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.

As someone who has never listened to the Buffering podcast, I really enjoyed this book. I think I’m going to have to go back and listen to the podcast now. I really loved the structure of this book with sections separated for each author and for both together embedded in each chapter. They were very vulnerable in writing this book and I think their journey was very powerful and important to share. I’m glad I read it and now I must go rewatch Buffy again! Thank you to the publisher and authors for sending me an advanced copy!

I loved reading this authors' memoir.
The writing is just amazing, thoughtful and funny.
It was amazing and engaging.
I was instantly sucked in by the writing. The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.

Being a life-long Buffy the Vampire Slayer (and ATS) fan, but never having listened to the Buffering podcast, I *loved* reading this book. Kristin and Jenny are awesome. I feel like part of the draw to Buffy is that, despite taking place in sunny California atop a hell mouth in a town riddled with vampires, it’s so relatable on so many levels to virtually everyone in some way. The characters are both flawed and lovable humans (or supernaturals) trying to figure things out as they go along. Kristin and Jenny’s stories are exactly that, and I really enjoyed reading this.

Slayers, Every One of Us details podcasters Jenny Owen Youngs and Kristin Russo’s lives together—and apart—over the various seasons of their podcast, Buffering the Vampire Slayer. From marriage to a cross-country move to divorce, additional moves, and coparenting the podcast through a new marriage, the memoir follows the highs and lows of their lives together, what was happening in the country throughout the course of their podcast, and the symbolism and analyses of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes they shared along the way and built an entire community around.

When I picked this up, I hadn’t listened to Buffering the Vampire Slayer yet but instead was drawn in from the premise of the memoir. I started watching Buffy in college with a friend and then got all the DVD sets so I could return to my favorite episodes whenever I wanted. Now, after reading segments of what Kristin and Jenny discussed on the podcast as part of the book, I want to go back and listen to the Buffering episodes (and the episodes from their podcast about Angel, too).

I was initially drawn to this book for the nostalgia factor but appreciated the funny, touching, heartbreakingly emotional backstory to the podcast as well.

Since I hadn’t listened to them before, it did take me a couple of chapters to learn to differentiate when Kristin or Jenny was speaking in the audiobook. The audiobook includes clips from some of the Buffy-themed songs they performed for their podcast—those were especially fun to listen to—and the print version includes photos. (You can download those as a PDF with the audiobook version.)

There are some appendices included after the main arc of the memoir—fun vignettes that would be easily consumed in either print or audio and tips for playing some of the podcast songs, which may be easier to follow with the audio accompaniment.

This would be a good pick for fans of their podcasts or devoted Buffy the Vampire fans looking for a nonfiction read.

3.5⭐️

I received an advance copy of the book from St. Martin’s Press and an advance copy of the audiobook from Macmillan Audio. All review opinions are my own.

Thank you to Kristen Russo, Jenny Owen Youngs, St Martin's Press, and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a honest review (unpaid).

I don't think I have read a nonfiction book this quickly even. It was truly addictive, I could not stop thinking about it, I put off writing a ten page paper in favor of reading this book. Sometimes heartbreaking and other times hilarious, this book shows how fandom can keep us holding on.

As a fan of the Buffy TV series, I was thrilled when I first saw this book. However, I admit that I should have done more research before requesting it, as I’m not familiar with the podcast that the book is centered around, or the podcasters who wrote the book. Despite this, I found it to be a pretty good read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this e-ARC!

Slayers, Every One of Us by Kristin Russo and Jenny Owens Young is a wonderful look back at their Buffy the Vampire Slayer podcast, their lives, and how the two intertwined. While their marriage fell apart, their podcast became more popular, and they found a way to move through the ruins of their romantic relationship to create an enduring friendship.

I loved this book! I thought it was very well written and interesting. I enjoyed reading the links between the shows and what was going on in their lives. Heads up - if you haven’t seen the show, there will be spoilers!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for access to an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I have a weakness for Buffy related books, so even though I had never even heard of the podcast, I was intrigued by this one. While fans of the podcast will probably also really enjoy this, I don't think you have to be a fan to enjoy it- I think they did a great job communicating their background, their shared experiences, and the struggles along the way through making this podcast as people who started it off married and worked through their divorce and new relationships with other people.

My Buffy origin started later in life, during the pandemic, when I watched two episodes a week with two good friends. I grew to love the show and frequently supplemented my watches with the Buffering podcast. I didn't listen to every episode, but listening to Kristin and Jenny grapple with some of the bigger episodes was such a treat for me. Jenny's songs and Kristin's jokes were a particular highlight and even though I wasn't as active in the community, I still felt like I was one of their friends while I was listening.

I requested this book on a whim because while I did enjoy them and the podcast, I thought this book would be more of an encyclopedia of the show and their episodes and as someone that listened to them already talk about the show, I wasn't sure if I needed to read a book along the same lines. Thankfully, one day while I was waiting in a line, I pulled up this book and started reading and once I started I couldn't stop.

I admit that I did some light Instagram stalking of the two of them when I found out they were getting a divorce and further admit to being baffled they could continue podcasting together. This book delves into what went on behind the scenes of their popular podcast and because I'm nosy, I ate it all up.

This book must have been spectacularly vulnerable and hard to write. They spare no punches, going into every devastating moment of trying to get pregnant, their marriage falling apart, the fallout from that and how they managed to still work well together and get through to the other side. I particularly loved how they used the Buffy storyline to map out these events while emphasizing how much their Buffy community and the show helped them. This was a delight to read and I highly recommend to fellow Buffy and Buffering lovers.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an early review.