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sweetsxrrxw's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
the other main character is a biracial trans anxious boy who is the singer of the trendiest band at the moment which is super cool too.
the rest of the characters are also nice and it's pretty easy to love most of them.
there are no huge plot twists in the book but it's actually pretty entertaining to see how the plot is being driven and how the words of the two main characters collide while important topics such as self discovery, mental health, growing up and being confused or pressured about what to do next in life are discussed.
this book really brought me back to my intense fangirl era back in 2016-2019. i believe alice has portrayed really well the feeling of becoming so passionate about something that it ends up becoming the main reason of your happiness and it can even bring you up new friendships (mostly online lmao)
on the other side, she also represents how dark and mentally exhausting the music industry and rich people can be. we can clearly see that through jimmy, whose anxiety stops him from doing stuff in several occasions or whose intrusive thoughts are present all along.
to sum up, i just loved this book and its content so much, i think everyone should give it a chance. even if you don't feel identified with any of the characters, im pretty sure there's lots of quotes or scenes that you'll keep in mind for a long time, x.
Graphic: Mental illness, Alcohol, Addiction, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Islamophobia, Transphobia, and Racism
bookswithlemon's review against another edition
- 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
OH MY GOD. This was absolutely incredible!!
✯Representation:
Transgender (FTM) and gay main character
Bisexual side characters
Hijabi Muslim main character
Biracial (Indian and Italian) main character
Black side character
Alice Oseman never disappoints, honestly. Their books have this...charisma that makes me want to die out of happiness. The characters are amazing and the plot was very unique and interesting. I love the take on 'fandom culture' and how we treat celebrities. The mental health portrayal was well done and THE FRIENDSHIPS!! I love the friendships in Alice's books the most.
Man, I so wish The Ark were real. I wanna listen to their songs now😭
P.S. No one fucking come near Jimmy or I'll take out the knife🔪
Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Suicide attempt, Cursing, Addiction, Panic attacks/disorders, and Self harm
Minor: Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Adult/minor relationship, and Eating disorder
kiwikarelus's review against another edition
- 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
Minor: Suicide attempt and Panic attacks/disorders
katyathefrog's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Alcoholism
Minor: Transphobia
jaec11's review against another edition
- 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
This book provides a lot of really fascinating insights on anxiety, fandoms, fame, family, and friendship. It's a really touching and emotional story. The ending is so heartbreakingly beautiful. The diversity is so cool to read, and it also has characters of different religions, which I haven't actually read before done so graciously.
However, despite all the good things in this book, it also has a lot of pacing issues. It goes very slowly, and it's a little hard to find a plot due to the scattered events of the book. I also thought the climax was midway through the book, but then the book just keeps continuing beyond it. The plot was just unfortunately muddled, which somewhat ruined the excellent characters. (Bliss is an actual gem)
PG-13 For some heavy topics like depression and anxiety, alcoholism, and suicidal thoughts
Graphic: Suicide attempt and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Alcoholism, Stalking, and Suicidal thoughts
starlessnights's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Hate crime, and Self harm
Minor: Racism, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Transphobia, and Vomit