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A review by marc7
Gena/Finn by Hannah Moskowitz, Kat Helgeson
3.0
This book was not what I was expecting.
Fandom depictions are spot on - well constructed, realistic and believable. The first half of the story is light and fluffy and heart-warming. It takes your breath away with how easy it is to connect to the characters, and their world, and their fandom, and their lives.
Gena and Finn's dynamic was nothing short of enchanting. It was sweet and had a realistic development. It was also messy and convoluted at times, sure, but despite it all you could almost taste where they were heading. And it was exciting. There were a lot of things that needed to be addressed and taken care of, but they clicked in a way that made it almost impossible to not root for them.
And then the whole plot turns on its head. It was a heavy twist - one I wasn't prepared to read about. It was carefully and gently treated, yes, but one that still felt... Unnecessary. And it definitely turned all our character dynamics on their heads'. And I'm not sure how I feel about that.
Actually, no, I do know how I feel: I felt uncomfortable.
Because Gena and Finn had been built up as something, only for it to come crashing down.
And then there were hints of something else between them and Charlie, but that was also left untouched.
Only for the authors to decide to neatly and conveniently package these characters in the simplest - and most unfitting - of ways.
It was disappointing.
I would have been okay with an ambiguous relationship dynamic, but I wanted it to be fully acknowledged. I wanted to the characters, based on how they were constructed, to work their way through this.
If you make two characters fall in love, you have to deal with it. You have to give it some sort of direction (even if not closure). You have to let them come to grips with it. If you let us know they're confused, and don't know how to label themselves, etc., you have to keep on acknowledging the situation - not swipe it under the carpet. And that was severely lacking in this book.
It was enjoyable, and very addictive, but oh so very disappointing.
It could have been more.
Fandom depictions are spot on - well constructed, realistic and believable. The first half of the story is light and fluffy and heart-warming. It takes your breath away with how easy it is to connect to the characters, and their world, and their fandom, and their lives.
Gena and Finn's dynamic was nothing short of enchanting. It was sweet and had a realistic development. It was also messy and convoluted at times, sure, but despite it all you could almost taste where they were heading. And it was exciting. There were a lot of things that needed to be addressed and taken care of, but they clicked in a way that made it almost impossible to not root for them.
And then the whole plot turns on its head. It was a heavy twist - one I wasn't prepared to read about. It was carefully and gently treated, yes, but one that still felt... Unnecessary. And it definitely turned all our character dynamics on their heads'. And I'm not sure how I feel about that.
Actually, no, I do know how I feel: I felt uncomfortable.
Because Gena and Finn had been built up as something, only for it to come crashing down.
And then there were hints of something else between them and Charlie, but that was also left untouched.
Only for the authors to decide to neatly and conveniently package these characters in the simplest - and most unfitting - of ways.
It was disappointing.
I would have been okay with an ambiguous relationship dynamic, but I wanted it to be fully acknowledged. I wanted to the characters, based on how they were constructed, to work their way through this.
If you make two characters fall in love, you have to deal with it. You have to give it some sort of direction (even if not closure). You have to let them come to grips with it. If you let us know they're confused, and don't know how to label themselves, etc., you have to keep on acknowledging the situation - not swipe it under the carpet. And that was severely lacking in this book.
It was enjoyable, and very addictive, but oh so very disappointing.
It could have been more.