Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - I Was Born for This

Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

I Was Born for This by Alice Oseman

272 reviews

lportilla's review against another edition

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lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.25

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cecilielaugesen's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny hopeful sad medium-paced

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

3.0

I’m having a hard time reviewing this book, because even though there were things I didn’t like, I overall enjoyed the book.
Things I did not like:
1. I thought the plot was weird, and at times it made me a little uncomfortable…
2. Some of the characters!
3. While I liked that it deals with some bigger topics such as identity and mental health, I did not like how it felt glossed over.

It was basically every page that had some variation of “I hate myself so much I don’t want to be alive”, and at no point did they actually address it properly.

Also would definitely recommend checking the trigger warnings before reading:)

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beckyyreadss's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective 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? Yes

4.0

I wanted to read this book because I've been loving Alice Oseman - I wanted to read more about the other people that Alice has wrote about and this book isn’t connected to the Heartstopper universe at all. So, I was very excited to see what this was about.

This book has two points of view. The first is Angel and her life is about one thing: The Ark. They are a pop-rock trio of teenage boys who are currently taking the world by storm, being a part of The Ark’s fandom has given her everything – her friend Juliet, her dreams and her place in the world. The second point of view is Jimmy, and he owes everything to The Ark. He’s their frontman and playing in a band with his best mates is all he has ever dreamed of doing. However, dreams don’t always turn out the way you think, and when Jimmy and Angel are unexpectedly thrust together, they find out how strange and surprising facing up to reality can be.

I adored all these characters in this book, and I wanted to hug every single one of them (and also send every single one of them to therapy, like seriously). I wanted to hug Angel and Jimmy and Juliet and Bliss and everyone. This book has such a strong storyline and managed to break my heart. I was so worried, and I didn’t know what the hell was going to happen. This book can describe anyone who has ever created a second account on twitter or Instagram or Pinterest or made edits or whatever regarding a celebrity or a band. Fangirls get so much shit just for being a fangirl and this book can show the highlights of being a fangirl and the downside of being a fangirl and how pressuring it can be to the celebrity that they are fangirling over.

I feel like this book was slow starting due to the excitement of meeting the Ark and then once it’s the day of the concert and after all hell breaks loose. This book can be hard-hitting and there is mention/depictions of suicide, so please check the trigger warnings before reading this book.

I’m really excited to read more of Alice’s work including Loveless, even if that one kills me.

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honeyfauna's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful 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

5.0

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pkc's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad 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

4.0

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alequitos's review against another edition

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funny inspiring reflective 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

5.0

"Angel Rahimi's life is all about The Ark, a teenage pop-rock band. Being a fan shapes her identity, friendships, dreams, and place in the world."

This book taught me a lot.

We often care so much about celebrities, TV shows, movie characters, and comics that they become part of who we are. But they don't define us.

Angel is so caught up in The Ark that she forgets about her own life. She doesn't think about her mom, her friends, or herself. Her love for the band can't fill the empty space in her heart. This hits her at a concert. It's a powerful moment that moved me.

My English isn't perfect, but I'll try my best to share how the band members impacted me. I felt a connection with Jimmy, who struggles with anxiety that often overpowers him, he always seems a bit off, he’s also obsessed in a way. Rowan's intense fanhood, his need for the band, I find Rowan fascinating as a character. Despite ending up as just friends with Bliss, from his viewpoint, their story is tragic. Like Lister, Rowan is also filled with pent-up anger specially towards his fans.

Lister isn't my favourite character, but he's special to me. He's a sad guy who needs some love. I think a lot about his deep love for Jimmy but his refusal to consider the possibility of being loved back, and about his willingness to sacrifice for them. He loves Jimmy secretly and would do anything for them. Lister hides his feelings in parties, drinking, and smoking, and seeks approval from Rowan and others. He's as obsessed as Angel and Rowan.

This book makes me think of bands like One Direction or BTS. It shows that any fandom can be harmful, like the explicit fanfiction that come up about actual living human beings

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historicalmaterialgirl's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective tense 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

4.5

Y'all... this one took me by surprise. Alice Oseman is not just a cutesy romance writer! She got into parasocial relationships and the horrors of celebrity and how it affects our mental health and relationships with each other. I haven't seen fiction ever try to explore this, let alone in young adult. I'm honestly so impressed.

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