User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
a straight girl and gay guy crushing on the same person? and they're friends? let me get my popcorn because honey, we've got a big storm comin'
Rating: really liked it
3.25 STARS✨
It was good but honestly I was expecting more.
Rating: really liked it
3.5 starsKate in Waiting is Becky’s first solo book since Leah on the Offbeat and her first solo book away from the Simon verse world. I was eagerly awaiting to see what Becky had up her sleeve and was excited to read her new work. Although I may not have loved it as much as the Simon verse, Kate in Waiting still has lots to offer and is a fun/quick read!
The main things I enjoyed about this book, was that the primary focus is on platonic relationships rather than romantic relationships. We see Kate’s friendship with her best friend Anderson and also within her friend group. We see how important having that friendship in your life is and having that support group of people who are always there for you. Along with friendship, we also see sibling relationships. I loved seeing how Kate and her brother, Ryan, interacted and how he was a protective brother who wanted what was best for Kate. It was so heartwarming to see and made me smile anytime they interacted together. I also loved all the representation in this book. Kate herself is Jewish, her best friend is black and gay, another friend is trans, there’s a character in a wheelchair and also discussions with a character who has social anxiety. Becky herself is also Jewish so it’s own voices for that representation. The romance that we get near the end of the book was also something I really enjoyed and I loved the two characters together. Finally, I also loved the musical theatre aspects to this book and my inner musical theatre heart was thriving!
There were some things I didn’t love, such as the overuse of the words “fuckboy” and “f-boy”. The first couple of times, I didn’t mind and found it to be very fitting for how teens speak today. However, it is used pretty much every other page and after the first few times it got very tiresome to see being used and very repetitive. Also I struggled to connect to Kate as a character and felt myself enjoying the side characters more: such as Anderson or Noah. It also took me a little bit to get into the book, I definitely preferred the second half more.
Overall, I enjoyed and cannot wait to see what books Becky has in store for us in the future! Also I got to conduct an interview with Becky discussing this book and you can check that out here: https://youtu.be/tM9IpZNdT_8
Rating: really liked it
This was messy in all the best ways and I REALLY liked it. My heart!!!!
Rating: really liked it
“I am so platonically in love with Anderson Walker, it makes my brain hurt.”⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 stars
This book. IT IS SOO CUTE
I loved reading this book soo much. I finished this book in one sitting.
PlotKate and Andy have been friends for a long time. They love each other more than anything and would do anything for each other.
Enter a new hot boy.
Now both Katy and Andy are obsessed. They thought nothing and no one can come between them But is that about to change?
------------------------------------------------
The plot of this book is solid and will keep you entertained. though it has a lot of cliche tropes that are common in queer books, its still enjoyable!
Its written by the same author as Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, so the fans of Simon will love this book!
Writing“Once, Andy looked at Noah, apropos of nothing, and asked, “Are straight boys okay? Do they need help?” The age-old question.”
“Gay people have to love Oreos now,” explains Anderson.”
“I know exactly what you mean.- It’s the most underrated sentence on earth.
Translation: no, you’re not weird. Even your weird stuff isn’t weird. You make sense.”The reason for the -1 star is bcz of the writing. It's fun and cute but there is ONE MAJOR problem
Ill put it in spoiler tags. Its not a spoiler but if you're gng to read it, you should look into it
(view spoiler)
[
The number of times fuckboys was used was soooo irritating. It was like there at least like 5 times a page. Its soo frustrating
f-boys - 85
fuckboys - 57
f-force - 14
f-girls - 14
I rest my case. Its irritating
But it wasn't used in an offensive way but rather in a funny way so its kinda excusable (hide spoiler)]CharactersKateI really liked Kate's character. I felt she was a LOT like me. She loves her friends and will always help them. 💖
Shee to like me overanalyses everything. When someone doesn't leave her text on read, she reads back their previous conversation and worries a LOT.
Yeah not like me👀
I loved reading from her POV🥺💖
AndyAndy is the friend everyone wished to have. He is smart and kind and very sweet. I wish I had a friend like him😭
He loves Katy and would do anything for her. Though some of the things he did made me a bit sad, i still love him<3
NoahNOAH is my fav character. He's sweet and charming and super weird. At first I thought he was a jerk. but then at the ned only did I realize that I was in love with Noah. (view spoiler)
[Just like Kate realised (hide spoiler)]yep I love NOAHHH MORE THAN ANYTHING
He's so innocent and must be protected at ALL costs💖💖🥺
MattI honestly don't care about him. Yeah, he's nice and sweet but I don't LOVE him the way I do for the other 3 :)
RelationshipsAndy and KateIS IT POSSIBLE FOR SOMEONE TO BE AS CUTE AS THESE 2
I absolutely adore their friendship. they love each other soo much and would always be there for each other.
When they fought I was soo sad that I almost started crying😭
I really hope they live happily ever after. I stan their friendship
The other relationships are spoilers...
(view spoiler)
[
Noah and Katy
Please don't. These guys are omg soo cute. I love Katy and Noah together🥺
I WOULD have died if they didn't end up together. And that scene when they finally kisss ahhh i was grinning like an idiot
#couplegoals
Andy and Matt
Im not a huge fan of Matt, but I like ANdy and Matt together. They're super cute. Andy deserves someone who loves him no matter what and that is what he got
Nope not getting emotional😓🥺
(hide spoiler)]Final thoughtsI loved it! except for the part with the writing, this was perfection
Fans of Simon and the Homo sapiens agenda, this will be perfect for you!
|Blog|Pintrest|
My rating system:
5⭐ - I loved it soo much! New favorite
4⭐ - It was really good! But something was missing
3⭐ - It was nice..but had more potential
2⭐ - I did not like it at all!... It could have been soo much better
1⭐ - Nope. Just No. I hate it
Rating: really liked it
5 stars! I seem to be the outlier here, because I loved this book!
Kate in Waiting is about high school junior Kate Garfield, active theater nerd and codependent with her gay best friend Anderson. She and Anderson have an unusual habit of sharing crushes, which soon becomes more problematic when they both fall for the new kid in their theatre program, Matt.
Going into this book, I saw a lot of 3 star reviews so my expectations were very low going in. I think that worked to my advantage because I absolutely loved this book. Kate is a character that I would have identified with as a teen. As was in drama, and while we didn’t do musicals, we did plays (big difference! Lol) this book reminded me of how fun it was to be involved in a high school production and all the feels and drama that comes with it.
There’s something about Albertelli’s books and writing, I can ease into them without struggle. I often find myself having a hard time reading different books and wonder if it’s just me, but then I read a book like this one which is so smooth and effortless, I’m reminded that these books do exist. I’m not sure if any of what I just said makes sense to anyone. Basically, I’ve never had trouble reading a book by this author and it’s a blessing. It’s why I run to buy her books every single time they come out.
My favorite part of this book? (view spoiler)
[ It was Noah. I knew from the beginning that he was the one for Kate and I devoured every single scene they were in together. I’m a sucker for the guy chasing the girl who has no idea that he likes her. (hide spoiler)]If you’re on the fence about this book, I say you should read it. Just don’t go into it with sky high expectations, enjoy the ride instead.
Rating: really liked it
There lived a girl, not in a tower, but in houses surrounded by the ones she loved
She never felt lonely because she had best friends who loved her
She never fell in love with a thief, but someone did steal her heart
She wasn't born a princess, but her life wasn't less than a fairytale
Her favorite Disney movie was Tangled, but her life was the most untangled one so far
Read the journey of this girl to see how life throws the most unexpected things in your path You wanna know the exact moment when I fell in love with this book? Well it was the first line :
"Five minutes into junior year, and I’m done. No, seriously. Let’s burn this whole year to the ground". I swear to god that this is one of the most relatable line I have ever read. I hated my junior year of high school not because I was surrounded by the f-girls, but because the fucking pandemic didn't let me go and see my friends for a single day.
Look if you haven't read a single Becky Albertalli book then you are living a very regrettable life. If you don't like her work then just give it a try. It's worth it. I don't know if anyone knows this but I'm a big musical theatre nerd. This book being based on characters who themselves are musical nerd is something which made me so excited to read.
In this book we have Kate-who is the main character (which is kind of obvious) and Anderson, an openly gay guy. Kate and Anderson aren't just your typical bestfriends. But infact they do like everything together. Also they crush on boys on together. So when Matt Olson, the guy they have been crushing on for a long time transfers to their school, a lot of drama is surely gonna take place.
I am so platonically in love with Anderson Walker, it makes my brain hurt.Becky did it again. If you have read any other book by her then you'll find that the friendship in her books is something I'll die for. I really want friends like Anderson Brandie and Raina. And a brother like Ryan. I'll happily disown my siblings for him. I abso-f-lutely adore Anderson. About Matt- I really like him. He was a very sweet character. But tbh I guessed who he was gonna end up with.
Ahhh the first kiss between the characters in Becky's books are sooo good. Remember Simon and Blue's kiss? I melted seeing Kate and *beep beep's* first kiss.
“Second of all, maybe you should go practice your lines. Right now.” Noah shuts one eye thoughtfully. “But my character’s mute.” “Exactly,” I say,No-ahhhhh. That's all you need to know. I love him.
Now the only thing I disliked about this book was the somewhat unrealistic and plot. Like the drama teacher literally allowed her students to practice kissing. Who does that? And they practiced kissing for 20 minutes? What? Also I knew what was gonna happen after reading 20% of this book. So it was pretty predictable.
But if you ignore the above part, then this book is amazing. I'll highly recommend it to everyone.
4.5 stars 🌟
Rating: really liked it
As Becky Albertalli shows us in her latest book,
Kate in Waiting , sometimes you wish you didn’t have EVERYTHING in common with your best friend.
Kate and Anderson are almost-inseparable best friends who do everything together. They drive to school together (well, Andy drives), audition for the school musicals, even crush on the same guys. But they’d never let anything get between them.
Until Matt, their mutual crush from theater camp, moves to Georgia and goes to their school. The more time she spends with Matt, the more she realizes how much she likes him. But the thing is, Andy does, too. When Matt and Andy share a class that Kate isn't in, they grew closer. And suddenly the competition for his affections may be the wedge that destroys Kate and Andy's friendship.
Time for an unpopular opinion: I am a huge fan of Becky Albertalli and I was eagerly awaiting this book. However, this one did not work for me
at all . Usually being able to predict what happens within the first few pages doesn’t bother me, but this time it did.
But the real reason I disliked this book is the use of the words “fuckboy” and “f-boy.” I get using authentic terms but literally Albertalli used the word “fuckboy” in many cases 2 or 3 times per page, and used it interchangeably with “f-boy.” (Why one sometimes and not the other?) I seriously couldn’t believe it. It’s like talking to someone who uses a particular word or phrase over and over
and over again. It just isn’t fun. (For the record, I've no objection to the word or the language, just the overuse.)
I love the diversity of Albertalli’s characters, particularly since her books take place in Georgia, and this has a theater-kid component I always enjoy. But I’ll just gloss over this experience and hope her sequel to
What If It’s Us (which she again wrote with Adam Silvera) is more to my liking!
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2020 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2020.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
Rating: really liked it
Andy looks at Matt and laughs. “You’re cute.”
My heart leaps into my throat. Okay. That was more blatantly flirtatious than I expected. And a part of me’s like, wow, Andy, step up that game. Get yours.
But yeah. A part of me wants to stab him with a paintbrush.
Kate in Waiting has a very straightforward story. Kate Garfield and Anderson Walker are high school juniors who have been best friends forever. They’ve crushed on the same boy before, but when their latest summer theater camp crush, Matt Olsson, transfers into their school, their mutual interest in Matt threatens their friendship.
Is
Kate in Waiting as good as Simon v. The Homo Sapien Agenda? No, and I should probably stop comparing every book by Ms. Albertalli to her best book. While there’s a lot of fun stuff here about putting on a school musical, there’s no real drama. I’d argue there zero suspense about who Kate will end up with. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy this story. Ms. Albertalli has a real talent for writing likable teen narrators you want to root for, and Kate is no exception. She’s a sweet character in a sweet story (bucking the trend in YA romance, the action is this book is decidedly PG—though I agree with the many other reviewers who noted that the use of profanity here was excessive and unnecessary), and Kate’s emotional swings during the story are gloriously melodramatic. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Recommended.
Rating: really liked it
One person has rights and that person is Noah Kaplan.I’m happy Becky Albertalli decided to write something from a different angle because I really enjoyed this book. It’s been a while since I’ve last enjoyed a solo book by her.
I wish there were more books with characters playing in a musical because that’s a favorite trope of mine and it was so fun here! I would have liked it even more if the book didn’t almost always skip on the characters doing rehearsals and the actual play, but I understand the focus of this story was something different. This book is about young adults experiencing friendship, family and high school crushes, and honestly it was so well done. It did get way too cheesy at times (like, can you stop mentioning Tangled please??) but it was definitely realistic.
The exploration of the relationship between Kate and Anderson took center stage and I found it very interesting. How can you even have a crush on someone at the same time as your best friend and not engage in drama? Kate keeps flip-flopping between being jealous and being supportive, and I did like that aspect because that’s how I think it would go in real life. Even though seeing it in a book wasn’t always ideal and the back and forth started to feel repetitive after the halfway point.
I loved the pacing of this book.
I had a super hard time putting the book down! I do think some stuff could have been cut out because it felt too long at times, but the writing style is so fluid and breezy it’s not a huge issue, plus the chapters are short and you can effortlessly get through them. This book is perfect for people in a reading slump.
I liked the characters a lot.
From the first moment Noah was introduced I was in love, he is absolutely my favorite. His jokes, his cheeky personality, his clumsiness......I caNNOT 😭✨
I also though Kate and Anderson were great characters to read about. The way they are always there for each other and are respectful no matter the situation! I needed something like this in my high school years.
Ryan’s a big part of the story too, and well, Kate’s so lucky to have him. The relationship between them was one of the elements of the story I always wanted to read more about, no matter where I was at with the plot.
Overall the characters were well-rounded and I cared about all of them, but
I also think Brandie, Raina and Matt could have used more work. Brandie and Raina have their space in the book, but I couldn’t tell them apart most of the time. Matt was the sweetest but I had the same problem with him: his character wasn’t explored enough. The book basically starts right away with Kate and Anderson already liking Matt, and throughout the book there’s not really much to grab on to. I have no idea why they both like him honestly 🤷🏻♀️
Despite this, the romance is totally swoon-worthy!
The way [redacted] smiled at each other across the stage....that was the cutest shit I’ve ever seen in my entire life. I’m not blushing you are.
I highly recommend you pick this book up as soon as it comes out ❤️
I received an advanced reader copy through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
Rating: really liked it
You guys seriously aren’t ready. *grins wildly*
Edit:
It's officially out! The way that I am completely obsessed with this book is entirely unreal. Becky has written yet another masterpiece and I am so honored to be the tiniest part of it. I hope that you all love it and that you love Matt as much as I do!!! <3
Rating: really liked it
3.5 starsOkay, the theater kid in me loved this book so much. Seriously, I had so much fun reading about theater kids in high school and best friends crushing on the same boy etc. I wish the romance would have happened earlier and OMG if the word f*ckboy or F-boy wasn't said around 700 times I would have rated it higher, but it was a good time and I'm glad I read it. Kate was relatable and I loved her BFF Anderson. They had such a great dynamic. Becky Albertali writes a ton of diverse characters in this one, which is awesome. I would recommend this one to anyone looking for a fun YA.
Audio book source: Libby (library borrow)
Story Rating: 3.5 stars
Narrator: Bebe Wood
Narration Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Contemporary Romance (YA)
Length: 9 hours and 10 minutes
Rating: really liked it
this book was made for me.
okay becky albertalli doesn’t know i exist but i swear it was made for me.
i loved this so much. i do theatre and i’ve just never related to a character more. i think this rating may be a bit biased but wow this is a new favorite. also it got me out of my slump yayy!!!!
Rating: really liked it
I...think this is my new favorite Becky book? I just loved
everything, from the friendship with huge emphasis on the importance of platonic love (with tremendous David/Stevie vibes, FYI to any fellow Schitt's Creek lovers) to the brother-sister relationship between Kate and Ryan to the Jewish rep to the excellent romance, and it's just so freaking funny and charming and Kate just feels so well-rounded in both her flaws and delightfulness and...yeah. Happy sigh. Honestly, she's one of the only authors who writes books with MCs who feel like me in high school, and she's definitely done it again here.
Rating: really liked it
Kate in Waiting follows Kate, who has a history of "sharing crushes" with her best friend, Andy. But when both of them fall hard for the same guy, Matt, it suddenly feels less fun, and more fraught. After all, from the way Matt is acting during rehearsals for the school musical--in which he plays the love interest opposite Kate--it's pretty obvious he must be starting to reciprocate Kate's feelings, which means she has to hurt Andy, her best friend in the world, and the person she usually
shares these butterfly feelings with.
To complicate matters, Kate's brother's best friend, Noah, has unexpectedly joined the musical, and becomes inexplicably interested in cultivating a close friendship with his new cast mates. So much so that Andy grows suspicious that something's
happening between Kate and Noah.
But Andy just wants Kate out of the way so their joint crush on Matt becomes less complicated, right? It's not like Kate could ever see her brother's best friend that way...
Becky outdid herself with this! Genuinely hilarious, cute, fun--and I was so invested in Kate I was more on her side than I think even Kate was! Just wait until 2021.
