A review by m4rtt4
I Was Born for This by Alice Oseman

adventurous emotional funny hopeful reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I'm surprised I ended up liking this as much as I do. Big thanks to the skillful narrators; Aysha Kala and Huw Parmenter! I only chose this book because of the narration tbh, as I wanted to listen to something by Oseman and this book was the only tolerable one (yeah, I tried them all and am very picky about the voices).

Narration aside, I liked how accurately the story depicted the lives of (young) fans, online friendships, fanfics and all that jazz. It took me a few years back to when I was in junior high, and a part of it will always live inside me. Oseman's portrayal of young people and fan culture is so accurate and does not feel fake at all (probably due to her relatively young age as well), and I love how casually she includes all kinds of diversity in her books without it feeling forced. Not to forget her authentic depictions of various mental health issues! This woman sure didn't come here to just play, she won it all. Some minor defects of the story were its predictability and general YA-ness, also I really disliked Rowan through the whole book (I have no idea why but he annoys me. A lot). Obviously I shouldn't have chosen a YA book to read if I dislike YA, but where else would I find a story this heartwarming, genuine, inclusive and accurate (and about teenagers, let alone fangirls)? Overall I did like this story. Relatable. A bit annoying, but understadably so.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings