3 stars

This was the second book I read by Alice Oseman. Radio Silence made it into my top reads of 2021 last year, but I Was Born for This was a bit of a letdown. It feels kind of unfair to say I didn't like it when the reason it was a letdown was the premise of the story. Of course, this was what I was going to get in a book on fan culture and boy band mania. That was the reason I picked it up, instead of the y/n fanfiction I knew I could trust Oseman to deliver a brutal but realistic depiction of fame. Which is what made this book so hard to rate and review.

This was a sad book. Jimmy and his anxiety, Lister and his alcoholism, Rowan and how he couldn't simply date a person. It was all very depressing and sad. Especially when you think of how rampant it is irl. Yes, I am talking about you kpop fans. It was all very realistic.

This book has been praised for its accurate Muslim rep. I just want to say that no sane person would name their daughter Fereshteh, even if they did to be quirky, they wouldn't spell it that way. IDK what Oseman's beta readers were snorting but Angel's real name was super cringe (coming from someone who was born in a Muslim family). I also don't like that #NotAllFans bullshit. yes not all fans, but enough of them are toxic. If someone has a bloody twitter dedicated to a boy band, reads fanfiction shipping two real-life people, they are part of the problem. Stalkers are an extreme case, but the shippers are just as bad.

Similarly, I am a bit pissed over that ending. It seemed very fan service-y. Jimmy should be able to leave the band without his best friend guilty tripping him. Calling fans 'normal' is an understatement. Maybe I'm being too harsh, as the ending did also imply that the boys would try and sign a chill-er contract, but I doubt they would be able to in this capitalist society.

So if you picked this up after being blown away by Radio Silence (Oseman's magnum opus imo), read this with a grain of salt.