a lot of growing up, this book took me right back to my early twenties. And if ever I have found a kindred spirit book character, it is Kate. It felt like art imitating my life! And as friendships go, Kate and Frida’s felt authentic and heartfelt. Those friendships we make as we are finding out who we are really are life-changing.

All the book references in this book had me seeking out pen and paper to make a note of all the titles and authors I now want to read. Book lovers, you have been warned! 😂 And Kim Fay’s love of Laurie Colwin is as much as mine and I would love this book for that fact alone except it’s so wonderful and there are a million other reasons to read it and love it. Plus there are recipes at the back! How can you not love a book with recipes?

If I could give this book 500 stars, I would.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the advanced copy of this book.

I greatly appreciate the opportunity to read and review this book. Unfortunately, this was not for me. I love an epistolary novel, but these letters did not engage me and I had a hard time connecting with the characters or the story. I think this had more of a lit fic vibe than I thought, I recognize this just wasn’t by cup of tea but could be perfect for other readers!

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I adore epistolary books. I adored LOVE & SAFFRON. I love old-fashioned letters (bring them back!) and there’s something charming going on in a story about two people who’ve never met, writing back and forth to each other from across the globe.

It’s the early 90s, two young women, both absolute book lovers, Frida, an American in Paris, whose parents think she’s there for some soul-searching, a self-described book addict with a goal of reading as many books from her list before she dies. Kate works at a fictional bookshop in Seattle (hey, we all know it’s Elliot Bay Bookstore), equally devoted to books. Each has a secret, which they disclose to each other. Frida wants to work as a war correspondent, Kate dreams of finishing her semi-autobiographical novel and getting it published. Frida continues to ask for book recommendations, Kate surprises her with gems, which they discuss in their letters. Through the books they read and their subsequent letters, their lived experiences, they’re finding out who they are, discovering life. Books are their jam. Well, boys too. You’d never know these two haven’t met in person. It’s the power of books, from memoir to War Journo Dames (great genre title!) to their shared love of finding things in used books (me too!), that brought them together and the letters, which become a lifeline. Frida and Kate are open-minded, although they had opposite upbringings, their conversations and shared common ground found through various stories unite them.

To true friendship, the power of books, being transported to another time (pre-Internet, when word-of-mouth was king), this book helped two women expand their vocabulary, gain confidence, find solace, love, themselves, and explore worlds outside of their own.

I enjoyed reading about their kindness toward one another, their honesty and encouragement, all signs of true friendship. There were many aspects that reminded me of 84, CHARING CROSS ROAD.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kim Fay, and G.P. Putnam's Sons for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love epistolary novels and this was a delight! The 1990's seem like a great time to deepen a friendship through letters and across the Atlantic. This was a sweet and tender book that is very apt for the genre- uplit.

The wisest and most wonderful hug of a novel! I felt all the feels while reading this magical epistolary novel told in letters between two friends brought together by books. Kate and Frida grow immensely as young women over the course of this book, and their friendship matures into a real sisterhood without ever meeting face to face. Their love of books grounds every page of this novel—so perfect for any book lover! Loved it!

This is a lovely, feel good book that I can see doing very well. I love an epistolary novel and this one is very well done. Frida and Kate are both well drawn, engaging characters, and I enjoyed seeing their relationship deepen as time passed. My one critique was that they both seemed a little immature for their ages, but it didn’t dampen my enjoyment. I also loved all of the food descriptions!

I shared Love & Saffron far and wide so was thrilled to see another Kim Fay book available to request! I loved the dual story line, especially the scenes set in the Bosnian War...it is a period of time that seems forgotten. Thank you Netgalley.

Heads up librarians! Have I got a book for you! Kate and Frida by Kim Fay tells the story of a friendship between two women in their twenties in the 1990's. Frida write a letter to Kate, who works in a bookshop, requesting a book and from there their correspondence and friendship begins. It has lots of literary references from Judy Blume to Tolstoy and everything in between. Frida is living in Paris and is looking for her first big story. She goes to Bosnia to be a war correspondent. The description of the war is just heartachingly awful. There is a lot to think about with this novel: How the world did nothing while Bosnians were slaughtered. The importance libraries and books have in maintaining a people's history. Fay tackles family relation, M/F relations, and friendships that come and go. And then there's French food, yum. This was a Net Galley preview and will be out in March. I gave it 4 stars.
I thought Love and Saffron was better. 5 stars Maybe because I'm more of a foodie than a serious reader. I was just the right age for L&S.

1990's
The friendship between two pen pals grow as they share their love of books and food, along with their families and their lives and work. Frida is in Paris, hoping to make it to Sarajevo and work as a war correspondent. Kate lives in Seattle and works in a book shop.

Like author Kim Fay's previous book, Love & Saffron, which I adored, this book took some time to grow on me but it surely left me caring about these two young women, their lives, their heartaches and facing the difficult realities of life - all told through the letters they wrote back and forth to each other.

My thanks to Net Galley and G P Putnams Sons for an advanced copy of this e-book.

A cute, very simply written book that took me straight back to Seattle in the 1990s. What I don't understand, is why—in 2024, Fay is writing a half-Mexican main character? If Fay is of Mexican descent, cool. If not, WHY? Frida would have been the same character (read: one dimensional) if she were white, so why appropriate a culture not her own? To that end, the names of her sisters, taking tortillas to Paris, etc etc was totally cringe. It's 2024, do better. On a bright note, I adored Kate! I wish the entire book would have been about her and her life in Seattle.

I really enjoyed this novel of pen pals in the 1990s. The cultural references were spot on, and what is more iconic '90s America than Seattle. Kate works as a bookseller in a Seattle bookstore while Frida is based in Paris, hoping to become a journalist. Their friendship evolves and develops through the letters and love of books. Really enjoyed both Kate and Frida and highly recommend this book.

I received an advanced reader copy via NetGalley.

Kim Fay’s second novel KATE AND FRIDA features two younger protagonists in their 20s who are grappling with personal dilemmas and more global ones (the Bosnian-Serbian war, for Frida). They are wonderful sounding boards for each other, as well as great support systems and give each other a kick in the butt when needed.

These two women develop a correspondence in the early 1990s as Frida is looking for a book from the bookstore Kate works at. There are definitely 84 CHARING CROSS ROAD vibes with a more contemporary sensibility.

I appreciate when authors bring real events, especially ones I don’t know much about (like the conflict in Sarajevo), into their novels.

The back half of this novel speaks to appreciating what you get out of relationships and friendships but also realizing when it’s time to move on. I really love that message, especially geared toward younger people. I’m not sure how many younger people will pick up this particular novel, but I really think that would be a great target audience for it.

Kate and Frida is a novel written in letters between two twenty something women in the 1990's. Frida is an aspiring writer in Paris who hopes to become a war correspondent who starts a correspondence with Kate in Seattle when she contacts the bookstore she works at looking for a particular book. Throughout the course of several years they become close friends, confessing secrets, encouraging each other and giving each other, and consequently the reader sage advice about love, loss, friendship, life and of course books and food.

I enjoyed this slice of life novel, from the war torn streets of Sarajevo where Frida goes to try out her dream of being a war correspondent to the quite bookstore of Seattle the two women give each other support and wisdom beyond their years. Themes of experiencing and spreading joy despite being aware of the sorrow and despair in the world and the close friendship you can make even without meeting the other person resonated with me, especially in this time of online correspondence. I enjoyed the side characters as well, and the group of refugees reading the Ramona books was delightful. I think Kim Fay has written another quiet winner.

Thank you to net galley and the publisher for an e galley in return for an honest review.