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challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
medium-paced
i have so many thoughts but none of them are good
kpop fans have done insane things so this premise was really promising
the way its written feels like its trying too hard to be lit-fic
kpop fans have done insane things so this premise was really promising
the way its written feels like its trying too hard to be lit-fic
dark
medium-paced
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
honestly i have no strong feelings about this, but it goes from 3 to 2.75 because a penis was described as an arrowhead and truly that was unforgivable
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was an interesting book for sure. I did not hate it at all, but I also would not say that I loved it. I think a lot of it was just too abstract for me. I think I might have liked it better if it was a little more grounded in reality. For example, it felt like Moon and Oh (I listened to the audiobook, so I have no idea if that is how you spell the friend’s name) did not act like real people, but more like caricatures. And it is totally possible that that was the point, and I just missed it, but it still felt off putting to me. Along with that, I wish that the ending was also less abstract. As it was, it felt a bit unsatisfying.
But of course, the best part of this book was the portrayal of an extreme parasocial relationship. Once the main character gets obsessed with Moon, it completely takes over her life. She ends her real relationship on the basis that Moon knows her better than he does, and she drops everything to fly to Korea to find Moon. And I like that it wasn’t as straightforward as the main character wanting to date Moon. Instead, it is more complex because she more so wants him to know her/acknowledge her, rather than love her.
I also loved the commentary on fanfiction. Y/N fanfiction is a hugely popular style of fanfiction, but I have never seen it be talked about in mainstream media before.
Overall parasocial relationships are such an interesting psychological phenomena that has really come to attention with the age of the internet. This was also a good reminder to be conscious of how I interact with influencers and celebrities in my own life. Because no matter how good you think you know them, you just don’t, and they deserve their privacy.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content
This book was a weird dreamscape that I just did not get.
weird girl lit gets weirder. y/n follows a women who becomes obsessed with a kpop boy band and drops everything in her life to follow the boys, specifically her favorite member, moon. she begins writing self insert fanfiction which she believes to be the truth and tries to find moon and get him to read her retelling of their life together. really fucked up, nothing makes any sense in a way that fits the story perfectly.
medium-paced
challenging
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Something about this was too strange for me. The writing was very descriptive for description’s sake, not because it added anything to the plot or overall reading experience (in my opinion). I figured life’s too short to read a book I didn’t want to read.
reflective
tense
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