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its_vendetta's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- 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
3.75
Loved the conversation about how fan culture treats celebrities, especially younger kids and adults, in the spotlight. The discussion on how that further affects queer people and people of color was amazing and needs to be said more.
However the plot felt a little all over the place sometimes, and the inclusion of so many side characters felt overwhelming.
Maybe if the book was dual POV so we could see how Hunter handled being criticized and then switched to Kaivan so he could discuss the struggles that he faces. It felt very competitive whenever Hunter had his meltdown, like a “who has it worse” contest. I wish the book was longer or gave more space to work through all the very serious topics Hunter, Kaivan, and the other band members were dealing with; instead of rushing through the ending in Hunters POV.
Overall, loved how flawed Hunter is as a character. It felt very realistic. However, I wished the side characters were more developed and the plot and struggles they go through were looked at more closely instead of just brushing by them. I also wish that the romance was more developed as well. My enjoyment with this book was about 4.5 stars, but with all my notes and the problems i’d put it at a 3.25.
However the plot felt a little all over the place sometimes, and the inclusion of so many side characters felt overwhelming.
Overall, loved how flawed Hunter is as a character. It felt very realistic. However, I wished the side characters were more developed and the plot and struggles they go through were looked at more closely instead of just brushing by them. I also wish that the romance was more developed as well. My enjoyment with this book was about 4.5 stars, but with all my notes and the problems i’d put it at a 3.25.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Homophobia, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcohol and Bullying
Minor: Body shaming, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Cultural appropriation, and Death of parent
evelynyle_88's review against another edition
challenging
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: Toxic relationship, Homophobia, and Racism
Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Alcohol
Minor: Death of parent, Fatphobia, and Adult/minor relationship
hobbithopeful's review
emotional
lighthearted
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
4.25
I never thought a book about a diverse boy band would have so much depth and discussions on race, sexuality, and what it means to be gay. I thoroughly enjoyed this way more than I thought I would, even though I did have trouble at time differentiating characters who didn't get as much on page time. There isn't a single topic that gets brought up in the book that misses the mark, everything about the way boy bands are weirdly expected to be pure and get stereotyped, and how being queer is treated in the entertainment industry. (and really everywhere!)
I do have some sus theories about the queer country artist that Hunter meets, I wish we had seen a little more of him. There were a few other threads that seemed to kind of just get dropped with how the seemingly quickly the book ended, I wish we had more from some of the characters.
A short read about the the importance of staying true to who you are, and not being ashamed.
I recommend this book!
I do have some sus theories about the queer country artist that Hunter meets, I wish we had seen a little more of him. There were a few other threads that seemed to kind of just get dropped with how the seemingly quickly the book ended, I wish we had more from some of the characters.
A short read about the the importance of staying true to who you are, and not being ashamed.
I recommend this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Bullying, Animal death, Racism, and Homophobia
Moderate: Sexual harassment
Minor: Sexual content
bookwormbi's review
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I really really hate to give authors of color negative reviews, esp queer authors of color, but I just cannot express enough how upset this book made me. I never believed in Hunter and Kaivan as a couple. There was not a lot of development in their relationship and honestly I don’t think I know enough about Kaivan to really say whether I think they’d be good together. It all felt very instalovey, ESPECIALLY WHEN we saw those interviews where Kaivan was repeatedly insulting Kiss & Tell for no reason </spolier> I was also really surprised at how underutilized most of the characters of color are? I could barely tell Ethan, Ian, and Owen apart (their similar names did not help) and I don’t believe that these 5 are each other’s best friends. I believe Ashton and Hunter’s friendship, but it really doesn’t seem like he even knows the other 3 that well. And honestly, I would have loved to hear from Kamran and Karim!!! I think that could have helped develop Kaivan a little more in addition to just fleshing out the world. I don’t know, the whole thing felt underdone at best and legitimately harmful at worst. like I’m so sorry what MESSAGE does it send to teenagers that Hunter ends up forgiving Aidan? That’s honestly so messed up. Overall, while I could definitely see what Khorram was trying to do with this, I ultimately wasn’t compelled by it. Also, literally BEGGING YA authors to discover the new adult genre and age up their characters to fit the plotlines.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, and Racism
ginkansas's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Islamophobia, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Body shaming, and Racism
elskabee's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- 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
3.0
I mean you get what it says on the tin! It's a fairly straightforward teen romance starring an openly gay boy band member. The writing was very YA, easy to read and very simple. I felt like the discussions about fame were fairly surface level and at times very repetitive. The romance was sweet but it has the typical third act break up and the fight was messy in an uncomfortable way that made their getting back together at the end a little questionable. I might have given it a higher rating if it weren't for the rushed and messy breakdown the character has. It lasts all of like 1 or 2 hours despite how extreme it is and no one comes away with any genuine takeaways aside from "don't bottle up shit and tell your friends about said shit". I also could help but think throughout the book about how the character is a minor and his sexts got leaked and the public are speculating about his sex life and how the fact that he is only 17 is hardly ever mentioned? It might have been better if the characters were aged up a bit so that I wouldn't have to constantly be distracted and think "why are people talking this way about a minor without any of the implications being mentioned".
One aspect I really liked was the emails between the PR and management and co. They gave an extra insight that we don't get from the main character and the way they talk in the emails is brutal because it's where our main character doesn't see. They way they talked about him as if he was a product was - I'm not sure how to put it - disgusting as hell. However, it felt realistic in a painful way and I think that element of management controlling everything the group says or does should have been even more intense to be even more realistic. The other inserts of social media posts and articles were very hit or miss for me, some added while others just felt unnecessary.
The main thing that boosted this book's rating for me was that the main character was very self-centred in a very believable and somewhat sympathetic way. Like he did have a lot of shit to deal with and that made him make some questionable decisions and impact his relationships with others. But also, he was so self-involved that he didn't stop to consider things from anyone else's point of view and that ultimately made things worse. A teenager dealing with that much bullshit I could totally believe would act that way and then thankfully learn from it! The only part that this didn't work for was the poorly handled stuff in the third act I mentioned in the spoilers above.
One aspect I really liked was the emails between the PR and management and co. They gave an extra insight that we don't get from the main character and the way they talk in the emails is brutal because it's where our main character doesn't see. They way they talked about him as if he was a product was - I'm not sure how to put it - disgusting as hell. However, it felt realistic in a painful way and I think that element of management controlling everything the group says or does should have been even more intense to be even more realistic. The other inserts of social media posts and articles were very hit or miss for me, some added while others just felt unnecessary.
The main thing that boosted this book's rating for me was that the main character was very self-centred in a very believable and somewhat sympathetic way. Like he did have a lot of shit to deal with and that made him make some questionable decisions and impact his relationships with others. But also, he was so self-involved that he didn't stop to consider things from anyone else's point of view and that ultimately made things worse. A teenager dealing with that much bullshit I could totally believe would act that way and then thankfully learn from it! The only part that this didn't work for was the poorly handled stuff in the third act I mentioned in the spoilers above.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Alcohol, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual content and Racism
there's a lot of slut-shaming including internalised stuff with the main character. The main character is harrassed by fans several times throughout the book, including non-consensual touching (e.g. being grabbed). Near the the end of the bookthis_momma_is_booked's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
3.0
I don't remember a whole lot about this book seeing as I read it months ago, so here's what I do remember based on a conversation I had with my friend about it immediately after:
- It was cute, but I struggled throughout the entire book with something that irked me and I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was.
- I think part of the reason I didn't love this book is that everything felt very surface level. We didn't really dig deep into the feelings or situations present.
- It was never really explained why Hunter was into Kaivan, other than he was the only other gay guy in the vicinity. He was defensive the entire book about it NOT being a rebound when it so clearly was.
- The book just...ended. Like, there was no closure or explanation about everything that happened. It just ended.
- Hunter experienced a literal breakdown and the story glossed over it like, "he had a lot of bottled up emotions." Like what he experienced is entirely normal and a healthy part of growing up.
- The author himself is Iranian-American but the book is written from the perspective of the white guy in the relationship. Now, I'm not saying that just because the author is of this particular identity he has to write from the perspective of the other POC in the relationship - but there were so many instances of veiled racism in the text that were simply not explored BECAUSE it was from Hunter's perspective. I feel this is a missed opportunity.
- Basically this read as very surface-level One Direction fanfiction.
If this is the kind of story you're looking to read, I would suggest reading If This Gets Out instead.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Alcohol
Minor: Death of parent and Fatphobia
infinitefandomstrash's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- 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
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Toxic relationship, and Racism
Moderate: Alcohol, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
love_bookswillbetheendofme's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Hunter is a fairly self absorbed character, but that isn't unexpected considering he's 17 and has spent the last few years in the spotlight. I feel that a lot of the news articles consistently forgot the fact that he's still a child. That said, I do feel like he was able to grow up a bit during this story.
Kaivan didn't seem to do as much growing, but I felt that his relationship with Hunter was genuine and sweet.
Kaivan didn't seem to do as much growing, but I felt that his relationship with Hunter was genuine and sweet.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Racism, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Body shaming
bookhoarderbea's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Homophobia, Outing, and Racism
Moderate: Bullying, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Sexism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death of parent