Review: Kate in Waiting

Kate in Waiting by Becky Albertalli
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



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Publication Date: 20 April 2021

Publisher's Description

From #1 New York Times bestselling author and rom-com queen Becky Albertalli comes a buoyant new novel about daring to step out of the shadows and into the spotlight in love, life, and, yes, theater.

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.

 

My Thoughts  

I received an eARC courtesy of Balzer+Bray/HarperCollins Children's Book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Disclaimer: I was a pretty big theatre nerd in high school, so I might have some deep bias about this book.

I LOVED this book. I don't remember the last time that I have stayed up late reading a book because I simply had to finish it. It is very rare for me anymore. Rarer still: I would read this again.

I thought the character development, setting, themes, emotional range, dialogue and just about everything felt accurate and realistic. And it was frankly refreshing to just have a book with a happy ending-I needed a happy ending. I shall stop my comments here so I don't descend into spoilers.

Side Note (possible SPOILER warning-or an un-spoiler): I'm apparently becoming a bit of nervous while reading YA books. At the end, when Anderson and Kate get in the car together, I was totally expecting a car crash/death. I think the more 'harsh' YA authors have broken my spirit.

For Libraries: Yes-please buy it!