Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

Fan Service (Afterlight Edition) by Rosie Danan

45 reviews

adventurous emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-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

Absolutely for the fandom girlies. I felt transported back to the Tumblr days and how that time has shaped me as an adult lol. Was it the best written book? nah, but it was a lot of fun. Well done AO3/ff vibes. 

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fast-paced

Thank you Rosie Danan and PRH Audio for the free gift! 

Werewolves, fandom, and emotionally stunted heartthrobs? Yes please. 

Fan Service is an absolute treat of a paranormal rom-com, full of biting humor (pun very much intended), heartwarming character arcs, and just the right amount of spice. Rosie Danan has taken everything I loved about fandom culture, paired it with a hilarious paranormal twist, and wrapped it in a swoony, slow-burn romance that howls with charm. 

Devin Ashwood, the washed-up star of The Arcane Files, is perfectly ridiculous—so convinced of his own selflessness while bumbling through a very human (and newly werewolf-y) identity crisis.
He’s somehow more feral as a person than as a wolf, and I loved every second of his dramatic huffing and eye-rolling dog behavior.
And Alex? A total gem. Smart, guarded, and deeply relatable—especially for anyone who found belonging through fandom when the real world felt too cruel. Watching her learn to open up and risk vulnerability again was beautiful. 

Their chemistry is fantastic, their banter sparkles, and the spicy scenes are top-tier—sensual, well-paced, and full of emotional payoff. 

The narration elevated everything. Brittany Pressley’s performance brought depth and warmth to Alex’s inner world, while Aaron Shedlock absolutely nailed Devin’s narcissistic charm and werewolfy antics. A dynamic and engaging duo. 

Rosie Danan continues to excel at balancing heat, humor, and heart, and Fan Service is no exception. If you’ve ever been deep in a fandom, loathed a celebrity crush, or imagined your OTP getting together during a full moon... this one’s for you. 

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Straight man learns empathy and how not to be a total dickwad.

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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emotional funny lighthearted
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing 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

This was such a fun read with all the vibes. I enjoyed how Devin and Alex grew and helped each other into new versions of themselves but accepted the others flaws. I love Danan's books and this one did not disappoint. 

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adventurous emotional funny 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

Funny, low-conflict, and a total call out for all of us now elderly Supernatural fangirls. 
The level of commitment to the fanfiction bit was impressive. I felt seen in ways that were both deeply affirming and horribly embarrassing.

Ultimately the book was nearly impossible to put down. 

Devin and Alex were easy to love, the plot was every bit as ridiculous as it could be, and I caught myself smiling, laughing, and thinking of my fandom friends as I read. 

The HEA was refreshing and I honestly can't put into words how good it felt to read this silly, supernatural romance.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
emotional funny 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

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I cannot be even slightly objective about this, because I was once deep in a fandom based on a popular series, like the heroine in this book is, and I’m wildly impressed AND excited that someone who gets all the quirks, passions and unexpected joys and sorrows of fandom a) is this good of a romance writer, b) got a traditional publishing deal, and c) took all the risks in this very ambitious book to expose those same quirks and passions. Because this felt like the author exposing part of her heart. For me, reading it was like therapy, because I have just as many strong yet mixed feelings about my time in fandom as Alex does.

Sure, this book takes some wild leaps. Doesn’t try to explain all of it, which is probably the smartest tack to take. This is simply a love letter to fandom that shockingly, also happens to be a good book. I kept waiting for the author to screw up or for the quality to go down, but I feel like everything landed, and I even teared up at one point toward the end. I didn’t want to finish this too fast because I was enjoying it that much.

Don’t be fooled - the silliness of this on the surface is masking some deep character work and hefty symbolic meaning. I’m not kidding - a big thing in our fandom was discussion of “integrating the shadow” - I believe it’s a Freudian concept about self-actualization. Won’t spoil the specifics. But it showed up here in a pivotal moment and my eyes almost bugged out of my head. And if you love Beauty and the Beast, this book will feed you there too. 

I’m wildly curious what fandom Danan was in. She seems like a private person so we’ll never know, probably. But I guess the specifics matter less when a book can make you feel THIS seen about something that, outside of nerd-world, can be embarrassing to fess up to.

I’m afraid to read other reviews and see if this landed for, well, “normies” as I believe the book calls it. But if you’ve ever joined a message board to find other fans of your favorite piece of media, or raced to read an exciting new piece of journalism about your favorite movie or TV show or whatever, this book will feel like home for you. Easiest 5 star rating ever.

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