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micaaaahh's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
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
4.0
alice oseman knows how to write engaging and immersive stories with such well written characters. while the prose are nothing amazing, the sincerity of the characters and the issues they face make up for it all. this book made me laugh out loud, gasp out loud, and nearly cry! it was so much fun and any fan of her other stuff will certainly enjoy this
purplesaturday's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
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
4.5
There is something about Alice Oseman’s characters that feel so real and personal to me. This doesn’t happen often for me, but I could not stop listening to this audiobook! (At least, for Radio Silence and I Was Born for This) I was completely enthralled.
I have mixed feelings about Solitaire. It was a little difficult to listen to at times - the main character Tori is so pessimistic and judgemental. It was nice to learn more about her, though, and her relationship with Michael Holden. Her relationship with her parents was so painfully realistic and sad, particularly her mother. And Tori does grow as a person throughout the book, and learns to stop seeing other people so one dimensionally. I thought the plot twist of who was behind Solitaire was really obvious, and I don’t really get how Tori didn’t see it coming. I’m also not sure how Solitaire could have pulled off some of their pranks? At first I thought the narrator sounded like a student rushing through reading something aloud for class, but I grew to like it. I’d give Solitaire a 3/5
I have mixed feelings about Solitaire. It was a little difficult to listen to at times - the main character Tori is so pessimistic and judgemental. It was nice to learn more about her, though, and her relationship with Michael Holden. Her relationship with her parents was so painfully realistic and sad, particularly her mother. And Tori does grow as a person throughout the book, and learns to stop seeing other people so one dimensionally. I thought the plot twist of who was behind Solitaire was really obvious, and I don’t really get how Tori didn’t see it coming. I’m also not sure how Solitaire could have pulled off some of their pranks? At first I thought the narrator sounded like a student rushing through reading something aloud for class, but I grew to like it. I’d give Solitaire a 3/5
I skipped Radio Silence since I’ve already listened to it as a standalone, so I don’t remember much. But I can say I loved this book, and I absolutely adored the relationship between the main characters. Alice Oseman is clearly passionate about critiquing the school system and the pressure of going to university or college. I was so jealous of the main character’s friendship, the way they clicked so well. The characters felt so relatable and human to me.
I felt a real connection to Radio Silence and I Was Born for This. They’re kind of similar - fangirl meets her very anxious idol. But unlike Radio Silence, it’s less about their friendship and more how they were parallels to each other despite being so different. I liked how stan culture was critiqued, while not being completely dismissed and also looking at it through a compassionate lense. I ended this story genuinely wishing the best for these characters - I hope they got the happy endings they deserved. I also wanted to add that I loved how flawed the characters were, while still being really likable. 4.5/5
I felt a real connection to Radio Silence and I Was Born for This. They’re kind of similar - fangirl meets her very anxious idol. But unlike Radio Silence, it’s less about their friendship and more how they were parallels to each other despite being so different. I liked how stan culture was critiqued, while not being completely dismissed and also looking at it through a compassionate lense. I ended this story genuinely wishing the best for these characters - I hope they got the happy endings they deserved. I also wanted to add that I loved how flawed the characters were, while still being really likable. 4.5/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Addiction and Adult/minor relationship
yorit1's review
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
cinnamonwhirl's review
5.0
I’ll update this soon with proper reviews.
Solitaire: 5*
Radio Silence: 5*
I Was Born For This: 5*
First few chapters of this really took me back to my teens fangirling with my sister and best friend over w-inds. XD
Solitaire: 5*
Radio Silence: 5*
I Was Born For This: 5*
First few chapters of this really took me back to my teens fangirling with my sister and best friend over w-inds. XD
chloemanning's review
emotional
lighthearted
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
4.25
lara_r's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Abandonment, Animal death, and Eating disorder
Minor: Drug use and Stalking
apa17th's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
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
desiderium_incarnate's review
emotional
reflective
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
4.25
Solitaire: Wow, very intense emotions! So much frustration and loneliness and being a misunderstood teenager. It has an interesting Story too though. Also the Plottwists are well written and believable, so good book, but I wouldn't read/listen to it again in the near future, just because I can't handle that much concentrated aggression.
Radio Silence: as I've been a fan of welcome to nightvale too, this wasn't a big stretch for me. This story had interesting characters, for example I was happy to find out more about Aled, who I've seen in the heartstopper books, but not in the series (now I understand why). The ubiquitous pressure of academic achievement is probably relatable for many people, so I'm happy, the author is presenting an alternative to going to uni and getting a degree etc. I do think these lifegoals are only really present for a smaller part of the population, so this book may not be for everyone, it's very specific for academic high achievers.
I was born for this: well, I was and am a fan girl, so of course it got me. It shows two sides of the fandom theme very well, the perspective of the "admired" people and the perspective of fans. You see very clearly, that everyone is just a person, a normal person with their own life, own problems and own thoughts and goals. It doesn't really diminish fans, while trying to explain what lies behind it. It also doesn't make boy bands look bad. Also I am very happy to see the representation of various religious people without that consuming their identity or being in any way invalidating. People are just religious and that's okay.
Radio Silence: as I've been a fan of welcome to nightvale too, this wasn't a big stretch for me. This story had interesting characters, for example I was happy to find out more about Aled, who I've seen in the heartstopper books, but not in the series (now I understand why). The ubiquitous pressure of academic achievement is probably relatable for many people, so I'm happy, the author is presenting an alternative to going to uni and getting a degree etc. I do think these lifegoals are only really present for a smaller part of the population, so this book may not be for everyone, it's very specific for academic high achievers.
I was born for this: well, I was and am a fan girl, so of course it got me. It shows two sides of the fandom theme very well, the perspective of the "admired" people and the perspective of fans. You see very clearly, that everyone is just a person, a normal person with their own life, own problems and own thoughts and goals. It doesn't really diminish fans, while trying to explain what lies behind it. It also doesn't make boy bands look bad. Also I am very happy to see the representation of various religious people without that consuming their identity or being in any way invalidating. People are just religious and that's okay.
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