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3.26 AVERAGE
3.26 AVERAGE
I wanted to love this one. However, I can't say that I dislike it either. The first third (maybe even a bit more than that) is amazing. I couldn't get myself to but it down. I love the way fandom and the love of that world is portrayed. Though if felt as if the shipping aspect of fandom was glossed over at best. Still I could forgive that because the emotions and connections where so perfectly represented. As was the in fighting that is a huge albeit unpleasant part of the culture.
It started to go off the rails a little when Gena's past was revealed. That I can forgive as well. Is much as if felt out of place and odd it was built towards and didn't seem to derail the story. It did set the ground work for that to happen though.
The true issue is the ending. It felt like a completely different story was being set up. All signs pointed towards fan girls falling for each other. What the pay off(if you can call it that) is tragedy porn and unresolved relationship dynamics. It felt like a poly direction was being taken but heterosexual norms barfed all over it. I was particularly uncomfortable with Charlie and Finn referring me to Gena as their kid. I was left uncomfortable and like I had been queer baited. That is not the element of fandom that should be imitated (and yes that happens all too often). I just expected more.
It started to go off the rails a little when Gena's past was revealed. That I can forgive as well. Is much as if felt out of place and odd it was built towards and didn't seem to derail the story. It did set the ground work for that to happen though.
The true issue is the ending. It felt like a completely different story was being set up. All signs pointed towards fan girls falling for each other. What the pay off(if you can call it that) is tragedy porn and unresolved relationship dynamics. It felt like a poly direction was being taken but heterosexual norms barfed all over it. I was particularly uncomfortable with Charlie and Finn referring me to Gena as their kid. I was left uncomfortable and like I had been queer baited. That is not the element of fandom that should be imitated (and yes that happens all too often). I just expected more.
3.25 stars:
i.... well... i have to say friendship is good. it is beautiful. but why end the book JUST like that?? gimme mooooooree.
i.... well... i have to say friendship is good. it is beautiful. but why end the book JUST like that?? gimme mooooooree.
I am going to write this review in fangirl language, for I feel that this book deserves it, please excuse me.
I went into the book not knowing what to expect. I originally thought it was going to be a slash between the two main girls (And boy there were some moments where I totally thought it was going to go that way (ship! ship! ship! asdfghjkl!), but it was just friendship. ). But this book gave me the feels. Sure there were times where the characters felt so un-realistic, but at the same time I could relate so much like ahhhh. I am currently talking with another fangirl on tumblr, and this made me think about the good things about being in a fandom and about the friends I've made because of it. This book shows another side of what fandom can mean to people in a way that I haven't scene in any other of the fangirl books out there.
Now, one of the biggest issues I had while reading is finding where to read. Hopefully the formatting will get better when it is actually published but as of now I wasn't able to tell what was important to read or what was there for "decoration". Again some of the graphics weren't there, which might or might not have made a difference.
Ok now it's time to talk about the ending. Man, that was just really un-expected. I totally thought this book was going to go in a different direction but nope, you just had to kill of Zach. I just feel that wasn't really essential to the story, and having that plot just jump on to you so close to the end. It just ended like that too so... I guess I wish the story would have focused on that plot a bit more? I started to cry at the end when Finn and Gena (especially Gena) were just going through the endless pit of sadness. And then the book stopped.
Well this sorta turned into a rant. Sorry dignified people of Goodreads. This is why you can't let fangirls who can only rant, write reviews. Overall though, this was a good book and kudos to the authors who are fellow fangirls.
I went into the book not knowing what to expect. I originally thought it was going to be a slash between the two main girls (And boy there were some moments where I totally thought it was going to go that way (ship! ship! ship! asdfghjkl!), but it was just friendship. ). But this book gave me the feels. Sure there were times where the characters felt so un-realistic, but at the same time I could relate so much like ahhhh. I am currently talking with another fangirl on tumblr, and this made me think about the good things about being in a fandom and about the friends I've made because of it. This book shows another side of what fandom can mean to people in a way that I haven't scene in any other of the fangirl books out there.
Now, one of the biggest issues I had while reading is finding where to read. Hopefully the formatting will get better when it is actually published but as of now I wasn't able to tell what was important to read or what was there for "decoration". Again some of the graphics weren't there, which might or might not have made a difference.
Well this sorta turned into a rant. Sorry dignified people of Goodreads. This is why you can't let fangirls who can only rant, write reviews. Overall though, this was a good book and kudos to the authors who are fellow fangirls.
it took me exactly 2 hours and 17 min to read this book and now its 3:19 am and im crying.
it's beautiful, it's relatable and it's full of real emotions.
it's beautiful, it's relatable and it's full of real emotions.
I've never hated AND loved a book this much, ever before. Like whaaaa!
Gena and Finn are two girls two meet due to their love of the same TV show.
The first 2/3 of this book contain the single best depiction of fandom life that I've ever read. Anyone involved in a fandom will certainly relate to the girls.
The last portion of the book is... unexpected. Without giving anything away I don't want to say much, though I will say that this book is completely and totally worth the read.
The first 2/3 of this book contain the single best depiction of fandom life that I've ever read. Anyone involved in a fandom will certainly relate to the girls.
The last portion of the book is... unexpected. Without giving anything away I don't want to say much, though I will say that this book is completely and totally worth the read.
A gorgeous exploration of really complex feelings—I LOVE seeing more books about the blurry line between friendship and romance. I read this book in one sitting and enjoyed it immensely.
When this book came in at my library, I glanced at the title and thought "Huh, I must be spending too much time reading fanfiction, I read that as a relationship tag." Then I opened the cover and saw that the jacket copy reads like the front matter of a fanfiction (complete with word count, pairing, authors and summary) and I knew I had to read it. When I looked into it further still and saw that it was a book about two women forming a friendship via internet fandom, it was all I could do to wait for the actual release date so I could get my hands on it.
Well. I started reading on my lunch break, put it down for a while to go back to work, picked it up again around midnight...and couldn't put it down until 2:30 am, when it was finished. Which tells you that 1) it's not a long read, and 2) it hits a point where it's impossible to stop reading. I'm talking emotional roller coaster hurtling toward a cliff here. It's the next morning and I'm still recovering (though that might be sleep deprivation, too). I have so many feels that my feels have feels. It might not strike everyone this way, but for anyone who has ever fallen hard for a fandom (and, in my case, found unexpected friendships in fellow fans) it will probably resonate.
If the "making internet friends who are really far away but you wish you could hang out with them all the time" thing wasn't strong enough already, the tragedy that sends Gena over the edge hit me even harder due to actual life circumstances. A few weeks ago a friend I know through fandom who lives far away was in a life-threatening situation and had to evacuate from their home (along with their entire town of 80,000+ people) due to an out-of-control wildfire. Over here on the other end of the continent, I couldn't do anything other than read the news and pray and worry. So when it got to the part of the book where Finn is frantically texting Gena, not knowing if she's alive or dead, I related so strongly I could hardly breathe.
I also related pretty strongly to the "is this friendship? More than friendship?" conundrum that both Gena and Finn have to tackle. It can be easy to open up to people online because there is that safe distance, but after a while it can get to the point where it feels like online friends know a truer side than people in the real world. (Not to say that the internet isn't a real world, it's just...I lack a better name for it.) Anyway, I appreciated seeing that dilemma, and that it isn't precisely resolved at the end. Gena's trauma and mental issues not being neatly solved either was also really good to see, because usually real life doesn't go that way.
Well. I started reading on my lunch break, put it down for a while to go back to work, picked it up again around midnight...and couldn't put it down until 2:30 am, when it was finished. Which tells you that 1) it's not a long read, and 2) it hits a point where it's impossible to stop reading. I'm talking emotional roller coaster hurtling toward a cliff here. It's the next morning and I'm still recovering (though that might be sleep deprivation, too). I have so many feels that my feels have feels. It might not strike everyone this way, but for anyone who has ever fallen hard for a fandom (and, in my case, found unexpected friendships in fellow fans) it will probably resonate.
I also related pretty strongly to the "is this friendship? More than friendship?" conundrum that both Gena and Finn have to tackle. It can be easy to open up to people online because there is that safe distance, but after a while it can get to the point where it feels like online friends know a truer side than people in the real world. (Not to say that the internet isn't a real world, it's just...I lack a better name for it.) Anyway, I appreciated seeing that dilemma, and that it isn't precisely resolved at the end. Gena's trauma and mental issues not being neatly solved either was also really good to see, because usually real life doesn't go that way.
I went into this kind of knowing what happened, but I wanted to try it anyway as from the blurb it sounds like such a great representation of fandom life. Well. At least the first third of the book was. I LOVED the multimedia and the instant connection between the two. The rest of the book - not quite what I was expecting at all, classic case of "let's throw a huge plot point in" instead of letting the story be more character-driven. What a shame.
This book is like a drug. Once I started reading, it was like nothing else existed. I loved everything about it, even the twists. And holy hell, those twists.