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A review by joannaautumn
Gena/Finn by Hannah Moskowitz, Kat Helgeson
2.0
This book was written by two authors who are in their own words - fangirls.
My opinion on fandoms is mostly positive because I am a part of a few, and a few years back it was a big part of my life. I was an introvert and didn’t know how to speak with people about everyday things, and I still dislike small talk but my social skills got better, thank god. This book would have mattered to me more if I had read it during those years. Nowadays I am still part of a few fandoms but I don’t really follow any blogs or fan pages, maybe a few Pinterest funny images about the fandom but not much.
Fandom portrayal
That being said, I can say that the fandom portrayal in this book was pretty realistic, there are casual fans, fans focused on one character(Jakegirls and Tylergirls), fans with unpopular opinions like Finn, fans who draw(also Finn) and fans who write fanfiction(Gena). So every fandom has dynamics and order, we have the ones who comment and share the items that the others - the creators make. And of course, there are some ignorant or inconsiderate fans like Tylergirl93. And sometimes there are more catty fights and everlasting opinion/preference wars.
Book format
Another unique thing about this book is its format. It is made up entirely of emails, letters, diary entries, and blog posts. So I imagine it was fun for the authors to write and compose the whole layout. There is a problem with this, you can’t really connect on a deeper level to a character since most of the things you learn about them is via correspondence with somebody and using the method of unsent emails or drafts was one of the ways to see what the characters really thought at certain points of the book, but it didn’t really make me care for them in the same way or intensity I would care for a character in a regular novel. This also happens to me while reading epistolary novels so I didn’t really expect this book to blow me away in that particular aspect.
Characters
This book has characters with flaws. And I liked that. What I didn’t like was the way their relationship was developing from a friendship to an attraction to friendship again. I could see they liked each other from about 40% in when their emails became more emotional, both of them don’t share deeper aspects of their life with any partner or friend they had so when they found a person they felt comfortable around to share that information It was obvious. I have nothing against LGBT+, it was not that aspect that didn’t go well with me I assure you. I did, however, had an issue with a bit of emotional manipulation coming from Gena towards Finn and then that same manipulation passed onto Charlie. Charlie did a large leap towards marriage, a step for which Finn was not yet ready so I don’t know if that really triggered her to latch onto Gena as an escape and later developed feelings.
All in all, the characters are not very likable, I don't see people loving them all that much.
Plot
Stars out cute and relatable and then at 70% the drama kicks in.
Though both girls are detached from their families but still, this was too much. Also, the chances that an actor you filmed a show with a decade ago to recognize you and want to be friendly and brotherly with you is so unlikely.
Final thoughts
This book was an easy and light read until the 2/3 rd of the book, where it gets tiring to read. I would recommend this to a beginner reader since the format makes it accessible to a wider audience. I will probably never reread this book again, 2/5.
My opinion on fandoms is mostly positive because I am a part of a few, and a few years back it was a big part of my life. I was an introvert and didn’t know how to speak with people about everyday things, and I still dislike small talk but my social skills got better, thank god. This book would have mattered to me more if I had read it during those years. Nowadays I am still part of a few fandoms but I don’t really follow any blogs or fan pages, maybe a few Pinterest funny images about the fandom but not much.
Fandom portrayal
That being said, I can say that the fandom portrayal in this book was pretty realistic, there are casual fans, fans focused on one character(Jakegirls and Tylergirls), fans with unpopular opinions like Finn, fans who draw(also Finn) and fans who write fanfiction(Gena). So every fandom has dynamics and order, we have the ones who comment and share the items that the others - the creators make. And of course, there are some ignorant or inconsiderate fans like Tylergirl93. And sometimes there are more catty fights and everlasting opinion/preference wars.
Book format
Another unique thing about this book is its format. It is made up entirely of emails, letters, diary entries, and blog posts. So I imagine it was fun for the authors to write and compose the whole layout. There is a problem with this, you can’t really connect on a deeper level to a character since most of the things you learn about them is via correspondence with somebody and using the method of unsent emails or drafts was one of the ways to see what the characters really thought at certain points of the book, but it didn’t really make me care for them in the same way or intensity I would care for a character in a regular novel. This also happens to me while reading epistolary novels so I didn’t really expect this book to blow me away in that particular aspect.
Characters
This book has characters with flaws. And I liked that. What I didn’t like was the way their relationship was developing from a friendship to an attraction to friendship again. I could see they liked each other from about 40% in when their emails became more emotional, both of them don’t share deeper aspects of their life with any partner or friend they had so when they found a person they felt comfortable around to share that information It was obvious. I have nothing against LGBT+, it was not that aspect that didn’t go well with me I assure you. I did, however, had an issue with a bit of emotional manipulation coming from Gena towards Finn and then that same manipulation passed onto Charlie. Charlie did a large leap towards marriage, a step for which Finn was not yet ready so I don’t know if that really triggered her to latch onto Gena as an escape and later developed feelings.
All in all, the characters are not very likable, I don't see people loving them all that much.
Plot
Stars out cute and relatable and then at 70% the drama kicks in
Spoiler
. and the foreshadowing was there all along with Gena hallucinating fires and all. And I kinda had a feeling Zack/Zach would die. Gena gets traumatic stress, which is understandable. The plot got a bit tougher to read near the end because I hoped the drama would stop and they would all get to some kind of closure. The ending was weak, I also thought her parents would maybe come back and see their hospitalized child or maybe send money for her meds, they do have the money to go to exotic trips but not the meds or clothes for their daughter? She did have hallucinations so I thought maybe they would be more concerned that their only daughter is a trauma survivor. Obviously not.Though both girls are detached from their families but still, this was too much. Also, the chances that an actor you filmed a show with a decade ago to recognize you and want to be friendly and brotherly with you is so unlikely.
Final thoughts
This book was an easy and light read until the 2/3 rd of the book, where it gets tiring to read. I would recommend this to a beginner reader since the format makes it accessible to a wider audience. I will probably never reread this book again, 2/5.