Kat and Meg Conquer the World audiobook

4.5 Stars!! This was a super fun, fluffy read about friendship and I really enjoyed it! It was evenly paced and fairly lighthearted which made for a great reading experience. Thank you to Harper Teen for providing me with a copy for review!Firstly, I loved the neurodiversity in this novel. As it features two main characters, one with anxiety & panic attacks and another with ADHD, I of course was interested from the get-go. I have to say, I agree with the author in saying that it is not specifically a “mental health novel” (as she had mentioned to me a few months ago) but it is very evident that their disorders are implemented into the story very naturally. ADHD & anxiety are not mentioned on every page, but we absolutely see how Meg’s ADHD affects her schoolwork, her family, and her friendship, whereas we see how Kat’s anxiety forms a lot of her decisions. It’s not the primary focus of the novel, but an important factor that was executed extremely well in my opinion. (As someone with anxiety, I especially loved Kat’s portrayal. It was so nice to see a character suffer from the daily weight of this illness, but also grow and start to conquer it.)I also enjoyed that one of our main characters, Meg, is black. I hadn’t given much thought to the ethnicities of our protagonists before reading so it was nice to get some surprise representation there! I obviously can’t speak for the rep, but I will say I noticed Meg talks more about issues of being a black teen than most books with black main characters written by white authors. I can’t tell you if that’s good or not, but I did feel as if there was a strong effort to make it an accurate portrayal. In general, I loved Kat and Meg and protagonists. They complement each other so well it’s mind boggling. It’s a total introvert/total extrovert pairing that creates a very balanced dynamic. Kat helps Meg stay focused and Meg helps Kat step outside of their comfort zone. I also felt it was a very healthy relationship so yay for supportive and fluffy girl friendships! They do have their fights like most teenage girl friendships, but they were never malicious towards each other, never betrayed one another, and always did their best to keep the other’s interests in mind.Also side note, it’s the first book I’ve ever read that takes place in Canada, I believe! Yay for some non-American/UK YA.Another part of the story I loved (because gosh there’s so many things!) was the fact that their friendship begins on the fact that they both love a YouTube who streams video game playthroughs. I found this concept so unique because it’s a huge part of many teens lives today. I’m not a big fan of gamers on YouTube, but the fandom culture was totally accurate. The video game/YouTube aspect was super super fun to read about.There’s so much more that I want to talk about but I’m going to hold my tongue because I’m filming a review coming soon! The one thing I didn’t enjoy about this story was it wasn’t very plot based. There’s really no concrete storyline, it’s just the story of these two girls who are partnered up at the beginning of the year & become friends because of a shared love of a gamer on YouTube. It’s not a huge critique because I understand many YA-contemporaries aren’t very plot focused to begin with, but sometimes I wished there was just a little more driving the plot other than 1. Science fair 2. Lumberlegs/LOTS 3. Family issues. I just felt there was room for more content!All in all, really really great read. Would definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys YA contemporaries involving mental health themes, girl friendship, and videos. It was so fluffy, cute, and funny, that you can’t help but love it. This book was sent to me for free by Harper Collins in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

OhMyGodI'll reread this as soon as I possibly can!The most underrated book I ever read! This is actually inspiring me to create an understated shelf, even if it has only this book.This book has 690 ratings, 690??!!!!Even I the dorkiest guy ever has 612 friends here.Okay, so what's all the screaming and exclamation marks are for?They are for the friendship, they are for the perfect sibling relationships, they are for not making your characters annoyingly perfect and they are for the awesomeness and joy of my favorite winter read.I honestly didn't expect this to be the perfect timing to read this, I somehow thought this is going to be a summer read but it wasn't. Honestly, it's like everything came together just so I have the best time reading this.So, Kat and Meg Conquer the World is about two girls one has anxiety and the other has ADHD. They end up pairing for a science project and unlikely friendship blossoms, nourished by their love for a video game and the youtuber that plays it.I'm doing a terrible job explaining what's so good about this, so here's a list of the things that usually bother me with some contemporaries.1- A love interest that steals the show from family and friends.2- You know when the MC goes to a talent show and wins the whole thing, yeah that.3- O the so annoyingly girl hate for a trash of a guy, why? why?!!!4- The perfect romance, I mean these are teens there's going to a fair amount of heartbreak and not everyone is matched perfectly.This book has almost nothing of that! The friendship is wholesome and it's the main point of the book, there are no talent shows but there's a science fair and I loved how it was handled, I'm not spoiling you maybe they won, maybe they haven't but I loved how that helped the story. NO GIRL HATE WHATSOEVER!! And finally, there's a fair amount of heartbreak.The characters in this book are my absolute favorite. Kat and Meg are the best but seriously everyone was great. The grandad, Kat's brother and Meg's siblings too, I loved them all.Even their friends were amazing. The other thing I loved is how there are no bullies or your typical cheerleader divas, I mean bullying is an important issue that I like seeing discussed but tbh growing up I didn't see that, at least not in school and if anyone was going to be bullied it was me XDI loved Meg and her hyperactivity, keeping up with her was hard and a whole lot of fun. It helped Kat get out of her comfort zone and be more social and I loved loved loved her character development. Seriously the thing that I loved about her is also what I hoped she changes, I mean this was freakin amazing to do in a small book like this.Kat, on the other hand, was what pull Meg back down to earth and of course I mean that in the best way possible. She was her anchor, and she was always there. She was brave and I love her!The writing in this book is great. I don't know how to explain it but it's in the small things, my attention would drift off sometimes but the book always pulled me back to focus. I forgot to highlight some of those moments but one of them is Kat being upset and she tried to bake but forgot the yeast so she dumped that dough in the trash, and the scene was so real to me, I visualized it so vividly.I pull the white garbage bin out from under the sink, invert the silver bowl, and smack the bottom until gravity draws the mass into the garbage bag with a thump. The thump at the end is what made it for me XDMeg's siblings were adorable and I loved them, we didn't get much of them but I was happy with every scene we had.Kat's relationship with her brother is phenomenal and it's a lot like mine and my sister. I absolutely adored it and it's one of the parts that made the book for me.I mean look how cute this is.For the rest of the school day and my entire bus ride home, I sing in my head, to the tune of “O Christmas Tree”: O Luke is home. O Luke is home. It’s Christmas break and Luke is home.I'm dead!Here's another thing that made the book for me.It’s Grayson, which is, hello, amazing!But it’s not Kat.This is Meg wishing she could talk to her friend instead of the guy she has a crush on, enough said. Or maybe not enough because that's the damn coolest thing in a book ever!ConsThe only thing I can think of is how Meg's relationship moved kind of fast but again that's understandable with her ADHD, and technically it took months but it just feels fast because the story needed to move on.Maybe also that Kat's parents weren't much present. Yeah, they were very absent.Please you guys read this book I beg of you. Pretty please with cherries on top!I'll leave you with this quote. That’s all it takes, apparently. But I shouldn’t be surprised. Meg gets me

I'LL BE HERE IN THE CORNER CRYING OVER HOW PRECIOUS KAT AND MEG ARE. This whole book I just wanted to hug both of them and tell them that everyone sucks.(Also ignore the cringy cover okayyyy guys.)And I know the synopsis compares it to Everything, Everything & Fangirl, but it was probably not that much like either. #yourlifeisliesBut this was such a real book and it wasn’t like “oh, this couple is perfect for each other and they’re going to get married” because we all know that’s not true. It showed so many flaws and I FREAKING LOVED IT. Meg’s relationship with Gray was very raw and it was so… new to the both of them and awkward and messy. I think this whole book is kind of slice-of-life (anime people say HELL YAH) and it’s a lot about life and how life! freaking!! disappoints you!!! *gestures at the entirety of 2017*It was so genuine and that’s what I loved about this book. Kat and Meg are both such different characters but they’re dynamic to each other in their own ways. Kat has anxiety (& is white) while Meg has OCD (& is black). This novel also tackles the issue of race, because in the one specific scene, Meg is so extremely happy about having a game character with her skin tone. And that kind of… represents so many POC, but me personally. The main characters of games are usually white,,,, but in the game (haha I forgot what it was called) you can choose whatever skin tone you want. This book wasn’t all about racism but it talked about it in this discreet way.(the cover is so cringyyyyyyy but the book is so much better than what i expected)

The thing about this book is, it was written for me. Okay. Not really. But it sure felt that way while I was reading. Because:1. It has everything I want from a book.2. I became ridiculously immersed in the story.3. Kat is basically me. This book is absolutely hilarious. I laughed out loud more times than I can count. But I also cried. I felt every heart-twisting thing the characters were going through like it was happening to me. And to top it off, the writing itself was absolutely beautiful.Both Meg and Kat are wonderful and loveably flawed and real. As Kat herself describes them:Meg is the ideas person. The brainstormer. She is watermelon thrown from roofs and speed runs for science. I am questionnaires and control factors.Kat’s anxieties could have been pulled straight from my own brain. And Meg… Well, Meg is a force of nature. Her frantic energy leapt off the page. I could read her (often hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking) rambling forever. In fact, the only thing I disliked about the book is that it’s only a book. My life would be so much richer if Meg were my best friend. Both Meg and Kat were such vivid characters that I really did feel like they were real. I felt like I was part of their friendship, like by reading the book I’d joined an amazingly special secret club. At a certain part it was as if I stopped observing and became an actual participant in the story. I think there are a lot of Megs and Kats in the world. People who don’t fit in. People who look at the world around them and wonder why they’re different, why they can’t just be normal. But there’s no such thing as “normal”. And being different doesn’t mean being broken. I can’t wait for this book to get into the hands of all the Megs and Kats so they can be reminded that, like the characters, they’re actually awesome.

This. book. I want everyone in the world to read this book.Where to even begin?KAT AND MEG wove its way into my heart and then set it on fire. I cannot get over how brilliant this book is, on so many different levels. The dual POV voices of Kat and Meg are so genuine and specific to them. Their dialogue is clever and spot-on. The relationships in this book develop like real-life people's do. The way Kat and Meg come to care about one another--and the way that I came to care about them--felt like such a rare treat, in a way that reminded me of Rainbow Rowell's ELEANOR & PARK. These two characters are both so charming, so flawed, so achingly lonely, and they are the most perfect, heartwarming fit for one another. Over the course of the story they grow and change and come to life so fully that I actually felt them walk around making imprints on my heart.The whole book is full of characters to fall in love with--online friends and love interests and family members. The whole time I was reading I sort of just wanted to give the book itself, and everyone inside of it, a massive hug. Because KAT AND MEG bursts with warmth. It's fresh and unique. It's adorable and unabashedly nerdy, and surprisingly hysterical. And, also, sometimes it will shatter your heart. But then it will put it back together again piece by piece, and you'll find that by the end, somehow the whole is bigger than it was before.

I hate people."Even me?" Meg asks, which could mean she's a mind reader, but probably just means I accidentally said that out loud."You're not people. You're Meg."And something about the way she grins at that makes me feel the tiniest bit better. Give me every book about friendship ever written. No lie but stories with strong friendships are some of my favorites. Kat and Meg Conquer the World is an incredible story of friendship and connection. Kat suffers from anxiety and panic attacks and she prefers peace and order, while Meg’s ADHD leads her to a life enjoying serendipitous surprises and thriving moment to moment. When these opposites are partnered for a semester long science project, they begin to bond over their shared love of a video game and a famous gamer. What develops is a beautifully realistic friendship that transcends the page and hooks into your heart. Things I Liked Kat and Meg’s friendship is the absolute greatest! I love every single things about it. It’s a truly wonderful pairing of opposites attract! Kat has anxiety and panic attacks that keeps her isolated and lonely. But Kat is such a resilient character and actively makes an effort to push herself. Not because she’s shamed into, but because she doesn’t want her anxiety to control her. Helping her along the entire time is the wonderful and amazing Meg. Meg has ADHD and trouble focusing. She feels like her flighty disposition is the reason everyone leaves her and that’s she’s unworthy of sticking around for. (I also LOVE that we get a black character with ADHD!) With the help of Kat, and Legends of the Sword, Meg is able to focus and start setting small goals for herself and work toward them. Meg is also incredibly brave and fearless. I admire her. They have such a beautiful and full friendship filled with incredible amounts of love, support, and understanding. I really loved the role that Legends of the Sword played for each girl. Not only does the game serve as the thing that initially draws them together, but it plays a role in each of their lives. We see Kat’s confidence because she knows who she is in the game. The game helps center Meg and helps her focus. I also really liked that the way each girl plays the game is very indicative of their character. Meg randomized her character and rushes in with little thought; Kat is a planner and plotter, and likes being prepared for all situations.Describing leaves changing in the fall as “a slow, colorful striptease” is the greatest thing ever and it made me laugh.I really liked all of the romances in the story. They were adorable and perfect for the contemporary, but they didn’t detract from either character or their growing friendship which I greatly appreciated.Meg’s little brother Nolan is the most adorable child ever. Things I Didn’t Like In the beginning of the story, I had some trouble remembering who was who between Kat and Meg. The girls personalities were distinct and they felt like individuals, but it took me a few chapters to be able to instantly differentiate who was speaking when.This is completely a personal issue, but I had trouble visualizing Legends of the Sword, the video game that Meg and Kat bond over. I don’t play videogames, so I don’t really have a reference point for the world and rules of games. I liked the camaraderie, but I didn’t really get what they were doing or working towards.I would have liked to see more from Luke, Kat’s brother. He was a very important person to Kat, but I felt like I didn’t really get to know him or see their relationship.I’m just so incredibly happy after reading this, and it put me in a fantastic reading mood. Kat and Meg are amazing complex characters who compliment and uplift one another creating a friendship for the ages. I’m serious, I need all the books about friendship. Kat and Meg Conquer the World is a story of bravery and resilience and finding the perfect person to help you along the way.I received a copy of the book from HarperTeen via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

This book! I LOVE this book. I won't lie, I finished reading it a few weeks ago and I have spent every day since trying to figure out how to encapsulate just how much I love it. It hit absolutely every one of my soft spots. Wonderful friendships. Complex families. Adorable old men. Fun and realistic romance. VIDEO GAMES. And all of it delivered through two amazing, unique girls who simply jump off the page. Kat IS teenage me, and her thoughts and fears and triumphs spoke to me as clearly as if Anna had read my journals while writing. I'd be Kat's best friend in a heartbeat. But thankfully I don't have to be, because she already has Meg--fierce, excitable Meg who I want nothing more than to wrap into the snuggest, warmest hug of my life. These girls feel so real, and their friendship is one that had me rooting for it from the first page they shared together. Another confession: I cried four times while reading. The emotions packed in these pages--happy, sad, and everything between--are rendered so beautifully. The moment I finished reading, I already began flipping back to find my favorite scenes. I'll be returning to them again and again. I'm quite sure that once I have this in hard copy, I'll wear the binding thin with my rereads. If for nothing else, read this book for the writing. Anna captures the most complex emotions in heartbreakingly relatable terms. I can't count the number of times I stopped to read a paragraph aloud and revel in its beauty. This is the book I spent my teen years searching for. It's a book about finding forever friendships. It's a book about being geeky and vulnerable and different and coming out on the other side. Pick up this book. Full stop. No ifs, ands, or buts. You won't regret it.

BUT REALLY GUYS THIS IS THE BEST BOOK!So I got to read this as part of our critique group and I've seen this book from early stages but even before editing I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. And it all comes down to the characters.Kat and Meg are two of the most relatable protagonists I've read in young adult fiction. They both have their problems, flaws and crippling self doubts, but they also have their talents and their larger than life personalities. Kat struggles with anxiety and has trouble stepping out of her comfort zone. Meg has ADHD and her wandering mind and loud personality often seem to push people away from her. But when the two are paired up on a science fair project and bond over their love of the same youtube gamer, their friendship is what really makes the book.There aren't enough books out there focusing on female friendships. While there is a spot of romance in this one, Kat and Meg are the stars and its their relationship that drives the plot. They're just the perfect compliments to each other, even if they sometimes get on each other's nerves. Its a funny, heart warming, and very real book and definitely contains one of the best portrayals of anxiety I've ever seen. So what I'm saying is YOU SHOULD ADD THIS BOOK TO YOUR TO READ LIST AND BUY IT AS SOON AS YOU CAN!Please and thank you,Aimee

TO THE RIFT!!!Okay, that reference will only make sense to people who have already read the book, but I wanted to put it there because a) it’s fun to write, and b) I think it shows the cool and **gloriously** nerdy feel of this book. Because seriously, this book is so nerdy and SO GOOD. My geeky heart loved the smart and funny references to all my faves (any book that references Harry Potter is instantly special to me), but this book is WAY more than just a collection of funny lines and geek culture references.This is a really great and thoughtful book about friendship, a topic that is hugely important to everyone but doesn’t seem to be explored in media as much as, say, romantic or family relationships are. I just love that this book takes the time to explore the complexities and difficulties of friendship, and really shows how valuable it is to our lives. So yeah, this book gets major points for that. And the characters! Ahh, I just love them all, but especially the two protagonists. Kat and Meg both get their own POV, and I thought this was done really well. Both have distinct voices, and both are so so lovable. And they're just so great as friends, as they just fit together so well. Pizza/candy/streaming parties for life!Basically, I adored this book. It's really smart, super funny, and explores friendship in an amazing and unique way. After I finished reading it, my reaction was this:I feel like I just ate bacon. (seriously, that’s a line from the book. If that doesn’t convince you that this book needs to be on your TBR, I don’t know what will).

Just finished this dear, sweet, funny, awesome book and am now thinking about how well it does two distinct PoV, how endearing and relatable they both were whilst being completely different and yet the perfect fit for each other, and how cool it is to read about female friendship and neurodiversity and also many, many snacks. I appreciate the hell out of all of these things.

You know those books where you desperately wish the MC was real because you know--KNOW--s/he should be your IRL best friend?This book had TWO OF THOSE. Kat and Meg are both such full, flawed, rounded, achingly real characters. I loved that this story focused on their friendship more than anything--the intensity and importance of that when you're in high school is immeasurable, and it always seems to get shunted aside by romance.Better yet, Kat's sometimes paralyzing OCD/anxiety and Meg's ADHD are portrayed so well, and so sympathetically, something that's incredibly rare and special (especially when you're talking about two female main characters). They aren't let off the hook--the challenges their conditions pose are things each girl needs to overcome--but they also aren't depicted as lacking, or failing, and that warmed my heart. The world NEEDS more books like this.This is on my "you MUST read it" shelf of 2017 books. Put it on yours!!

I couldn't put it down. The characters were so relatable, and I just had to see how it would end. Can't wait to read the print version!

I loved Kat and Meg Conquer the Universe.Sometimes opposites truly attract.  And it's not just for romantic relationships.  Kat and Meg couldn't be more different, but I adored their friendship.  Both characters are flawed and have issues, but you can tell that they genuinely support and help each other become stronger.I related so much to Kat.  She is shy and has bad anxiety.  Having to move and change schools was difficult for Kat.  She doesn't know how to approach people and is really only herself with her online gaming friends.  But even then, she won't use voice to speak with them.  Only typing online.  Kat has panic attacks, but has been able to control them more often because of counting.  Meg is super hyper with ADHD.  It was fun to read her parts, but kind of exhausting, too. The girl made me tired.  Meg is fun and outgoing, but she does have some issues with people leaving her. The main one was her stepdad, Stephen the leaver, and it makes it harder for her with everyone. She does everything she can think of to please her new boyfriend, even when she shouldn't.  She has a hard time keeping friends for more than a couple months.  But all that changes when she and Kat are paired up for a science project.I'm not sure why they work out so well, but they do.  Kat is uptight, but Meg helps calm her.  Meg can be insecure and scattered, but Kat figures out ways to make things better. They fit so well together as friends, even though they didn't have much in common.The way they really connected was because of a fandom for a video game and a youtuber.  A big part of their story revolves around this game and Meg even comes up with a plan for their science project that involves it.All the extra characters in the book add a lot to the story.  Meg's siblings were adorable and Kat's grandpa really added another great relationship.I liked that the story did have some romance, but it was mostly about Kat and Meg's friendship.  It's refreshing to read stories like this one and it was a super fun read.I received a digital copy for review from Edelweiss.  This did not sway my thoughts in any way.5 stars from me for this one.

There was, at some point, a transition in the literature we read growing up. I think most of us experience it - an indefinable moment when books stopped being "fun" and started being "poignant." It went from Sideways Stories and Fourth Grade Nothings and Holes to, "They're all dying...WHY ARE ALL THE CHARACTERS DYING?" Now, don't get me wrong; poignant is important, and wonderful, and beautiful. I just wish that, more frequently, it could be fun, too.Enter Kat and Meg. Nothing spoilery is going to happen in this review (the summary included above is more than adequate for a plot skeleton), but I will say that Kat and Meg experience their fair share of poignancy in Anna Priemaza's debut novel; their lives are as fraught with drama as any YA protagonists', in their own way. But there is a lightness of heart here (lit and carried, at least for this reader, by the charming and celebratory ebullience of Meg, one half of the first-person-present narrating duo) that makes this an easy read. A breath-of-fresh-air read.A fun read.YA needs its poignancy, for sure; teen readers need to know that they can and do matter, and the weight of the world (of worlds, in some fantasy and YA) can hinge upon their choices. I'm just glad we have books like KAT AND MEG CONQUER THE WORLD; after all, someone should tell them that while saving the world, it's okay to enjoy the ride.

This book, you all. THIS BOOK. I'm convinced that I've just made two very best friends, and we will skateboard together (even though I'm bad at it) and will drink hot chocolate with mini marshmallows while watching video game walkthroughs and making each other laugh. Reading Kat and Meg Conquer the World is like wrapping yourself up in a warm, fuzzy, cosy blanket. That's really the only way to describe it. This is a book that cloaks you in its warmth, and leaves you extremely content with everything in the world. The heart of this book is ten miles wide.I'm going to make a bold statement: Kat and Meg has the truest, most nuanced portrayal of female friendship that I've ever seen in a YA novel. These are girls who put each other first (even above boys) and have so, so much fun with each other - and the result is an incredibly fun read. It's whip smart and clever, and the humor is ridiculously on point. I laughed out loud on more than one occasion.I love, love, love the granddad. Anyone who knows me is aware of my fondness for elderly people in YA (and in real life), so I must say that Granddad was a personal favorite. First, this line: "Well you're grinnin' like a raccoon on garbage day." Everything he says is pure gold. The juxtaposition between youth and old age adds an extra wonderful dimension to this book that I was not expecting, and that I am very grateful for.Beyond that, Priemaza is a fantastic wordsmith. In the space of a page, she can make you ugly laugh, cry, get angry, and have all the smiles. I mean, it's almost witchcraft.I would recommend Kat and Meg to anyone who has had a great friendship, or for anyone who wants one. Really, it has something in it for everybody.

Two girls who are freshmen in high school become friends. Kat suffers from anxiety and has a lot of social issues. Meg has ADHD and is constantly a bundle of energy. The two of them meet when they start doing a science project together and bond over their love of Legs, a gamer who posts Youtube videos of himself playing video games. The book is very well written and has some memorable and lovable characters. Both of the main characters are well depicted and makes this quick, fun and bubbly read.