One in a Millennial: On Friendships, Feelings, Fangirls, and Fitting In

As soon as I first saw the cover for Kate Kennedy’s One in a Millennial: On Friendships, Feelings, Fangirls, and Fitting In, I knew I had to read it. It combines so many of my interests and experiences, from being a millennial woman to having big fan girl tendencies (at least when it comes to music). I started off reading an ebook ARC of this, but ended up switching to the audiobook once it came out. (And yes, I’m very behind with this review; sorry!)

Special thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Review

I’m a millennial and have always identified strongly with my generation. Maybe it’s that I was born right in the middle of our era, or maybe I’m just a millennial cliché in certain ways, but my generation is an undeniable part of who I am. So when I came across One in a Millennial, I was sold.

One in a Millennial is divided into three parts: the 1990s, the 2000s, and Today. Earlier chapters capture what it was like for the author (a slightly older millennial) during her childhood, progressing through her high school and college years and ending with where she is as an adult now. She discusses the cultural touch points that impacted her and, to a degree, millennial women overall, from celebrity culture to the art of friendship and dating to the complicated state of our careers.

The earlier chapters were hard for me to relate to. I guess my childhood and teen years had very little overlap with the author’s, whether because I’m a bit younger or I’m from a lower socioeconomic background or I just have a different personality. Discussions around Limited Too, American Girl dolls, the Spice Girls, and so on just didn’t resonate for me. Her efforts to fit in weren’t quite me, either, even if we have shyness and social awkwardness in common.

But as the book progressed, it started to get a lot more interesting and relatable. Ironically, one of the earlier chapters about religion and purity culture had me hooked, even though I was raised in a completely secular household. Later chapters about motherhood, fertility, gender roles, and self-editing (especially among women) were completely engaging and made excellent points that I could identify with. Even if my childhood experiences were quite different from the author’s, our adult experiences and observations seem much more aligned. Now that we’re all well into adulthood, I expect that millennial women in the western world will largely appreciate those later chapters, regardless of how much the earlier ones connect.

One in a Millennial is, nonetheless, engaging throughout. The author has a very strong penchant for plays on words and puns; one that I can’t forget, from a section about penmanship and fonts, was when she wrote “throw caution to the windings.” There are many more where that came from! The writing style is consistently candid and even vulnerable, with endless observations on not only the more “superficial” aspects of popular culture, but the deeper meanings to be gleaned behind it all. Her taste in everything from music to movies is fairly different from mine (though we do have a shared love of Hilary Duff), but the points still stand and generally connected with me.

Audiobook

Kate Kennedy narraters her own book, infusing it with extra personality and ensuring her tone always lands. She does a good job of narrating throughout, though there were parts (especially near the end) when some extra emotion came through. Not to spoil it, but she had good reason for it! And for me, it only made her words more endearing and connective.

Final Thoughts

One in a Millennial is unapologetically written by and for millennial women, and overall it is filled with insightful observations through a lens of pop culture. Maybe other generations won’t get it; maybe men won’t, either. But for those of us in the target audience, this is a great book that is validating to our shared experiences coming of age in the early 21st century.

Get the Book

You can buy One in a Millennial here – it’s available as a hardcover, ebook, and audiobook.

One in a Millennial by Kate Kennedy
Audiobook Narrator	Kate Kennedy
Audience	Adult
Genre	Nonfiction
Book Length	336 pages
Format I Read	Audiobook; Ebook (NetGalley ARC)
Original Publication Date	January 23, 2024
Publisher	St. Martin’s Press

Official Summary

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
NATIONAL BESTSELLER

From pop culture podcaster and a voice of a generation, Kate Kennedy, a celebration of the millennial zeitgeist

One In a Millennial is an exploration of pop culture, nostalgia, the millennial zeitgeist, and the life lessons learned (for better and for worse) from coming of age as a member of a much-maligned generation.

Kate is a pop culture commentator and host of the popular millennial-focused podcast Be There in Five. Part-funny, part-serious, Kate navigates the complicated nature of celebrating and criticizing the culture that shaped her as a woman, while arguing that great depths can come from surface-level interests.

With her trademark style and vulnerability, One In a Millennial is sharp, hilarious, and heartwarming all at once. She tackles AOL Instant Messenger, purity culture, American Girl Dolls, going out tops, Spice Girl feminism, her feelings about millennial motherhood, and more. Kate’s laugh-out-loud asides and keen observations will have you nodding your head and maybe even tearing up.