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3.27 AVERAGE
3.27 AVERAGE
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.
See more of my reviews on my blog the Book Deviant
Accurate in the ways of the fandom
In other novels that I've read of "fandom-culture", they always make it out to be something it's not. They always forget about those horrible people who think they're better than everyone else because of something, and those people who always complain about how little skill they have when actuality they're amazing. There's always those small quirks that people never see unless you're there, but are always there no matter the fandom. Books that go into "fandom-culture" never get it.
Gena/Finn got it. Moskowitz and Helgeson managed to nail most things on the head. Not only did they get all the small quirks, but they also managed to spin in a multitude of different ideas and plots skillfully so that I was rarely confused. In all honesty, the only points where I was confused was the very beginning, when I was still getting used to the way the story was formatted and told. You got to know the fandom the author's created for this book, without being completely submersed in the information. You got enough to understand what they were speaking of, but weren't forced to enter the fandom to enjoy the book.
Surprise diversity!!
As I said before, I started this book mainly because I had heard it was about fandom culture. Getting further into it, however, I slowly realized that this book was more than just that. Bisexual girls. Polyamorous relationships. A Jewish main character (Gena). And mental health. All of this, all of it, is #OwnVoices to some degree, confirmed after a conversation I had with Moskowitz. I had no idea that this book would include these details, so I was gleefully surprised upon realizing that this book included such inclusion.
The plot was such a trip, too. There were so many twists and additions that made this book not only relatable but an amazing book in general. I loved the characters, because they're written so well that you feel like you know them.
While the ending was very unexpected, it was also intense. I wasn't expecting the level of intensity that came with the last 50-ish pages, and that should be warned about. I know a lot of people weren't expecting this change of pace, and docked stars because of this, but I thought it added a whole new meaning to the novel, making it more than just about fandom.
five stars - Overall?
This book was a complete surprise to me, considering I just picked it up on a glance. Literally, I wasn't planning on getting anything while at the library, but I decided: Why not? Gena/Finn was an intense book written in a unique and enhancing way, beautifully improved with a spread of diversity.
Would I Recommend?
I would fully recommend this book to anyone. Especially if you have ties to "fandom", it's extremely relatable and hilarious just for the fact of how accurate it is.
Accurate in the ways of the fandom
In other novels that I've read of "fandom-culture", they always make it out to be something it's not. They always forget about those horrible people who think they're better than everyone else because of something, and those people who always complain about how little skill they have when actuality they're amazing. There's always those small quirks that people never see unless you're there, but are always there no matter the fandom. Books that go into "fandom-culture" never get it.
Gena/Finn got it. Moskowitz and Helgeson managed to nail most things on the head. Not only did they get all the small quirks, but they also managed to spin in a multitude of different ideas and plots skillfully so that I was rarely confused. In all honesty, the only points where I was confused was the very beginning, when I was still getting used to the way the story was formatted and told. You got to know the fandom the author's created for this book, without being completely submersed in the information. You got enough to understand what they were speaking of, but weren't forced to enter the fandom to enjoy the book.
Surprise diversity!!
As I said before, I started this book mainly because I had heard it was about fandom culture. Getting further into it, however, I slowly realized that this book was more than just that. Bisexual girls. Polyamorous relationships. A Jewish main character (Gena). And mental health. All of this, all of it, is #OwnVoices to some degree, confirmed after a conversation I had with Moskowitz. I had no idea that this book would include these details, so I was gleefully surprised upon realizing that this book included such inclusion.
The plot was such a trip, too. There were so many twists and additions that made this book not only relatable but an amazing book in general. I loved the characters, because they're written so well that you feel like you know them.
While the ending was very unexpected, it was also intense. I wasn't expecting the level of intensity that came with the last 50-ish pages, and that should be warned about. I know a lot of people weren't expecting this change of pace, and docked stars because of this, but I thought it added a whole new meaning to the novel, making it more than just about fandom.
five stars - Overall?
This book was a complete surprise to me, considering I just picked it up on a glance. Literally, I wasn't planning on getting anything while at the library, but I decided: Why not? Gena/Finn was an intense book written in a unique and enhancing way, beautifully improved with a spread of diversity.
Would I Recommend?
I would fully recommend this book to anyone. Especially if you have ties to "fandom", it's extremely relatable and hilarious just for the fact of how accurate it is.
I really like this format and the realistically flawed characters and THAT THIRD PART BROKE ME
The first half of the book was fun to read and is very relatable for anyone that's part of a fandom but then the thing happens and it becomes very dramatic and a lot heavier to read, and it didn't bring anything to the book or the plot. On the contrary, I felt like it confused the message... Because in the end I'm wondering what this book was really about?? It deals with a lot of different subjects but just brushes over them.
It wasn't a bad read but I'm frustrated.
It wasn't a bad read but I'm frustrated.