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sarah984's review
challenging
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? It's complicated
2.0
There were some interesting points and turns of phrase but overall I found the characters' views on almost everything kind of weird and annoying. Very off putting descriptions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Ableism, Dementia, and Stalking
Minor: Sexual content
bekkah_co's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-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
1.5
I listened to this with my partner as we were on a road trip, and all I have to say is what the hell. The author does have a knack for writing artistically (if you're in a college creative writing course). If you are someone who is looking for a book that is well written but has the weirdest content, pick this one up. Genuinely, the amount of times I had to pause this audiobook to process the words was too many times to count.
Now, this book did try really hard to give an introspective look on fandom spaces, but as someone who actively studies and researches fandom spaces, I'm disappointed. And disturbed. I know some KPOP stans can be a little wonky. I like KPOP. I have friends who are like mega-stans. I know there are weirdos that say unhinged shit. However, putting the worst a community has to offer into a book and then publishing it and forcing someone to narrate is just criminal. I hope she got paid well for reading "I went to a KPOP concert after being a hater and now I imagine my boyfriend having a three-way with a KPOP boy who I compare to a neck with a penis."
With all this being said, I am so sorry to my future students who I will make read/listen to this.
Now, this book did try really hard to give an introspective look on fandom spaces, but as someone who actively studies and researches fandom spaces, I'm disappointed. And disturbed. I know some KPOP stans can be a little wonky. I like KPOP. I have friends who are like mega-stans. I know there are weirdos that say unhinged shit. However, putting the worst a community has to offer into a book and then publishing it and forcing someone to narrate is just criminal. I hope she got paid well for reading "I went to a KPOP concert after being a hater and now I imagine my boyfriend having a three-way with a KPOP boy who I compare to a neck with a penis."
With all this being said, I am so sorry to my future students who I will make read/listen to this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Dementia
Minor: Death of parent
disguisedposer's review
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Grief, Eating disorder, Body shaming, Mental illness, Body horror, Dementia, and Toxic relationship
annabella's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Loved this book. I could get into weird and odd fiction all day long and would love to read more! I loved Sheena Patel’s I’m A Fan and this feels sort of similar in the themes but also the way it intrigues me about more than fandom. This is so so smartly written with actually beautiful language from the unreliable and concerning but in that way hilarious narrator.
Like they made their obsession person read their fanfic?? Iconic
I think books which are good for me right now are those that are intriguing. The ending I want to discuss with people. And also this seems to accurately capture something that resonates with me. Would read this again, in non ebook format, to properly spend time with it. I highlighted a lot of quotes.
I think books which are good for me right now are those that are intriguing. The ending I want to discuss with people. And also this seems to accurately capture something that resonates with me. Would read this again, in non ebook format, to properly spend time with it. I highlighted a lot of quotes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking and Toxic relationship
m0beam's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Sexual assault
rindulgent's review
challenging
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
if this had been satire, it could have been innovative, brilliant, and hilarious. the premise was interesting, the way it delved into fandom and parasocial relationships and obsession was fascinating on a surface level. unfortunately the novel is not satire and takes itself far too seriously.
the novel is about a non-kpop fan (an anti, really, as the narrator essentially claims to dislike the group out of spite) who is dragged along to one concert with her roommate and immediately becomes stalker-level obsessed with one of the members. i've heard claims that this is meant to be about BTS, but the author attempts to claim that she didn't set out to write about kpop or fandom at all... i hardly trust that after reading it.
the narrative is somewhat convoluted and difficult to engage with, disjointed and unstable, the dialogue is unnatural, the interactions feel forced. while one of the most intriguing aspects is the fanfiction trope (Y/N being a stand in for "your name" where the reader is invited to insert themselves into the story), and is seemingly central to the story Yi was trying to tell, the novel never reaches anything close to immersiveness.
i like to think of myself as having a pretty decent sized vocabulary, but never in my life have i had to look up the definitions of so many words in a single book, a fairly short book at that. it took me a very long time to finish reading Y/N mostly because it was exhausting to read.
disappointed overall, because i wanted to like it, and like i said - it could have been brilliant.
the novel is about a non-kpop fan (an anti, really, as the narrator essentially claims to dislike the group out of spite) who is dragged along to one concert with her roommate and immediately becomes stalker-level obsessed with one of the members. i've heard claims that this is meant to be about BTS, but the author attempts to claim that she didn't set out to write about kpop or fandom at all... i hardly trust that after reading it.
the narrative is somewhat convoluted and difficult to engage with, disjointed and unstable, the dialogue is unnatural, the interactions feel forced. while one of the most intriguing aspects is the fanfiction trope (Y/N being a stand in for "your name" where the reader is invited to insert themselves into the story), and is seemingly central to the story Yi was trying to tell, the novel never reaches anything close to immersiveness.
i like to think of myself as having a pretty decent sized vocabulary, but never in my life have i had to look up the definitions of so many words in a single book, a fairly short book at that. it took me a very long time to finish reading Y/N mostly because it was exhausting to read.
disappointed overall, because i wanted to like it, and like i said - it could have been brilliant.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Dementia
thebookpaiges's review
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Dementia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual content
Minor: Violence and Death of parent
kpeps's review
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
5.0
This book was perfection. It reads like poetry but is so visceral and obscene it’s incredible. The main character felt justified yet out of touch, and that’s only the start of the dissonance. Genuinely feels like a descent into fanaticism. I’ll be thinking of this book forever.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia and Stalking
Moderate: Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic relationship
bookishsapphicshay's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-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
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Stalking, and Mental illness
Moderate: Dementia
faduma's review
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Addiction, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Ableism, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Violence, and Toxic friendship