Reviews with content warning for Mass/school shootings - One in a Millennial: On Friendship, Feelings, Fangirls, and Fitting In

Reviews tagging 'Mass/school shootings'

One in a Millennial: On Friendship, Feelings, Fangirls, and Fitting In by Kate Kennedy

16 reviews

theyellowbrickreader's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

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jaklyn_heath_reads's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective fast-paced

5.0

The nostalgia was strong in this book. I seriously don’t think I can accurately put into words the experience of reading (listening to) this book. I feel so seen and understood as a female millennial.
The discussions about being a fan girl, being made to feel silly for liking things, the real talk about purity culture at church, and the thousands of references to nostalgic things from growing up both were highly entertaining and served to heal something in me that I didn’t know needed healing.
I haven’t felt this feeling of being deeply understood and like I’m part of a special insiders club in a VERY long time. I wouldn’t trade this feeling for the world and I will be screaming my praises for this book from the rooftop for a long time to come.
I’m so glad I got to listen to the audiobook as Kate Kennedy narrated it. I LOVED how the producers of the book decided to keep in the parts where Kate’s voice breaks when talking about how much she loves her husband, when discussing a pregnancy loss, when talking about an influential boss who has since passed, and in her acknowledgements. It was so moving to hear the real emotion behind her words.
I LOVED this book. I am telling everyone I know to read it.

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lindsayerin's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.5

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feliciaguestwrites's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.0

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Kate Kennedy’s One in a Millennial has two purposes. The first is to act as a pop culture dictionary of sorts — a deep dive into the influence of pop culture on kids, teens, and adults of the decade. The other is an exploration of one millennial woman’s experience growing up in the 2000s and coming to terms with girlhood, womanhood, and everything in between.

One in a Millennial is a celebration of girlhood; of the things that made so many of us the women we are today. Kennedy describes pivotal 2000s milestones including but not “Limited Too”: using AOL Instant Messenger to communicate with crushes and friends and getting your hands on the holy grail — the American Girl doll (mine was Felicity, thanks for asking).

One of the things that Kennedy does a great job of in this book is dismantling the idea of being “cringe”. Sure, things may go in and out of style. But as Kennedy proves, inherently female interests are constantly under attack. We are taught to hide or modify parts of ourselves in order to be marketable or interesting to those around us.

Although this book claims not to be a memoir, it did have very personal elements. As readers, we learn a lot about Kate Kennedy; her upbringing, her experiences, her work, and her current life. I would argue that in a book like this, there is a natural desire to connect the content to human experiences. In that regard, I didn’t mind the blend between nonfiction and memoir here.

Some of you may wonder: Do you have to be millennial to enjoy One in a Millennial? To that, I say: “Maybe? But probably not.” If you have a deep appreciation for pop culture and a passion for uplifting women and celebrating girlhood, One in a Millennial will likely be your exact cup of tea. Filled with references and (sometimes cheesy, but mostly endearing) pop culture puns, this book is a time capsule to an early digital world.

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bibliomich's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced

4.5

I'll be honest--I requested this book based solely on the cover and the title. I had no knowledge of Kate Kennedy's podcast (though I do now and will absolutely be listening), and I fully anticipated a mostly fluffy book about millennial pop culture. It proved to be so, so much more.

I loved this book. It took me a minute to get used to Kate's pun-filled, slant-rhyme-obsessed phrases, but once I settled into her quirky style of writing, I loved the content of the book. One in a Millennial was a true trip down memory lane. Kate resurfaced memories that I didn't even know I had--of toys, shows, even *experiences* that I had long forgotten. Perhaps it's because I'm more or less the exact same age and from more or less the same socioeconomic demographic as Kate, but I was shocked at how much of her story felt deeply familiar. I do wonder if people who grew up in a different time or had different experiences may not enjoy the book in the same way, because there are many references to TV shows, song lyrics, cultural moments, etc. that really made this book a fun read for me.

What I was most impressed with was the Kate's sensitivity and self-awareness throughout this book. She was quick to recognize her privilege, vulnerable when sharing her experiences, and very intentional with her language choices.

As mentioned before, Kate is a podcast host, so she was a natural choice to narrate the audiobook. While I generally prefer books that are not narrated by the author, Kate does an excellent job. You can often hear her starting to tear up at some of the more emotional moments in the story, and it added so much to the reading experience.

Thank you to NetGalley for my ALC of this book.

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cestmackenzie's review against another edition

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funny reflective

3.0

First things first, the audiobook is incredibly breathy. Almost every single inhale is heard and emphasized, which was incredibly distracting. There’s even points where Kate exhales right into the mic and I have to ask, who edited this audiobook? Did they even listen…to…it? WHY is it so breathy???

Alright, that aside - I enjoyed the idea of this book. As a millennial myself, I identified with many of the stories and throwbacks sprinkled throughout the essays, and I also greatly appreciated the conversation and context surrounding the very real impact of organized religion on childhood and adolescence and other people (read: white, Christian men) deciding what people with uteruses can and cannot do with their own bodies. Also, the nuances concerning influencers, being online, and owning individuality in a world that pin-points and shames anything that’ll bring cheap laughs and entertainment.

Nostalgia, millennial connection, and vulnerability are at the forefront of this collection, all bound together with humor and metaphors about Limited Too and the Spice Girls. There’s a lot happening across the chapters, and I think the stories and points made would’ve had a greater impact if the ideas were more organized. Some of the content dragged on for a while and I found myself getting distracted, but I eventually came back to home base and didn’t feel like I missed too much. The first half of the book is much stronger than the latter half, especially as it pertains to commentary about Kate’s millennial experience.

Lastly, call me cold-hearted but the teary-eyed bits sounded a bit manufactured and were very jarring next to Kate’s standard narration.

Overall, it was an okay read. I’m glad it exists for those who really connected to it. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio/St. Martin’s Press for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

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