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A review by amyvl93
I'm a Fan by Sheena Patel
challenging
dark
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I was really excited going into I'm a Fan as I'd heard numerous people talking about what a good look at social media this was, so I was quite sad to be pretty underwhelmed by this book.
We follow an unnamed narrator who is in a fairly toxic situationship with an older, more famous man in the art world who dates around a lot - but she becomes particularly obsessed with one of the other women he's dating as well, who is a popular influencer on social media. The narrator also wants to become known for her work in her own right.
This started well for me, there are numerous little vignettes about social media and online dating which I found grappled with some very real challenges and blurred boundaries that we all experience in this very Online time. However, it got increasingly muddied for me as we carried on, to some degree this also reminded me of Assembly in that similar to Natasha Thomas, Sheena Patel also weaves through thoughts and takes on contemporary art, media and politics. However, these felt more like mouth pieces for the author rather than feeling like they really belonged here. It also felt odd that the protagonist would apparently have this insight, and then behave in the way that she does through the novel.
I think How Do You Like Me Now remains the best look at social media I've personally read - I'm A Fan felt a bit too muddied for me.
We follow an unnamed narrator who is in a fairly toxic situationship with an older, more famous man in the art world who dates around a lot - but she becomes particularly obsessed with one of the other women he's dating as well, who is a popular influencer on social media. The narrator also wants to become known for her work in her own right.
This started well for me, there are numerous little vignettes about social media and online dating which I found grappled with some very real challenges and blurred boundaries that we all experience in this very Online time. However, it got increasingly muddied for me as we carried on, to some degree this also reminded me of Assembly in that similar to Natasha Thomas, Sheena Patel also weaves through thoughts and takes on contemporary art, media and politics. However, these felt more like mouth pieces for the author rather than feeling like they really belonged here. It also felt odd that the protagonist would apparently have this insight, and then behave in the way that she does through the novel.
I think How Do You Like Me Now remains the best look at social media I've personally read - I'm A Fan felt a bit too muddied for me.