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mynameisrebecca's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Fatphobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Racism
cheye13's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
First of all: the band in the book is not One Direction - but it's One Direction. This book is for people who were (are) intense One Direction fans during their hype, but on the older end (like fans 18 & up, rather than 13-16yos they were initially marketed to); fans who were just as crazy, but had a smidgen of self-awareness about it. Fans who read/wrote RPF but didn't genuinely believe any of the band was secretly dating each other. Fans who now look back on One Direction and think "they were (are) just regular dudes." A heavy and specifically boyband fanaticism with a sprinkling of realism. Probably also helpful if the reader's a queer woman (and managed to avoid that whole "i'm gonna marry [boybander]" phenomenon).
This book isn't written like a marketable, mainstream novel. It's written like a - very good - boyband fanfiction. I'm obsessed with it. This may be my favorite book of the year.
EDITED TO ADD: you know that Bob's Burgers episode where Louise wants to slap BooBoo? Take that, age it up, satirize it a little further, and pad out the plot to fill a novel. i.e. if you Understood™ Louise in that episode, you'll get this book.
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, and Outing
Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Racism, Suicide, Grief, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship
difficult to discern when the fatphobia was intentional (i.e. from character pov) or incidental from the author's pov. readers are likely prepared for the manner of sexual assault the girls perpetrate on the boy band (limited to groping and lewd comments), but likely unprepared for the manner of sexual assault committed by one of the boys on a female fan:hollsbookshelf's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Kidnapping, Murder, and Toxic friendship
singalana's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I found it through BookTube, and I didn't know what to expect. I listened to it as an audiobook, and the reader (Barrett Wilbert Weed) was brilliant: she sounded perfect for the role, all the while managing to give each of the characters different voices that actually sounded good! The characters were all interesting and executed well, and the pacing worked. The twists took me by surprise, I had no idea what was going to happen in the end.
This book deals with fandoms and fan culture, and I think it handles the topic quite well and gives something to think about. There was something outrageously unhinged by this book: it reminded me of My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell and Sweetpea by C. J. Skuse.
Moderate: Death and Kidnapping
Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexual content, Death of parent, Murder, and Toxic friendship
teki_p's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Graphic: Homophobia, Kidnapping, Murder, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Fatphobia and Toxic friendship
jaybee02's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book is bonkers.
Moderate: Death, Kidnapping, and Murder
Minor: Sexual content
danileah07's review against another edition
1.0
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Fatphobia, Homophobia, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
hannahrae's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Graphic: Homophobia, Murder, and Sexual harassment
trulydevious's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Body shaming, Cursing, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Suicide, Grief, Outing, and Sexual harassment
subjecta5's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Homophobia, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Mental illness, Suicide, and Murder
Minor: Sexual assault, Grief, and Death of parent