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3.26 AVERAGE
3.26 AVERAGE
So I've actually been thinking about this book a lot since I finished it because I wanted to write a coherent review, but honestly? Honestly, all this book did was disappoint me in the end. It made me just feel like I got queer-baited, and do you know how absolutely infuriating and annoying that is?
There was so much promise for this book, that's the worst part. The format of it was interesting and unique, the relationship between Gena and Finn was so pure and I really appreciated that it showed that you can form strong friendships with people over common interests on the internet and even develop feelings for people you're not with physically. Because yeah, it's such a common thing nowadays and I really appreciated that being painted in a good, bright light.
But that's where the good things stop. It ended up being a love triangle between Finn's boyfriend and Gena, I was pissed off with Finn more than half the time and I felt like I honest to god got queer-baited because despite it being acknowledged as a love triangle, nothing went anywhere. Nothing. And then the ending was so clipped and rushed and abrupt that it just tipped my anger over even more. It was honestly so far from the mark that I don't even want to put it on my LGBT+ shelf because I don't feel, at all, that it should be called that. It was good for all of the first quarter of the book and then it lost me, and the only reason I finished it was because the media format of it made it a quick read. I think I finished it in about four hours.
I rated it three stars originally, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it didn't even deserve three stars. It wasn't even good representation. It was just... bad and tbh, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone looking for LGBT+ representation (especially wlw)
There was so much promise for this book, that's the worst part. The format of it was interesting and unique, the relationship between Gena and Finn was so pure and I really appreciated that it showed that you can form strong friendships with people over common interests on the internet and even develop feelings for people you're not with physically. Because yeah, it's such a common thing nowadays and I really appreciated that being painted in a good, bright light.
But that's where the good things stop. It ended up being a love triangle between Finn's boyfriend and Gena, I was pissed off with Finn more than half the time and I felt like I honest to god got queer-baited because despite it being acknowledged as a love triangle, nothing went anywhere. Nothing. And then the ending was so clipped and rushed and abrupt that it just tipped my anger over even more. It was honestly so far from the mark that I don't even want to put it on my LGBT+ shelf because I don't feel, at all, that it should be called that. It was good for all of the first quarter of the book and then it lost me, and the only reason I finished it was because the media format of it made it a quick read. I think I finished it in about four hours.
I rated it three stars originally, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it didn't even deserve three stars. It wasn't even good representation. It was just... bad and tbh, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone looking for LGBT+ representation (especially wlw)
Spoiler
because both characters ended up with boys anyway, after the lamest and most half-assed romance between girls I've ever made myself suffer through for absolutely nothing. ((:
This is one of those books I think I'd review differently if I were in a different mood. Gena and Finn are in the same fandom, and become friends because of their shared interest in a character on a TV show. The beginning is really fun, with lots of fangirl flailing, talking about fellow people in the fandom, figuring out situations for cons, writing fics, etc. The book is epistolary, with emails, letters, fic pages, journals, etc.
It made me really giddy, because Moskowitz and Helgeson do a great job of capturing the different feelings and situations within fan communities. The things the characters say about shows and relationships and the tv characters sound exactly like conversations I used to have with people about Pretty Little Liars. I've kind of slipped out of the fandom world lately (and by "slipped," I mean I was an earthquake and broke a lot of things. I have fragile fault lines and when they get pushed, I overreact and explode....which may make me a volcano instead of an earthquake, whatever), but this book brought me back to that happy and fun feeling. I still do it a little, with Amerikate, but not on the level I used to.
The book takes a drastic turn, and I'm still trying to figure out how I felt about it. The tone becomes a lot more serious, and there's a lot of stuff about mental health and grief and stuff, but I don't know. I don't think it was fully explored. Maybe that was on purpose, in case they wanted to do some kind of follow up story online, or a full sequel book? I'd like to know more about where these characters are going.
It made me really giddy, because Moskowitz and Helgeson do a great job of capturing the different feelings and situations within fan communities. The things the characters say about shows and relationships and the tv characters sound exactly like conversations I used to have with people about Pretty Little Liars. I've kind of slipped out of the fandom world lately (and by "slipped," I mean I was an earthquake and broke a lot of things. I have fragile fault lines and when they get pushed, I overreact and explode....which may make me a volcano instead of an earthquake, whatever), but this book brought me back to that happy and fun feeling. I still do it a little, with Amerikate, but not on the level I used to.
The book takes a drastic turn, and I'm still trying to figure out how I felt about it. The tone becomes a lot more serious, and there's a lot of stuff about mental health and grief and stuff, but I don't know. I don't think it was fully explored. Maybe that was on purpose, in case they wanted to do some kind of follow up story online, or a full sequel book? I'd like to know more about where these characters are going.
(third time reading) 5 stars | realistically this time around I would give it more of a 4.25 stars, but I cannot bump this rating down because this book means too much to me. The relationship between Gena and Finn is just so... I just relate. And how fandom can be such a big part of someone’s life... these thoughts aren’t that coherent, but I write these reviews for myself so it’s not that important.
(second time reading) 5 stars | This gives me all the feels. It simultaneously breaks and heals my little fangirl heart.
(first time reading) 4.5 stars maybe 5 I'll have to think about it | if I fail my quiz tomorrow, this is the reason why.
I can't even express how relatable this book is. To me.
(second time reading) 5 stars | This gives me all the feels. It simultaneously breaks and heals my little fangirl heart.
(first time reading) 4.5 stars maybe 5 I'll have to think about it | if I fail my quiz tomorrow, this is the reason why.
I can't even express how relatable this book is. To me.
A story of two fangirls and their intersections online and IRL told through the medium of blog posts, texts, letters, emails, and journal entries. If you've ever been a fangirl or made online friends this story will resonate with you.
This book caught my interest because I am, to varying degrees, involved in fandoms for TV shows and books. I admit, I went into it with doubts about how well this book would portray fandom and I honestly expected it to be like Fangirl (which I wasn't that huge a fan of). However, the fandom was the starter for the book (and boy did the author nail it) but the friendship is the reason that I stayed with this book. I appreciated that the author had obviously been involved in fandom and that she represented several sides of it from the completely crazy to the more mature fans who actually enjoy character analyzation and that sort of thing. I loved how she wrote out the relationships and the struggle of taking an internet relationship into a real world one. Overall, I honestly just enjoyed the book. It had me snickering at things that were all too familiar and tearing up over things that were just too sad not to tear up over. I particularly loved the way the book was written in several different mediums from text messages to journal entries. I think many teenagers will enjoy this book and anyone that has ever been involved in a fandom will love it.
Probably at the level of something I could write: neat idea, not quite sure what it wants to be, a little forced. Nailed the lilt of internet speech.
I'm sure this is going to garner comparisons to [b:Fangirl|16068905|Fangirl|Rainbow Rowell|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1355886270s/16068905.jpg|21861351], the current landmark YA novel about fandom. But this book gave me a lot of what Fangirl was lacking--the importance of fannish FRIENDSHIPS and how intense they can be. I really loved it for that.
I'm still chewing on the ending--I think it functions as a kind of critique of the hurt/comfort tropes that are so beloved by fandom. While also... kind of... being that?
Anyway, overall, I really enjoyed this for its strong fandom friendships. I thought the mixed media inclusion of fanfic and message boards worked, and I think this will have NA crossover the way Fangirl does.
I'm still chewing on the ending--I think it functions as a kind of critique of the hurt/comfort tropes that are so beloved by fandom. While also... kind of... being that?
Spoiler
I saw some criticisms of this for the two girls not ending up together romantically, but I think I'm glad that they didn't? I totally feel that intense online friendship doesn't necessarily have to equal a romantic relationship, and I think this book just really strongly values the friendship.Anyway, overall, I really enjoyed this for its strong fandom friendships. I thought the mixed media inclusion of fanfic and message boards worked, and I think this will have NA crossover the way Fangirl does.
I was hovering between 3 and 4 for this, I like it but I feel like there were a lot of things that were set up and didn't really go anywhere. It just kind of ended, like the writer hit some kind of arbitrary page limit.
The good: realistic portrayal of fandom (far, far better than Fangirl imo, mostly because fans TALK to eachother), the characters, tried to do something meta and interesting, complex relationships that resist easy categorisation.
The bad: Nothing is ever resolved. The book just arbitrarily ends. I feel a need to stress this. I felt like I'd missed a page.
The meh: Gena's psychosis/PTSD is compelling to read about but questionable in terms of authenticity; the mixed-media format, while interesting, sometimes feels repetitive/forced/serves to obscure details.
The problematic: Gena/Finn are one of the most ambiguously queer relationships I've seen in a while (fitting, for a book about fandom culture), I appreciated having a more complex relationship that couldn't be easily categorised as romantic/platonic/whatever, but I wish it had been explored more. I understand why people felt queerbaited by this.
The good: realistic portrayal of fandom (far, far better than Fangirl imo, mostly because fans TALK to eachother), the characters, tried to do something meta and interesting, complex relationships that resist easy categorisation.
The bad: Nothing is ever resolved. The book just arbitrarily ends. I feel a need to stress this. I felt like I'd missed a page.
The meh: Gena's psychosis/PTSD is compelling to read about but questionable in terms of authenticity; the mixed-media format, while interesting, sometimes feels repetitive/forced/serves to obscure details.
The problematic: Gena/Finn are one of the most ambiguously queer relationships I've seen in a while (fitting, for a book about fandom culture), I appreciated having a more complex relationship that couldn't be easily categorised as romantic/platonic/whatever, but I wish it had been explored more. I understand why people felt queerbaited by this.
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book got me in a reading slump 😑
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Grief, Fire/Fire injury
I like the story enough and the characters are interesting but I just can't read an entire book in text messages and emails. Plus, I really don't care at all about the show they're fans of and keep talking about. I was already skimming those sections when I decided to give up.