OCTOBER 2022 - AudioFile
Two narrators give empathetic, engaging performances in this novel about fandom, fame, and self-worth. Deana Taheri is bubbly as Angel, a big-name fan who travels to London to meet her online friend, Juliet, and see The Ark, their favorite boy band. Cloud Quinn is endearing and heartbreaking as Jimmy, one of the three Ark band members, whose anxiety is making it harder and harder for him to function. Listeners experience every moment of disappointment, fear, and anguish when Angel’s visit goes wrong and Jimmy is pushed to the breaking point. And when their paths converge, it feels as magical as it is improbable. Hamish Lloyd Barnes and Theo Solomon narrate “Ghosted,” a sweet bonus story that retells some events from bandmates Lister and Rowan’s points of view. J.M.D. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
08/29/2022
In this immersive, character-driven drama, Oseman (the Heartstopper series) thoughtfully highlights the cost of celebrity on one’s mental health alongside the ways in which online fandoms can both build community and fan the flames of obsession and parasocial behavior. Eighteen-year-old Iranian-cued Fereshteh “Angel” Rahimi is meeting her online best friend, white-cued Juliet, for the first time IRL; they’re set to spend an epic week together, culminating in a concert by mega-popular boy band The Ark. After arriving in London, however, Juliet reveals she has also invited her crush, sidelining Angel. Meanwhile, Ark’s front man, Indian and Italian 19-year-old Jimmy, struggles to keep his trans identity private from fans and manage his anxiety—especially when a photo of him and Black-cued bandmate Rowan goes viral, ostensibly supporting the popular theory that they are secretly a couple. When Angel and Jimmy’s lives suddenly converge, the two teens grapple with their respective internal struggles while offering mutual support. Employing even pacing, enticing alternating perspectives, and a cinematic writing style that continually builds tension, Oseman capably explores myriad facets of experience, spanning gender and sexual identity, ethnicity, and religion. Ages 14–up. Agent: Claire Wilson, RCW Literary. (Oct.)
OCTOBER 2022 - AudioFile
Two narrators give empathetic, engaging performances in this novel about fandom, fame, and self-worth. Deana Taheri is bubbly as Angel, a big-name fan who travels to London to meet her online friend, Juliet, and see The Ark, their favorite boy band. Cloud Quinn is endearing and heartbreaking as Jimmy, one of the three Ark band members, whose anxiety is making it harder and harder for him to function. Listeners experience every moment of disappointment, fear, and anguish when Angel’s visit goes wrong and Jimmy is pushed to the breaking point. And when their paths converge, it feels as magical as it is improbable. Hamish Lloyd Barnes and Theo Solomon narrate “Ghosted,” a sweet bonus story that retells some events from bandmates Lister and Rowan’s points of view. J.M.D. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2022-08-17
Two teens—a super fan and a celebrity musician—confront their insecurities about their relationships and identities as their lives unexpectedly intertwine.
Fereshteh (or Angel as she’s known online, a translation of her Farsi name), is a Persian British hijabi who lives for The Ark, a boy band rising to international fame. Before the final show of their tour, Fereshteh ditches her high school leavers’ ceremony to fulfill her dream of seeing them in concert with Juliet Schwartz, a White online friend she’s meeting for the first time—but when she arrives in London, her high expectations are derailed by reality. Jimmy Kaga-Ricci, a gay Christian transgender boy of Indian and Italian descent, greets his fans from a distance. On the inside, he’s overwhelmed by anxiety. His emotions spiral out of control when the press exposes too much about his relationships. This irresistibly energetic coming-of-age story alternates between the perspectives of two emerging adults grappling with their senses of self. Fereshteh values The Ark more than her own achievements, while Jimmy questions whether he can keep sacrificing his happiness for his career. Love takes center stage in the unfolding drama, showcasing the complex and varied experiences of admiration, attraction, and connection within relationships, particularly friendships. Religious faith also plays an important role in the protagonists’ lives, shaping their outlooks and decisions. The characters are multidimensional with flaws and goals that direct their growth.
A magnetic, emotional journey with nuanced internal conflict and dynamic characters. (bonus story) (Fiction. 14-18)
