Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - I Was Born for This

As much as I love Alice Oseman, this one was not it. Too many plot lines that are all sorta half finished. Very slow paced until the last 100 pages where suddenly everything is happening (very chaotic and hard to follow). Ending seemed rather unexplained? Angel confused me - one minute she is presenting as the very stereotypical fangirl (whole chapter talking about how The Ark is like a "faith" and "despite everything in the world being terrible, we choose to stand by The Ark") but the next she is 'not like the others'. Would have liked more background/info on Juliet and Bliss as well.

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cdoubet's review against another edition

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emotional fast-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

4.0

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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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shaniani's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective 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

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sealbrecht's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring fast-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

4.5

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ellaticonstellation's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

I loved that the story included sexual orientations and choices. I loved that it showed mental health issues. I loved how flawed the characters were. I loved that the boys stayed true to their music. The only thing I didn't like about this was the unfortunate meetings (like how Angel and Jimmy met or how badly Rowan treated Angel). Also, Marco was so weird. ✨

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tiredcath's review against another edition

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emotional fast-paced

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

2.5

“In an otherwise mediocre existence, we choose to feel passion.”

Conflicted on how I feel about this one.

Alice Oseman has continually impressed with their characterization, and foreshadowing that really pays off. This novel kind of leaves me stumped.

On one hand, I thoroughly understand what Oseman was attempting. One parts are beautifully written, as someone who involved themselves in fandoms in my teen years I relate to a lot. The first act was excellent. I appreciated having the duel POVs; the fan and the artist. Jimmy’s anxiety and depression were handled really well, I like the idea of Rowan’s character being almost the anti-celebrity.

On the other, I truly felt as if this was a first draft. The characters didn’t have enough depth. Things just happened, or characters just said things that didn’t make sense. Motivations were never clear. Most of the characters weren’t likable or had redeeming qualities. (Except for Lister, who should’ve been the man character.) Too many things were glossed over or unresolved. The third act was so messy.

I wanted to love this. I could see what Oseman was attempting, but the result was a dizzying and confusing story that felt entirely too incomplete.

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aimhkaitlin's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective 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

4.25

Heartbreaking, emotional, soul-soothing. This book tackles fan culture in a way that resonated with my soul while still critiquing and taking it on from two staggeringly different viewpoints. At times made my heart sink and put it back together all at once. Beautifully done. Only wish it was longer, not ready to let go of these characters yet.

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