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crufts's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
4.5
This must be the most exciting week of Angel Rahimi's life. She's meeting her best friend from the internet for the first time, and together they're going to see the boy band they love, the band which gives Angel a reason to wake up every day: The Ark.
Jimmy is the frontman of The Ark, struggling to keeping up the fantasy facade of perfection the band portrays. After all, he knows all too well that the "love" of fans is not real love...
The novel explores themes such as love, devotion, worship, religion, and more through the lens of fandom (a topic which the author understands back to front). I loved that the author made both protagonists religious, as their respective faiths acted as a springboard into comparing the Ark fandom to a religion.
The novel showcases the sheer power of fandom to rouse spirits as well as any religion, as Angel makes clear:
> Please, God, please, I want to believe. I want it to be real more than I want to be alive.
> Please, God, please, I want to believe. I want it to be real more than I want to be alive.
I really liked the entwined protagonists, with their entwined character development. The switching first-person point of view was clear and easy to follow, with each chapter clearly marked with the POV character's name.
Both protagonists are also very likeable, and the opening chapters had me immediately invested in them and wanting them to succeed.
Another thing which the author knocks out of the park is the interpersonal conflict. A few believable and compelling good-vs-good conflicts arise, such as Angel only caring about the band, vs Juliet actually wanting to get to know Angel and Mac as people. Or Angel's selfless love for Jimmy, only wanting him to be happy, vs Jimmy's cynical belief that no fan could truly love him because they don't know him .
I also liked the redemption arc for Mac. Mac is symbolic of Juliet choosing to love something else, not just the Ark. Ultimately, Angel comes to see that this is actually a healthy and reasonable choice, so it felt appropriate and even necessary that Mac ends up in Angel's good graces .
Now, let's talk about the representation! Firstly, a wide range of ethnicities are represented amongst the cast. There are also a number of LGBT+ characters, such as Jimmy (trans and gay); Angel (heavily implied to be asexual); as well as Bliss (bisexual); and Lister (bisexual) .
Now, heaven knows I'm a harsh critic of trans representation in media. But when it comes to Jimmy I have no complaints. Medical details are accurate, minor details are relatable, and it all seems well-researched. Well done! It was also rather cool to see a trans man character who transitioned at a young age (12).
One thing which the novel could have developed further was that Lister and Rowan treating Jimmy as a fragile and immature "baby" would probably hit Jimmy much harder than they realized, as trans men are often infantilized. This could have led to an interesting conflict with Jimmy saying something like "You think you're being protective of me, but you're really just othering me - I know you wouldn't treat me this way if I was cis" .
However, this is a minor suggestion and I thought it was fine as is.
Regarding the realism of life in a band: I don't know if this was truly an accurate depiction or not, but it definitely came off as convincing and maintained my suspension of disbelief that this could be real.
About the ending... I don't love it. I tried rereading the novel in case I'd missed something the first time, but that didn't help. It seemed like some of the final character development comes out of nowhere, specifically the changes of attitude from Rowan and Lister, who are suddenly not treating Jimmy like a "baby", taking his concerns about the contract seriously, changing their mind and deciding that they don't need to go to America, etc .
I also disliked the author's postscript about what happens after the story, i.e. Jimmy and Lister end up dating eachother?? After everything Lister did??? Also, isn't Lister still an alcoholic???? .
Even so, I enjoyed the book overall and would definitely recommend it.
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, and Cursing
Minor: Drug abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Suicide, Transphobia, Death, Medical content, and Suicidal thoughts
Mental illness - Depression: Although not explicitly stated, it is implied that Angel is depressed as she clings to the Ark, the only thing that brings her any happiness.Mental illness - Anxiety; Disassociation: Suffered by Jimmy.
Alcohol, Alcoholism: Lister gets drunk... frequently.
Blood: A few characters are injured and bleeding.
Cursing: A number of F- and S-bombs are dropped.
Adult/minor relationship: Brief mention of one between a 16-year-old and a 32-year-old. It is immediately condemned.
Death: A few of Jimmy's family members have passed away. He also fears the death of a living relative.
Drug abuse: Mentioned in the context of the rockstar lifestyle.
Transphobia: A journalist makes a veiled transphobic remark to Jimmy.
Medical content: There is a brief mention of Jimmy taking his hormone replacement therapy medication via injection.
Suicidal thoughts: Angel and Jimmy suffer from suicidal thoughts during their darkest moments.
Suicide: It is heavily implied that Jimmy's great-grandfather passed away by suicide, following a struggle with severe anxiety.
There is no Islamophobia towards the Muslim protagonist, Angel.
There is no deadnaming of the trans man protagonist, Jimmy, nor any mention of him suffering gender dysphoria.
emilyandthewhippet's review
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
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Stalking, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Self harm, Death, Suicide, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, and Grief
emclean95's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
tense
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
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, and Alcoholism
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