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giulay's review against another edition
3.0
"I’m so tired of people trying to erase who I am."
TW: bullying, homophobia, anxiety, sexism, racism
As Natalie Imbruglia would say: nothing’s fine I’m torn.
I don’t know what to think about Going Off Script.
On one hand, it was definitely a lovely read. A read that handled issues such as straight-washing, #DontHideYourGays, media representation of queer people and how sexist show-business can be.
But on the other hand, I can’t say that it was remarkable or memorable.
Maybe if I continue writing this Rather Random Review™️ I will manage to make things clear in my head. Let’s start, then.
We all know it: we read a Jen Wilde novel mainly because of the diversity.
Her books are always diverse, incredibly inclusive and light and fun to read.
And Going Off Script was no different.
Our protagonist, Bex, is a gay girl who grew up in a poor family, and is still struggling economically. Moreover, she takes meds, suffers from anxiety, and is overall a passionate, lovely, slightly too naive main character.
I liked her voice; she was a voice of her times. This novel is very much set in 2019 and all the pop references highlighted that. But it wasn’t too much; the pop references weren’t too much in your face, they felt real and how a person would act in this century, so I really enjoyed that.
Shrupty, her love interest, is and Indian and gay YouTuber. We don’t really get to know a lot about her, but the few pieces of info we got made her seem a driven, enthusiastic and mature character. I truly liked her.
Alongside our two protagonists there were several other queer characters and also a great presence of POC. As far as diversity goes: A+
TW: bullying, homophobia, anxiety, sexism, racism
As Natalie Imbruglia would say: nothing’s fine I’m torn.
I don’t know what to think about Going Off Script.
On one hand, it was definitely a lovely read. A read that handled issues such as straight-washing, #DontHideYourGays, media representation of queer people and how sexist show-business can be.
But on the other hand, I can’t say that it was remarkable or memorable.
Maybe if I continue writing this Rather Random Review™️ I will manage to make things clear in my head. Let’s start, then.
We all know it: we read a Jen Wilde novel mainly because of the diversity.
Her books are always diverse, incredibly inclusive and light and fun to read.
And Going Off Script was no different.
Our protagonist, Bex, is a gay girl who grew up in a poor family, and is still struggling economically. Moreover, she takes meds, suffers from anxiety, and is overall a passionate, lovely, slightly too naive main character.
I liked her voice; she was a voice of her times. This novel is very much set in 2019 and all the pop references highlighted that. But it wasn’t too much; the pop references weren’t too much in your face, they felt real and how a person would act in this century, so I really enjoyed that.
Shrupty, her love interest, is and Indian and gay YouTuber. We don’t really get to know a lot about her, but the few pieces of info we got made her seem a driven, enthusiastic and mature character. I truly liked her.
Alongside our two protagonists there were several other queer characters and also a great presence of POC. As far as diversity goes: A+
sidneyellwood's review against another edition
4.0
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Jen Wilde's books always make my heart sing. I'm not normally a fan of rom-coms, but I always feel so happy whenever I read her books. They're queer anthems, a world where being yourself is the best person you can possibly be, and I always find myself falling in love. Going Off Script is no different: it's just a fun rom-com written by a queer person, for queer people.
Bex is a character that I could very much relate to. She's ambitious and determined to do what's right, but also has a very complicated relationship with her past and struggles with breaking out of her shell and what's comfortable for her. She is also incredibly awkward around cute girls, which is a whole mood. Her character development throughout the book is so good, and I just loved seeing her become so self-confident
Our side characters are great, too, and it was exciting to see so many of them from Wilde's last novels, Queens of Geek and The Brightsiders -- and you know, I never realized how much she wrote about young adults in the spotlight until I read this, honestly? If you've read the earlier novels, you'll definitely recognize a whole bunch of characters, but if you haven't, it's a good introduction to go read them. New characters include Shrupty Padwal, an actress and YouTuber, and Bex's love interest, who's just so cute with Bex. They're truly a queer power couple, but definitely not the only queer power couple.
What I love is how casually diverse this is, something that Jen Wilde really excels at. Almost all of the major characters are queer. A lot are people of colour. There's a couple nonbinary characters. Bex and Parker are on medication for ADHD and depression (and honestly, I read Bex as autistic, too?). As usual, fandom plays a huge role in Going Off Script, and even though it's not entirely realistic it's definitely heartwarming to see.
The book is really more slice-of-life than anything, which I honestly really liked. Bex is a writer, and yeah, her script gets stolen by the head writer, Malcolm, but it's definitely not the focus of the book, and seems to be an afterthought to Bex's journey to self-confidence and her romance with Shrupty. Really, the resistance to straight-washing Bex's lesbian character only takes up the latter half of the book, and you know, that's all right with me. Sometimes you just need cute girls falling in love, okay?
I do have to say: if you're looking for great writing or realism, don't expect to find it in this book. There's a bit of suspension of disbelief required for the resistance that Bex and her friends put up, and the main antagonist of the book, Malcolm, is such a terrible human being that it's almost cartoonish. The book isn't really nuanced, but it is just an absolute blast to read. There is a bit more homophobia than normal in this one, but it's overwhelmed by queer happiness and power.
If you're looking for a fun queer rom-com, this is definitely the book for you. It's an ode to being queer and happy and yourself, and it feels so empowering.
content warnings | some homophobia (challenged)
representation | f/f main couple, queer characters (lesbian, gay, bisexual, non-binary), characters of colour (indian, black, chinese), neurodivergent characters (adhd, mentally ill)
Jen Wilde's books always make my heart sing. I'm not normally a fan of rom-coms, but I always feel so happy whenever I read her books. They're queer anthems, a world where being yourself is the best person you can possibly be, and I always find myself falling in love. Going Off Script is no different: it's just a fun rom-com written by a queer person, for queer people.
Bex is a character that I could very much relate to. She's ambitious and determined to do what's right, but also has a very complicated relationship with her past and struggles with breaking out of her shell and what's comfortable for her. She is also incredibly awkward around cute girls, which is a whole mood. Her character development throughout the book is so good, and I just loved seeing her become so self-confident
Our side characters are great, too, and it was exciting to see so many of them from Wilde's last novels, Queens of Geek and The Brightsiders -- and you know, I never realized how much she wrote about young adults in the spotlight until I read this, honestly? If you've read the earlier novels, you'll definitely recognize a whole bunch of characters, but if you haven't, it's a good introduction to go read them. New characters include Shrupty Padwal, an actress and YouTuber, and Bex's love interest, who's just so cute with Bex. They're truly a queer power couple, but definitely not the only queer power couple.
What I love is how casually diverse this is, something that Jen Wilde really excels at. Almost all of the major characters are queer. A lot are people of colour. There's a couple nonbinary characters. Bex and Parker are on medication for ADHD and depression (and honestly, I read Bex as autistic, too?). As usual, fandom plays a huge role in Going Off Script, and even though it's not entirely realistic it's definitely heartwarming to see.
The book is really more slice-of-life than anything, which I honestly really liked. Bex is a writer, and yeah, her script gets stolen by the head writer, Malcolm, but it's definitely not the focus of the book, and seems to be an afterthought to Bex's journey to self-confidence and her romance with Shrupty. Really, the resistance to straight-washing Bex's lesbian character only takes up the latter half of the book, and you know, that's all right with me. Sometimes you just need cute girls falling in love, okay?
I do have to say: if you're looking for great writing or realism, don't expect to find it in this book. There's a bit of suspension of disbelief required for the resistance that Bex and her friends put up, and the main antagonist of the book, Malcolm, is such a terrible human being that it's almost cartoonish. The book isn't really nuanced, but it is just an absolute blast to read. There is a bit more homophobia than normal in this one, but it's overwhelmed by queer happiness and power.
If you're looking for a fun queer rom-com, this is definitely the book for you. It's an ode to being queer and happy and yourself, and it feels so empowering.
content warnings | some homophobia (challenged)
representation | f/f main couple, queer characters (lesbian, gay, bisexual, non-binary), characters of colour (indian, black, chinese), neurodivergent characters (adhd, mentally ill)
alyssarider's review against another edition
4.0
I was very excited to get this in the mail - tbh I totally forgot about it and then was very confused when I got a package. I used it to take a break from a couple books I hadn’t been reading much, and it was a very quick read. I liked it a lot - mainly because there are never enough gay books and this book was vvv gay. Also getting paid for what is essentially fanfiction is goals tbh. I had a few problems with it, but overall it was enjoyable.
marinasendkast's review against another edition
4.0
this was so freaking cute! my useless lesbian heart was rooting for Bex, THE useless lesbian, so hard!! Such a sweet and (mostly) lighthearted read after a few heavy books. exactly what i needed.
lyndajdickson's review against another edition
5.0
The summer before college, eighteen-year-old Bex moves from her small hometown in Washington to the bright lights of Los Angeles. She has her whole life planned out, from her internship on her favorite television show to one day creating her own show. But she’s hiding a secret she hasn’t had the courage to share with anyone, not even her best friend Gabby or her gay cousin Parker. You see, Bex is also gay. Follow Bex as she struggles with her bullying boss and with finding her identity. Bex’s courage and determination will lead her to make choices that will change both her life and the lives of those around her.
Bex is an endearing and engaging character who, with her constant movie and television show references, shows her geekiness every chance she gets. She is just one of a cast of wonderfully diverse characters in this cute lesbian romance, which also packs a powerful message.
Not to be missed.
Warnings: coarse language, LGBT themes.
I received this book in return for an honest review.
Full blog post (24 May): https://www.booksdirectonline.com/2019/05/going-off-script-by-jen-wilde.html
Bex is an endearing and engaging character who, with her constant movie and television show references, shows her geekiness every chance she gets. She is just one of a cast of wonderfully diverse characters in this cute lesbian romance, which also packs a powerful message.
Not to be missed.
Warnings: coarse language, LGBT themes.
I received this book in return for an honest review.
Full blog post (24 May): https://www.booksdirectonline.com/2019/05/going-off-script-by-jen-wilde.html
booksandladders's review against another edition
3.0
See this review and more on Books and Ladders!
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book and chose to review it. This in no way impacts my opinion.
TW: Anxiety, harrassment, homophobia, queerbaiting.
This one was good but not great. I feel the same way about it that I did about Queens of Geek tbh. It had a good plot (ish) and good characters (ish) and I liked the happy ending but it felt so preachy at some points and I am just not here for it. I feel like there were a lot of other ways this could have played out and I am not sure I am glad it ended the way it did but this is what we are left with and I'm always here for fake Teen Wolf in books.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book and chose to review it. This in no way impacts my opinion.
TW: Anxiety, harrassment, homophobia, queerbaiting.
This one was good but not great. I feel the same way about it that I did about Queens of Geek tbh. It had a good plot (ish) and good characters (ish) and I liked the happy ending but it felt so preachy at some points and I am just not here for it. I feel like there were a lot of other ways this could have played out and I am not sure I am glad it ended the way it did but this is what we are left with and I'm always here for fake Teen Wolf in books.
mariethelibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
ARGH I JUST LOVE JEN WILDE SO MUCH!! I love all her characters and stories and its just SUCH A FREAKING JOY TO READ!! <3 I NEED MORE NOW
silentrequiem's review against another edition
inspiring
lighthearted
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Homophobia, and Sexism
Minor: Infidelity
mcfrenret's review against another edition
4.0
Historia tierna, personajes adorables e inspiradores, un estilo narrativo la mar de ágil y atrapante y una trama fantástica con la que cualquier fan podría identificarse. Y ya ni hablemos de los temas que trata porque *chef kiss*