Review: Good YA and coming-out story - Loved the fandom humor
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 11, 2013
Overall, this is a good read about two 18-year old fans of the sci-fi show Castaway Planet who embark on a multi-week trip together to hit all the CP conventions and find out the truth about their fave characters and whether or not they "did it" during the season finale. And of course, along the way, "things happen," like finding out your idols aren't all that they're cracked up to be, that fans can be reaaaaally crazy, that childhood hang-ups don't disappear overnight, and you might totally be in love with that guy you have a vlog with.The parts that I liked--I really dug all the pokes at fandom in general, at the conventions, at fanfiction, at squeeing fangirls who spend a lot of time manipulating photos and making gifs to show their fave characters (fictional, or in this case, real) giving each other soulful looks or making out. I like the MCs: out-and-proud Abel, his barely-out-of-the-closet vlog partner Brandon, and Becky, trusty camerawoman and Brandon's childhood friend and support system. I dug the unspooling mystery as our heroes try to figure out what fans are stalking them, and the reveal partway through was awesome and fitting. I also appreciated the author's overall smooth writing and very funny descriptions and dialogue.What was harder for me was I think I came in with expectations that this was a very light read, and it's not. It has some VERY FUNNY moments, but for a good section of the first half, Brandon is wracked with self-hating Catholic guilt about coming out to his parents and he holds their disappointment in him like a wet, suffocating blanket. He struggles to "fake it," to be out to Abel and to play a role that he thinks Abel will accept, but moving out from years of teachings that what you are is wrong and will send you to hell if you act upon it is difficult, and Brandon understandably struggles. And Abel, his snarky, somewhat self-absorbed partner-in-crime and secret crush tries and tries again to yank Brandon further out of the closet, and sometimes fails because life (and romance) is way harder than how it's portrayed in fiction (or fanfiction).That overall heaviness dragged on my reading though, especially with the many religious asides that broke up Brandon's inner thoughts, and I had to push through for the first half. (I don't think I understood how much of a coming out story this would be. I think I was expecting something akin to Kamikaze Boys by Jay Bell where the sexuality portion was already accepted.) But at a little after 40%, some big sparks happen that both speed things up and lighten the overall tone for a good quarter of the book, so that was a big help in continuing.I did appreciate the eventual denouncement from Castaway Planet's "Voice of God" near the end, and thought the author did a good job there wrapping up the themes she was pulling across the story. I also loved the running theme of Brandon gathering strength from fanfiction, imagining himself as a stronger character in his own life, and in the end, taking steps to write his own future.Overall, this is a good (and very safe, i.e. no smut) YA romance and "coming-out" story about a boy already out, but fully coming to grips with what that means for himself, for his snakeskin boot-wearing love interest, for his best friend, his family, his faith, and his own surprise fan following. Recommended if you're looking for something that's a mix of both fun and heavier themes, and especially if you have any interest in fandoms in general. You'll enjoy a lot of the humor.