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A review by luluwoohoo
I Was Born for This by Alice Oseman
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I Was Born For This by Alice Oseman
☀️☀️☀️⛅
A YA story that explores identity, friendship and mental health through the lens of fandom.
The plot was simple to follow and kept interesting across the dual POV structure. At times it became exaggerated or unrealistic but ultimately it never felt out of control in the context of the world that Oseman set up. I really enjoyed the focus on fandom: how multifaceted that world can be, how all consuming it often becomes, and how life changing it is for many people.
The two main characters were both written with clear and distinctive voices that felt authentically dramatic and age appropriate. Both of them feel like their lives are crumbling for different reasons and don't always respond in the most appropriate way, but being a teenager is messy and complicated and I think Oseman did a brilliant job of capturing this essence across the whole cast of characters. The emphasis on the power of friendship love vs romantic love was really excellent and elevated this story to another level.
There was a lot of great representation across the board in this book. Having main characters who are a Muslim and a biracial gay trans man respectively gave interesting depth to an otherwise simple setup, but their identities didn't define them within the plot.
This is a really enjoyable YA novel that tackles tough concepts in an easy to digest manor.
☀️☀️☀️⛅
A YA story that explores identity, friendship and mental health through the lens of fandom.
The plot was simple to follow and kept interesting across the dual POV structure. At times it became exaggerated or unrealistic but ultimately it never felt out of control in the context of the world that Oseman set up. I really enjoyed the focus on fandom: how multifaceted that world can be, how all consuming it often becomes, and how life changing it is for many people.
The two main characters were both written with clear and distinctive voices that felt authentically dramatic and age appropriate. Both of them feel like their lives are crumbling for different reasons and don't always respond in the most appropriate way, but being a teenager is messy and complicated and I think Oseman did a brilliant job of capturing this essence across the whole cast of characters. The emphasis on the power of friendship love vs romantic love was really excellent and elevated this story to another level.
There was a lot of great representation across the board in this book. Having main characters who are a Muslim and a biracial gay trans man respectively gave interesting depth to an otherwise simple setup, but their identities didn't define them within the plot.
This is a really enjoyable YA novel that tackles tough concepts in an easy to digest manor.
"I think the truth is that everyone in the entire world is confused and nobody understands much of anything at all."