As someone who is a member of quite a few fandoms, I always find books interesting that take a deeper look at them. I know there are many that can be quite intense. That’s why Superfan caught my eye. Today I want to tell you about the book and what I thought.
A big thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an ALC to read and review. This doesn’t affect my opinion in any way.
From National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 honoree Jenny Tinghui Zhang, a novel about a pop idol and his superfan, whose stories shockingly collide
Freshman Minnie is adrift at college in Austin, Texas, when she discovers a boy band called HOURglass and the online forums that worship them. She especially loves Halo, whose sharp edges feel somehow familiar. After a brief romance goes painfully awry, Minnie pours everything into her new fandom, clinging to each livestream and bonding with other fans online. But when a scandal threatens to expose Halo to harm, Minnie decides that she is the only one who can save him.
Except Halo’s secret is darker than anything the tabloids could imagine. Before he was a superstar heartthrob, he was a high school dropout haunted by a tragic accident. When he is recruited for HOURglass, it feels like a chance to become someone else. And when he is onstage in front of his fans, he can almost forget the horrors of his past—until one of those very fans threatens to destroy everything.
Dazzling, entrancing, and deeply heartfelt, Superfan is about fandom in all its magic and its terror, and the extreme lengths to which we go to rid ourselves of loneliness.
Review
As someone who has loved many music artists and belonged to fandoms, I know how much music and such can help someone. I’ve also seen in many ways how far people can go. Sometimes too far. So Superfan is a book that caught my eye. Eric Yang and Katharine Chin did a great job narrating and bringing Superfan to life.
Minnie isn’t someone who has had the best high school experience, but she’s expecting college to be better. That’s why TV shows and movies show us, right? This isn’t exactly how it goes and then she meets a guy who starts belittling her. So when Minnie finds the fandom and can connect with others, she starts to feel like she belongs. Except she’s also dragged into a lot of conspiracy theories. I think it is easy to see why Minnie feels so connected to this fandom and the people in it.
Eason is a member of the K-Pop band that has become very popular. His POV definitely shows us how toxic that environment is as well. How they’re forced to do many things to keep the fans happy. One member almost dies and the show still must go on. While he wanted to be in that world, the reality of it make it seem a lot less appealing.
While I feel like this author gave a good picture of how dark and toxic the fandom culture can get, I do feel like this read a bit young. It felt more YA to me and I don’t think that was the case. I also feel like the characters stayed on the surface. Especially Eason. I would’ve appreciated more depth in his story and the feeling we actually got to know him.
Even though I didn’t end up being amazed by this one, it had many interesting things to tell. Have you ever read books about fandoms? Any recommendations? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear from you!
