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torikate7's review against another edition
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Cursing, Homophobia, and Sexual content
fluffily's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
4.0
asian male who isn't quiet and sweet and has a personality?!!!?!?! yay for rep!
cute gay book that explores the toxic side of the entertainment industry, friendships, and sexuality. i enjoyed it.
cute gay book that explores the toxic side of the entertainment industry, friendships, and sexuality. i enjoyed it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Addiction, and Toxic relationship
tuliptohru's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Homophobia
Moderate: Drug use and Alcohol
mileahst's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
This felt like a one direction fanfic and i absolutely love that. for my fellow larries out there, this is perfect for you! it’s also super relatable and well written. i’ve absolutely loved it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Alcoholism, Addiction, Alcohol, and Drug use
nickoliver's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, and Addiction
Moderate: Car accident, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content
dielesemotte's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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
3.5
Dinge, die mir an diesem Buch wirklich gut gefallen haben:
1. Rubens Familiensituation
Ich fand die schwierige Beziehung zwischen Ruben und seiner Mutter sehr gut ausgearbeitet. Es wurden eben nicht nur die vielen schlechten Momente gezeigt, sondern auch die paar guten, und wie schwer es dadurch für ihn ist, sich der Situation zu entziehen.
2. Zachs Wunsch es allen Recht zu machen
Hier habe ich mich selbst sehr wiedergefunden. Ich fand es sehr realistisch dargestellt, wie schwer es ihm fällt Entscheidungen für sich selbst zu treffen, und wie unverständlich das für andere sein kann.
3. Die Chemie innerhalb der Band
Ich habe mich über jede Szene mit Ruben, Zach, Angel und Jon zusammen gefreut, weil ich ihre Gespräche und Sticheleien sehr unterhaltsam fand.
4. Den Blick auf die Entertainmemt-Industrie
Ich muss zugeben, als ich angefangen habe zu lesen, kam mir die Beschreibung des Boyband-Daseins sehr übertrieben und klischeehaft vor, und auch im Verlauf des Buches habe ich immer Mal wieder bei einem "Als ob das wirklich so ist..." erwischt. Aber je länger ich darüber nachdenke, desto mehr reale Beispiele fallen mir ein und umso trauriger macht es mich, dass die meisten dieser Geschichten nicht enden wie die von Saturday.
Dinge die mich ein wenig gestört haben:
1. Die Übersetzung von Songtiteln und -texten
Ich verstehe, dass diese teilweise Sinn ergibt, um den Song im Kontext einer Szene verständlich zu machen. Auf der anderen Seite wirken viele dieser Texte und vor allem Titel auf deutsch einfach komisch. Ich weiß zwar nicht wie die Songs im Original heißen, kann mir aber vorstellen, dass z.B. 'Ertappt' auf Englisch weniger seltsam rüberkommt.
2. Das Ende
An und für sich finde ich das Ende nicht schlecht. Aber bei allem was im Voraus passiert ist, hatte ich mir mehr erhofft, z.B. einen Epilog, der die Situation der Band einige Jahre später zeigt. Zudem lag mir der Fokus ein bisschen zu sehr auf dem Coming-Out-Aspekt, wenn man bedenkt, wieviel Angel im Verlauf des Buches mitgemacht hat, dass Zach immer noch gerne seine eigenen Songs schreiben will und Jon sehr unzufrieden mit der ihm zugewiesenen Rolle ist. Da hätte ich mir etwas mehr Klärung gewünscht (wie gesagt, z.B. in Form eines Epilogs)
1. Rubens Familiensituation
Ich fand die schwierige Beziehung zwischen Ruben und seiner Mutter sehr gut ausgearbeitet. Es wurden eben nicht nur die vielen schlechten Momente gezeigt, sondern auch die paar guten, und wie schwer es dadurch für ihn ist, sich der Situation zu entziehen.
2. Zachs Wunsch es allen Recht zu machen
Hier habe ich mich selbst sehr wiedergefunden. Ich fand es sehr realistisch dargestellt, wie schwer es ihm fällt Entscheidungen für sich selbst zu treffen, und wie unverständlich das für andere sein kann.
3. Die Chemie innerhalb der Band
Ich habe mich über jede Szene mit Ruben, Zach, Angel und Jon zusammen gefreut, weil ich ihre Gespräche und Sticheleien sehr unterhaltsam fand.
4. Den Blick auf die Entertainmemt-Industrie
Ich muss zugeben, als ich angefangen habe zu lesen, kam mir die Beschreibung des Boyband-Daseins sehr übertrieben und klischeehaft vor, und auch im Verlauf des Buches habe ich immer Mal wieder bei einem "Als ob das wirklich so ist..." erwischt. Aber je länger ich darüber nachdenke, desto mehr reale Beispiele fallen mir ein und umso trauriger macht es mich, dass die meisten dieser Geschichten nicht enden wie die von Saturday.
Dinge die mich ein wenig gestört haben:
1. Die Übersetzung von Songtiteln und -texten
Ich verstehe, dass diese teilweise Sinn ergibt, um den Song im Kontext einer Szene verständlich zu machen. Auf der anderen Seite wirken viele dieser Texte und vor allem Titel auf deutsch einfach komisch. Ich weiß zwar nicht wie die Songs im Original heißen, kann mir aber vorstellen, dass z.B. 'Ertappt' auf Englisch weniger seltsam rüberkommt.
2. Das Ende
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse, Addiction, Emotional abuse, and Homophobia
bumblemee's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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
As someone who once fell into the rabbit hole of a certain boy band ship (maybe not as hard as others, but the rabbit hole was definitely real), I think I was kind of destined to like this book - and to no one's surprise, I do.
I have so much history with this kind of setting that it catched me immediately - I can imagine that this book is a little harder to get into if you can't latch onto the "magic" of boy bands. Though this book is less about this "magic" than it is about the repressive side of the entertainment industry. Reading this made me feel so much for these boys trapped in what others decide for them to be (not sure if this is a correct English sentence rn, sorry), because it felt so realistic. Of course I can't tell how realistic it actually is, but to me it seemed like the management/artist dynamic could look a lot like this. Especially for people who start out into this industry at a very young age and don't know who they are yet or how to look out for themselves. (It reminded me of a podcast by two German ex "boy band" guys who told the story of their band, how awfully they were treated and what that did to them.)
I liked the four main guys a lot, their friendship is very heartwarming. All of them grow a lot as people over the course of this book, which was great to witness. Zach was the one I loved the most, his problems to seperate his wish for everyone to be happy from what he actually wants and his love for pop punk were very relatable to me. (I wish we saw a little bit more of his pop punk side.)
The only thing that bothered me a little was that because of the amount of things that need to be told for this story to be complete, some situations are resolved very fast. Other thand that, I was very happy with this book. Nothing lifechangingly amazing, but I think it healed something in me a little.
I can't tell how it feels to read this book when you are someone who hasn't been fan of a boy band before or was never a little too obsessed with this "management vs. what's best for their artists" debate that arises from the boy band side of things, but also in relation to other celebrities. If you were though, this book is the right pick for you.
I have so much history with this kind of setting that it catched me immediately - I can imagine that this book is a little harder to get into if you can't latch onto the "magic" of boy bands. Though this book is less about this "magic" than it is about the repressive side of the entertainment industry. Reading this made me feel so much for these boys trapped in what others decide for them to be (not sure if this is a correct English sentence rn, sorry), because it felt so realistic. Of course I can't tell how realistic it actually is, but to me it seemed like the management/artist dynamic could look a lot like this. Especially for people who start out into this industry at a very young age and don't know who they are yet or how to look out for themselves. (It reminded me of a podcast by two German ex "boy band" guys who told the story of their band, how awfully they were treated and what that did to them.)
I liked the four main guys a lot, their friendship is very heartwarming. All of them grow a lot as people over the course of this book, which was great to witness. Zach was the one I loved the most, his problems to seperate his wish for everyone to be happy from what he actually wants and his love for pop punk were very relatable to me. (I wish we saw a little bit more of his pop punk side.)
The only thing that bothered me a little was that because of the amount of things that need to be told for this story to be complete, some situations are resolved very fast. Other thand that, I was very happy with this book. Nothing lifechangingly amazing, but I think it healed something in me a little.
I can't tell how it feels to read this book when you are someone who hasn't been fan of a boy band before or was never a little too obsessed with this "management vs. what's best for their artists" debate that arises from the boy band side of things, but also in relation to other celebrities. If you were though, this book is the right pick for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Car accident, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Addiction
capriqueen's review
emotional
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
4.0
Good read! I liked the characters and the main relationship. I think it tackled good themes in good ways. The end was believable and not overly idealistic. I wish there was actual smut, but ah well
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Drug abuse
Moderate: Homophobia, Biphobia, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Sexual content
haddy's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-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
2.25
At the start I really liked it, but by the end it properly dragged.
((Also was this just a repurposed Larry fanfic??))
Good stuff:
-bi rep woo
-(vague) Zack character development
Bad stuff:
-little character development from anyone else
-everything just seemed a bit shallow/flat
-literally could have been 100 pages shorter at least
-imo not enough build up to romance
- no showdown with Ruben’s mum? No telling what actually happened? Drag out the wholeeee thing just for no concise ending???
((Also was this just a repurposed Larry fanfic??))
Good stuff:
-bi rep woo
-(vague) Zack character development
Bad stuff:
-little character development from anyone else
-everything just seemed a bit shallow/flat
-literally could have been 100 pages shorter at least
-imo not enough build up to romance
-
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Homophobia
katrina_5's review against another edition
challenging
funny
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
4.5
I truly enjoyed this book, I loved reading how Zacks character came to terms with his sexuality and how he developed throughout the book.
The bands friendship worked really well together, relationships within this book were really well thought out and written.
However, the reason I deducted a .5 was due to the lack of concern over Angel, I feel his addiction was overlooked and made his relationships between everyone in the band seem worthless. No one ensured his safety until he was far to gone. Furthermore, his recovery was glazed over - I would've loved more detail over how that impact him and the band mates especially since most situations he was joking about the love interests.
Another fault was within a Zacks dynamic with his mother, she is comforting and open yet when he comes out she compares him to his father who had little relevance within the story. It felt like a poor choice - yes not every one has a nice coming out story, but this felt like they felt the need to make another plot for drama within a book which has a dramatic theme from the beginning.
Overall, I feel this book was well written and thought out. I truly enjoyed the romance, I'd recommend to anyone interested.
The bands friendship worked really well together, relationships within this book were really well thought out and written.
Another fault was within a Zacks dynamic with his mother, she is comforting and open yet when he comes out she compares him to his father who had little relevance within the story. It felt like a poor choice - yes not every one has a nice coming out story, but this felt like they felt the need to make another plot for drama within a book which has a dramatic theme from the beginning.
Overall, I feel this book was well written and thought out. I truly enjoyed the romance, I'd recommend to anyone interested.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Drug use, Addiction, Mental illness, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Car accident, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, and Blood
Minor: Outing