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3.26 AVERAGE
3.26 AVERAGE
Ok a book about fandom and queer fangirls that uses blogs, fanfic, chat logs and notes as it's narrative structure is way what I'm here for. It even starts with a little fic header summary like you'd find on ao3 or lj, what's not to love? I loved it, but then the plot went real bananas about half way through the books and I was so let down.
OHMYGOD
seriously, ive never read anything written the way it is and i loved it so much
seriously, ive never read anything written the way it is and i loved it so much
I liked the first two parts so much that this is a solid three stars. But, ugh, the third part was a mess. Would still say it's worth reading, even up through the late-book gut punch (which I FELT). But that last section felt like a different book — the saving grace being that, like the rest of the book, it was a quick read.
(Spoiler-ish: I get that trauma changes things, but that third part went ALL-in, in a way that this book didn't need to, IMO)
(Spoiler-ish: I get that trauma changes things, but that third part went ALL-in, in a way that this book didn't need to, IMO)
This book was a sweet little sleeper hit. It didn't go where I expected and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I cared about every single character involved.
This was a celebration of fandom, which I really appreciated. I liked the way it was told - through messages and emails and blog posts. I've been in fandom for several years and I recognize the style of how fic is written, I recognize the slang used - it's all very authentic. It's clear that the authors have had the same experience in fandom and it made me very happy to see fandom and the good - and the bad - that comes with it.
Gena and Finn were very real characters in the way that they communicated with each other. The messages felt like they'd been ripped out of actual chat logs and they were both well-rounded characters. It validates internet friendships, which is nice, and problems show up that don't consume the story - the book revolves around the relationship between Gena and Finn.
It's so cool, in fact, that you get a sense of all these characters from just online correspondences. I didn't like Charlie at first, but he got better and I became more sympathetic towards him. It was funny how they always talked about TylerGirl93 because, yeah, that happens in fandom too. I just wish we got more of the backstory about Zack because it seemed really shallow.
A lot of other things could have been cleared up - why didn't Gena's parents care more about her, why exactly was Charlie so jealous of Gena. I feel like this book could have gone another way or been longer, because I feel like I was left hanging. I also wish that we got more about the fandom itself - look, I don't dabble in TV fandom but Fangirl had a fandom that was clearly based off something and I think how a fictional fandom was shown could have been dealt with better.
Gena and Finn were very real characters in the way that they communicated with each other. The messages felt like they'd been ripped out of actual chat logs and they were both well-rounded characters. It validates internet friendships, which is nice, and problems show up that don't consume the story - the book revolves around the relationship between Gena and Finn.
Spoiler
Finn and her relationship with Charlie was nice to see because it's a struggle I guess a lot of young adults have, and so is Gena's mental illness. It felt very much like two people with hectic lives trying to live it out the best they could.It's so cool, in fact, that you get a sense of all these characters from just online correspondences. I didn't like Charlie at first, but he got better and I became more sympathetic towards him. It was funny how they always talked about TylerGirl93 because, yeah, that happens in fandom too. I just wish we got more of the backstory about Zack because it seemed really shallow.
Spoiler
I also didn't like how sudden it was that the accident happened and Zack died. I felt like that was a totally unprecedented plot twist and I really wish that it went on with a happy ending to fandom because that was really kind of disappointing. I enjoyed the book up until then; after that, it got fuzzy about Gena and Finn's relationship.A lot of other things could have been cleared up - why didn't Gena's parents care more about her, why exactly was Charlie so jealous of Gena. I feel like this book could have gone another way or been longer, because I feel like I was left hanging. I also wish that we got more about the fandom itself - look, I don't dabble in TV fandom but Fangirl had a fandom that was clearly based off something and I think how a fictional fandom was shown could have been dealt with better.
I have some mixed feelings about this book and it's taken me some processing time before I even try to review. Overall, I enjoyed reading this a lot. It's a quick read and brought up a lot of happy thoughts from my own internet and fandom interactions. I also love epistolary-style novels. At the core, I think it's a great examination of the different types of love we can have for other people and the way that love can cross boundaries in positive and negative ways. It has you thinking about relationships and how we build them and keep them and can also mess them up.
My major complaint is also part of what I admired about the book. There is a definite shift in tone in the last third/quarter, which isn't necessarily a bad thing because it depends that character relationships. However, it also felt very abrupt and some things felt like they came way out of left field. So I don't know. The happy feeling the first 3/4ths gave me is worth the 4 stars, and I will just mentally overwrite parts of the last quarter.
My major complaint is also part of what I admired about the book. There is a definite shift in tone in the last third/quarter, which isn't necessarily a bad thing because it depends that character relationships. However, it also felt very abrupt and some things felt like they came way out of left field. So I don't know. The happy feeling the first 3/4ths gave me is worth the 4 stars, and I will just mentally overwrite parts of the last quarter.
I really love this premise (fangirl bloggers meet on the internet then become so so important to each other in real life), but I feel like this book left me disappointed somehow. Not the little-is-resolved ending (I prefer these kinds of endings), but I guess I didn't love how Gena's struggles with mental illness PLUS grief were rendered mainly through her own poetry. I understand that this creativity is her way to process, but the hazy equating of mental instability with poetry, an art form notoriously maligned for inscrutability made the discussion of mental illness less nuanced than it could have been.
I really appreciated the format of the novel, though: written through impassioned and authentic (to me and my experiences, with all the privilege I carry) blog posts and pms and emails and texts between all the main characters. A big flaw, however, are the many errors in the timestamps and introductory info in the email/text/message chains that made me confused about the order of events. I hope this changes before the book pubs in April!
I really appreciated the format of the novel, though: written through impassioned and authentic (to me and my experiences, with all the privilege I carry) blog posts and pms and emails and texts between all the main characters. A big flaw, however, are the many errors in the timestamps and introductory info in the email/text/message chains that made me confused about the order of events. I hope this changes before the book pubs in April!
Er... FEELS.
RTC closer to release date (which is so far away and ah! Why did I read this so soon???).
RTC closer to release date (which is so far away and ah! Why did I read this so soon???).
i was so into the first half of the book. it was so relatable and fun, suitable with the writing style in emails, texts, letters too. but the other half of the book was just too much for me to digest, i guess. it just completely turned into something i did not see coming. 3/5 for the first half.
i read this in one sitting and honestly it's a bit of a mess. really strong and relatable start but then it just got both confusing and confused. the description of the book feels as though it's queer-baiting once you compare it with the actual narrative. overall disappointing.