I'm afraid it is a DNF for me at 160 pages.
I'm not gelling with the character of Kate at all. The phrases she uses are getting to me, constant use of f-boy, f-girl, f-force, f-whatever you can think of is too much. It is like the author tried to see how many times they could fit that phrase in the book and totally detracts from everything else. It feels like a try-hard to be 'cool' with the teens that will read this book. Unfortunately, there isn't anything with the plot that can keep me hanging on at this point.
Just not for me, I'm afraid!

Genre: Romance / YA

Release Date: Expected 20th April 2021



Kate and Anderson share the stage, and their lives with each other. They're the best friends you could ask for; even if some people might think they're a little co-dependant. They're even crushing on the same guy from afar, because a crush is much less crushing when you've got someone to share it with.

But now, the object of their affections isn't so far away when he transfers to their school. Matt is perfect, and compared to the amount of fuckboys populating their classes he's looking even better. Gorgeous, kind, talented - Kate adores him. But so does Anderson. But now it isn't just some hypothetical crush, Kate and Anderson need to face the music or this could be curtains for their relationship.

From the first scene, I could feel the love Kate and Andy had for each other and I was dying to be their friend. They were sweet, charming and so beautifully real. They were also naive, impulsive and irrational - but of course they are, they're teenagers trying to navigate first loves. What did you expect?

I felt so many parts of my teenage self on the pages of this story - the confusion, the discovery, and oh god - the f-boys. I had such a visceral reaction that I physically cringed at them because I knew exactly who they were the second they stepped onto the page.

This was so much more than just a cute, easy love story - this was a story about growing up, and most of all the story about how not all soulmates are romantic.

Sweet, Sincere and so very sassy - this is another classic in the making from Albertalli that will leave you with a giant smile on your face.



RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to Becky Albertalli, NetGalley and Balzer + Bray for an Advance Readers Copy in return for an honest review.

I chose to read this ARC for two, probably quite obvious reasons. First, I enjoyed Albertalli's first book 'Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda' and wanted to try more of her work and secondly, I thought the blurb was intriguing.

From the rating, you can probably see that I'm unfortunately not a huge fan of this book. I didn't like it but I want to cover what I did like before I get into the nitty-gritty.

'Kate in Waiting' was an incredibly quick read for me, I am notoriously slow and yet it only took me six days and it just flew by, and I think this was helped by some of the ensemble characters to pop up in Kate's incredibly annoying narrative. I adored Noah, Anderson and some of the other characters but I do think there were just too many, especially early on where there were whole chapters where I had no idea who was supposed to by the f-boys and f-girls and Kate's friends and her family. Just too much name dropping considering for the most part many of these characters are just their names or their sexuality/race/disability, with absolutely no attempt to develop these characters any more than this.

While I did enjoy the pacing of this book, it works well with its short chapters, this book is just too long. There isn't enough content to cover 400 pages. There is this one argument that Kate and Anderson have three times and that is basically what this book is about, that one argument. Don't get me wrong it's an important discussion that they both needed to have and I think it's interesting for a book to cover this idea of a co-depend friendship because I have absolutely had some of those but not three times and not the same damn discussion.

Think there was a real missed opportunity here to make this book a lot more friendship orientated, to show a more complex look at how hard it is to grow as a person outside of friendships and romance and even just the effect that high school has on making these sort of co-depended and unhealthy attitudes, but for the most part it was missed.

I have mentioned this earlier on in the review but the constant, and I do mean constant I would love for someone to go through and check, use of the various iterations of fuck-boy and fuck-girl was nauseating. By the end of this book, I was beginning to root for these guys, because most of them had never even interacted with Kate, from what I can gather, most of them just do a sport. It feels very cliched and just as if Kate wants to dislike these people so she can feel special, the old case of 'I'm not like other girls'.

Along these lines, another thing that definitely could have been explored more was the effect that online bullying can have on young people and how little education institutions seem to take it seriously, but once again this seems to be very under-developed.

Over-all I just think I wasn't the right audience for this book; it felt very over-dramatic (yes they're doing theatre in school I get it haha) but that just wasn't interesting to me, I did performing arts in college and while we were 18 I don't remember any of my company being this annoying. I didn't like Kate much as a leading character and I feel she left this story without taking any consequences for her selfish actions towards the end of the book with everything just being okay because 'oh look there's another boy that liked me this whole time. It felt cliche for all the wrong reasons and like the author dropped the ball on many different themes that would have made this very long book about something more substantial for young people to read.

This review will not be posted to Amazon but it will be posted to Goodreads and my blog closer to the time of the book's release with any spoilers being put under a readmore.

I tore through this book in just a few hours - it’s impossible to put down.

Kate in Waiting follows Kate and Anderson (Andy), two inseparable best friends. They’re both auditioning for the school musical, and all of a sudden, for the same guy: Matt. They’ve shared crushes before, but this one is different - it’s no longer fun or something to gossip about - they’re both head over heels, smitten. Naturally, they vow to not let Matt get between them, but of course, the reality is very different. To put it simply, it’s tearing them apart.

Albertalli puts onto page what it feels like to be a teenager; it’s funny, it’s wholesome, it’s absolutely awkward at times, and it explores the excitement of a new crush and the closeness of friendship. There’s excellent LGBT representation, including a trans side character and a positive coming out scene, and also Jewish representation which I loved - it’s not often seen in young adult novels, but the subtle Jewish references felt so natural.

If you liked Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, you’ll love Kate in Waiting.

A huge presence and the kind of book you’ll read with a big grin on your face, even when things aren’t going well.
Our main characters are Kate Garfield and her best friend Anderson Walker. Friends for years they are known for their strange rituals, and their shared crushes. During their recent summer camp they’ve both developed a crush on the same boy, Matt.
From the off we’re plunged into their little world and their shared fondness for drama. There’s the expected cute friend moments, a bit of drama and a general sense of expectation.
As they wait to audition for their annual theatre production, a proverbial spanner is thrown into the works...crush Matt has transferred to their school.
Cue problems.
Kate and Anderson vow not to let a crush derail their friendship. Sometimes the reality is quite different. Of course, though we see this from Kate’s view it is evident from fairly early on that she’s not the most observant of people and I was desperate to see if/when she’d open her eyes and see what was in front of her.
This is another Albertalli hit in the making, I’m sure, and I’m grateful I got the chance to read this before publication thanks to NetGalley. I’m not even that into theatre but still found myself captivated by this.

I am a big fan of Becky Albertalli. Simon Vs is one of my favourite books - I have read it several times. So I was really excited to read this latest offering from one of my favourite YA authors. Honestly? It’s no Simon Vs. It’s sweet, but predictable. I certainly enjoyed it enough to read it in one sitting one night when insomnia was keeping me awake. But it lacks that X factor that we’ve come to expect from a Becky Albertalli story. All in all, it’s worth a read as long as you go into it knowing it’s not the authors’ best work. If I am completely honest, this isn’t one I’ll be re-reading in the future.

This book was a beautiful love letter to the theatre, told via Becky Albertalli’s signature blend of cuteness and sincerity. It was just the book I wanted it to be.

I am a huge fan of Becky’s writing, Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda is a comfort read of mine, so I had high expectations going into Kate In Waiting. Thankfully it did not disappoint. The characters are as likeable as you would expect. You’re rooting for all of the different love stories throughout. There’s drama, both on stage and off, and I genuinely understood where both sides were coming from in the conflict. A lot of YA and some adult romance I’ve read recently seems to add conflict just for the sake of conflict but with this I could really understand each characters point of view. The love triangle trope done well.

If you’re looking for a quick, lighthearted read that will leave you with a huge smile on your face at the end, maybe think about picking this one up!

This was hilariously delightful, which is no surprise to anyone who has read Albertalli’s other books. It follows Kate and her best friend Anderson, who do and share everything together - they even have ‘communal crushes’. Which is fine, those crushes never get serious-they doesn’t notice them,or they never see them again after summer camp.

Except this time their ‘communal crush’ Matt has just moved to their town and is now attending their school. Emotions run high and Friendship is tested as both Kate and Anderson realise they can’t both win the guy.

It was so addictive I ended up finishing it in a day,it was that good. I loved all of the characters and thought the LGBTQ+ characters (Anderson specifically but also Raina,etc) were well written and relatable,more so than I’ve seen in other Contemporary YA novels.

As this is a romance, romantic relationships are a given but the importance of friendship, platonic love and the bond of siblings is also established. I enjoyed the scenes with Kate’s families’ dogs, Charles and Camilla - who are used to great comic effect and I couldn’t help but love Noah (f-boy or not).

Honestly, I can’t imagine any YA Romance or Contemporary teen romance lovers not liking this book, it’s got humour, romance and drama - what more could you ask for?

Also a huge thank you to Penguin Randomhouse and Net Galley for ARC.

Having previously read and quite enjoyed Albertalli's Creekwood novels, I was excited to get my hands on her new novel in the form of 'Kate in Waiting'. I am also a huge theatre nerd so anything with a backdrop of putting on a show is already a winner in my eyes. Kate and her classmates are putting on a production of 'Once Upon a Mattress' which leads to all kinds of friendship and relationship drama behind the scenes.

Kate and her best friend Andy share many things, including intense crushes. The past summer, they fell in love with Matt at summer camp, having no idea whether their feelings were returned and leaving this behind them in another state. However, we have a Grease style surprise when Matt not only moves to Roswell Hill High but signs up to audition for the school musical. Unexpectedly, he is everywhere Kate and Andy turn! The pair's feelings towards Matt are definitely not sustainable long term and so their friendship is about to be tested to its limit.

The plot of 'Kate in Waiting' is completely predictable from the moment each main character is introduced. However, it is a very sweet story with a diverse representation of characters which will be loved by the teenage target audience. Personally, I love the emphasis on Kate and Andy's platonic connection and the love between friends often being the most powerful and enduring. There are also some brilliant supporting characters such as the goofy Noah, Kate's sweet brother Ryan and forthright friends Raina and Brandie. I only wish Albertalli would cease and desist with the use of the terms f-boy/ f-girl - every other sentence got wearing.

Overall, this is a sweet, if predictable, novel which will be widely enjoyed, especially those who are fans of the theatre and an adorable showmance! 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had a lot of fun reading this book! Becky Albertalli always manages to write incredibly cute YA romances and this was no exception. Whilst this book was very predictable, the love between Kate and Noah was very cute and fun. Their scenes together always made me smile and they were the best parts of the book. I enjoyed the theatre aspect but also loved that it didn't take over the entire plot of the story. The only reason I gave this a lower rating was because of the friendship aspect. The friendship between Kate and Anderson just didn't work as I found it to be quite toxic. I didn't like how Kate always had to apologise for spending time with Matt when Anderson was doing the same thing. I felt like Anderson was quite mean towards Kate and I didn't like how their friendship worked. However, I still really enjoyed this story and I would recommend it as a cute YA romance.

Kate in Waiting is narrated by Kate, an awkward high school junior who is deeply committed to musical theatre and very reliant on her gay best friend Anderson. Kate and Andy have a history of 'sharing crushes', so they can discuss the same guys together, and when they meet Matt, it looks like business as usual. However, when they both find themselves developing genuine feelings for Matt as they all work together on the school's latest theatre production, Kate is afraid that this crush will ruin her friendship with Andy. How can Kate and Andy navigate this situation, and will Kate be able to gain in confidence and step into the limelight of her own life?

My lukewarm feelings about Kate in Waiting have led me to the conclusion that I just don't get on with Becky Albertalli books with straight protagonists (I thought this was a little bit better than The Upside of Unrequited, but nowhere near as good as Simon Vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda or Leah on the Offbeat). Unfortunately, they tend to become a little too sugary for my liking, and that was the case here - there was a lot to like about Kate's relationship with Andy, and also with her brother, Ryan, but in both cases, I thought Albertalli laid it on a little too thick. The plot was also incredibly predictable, which robbed the central section of the book of the tension it might otherwise have had. I think Albertalli fans will still enjoy this one, but for me, it needed a bit more bite. 3.5 stars.

I will post the full version of this review to Goodreads and to my blog nearer the publication date.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book in return for an honest review.

I was very excited when I saw this book as I am a huge fan of Becky Albertalli's. I managed to read this within one sitting and while I loved the complexities of friendships and highschool, I do have a few minor complaints.

For starters, the use of f-boy and f-girl. I don't care about swearing but the terms were used a little too much within the book. I wish there was more development between a few of the characters because even though I loved them all together, I personally feel like there could have been just a little more to make it perfect. My last complaint is that I could tell that it was about a girl who was 16/17 and I find that sometimes, I cannot connect with that as, currently, I am in the mood for a slightly more mature main character (this is not me saying that 16 and 17-year-olds are immature) and tone of the book.

Now that those small issues are out of the way, let's get to the good! I loved how open Kate and her family were about being Jewish and being a divorced family. Noah is an absolute cutie in my opinion and I seemed to smile whenever he was around, Andy is just pure passion with his rants and enthusiasm, Ryan is the standard mysterious brother but he really shone through at times, Matt is so brilliantly lovely and kind, Raina and Brandie are the mums of the group and Kate, the lady in waiting, is a sixteen-year-old who is just trying to figure out life.

Rating: 3.5/4⭐
Would I Read It Again? Yes
Would I Recommend it? Yes

After spending the summer at camp and having a huge crush on Matt, Kate and her best friend Anderson are shocked to see him on the first day of school. How are they going to navigate the school year when they both have huge crushes on him.

Becky Albertalli is one of my favourite authors and I was thrilled be given an advanced copy of Kate In Waiting. It certainly did not disappoint. Becky has written yet another gorgeous novel about been a teenager and the struggles that come along with it. This story of young love and friendship is witty and tender and I devoured it in one sitting. I will certainly be recommending it to everyone I know!

I've loved every one of Becky Albertalli's books so far, although I might be biased as Simon Vs. Was the book that helped me come out and What if its us is one of my favourite books ever. Saying that, I was worried this wouldn't live up to those so I tempered my expectations. I shouldn't have done, though, because it was every bit as special as the rest of her work. My absolute favorite part was how it clearly showed the importance and magnitude of platonic relationships - that's something more books definitely need to make a big deal out of. Oh, and the love interests? Absolutely swoon-worthy, of course. One of my favourite books of the year so far and such a comforting read.

4 to 4.5 stars! I can't decide, uhh.

I love Becky's writing. Her books, this one included, are usually so delightful.

What I loved the most in this book was relationship between Kate and Anderson. Their friendship is beautiful, and I think it's really important to show that friendship is a relationship. A platonic one, but it's still a relationship. It's still important.

Kate and Anderson are not "just" friends. They are best friends. They live next to each other, they share their interests. And their crushes.

And it's all nice until one of their shared crushes becomes something more than just a crush. They both really, really, really like this boy.

This is the part of the book that I really liked, because it was so real? How to be happy for your best friend when it breaks your own heart? Is it even possible?

Relationship between Kate and Noah was so subtle. Sometimes it felt.. too subtle. I did like them together, tho!

The only part I didn't like/didn't really get/was a bit confusing, was the talk Anderson and Kate had after Kate's talk with Matt. I didn't understand Anderson's explanation at all. It didn't make sense to me. I expected something better.

I finished this book in one sitting, I couldn't stop reading it, because it was just... Nice. Even with the things I didn't really like. It left me with this warm feeling inside and a huge smile on my face.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

This is one of my favourite Becky Albertalli books. I loved the formatting of the book. I loved the short chapters. I loved that it was based around a theatre performance in high school. Solid book.

I’m sad to say I didn’t like it very much. I hated the term f-boy with a burning passion and found the main character fairly self centred and annoying.