An interesting look at gossip. An enjoyable and informative read, particularly if you enjoy her podcast.

I love Kelsey's podcast, Normal Gossip, so I was pumped to be approved for this ARC of You Didn't Hear This From Me. I was expecting Normal Gossip in text, and instead received the history of gossip, what it is and isn't, how it can be positive and helpful, and pieces of Kelsey's personal life, which were all possibly the most interesting parts.

I've always had a very negative view of gossip. I believed it was always bad, because the definition I had of it -- or, probably, that I was taught -- was that gossip is unethical and disgraceful. It was people (most often women) spreading unverified rumors about others, whispering into nosy people's ears, people who couldn't mind their own business, making up lies about people, ruining people's lives. At the start of each episode of Normal Gossip, Kelsey asks that week's guest, "What is your relationship with gossip?" Some guests answer that they love it, they live for it, they need it like they need air. Some respond with a more ambiguous answer, approaching it more cautiously. Some say it's complicated. During this portion of every episode, I've wondered what I would say. How I would answer that question. Throughout listening to all seven seasons (so far), and reading You Didn't Hear This From Me, my response and beliefs about gossip have shifted.

Although I still don't believe in spreading rumors or making up lies, gossip can be useful when the information is true. It can help women stay safe by informing them of a predatory boss or co-worker. It can help people avoid a sleazy salesperson. It can boost a small business doing good for the community. It can inform marginalized groups who is and is not safe to be around. And in situations like the stories discussed in the Normal Gossip podcast, it can provide entertainment for the listeners, those of us far removed from the people involved and will never, ever know who they are or their real names or locations.

You Didn't Hear This From Me is both an informative and entertaining read, exploring the history of gossip and how and why we use it.

You Didn't Hear This From Me is a fantastic deep dive into the history, desire to and expression of gossip. Learning about gossip while also getting tidbits on Kelsey McKinney's life results in a phenomenal book. It made me want to run and listen to her podcast Normal Gossip right after reading.

I absolutely love Kelsey's podcast, Normal Gossip, and gossip in general, so I knew this was a must-read. I really enjoyed the balance of history, facts, and tidbits of Kelsey's life. I'd recommend You Didn't Hear This From Me to people who have enjoyed Amanda Montell's books.

if you listened to normal gossip, you knowww kelsey is a thoughtful, engaging, funny, and smart commentator on social dynamics and culture, particularly through the lens of gossip. listening to her podcast and now reading this book, i've found myself thinking MUCH more deeply about what gossip is and isn't, how it helps us and harms us, and the role it plays in society, particularly when it comes to whisper networks and informing others about potential danger or risk. i really appreciate how she weaves personal narrative in with thorough research and anecdotes from others while overall telling a really compelling story about gossip as a whole. lots to think about here, and loved how it all was presented.

As a normal gossip fan I wasp so excited to receive an ARC for Kelsey’s new book. I went in expecting a readable version of normal gossip but was pleasantly surprised to find a novel of the history of gossip. I really enjoyed this, learned some new facts, and now will feel less guilty when engaging in harmless gossip.

I had such a good time with this! I love Normal Gossip, but I was a little worried that this would feel almost unnecessary after listening to that. I think what Kelsey wrote ended up being a perfect companion to Normal Gossip, keeping the same themes and unique voice but also being its own thing completely.

Was this the best, most memorable book I’ve ever read? Not exactly. But I feel like I learned some things, and ultimately I had a lot of fun. I’m the same age as Kelsey so the references couldn’t have been more perfect for me too.

I received a free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I've been a Normal Gossip fan for years, so I was excited to read this deep dive into the world of gossip. And now that Kelsey is stepping down as host, I wish I had gotten it on audio to fill the Kelsey-shaped hole in my heart (the new hosts are great, I just hate change). It's a little bit academic, a little bit memoir...I would say it's not quite what I was expecting, but then I don't really know what I was expecting! It was also weird to read this while I was also reading Cue the Sun - there's a bit of crossover with the nature of reality tv and how humans are just primed to create stories.

It raises some interesting talking points - why do we consider gossip such a terrible thing when there are so many ways it can be used for good? And at what point does something *become* gossip? I've always loved the Normal Gossip approach - it's both low stakes and shockingly engrossing.

This was a perfect "desk book", in that it was easy to pick up and put down between helping kids find Elephant and Piggie. As a few others have noted, it does feel a *little* disjointed - I had chalked that up to the fact that I read it in fits and starts over a couple of months. It's entertaining, and I enjoyed it when I returned to it, but it wasn't something I was dying to get back to (unlike the podcast, which I save as a special treat!).

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“We gossip and we tell stories because that is how we each make sense of the world”

I love gossip, so much so that I’ve been deemed the “storyteller” amongst my friends and coworkers. That being said, I don’t know how I hadn’t heard of Kelsey McKinney or her podcast before this book.

“You Didn’t Hear This From Me” was equal parts personal and informative. McKinney did a great job creating that balance while also keeping the reader interested.

This is definitely a book that I will be revisiting and I can’t recommend it enough!

What a delightful book! Structured as a series of essays, "You Didn't Hear This From Me: (Mostly) True Notes on Gossip," McKinney challenges the idea of gossip as mere vice, and really makes the reader think about the ways it can create understanding and deepen relationships. I loved the historical and literary examples throughout. The mix of cultural criticism, memoir, and journalism really worked for me, and made the book feel quite meaty and thought-provoking. I actually haven't listened to the "Normal Gossip" podcast but I'm aware of it, and you don't need to be a listener to enjoy this book. As a lapsed Catholic who was taught gossip is A SIN I particularly enjoyed that part of the book. A very unique, compelling read!

I love the Normal Gossip podcast. In fact, each Wednesday, I would look forward to Kelsey McKinney's podcast. And while I love gossip, and understand its importance, I think this book was too wordy and felt more like an undergraduate essay that was far too long than a well-researched book on gossip.

Kelsey McKinney has successfully combined an intellectual, historical, scientific, and personal exploration of gossip in You Didn’t Hear This from me. It’s packed full of gossip tidbits that guide you through the actual learning that makes the reading experience deeply enjoyable. Highly recommend.

✨ Review ✨ You Didn't Hear This From Me, written and narrated by Kelsey McKinney

Thanks to Grand Central Publishing, Hachette Audio, and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

This was such a fun reflection on gossip. Chapters ranged from talking about AI and if its able to gossip and tell stories to the function of gossip being preached as un-Christian (and thus can't be used to express discontent or inappropriate behavior of church leaders toward youth) to how gossip can function to help society. I appreciated the many ways in which she stretched my ideas of the meaning of “gossip” and how it functions in our society throughout this book.

While in many ways this book was thoughtful and challenged my understandings, it's also just full of fun. This is full of pop culture references key in millennial life -- from Mean Girls to Britney Spears and much, much more, and I wanted to cheer and laugh and have fun right alongside the author. So many of these topics I wanted to chat about with others as I listened, which to me is the marker of a great non-fiction read!

🎧 I love when authors narrate their own non-fiction reads, and her podcast background brings some of this fun chatter into the audiobook as she tells her stories.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: non-fiction, essays, pop culture, memoir
Length: 7 hours 14 minutes
Pub Date: Feb 11, 2025

Read this if you like:
⭕️ pop culture non fiction reads
⭕️ audiobooks by podcasters (on topics aligned with their podcast topic)
⭕️ gossiping with your friends
⭕️ taking down the patriarchy

I love the author’s podcast, Normal Gossip, so I was really excited for this book. I, like the author, went into this book with an expectation in mind of what the thesis would conclude. However I thought her more nuanced conclusions as to why we gossip were even more interesting. I also like the different facets of gossip that she addressed in the book. However, there were a few chapters where the book just completely lost me. I felt like I was being taken along in the current of the author’s stream of consciousness but if I missed anything, I was lost for a really long time. This was a little disappointing, since I was so excited for the book. However some chapters hit home perfectly for me. So it was a bit of a roller coaster but ultimately I’m glad I read the book.

What an interesting collection of essays on gossip, storytelling, and how we connect through language. This will be popular of course for fans of Normal Gossip, but I think it will also find a wider audience. Perfect for fans of Amanda Montell and Kate Kennedy.

I tried so hard to read this one, I even switched to audio. but the stories and thesis are too jumbled and disconnected I DNF.

I really enjoyed this book! It literally feels like sitting and gossipping with a friend, and the hot goss is the goss itself. I hadn't heard of Kelsey McKinney before, but will definitely be checking out her podcast as well.

If you've asked me for a podcast rec in the past two or three years, you know the first name out of my mouth was NORMAL GOSSIP. So of course I was THRILLED to receive an ARC of Kelsey's book of essays on gossip! I could hear her voice shine through as I read, and I loved the way she combined thorough research with anecdotes and insights. My favorite chapters were those that explored gossip in relation to religion — specifically Christianity — as well as fandom and reality TV. If you're a gossip fan (NORMAL or otherwise), definitely check this one out!

I’m a biiiiiggggg fan of Normal Gossip and enjoy rehashing episodes with my daughter and her roommate. I was looking forward to this one with great excitement. Unfortunately, this series of essays about gossip is a mixed bag and none were mind blowing. Fans of the podcast will have explored some of these ideas there. Good but not great.

This preview was gifted to me, so it doesn't fit into my profile as a middle school teacher interested in finding new books for my classroom . However, I found it to be a beautiful, dense meditation on the uses (and abuses) of gossip, with reference to classical literature, philosophy, current pop culture, and personal stories of McKinney's interactions with gossip, both personally and professionally. The book was the first I had read in a long time that asked me to think deeply about issues we generally take for granted. I an now interested in finding McKinney's first novel, God Spare the Girls.