Book Review | Kate In Waiting by Becky Albertalli
April 22nd, 2021
| Published: 22nd April 2021 |
| Publisher: Penguin |
| Genre: Contemporary |
| Age: YA |
| Length: 400 Pages |
| Themes: Coming of Age, Romance, LGBT+ |
| Source: Paperback (review copy in exchange for an honest review) |
| My Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ |
Hi Readers!
I haven’t done one of these in a while so I might be a bit rusty, but Penguin kindly sent me Kate In Waiting and it’s definitely this book that got me excited about returning to blogging after having a little break. Here are my thoughts…
What Is It About?
Contrary to popular belief, best friends Kate Garfield and Anderson Walker are not codependent. Carpooling to and from theater rehearsals? Environmentally sound and efficient. Consulting each other on every single life decision? Basic good judgment. Pining for the same guys from afar? Shared crushes are more fun anyway.
But when Kate and Andy’s latest long-distance crush shows up at their school, everything goes off script. Matt Olsson is talented and sweet, and Kate likes him. She really likes him. The only problem? So does Anderson.
Turns out, communal crushes aren’t so fun when real feelings are involved. This one might even bring the curtains down on Kate and Anderson’s friendship.
What Did I Think?
Becky Albetalli has made a cracker of a YA novel once again. She knows how to speak to teenagers and writes for all the misfits, band geeks, drama nerds and, of course, the bookworms. I went into this expecting romance, but I also got friendship, family, personal growth, and theatre!
It kind of felt like High School Musical but Troy is the new kid and both Gabriella and Ryan have a crush on him. Kate and Anderson love theatre and are both hoping to get roles in the school production. But their friendship is put into question when their shared crush on the new kid develops into more for both of them.
I wasn’t completely sold on Kate and Anderson’s friendship. I know Becky can write such strong friendship groups but in this book that and many other things felt underdeveloped. Every scene and chapter was short and sharp which made for a quick read, but left pretty much everything feeling rushed to me.
I also found it very predictable which is quite common for YA contemporary, but for some reason it annoyed me in this one. I would say about 10% through I’d guessed the outcome and I can’t say the journey made it worth it. I actually found this to be a little boring.
This wasn’t my favourite Albertalli book but it’s definitely worth a read, especially if you’re looking for something you can read in literally a day (which is what I did).