Angel is sooo excited. She is finally going to meet her internet friend Juliet in London. They met through being fans of a boy band called The Ark. For Angel, The Ark is everything. This band is what she believes has got her through school and teenage life, and she never stops talking about them at home or with Juliet online.

They are going to spend a week together talking nothing but The Ark, then will finally get to meet them and watch them in concert. It is just tooo much! Unfortunately Juliet has invited another to stay and join them on their Ark pilgrimage, and three is definitely a crowd.

Jimmy is the front man for The Ark. He is living the dream with his best friend from school and another friend made when they decided to start a band. Now five years on from those early Youtube videos that kicked off their career, Jimmy is struggling. He loves the music and the fact that so many from all walks of life love it too, but the pressure is building to unmanageable levels.

Social Media is what made them famous, but now is gobbling him up. His band mates try to help, although one is suffering in silence, but the gossip and rumour mill that is their fandom is speculation, expectation and everywhere they look.

Neither know they will meet, just as they are experiencing some personal doubts about their lives as they know it. Both reach a precipice to choices for their future.

I was really surprised at how much I liked this book. I have read other Alice Oseman’s and liked some but not others, and wasn’t sure about the fangirl premise.

BUT… as a fangirl myself, even before the internet or cellphones, I could totally relate to Angel’s excitement about her favourite band and the opportunity to meet them.

Told in two viewpoints – Angel and Jimmy (band member), was a fantastic contrast and a view into how celebrities show one thing but are often feeling something completely different – don’t we all? But the pressure on these young stars is immense and ultimately damaging to them in many different ways.

Mental health is a key theme, along with LGBTQ+, a family link that is an anchor and also a lifeline, and new internet friendships that seem one way online but are different in real life.

These are talented, young, good looking musicians, and their management just wants more and more and more – until there is no more to take. Angel who was excited about just meeting them, gets so much more than she’s expecting, but is ultimately part of a solution in a crisis.

There is lots of love, but no romance, just many types of friendship.

Great read.

Author – Alice Oseman

Age – 13+

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(2018, Harper Collins, Boy Band, Music, LGBTQ+, Trans, Friendship, Fangirl, Fandom, London, Obsession, Social Media, Youtube, Grandfather, Grandad, Pressure, Fashion, Internet Friends, Lies, Decisions, Mental Health, Panic, Love)