Overall, this is another amazing Young Adult book from Alice Oseman and a pleasant new take on a tried and true tale.For Angel Rahimi, life is only about one thing: The Ark – a pop-rock trio of teenage boys who are currently taking the world by storm. I picked up the book for its transgender main character, but others might see themselves in Angel’s Muslim faith or in one of the diverse side characters. Lastly, it wouldn’t be an Alice Oseman book if it didn’t have an amazingly diverse cast of characters. The Ark has to deal with chronic anxiety, alcoholism, and important decisions about their future, all of which are made worse by pressure from both mainstream media and their fanbase to follow a particular path. When it came to reading Jimmy’s perspective, that theme of autonomy continued into heavier subjects. Her story manages to capture all sides of fan obsession, including fan relationships, finding your passion through fan culture, pouring your whole life into being a fan, and being so obsessive you can’t allow celebrities autonomy. On Angel’s side of the story, I was able to look at the Ark’s fanbase and recognize pieces of it from my own experiences online. The 18-year-old main characters never act particularly older or younger than they are, and the near-complete lack of romance allows Oseman to add more nuance to her exploration of parasocial relationships. She lays the groundwork early on, establishing character motivations and quirks that will be used to move the plot forward. One of the earliest things I noticed was Oseman’s ability to keep her larger-than-life story grounded in reality. Over the course of a week, the two will meet, learn more than they ever expected to know about each other, and decide on what they want for their future. Jimmy is a member of the hit British boy band, The Ark, and Angel is a diehard fan of Jimmy’s band. The plot covers the coming-of-age story of Angel Rhami and Jimmy Kaga-Ricci. Since the advent of social media and fan culture, the term has grown in popularity, but it’s rare to see an author explore what parasocial relationships actually look like, even when “meeting a celebrity” is a popular topic for Young Adult fiction.Īlice Oseman’s latest novel, I Was Born for This, steps away from the usual tropes of the celebrity story and instead puts the focus on parasocial relationships.

In 1956, a pair of psychologists coined the term “Parasocial Relationship” to refer to the illusion of friendship between media personalities and their fans.

Alice oseman i was born for this plot