The Brightsiders

It took a long time for me to pick this up because I was kind of meh on Wilde's first book, which is a shame because I loved The Brightsiders! It's a super fast read that is a celebration of diversity, self-love, and being true to yourself. There are some pretty heavy things the main character, Emmy, is dealing with - showing that, no, money cannot buy your happiness. Emmy has a ton of trauma from her parents and the book starts out with her in an emotionally abusive and controlling relationship with someone only using Emmy for her money and fame.

Overall, this was a fantastic read. All the characters (minus the horrible parents and ex) are amazing and I love them to bits. There are even cameos from the characters from Queens of Geek, show more though it took me a bit to recognize them because it has literally been years! As with all books about a band, I'm just really sad there wasn't a soundtrack. show less

Oh. My. God.

That was maybe the cutest book I have ever read.

Was I just complaining about how there are no books about bi characters?

Nah, I don't think that was me because I here I am on my, like, sixth book where a bisexual character is ringing in the lead.

And I am so very here for all of it.

The Brightsiders is not just about sexuality (though that plays a huge part, as does gender identity) but it is about relationships, how screwed up they can be, regardless of gender or orientation. Basically, the story makes it clear, in no uncertain terms, that being queer is not a get-out-of-drama free card which is kind of a breath of fresh air when it comes to the usually squeaky clean gay-kid romances on the shelves, right now. (No, offense, show more I totally love you, Simon! And Dante! And Monty!).

One of the elements that removes drama-free from this equation is the fact that the tens in question are in a rock band that is paparazzi clickbait, combined with an absolutely unstable ex-girlfriend, actively alcoholic, narcissistic parents, and a little of that addictive gene passed down to our dear, darling, lead singer, Emmy.

The entire thing is just a Social Worker's dream caseload. but I digress.

This is the second book I've read, recently, where I wanted to hurl something at the paparazzi. Honestly, y'all, it's not your life. Chill. It makes me so angry. Some people say, Oh, that's what they get for being famous". Uh, we reward creativity in our culture with harassment and stalking? I'm so not ok with that.

Anyway, whoooo, that was a tangent. I'm back, now.

I loved, loved, loved, all of the elements of this book and wanted to hug all three of the band members tight throughout the entire story. They were adorable and endearing and just so perfectly flawed. The very best kind. show less

It took me a while to get into this, because my last Swoon book was Let’s Talk About Love, which was fluffy and breezy and cute, and I was expecting this to push the same buttons instead of getting serious. I also didn’t identify as much with Emmy as I have with a lot of YA heroines, somehow. I think it’s the rock music and the elements of wish-fulfillment that surround that. It’s so not my life and has never been a dream, and also I Am An Old.

This is basically a long way to explain why this gets a 7 rather than an 8. Pure personal taste. Because, don’t get me wrong, this is a good book and a good queer book and tackles important issues that I don’t think any other YA has really hit on.

The queerness was definitely a show more highlight for me. Emmy’s bi. The love interest is genderqueer and there’s also a trans woman, a lesbian couple, a gay guy, and the girl Emmy starts the book dating. The band has a big queer fanbase, who play an active part in Emmy’s story. And I don’t think, for all the negative stuff this book takes on and all that Emmy’s aware of bi stereotypes in the media, that anyone is homophobic or misgenders the characters. (On the page, anyway. The trans woman cites past instances.) There’s also a sense of queer people sticking together because they get the struggles and that’s what friends do. A++ content.

In the efforts of saving space, I’m going to gloss over the romance, except to say that I appreciated that it didn’t follow the standard arc and was more about “are we dating? should we?” than it was about winning anyone over. What interested me more was Emmy’s struggles and growth. She’s an abuse survivor basically fighting her way forward from that the whole book, and believably so. Wilde’s basically tearing down the curtain around teen stars and showing you the person. It’s good, needful, important, inspiring stuff, even before the romance kicks in.

Like I said, some of the wish fulfillment stuff bugged me, like spending huge amounts of money without worrying about cost or oversight, but for all I know, though, that is what life can be like. And the abuse threw me somewhat because I’m the sort to get angry in sympathy with victims. (But again, me problem.) I definitely rec the book, though. It’s good, and fast, and takes queer rep to another level.

Warnings: Gaslighting, parental neglect, verbal abuse, general terrible parenting, no, worse than that. Alcoholism. Slut shaming, paparazzi, morally bankrupt TV hosts. Car accident.

7/10 show less

Bubbly-bright, hectic, and heartfelt as a power ballad, Jen Wilde's sophomore novel wears its heart on its sleeve just like protagonist Emmy. In line with Queens of Geek, The Brightsiders features characters of color, a multiplicity of gender and sexual identities, and characters at different stages of their own journeys. The intersections of Emmy's life--romantic, family, and career--are intense but sympathetically drawn, and feel true to the turmoil of late teenagehood, compounded by fame and the thrill ride of figuring yourself out. A great read for music enthusiasts, geeks, readers looking for themselves, and anyone who's experienced the tug-of-war between what their world expects and who they are.

teen fiction (humor/romance with LGBTQIAP interest).
Another winner from Jen Wilde, with the main cast being almost exclusively queer (bisexual, pansexual, gender queer, etc.) as well as, incidentally, ethnically diverse, and much more clever and interesting than your usual teen fiction protagonists (even though they are millennials who are constantly on snapchat and taking selfies for Insta, they are not annoyingly so--I have my doubts as to whether this particular age set would know quite so much about 80s/90s pop culture, but it's not impossible).

I cried a couple times from the incredible support from the fans and the queer community, in direct contrast to the unsupportive comments that sometimes also come from the queer community (in show more this book). The book thoughtfully touches on other topics: slut-shaming, consent, and the psychological gaslighting that happens in abusive relationships.

parental note: contains irresponsible drinking (and driving), which the main characters almost immediately regret, and sexual situations (mostly kissing/making out but refers to 2nd base and eventually but not explicitly further bases). show less

TW: parental abuse, manipulative and abusive girlfriend, alcoholism

Emmy is a drummer for Brightsiders who has been labeled the lastest media trainwreck after a drunken accident. Along with the paparazzi onslaught, she also has to deal with her totally uncaring, emotionally abusive and manipulative parents who would rather sell her story for money than show some support for their daughter. Emmy’s girlfriend Leslie is also abusive, always berating and belittling her but showing just enough affection for Emmy to feel grateful because all she has ever wanted is to be liked and loved. Due to all these negative influences in her life, her self esteem is extremely low, she questions if she is worthy of anything every step of the way and show more struggles throughout the book to accept herself, deciding to come out about her bisexuality, believe in her self worth and trust that her chosen family is enough.

She is supported in all this by her friends who are truly amazing. Ryan is the goofy Korean-American guitar player who always brings a smile when he is around but is secretly coming to terms with his own bisexuality. Alfie is a pansexual genderqueer teen who suffers from social anxiety but puts up this confident front for his fans and everyone around him and is loved by all for the same. He has always been there for Emmy and their friendship, support and thoughtfulness towards each other is so endearing. Chloe is a biracial non binary teen and they are Emmy’s best friend. Their insight in helping Emmy realize how she is already loved by her friends and doesn’t need her parents or Leslie to feel worthy is extremely helpful in Emmy’s progress in confronting her doubts. Kass is EMmy’s cousin and best friend and though they are separated by geography, it is great to see them always be in touch, be encouraging and empower each other.

There is a lot of drama in this story and I think it’s written well – teenagers dealing with new found popularity, reconciling with the fact that love of their fans also comes with a fair share of trolls and paparazzi always looking for them to screw up, every single step of their life scrutinized and put up for public consumption, handling people who just want to be around them for the fame or money or notoriety; all this while trying to produce the best music they can and be respectful of their supporters. There are also a lot of conversations among the characters about biphobia, bierasure, misgendering, but despite this, how they have to be true to themselves and their fans because it might help others who are struggling too.

The romance between Emmy and Alfie is quite steamy but it still felt a little insta-lovey. But I could still connect to it because their long term friendship is established well and I really loved that they could express their feelings through songs. The last part of the story definitely took a little dramatic turn than what I would have liked but it is resolved pretty quickly. The ending is sweet and optimistic and it showed that if you choose to surround yourself with people who love and support you for what you are, you can truly be happy.

This book might seem a little over the top in some situations, but on second thought, it’s actually quite close to reality in our world of celebrity culture. So, I definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to read not just a swoon worthy romance but a book that confronts important issues without being preachy and in a very realistic manner with lots of empathy. show less

I didn't do five stars because I wasnt super interested in the overlaying plot of this book (fame and music in the age of social media) but i did enjoy the interpersonal plotlines of the characters. I also love that this book is out there; a funny yet emotional story about queer teens/young adults figuring out their lives and ultimately flourishing!

There was quite a bit of relationship and familial abuse. I think the author handles this well but it was still a bit upsetting to read.