Hannah Moskowitz

I really wanted to like this book.

But I first ran into an issue on page 22. I'll include the quote below:
"Didn't Frida hate white people?" Ashley says.
I say, "Just because I'm white doesn't mean I'm going to do my report on someone who was ignorant enough to like white people."
It is my personal belief that you should not judge an entire race based on the actions of some. There are good and bad people of every race, religion, culture, and anything else you can think of. Comments like the one above won't bring us together.
There were also other very similar themes like this scattered throughout the book. For example, Isabel believes that she shouldn't date because the women in her family are bad and therefore, she must be bad. I don't know how to explain, but there just seemed to be a lot of grouping people by other people's actions and calling them all bad.
Secondly, Sasha just randomly says that he is bi one or two times and then never says anything again. He also seems to believe that his family is disappointed that he is not gay, but all I saw was a loving father and siblings who didn't care one way or another. It just seemed like some of that was there to virtue signal.
I was so pleased with how clean the romance was (basically no kissing!) and then suddenly it changed (almost all off-page) for no reason whatsoever. I was very disappointed.
Isabel was bratty. She expects everyone to treat her exactly how she wants in regard to her disability but she never says what she wants. Then she just starts yelling at her friends and Sasha.
I really wanted to learn more about the Jewish celebrations Sasha and Isabel celebrate but every time there was one, it was literally one sentence long.

1 Star

Tropes: sick kids
Content: lots and lots of language, kissing, one (strange) romance scene, the comments above, drinking, Isabel's friends smoke
Note: lesbian couple, Sahsa is bi?… (more)

Ok when I read the overview on this book i was thinking, Oh it's a book about a secret romance. A brother torn between his love for a girl and betraying his own brother, right? ummm no. This book is about family dyfunction and weirdness. There is a very brief section that involves the girl, but it's never a secret between the brothers, it's kind of icky. I don't think 2 brothers would knowingly share a girl, because it's creepy.
Also I totally get that some parents don't watch their kids, but I don't need a book about it. And what teenagers quote prose? It's weird. Sorry but I wish I could get my money back on this one.
PS- NEVER JUDGE A BOOK BY IT'S COVER, this one fooled the heck out of me.
… (more)

I adore this book. Even though it didn't go quite the way I expected it to, I still loved every minute of reading it. The world needs more books like this -- books that really get the fandom experience. I loved Fangirl, but the main character always felt so removed from fandom, despite being this really popular fic writer. With Gena/Finn, the two of them are so immersed in fandom and it's such a core part of the way they interact with the world that it felt much more authentic to me. I desperately need more books like this in my life - full of characters who experience the world the way I do and have these weird, crazy online relationships with people they've never met who all love the same thing. This book is definitely going on my list of favorites.… (more)