Young Adult

Kate in Waiting

Kate in Waiting

  • Downloads：5889
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-04-15 13:52:16
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Becky Albertalli
  • ISBN：0241512352
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

From bestselling YA rom-com queen Becky Albertalli， author of Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda （Love， Simon）， comes a new novel about daring to step out of the shadows and into the spotlight in love， life and， yes， theatre。

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。
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。

Download

Reviews

Vini ，

3。5 Kate in Waiting follows Kate and her best friend Anderson; they are used to doing everything together， including sharing crushes。 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， but so does Anderson。 This is Becky Albertalli's first solo book set outside of the Simonverse。 So I was really excited to read this！！ Becky's the first （or one of the first） YA con 3。5 Kate in Waiting follows Kate and her best friend Anderson; they are used to doing everything together， including sharing crushes。 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， but so does Anderson。 This is Becky Albertalli's first solo book set outside of the Simonverse。 So I was really excited to read this！！ Becky's the first （or one of the first） YA contemporary authors I've read， and I have enjoyed all of her books， so I was excited to see what she would do in a new universe with characters we didn't know beforehand！ It took me some time to really get into this book and start enjoying it。 Usually， I hate these stories of friendships falling apart because they like the same person。 More often than not， they are very over the top and unrealistic。 But Kate in Waiting didn't really do that trope， even though it seemed like it would go in that direction， which I appreciated。 I also loved how it focuses more on the importance of platonic relationships rather than romantic ones， which is something that you don't often see in YA。 Overall liked pretty much everything in here: the romance was cute， I liked all of the characters， the plot was fun and engaging， the chapters were short！！ The only small issue I had was with Kate， the main character。 I ended up liking her by the end of the novel， but I just didn't connect with her character。 I preferred the side characters a lot more。 Part of the reason why this book was so fun to read was that it really reminded me of High School Musical for some reason。 It might be just because I recently re-watched all of the movies and the new show。 But they have so many similar elements！！ High school drama！ Relationship drama！ Musicals！！ Auditions！！ Theatre！！ So if you enjoy HSM， you should definitely pick this book up！ 。。。more

Catarina Pimenta ，

RTC

Jenn ，

Kate and Anderson have been best friends for ages。 And ever since he came out， they've shared crushes， exclusively。 But when their summer crush from drama camp in Alabama shows up at their school in Roswell， GA， they are beside themselves。 Will their relationship survive this one？This was a sweet， quick story that I greatly enjoyed。 I wasn't so keen on the misuse （or maybe just overuse） of "fuckboy"。 From urban dictionary， "Fuck boys do whatever they want whenever they want and don't care who th Kate and Anderson have been best friends for ages。 And ever since he came out， they've shared crushes， exclusively。 But when their summer crush from drama camp in Alabama shows up at their school in Roswell， GA， they are beside themselves。 Will their relationship survive this one？This was a sweet， quick story that I greatly enjoyed。 I wasn't so keen on the misuse （or maybe just overuse） of "fuckboy"。 From urban dictionary， "Fuck boys do whatever they want whenever they want and don't care who they screw over while doing it"。 But in this book it's just。。。。all athletes？ Despite that， I totally dug this one even though we didn't get an early ARC like we usually do。 🤷‍♀️ 。。。more

Robert Baker ，

The Most Diverse Book I Ever ReadKate in Waiting is a fabulously diverse YA coming of age romance novel。 It is an engaging page-turner that will keep you entertained from the opening right through to the curtain call。The OpeningI found the opening prologue a little confusing。 At first， I didn’t know who the narrator was， so it was difficult to care what was happening。 I also kept wondering whether Andy was a boy or a girl。 It wasn’t clarified until we’re three pages in when Matt addresses him as The Most Diverse Book I Ever ReadKate in Waiting is a fabulously diverse YA coming of age romance novel。 It is an engaging page-turner that will keep you entertained from the opening right through to the curtain call。The OpeningI found the opening prologue a little confusing。 At first， I didn’t know who the narrator was， so it was difficult to care what was happening。 I also kept wondering whether Andy was a boy or a girl。 It wasn’t clarified until we’re three pages in when Matt addresses him as “my dude”。Anderson sounded like a surname， and their actions and conversations meant he could be either。 There were zero hints about Andy’s ethnicity， either， so that caused me a double-take in the next scene when he finally gets described。The CharactersThis is the most diverse coming-of-age， YA romance I’ve ever read。 I’ve enjoyed other diverse novels， such as John Green’s An Abundance of Katherines， but this novel really goes the extra mile。Like “Katherines”， this romance has a Jewish protagonist with an ethnic minority best friend。 However， this time the best friend is gay。 The novel also includes a transexual and a young lady in a wheelchair within the close friend group。 And just to make sure the diversity message gets across， the main adult authority figure is Asian American。This did give me one small concern as the story developed。 Until we get near to the resolution close to the end of the novel， every adult in this novel is extremely supportive。 I mean， not one “authority adult” in the school is shown to have prejudices against any group。 Not one parent objects to their children’s lifestyle or cross-religious relationship choices。In contrast to this， Hassan in “Katherines” has to jump through hoops to get his parents to accept his ideas and dreams， while Colin’s plans are often thwarted by his parents’ views （e。g。 the speed of his studies）。When we came across a single problematic parent toward the end， I was quite relieved。 It’s not that I want there to be prejudice， but the novel didn’t feel realistic without any social conflict of that kind。 I mean， even the “mean jocks” are unusually accepting of every member of this diverse group， hugging them at parties。The parents’ ground rules are also a little confusing。 Mom has the strict six-inch rule and yet doesn’t object when the kids disappear to a party where she knows underage drinking will take place。 She’s also happy to leave Kate alone in the house with a 16-year-old boy when the six-inch rule could be broken without her even knowing。Kate is a nicely sympathetic character with a strong character development arc。 She has prejudices at the start of the story （ironic given the diversity） but her views are challenged as the story progresses。Andy is a fabulous best friend， and I loved their interaction。 I especially liked the depth of their characters as we came to know them over time。 They are very three-dimensional。Matt and Noah are great characters。 I really enjoyed their character arcs as this story unfolded。 However， I did become concerned over just how many kids in this school from every group are taking AP classes。 At times， it began to feel like an episode of Eureka。The PlotThe main plot was introduced in the very beginning。 Both Kate and Andy are crushing on the same guy， so how can they proceed？ This is a great conflict that is handled well as the story progresses。I don’t want to bring in any spoilers， but I can say that I enjoyed the resolution with one reservation。 The resolution was well foreshadowed， but it felt too neat。 I was concerned that an important part of the resolution might come across as a second-best situation。 You’ll know what I mean when you get there。The SettingThe high school and Kate’s house are both well described as the story develops， especially the area where the theater crowd hangs out and the BTF。The ProseThis author has a strong voice。 After the confusing prologue， the present tense， first-person narration quickly immersed me in the story。The only objection I had was to the overuse of one naughty word。 When you read the story， you’ll soon pick up on which word I mean。 I felt that by using that word， the friends within Kate’s inner circle were offensive toward other members of the student body。My OpinionOverall， I loved this “first love” story。 It had a nice twist ending （if a little heavily foreshadowed） and the relationship arc between the two best friends was just as important， if not more so than the romantic relationship arc。I had a few reservations， so I’m going to rate this as 9 out of 10。 That will translate to 5 out of 5 on Goodreads and Amazon。Notice:I received this book to read and review as part of the @The_WriteReads tours team Kate in Waiting Ultimate Blog Tour。 All opinions are my own， unbiased， and honest。 。。。more

Amanda Shepard （Between-the-Shelves） ，

4。5/5 starsOf course this is adorable in that teen rom-com way。 As always， Albertalli absolutely nails the characters。 More in a full review to come on Thursday！

Carli ，

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the advance Kindle copy of this book。 It it out 4。20。21！ All opinions are my own。•⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5。 Theater geek Kate and her best friend， Anderson， only have communal crushes。 When their summer camp crush shows up at their high school for his senior year， they make a pact: they can both pursue him， and the other one can’t be mad。 Ha。 Meanwhile， “f-boy” （their friends’ code for jocks） Noah makes his way back into Kate’s life via the school musical， prompting Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the advance Kindle copy of this book。 It it out 4。20。21！ All opinions are my own。•⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5。 Theater geek Kate and her best friend， Anderson， only have communal crushes。 When their summer camp crush shows up at their high school for his senior year， they make a pact: they can both pursue him， and the other one can’t be mad。 Ha。 Meanwhile， “f-boy” （their friends’ code for jocks） Noah makes his way back into Kate’s life via the school musical， prompting her to think of him in a new way。 I loved the diverse supporting cast。 With a lot of language and some sexual references， I’ll go grades 8+ on this one。 。。。more

Eytan Kessler ，

Between Can’t Take That Away by Steven Salvatore and Kate in Waiting， this has been a great year for stories with a musical aspect。 Kate has a lot of growth in this story， and she learned a lot about the relationships she already had and the ones that she didn’t realize she had。 Like many of the other recent YA books， Kate in Waiting has a huge focus on friendships which is something that I am always here for。 Becky put some great representation into this book， and had my favorite kind of repres Between Can’t Take That Away by Steven Salvatore and Kate in Waiting， this has been a great year for stories with a musical aspect。 Kate has a lot of growth in this story， and she learned a lot about the relationships she already had and the ones that she didn’t realize she had。 Like many of the other recent YA books， Kate in Waiting has a huge focus on friendships which is something that I am always here for。 Becky put some great representation into this book， and had my favorite kind of representation: Jewish characters。 The Jewish aspect wasn’t central to the story， except for some backstory aspects， and that was totally fine because it showed Jewish characters in a non-Jewish focused story。 And Kate’s mom is such a Ashki Jewish mom。 It was a great experience to see Kate navigate her relationships， both romantic and non-romantic， and to see her and Anderson grow from this experience。 。。。more

Liz ，

Thank you， NetGalley for an eARC of Kate in Waiting！Wow， I wish dorky high school theatre kid me could've read this book。 As always， Becky knows exactly how to get into the teenage mind and she portrayed the life of a theatre dork to a T。 I loved the characters， and I love how casually diverse it is。 It was a really cute， fun story and I'll probably read it again in the future。The sucky thing about getting older is that I've started falling away from contemporary YA romances and that was one thi Thank you， NetGalley for an eARC of Kate in Waiting！Wow， I wish dorky high school theatre kid me could've read this book。 As always， Becky knows exactly how to get into the teenage mind and she portrayed the life of a theatre dork to a T。 I loved the characters， and I love how casually diverse it is。 It was a really cute， fun story and I'll probably read it again in the future。The sucky thing about getting older is that I've started falling away from contemporary YA romances and that was one thing that I think kept me from enjoying this book as much as I could have。 I would've absolutely loved this book if I'd read it three or four years ago， but reading it as an adult I think it just felt too YA for me if that makes sense。 I also know Albertalli is the queen of pop culture references， but it felt like there were a lot of references， even for her， and to me， it kind of distracted from the story。 That being said， Albertalli does know her target audience， and I know plenty of teens who like that sort of thing， so maybe I'm just getting old。 Anyway， this was still a pretty fun read and I'm excited to see what she writes next。 If you've liked any of Albertalli's other books， you'll definitely enjoy this one！ 。。。more

Sarah Leigh ，

I love Becky Albertalli's writing。 She manages to capture the tension and the new-ness of being young， but her characters never feel unrealistic or overly designed。 I especially loved Kate in this novel。 As a somewhat neurotic over-thinking， and wildly daydreaming 33 year old， I connected so strongly with Kate。 Kate dreams of being in the spotlight， of singing and performing， but what she really loves is the structure of being on the stage。 Social situations kind of stress her out and she's stru I love Becky Albertalli's writing。 She manages to capture the tension and the new-ness of being young， but her characters never feel unrealistic or overly designed。 I especially loved Kate in this novel。 As a somewhat neurotic over-thinking， and wildly daydreaming 33 year old， I connected so strongly with Kate。 Kate dreams of being in the spotlight， of singing and performing， but what she really loves is the structure of being on the stage。 Social situations kind of stress her out and she's struggling with events from her past that make her question and doubt her own abilities。 Even with the support from her friends， Kate still questions and doubts almost everything， which both felt very realistic for a 17-year-old， but also resonated with me as I could easily see myself and my past in her experience。 The other wrinkle in this novel， of course， is the romance！ Kate and her best friend always have had concurrent crushes。 Kate and Anderson spent the summer crushing over Matt， and when he shows up as a new student at their high school， suddenly， the summer crush becomes much more real。 I especially enjoyed Albertalli's handling of two friends having the same crush。 Without any spoilers， she managed to narratively thread the needle between realistic angst and also charming fictional drama。 What was so important to me is that Kate and Anderson really tried to focus on their friendship above all else。 As with life， it's not always easy， but they both have real emotional reactions but never forget that this relationship is important。 It's charming， it's lovely， and it's ultimately very sweet。As much as this is a novel with romance （and there is wonderful romance！）， many of the relationships in the novel are platonic， but no less important。 There's drama without it being overly stressful or anxious and， of course， it has a happy ending！ Highly recommend it - another total win。 。。。more

Laura Danks ，

Kate in waitingThis 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 Kate in waitingThis 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。 。。。more

Kevin （Irish Reader） ，

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 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！ 。。。more

Kara ，

I was given a free eARC for my honest opinion。 Albertalli has this amazing skill。 She writes in a way that is so relatable， I’m transported back to my high school days。 My story is not Kate’s story。 But as a former theater kid， Kate’s story made me feel all the feels for my theater days。 The perfect amount of a love triangle， the perfect amount of friendship， and all the good feels。 Even when Kate’s love life seems like it’s falling apart， you know it’s going to be okay。 Loved it！ Can’t wait to I was given a free eARC for my honest opinion。 Albertalli has this amazing skill。 She writes in a way that is so relatable， I’m transported back to my high school days。 My story is not Kate’s story。 But as a former theater kid， Kate’s story made me feel all the feels for my theater days。 The perfect amount of a love triangle， the perfect amount of friendship， and all the good feels。 Even when Kate’s love life seems like it’s falling apart， you know it’s going to be okay。 Loved it！ Can’t wait to share with my students！ 。。。more

Laura Richardson ，

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for giving me an eARC in exchange for an honest review。 I love， love， loved this book！ Definitely one of my favorites by Becky Albertalli。 It resonated with me so deeply as a recently-graduated theatre kid。 The only minor criticism I have of the book is the amount of teenage slang; it felt like a little too much than what teenagers normally use。 To be fair， however， theatre kids are kind of like that， just a bit crazy。

Sifa Poulton ，

I received an eARC of the book from the publishers as part of the blog tour in exchange for an honest review。 It has not affected my opinions。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 m I received an eARC of the book from the publishers as part of the blog tour in exchange for an honest review。 It has not affected my opinions。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！ 。。。more

Leslie ，

You can see all my reviews here: Books Are The New Black3。5 stars。I was excited about this one！ It’s got such a great premise and I was intrigued by the idea of best friends liking the same guy。 I wasn’t sure how you could make this work but Albertalli did it。I’m going to be brutally honest here and say that I had a rough start with this one。 I was about 20% of the way and not sure that I wanted to continue。 I pushed through and I’m so glad I did。 My biggest issue at this point was I was becomin You can see all my reviews here: Books Are The New Black3。5 stars。I was excited about this one！ It’s got such a great premise and I was intrigued by the idea of best friends liking the same guy。 I wasn’t sure how you could make this work but Albertalli did it。I’m going to be brutally honest here and say that I had a rough start with this one。 I was about 20% of the way and not sure that I wanted to continue。 I pushed through and I’m so glad I did。 My biggest issue at this point was I was becoming rather annoyed with the writing。 I don’t know how many times “f-boy or f*ckboy” was brought up to this point， but it was a lot。 I had paragraphs where I could count the word on both hands！ It was getting rather annoying and I wasn’t sure if I could take anymore。 Thankfully， it cooled off a bit but just a bit。 I would say， this is my biggest issue with this book。Something that I loved in this book was the friendships！ I do wish we got to explore Brandie and Raina’s friendship with the group a little more。 Sometimes I felt like they were just thrown into the mix but I enjoyed what I did get from them。 I loved Noah and he was an instant favorite （out of all） character of mine。 He brought a lot of laughs and broke up some of the tension in a great way。 On the flip side， I didn’t think we got enough of Matt。 I didn’t connect with him and I don’t know that his character was fleshed out enough to really fall for him。 I think for a character driven book we didn’t get quite enough from them。Andy and Kate is a relationship that I think many people dream of in High School。 Anyways， I love how they are trying to deal with their feelings for the same guy and not hurt each other。 Albertalli did a great job with bringing out the true nature of something like this。 They would want to support each other one second and completely flip to jealousy the second。 It’s human nature， no matter how much you love your friend。 I think seeing that made it feel all the more realistic。 There are times that this book gets cheesy but it could be the age group。I think one of my favorite aspects is how Albertalli brought in the sibling relationship。 From the beginning， we don’t get much there but by the end， it’s so good。 I loved Ryan’s character and I’m glad his relationship with Kate blossomed。 I know， with age differences， siblings can kind of disappear。 It was nice to see that no matter what that relationship is truly never gone。Overall， I did end up liking this book。 I think it’s such a sweet story and Albertalli handles it in a way that makes it believable。 I did have some issues with the writing style but that could be my preferences。 If you have enjoyed her previous work， you will probably like this one too。 It’s a great palate cleanser and if you want something light and cute then this is a great option。 。。。more

Syd L ，

We stan Becky Albertalli in this house。I have really appreciated that Albertalli is able to capture the awkward waiting of adolescence so accurately。 I think that her voice is so spot on。In this one， the titular Kate is a quiet， drama nerd who always crushes on the same person as her best friend， Anderson。 As Kate describes it， it's just not as much fun when they don't share their crushes-- sharing lets them be giddy and excited together。 This system has worked well for years， but it gets more c We stan Becky Albertalli in this house。I have really appreciated that Albertalli is able to capture the awkward waiting of adolescence so accurately。 I think that her voice is so spot on。In this one， the titular Kate is a quiet， drama nerd who always crushes on the same person as her best friend， Anderson。 As Kate describes it， it's just not as much fun when they don't share their crushes-- sharing lets them be giddy and excited together。 This system has worked well for years， but it gets more complicated in their junior year when it looks like their mutual crush， Matt， might actually be a potential relationship for both of them。 In my opinion， Kate is not the most likable protagonist， but I think she was meant to be likable。 From an adult perspective， she was a bit too obtuse at times， and it occasionally felt like it was for the sake of plot rather than a real element of her character。 I also felt like Brandie and Raina were slightly underused as best friends。 However， there were so many other characters whom I just adored。 I wish that Kate brother Ryan got more screen time-- his quiet relationship with Kate was just spot-on in how many sibling relationships look。 And NOAH KAPLAN。 NOAH KAPLAN， Y'ALL。 What a baby angel。 Seeing him grow and change throughout this story was ABSOLUTELY the highlight and it is worth reading this book for that alone。 Because Noah was my motivating factor in this story， I did think it started a bit slow， but I dashed through the last 50%。I also will give this book some love for a normal and fairly positive depiction of divorce， some solid cultural Judaism， and a trans character whose identity status is not the only thing we know about。ARC from NetGalley; opinions from me。 。。。more

（Ellie） ReadtoRamble ，

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 the 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！You can read my full review here: https://readtoramble。com/book-review-。。。 。。。more

Sofia ，

I'm semi-convinced that this book was inspired by me。 - Kate is a Jewish theater kid with divorced parents- Her high school musical is Once Upon a Mattress - She's only ever been in the ensemble but finally gets a named role- She has a hopelessly huge crush on a theater boyThat's where the similarities end， though。 I'm counting it as enough。 Kate and Anderson have been best friends for years。 They're close as can be: they do everything together and even have crushes on the same guys， though neit I'm semi-convinced that this book was inspired by me。 - Kate is a Jewish theater kid with divorced parents- Her high school musical is Once Upon a Mattress - She's only ever been in the ensemble but finally gets a named role- She has a hopelessly huge crush on a theater boyThat's where the similarities end， though。 I'm counting it as enough。 Kate and Anderson have been best friends for years。 They're close as can be: they do everything together and even have crushes on the same guys， though neither of them has ever pursued their crushes。 But， their newest crush on Matt is different。 All three of them are trying out for the same musical （and spending plenty of time together because of it）。 Kate and Anderson have both fallen head over heels for him， and it's causing cracks in their relationship to form。A breezy and fun read full of theater and hopeless crushes， this is the kind of book that high school me would have LOVED。 From the emphasis on the importance of platonic love， to Jewish， BIPOC， and transgender representation， everything about this book made me happy。 This book is perfect for lovers of musicals and romance alike。 My only complaint？ I didn't care for Kate's constant referral to the jock/popular/basically anyone who isn't in theater crowd as "fuckboys" and "fuckgirls。" Other than that， it was a great read！ 。。。more

Ayelet Reiter ，

This was a bit of a disappointment， and I almost have to wonder if it would feel like that if it weren't written by Becky Albertalli。 On one hand， it had some of the great things I love about her writing; a focus on friendship， lovably awkward protagonists， great Jewish rep， moments that were very funny。 On the other， so much of the plot hinged on Kate and Anderson crushing on and eventually pursuing the same guy。 The problem is that the guy in question was just。。。incredibly bland。 I thought eve This was a bit of a disappointment， and I almost have to wonder if it would feel like that if it weren't written by Becky Albertalli。 On one hand， it had some of the great things I love about her writing; a focus on friendship， lovably awkward protagonists， great Jewish rep， moments that were very funny。 On the other， so much of the plot hinged on Kate and Anderson crushing on and eventually pursuing the same guy。 The problem is that the guy in question was just。。。incredibly bland。 I thought eventually there would be some indication as to why this guy is worth ruining a solid friendship over but there just wasn't any。 Just two pretty nuanced characters fighting over white bread。The other thing is that the first time Kate called someone a fuckboy it was pretty hilarious， the second to fifth times were a little less funny and by 6000th time I was ready to scream。 This was very readable but ultimately unimpressive and even annoying。 。。。more

Tamikan ，

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for an ARC of this book。4。5 stars rounded upThe Good:-Yeah， theatre nerds！-Kate and Andy's relationship-Kate and Noah's relationship -Representation matters！ A diverse mix of characters where their diversity isn't really central to the story。 The Not-So-Good:-Not enough of the side characters。 There could have been more of Brandie， Raina， Matt， and other people in the play。 -The use of the term fuckboy/f-boy was excessive。 I don't care about bad language， bu Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for an ARC of this book。4。5 stars rounded upThe Good:-Yeah， theatre nerds！-Kate and Andy's relationship-Kate and Noah's relationship -Representation matters！ A diverse mix of characters where their diversity isn't really central to the story。 The Not-So-Good:-Not enough of the side characters。 There could have been more of Brandie， Raina， Matt， and other people in the play。 -The use of the term fuckboy/f-boy was excessive。 I don't care about bad language， but this term is used A LOT to describe a particular kind of jock and it just got a little old。 This is a book for the theatre nerds and I love it！ I did stage crew in middle school and really regret not continuing in high school。 There are tons of Broadway references beyond just the musical they are doing。 I would make sure you are familiar with Once Upon a Mattress before you read this book so you understand what's happening from the play point of view。 My one complaint would be that we don't get enough of the side characters。 Raina and Brandie are literally described as "the mom friends" and pop into the story sometimes， but we don't really get to know them other than Brandie has a boyfriend and Raina is trans。 The communal crush Matt is also just sort of there to create the conflict。 It would have been nice to have had some scenes from the summer camp they were all together just to get to know him a little better beyond "OMG he sings pretty and looks like a Coke-Ad model。" The heart of this book is the relationship between Kate and Andy， two friends who are coping with their communal crush going beyond a crush。 How Kate and Noah's relationship grows is also realistic and adorable。 I could not put this book down and would love a sequel from one of the side character's points of view。 Mostly because if anything happens to the couples from this book I would freak out。 。。。more

Elysia ，

（net galley arc）I LOVED this book， I wasn't sure on the first few chapters but it was so cute！ Becky Albertalli presented the awkward teenage experience so well。 Definitely recommend to romance lovers and those in a reading slump！ （net galley arc）I LOVED this book， I wasn't sure on the first few chapters but it was so cute！ Becky Albertalli presented the awkward teenage experience so well。 Definitely recommend to romance lovers and those in a reading slump！ 。。。more

Alison ，

If you're a fan of contemporary YA books with a main focus on friendship with a hefty side helping of lovable dork and musical theatre， this book could well be for you。 I'm much more of a fantasy reader， but I enjoyed Kate In Waiting a lot， particularly as it got further through。 I think it's the sort of book that several of my students would absolutely love。There are other things going on， but ultimately Kate In Waiting is about the friendship between Kate and her best friend Anderson （describe If you're a fan of contemporary YA books with a main focus on friendship with a hefty side helping of lovable dork and musical theatre， this book could well be for you。 I'm much more of a fantasy reader， but I enjoyed Kate In Waiting a lot， particularly as it got further through。 I think it's the sort of book that several of my students would absolutely love。There are other things going on， but ultimately Kate In Waiting is about the friendship between Kate and her best friend Anderson （described by other friends as being "codependent"）。 It's not always a healthy relationship， but it certainly feels a lot like the day to day friendship dramas of my real life high school students。 Kate and Andy have a history of communal crushes but they're usually on people who are unattainable - so what happens when their latest crush moves to join Kate and Andy's school for senior year？The chapters are short， making it a fast， easy read， and while a lot of the action is set around rehearsals for the school musical， the story isn't really *about* the musical， it just provides a background setting。 I found the plot a little slow to begin with but once I got into it I enjoyed it a lot more， and I found myself racing through the last third late at night。 。。。more

Benedict Navarro ，

your fans will really enjoy this book。 。。。 If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top

Zoë ☆ ，

This was definitely a cute and light-hearted book， but not my favourite Becky unfortunately 🙈 At first I really loved it but as the book went on I kinda lost interest 😅 The constant use of the word f-boys and other similar words， and the （kind of） love triangle began to annoy me a bit。 The end was cute and I think people who love theater will also like reading this book， but there were just some things about it that I personally just wasn’t a fan of。

Heather Johnson ，

This book is Becky Albertalli at her finest。 While I always say I don't like romance books， I think it's because they don't hold a candle to Albertalli's storytelling。 Kate in Waiting is the new standard to which I will hold all romance novels。Readers meet Kate， the adorably awkward thespian as she begins her junior year of high school。 She and her best friend Anderson are anxiously awaiting their drama teacher to announce this year's musical。 Just before the teacher emerges to make the announce This book is Becky Albertalli at her finest。 While I always say I don't like romance books， I think it's because they don't hold a candle to Albertalli's storytelling。 Kate in Waiting is the new standard to which I will hold all romance novels。Readers meet Kate， the adorably awkward thespian as she begins her junior year of high school。 She and her best friend Anderson are anxiously awaiting their drama teacher to announce this year's musical。 Just before the teacher emerges to make the announcement， the boy who both Anderson and Kate developed a mutual crush on at summer camp appears and shakes the foundation of what is shaping up to be a very interesting year。Navigating this mutual crush， rehearsing for the musical， and establishing healthy boundaries between friends and family allows Albertalli to explore the full depth of Kate's character。 Kate is endearing， and her awkwardness and painful junior high experiences are something all readers can relate to。 It's what helps readers root for Kate as she works her way through the complexities of budding romantic relationships， heartache， and finding her way。 。。。more

Monogamist ，

I received an e-copy from Penguin UK， via The Write Reads Blog Tour in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions are my own。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 c I received an e-copy from Penguin UK， via The Write Reads Blog Tour in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions are my own。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。You can read this review and more on the Monogamist Reader Blog 。。。more

ella ，

kate in waiting is a contemporary， ya novel about kate， a teenage girl who ends up falling for the same boy her best friend， anderson， is also developing feelings for。this book was such a fun read！！ it’s an adorable， upbeat story with an intriguing premise。 kate is a quirky and relatable protagonist with a diverse group of friends that don’t feel too cliché。 some parts of the novel began to feel a little repetitive， but during the last quarter， i couldn’t put this book down。 although the plot is kate in waiting is a contemporary， ya novel about kate， a teenage girl who ends up falling for the same boy her best friend， anderson， is also developing feelings for。this book was such a fun read！！ it’s an adorable， upbeat story with an intriguing premise。 kate is a quirky and relatable protagonist with a diverse group of friends that don’t feel too cliché。 some parts of the novel began to feel a little repetitive， but during the last quarter， i couldn’t put this book down。 although the plot is somewhat predictable， i still felt invested in the story and thoroughly enjoyed reading it。 kate in waiting is definitely one of my favorite becky albertalli books， and i definitely recommend it！ 。。。more

Sophie ，

I am obsessed with this cover。 It's just so pretty and I adore it。 'Kate In Waiting' was such a fun read， which I read in one sitting because I could not put it down。 This was one of my most anticipated books of the year and Becky Albertalli did not disappoint！！ 'Kate In Waiting' follows Kate， who always ends up crushing on the same guy her best friend Anderson crushes on， and this time they both end up crushing on new boy Matt。 They all get roles in the school production of 'Once Upon A Mattres I am obsessed with this cover。 It's just so pretty and I adore it。 'Kate In Waiting' was such a fun read， which I read in one sitting because I could not put it down。 This was one of my most anticipated books of the year and Becky Albertalli did not disappoint！！ 'Kate In Waiting' follows Kate， who always ends up crushing on the same guy her best friend Anderson crushes on， and this time they both end up crushing on new boy Matt。 They all get roles in the school production of 'Once Upon A Mattress' and the book follows them over the course of the rehearsals for the show。I loved all the different relationships in this book between Kate and her friends; her family and Noah。 I loved seeing her grow throughout the novel and seeing her realise that her friendships are the most important things。 I also loved Kate's relationship with Noah and seeing them grow closer throughout the book。 I loved that Kate was not a perfect person and she made mistakes throughout， but she was able to grow and realise she was in the wrong and was able to own up to her mistakes and apologise to the people she had hurt。 The book was a bit predictable but there is nothing wrong with that when I enjoyed reading it so much。 I loved all the little references to different musicals and young adult books throughout。 If you love any of Becky Albertalli's books， you should check this one out because you will love this one just as much。 If you are looking for a good book about friendship and love set during a high school production of 'Once Upon A Mattress' then this is the book for you！Thank you to Penguin Random House for providing me with an advance copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Cj Robertson ，

3。5 stars rounded。 Best friends Kate and Anderson do everything together and they almost-exclusively always crush on the same guy。 Joking about their “communal crushes” is fun until it isn’t。 When Matt， their crush from summer camp they thought they would never see again， shows up at their high school， shit gets real。 Kate and Anderson make a pact， regardless of what happens their friendship is more important than anything else， and they have to be completely honest with each other about any pot 3。5 stars rounded。 Best friends Kate and Anderson do everything together and they almost-exclusively always crush on the same guy。 Joking about their “communal crushes” is fun until it isn’t。 When Matt， their crush from summer camp they thought they would never see again， shows up at their high school， shit gets real。 Kate and Anderson make a pact， regardless of what happens their friendship is more important than anything else， and they have to be completely honest with each other about any potential romance with Matt。 This is further complicated when Kate and Matt are cast as lovers in the school musical， and the friendship between Kate and Anderson is threatened like never before。 //I’m a huge fan of musical theatre， Becky Albertalli’s previous books and anything LGBTQ+ so I expected to enjoy this book a lot more than I did。 I didn’t particularly care for the main characters or the drama between them。 However that’s not to say Kate In Waiting is not a good book but rather that I’m just too old for this story。 I can only imagine I would’ve loved it more as a teenager。 I wish we saw more of Kate and Ryan’s relationship， they had such a special sibling bond but the ending when we find out why he was “clingier” than usual felt rushed。 Ultimately the highlight of this book for me was Noah Kaplan， what an all-round good guy。 Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more

Chelsea ，

Oh my goodness， this book was the cutest， most heartwarming book I have read in such a long time。 I loved everything about this book， and it made my musical heart so happy。 The characters were so fleshed out and the relationships between characters were to die for。 I think this may be in the running to be my favourite Becky Albertalli book I've read， and I've read them all！ One more fact about this book before I go: I baked cinnamon buns today and these characters are more of a cinnamon bun than Oh my goodness， this book was the cutest， most heartwarming book I have read in such a long time。 I loved everything about this book， and it made my musical heart so happy。 The characters were so fleshed out and the relationships between characters were to die for。 I think this may be in the running to be my favourite Becky Albertalli book I've read， and I've read them all！ One more fact about this book before I go: I baked cinnamon buns today and these characters are more of a cinnamon bun than my actual cinnamon buns。 That's how good this book is。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Kate in Waiting

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Kate in Waiting&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Kate in Waiting&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0