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

30th finished book of the year: Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

4.75 ⭐️ - A beautiful examination of coming of age, queer identity, and how the path you’re on is sometimes not right for you at all.

Tenderness and compassion are the very cornerstones of this book, from the way in which struggles with mental health and self-identity are portrayed, to the handling of the live experiences of characters who are at times having their entire world fall apart.

As with Solitaire, this book does an amazing job depicting the complex emotional turmoil that can come with being a teenager, particularly when you feel like parts of yourself need to be hidden. Finding a genuine connection through the love of her favourite cult podcast, Francis (our MC) struggles to balance how badly she wants to dive into this world and the new friendship she’s found against the pressures of high-achievement and self-expectation. 

As the relationships in the book grow and change, we learn that often things that sometimes people who seem to have it together on the surface can hide significant trauma, and that the pressure of a rigid school system can push people to places where they suffer all the more. One thing that is handled really well is the depiction of non-standard paths, understanding that university can make some people miserable, and that sometimes trusting your gut and following your creative passions can be the most rewarding thing. 

The found family in this book is just beautiful, showing authentically how showing support and kindness, as well as experiencing shared trauma, can bring people together who previously wouldn’t have imaged being friends. Overall just a really beautiful book. 

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

My fandom wish list:
- a Night Vale/Blaseball crossover
- a fanfic based on the notes in the meeting room in The Stanley Parable about the figurines
- Stanley Parable crack fic based on the actor au that Jay Grahams made. The comedy potential is endless
- Universe City being a real podcast (pretty please? Just for me?)

I may make some of these myself, we’ll see! :)

#SnowflakeChallenge2024 #WelcomeToNightVale #TheStanleyParable #blaseball #osemanverse #AliceOseman

Finished the last book in the #osemanverse I hadn’t read yet and now a little unsure what to do next.

(It was Radio Silence, so maybe I’ll finally listen to Welcome to the Night Vale)

My next #Osemanverse read, #Loveless: only 25% in but already Georgia's uni experience is hitting very close to home, I can't tell how much due to my introversion vs early #grayace signs.

A memory: volunteering at freshmen intro "stoplight party" to provide stickers to students entering - red if you were taken, orange if "it's complicated", green if you were single and ready to mingle. Volunteers stickered as good example; despite really wanting orange, I took green to be... cool? not weird?

Just finished Alice Oseman's #RadioSilence on my slow binge through all #Osemanverse (graphic) novels. Every single one has been filling my heart, starting with #Heartstopper (hard to be in a queer community and NOT hear about it) and gradually making my way through the rest from there, but very especially this one book is just... Frances and Aled's combined journey throughout the book represent so much catharsis to me. So much love for this entire series.

@Polypompholyx I’m definitely looking forward to her giving Nick’s dick of a brother (David) what for. :) That said, I’ve yet to read much of the wider #Osemanverse (apart from Nick & Charlie), so I think I know what to ask for when my birthday comes up.

Honestly, give her her own series (#Solitaire, obv.) and I know Isaac != Aled but omfg #RadioSilence is just breathtakingly good and I would love to see an adaptation - the best novel I’ve read this year (alongside #AllThatsLeftInTheWorld, which is an utter delight, pandemic notwithstanding) #Osemanverse

This piece of “advice” from Alice Oseman should be plastered above the Internet like “Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here” hangs above the gates of Hell. #Osemanverse #Solitaire 😬 #HeartStopper