Reviews with content warning for Suicidal thoughts - I Was Born for This

I really love Oseman’s work, and this novel was no exception. My favorite part was the amazing cast of characters who we actually got to know beyond the surface through their conversations. I also really like when stories are told alternately through two character’s perspectives, and the length and pacing of the chapters fit well with the ebbs and flows of the action in the book. I found this novel very difficult to put down!

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goodevening77's review

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informative inspiring 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

A really good read with respectful representation of fandom culture whilst still accepting the faults with it. As well as the mentality of those in fandom and how that can be detrimental. As well we get a boy band members perspective which really make the story well balanced without a main love story which is common in these types of books.

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gloomybear_jazz's review

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challenging emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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milliebluecapon's review

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emotional hopeful 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

4.75

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readingpicnic's review against another edition

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Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

This book is for the gender neutral girlies who spent their childhoods deeply entrenched in fandom culture on Tumblr (or in my case, Tumblr posts that filtered through into Facebook)--the Larry shippers especially. Reminiscent of the show Swarm and the book Y/N by Esther Yi, this book gets into the nitty gritty sides of fandom culture from two sides: the shippers (a dedicated member of a band's fandom who runs a popular fan Twitter for the band and often reads stories about them on AO3) and the shippee (a member of the band who is often shipped with his bandmate/best friend, which causes him great distress). Oseman dives into the benefits of fandom for queer escapism, pointing out how people in fandoms are often queer girls or gender diverse people looking for community online since they often cannot find it in real life. However, they don't shy away from the negative aspects of fandom, such as extreme/toxic fans who take it too far and make the whole fandom look bad (aka the brick incident), as well as the negative effects that fandom can have on the members of the band in this novel, particularly due to lack of privacy: Jimmy being outed as trans, as well as having frequent panic attacks, depersonalization, and s*icidal thoughts; Rowan's personal life being exploited and exposed to the detriment of his romantic relationship, which becomes very toxic and argumentative; Lister's alcoholism, the biphobia and objectification he experiences, and his experience of being groomed and taken advantage of by an older woman at 16 that he hasn't quite come to terms with. Basically, as Rowan put it, they all need therapy. There are some very heavy topics in this book, particularly mental illness, as is par the course for Oseman's books, but I personally considered it a mostly light read that I devoured in very few sittings; the romantic tension/maybe temporarily one-sided crush also had me giggling and kicking my feet, which is the effect Oseman's romances always have on meee. The characters were so lovable, the relationships felt so real, and I'm excited to pore over Alice's social media for illustrations of these characters, which always feels like a treat after finishing one of their books.

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lililoos's review

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emotional hopeful reflective 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

3.0

Initially I thought the book was a little cringey and a bit cliche, but as the story progressed I came around. My favourite part of this book was the character Lister Bird, I thought it was very interesting to see the inner, darker workings of someone who is happy in the outside. Overall I think the beginning of the book is a little boring and cliche but towards the middle/end it picks up and gets better.

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mels_reading_log's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful 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

Angel’s whole world revolves around her love for the boy band Ark, so her and her internet bestie make plans to meet for the first time in real life to go to the Ark concert. Jimmy is a member of Ark and is having a lot of difficulties with the stress and anxiety of being in one of the biggest band in the world. This book follows each character as they go throughout the week learning a lot about themselves, what they prioritize in life and their friendships. I really love the diversity of this book and that the main characters are very religious but not in a problematic or traumatic way, they just find peace and happiness in their God.

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