salini's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
oncebita's review against another edition
3.0
The first half was so AMAZING but then drama appeard and ruined everything for me, but I still liked it a lot that's why I give it three stars.
sc104906's review against another edition
3.0
Gena and Finn are both obsessed with a show (think Grey's Anatomy mixed with Chicago PD) and each writes either fanfiction or draws fanart for the show. Basically, they are obsessed. Finn hasn't told her serious boyfriend about her serious obsession. Gena lives at a boarding school, her parents are distant, and she really doesn't have any great relationships in the real world. After the two women meet each other online, they finally find someone who gets them.
Questions of sexuality, Con attendance, and an explosion are all featured in this book. I liked the author's format of email, texts, and journals. The overall plot was a bit muddy and not fully fleshed out, probably because so much was going on. I wanted to like it more than I actually did. It was okay.
Questions of sexuality, Con attendance, and an explosion are all featured in this book. I liked the author's format of email, texts, and journals. The overall plot was a bit muddy and not fully fleshed out, probably because so much was going on. I wanted to like it more than I actually did. It was okay.
kadyofbooks's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book was a bit of a weird one for me. I liked the first maybe third to half better than the rest. It kinda lures one in with the expectation of a w/w romantic relationship which I think I would've liked in that part but the dynamics between the three characters we follow in the later part just weirds me out a bit. I liked that the book was told through emails, texts and other writings. That made it more enjoyable to me and multifaceted (since we got to read from more than just one perspective). Overall this story was enjoyable just didn't deliver on what I thought it would...
Spoiler
even if the characters have a 4 years age gap (which isn't much when you're in your twenties but when you're 18 and just starting off college it might be a bit much to my liking)Spoiler
That Finn chooses to marry her boyfriend and kinda thinks of Gena as a daughter(?) was just plain weird when we see her in the first part before the drama happens...notlikethebeer's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this, the relationship between Gena and Finn was beautiful and the way it was written, through the social media exchanges, was refreshing and well-written. It had the potential to cover a lot of different issues, but I wish it had put a name to more of them- particularly the codependency that emerged at the end, and the gorgeous potential relationship between Gena/Finn. Both of these were present, but I wish there had been more naming and discussing of these! Also, it did kind of conflate polyamoury with cheating through the way Finn handled things, which was icky. Overall though I utterly adored this!
abbyreads8's review against another edition
3.0
Albeit a bit hesitant at first, I was excited to delve into the fangirl world of Gena/Finn and was certainly not disappointed. This story follows high school senior Gena and twenty-something Finn as they connect on an online fan-fiction forum for their favorite telephone show, Up Below. I was immediately drawn in by the very realistic relationship created between the two-- the honesty they shared and the unique nature of an online friendship.
That being said, I was a bit thrown off by a curveball thrown into the plot. I will not go too in-depth because of spoilers, but I was not a fan of the sudden shift as a whole. That being said, I found the writing to be consistently stellar, tackling the truths of identity and trauma in a beautiful light.
3.5 STARS!
That being said, I was a bit thrown off by a curveball thrown into the plot. I will not go too in-depth because of spoilers, but I was not a fan of the sudden shift as a whole. That being said, I found the writing to be consistently stellar, tackling the truths of identity and trauma in a beautiful light.
3.5 STARS!
amysutton's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
This book, this book, this book… I’ll put it this way, this is the first book in a looong time that I’ve had to physically put down and walk out of the room because I couldn’t handle it. I have a complete love/hate relationship with this book because of how it made me feel. And, upon reflection, it felt more like emotional manipulation than actual cathartic emotional response, so. I still don’t fully know how I feel. :)
I will say that this is THE BEST and most accurate text/blog/email book I’ve ever read. The voices of the characters are perfect in this format, and it felt like I was truly reading something written by real people in a real fandom. It was just spot on. I also loved the small plot twists and character reveals in the first half of the book. I felt very attached to Gena and Finn.
On the back of the book, Adele Griffin says “I had such a huge fondness for Gena and Finn that I think about them still. You will, too.” I think this perfectly summarizes how I felt about them.
Things I didn’t love (I don’t know how to say any of this stuff without spoiling everything, so… everything after this is a spoiler):
— THE SHIFT IN TONE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BOOK. It took me off guard and made me mad. The “plot twist” was totally realistic and fit well, but I just didn’t want to read about that.
— I don’t think the authors have ever been through major grief? Or if they have then the pacing of their writing was off? Something about it felt a little glossy but I can’t put my finger on it. Possibly how Gena did a 180 from shock and despair into a “well here’s how I processed everything. Here’s the answer.” type of a tone so quickly?
— The “romance” or “we’re more than friends” feelings were not very well explained? I didn’t pick up any romantic feelings from the characters until they were in the middle of fighting about feelings and then all of that also got brushed under the rug. It may have just been because of the format of the book since we didn’t really get to see many of the characters’ interior thoughts unless they were talking to one another about them.
This book, this book, this book… I’ll put it this way, this is the first book in a looong time that I’ve had to physically put down and walk out of the room because I couldn’t handle it. I have a complete love/hate relationship with this book because of how it made me feel. And, upon reflection, it felt more like emotional manipulation than actual cathartic emotional response, so. I still don’t fully know how I feel. :)
I will say that this is THE BEST and most accurate text/blog/email book I’ve ever read. The voices of the characters are perfect in this format, and it felt like I was truly reading something written by real people in a real fandom. It was just spot on. I also loved the small plot twists and character reveals in the first half of the book. I felt very attached to Gena and Finn.
On the back of the book, Adele Griffin says “I had such a huge fondness for Gena and Finn that I think about them still. You will, too.” I think this perfectly summarizes how I felt about them.
Things I didn’t love (I don’t know how to say any of this stuff without spoiling everything, so… everything after this is a spoiler):
Spoiler
— THE SHIFT IN TONE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BOOK. It took me off guard and made me mad. The “plot twist” was totally realistic and fit well, but I just didn’t want to read about that.
— I don’t think the authors have ever been through major grief? Or if they have then the pacing of their writing was off? Something about it felt a little glossy but I can’t put my finger on it. Possibly how Gena did a 180 from shock and despair into a “well here’s how I processed everything. Here’s the answer.” type of a tone so quickly?
— The “romance” or “we’re more than friends” feelings were not very well explained? I didn’t pick up any romantic feelings from the characters until they were in the middle of fighting about feelings and then all of that also got brushed under the rug. It may have just been because of the format of the book since we didn’t really get to see many of the characters’ interior thoughts unless they were talking to one another about them.