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3.27 AVERAGE
3.27 AVERAGE
1.5 stars
Some spoilers after the cut. Read at your own risk (or benefit).
I don't even know what to say, really. I feel a bit duped. The first part of this book was set up more as a friendship-comedy or even a romance. It was cute, funny, and full of relatable fandom references. All of which I loved. However, by the time the second part started the novel took a drastic turn in both tone and plot. I know, I know. This could be chocked up to a plot twist, but plot twists have a certain finesse. There's usually a lead-up to them, even if it's subtle.
This was not any of that.
This was like reading two different books that happened to have the same characters. It was jarring and, honestly, made the book very hard to finish. Still, I had hope that the end would be worth the struggle and I pushed through.
Unfortunately, my hope was naught. The ending was as confusing as the second half had been and completely unsatisfying. I literally flipped back and forth through the last pages trying to see if my Kindle had glitched and chopped off the real ending of the book. If not for other reviewers having the same complaint, I might still be convinced that it was some malfunction.
Many other reviewers also cite this book as a prime example of queer-baiting, which I can definitely see. From fairly early on, it's set up that Finn and Gena love each other, and Finn even has a crisis with her boyfriend because she thinks she's IN love with Gena. And Gena actually states in an email to another friend that she is in love with Finn. But, again, by the second part of the book this set-up is all switched around and somehow Charlie and Finn end up adopting Gena?? They are all adults, but Finn and Charlie treat Gena like she's a kid - their kid. It was weird. So weird. I guess the lack of Gena/Finn romance made some sense since based on the traumatic event Gena isn't really in the right headspace for a romantic relationship, but it felt more like the authors were trying to justify why Finn and Gena couldn't and wouldn't end up together. I don't know. This part of the book just felt wonky, rushed and off, tbh.
What really bites is that I wanted so badly to love this book, and the first half was incredibly relatable and cute. I loved how the writing was set up in emails, blogs, and texts (kind of like a softer, contemporary Illuminae). I loved the fair representation of the good and bad sides of fandom, and how friendships in fandom are intense and amazing. I loved the idea that two people connected over the internet might fall in love and live happily ever after. In fact, those aspects are the only reason this even gets 1.5 stars.
Because by the end, all of that fell apart. The writing became cumbersome and didn't adequately tell the story that the authors were trying to tell. The plot and characters were like some AU version of themselves. All the humor and relatability just faded away like it had never happened. There were too many underdeveloped plot points and the drama was annoying. I think the authors were trying to give the novel depth and meaning but it just fell flat. Last but not least, that awful aforementioned ending. Ugh.
I am just so disappointed. Honestly, if you're looking for a fandom-related book that has great representation, execution, and consistency, pick up Radio Silence by Alice Oseman, or even Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, but don't waste your money on this one.
Some spoilers after the cut. Read at your own risk (or benefit).
I don't even know what to say, really. I feel a bit duped. The first part of this book was set up more as a friendship-comedy or even a romance. It was cute, funny, and full of relatable fandom references. All of which I loved. However, by the time the second part started the novel took a drastic turn in both tone and plot. I know, I know. This could be chocked up to a plot twist, but plot twists have a certain finesse. There's usually a lead-up to them, even if it's subtle.
This was not any of that.
This was like reading two different books that happened to have the same characters. It was jarring and, honestly, made the book very hard to finish. Still, I had hope that the end would be worth the struggle and I pushed through.
Unfortunately, my hope was naught. The ending was as confusing as the second half had been and completely unsatisfying. I literally flipped back and forth through the last pages trying to see if my Kindle had glitched and chopped off the real ending of the book. If not for other reviewers having the same complaint, I might still be convinced that it was some malfunction.
Many other reviewers also cite this book as a prime example of queer-baiting, which I can definitely see. From fairly early on, it's set up that Finn and Gena love each other, and Finn even has a crisis with her boyfriend because she thinks she's IN love with Gena. And Gena actually states in an email to another friend that she is in love with Finn. But, again, by the second part of the book this set-up is all switched around and somehow Charlie and Finn end up adopting Gena?? They are all adults, but Finn and Charlie treat Gena like she's a kid - their kid. It was weird. So weird. I guess the lack of Gena/Finn romance made some sense since based on the traumatic event Gena isn't really in the right headspace for a romantic relationship, but it felt more like the authors were trying to justify why Finn and Gena couldn't and wouldn't end up together. I don't know. This part of the book just felt wonky, rushed and off, tbh.
What really bites is that I wanted so badly to love this book, and the first half was incredibly relatable and cute. I loved how the writing was set up in emails, blogs, and texts (kind of like a softer, contemporary Illuminae). I loved the fair representation of the good and bad sides of fandom, and how friendships in fandom are intense and amazing. I loved the idea that two people connected over the internet might fall in love and live happily ever after. In fact, those aspects are the only reason this even gets 1.5 stars.
Because by the end, all of that fell apart. The writing became cumbersome and didn't adequately tell the story that the authors were trying to tell. The plot and characters were like some AU version of themselves. All the humor and relatability just faded away like it had never happened. There were too many underdeveloped plot points and the drama was annoying. I think the authors were trying to give the novel depth and meaning but it just fell flat. Last but not least, that awful aforementioned ending. Ugh.
I am just so disappointed. Honestly, if you're looking for a fandom-related book that has great representation, execution, and consistency, pick up Radio Silence by Alice Oseman, or even Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, but don't waste your money on this one.
Ok, I feel like I should maybe actually give this book a lower rating, but I can't take off my fangirl goggles and put objective criticism goggles on (if those are even a thing that exist). I would say, even though this is sort of spoilers territory: don't get your hopes up too much about the romance. I know, I know, you see it's tagged glbt, you see the title is Gena/Finn AND you see Finn is short for Stephanie and you're a fangirl and you know what that slash means, but...don't expect the happy ending you're thinking of. I can't believe I'm saying this, but: read the book anyway. If you liked Fangirl, if you liked The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy, if you liked Secret Loves of Geek Girls, you will like this. It's not perfect (epistolary novels, even modern mixed-media ones, always suffer from some awkwardness when the characters actually meet in real life, and the switch to journaling and poetry was mostly well-done and emotional but still felt a little stilted), and I'll admit I wanted the romance to go a slightly different way. But there is so much there that felt true, about fandom and mental illness and friendship and starting college/starting the real world, that I think it's definitely more good than bad. (Also I cried a lot. I know, surprise surprise).
I got an ARC from Netgalley and/but will 100% be picking up the real thing when it comes out. Mostly because the photographs of characters and the fanart was still all marked TK when I got my e-copy and I NEED to see them.
Edited to add: don't worry guys I got your back, I used my "in" with the publisher (lol that's a joke idk if they even read these things) to send this note in the "Add a note to the publisher" section on Netgalley: "My only note is...I'm not sure about listing this in stuff as LGBTQIA. I mean, it's hard to say, because I'm a fangirl AND a lesbian so I probably would have read it either way. I see why you might think you'd get to a bigger audience this way. Which might be true! But it does seem a tiny bit unfair to the LGBT YA audience to advertise this as such when it really isn't, and I can see people getting upset if they feel like there was false advertising. There are still plenty of fangirls who will read this even if it's not listed in lists of queer books, so you don't have to worry about that! This will definitely pull in the Rainbow Rowell, Sam Maggs, etc. crowd."
I got an ARC from Netgalley and/but will 100% be picking up the real thing when it comes out. Mostly because the photographs of characters and the fanart was still all marked TK when I got my e-copy and I NEED to see them.
Edited to add: don't worry guys I got your back, I used my "in" with the publisher (lol that's a joke idk if they even read these things) to send this note in the "Add a note to the publisher" section on Netgalley: "My only note is...I'm not sure about listing this in stuff as LGBTQIA. I mean, it's hard to say, because I'm a fangirl AND a lesbian so I probably would have read it either way. I see why you might think you'd get to a bigger audience this way. Which might be true! But it does seem a tiny bit unfair to the LGBT YA audience to advertise this as such when it really isn't, and I can see people getting upset if they feel like there was false advertising. There are still plenty of fangirls who will read this even if it's not listed in lists of queer books, so you don't have to worry about that! This will definitely pull in the Rainbow Rowell, Sam Maggs, etc. crowd."
well. that was a ride.
what an amazing book. the epilstalatory style worked so well, leaving some things hidden and revealing some things later.
man though i cant even write a proper review cause im just so full of emotions. holy shit. like.
i just wanna say that charlie and gena and finn are all precious and need to be protected at all costs.
what an amazing book. the epilstalatory style worked so well, leaving some things hidden and revealing some things later.
man though i cant even write a proper review cause im just so full of emotions. holy shit. like.
i just wanna say that charlie and gena and finn are all precious and need to be protected at all costs.
This book will hurt and make you raw when you least expect it. 100% worth the read.
I really enjoyed this story, including the dark turn it took. I epsecially like the awkwardness of the age difference of the MCs and how that played out.
But what I'm really wanting is reviews from people who have hallucinations (the word the MC uses for herself) and how they feel about the rep.
But what I'm really wanting is reviews from people who have hallucinations (the word the MC uses for herself) and how they feel about the rep.
3.5 stars.
Very quick read. Very sweet, cute friendship. Sadder than expected.
Very quick read. Very sweet, cute friendship. Sadder than expected.
I really enjoyed this book!
Honestly this book opened as super relatable (follows a friendship that started online through love of a mutual fandom) and then it ended SUPER DEEP.
very impressed.
Honestly this book opened as super relatable (follows a friendship that started online through love of a mutual fandom) and then it ended SUPER DEEP.
very impressed.
took months to read this book since so idk if this even counts. the premise was cool but the format didn’t work best the way I was reading it on my tiny phone screen.
As many other reviewers have mentioned, there's an enormous disconnect between the first part of this book (which is a story about two women in transitional phases of their lives finding friendship through fandom) and the second part (which is about a woman losing a close friend in an accident she feels she could have prevented and suffering through the ensuing trauma). Really, Gena/Finn feels like two different books, and, while I enjoyed the first one, the second really did not sit well with me. The authors' handling of the LGBT subplot felt borderline exploitative; despite strong indications that there would be a romantic relationship between the protagonists, I didn't detect any romantic or sexual undertones to their friendship until Finn started asking whether they were doing "something bad" and discussing how ashamed she felt for betraying her boyfriend. Although these feelings could be a valid part of a story about a woman discovering her sexuality, that's apparently not what this is--the romantic subplot between Gena and Finn is dropped shortly afterwards and never receives any clear resolution. I also resented that the authors' approach to mental illness. Gena's statements towards the beginning of the book about how speaking frankly about mental illness is the best way to normalize it really resonated with me, which is why I was so frustrated to see her mental illness romanticized for the remainder of the book. It's hard to believe the authors' goal was to establish mental illness as a normal and manageable part of many people's lives when Gena's drives her to punch mirrors; write pretentious, moody poetry on her skin; and sit on the edge of rooftops talking about the distance to the moon. As a queer, mentally ill teenager, this book left me disappointed and angry.
One author has mentioned that this book was written through a series of emails and online chats with her collaborator, and I think that approach may at least partially explain the erratic progression of the plot and the melodramatic tone of the latter half. Perhaps more coordination between the authors could have shaped this book into a more cohesive (and less offensive) final product.
One author has mentioned that this book was written through a series of emails and online chats with her collaborator, and I think that approach may at least partially explain the erratic progression of the plot and the melodramatic tone of the latter half. Perhaps more coordination between the authors could have shaped this book into a more cohesive (and less offensive) final product.
Unsure how to rate this book. I'm floating between three and four stars. It was more crushing than I expected and I went in unprepared. I liked it (well liked isn't the right term) but I also cried a lot.