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margaretann84's review against another edition
1.0
Oh man. I desperately wanted to love this book. I’m a fangirl for several franchises, I’ve written fanfics (hey it’s good writing practice!), and I lovelovelove non-traditional story formats like this one. Gena/Finn is told in emails, texts, IMs, and similar formats. It sounds like it would be right up my alley.
So, so wrong.
Where to begin? Well, I always like to start with something nice, so I can say the title is a cute nod to fanfiction. When writers are posting their stories, they use a / to designate particular pairings. Subtle and sweet and an excellent choice.
Now for the not-so-good. First off, the characters were confusing. It makes sense why they might be—each main character had a real life name and online pseudonym or three.
Full review at A Writer Reads.
So, so wrong.
Where to begin? Well, I always like to start with something nice, so I can say the title is a cute nod to fanfiction. When writers are posting their stories, they use a / to designate particular pairings. Subtle and sweet and an excellent choice.
Now for the not-so-good. First off, the characters were confusing. It makes sense why they might be—each main character had a real life name and online pseudonym or three.
Full review at A Writer Reads.
mlvreads's review against another edition
2.0
WTF was that?
I am honestly confused.
Okay, I usually wait a little bit and maybe write up a review for my blog first, but I am about to get so spoiler-y, so this will just have to do, okay?
For starters, I had heard of this book in passing but was never exactly interested in reading it until I saw it land on the list of Best Books of 2016 (so far) on Book Riot. When I learned that the story was told completely through emails and blog posts and texts, I was ready for a quick read about a fast fangirl friendship that just might be turning into something more. And I was really enjoying it until...
It was interesting that Gena was a "child star" who left the scene for very serious reasons (like, paranoid schizophrenia, which doesn't get touched on nearly as much as it possibly should, because hi that's SERIOUS) and just so happened to know one of the main actors (Zack/Jake) of her favorite show because they had worked together in the past. They get back in touch and jokingly call each other big bro and lil sis, but I will admit I was getting weird vibes there. It was cool that she was going to be on the show...but still...
And then they had to throw THE FUCKING FIRE IN? They had to injure cast members and KILL a few of them, including her former co-star/friend of the show. This character DIED. It just HAPPENED. And it was like, woah, why did this shit get so serious? After that happens, Gena understandably is shaken up. She hasn't been taking her meds (which we know from documents and emails and stuff, but why actually talk about that DESPITE THE FACT THAT SHE WAS TERRIFIED OF GOING OFF OF THEM????). She was in a fire-related accident (scary because she used to SEE FIRES THAT WEREN'T REALLY THERE). An important figure in both her real life and fan life has died. DIED. It's all a bunch of crazy crap. And then she starts writing this poetry that genuinely had me confused about the state of her relationship with Zack (was there some sort of inappropriate behavior going on in the past? she was only nine? I'm so confused?) and interchanging his name with his character name (which kind of makes sense because two versions of him died in her eyes) and mixed it in with one of her best friends who she might have had a sexual relationship with and occasionally toss in the name of her ex who really didn't need to be in it at all? I read a review on here where the woman said she didn't even try to read into the poetry, and that was smart because I was reading it too hard and getting way too confused.
The main thing is, this was supposed to be a book about Gena, Finn, and their relationship and what it would mean. It seems that Gena would consider herself bisexual and she knows how she feels about Finn. Finn is confused: she has a boyfriend who just might become her future husband, she is older and is figuring out what adulthood just might mean. We could've explored that. We could've looked into their relationship, whether it became romantic or just stayed intense (friendships, especially new ones, often do remind me of bright, burning romances and take on many different forms) or they maybe moved on eventually. I think that's what all of us readers wanted. Instead, Finn and her boyfriend Charlie became parent-like figures for Gena. I mean...WTF? I get that you care about each other, that you spent time together, that you do love each other and that it happened way too freakin' fast but I MEAN. That's where you went? You went to this route where Finn is almost motherly? I don't know, guys. They could've done more. A great opportunity to explore the complexities of love and friendship and falling for someone you didn't expect to fall for, and it just went off the rails.
I know that's all rambly, but whatever, I am just so frustrated.
I am keeping it at 2 stars because I did enjoy this book in the beginning. I liked the language and the humor. It just went somewhere it never really needed to go and I really didn't see the point of it all. I'm just confused instead. What a bummer.
I am honestly confused.
Okay, I usually wait a little bit and maybe write up a review for my blog first, but I am about to get so spoiler-y, so this will just have to do, okay?
For starters, I had heard of this book in passing but was never exactly interested in reading it until I saw it land on the list of Best Books of 2016 (so far) on Book Riot. When I learned that the story was told completely through emails and blog posts and texts, I was ready for a quick read about a fast fangirl friendship that just might be turning into something more. And I was really enjoying it until...
Spoiler
It was interesting that Gena was a "child star" who left the scene for very serious reasons (like, paranoid schizophrenia, which doesn't get touched on nearly as much as it possibly should, because hi that's SERIOUS) and just so happened to know one of the main actors (Zack/Jake) of her favorite show because they had worked together in the past. They get back in touch and jokingly call each other big bro and lil sis, but I will admit I was getting weird vibes there. It was cool that she was going to be on the show...but still...
And then they had to throw THE FUCKING FIRE IN? They had to injure cast members and KILL a few of them, including her former co-star/friend of the show. This character DIED. It just HAPPENED. And it was like, woah, why did this shit get so serious? After that happens, Gena understandably is shaken up. She hasn't been taking her meds (which we know from documents and emails and stuff, but why actually talk about that DESPITE THE FACT THAT SHE WAS TERRIFIED OF GOING OFF OF THEM????). She was in a fire-related accident (scary because she used to SEE FIRES THAT WEREN'T REALLY THERE). An important figure in both her real life and fan life has died. DIED. It's all a bunch of crazy crap. And then she starts writing this poetry that genuinely had me confused about the state of her relationship with Zack (was there some sort of inappropriate behavior going on in the past? she was only nine? I'm so confused?) and interchanging his name with his character name (which kind of makes sense because two versions of him died in her eyes) and mixed it in with one of her best friends who she might have had a sexual relationship with and occasionally toss in the name of her ex who really didn't need to be in it at all? I read a review on here where the woman said she didn't even try to read into the poetry, and that was smart because I was reading it too hard and getting way too confused.
The main thing is, this was supposed to be a book about Gena, Finn, and their relationship and what it would mean. It seems that Gena would consider herself bisexual and she knows how she feels about Finn. Finn is confused: she has a boyfriend who just might become her future husband, she is older and is figuring out what adulthood just might mean. We could've explored that. We could've looked into their relationship, whether it became romantic or just stayed intense (friendships, especially new ones, often do remind me of bright, burning romances and take on many different forms) or they maybe moved on eventually. I think that's what all of us readers wanted. Instead, Finn and her boyfriend Charlie became parent-like figures for Gena. I mean...WTF? I get that you care about each other, that you spent time together, that you do love each other and that it happened way too freakin' fast but I MEAN. That's where you went? You went to this route where Finn is almost motherly? I don't know, guys. They could've done more. A great opportunity to explore the complexities of love and friendship and falling for someone you didn't expect to fall for, and it just went off the rails.
I know that's all rambly, but whatever, I am just so frustrated.
I am keeping it at 2 stars because I did enjoy this book in the beginning. I liked the language and the humor. It just went somewhere it never really needed to go and I really didn't see the point of it all. I'm just confused instead. What a bummer.
mellyjj's review against another edition
2.0
The description of this is so different than the actual book, that it feels like I was hoodwinked. But nevertheless, I couldn't really get into it. The second half of the story was overly dramatic and I just couldn't believe/care about it.
celestx's review against another edition
4.0
4.5/5 - this was so much better than I expected! I picked this book up because I wanted something really quick to read and since this book is told in emails, texts, letters, etc., it seemed like the perfect book to read. I was expecting just a cute little story, nothing special. But this book completely surprised me. This book was sort of light and fun at the beginning and then about half way through, everything changed. It was sad and heartbreaking and beautiful. I loved the characters, even the one that I originally did not like but who really changed by the end. My only little tiny problem was the ending because it left me wanting to know more about what would happen with the characters now. Overall, that was such a great book and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a quick read and an amazing story. :-)
george_tte's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
1.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness and Fire/Fire injury
jjstallone's review against another edition
5.0
*PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS BOOK SURELY IS NOT FOR EVERYONE* I thought this was a pleasant surprise. I expected to hate the format and find the plot boring, but I didn't. The book takes a turn about halfway in that makes it impossible to put down. Another thing that makes this book enjoyable is the way that it's open to interpretation. Normally I'm not into that, but these authors did a good job with it. Upon reading, I noticed that the focus fandom was similar to Supernatural, which I'm not a fan of but my best friend is. I really loved this read, but it's possible she loved it even more than I did. I liked the way this book handled Gena's disorder, and how it made Gena and Finn highly relatable. This little book with its strange format sure packs a memorable punch.
biatryce's review against another edition
2.0
Gena/Finn is a really easy, quick read. I finished it in a few hours. The formatting may be a bit odd to people, but I thought it added to the charm.
The book was good but took a weird nosedive around the halfway point, which is disappointing. I really wanted to continue to enjoy it to the end, but the plot kind of did a 180.
I liked the premise and the layout, being a nerdy internet chick myself. I liked the live journal and Tumblr esque posts, the instant messages, the emails. The fandom described in the story reminded me of the Supernatural fandom, and it wasn't surprising to see the authors list Supernatural characters in their bios.
I liked the friendship between the two main characters until the midway point. The romance seemed to come from nowhere and the drama overwhelmed the original premise. I'm glad that LGBTQA+ and polyamorous relationships, as well as mental disorders and illnesses were included in the book, but they seemed forced and unnatural in terms of pacing and actually building a good relationship.
Overall, I feel like I read two different books, neither with a fulfilling ending. Sad. I want so bad to like it more and give it a higher rating, but it just didn't do it for me.
The book was good but took a weird nosedive around the halfway point, which is disappointing. I really wanted to continue to enjoy it to the end, but the plot kind of did a 180.
I liked the premise and the layout, being a nerdy internet chick myself. I liked the live journal and Tumblr esque posts, the instant messages, the emails. The fandom described in the story reminded me of the Supernatural fandom, and it wasn't surprising to see the authors list Supernatural characters in their bios.
I liked the friendship between the two main characters until the midway point. The romance seemed to come from nowhere and the drama overwhelmed the original premise. I'm glad that LGBTQA+ and polyamorous relationships, as well as mental disorders and illnesses were included in the book, but they seemed forced and unnatural in terms of pacing and actually building a good relationship.
Overall, I feel like I read two different books, neither with a fulfilling ending. Sad. I want so bad to like it more and give it a higher rating, but it just didn't do it for me.
dropoutdaisy's review against another edition
3.0
I'm still a little confused about this one. On the one hand, I loved it in the beginning for its portrayal of online friendships and the transcript style of all the electronic communication worked really well for this. On the other hand, the relationships in the book were strange and .
So three stars. It wasn't bad, but it didn't blow me away. Super short read, though.
Spoiler
after the accident the relationships became even stranger. I thought this would be a romance-ish story from a review I saw, but it just ended up confusing meSo three stars. It wasn't bad, but it didn't blow me away. Super short read, though.
achaquejoursaplume's review against another edition
emotional
funny
sad
fast-paced
5.0
I'm struggling to find words to express how much I loved it, and I am grateful for the multiple representations it gives.
I think it's a book I'll keep thinking about for a while.
I think it's a book I'll keep thinking about for a while.