Reviews with content warning for Blood - 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!

Content Warnings

vampirerat's review

Go to review page

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

First Alice Oseman book I've read. I really really enjoyed it :) the exploration of a parasocial relationship was so interesting and I like how it was a bit like like fanfic of a fictional band.

I think I enjoyed Angel/Fereshteh's pov more than Jimmy's, though Jimmy was an interesting character too. I was a bit frustrated by how he was treated by Rowan throughout, and how Rowan acted in general (and I don't think this resolved itself by the end of the book).

This perhaps could work well as a trilogy instead of one book so that the characters and relationships could be more fleshed out? With Juliet and Angel too. But that's just a thought. Still really loved it :)

Lister was so interesting as a character and I would love to read a book about him !!

Also love how seamless/"not a big thing" the aspects of gender, race and religion felt in this. Love love love reading trans characters (feels a bit surreal) and love to read non white main characters.

Read it in 3 days without really stopping so that's saying something!!

Listened to this in audiobook form on Borrowbox.

Content Warnings

readingpicnic's review against another edition

Go to review page

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.

Content Warnings

mels_reading_log's review against another edition

Go to review page

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.

Content Warnings

mandiealleskan's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful sad slow-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

4.75

Content Warnings

kaywhiteley's review

Go to review page

sad tense fast-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

4.5

I was worried about this book when I learned it was about the relationship between a large band and their fandom, but I think it was handled relatively well. I thought the characters were well thought out and developed. I do think the book felt a bit rushed at times, but it is a YA book so that’s partially expected

Content Warnings

nevermoregothic's review

Go to review page

emotional hopeful inspiring 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

saomah5566's review

Go to review page

dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

Content Warnings

More...