Reviews with content warning for Transphobia - I Was Born For This

I still think Loveless is Alice Oseman's best novel thus far, but this one might be a close second. It really digs into the idea of fame and the ways society obsesses over famous people. And mental health and anxiety and all of those thinks you come to expect in an Alice Oseman novel. Of course, we get another group of characters who are wonderfully developed, and thrown into this kind of chaotic situation.

I also appreciated that there's no central romance in this, it's more focused on friendship of the main two characters. They're both trying to figure out their place in the world, and finding each other kind of helps with that. Oseman really just excels at writing those kinds of relationships in her books, and that's what keeps me coming back to them.

Anyway, I can now say that I've read every single one of Alice Oseman's books, so yay! Can't wait for what's to come next.

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therainbowshelf's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny reflective slow-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

3.0

Like other Oseman books, I didn't love this but I also didn't dislike it. It was entertaining, but felt like a self-insertion fanfiction by and about fans obsessed over a boy band. The characters are all fun and the problems they navigate werr intriguing enough to keep me reading to the end.

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good_names_dont_exist's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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dalek_caan's review against another edition

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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.

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talync_06's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I found the characters very unlikeable for most of it but at the end I loved them. Fun but intense read. They all need therapy. Refreshing take on fame, fandom, and parasocial relationships.

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acebooknerd_07's review against another edition

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hopeful inspiring reflective 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

5.0

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zackarinareads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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karin_goodreads's review against another edition

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emotional reflective

5.0

I read this for my English class. This was super interesting, what the fuck??
To be able to see the story from both sides, who kind of stand opposite of each other, as a fan and the performer, is so though-provoking! I swear, the fandom life is so well written, and I think that The Boys experience is also getting portrayed accurately. Jimmy, Lister and Rowan were a very interesting bunch with and without their problems and struggles.

This is one of those works that are just different (in a good way). The main theme of the book isn't romance, but rather the fame, fans and struggles that come with this lifestyle, while also exploring how life is for those said fans. I quite enjoyed the fact that this book didn't have the characters get super close randomly, like, this situation would be one of those crazy memories that happened, but it didn't lead to anything more.

Furthermore, I'm enlightened.. I feel like I had to confront some parts of my old self while reading this. It also makes me feel understood, perhaps even happy to know that others share such thoughts and feelings as I do. Having been pretty involved in fandoms for years I recognised myself in Angel. It felt great, but it was also kind of eye-opening, I felt called out. It's nice to realise how you've seen the world and how you could see it.

I am not afraid, said Noah

I was born for this.

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