Loved every second of this book. I highly recommend this book to everyone that loves a good memoir. Also Buffy The Vampire Slayer the end.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

While I am not a Buffy fan (never watched it - it was a bit before my time) I was eager to read this book. I am all about anything pop culture-related, and I can absolutely understand the impact Buffy has had on the scene.

I loved the community that Jenny and Kristin built, that alone was enough for me to want to continue reading. I actually listened to the audio of this book as well, and I highly recommend that version so everyone can hear the beautiful music throughout the book.

As I mentioned before, I have not seen Buffy, but I think I've been influenced to try!

Thank you again for the ARC!

“Dear reader, into every generation a girl is born, imbued with preternatural strength, speed, and agility, and destined to fight evil. Any evil will do, but there’s a particular emphasis on vampires.” - @jennyowenyoungs & @kristinnoeline

I was hooked with this quote. Did you love Buffy the Vampire Slayer as much as I did??? Because I looooooved it. Didn’t miss a week. To find a memoir that combined the years of a favorite show and the life, love, divorce, and fought for friendship of these two women was perfection. Jenny and Kristin share their decade long love story as they launched their Buffering the Vampire Slayer podcast in 2016 as Kristin watched the show for the very first time.

I will be rewatching each Buffy episode and then listening to each one of these podcast episodes. I truthfully can’t wait to start again.

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this #advancedreaderscopy - pub date was 4/8/25. GO GET IT!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#2025bookchallengebook28of100
#netgalley
#slayersallofus
#teambuffy
#hadathingforspike
#buffythevampireslayer

I really enjoyed reading this and enjoyed the memoir element to this book, it had that element and magic that I was looking for from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I enjoyed getting into this journey and was engaged with how Kristin Russo and Jenny Owen Youngs shared their story, I'm glad I was able to read this and can't wait for more.

Reading this as a Buffy fan who hasn’t heard the podcast was possibly a bad choice. It talks a lot about songs in the podcast so I think it would work better if you’re familiar with the podcast, or if you listen to the audiobook instead.

I requested this book because Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one of my all-time favorite shows. I remember watching every episode live in my childhood bedroom and, later, in my college dorm. Although I had never listened to the podcast, I was interested to see the authors' analysis of the show.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! I think it would be a 5-star read for someone who was already familiar with Kristin and Jenny and their podcast. I think the parts about their relationship would have resonated more if I had an existing connection to them, but it was still interesting to me. I really enjoyed the parts about the show, but wished those sections had been longer.

I think this book is a must-read if you're a fan of the podcast, a should-read if you're a fan of the show, and maybe skip if you're not interested in either.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the free copy in exchange for my honest review.

📚: Slayers, Every One of Us by Kristin Russo & Jenny Owen Young
⭐️: 3.5/5 (rounding up on #goodreads)

Nostalgia moment: I was such a Buffy the Vampire Slayer fangirl in my early teen years. I grabbed this book from NetGalley immediately - not *totally* realizing that it’s a bit more about Buffering the Vampire Slayer (a Buffy podcast) and its hosts. That said, I really enjoyed the Buffy thread throughout their life together, their split, and their lives now. It makes me want to give the old podcast episodes a listen, as well as a Buffy rewatch.

Thanks to St Martin’s Press via @netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Slayers, Every One of Us is out now.

I'm a pop culture junkie, so even though I'm not a "Scooby" and I hadn't heard Russo and Youngs's podcast, I snatched this one up as soon as I could and I ended up really enjoying it. It's a mix of a memoir about the author's relationship and divorce and an exploration of the lessons learned from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Even if you're not a Buffy fan, I'd still recommend picking it up, because the story of the relationship of the authors is a story of found family and lost love and coming together in friendship and that's something we can all relate to.

If you have mentioned Buffy to me over the last eight years, I likely talked about Buffering the Vampire Slayer. A podcast hosted by two women who rewatched Buffy and podcasted about it - spoiler-free. Which is kinda funny when you think about how loyal listeners know how Slayers, Every One of Us goes: Jenny & Kristin fell in love, Jenny made Kristin watch Buffy, then podcast about it. They experienced a miscarriage. Got divorced. Kept the podcast going. Along the way parented a community that loves a good prom, and is very, very gay. We know the spoilers, but we don’t know the details. Like how they made the podcast and how they were able to compartmentalize so much heartbreak to give us seven podcast seasons. This super quick read will devastate you on the bus while it gives you a sense of what pop culture does for us in our most trying times. Fans of the pod will absolutely love this book. Most chapters feature Jenny & Kristin taking turns, then write a bit together. It really works. If you haven’t listened to the podcast, I still think you will love this tale of two women who loved each other and Buffy enough to work their way through heartbreaks and keep each other in their lives.

If I were an avid fan of the Buffering podcast and especially the hosts thereof, I do not doubt I would have gotten more from this book. However, my biggest issue is that the title and front cover (though not necessarily the back) promise a story told through the lens of Buffy, of which I am an ardent fan (or why else would someone read this?). Instead, it is a "we did a Buffy podcast, but forget about that. Let me tell you about our hateful families, miscarriage, and divorce. (But we still do our Buffy podcast.)"

I enjoyed the intro chapter where they laid out how Buffy was important in their relationship, detailing their pain and trauma and glory. Then I started this book and... oh, that's all it? That's what the book will be, rehashing the introduction at length? (Which, yes, is what an intro often does, but I hoped we were getting that out of the way.) The impact of Buffy on their lives--aside from the fact that they created a popular podcast--is usually briefly noted every twelfth paragraph at best. In a sense, Buffy is irrelevant to the story. It could be any piece of media, or none at all. It would have been essentially the same memoir if it were about them in a band or any other public activity.

They write well--no wonder--but the back and forth in the third person can be jarring. As a memoir of an evolving queer relationship, it deserves its place in the canon. It just didn't grab me as I wanted.

It is a book for their fans, of whom they seem to have many. Anyone going into it cold or wanting a book with a more Buffy-centered theme may not get what they hoped for.

To say that Buffy the Vampire Slayer was formative for me may be an understatement. As someone who was raised as an only child, watching Buffy (live on TV!) with my mom as a kid is something I look back on fondly. Buffy standing the test of time and being a show I keep coming back to is truly special.
So, when I discovered that one of my all-time favorite shows was having a memoir book written by the hosts of one of the most popular Buffy podcasts, I couldn't be more ecstatic.
Imagine my surprise when I discovered that one of the authors was also someone whose prior work I was drawn to quite a bit in my teen years. All of that to say, I went in knowing this book was my cup of tea - and I was not disappointed. I'm a sucker for a good memoir and the use of Buffy as a framing device for the authors journey together and apart, with meaningful tidbits garnered from what I believe to be some of the best media of all-time, was an absolute success.
It's amazing to read or listen (audiobook is expertly narrated by the authors!) to the timeline and breakdown of events of the authors marriage, divorce and the constant of the podcast throughout. A beautiful story interwoven with Buffy tidbits, more about the podcast, and a clear commitment to loving someone beyond a relationship. I loved it.
I hate to admit that I wasn't familiar with their podcast prior to reading, but I'll absolutely be checking it out. If you love a memoir, love Buffy, or just enjoy a good book - pick this one up.

Buffy is one of my all time favorite shows, so of course I had to read this book. An emotional memoir reflecting on the life lessons from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, from the hosts of the hit podcast "Buffering the Vampire Slayer", will not disappoint new fans and old fans alike. What hit home was the emotions that came from this memoir, it was really heartwarming in places, and devastating in others. The authors authenticity to take us on a life journey was refreshing and real. Please note the trigger warnings at the beginning. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

When I picked this book up, I admit I was expecting a pop culture analysis, something about how Buffy as a character illustrated the complexity of growing up, of being a girl becoming a woman in modern times, and claiming one's own power. I did not expect a funny, sweet, and deeply moving ride-along with a couple dealing with love in all its messiness and worthiness. What I got was both, and so well expressed that I was very happy to have strapped in and come on the journey! it was a real delight, and I found myself both enjoying the reminiscences of watching Buffy back in the day, and cheering for Kristin and Jenny to get their own best possible ending. Highly recommend for anyone who is or was a Buffy fan, and/or just loves a good story about the human experience.

Thank you to SMP and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

In every generation, there is a slayer. But with Kristin and Jenny, all of us have become slayers. This was a love letter to Buffy and I loved it so much. Reading about two queer women finding love, loss, and each other through the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer made me feel so seen. I absolutely loved this so much. Reading their story, and how even through the loss, they used Buffy to get through it, was so good. I had my heart broken along with them multiple times. What a wonderful memoir!

Unfortunately, I did not read the description very well. I did not enjoy the story of the authors, though I will commend them for their vulnerability and putting their lives out there for criticism.

This non fiction is not to do with Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, but the story of two people who started a podcast surrounding the show. If you enjoy memoirs, this book is for you.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity in exchange for an honest review .

I’ve never seen Buffy the Vampire Slayer, nor have I ever listened to Kristin and Jenny’s podcast. This book literally showed up in my NetGalley without me even requesting it, and as I see it, a free book’s a free book.

I’ll say I’m definitely not the target audience by any means, but it was still quite an enjoyable read. It’s short and just kind of silly. The writing style is a LOT, but just in a way that feels like it was written by and for millennials (which it was).

It’s a beautiful story, largely about forgiveness and love. It’s tempted me to investigate the Buffyverse more because of how much they love it, a few parts of their Buffy recaps even getting me a little teary.

I would never have chosen it on my own, but I did enjoy reading it.

Buffy is a cult classic. I remember watching the movie, but Sarah Michelle Geller, who we knew from All My Children fame (because we watched what was on TV in the 90s and if you were home sick out with grandparents in the summer, that meant The Price is Right and soap operas), made that role iconic in the TV show. My fifth grade recess and bus stop conversation centered around what happened on Buffy that night, and if you had missed it, well good luck catching the rerun! When I saw this book, I was flooded with nostalgia.

I am admittedly not a podcast person, and was not aware of the buffering podcast nor the authors of this book (and hosts of the aforementioned podcast). This book is very much about this podcast, so if you were a fan of the 2016-2023 podcast, this book is for you. The book definitely made me add Buffering (and their My So-Called Life rewatch podcast) to my “listen someday” list.

Overall, this was a breakup story, backlit by the Buffering podcast and major Buffy episodes they covered that aligned with milestones in the breakdown of their relationship. As far as positive breakup stories go, Jenny and Kristen are pretty amazing Exes, and kudos to their spouses for enabling that continued friendship/partnership that’s enabled their success. I enjoyed the anecdotes, the details, the positivity entwined with Buffy messaging, but I think you “had to be there” a bit - so listen to the podcast first. I’ve also heard wonderful things about the audiobook… since this book includes a lot of content around the songwriting process (apparently each episode of the podcast gets a unique song written by the authors), and you get snippets of this in the audiobook. Reading the lyrics in my head without having heard them on the podcast, and without hearing them on audio, probably did them a huge disservice.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was really excited to pick this one up as a longtime fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The premise sounded fun and nostalgic, and I was hoping for a return to that familiar Slayer energy. What I didn’t realize going in, though, is that this story is actually built around the Slayers: A Buffyverse Story podcast—which I hadn’t listened to before. Because of that, I felt a bit lost at times and struggled to connect with the story and characters.

While I ultimately ended up DNFing this one, I still think it had a fun vibe and a lot of potential—especially for fans who are more immersed in the podcast or still deeply invested in the Buffyverse. It just didn’t quite click for me, probably because I was more of a casual Buffy fan and didn’t have the extra context to fully appreciate it.

That said, I can absolutely see this being a blast for die-hard fans of both the show and the podcast. If that’s you, it’s probably worth diving into!

I was lucky enough to win an ARC of SLAYERS, EVERY ONE OF US Kristin Russo and Jenny Owen Youngs. Thank you for the early look, and try to stay safe, sane and happy out there.

3.5 stars rounded up. I'm a simple girl. I see something Buffy related and I must read it. I'm not a podcast listener though, so I didn't really know anything about that aspect of the book before I started it. I think I would've appreciated the book a lot more if I'd listened to Buffering the Vampire Slayer. As it was, it was interesting to read about the behind the scenes drama and sadness. It was a sadder story than I was expecting. I think I would've liked to read more insight into the TV show, but the book was worth reading and made me curious about the podcast. Curious enough that I might wind up checking it out, even though I've never really gotten into the whole podcast thing.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.