Name: I Was Born for This
Rating: 4.014814814814815 (270 reviews)
ISBN: 9780008244101

Alice Oseman

The third novel from the phenomenally talented Alice Oseman – one of the most talked about YA writers in recent years.

I Was Born for This

Anna 

I was born for this is very different from alice's other books. it's way darker in some ways. the main theme is expectations meeting reality, which is sometimes (I'm not afraid to say most of the times) really disappointing. 
I couldn't really relate to Angel since I am not a part of any fanbase and I do not tend to watch celebrity's life so much that I sometimes forget to live my own. so that was a new point of view for me. 
on the other hand I've learned more about anxiety and myself through jimmy, since we both tend to get stressed really easily. 
I also liked the portrayal of what famous people deal with on a daily basis and I started to feel really sad for most of celebrities, mainly members of famous boy bands. I cannot even imagine what it's like not being able to go for a walk or to not see your family members more than 3 times a year. 
even though this book sometimes feels like a fanfiction of 1D or some k-pop band, I enjoyed it. was it all over the place? yes. was it not really believable? yes. 
but it still gave me lots of things to think about and made me realize that celebrities are after all just normal people and that fans are not necessarily just annoying people that do not know how to act.

becky oh

Jamieson

I ADORED THIS BOOK SO FREAKIN MUCH IT WAS AMAZING AND IF YOU WANT TO READ MY FULL REVIEW YOU CAN  DO THAT RIGHT HERE 

ALSO, YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK

Jantien 

** spoiler alert **
           DNF at page 182.

I so wanted to like this book because I loved Heartstopper, but man, this was just bad 😭. 

“Angel” just disappears to London after a huge fight with her mom who told her very specifically she couldn’t go, but somehow they don’t even come after her and her dad even backs her up… or at least he does the first 2 days… ?
My parents would literally call the police and ground me for life if I pulled that.
then on the day of the concert the dad goes all “what is it you like about this band?” The girl can’t talk about anything else so the parents should already know, and dad was just fine with her ditching mom and the house rules 3 days ago so it doesn’t make any sense to start a scene at that point.

She has zero friends because all she can talk about is a boysband that is apparently HUGE and has won multiple awards and all the teens apparently adore them, except for every single person that goes to her school? Very realistic.

Angel nor Mac knew the other was coming on this trip, though Juliet can’t remember not having told them at all 🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️ because it’s such a minor thing like, it’s very normal to just forget to mention this ofcourse.
Also, they should be like best friends so juliet should know Angel doesn’t make friends easily and should not have invited a total stranger, crush or no.

Angel sounds more depressed than anything else.
Psychology might not be the best major for her seeing as she has only 1 (internet) friend she talks and relates too.. and she would literally take a bullet for 3 guys she hasn’t met and who don’t know she exists. Sounds healthy.
Juliet is very clearly going through something and “Angel” never knows how to react, doesn’t ask about it for days and just simply ignores the fact that her best friend is struggling with something. 

Angel “rescues” Bliss from the paparazzi by running after her doing literally nothing but just that, running after her. 
And they magically escape by going inside the metro station with the photographers only meters away, because we all know that paparazzi can’t enter the subway 🤔 right?

What was up with that chapter on Jimmy going outside after reminiscing how BAD last time was when he had Rowan and Lister with him to distract the crowd and help him with his anxiety attack. But going out at night by yourself WITHOUT YOUR PHONE sounds like a great idea, after a day filled with anxious thoughts. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

More and more readers are starting to be quite a bit allergic to the “snowhite syndrom” a lot of main characters have.
Angel is the opposite of that. How can you like or even love yourself when you find yourself and your entire life average? And what does that mean?? What is average?? 

Mac and juliet completely dump Angel twice in the short span of two days, but heyyy it’s cool.
Even though she is a girl alone in a strange city. 

I had to give up after 182 pages of all of this.
It’s absolutely dreadful and did not make me happy at all. There was nothing about this book that I liked.

Marloes

Jude Moon

“That's why people get into fandom and bands and stuff. They just want something to hold on to something that makes them feel good. Even if it's all a big lie.” 
― Alice Oseman, I Was Born for This

I had only read Heartstopper before going into this book, but it was enough for me to know I was going to enjoy (and relate) anything she has written. Even in this mindset, I did not expect to like it as much as I did, which has been amazing.

Firstly, as a person who is part of the lgbt+ community and deals with anxiety myself i really really enjoyed how those two themes where represented in the book. Sometimes it's hard to fall into clichés or even make the plot all around those two things, but in this, we can see that they become two separate things: a plot, where things happen and the characters grow and evolve and fuck up, and then those few other things that give the protagonists a realness to them, something that is a part of them but doesn't make them who they are.

Speaking of the characters, I loved all of them oh my god. I have actually adopted them and I'm really proud with my decision!! I must admit that at first I wasn't really getting on well with Angel. She seemed too much in a sense I couldn't quite grasp (maybe because I saw my teenage self in her, just maybe). This has been mainly the only problem I've had with this story and even that was solved as the story went on and I was getting to know every character's back story. 

In general I feel like if you're a fan of something this is the best book for you, and if you're not and you're one of those people who call us crazy, you should probably read this and reflect on your opinions.

9/10


(ps: I could actually write for hours about my thoughts on the fan phenomenon but im just gonna say that this woman knows exactly what she's talking about, and that it felt great to read this point of view in a book♥️)

giorgia :)

this book was amazing. i cannot put into words how good it was other than that. wish there was more friendship between jimmy and angel tho.

From the bestselling creator of HEARTSTOPPER and LOVELESS, a deeply funny and deeply moving exploration of identity, friendship, and fame. For Angel Rahimi life is about one thing: The Ark -- a boy band that's taking the world by storm. Being part of The Ark's fandom has given her everything she loves -- her friend Juliet, her dreams, her place in the world. Her Muslim family doesn't understand the band's allure -- but Angel feels there are things about her they'll never understand. Jimmy Kaga-Ricci owes everything to The Ark. He's their frontman -- and playing in a band with his mates is all he ever dreamed of doing, even it only amplifies his anxiety. The fans are very accepting that he's trans -- but they also keep shipping with him with his longtime friend and bandmate, Rowan. But Jimmy and Rowan are just friends -- and Rowan has a secret girlfriend the fans can never know about. Dreams don't always turn out the way you think and when Jimmy and Angel are unexpectedly thrust together, they find out how strange and surprising facing up to reality can be. A funny, wise, and heartbreakingly true coming of age novel. I Was Born for This is a stunning reflection of modern teenage life, and the power of believing in something -- especially yourself.

I loved it sm. Rlly didnt expect the ending!!

Suze

Luc 

Ok but Jimmy is by far one of the best trans characters I've read about. My transboy heart is happy :)

I Was Born for This

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