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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
Just a fun as hell story with the right amount of drama and tension to keep the story going.
Definitely recommend for those into boy bands/groups as it does shows the interesting dynamics in fandom culture.
5/5 stars
Definitely recommend for those into boy bands/groups as it does shows the interesting dynamics in fandom culture.
5/5 stars
This book is so well written, but has really made me think that we as a society need to take a step back from celebrities and mind our own business.
Just thinking about being in the public eye like that… *shudder*
Just thinking about being in the public eye like that… *shudder*
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
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:
Complicated
3.5
Me gustó bastante, los tweets, entrevistas y artículos que aparecían entre los capítulos ayudan bastante a entender todo esto y le da profundidad a lo que está pasando, y es que con los libros sobre celebridades eso siempre se necesita.
Yo llegué esperando un romance, tipo If This Gets Out pero no lo fue, si tiene su plot de romance pero el romance no lo es todo en el libro y eso me encanta, porque al final se trata de Hunter y sus cosas personales, lidiando con estar en el ojo público y cómo lo ven y con las expectativas que tienen de él y me gusta que también hay un enfásis en la importancia de pedir ayuda y que al final todos tenemos pedos mentales pero luego no lo sabemos.
Me gustó bastante, los tweets, entrevistas y artículos que aparecían entre los capítulos ayudan bastante a entender todo esto y le da profundidad a lo que está pasando, y es que con los libros sobre celebridades eso siempre se necesita.
Yo llegué esperando un romance, tipo If This Gets Out pero no lo fue, si tiene su plot de romance pero el romance no lo es todo en el libro y eso me encanta, porque al final se trata de Hunter y sus cosas personales, lidiando con estar en el ojo público y cómo lo ven y con las expectativas que tienen de él y me gusta que también hay un enfásis en la importancia de pedir ayuda y que al final todos tenemos pedos mentales pero luego no lo sabemos.
funny
lighthearted
emotional
funny
sad
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
I have a lot of complicated feelings about this book and most of my reservations stem from thinking all of the interpersonal relationships in the narrative seem toxic which feels a bit out of place with the overall themes. I also think the press clippings/emails/interviews, while important, could have been reduced by about half to allow the story to breathe a bit. What I love, love, love about Kiss & Tell is the focus on the personal as political - bottom politics all day, baby! And it also addresses in very frank ways how queer folk are expected to express their queerness in a way that is palatable for straight people - and what a time to be alive that gay YA fiction is placing attention on these issues! I couldn't have imagined reading this fifteen years ago.
This was a quick and fun read with good intentions but clunky execution - however after reading the Darius duology I will always happily read whatever Adib Khorram puts out!
This was a quick and fun read with good intentions but clunky execution - however after reading the Darius duology I will always happily read whatever Adib Khorram puts out!
Khorram's YA books are unlike anything else I've read, and I'm so grateful he's out here telling new and authentic stories. Don't go into this book looking for a straightforward queer YA romance — there is a relationship that forms between two boys, but it's early on in the plot, and the book is about much more. Hunter has to grapple with being in the public eye after the band he formed with his friends in high school skyrockets to international fame. Alongside Hunter's first-person perspective, Khorram has authentically created everything from news articles to emails to documentary footage transcripts to show how everyone has a strong opinion about who Hunter, as an openly queer boy band member, should be — how he should dress, whether he should talk about sex, how much he should discuss his personal relationships, how he should give back to the community. The pressure to make everyone happy builds as the band moves from coast to coast on their North American tour.
I wondered why Khorram decided to make a red-headed white kid his protagonist for this book, but that soon became clear. Khorram runs headlong into the tensions and nuances of being a white queer icon, as Hunter's focus on the scrutiny he's under as a gay kid prevents him from acknowledging the ways that his non-white bandmates and new love interest deal with their own share of microaggressions and unwanted media attention. To be clear, Khorram isn't trying to say that one is better or worse, but that only when all the guys are open with each other about what they're dealing with can they feel less alone and work together to make things better.
The pacing is admittedly uneven – Hunter and Kaivan's relationship had to happen pretty quickly after they met in order for the rest of the plot to work, and then there's a long stretch of them publicly going on dates before a lot happens very quickly. The resolution with Aiden felt a little shoehorned in. But on the whole, I really enjoyed the book, and I thought all of the extra material — the tweets, the articles, the emails, the transcripts — was brilliantly done. I definitely recommend this one!
I wondered why Khorram decided to make a red-headed white kid his protagonist for this book, but that soon became clear. Khorram runs headlong into the tensions and nuances of being a white queer icon, as Hunter's focus on the scrutiny he's under as a gay kid prevents him from acknowledging the ways that his non-white bandmates and new love interest deal with their own share of microaggressions and unwanted media attention. To be clear, Khorram isn't trying to say that one is better or worse, but that only when all the guys are open with each other about what they're dealing with can they feel less alone and work together to make things better.
The pacing is admittedly uneven – Hunter and Kaivan's relationship had to happen pretty quickly after they met in order for the rest of the plot to work, and then there's a long stretch of them publicly going on dates before a lot happens very quickly. The resolution with Aiden felt a little shoehorned in. But on the whole, I really enjoyed the book, and I thought all of the extra material — the tweets, the articles, the emails, the transcripts — was brilliantly done. I definitely recommend this one!
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes