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lucymhubbard's review against another edition
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
First non-fiction book I have read this year, as a part of a resolution to read more non-fiction/lit-j. I think this was a pretty light and easy one to start with, so would recommend to someone just getting into nonfiction, or anyone who likes social histories about early internet/social media. I really enjoyed this book, as sort of a defense of fangirls. I read some reviews saying that it was too close to a retelling of one direction fan’s antics in the early 2010’s. Maybe because I was never a part of that fandom, I did not get that impression. Furthermore, I think it makes a lot of sense to look at fangirls and fan culture from this angle, because 1D fans received the criticism fans of Frank Sinatra or the Beatles got decades earlier BUT got to experience and build communities on social media, back when it was a new and fresh thing. I liked the authors personal connection, but I wish there was a larger focus on fan interviews.
Content Warnings
Minor: Self harm
Self harm is mentioned briefly in regard to trolls on 4chan fabricating "cut for Bieber"mads_jpg's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
Very interesting book analysing fandom and the internet, but I think I would've enjoyed it more if it wasn't so much about One Direction. They're definitely a good case study for the subject, and the author being a fan of them adds more depth to her analysis, but there are so many other fandoms that would've been just as interesting to explore. Fandoms like Swifties and the BTS Army were only briefly analysed/mentioned when they could've opened up other conversations for the book to have. All of this is to say that I think you have to be a 1D fan to get the most out of this book, but it's definitely still a great read even if you're only familiar with them.
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, Self harm, and Misogyny
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