Where do I even begin???
This book was everything I’ve learnt to hope for in Becky Albertalli’s books. The book follows Kate Garfield as she tries out for her high school musical (lol) while also trying to keep her heart intact when both her and her best friend have a crush on the same boy but things get very messy and Kate has to figure out things about herself... let me start by saying I absolutely love love loved Noah Kaplan, this boy had my whole heart I swear. He was so sweet and funny. I think I’m gonna be raving about how sweet Noah Kaplan is for forever. I also loved Kate, obviously. Honestly I sometimes find myself disliking main characters but I loved Kate so much. She was such a good friend and thoughtful and talented!!! She’s so talented and I was so happy to see her push through her problem/struggles! She’s so strong willed and has such a good support system with her friends and Andy and I loved that. I loved Andy too!! And Matt!! Yeah. So obviously I loved the book, it had me waking up early to read which is saying something and I cant wait to receive my preorder of it!

Kate in Waiting is the CUTEST book I have read so far in 2021 - I absolutely could not get enough and I was so sad when I begun to reach the final pages. There's something about a story with theatre within in, that I just completely adore - I have never been a theatre kid myself and unfortunately admit that I have no talent in that genre whatsoever, but that doesn't stop me from loving anything and everything about theatre. The way everybody is glowing and beaming with joy when the final curtain closes, the tears that well up in the audiences eyes when the cast are taking their final bows, the talent that exudes on the stage from every single actor - the whole thing is just absolutely magical.

I absolutely loved the friendship between Kate and Anderson, but what I also loved about their entire friendship group was that it was insanely diverse, including gay, trans and bisexual. Kate and Anderson had that friendship that I would absolutely die for - it was written so lovely and showed us that even the most perfect of friendships can have their faults and typically, that fault was a guy. I couldn't stop smiling at the little plot twist between this love triangle and was so pleased with the final results. Especially because Noah - Kate's brother's best friend - was just an absolute dream to read about! One of my new favourite book boyfriends... I would love a Noah please!

Becky Albertalli really does have this magical way of making her high school romances feel like reality, a reality I wish I got to experience for myself and to be honest, if this doesn't become a movie in the coming years, I'll not be happy!

Kate In Waiting was just so entirely ADORABLE, I totally loved it. I’ve never been a theatre kid myself so I wasn’t expecting to connect with this one all that much, but I was pleasantly proved wrong! Becky Albertalli has such a way of making teen romance and high school life feel both so real and so romanticised, and this book was no exception. I think the thing I really loved was Kate and Anderson’s friendship, it’s so lovely to see such an intensely loving friendship be written about in a way that acknowledges those kind of friendships always have their faults. The way Kate and Anderson jumped between being mad at each other and being totally fine was slightly off-putting, but I suppose that’s just a realistic representation of high school friendships. The relationship at the end (trying to keep it spoiler free here) was slightly predictable, but nonetheless was just as sweet and lovely as the rest of this joy of a book.!

Kate and Andy are friendship goals! I want what they've got.

Kate and Andy have the perfect friendship. They do everything together, including having communal crushes on boys that never turn into anything because they are two theatre geeks in a school full of 'f-boys'. This time, however, it's different. Matt, their summer theatre camp crush, turns up at their school and suddenly a fantasy becomes a possibility. Their secret crushes used to make the pair giddy with excitement and joint pining, but now it brings problems.

From the start these two are inseparable and their bond is so sweet. People say you need to find someone that's your kind of weird and that's definitely what they have. Along with their friends, Brandie and Raina, they are some of the schools theatre geeks, the rest of the student body is mostly made up of jock types that the friends refer to as 'Fuckboys', or F-boys when they are trying to be subtle.
I'm am not complaining because I am partial to a swear, but I'm not sure I've read a young adult novel that used the word 'fuck' quite as much as this one. The dialogue is witty and the characters feel so real at times, I swear Becky Albertalli is fluent in hilarious things teenagers say and do. Kate's overthinking is very genuine and I could totally relate, and Noah wins the prize for most endearingly idiotic character. He is clumsy and cheeky and I could picture the grin on his face every time he did something stupid.

It's a fun, easy read, broken down into 'scenes' rather than chapters and it keeps you reading, wondering which way it's going to go for Kate and Andy. Will Matt return either of their affections? Is he just another F-boy? When things get messy will their friendship get through it?

There is a good deal of queer representation: gay, trans, bi. I think there was a missed opportunity for an asexual character (I actually thought there would be two) and it left me wondering if originally the character was written that way and it was perhaps deemed as unnecessary to the story and so was changed. I'm probably looking too deep into things, but I'm always on the lookout for queer representation!

There is a part that I can't fully quote without giving too much away, but Kate says something about an 'off-kilter nostalgia' and a 'rush of longing for moments I've never even lived through', and that perfectly describes how this book made me feel. The friendships, the romance, the theatre, going to parties (even terrible parties), and getting waffles with your bestie, these little scenes left me hungry for experiences (and waffles) and it's a book I'd happily live in.

Thank you to Netgalley and penguin random house children's UK for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
When I saw Becky Albertalli had a new book coming out I was very excited having loved Simon Vs the homosapien's and Leah on the offbeat.
I really enjoyed Kate in waiting, it was funny, has a glee club vibe with the musical theatre element. Unrequited love and friendship. It was a sweet story and did not disappoint.

Oh this book was just wonderful to loos myself in. It's got the magical high school feeling mixed with theatre of Grease or High School musical but then has this wonderful cast of diverse characters in modern day friendships.

Kate is such a mixed up individual. She is strong and confident on the outside but on the inside she is questioning it all and so when things she thinks she knows start to be questioned life is hard for her and I could just relate to that so hard. I loved he way she carried herself and some of her thoughts and feelings that we get let in on are just so true but sometimes just so funny too. BFF Andy makes a great side kick and I really love the way these two bounce off each other whilst still maintaining their own unique identity. You can see the perils of having a friendship as close as theirs and yet still it is lovely to see that they have each other and are there for each other.

As already mentioned, their extended group fo friends is also wonderfully diverse and I loved the way they came in and out of each others lives in different classes and social gatherings, it felt very true to life and each of them brought something fun to the group. The theatre aspect of the book is also really fun. I was never into drama in school and so the fact that this is just so involved in the plot really did make it feel like I was watching a movie and really and truly made me want to watch Glee.

I loved Becky's first novel because I loved feeling the romance and crush vibes just vibrating off the page and I totally got that with this novel too. Kate and Andy's feelings for a certain guy were just palpable and then some other unrequited romantic feelings (no spoilers here) were also just impossible to miss. I loved the characters, the setting and the musical nods in this and if you want to escape the real world for just a little longer I really recommend this book!

My history with Becky Albertalli is complicated… I absolutely adored Simon vs the Homo sapiens Agenda, kind of liked Leah on the Offbeat and couldn’t even finish What if it’s us?, so I was both excited and terrified about reading Kate in Waiting. Luckily for me, this was just adorable and definitely my second favourite Albertalli book (Simon will always be Simon, sorry).

I did have a couple of issues with the book, but nothing major. My biggest problem is that I didn't get any feelings from Andy or Matt, both important characters in the story. Andy is too much in all the wrong ways, and maybe it's because we're on Kate's head and we know what she is thinking but they have all these talks about "our friendship comes first" and it feels like Kate actually believes that and she feels awful about hurting Andy even when it's clear she doesn't mean to, but I didn't feel like Andy was as concern for Kate's feelings as she was for his. Plus, their friendship is supposed to be this cute, all-consuming thing, but I thought it was actually borderline toxic, with this competition to win Matt over when for half of the book they don’t even know if Matt is gay/straight/pansexual/asexual, and honestly, it feels like they don’t even care. And I don’t even understand why they are so in love Matt, he’s pretty and he’s a good guy but he’s just so bland... although I admit that I might be biased here because the moment Noah Kaplan showed up he totally stole the show.

The other problem I had is that Kate and his crew are a bunch of judgemental brats. Yes, the jocks (fuckboys or f-boys, as they call them) are evil and self-centered and pretty much every other high school stereotype you can think of, but you know what? So are the artsy, witty theater kids, but that's ok because they are the right kind of stereotype I guess.

On the plus side, the book is absolutely charming. Kate is hilarious, and the writing is pretty good and super funny. Also, bonus points for all the Tangled references. There’s also lots of diversity, and for the most part it feels completely organic. The way the whole story unfolds and how the drama is solved also felt really natural for 17yo kids, I never had that feeling of being reading about 30yos in the body of teenagers that’s so common in YA. Also, there’s Noah Kaplan. Let's just say that there are Blue levels of adorableness here. Kate’s relationship with her brother Ryan was also very interesting and heartwarming, I really enjoyed their interactions and I wish Ryan had been more present in the book.

So the story is predictable but believable and charming, the characters can sometimes be annoying, but for the most part they are a bunch of cinnamon rolls, and Noah Kaplan will just steal your heart. Absolutely recommendable 😊

Kate In Waiting follows Kate and Andy, best friends with a communal crush on fellow camp member and new kid at school Matt.

Overall, this was a sweet and quick read that I finished in just three days.

There were a lot of aspects of this book that I enjoyed, such as how strong Kate and Andy’s friendship is.

There was one part of this book that I particularly enjoyed and that was Noah. I thought he was a very well rounded character and was someone I was rooting for. Although I disliked the overuse of “f-boy” throughout the book, Noah was a great way to embody the emotionally sensitive, sweet, funny and caring “f-boy” combination.

Unfortunately there were a lot of things I wish we could have seen more of, such as more Kate and Ryan sibling bonding, and we definitely needed more backstory on Brandie and Raina. There also wasn’t much explanation as to what in particular made Matt so great and why Kate and Andy were so obsessed with him.

I’ve given this book 3/5 as it is fun and delivered all the dramatic parts two high school friends who share a crush, but it was missing potential in terms of character development.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Children's Publisher’s and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book before it’s release in exchange for review.

Kate and Anderson are best friends with the crush on the same guy but it is fine as they will only see him for summer camp. Things get a little more complicated when he turns up as a new kid at their school.

I enjoyed this book but it also grated on me slightly. I really enjoyed the overall story line and like the relationship between the two best friends and their wider family and friends. A big deal was made of the fact that they were theatre kids and not part of the f-boys and f-girls. I found the focus on the f-boys got too much and at one time if I read the term f-boys I felt like I was gonna scream.

However overall a fun read just not my favourite.

Kate is Waiting was a light fun read but not Becky Albertalli's greatest. The plot revolved around Kate and her best friend Andy's communal crushes with the theatre trope thrown in.

The plot had potential but it wasn't executed in the best way. I wanted exciting drama but what I got was mediocre at best. Issues were solved with a simple apology and there wasn't that much excitement until the end.

Kate was good main character but I did not like Andy. There was nothing about him that was likable and he mostly seemed jealous and petty. Brandie and Raina had some background but I got them mixed up a lot. There was nothing about Matt that made him as attractive as Kate and Andy made him out to be other than looks. I would have liked Matt to have had more personality. Noah on the other hand was utter perfection. I loved that him and Kate got together at the end as they seemed perfect!

The writing was readable and funny at times. The portrayal of high school was quite realistic and relatable. Pop culture references were a bit cheesy though (does anyone actually even play Fortnite anymore??) It felt like if you read the book in a couple of years you would not enjoy it as much.

Other than that I quite enjoyed reading Kate in Waiting and I would recommend it!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the E-arc!

Contrary to popular belief, best friends Kate Garfield and Anderson Walker are not codependent. Carpooling to and from theatre 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.

This is a fun, easy read that is perfect to get consumed in with a glass of wine. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

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 ❤️

Every bit as charming & heartwarming as Simon! Becky Albertellibis a must read author & Kate in Waiting does not disappoint!

If you know me, I am the biggest Becky Albertalli fan. Simon Vs is literally one of my favourite books of all time and I've loved everything she's ever written. Her books are truly my happy place so needless to say I was over the moon to get the chance to read this one ahead of publication! I'll be honest here, this wasn't my favourite Becky book, I didn't feel a connection between Kate and Matt really at all which as the whole plot revolved around this crush, didn't really help. (my boy Noah though...). I also felt the writing was trying too hard to sound like a teenager (I never want to read the word f-boy again) and this is something that I generally find Becky does a great job with so I was a little disappointed in that regard. On the whole though, I did really enjoy this. I loved the premise and the way the story played out didn't feel contrived (bar the fact I mentioned the fact there was zero chemistry between Kate and Matt) and the friendships were all super sweet. I did theatre in school so I loved getting to revisit all the old school theatre memories even down to eating pizza during Saturday tech rehearsals. I would also DIE for Noah Kaplan and Ryan Garfield - truly the softest boys ever. This book was so cosy though and still has all of the classic Becky charm that makes me fall in love with all of her characters and it is definitely a high 3.5 bordering on a 4 but I think ultimately I just wanted to love it more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Children’s UK for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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.

I very much enjoyed reading this story from Kate’s perspective. I feel like we don’t see many POVs from the straight friend with the openly, proud (as they should be) gay best friend. Kate was engaging, quirky and a girl after my own heart being a massive thespian. I liked the fact that she wasn’t cocky and had her doubts and anxieties - especially the stage fright pre-show where you expect EVERYTHING to crumble around you, for you to forget all your lines and to simply not want to go out on stage because you’ll make a fool of yourself. Kate’s dynamic with Andy was amazing. I love how they had their inside jokes and their friendship was so strong. But, I also really admired seeing the bumps in the road - the tiffs between these two best friends over feelings they’re unable to control. It makes me wish I had my own Andy!

The beautiful inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community was on point for me, with trans and gay characters the rainbow was out full force. I really appreciated Albertalli’s approach to one character’s coming out. It was a delicate mix of trepidation and joy, ultimately creating this wonderfully positive experience. The mentions of mental illness too - mainly in the form of anxiety - was brilliant also.

Overall, Kate in Waiting is a story that makes you feel oh so good, and oh so ready to take to the stage!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you again to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Children’s UK for an advanced copy of this book. Review will be live on my blog on release day.

This book was an absolute treat, and just what I needed. When Kate talks about The feeling of being sixteen on a Friday night in September that is exactly what this book felt like in the best possible way. It was so incredible to be back in Albertalli's simple yet nuanced writing, and it was so refreshing to see her moving away from the Creekwood crew. This book had it all; a cute romance, a realistic sibling relationship, and complicated friendships. I was rooting for the love interest the whole way through, and it was so incredible to see Kate move from self-deprecation and not being able to take a compliment to being confident in herself and in being loved. The book didn't read too young, it didn't have too many weird pop culture references, and the theatre aspect took me back to high school drama classes in the most amazing way. I absolutely think this is one of Albertalli's best (not counting Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda) and I for one cannot wait to see what she has in store next.

Kate and best friend Anderson d everything together even as far as having the same crushes, but that does not matter because they will never meet there crushes in real life.

But there latest long-distance crush start at their school what will happen?

The story is told from Kate perspective and thoughts, you real understand what she is going through. However it is cleverly written that you can see where Kate has misinterpreted the actions of other which leads to some heartbreaking scenes.

A good read that looks at the tiny of details of friendship and the effects they can have when problems arise.

Absolutely loved this book!
Already a fan of Becky's books this is my favourite so far. As a now grown theatre kid, I can hand on heart say it captured perfectly that world and community, the stage nerves, comradeship, compassion and competition of it all.
The friendships are beautiful and truthful, we either have our Andy or wish we did. It encompasses all the very real moments of friendship, the ups and downs but the honest moments that come from that kind of closeness.
What got me was the natural flow of the dialogue, and comic timing that had me cringing and crying with laughter from beginning to end.
For me this book made my heart sing with its covering LGBTQIA from Rainia to Andy, it was inclusive and painted a picture of how far we have come with acceptance and education since I was at school.
This book will stick with me forever and I can't wait for more from Becky.

Kate in Waiting was everything I hoped it would be! Quick read, sassy and lovable characters and a dose of the theatre all in one go. Becky Albertalli is renowned for her LGBT characters and she nails it once again. I enjoyed the love triangle that never was and the growth of all the characters, even smaller side ones!

Kate In Waiting is an extremely cute contemporary YA. As always with Albertalli's books, her teen characters feel very real and grounded. Noah - jock and douche-bro-adjacent-turned-drama-kid - was especially adorable and, while the plot doesn't hold many surprises, it was a super fun read. Although imagine my shock when I Googled and discovered that the show in the book - Once Upon A Mattress - is an ACTUAL show and not just a bizarre and extremely unfunny-sounding medieval fever dream of the author's. And there's me calling myself a musicals geek.