Becky Albertalli is such a phenomenal author, her writing is very easy to fall into, easy to read and just enjoyable that I find myself getting lost into it.

The plot of the book was more embedded into friendship than it is in romance and I loved that about this because this had such a unique plot.

Kate and Anderson have a very close bond and their friendship is so amazing and the idea of communal crushes was pretty unique.

I liked how the story progressed, with the glimpses of romance and the theatre was nice and fun and both the relationships were developed really well, they were sweet and amazing.

What I really liked was the friendship between Kate and Anderson, from being co-dependent friends who couldn’t even have crushes without each other to people who understand that they are two different people and not one being.

The problems that come between them are painful but the way they get over it is amazing and I love every aspect of reading the book.

My major porblem with this book was how judgey Kate’s group was with the entire fuckboys and fuckgirls thing, they way they just assumed a person was a f-boy or girl and didn’t even wanna be associated with them did ire me a little.

Kate, she is both an adorable and kinda be a little infuriating but time but for the most part she is a great character. Seeing her character become more than just a townsperson to someone in herself was a nice journey to follow and I was rooting for her the whole time. I kinda guessed the romance but seeing it play out was fun and I liked her personality quite a bit.

Anderson, he was also kinda like Kate, very co-dependent on his bestie, his character also went through some changes through the book though since the book is via Kate’s eyes we don’t get to see what Anderson is going through in the book, I think that would have added a great element to the story.

Along side our two main character we have an amazing cast of supporting characters whom were all very very lovely, my favorite among the group was Noah Kaplan, he is such a goofy character that is hard not to like him.

Overall this book was heartwarming, along with cute romances it also has a great friendship element which I appreciated quite a lot and the characters are some that you will definitely love with all your heart.

I would recommend this book to everyone who liked Becky Albertalli’s writing and is looking for a cute and quick read with more friendship than romance

Kate in waiting was my most anticipated book of the year, and let me tell you all it didn’t disappoint me. Now that the summer is upon us and you just want to read something cozy then go for this book. Also I love reading Books written by Becky Albertalli

We follow two best friends Kate and Andy both of whom always end up having a crush on the same guy, which they like to call communal crush. Talk about best friends goals or not. Anywho the main focus of this story is Kate and Andy friendship now that guy they have a crush on is in the same school and they both like a lot so how are they going to navigate that also, we have Noah who is hands down my favourite. There were so many aspects of the story that I couldn’t put the book down. The characters were well developed; the only part is that this book got over way too fast. I just wanted more of the story just for the cozy feeling i got while reading this book.

I am always a fan of a YA contemporary focused on best friendship and theatre and so I was obviously going to love this book with all of my heart.

The characters were all well written and I just loved how they were all so committed to theatre and their friendship group. As a sort of theatre kid myself, I related to this and it made me quite nostalgic for my theatre days. Kate and Andy were such lovely main characters and I just loved Kate so much because our personalities are quite close and omg I was basically her in school (minus the communal crushes haha). I loved Matt and Noah and Ryan too and I loved how they plated into the story and supported Kate throughout the events of the book and her life prior.

The plot was wonderful and just so perfect for this YA contemporary because it was just so well-paced. I did predict how things would end near the start but that didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book at all. In fact, it might have made me enjoy it more as I saw my predictions play out! As I have already said I adored the theatre aspect and I just thought it was so great to see how that was so central (even the chapter titles were called scenes). The third act conflict was well thought out and didn't drag on too long which was great. And the ending was just super sweet as well!

The writing was brilliant, it was light and funny and just so wonderful. You could see Kate's thought process through the way the book was written and I just loved that. It really felt like it was a sixteen/seventeen-year-old narrating the story with the colloquial style of wiring. Just a wonderful book through and through.

I can't remember not enjoying a book by Becky Albertalli and I am glad that continues in her new book, Kate In Waiting. With brilliant character, good romances and a way of creating a plot that draws you like no one else, Albertalli returns with another book that should be a movie, this would make such a good movie.

The characters are always so genuine in her books, I always feel like I could find someone just like them and this book is certainly no exception to that as I feel that energy throughout this. How the relationships grow throughout is really well written as usual and it feels like you're reading something that is happening in real time.

I always like the plots of these stories, Albertalli really brings an authenticity to them and it really enriches the book, for me the second half of it really giving us drama (through the medium of it!) and the ending pays off so well, planted from the beginning of the story - I really enjoyed this book as it got going and it made for a nice book to get through on many grey days.

A touch of romantic escapism that keeps you engrossed, this book is just what Becky Albertalli does best.

4/5.

This book was such a fun, light and quick read! I absolutely loved it and it was just what I needed! I ended up reading this in one sitting and I loved how cute it was!

First of all, I love the fact that is revolves around a school musical. I'm a sucker for a musical and I feel like I don't read enough books with this setting or plot! Secondly, the characters were amazing and I loved the banter between all the characters, especially Kate and Noah!
I would have liked to have read more about Ryan as for me he felt like a big part of the story but was left to the side with no real development.

Normally I'm not a big fan of love triangles but this one didn't leave me feeling uncomfortable or cringed out. I found myself so invested in the dynamics between Kate, Anderson and Matt! They tried so hard to protect each other from getting hurt and it was just so sweet to see! Kate and Anderson's friendship is something we all aspire to have!

This book left me with a warm fuzzy feeling and it was such an easy read! I definitely recommend this if you're a fan of her previous books or if you like YA romance!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion

I wanted to love this book, but there was so much wrong with it for me. The communal crushes aspect was what pulled me in, but I just didn't think it was executed well, and it was definitely the sort of YA book that makes me feel too old to read YA!

I am a fan of Becky Albertalli but this one just didn't hit the right marks for me, unfortunately. Kate was really a difficult character voice to enjoy and understand the mindset of.

What I Liked
I have been so hyped for this book and couldn’t wait to read it since the blog tour was announced. I ended up reading it in one sitting because it was so incredibly cute, I couldn’t put it down. The book was a bit predictable at times however, the story really grew on me as more characters were introduced. It’s a very easy read, surely one to sit down with after a long hard day!

The Story
We follow our main character, Kate, through her junior year of high school with her best friend Anderson. They are inseparable and face everything together. From the nerves and excitement of the theatre down to their very funny and cute communal crushes, you are sure to laugh and smile at all the cuteness in this book!

The school play and theatre, in general, plays a massive part in the story. It was so much fun to follow Kate through the process of auditioning and doing bits and bobs for the show. I love musicals, plays, any kind of production really and with working at a summer camp where the kids put on these amazing shows, the theatre will always hold a special place in my heart.

There is so much to love in this book but it can be a bit repetitive occasionally. I was still completely entertained all the way through and loved learning all about Kate. We get to see so much of her school life and home life but also a lot of her friendships.

The Characters
Kate is a very likeable and relatable main character. She did annoy me a little throughout the book but I did start to love her, especially her friendship with Anderson! Kate is so considerate towards him and wants to do her best to avoid him from getting hurt in any way. Their friendship really felt believable and I had so many emotions when they started to go through a few rough patches.

I really wish Anderson was in it a lot more than he was because I absolutely adored him. You can tell how much he loves and cares for Kate and just supports her unconditionally. There’s just something about his character that I couldn’t get enough of.

There were so many other likeable characters that made this book so much fun to read. I can’t help but get all excited when romance is involved and get invested in who’s going to pick who.

Overall Thoughts
I’ve already said it a few times and I’ll say it a few more! Kate in Waiting is an incredibly cute book that will leave you all warm of fuzzy. It’s easy to read and fast-paced, so if you are a fan of romance and very likeable characters that love all things theatre, you should definitely read this book!

Kate and Anderson are the best of friends. They are practically attached at the hip. Inseparable is what one can safely vouch for these two. But everything is not hunky dory in their lives when the most unexpected thing happen in their life.

On one camp that Kate and Anderson take, they both land up falling for the same guy. Both of them fall for Matt and then on nothing seems to be the same in their lives after that.

Does Kate and Anderson’s friendship survive?
Who wins over Matt?
Is it difficult to maintain their friendship?
What drama unfolds?

Rating – 4/5 Stars
Recommendation – High

I loved the drama that takes place in this book. All the characters have been developed well and the plot is really interesting and to the point that it notches one’s curiosity levels a lot. I enjoyed reading this book a lot.

This wasn't a bad book, it just wasn't for me. This was the kind of young adult book that makes me think maybe I'm too old for young adult. The main character (Kate, duh) and her best friend Andy have a crush on the same guy. This has happened to them before, but because neither of them has ever done anything about these crushes, it's never caused any problems. But now Kate, Andy, and their communal crush are all trying out for the same musical.

And it's all fine, really. A lot of readers are really going to love this and I would happily recommend it. In fact, I think 14-Year-Old me would have loved this. But nearly 31 year old me found Kate to be immature and naive to the point of cringy...which, well, made it hard to connect with the story.

Kate in waiting

This book is about Kate and her best friend Anderson who are both crushing on Matt. It's all fine until Matt ends up moving to their school, and their perfect friendship gets tipped upside down...

As a 12 year old, I loved this book. I could relate to practically everything, and could really feel what the characters were feeling. I also loved the characters themselves, since they were all extremely well written and felt very real. I also loved how diverse they were, with members of the LGBTQ+ community and trans characters. I could barely put this book down because I wanted to see their relationships and friendships work out so badly, and I was so glad when everything was resolved. I can't wait to see more of this author- this was a great read.

I think it’s official, I love everything that comes out from Becky Albertalli. Even if she publishes her grocery shopping, I would read it and I would love it (and I would buy it). I loved Kate In Waiting, it was such a lovely, sweet story.

Taking place in Roswell, Georgia, Becky tells us a story of Kate and Andy, who are like super BFFs and often end up sharing the same crush. When they both start having feeling for the new guy, Matt, their friendship is tested and Kate and Andy have to find a way to protect their precious relationship. But, when the three of them are all cast in the school musical, things get super complicated. Who will Matt choose? Will Kate and Andy still remain friends at the end of the musical? Well… you need to read this story to find out.

Once again, music and musical are a pivotal elements to Albertalli’s storytelling and you can tell how much research she did on Once Upon A Mattress, which I didn’t even know is actually a real musical. And once again, she is so good at depicting life as a teenager with their crush and fixation on a school production. And this is why, even if the plot was predictable, it was still a lovely and sweet rom-com to read, which I devoured.

Everything is told completely from Kate’s POV, which sometimes can come across as a bit annoying or selfish, and around her, you have this fantastic diverse cast of characters. I think sometimes I wanted to slap her, because how can she not realise her actions were hurting others, but I sort of still get that, I think I was the same as Kate at her age, not so delicate. The best character, I think, was Noah, it was impossible not to love him from the very beginning. But again, because of the first-person narrative, you don’t get to understand fully why Kate and Andy would both fall for Matt or you don’t get a clear picture of Andy’s perspective.

I still think it was a reflection on how sometimes we just tend to categorise people under certain stereotypes and we just judge them accordingly. Again, while some people may find the whole “f-boy” talks repetitive or disturbing, I still think that this is something we all do during high school.

In the end, the plot was not perfect, but the writing is just simply so worth it. Becky Albertalli has this talent in describing the realism of teenage crushes, when you spend hours examining every single eye movement, word, gesture… who didn’t do that? It is a sweet light story about discovering love and platonic relationships. I simply love it and if you loved her previous works, you will need to get a copy of this book.

3 stars | Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Kate in Waiting follows Kate, who frequently has “communal crushes” with her best friend since childhood, Anderson. However, this time their communal crush gets complicated, when Matt – who they met during the summer, but thought they’d never see again – shows up at their school, and leaves them both falling for him even further.

Kate as a character was fairly well developed, though to me she felt slightly immature and naive at times. Her friend group was fun and I loved many of the side characters, but I did find it extremely annoying how whenever they were together, all they seemed to do was insult and be judgemental about fuckboys, or f-boys, as they are referred to in the novel. It just felt somewhat unnecessary.

Overall the plot was interesting, if slightly predictable and occasionally repetitive (the way Kate and Andy constantly fell in and out of being happy for one another and jealous of one another got annoying, in my opinion), and the ending was satisfying. Albertalli’s writing style is easy to read, though it felt a little cheesy at times (I’ll admit this is just a matter of taste though).

I think my main issue with this book was the character development and how it varied from character to character – there were a couple of well-developed characters and many other side characters which felt somewhat neglected, the main love interest included. Considering that Kate and Anderson’s crush on him was a major feature of the book, I would’ve appreciated it if he had been developed a bit more as a character, and the reasons for them liking him (aside from his appearance) to have been explored further.

That aside this was a cute and fun read, the kind of thing that would be great for getting someone out of a reading slump, as Albertalli’s books often are.

This book was cute, very cute, sickeningly cute in a delightful way. But that's all I really have to say about it. It was well written, the characters were cute but the story was overly predictable and fore me there wasn't really enough character growth to call it a character driven novel. While the theatre aspects were super fun, for me they just didn't dive deep enough. We just sort of skimmed the surface of Kate's life and never really dug deep into any aspect.

The best this was the yoyo of emotions Kate feels when dealing with her best friend and her feelings for the new guy. These felt very realistic and leant some real authenticity to the the story. However, I still feel we jumped too quickly between them to full get a grasp of how Kate was feeling and how she worked through those feelings. I kind of wanted more from some of the other relationships too. Kate and her brother Ryan had such a sweet relationship and I really would have loved to read more about that. I would have liked a little more development of the romances too. Again, they are so sweet but we only really get a little scratch at the surface.

While it had amazing amounts of rep, it started to feel a little bit like diversity bingo, especially when characters would be mentioned to shoehorn in one of these diverse characters and then never appear again. I also wasn't sure quite who the references and there for age range of the reader this book was aiming at. There were a lot of references to mid 2000, when I was a teen and I am in my 30s so it felt a bit off if the target market is current teens.

Overall, this is a cute fun and fast paced read. Its a nice palate cleanser read especially if you have had yourself buried in some darker reads like I have. For me it wasn't a bad book, I was very entertained. It just isn't up there with the best of them for me. Some time you just need a quick cute read and this was it.

I read this book for a blog tour, so thank you to the blog tour organiser, author and publisher and NetGalley for letting me be part of the tour and for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Trigger Warnings: divorced parents, a lot of swearing, mentions of fairly graphic bullying.

In this book, we meet Kate our main character as she and her best friend Anderson are talking about the crush they had this summer – because of course they have communal crushes – and lo and behold, he turns up at their school. This was just a bunch of laughs, cuteness, feelings and just a great, quick read.

What I loved the most about the setting was the auditorium and theatre room in the school. I was a theatre kid for 9 years so it’s all ingrained into me and I dearly miss it, so this book was especially nostalgic to me and I just couldn’t help but adore it. I had never heard of this musical before, but I will definitely be doing so in the future because it sounded so fun.

Overall, this was a great book that had me going through so many emotions in just a few pages. It was cute, like really, really cute, especially at the end and my heart was honestly just so happy. The mix of friendship, crushes, theatre and high school was really well done and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about all these things.

The one thing I do want to mention, and is entirely subjective, is that I found there to be a massive amount of swearing which kind of shocked me. I swear like a sailor myself and usually never notice swearing in books, but I did here and I will admit that it bothered me a little bit. There maybe weren’t that many and I may be exaggerating a tad, but it felt like there was an f-bomb a couple times on each page, which kind of felt off for me considering this is YA, but that’s the only little issue I had with this book.

I gave Kate in Waiting 4 stars and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It wasn’t as funny as some other YA contemporaries I have read lately, but there was a nice amount of humour to cut through some of the harder subjects that were spoken about. The writing style was really nice and fluid and I read this book very quickly, even though it’s 400-pages long (which is long for a contemporary right?).

If you love funny, cute, and quick reads with a bunch of amazing, caring, complex and believable characters, a unique plot set in a high school and theatre, then this is definitely the book for you!

Title – Kate in Waiting

Author – Becky Albertalli

Genre – YA Romance

My very first encounter with Becky Albertalli and her books was when ‘Simon vs The Homosapien Agenda’ was one of the most talked books when I entered Bookstagram. The book felt like a warm glow in cold winters and I was pretty intrigued everytime the author came out with other books. Kate in Waiting is Becky’s latest offering which deals with not so unique but eventful plotline – Two bestfriends falling for the same guy!! Juicy!!

Making it a bit short, Kate and Anderson are best friends who love to discuss camp crush boys. So it turns out, that their latest camp crush is the new student in their school and both are in dilemma on how to go about getting to know someone they love and also saving their friendship.

One thing I love about the YA authors these days is how they have been so easily inclusive of LGBT+ characters over the previous generation ones. There is never any explicit mentions or stereotype of people from the spectrum and thats one of the reason why these books will surely pave a better way for the generations to come. Coming down to the story, the premise is pretty straightforward and juicy to be honest. The characters are quite likeable but the book is mediocre at its best.

This could be mainly due to me not being a huge fan of romance genre or maybe the story did not steer away much from the usual predictable plot. Especially the main character felt more annoying and this is where the book tends to be a bit unlikeable. Honestly, there were times where I did put down the book never to pick up again but I kept going on especially because of other characters that were more fun to read.

Pick it up if you are a huge fan of the author or I would suggest give it a skip if not. Though it stands average on my ratings, there are better ratings out there and this could be a reason why you might be compelled to pick this one up.

My Ratings – 🌟🌟🌟 (3 out of 5 stars)

Thank you so much The Write Reads and Penguin India for giving me the opportunity for this tour.

I rarely read contemporary, even less books about romance, because that's just not my cup of tea. Therefore, despite Becky Albertalli being a bit of a Juggernaut in YA, KATE IN WAITING was my first book by her. It was an absolute ball.

It's a very funny story. The situation itself could go either all tragic pining and drama (which would probably have made me roll my eyes) or the way of melodramatic to the point of giggles. The book choses the second path, without losing any heart. I kept smothering snorts of laughter at the conversations and not so smooth attempts at romance.

I love the theatre group of friends, all their in jokes and having each others' backs. It absolutely felt like they were a real group of friends, tight knit and with their own rituals. They were such a wholesome group, not internal tensions or "not quite friends" issues. Other than the one romance issue at the heart of the book, they were just really lovely friend. AND I loved that Kate and Andy were consistently trying to ensure they were friends first.

Given the book was in first person, a lot of the in jokes couldn't be explained without breaking POV, but it didn't matter. In fact, not knowing the exact reason but instead seeing it as a long past that was too complicated to explain and that it wouldn't make sense unless you'd been along for the whole 6+ years only made it feel more authentic. I certainly would struggle to explain my friendship group's references, and it still wouldn't make sense to anyone else.

This is a book stuffed full of reference, most of which I only caught because my sister loves musical theatre and has coerced the family into watching more than I would ever choose (sorry, but it's just not my thing). To my surprise, the play the school is putting on is actually a real one - I thought it would me made up (nope, just a really old one that's out of copyright). Despite not being keen on musicals, the book has actually made me curious to watch it, quite an impressive feat!

I’ve only previously read one book by Becky Albertalli which was What If It’s Us and having liked it I couldn’t wait to give this one a go.

This is a well written book but did feel that the writing to be a bit repetitive especially when it came to the constant use of the F-boys. At first I didn’t mind but then it seriously started to get annoying. At one point I it was appeared over 10 times on one page. The plot started off really fun but as the book progressed I started to lose interest and only just made it to the end. Personally, I feel like there was something missing in the plot, and just didn’t end up loving it as much as I thought I would after reading the premises before starting the book.

I didn’t really connect to the main character Kate. I actually found her to be annoying, it felt like her character was all for show. Personally, I wanted to know about her true self, I wanted to know more about her family. My favorite was definitely Noah. He was the all-round good guy and would love to have him as a friend.

Kate In Waiting is a quick to read YA contemporary that is perfect for the younger readers, unfortunately I feel I may be a little too old to have apricated its full potential.But I can definitely see many Albertalli fans and younger readers embracing this book with open arms and loving it. So, if you’re looking for a fun, cute, YA contemporary then this is a book for you!!

This was such a cute, fun YA contemporary read, where ultimately the true focus is on the power of friendship. Honestly, just a heart-warming, funny and relatable story. However, it felt a bit middle of the road. The characters were lovable and I really enjoyed the homage to musical theatre.

Kate in Waiting was the perfect bank holiday read - I finished it all in one day! The thing I love most about Becky's books is how well she gets the messy teenage girl voice just right. I end up cringing for the character but half of that is because I remember feeling that exact way myself when I was sixteen. Definitely one of my auto-buy authors!

Who doesn't love a YA read with teenage angst, a few humorous scenes and a gay best friend?

I read this book in one sitting, it was cute and funny. The characters are going to be relatable to those of that age and I can definitely see this being made into a Netflix film.

You have Kate, she is best friends with Anderson Walker - they do everything together they even have crushes on the same guys. They have been best friends for years and are each others cheerleaders but things come ahead when they return to school after the summer break. They start to drift apart due to Anderson being able to take the theatre class when Kate doesn't. It also involves a senior who they both fell for at summer camp problem is he likes on of them back but which one is it?

This is definitely a fun YA contemporary read. I love that Queer representation in this book and feel that Becky Albertalli does it well in all of her books. I found the book at times funny but also (and this is purely as I am an older reader) that Kate was at time annoying BUT I feel that she was meant to be portrayed this way. It has all the teenage angst I remember feeling at that age with the self-doubt and not knowing where you fit in.

I loved that the book was centred round the school theatre and that they were putting on a musical. I liked the close knit group of friends and how they all supported one another. There is great rep in this book.

The only downside I have for this book was the constant use of the term Fuck-boy or F-boy. It didn't need to be used half as much as it should. I got it from the first two references and the continuous use of it was quite off putting. Overall though it was a fun quick read.