dalek_caan's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I found this book to be enjoyable and a pretty quick read. I found Angel to be a really annoying pov character at first but she grew on me as the story went on. I definitely felt like there was a lot of nuance with the characters overall, which I definitely appreciated. It was also kind of interesting to follow two sides to the same story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Biphobia, Homophobia, Outing, Transphobia, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Racism, Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, and Sexual assault
kits_den's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Self harm, Violence, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, and Addiction
Minor: Islamophobia, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Sexual harassment
lizziaha's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
As someone who has participated in multiple different fandom spaces, some of the things in this book immediately put me on the defensive. But I think it was good for me to flex those muscles and really examine how I and other people were interacting within fandoms. I also think that these main characters did a lot of things that I might not do or want them to do, but I think that made me engage with the text more as well. Definitely an interesting read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Sexual harassment, and Alcoholism
Minor: Confinement, Transphobia, Biphobia, and Racism
starlitpage's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking, Alcohol, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Alcoholism, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Outing and Racism
hnagarne's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
That's why people get into fandom and bands and stuff. They just want to hold on to something that makes them feel good. Even if it's all a big lie.
Have you ever loved something (a book, a show, a band) so much that you made it your entire personality? Have you ever felt that you needed it to survive? That you would simply lose the will to live if you didn't get another book, another episode, another song? Angel Rahimi has, and so have I, and that's what makes I Was Born for This such an absolute gem.
CW: panic attacks, anxiety, transphobia, biphobia, depression, suicide (mentioned), parental abandonment, death of a loved one (mentioned), alcohol abuse, assault
One of my favorite aspects of this book is how it's, in essence, a love letter to fandom and the way it brings people together.
Angel Rahimi lives for one thing: The Ark, a boyband catapulting to stardom. She's followed The Ark from their early days on YouTube, runs a popular Twitter account dedicated to them, and has ditched her school's "leaving ceremony" in order to attend the last concert on their tour before they sign a new contract and (fingers crossed) make it big in the United States.
In order to attend said concert, Angel plans to stay with her internet friend of two years, Juliet Schwartz. Angel and Juliet talk nearly every day online, and they share one major thing in common: their love of The Ark. They've never met in person.
Angel and Juliet fangirl over The Ark's public appearances, attend a fan meetup, and even plan to do a meet and greet before the concert. There's a deeper story to be explored here between Angel and Juliet: Spoilerwhile Angel is busy fangirling over The Ark, Juliet's life appears to be falling apart, and in the end we get a gentle reminder that people are more than the things they love, and sometimes (often times) there are things more important than boy bands.
Seeing Angel's love for The Ark and its fans reminded me of how much I love my fandoms, including the people I met along the way, and how meaningful they were and continue to be in my life.
This isn't just a story about Angel, though. It's told from dual first person perspective, with alternating chapters told from Angel's POV and Jimmy's POV.
Jimmy Kaga-Ricci is The Ark's frontman, and life has changed so drastically in such a short period of time that he's just trying to stay afloat. Playing with The Ark is all he's ever wanted, but he finds that it often only exacerbates his anxiety. The Ark's fangirls perceive a romance between him and his best friend and bandmate, Rowan Omondi. They read into their every interaction, write erotic fanfiction, tweet about every brief glance. (What they don't know: Rowan has a secret girlfriend, Bliss Lai, who desperately wants her life to stay normal.)
As their stories begin to intersect, we see from Angel's perspective how perhaps our idols are not what they seem, and from Jimmy's we see that even the most passionate fans can still be kind, caring, and empathetic human beings. In the end, maybe that's all any of us want: to be seen as human.
Being a fan isn’t always about the thing you’re a fan of. Okay, well, it sort of is, but there is much more to it than just going online and screaming that you love something. Being a fan has given me people to talk to about the things that I like for the past five years. Being a fan has made me better friends online than I’ve ever encountered in real life; it has entered me into a community where people are joined in love and passion and hope and joy and escape. Being a fan has given me a reason to wake up, something always to look forward to, something to dream about while I’m trying to fall asleep.
Have you ever loved something (a book, a show, a band) so much that you made it your entire personality? Have you ever felt that you needed it to survive? That you would simply lose the will to live if you didn't get another book, another episode, another song? Angel Rahimi has, and so have I, and that's what makes I Was Born for This such an absolute gem.
CW: panic attacks, anxiety, transphobia, biphobia, depression, suicide (mentioned), parental abandonment, death of a loved one (mentioned), alcohol abuse, assault
One of my favorite aspects of this book is how it's, in essence, a love letter to fandom and the way it brings people together.
Angel Rahimi lives for one thing: The Ark, a boyband catapulting to stardom. She's followed The Ark from their early days on YouTube, runs a popular Twitter account dedicated to them, and has ditched her school's "leaving ceremony" in order to attend the last concert on their tour before they sign a new contract and (fingers crossed) make it big in the United States.
In order to attend said concert, Angel plans to stay with her internet friend of two years, Juliet Schwartz. Angel and Juliet talk nearly every day online, and they share one major thing in common: their love of The Ark. They've never met in person.
Angel and Juliet fangirl over The Ark's public appearances, attend a fan meetup, and even plan to do a meet and greet before the concert. There's a deeper story to be explored here between Angel and Juliet: Spoilerwhile Angel is busy fangirling over The Ark, Juliet's life appears to be falling apart, and in the end we get a gentle reminder that people are more than the things they love, and sometimes (often times) there are things more important than boy bands.
Seeing Angel's love for The Ark and its fans reminded me of how much I love my fandoms, including the people I met along the way, and how meaningful they were and continue to be in my life.
This isn't just a story about Angel, though. It's told from dual first person perspective, with alternating chapters told from Angel's POV and Jimmy's POV.
Jimmy Kaga-Ricci is The Ark's frontman, and life has changed so drastically in such a short period of time that he's just trying to stay afloat. Playing with The Ark is all he's ever wanted, but he finds that it often only exacerbates his anxiety. The Ark's fangirls perceive a romance between him and his best friend and bandmate, Rowan Omondi. They read into their every interaction, write erotic fanfiction, tweet about every brief glance. (What they don't know: Rowan has a secret girlfriend, Bliss Lai, who desperately wants her life to stay normal.)
As their stories begin to intersect, we see from Angel's perspective how perhaps our idols are not what they seem, and from Jimmy's we see that even the most passionate fans can still be kind, caring, and empathetic human beings. In the end, maybe that's all any of us want: to be seen as human.
Being a fan isn’t always about the thing you’re a fan of. Okay, well, it sort of is, but there is much more to it than just going online and screaming that you love something. Being a fan has given me people to talk to about the things that I like for the past five years. Being a fan has made me better friends online than I’ve ever encountered in real life; it has entered me into a community where people are joined in love and passion and hope and joy and escape. Being a fan has given me a reason to wake up, something always to look forward to, something to dream about while I’m trying to fall asleep.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Outing, Mental illness, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Transphobia, Biphobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Racism
Minor: Death
glen3's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Addiction, and Transphobia
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Medical content, Homophobia, Outing, Racism, and Suicide attempt
bobisthecoolest's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This book is near perfect. Definitely a must read if you had/have an obsession with a (boy) band. This books talks about what happens when artists and fans meet and how fucked up fan culture can be sometimes. Will make you think
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, and Mental illness
Moderate: Stalking, Addiction, and Outing
Minor: Racism, Biphobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Transphobia
vaniavela's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Angel Rahimi, hijabi Muslim teenager whose life revolves around The Ark, an internationally famous boyband. Jimmy Kaga-Ricci, a biracial transgender gay musician and member of The Ark. What happens when the two paths unexpectedly collide?
I liked that the sexuality of the main characters are not plot points in this book. It is part of them, but it doesn't define all aspects of their lives; they are unique people with personalities.
I loved the portrayal of mental health. I felt represented as I read anxiety can keep you from doing things, no matter how simple and easy they may seem. There are times when we are terrified of things we used to love, have self-esteem issues and even harmful thoughts that have a tendency to affect our personal relationships.
Another aspect that really needed to be talked about was fandoms. The culture of fandoms was portrayed, the toxic aspects of them and how people can behave in dangerous ways. One of the aspects that makes me most uncomfortable and annoying is how people forcefully ship real people into a relationship, getting intense about it. Creating these romantic scenarios and then getting furious when the people involved deny it is unhealthy.
Anyway, while it wasn't the book I enjoyed the most from Alice, I can say I liked it. Plus, I loved the cover.
Rep: biracial (indian and italian) anxious gay trans guy mc, persian muslim hijabi mc, side black character, bisexual sc, biracial (chinese and white) bisexual sc.
CW: panic attacks and paranoia, transphobia, biphobia, racism, discussions of sexual assault, depression, suicidal ideation, obsession and stalking, surgery, alchohol abuse.
I liked that the sexuality of the main characters are not plot points in this book. It is part of them, but it doesn't define all aspects of their lives; they are unique people with personalities.
I loved the portrayal of mental health. I felt represented as I read anxiety can keep you from doing things, no matter how simple and easy they may seem. There are times when we are terrified of things we used to love, have self-esteem issues and even harmful thoughts that have a tendency to affect our personal relationships.
Another aspect that really needed to be talked about was fandoms. The culture of fandoms was portrayed, the toxic aspects of them and how people can behave in dangerous ways. One of the aspects that makes me most uncomfortable and annoying is how people forcefully ship real people into a relationship, getting intense about it. Creating these romantic scenarios and then getting furious when the people involved deny it is unhealthy.
Spoiler
I feel like this was well reflected in how Angel (and half the fandom) is Jowan's shipper and upon the revelation that they were nothing, one of the fans throws a brick at them.Anyway, while it wasn't the book I enjoyed the most from Alice, I can say I liked it. Plus, I loved the cover.
Rep: biracial (indian and italian) anxious gay trans guy mc, persian muslim hijabi mc, side black character, bisexual sc, biracial (chinese and white) bisexual sc.
CW: panic attacks and paranoia, transphobia, biphobia, racism, discussions of sexual assault, depression, suicidal ideation, obsession and stalking, surgery, alchohol abuse.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Biphobia, Transphobia, and Racism
Minor: Sexual assault and Alcoholism
sweetsxrrxw's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
when i started reading this book i had no idea what was it about but as soon as i found out the main character was a hijabi my heart felt fullfied. it's so hard to find good muslim representation nowadays, specially coming from non-muslim people. but alice did a great job. she didn't only portray angel as a normal teen but also added some details for the reader to not forget about her religion and it was just amazing.
the other main character is a biracial trans anxious boy who is the singer of the trendiest band at the moment which is super cool too.
the rest of the characters are also nice and it's pretty easy to love most of them.
there are no huge plot twists in the book but it's actually pretty entertaining to see how the plot is being driven and how the words of the two main characters collide while important topics such as self discovery, mental health, growing up and being confused or pressured about what to do next in life are discussed.
this book really brought me back to my intense fangirl era back in 2016-2019. i believe alice has portrayed really well the feeling of becoming so passionate about something that it ends up becoming the main reason of your happiness and it can even bring you up new friendships (mostly online lmao)
on the other side, she also represents how dark and mentally exhausting the music industry and rich people can be. we can clearly see that through jimmy, whose anxiety stops him from doing stuff in several occasions or whose intrusive thoughts are present all along.
to sum up, i just loved this book and its content so much, i think everyone should give it a chance. even if you don't feel identified with any of the characters, im pretty sure there's lots of quotes or scenes that you'll keep in mind for a long time, x.
the other main character is a biracial trans anxious boy who is the singer of the trendiest band at the moment which is super cool too.
the rest of the characters are also nice and it's pretty easy to love most of them.
there are no huge plot twists in the book but it's actually pretty entertaining to see how the plot is being driven and how the words of the two main characters collide while important topics such as self discovery, mental health, growing up and being confused or pressured about what to do next in life are discussed.
this book really brought me back to my intense fangirl era back in 2016-2019. i believe alice has portrayed really well the feeling of becoming so passionate about something that it ends up becoming the main reason of your happiness and it can even bring you up new friendships (mostly online lmao)
on the other side, she also represents how dark and mentally exhausting the music industry and rich people can be. we can clearly see that through jimmy, whose anxiety stops him from doing stuff in several occasions or whose intrusive thoughts are present all along.
to sum up, i just loved this book and its content so much, i think everyone should give it a chance. even if you don't feel identified with any of the characters, im pretty sure there's lots of quotes or scenes that you'll keep in mind for a long time, x.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Alcohol, Addiction, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Islamophobia, Transphobia, and Racism
anaguana's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Biphobia, Homophobia, Outing, Stalking, and Violence
Minor: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Medical content, and Racism