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A review by antimony
I Was Born for This by Alice Oseman
emotional
hopeful
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
angel loves the popular boy band The Ark. she's loved them since she watched their very first youtube video years and years ago, before they were famous, before they even had a record deal. and now she's going to meet up with her best internet friend, and they're going to go to a meet-and-greet and concert together, and everything is going to be perfect.
jimmy is the frontman of The Ark, but it isn't the dream that everyone may believe. he's struggled with intense anxiety for years, and now, with the prospect of a new contract, with skyrocketing fame (maybe even worldwide), and with screaming fans following him wherever he goes, it's just getting worse and worse. he shouldn't complain, though -- all he's ever dreamed of is being in a band with his best friends, lister and rowan. he owes everything to The Ark.
this was really good as alice oseman's books always are! the emotions ran high. i feel so so so bad for jimmy -- though i am a bit of a fan of when media presents fame as a not good thing because oh god, it sounds so stressful. not to sound quirky but i don't think i've ever dreamed of being famous. this has all the typical features of alice oseman's books -- good characters, moments you will tear up, etc. the reason this one gets 4 stars instead of 5 like her other two books i've read is because there was only like 1 or 2 parts i almost cried at as opposed to like radio silence where i had a real tear at least 3 times. SAD! actually HAPPY! it does have a nice ending :) i do think a LOT of the Ark's problems would be solved if they abandoned the industry's album-tour-album-tour endless cycle and switched to something more akin to album-tour-hiatus-album-tour-hiatus. and they never even consider it :(
jimmy is the frontman of The Ark, but it isn't the dream that everyone may believe. he's struggled with intense anxiety for years, and now, with the prospect of a new contract, with skyrocketing fame (maybe even worldwide), and with screaming fans following him wherever he goes, it's just getting worse and worse. he shouldn't complain, though -- all he's ever dreamed of is being in a band with his best friends, lister and rowan. he owes everything to The Ark.
this was really good as alice oseman's books always are! the emotions ran high. i feel so so so bad for jimmy -- though i am a bit of a fan of when media presents fame as a not good thing because oh god, it sounds so stressful. not to sound quirky but i don't think i've ever dreamed of being famous. this has all the typical features of alice oseman's books -- good characters, moments you will tear up, etc. the reason this one gets 4 stars instead of 5 like her other two books i've read is because there was only like 1 or 2 parts i almost cried at as opposed to like radio silence where i had a real tear at least 3 times. SAD! actually HAPPY! it does have a nice ending :) i do think a LOT of the Ark's problems would be solved if they abandoned the industry's album-tour-album-tour endless cycle and switched to something more akin to album-tour-hiatus-album-tour-hiatus. and they never even consider it :(
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness
Moderate: Stalking, Transphobia, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
One of the main characters has a bit of a breakdown throughout the book, caused by an anxiety disorder. There is also some discussion of shipping real people and a lot of parasocial relationships.