31st finished book of the year: I Was Born for This by Alice Oseman

4.25 ⭐️ - The split narrative gives a great insight into both fan obsession and the crippling anxiety of fame, while showing the strength of friendship and how sometimes salvation can come from unexpected places.

The first book in the Osemanverse that shifts away from the secondary school setting, our two main characters Angel and Jimmy live wildly different lives. The former is an Iranian hijab Musmim fangirl, travelling to London for the first time to meet her online BFF and share in their joint obsession with the band The Ark. The latter is the trans masc biracial (half Indian, half Italian) frontman of the aforementioned band.

Jimmy doesn’t enjoy being famous and suffers from some fairly extreme panic attacks, mainly due to fears of the obsessive and potential violent nature of their fandom. He finds himself being constantly shipped with his oldest friend and bandmate in a way that he shrugs off, because it allows the friend to keep their girlfriend a secret. Angel absolutely obsesses over Jimmy, being a prominent shipper of that pairing, and spends her life dreaming of being acknowledged by him. 

Often, we forget that celebrities are just humans with their own stuff going on, and it’s something conveyed really well here. Angel’s experience of meeting Jimmy and coming to understand that he’s profoundly not okay is a revelation to her, and through her eyes we come to understand that hero worship is almost always flawed. Through his eyes we watch as he comes to understand that fangirls are also much more multi-dimensional. 

Overall, the themes of reevaluating your life, having to find new purpose, and coming to understand that the people in your life have their own desires and motivations are all really well handled and make for an interesting and affirming book. Especially well handled was the trans experience, with Oseman taking pains to seek input from the trans community before publishing.

#iwasbornforthis #aliceoseman #heartstoper #osemanverse #book #books #bookstodon #reading #lgbt #queerfiction #queer #youngadult

Someone posted a Sasha Allen tiktok, and I liked it and looked up other stuff, and *damn* he’s a good looking. (So’s his dad, tbh. ) And has a great voice.

Makes me think of Jimmy Kaga-Ricci, the young trans frontman of the group The Ark in I Was Born For This by Alice Oseman. Like the character come to life.

https://youtu.be/ti3Kq1FpOmU

#SashaAllen #AliceOseman #IWasBornForThis

This book reminds me of how it felt to be young and enthusiastic about music, when my favourite band meant everything to me, and the possibilities seemed endless. I love Angel and 'the boys', and how sensitive Oseman is when it comes to difficult conversations and situations. I wish this book was longer; I need to know if they all kept in touch, what happened to The Ark and the boys, whether Angel followed her new dream...

#IWasBornForThis #AliceOseman #BooksOfMastodon #EasterReads