Ship It

This book is adorable and I couldn't put it down. It's clear that the author has an active Tumblr account where she posts fanfic and reblogs gifsets of her favourite OTPs; her empathy for the teenage members of the fictional "SmokeHeart" fandom is clearly borne of experience. Equally as realistic is her portrayal of the actors, showrunner, and publicity team that make up the Hollywood contingent of the novel's television show's production team.I really like this novel's queer-teenager-coming-of-age subplot, and the fact that it is truly "sub" and not the main arc of the novel. The characterizations are sharp and the dialogue sparkles. The plot is engaging and the book really is "un-put-downable."The only thing I didn't like (and the reason my review isn't five stars) was a forced analogy between the main character's coming-out tale and her love interest's reluctance to admit to friends that she is a "fandom nerd." It felt inauthentic and clunky, especially compared to the zippy main plot that (I think) would have communicated the same theme in a more organic way.Still, a lovely story and a great read that still has me smiling a few days after having finished. Highly recommended!

This is a fun book about the ups a downs of fandom -- part cautionary tale, part romance, part celebration of fangirl culture (even though sometimes it goes too far). One thing I love about it is that Britta Lundin really knows her stuff on both sides of the aisle and manages to make (almost) everyone sympathetic. There are different points of view, not just the obvious fangirl vs actor, but also different views on each side.Although there is definite drama -- like, major drama -- the Demon Heart fandom is an idealized one. There are no ship wars, no racism that we see among the fandom (the central ship is IR -- brown Latino and white -- and the entire fandom loves it, which is honestly fantasy), and, without spoiling too much, the ship isn't entirely in the girls' heads.It's also fun because you, the reader, start shipping the protagonist, Claire (who hasn't figured out her sexuality yet), small-town white fangirl, and Tess, a slightly more down-to-earth pansexual fangirl who is the personification of "Black girl magic." As a Black fan myself, I appreciated the representation, and the fact that Tess brought up fandom issues that Claire -- who doesn't have an overtly racist bone in her body -- had never considered, like the lack of Black representation on her favorite show.I thought about giving it 4 stars for being soft on the fandom racism issue, but you know what? It's a kind of fantasy, and I couldn't put it down.

This is a story from such a fresh perspective that I found myself rooting for this - at times - hardheaded teenager, even when I knew she'd crossed a line or was probably wrong. I just wanted to see her succeed because here was a story that tackled everything about being a nerdy teenage girl that literally no other story had ever told. The book isn't only about fandom and fanfiction - though that's a big part of it, and even if you know nothing about that world, if you're willing to learn, the book is more than happy to teach you - it's about endearing characters learning to look beyond themselves, their own perspectives, and their own ideas about how the world works. It's about discovering and accepting the reality that sexuality is a messy thing that has no definitive answers or a how-to manual - and that's okay. It's about owning yourself, and learning to be comfortable in your own skin. It's about embracing who you are, and not being ashamed of the things (and people) that you love.Overall, I highly recommend this if you're looking for an interesting YA novel that adds a fresh perspective, or if you have a teenager who could relate to the topics of fandom, fanfiction, or questioning their sexuality.

I have never related so deeply with a story before. This is fandom. This is us. This is a whole culture. It is so validating to see it "on the shelf" like we're real, we exist, cuz WE ARE AND WE DO. it is such a sweet story. It made me tear up and I didn't even cry during Infinity War, ok? And this book had me clutching my chest, gasping, laughing and whimpering like a baby. Because it is EXACTLY what we as fangirls go through. And it's amazing. This story takes you through the freaking TRENCHES. It has all of it. The mess of fandom and internet life, the very real life consequences, and the INCREDIBLE, completely unique reward of a weird kinda family you can find through it. Which makes it all worth it in the end. Just like this story. Such important subjects get brought to light in the midst of it, too. Cuz it's all connected. And i love how smoothly this author laces it all together seemlessly. It's relevant and in no way candy-coated. It just dives right into this extremely intimate, almost secret part of us and lays it all out, unashamed. There is so much to gain from reading this. And like a true fangirl, I'm blabbering. I am definitely a fan.

I loved this book on so many levels.I loved it as a person who loves fandom. The love and care with which Britta approaches fandom is rare and special. She knows the good and bad of fandom and she does an excellent job of bringing that to life.I loved it as the mother of a queer teenager. Knowing there is a book out there with such sweet, relatable, confused, queer narrator is a gift.I loved it as the mother of a child that loves fandom. My daughter and I both read this book and squeed over it together. It’s unusual, in my experience, to be able to share a book with my teenager meets us both at an intersection of interests. While my daughter was reading it I got constant updates on the state of her feels. While I was reading, she would grill me on which parts I had reached. It was such a fun bonding experience.Finally, I loved it as someone who enjoys watching talented, creative women succeed! I’m excited to watch all the places Britta goes in the future!

I wanted to like this book SO BADLY. As someone who has been active in different fandoms (to an obsession point) for years — it was seemed like it would be near and dear to my heart.However, this book is just full of cringe-worthy moments... and I couldn’t even bring myself to finish it. Claire’s reaction to everything in the first twenty-some chapters I managed to get through is very “my opinion is the RIGHT opinion, therefore you’re all wrong if you don’t agree and I’ll make sure everyone knows it” and trying to force her ideas of WHY she’s right onto everyone. This is not a good behaviour to idolize. One Direction fandom Larries, anyone?Her character is very much like a Mary-Sue from fan fictions, in which she can do no wrong. To sum it up... I’d honestly rather re-read Twilight or something else that’s slightly less problematic.On the plus side, the writing is well done and easy to follow... if that could be considered a plus, considering the content isn’t that great to be following in the first place.

When I first started reading this book, I put it down again because I'm not enough of a fangirl to get into the emotions of a fictional fandom.Or so I thought, until I luckily picked it back up.Sadly, this book still does that thing where the protagonist thinks they can determine someone's gender by just looking at them; but it does acknowledge there are more than two genders, racism is a thing (that white people literally can not fully understand), different kinds of attraction are real, and, y'know, figuring out your own queer identity is CONFUSING as shit.I've outgrown my lonely highschool time a while ago and also I've been out for a while, but this book still had me crying shamelessly on the train.If you want a book that feels just so REAL because it's full of queerness and social insecurity and also modern technology like Tumblr and Netflix, this is a good go-to.