Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - I Was Born for This

I've done it. I've read all of Alice Oseman's published works. I put this one off until last because I didn't recognize as much of myself in it — when compared to her others — and that remains true. (Well, I don't see much of myself in Heartstopper, either, but I also can't resist a romance that adorable.) Reading this I Was Born for This made me really sad, but by the end, really hopeful, as well. It was a downer of a book, but in a raw, emotional, well-written way. All these characters need a big hug and a whole lot of therapy, and I hope they get it. As soon as possible.

It's quite impressive how real Alice Oseman made these characters, this band, their world, in just a couple hundred pages. That's really the magic of her writing, beyond even the wonderful way she writes teenagers: her ability to make everything feel so completely real. That's why we all love her characters so much, and why I keep coming back to her work, again and again. Another win, one that makes me want to go back and reread the rest of her novels (yes, novels) as soon as I get the chance. In the spirit of Angel's imagined words to her boys, I hope Alice Oseman keeps making books forever and ever. I know I'll keep reading them as long as she does!

Content Warnings

emmitt's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted 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

4.75

Content Warnings

cassandra_grace's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny medium-paced

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

1.5

this book was so poorly written. the characters are easy to love, but the book itself and the plot both seem like something off of wattpad. if i wanted to read a wattpad fan fiction i would’ve opened wattpad and not spent good money on a physical book. that being said, i really did enjoy some of the dialogue between characters and some of the scenes, however the writing style being so fanfiction-esque was something i simply couldn’t bring myself to look past. i almost dnfed the book but i wanted to finish it to say i had read an alice oseman book.

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neko_reads's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective 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

3.5

so let me get one thing straight about alice oseman: I LOVE the way she portrays teenagers in her books. her characters are always done so well and they always feel so realistic. i also love the way she portrays mental health and issues like anxiety, panic attacks, etc. i love alive oseman in general lol

now this book was really good, but I kind of don't know how to feel about it? Like there were certain parts that I really loved, but I was also kind of bored for a good part of the book.

now lets talk about the first half (angel/fereshtahs half). i love the ark and I love the way angel and juliet (calling angel angel because I can actually spell it properly) love the ark, and I know that if the ark was real I would probably also be a fangirl. i also love how they weren't portrayed as like annoying teenagers that go way too far for their fandom, and how they are kind of compared to the crazy fans. now mac. mac genuinely sucks and I hate him lol.

moving on to jimmys part of the story, I LOVE the dynamics between each member of the ark and the way they all have their individual problems and fears and loves, and how they deal with those problems as a whole. i LOVE the way rowan supports jimmy through his anxiety and panic attacks. and by the end, I loved the relationships between each character in the trio. and people say trios don't work lol.

now the end of the book. i LOVED so much of what was going on, but at the same time some of it felt kinda drawn out longer than it needed to be. and then the actual ending ending. well safe to say I did not see that coming. that ending hit out of NO WHERE. like yes I was expecting something to happen but what actually happened??? damn.

anyway 3.5 isn't a bad rating, and it might change as I have more time to think about the book and what actually happened. as always I still recommend this book as well as the rest of alice osemans books :)

Content Warnings

ju_harue's review against another edition

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emotional tense 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

3.5

Eu amo o universo Alice Oseman, mas este livro foi o que menos me impactou, mas não significa que é uma leitura ruim, pelo contrário, abordou (como sempre) temas bem sensíveis, como as crises de ansiedade e pânico, além de lidar com a saída da adolescência pra vida adulta, os dilemas, inseguranças, tudo mais, com maestria, sempre com proximidade e intimidade típicas da escrita de Alice. Adorei também a parte de ser fã, já que tenho amigas profissionais nesse quesito, nunca é tarde pra se jogar, ser o que se é, mostrar que é muito além do que muitos julgam. Recomendo sempre, como todos os outros livros.

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fkshg8465's review against another edition

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emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I was so bored and couldn’t connect to any of the characters or their struggles.

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