Gena/Finn by Hannah Moskowitz and Kat Helgeso Genre and Themes Young Adult / Contemporary / LGBT / Fandom Culture Published May 17th 2016 Publisher Chronicle Books Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository |
Gena (short for Genevieve) and Finn (short for Stephanie) have little in common. Book-smart Gena is preparing to leave her posh boarding school for college; down-to-earth Finn is a twenty-something struggling to make ends meet in the big city. Gena’s romantic life is a series of reluctant one-night-stands; Finn is making a go of it with long-term boyfriend Charlie. But they share a passion for Up Below, a buddy cop TV show with a cult fan following. Gena is a darling of the fangirl scene, keeping a popular blog and writing fan fiction. Finn’s online life is a secret, even from Charlie. The pair spark an unlikely online friendship that deepens quickly (so quickly it scares them both), and as their individual “real” lives begin to fall apart, they increasingly seek shelter online, and with each other. (Via Goodreads)
Why Gena/Finn?
Reading the summary for this book did not prepare me for the story at all. I picked it up on a whim because I enjoy reading about fandom culture, but this book was a wild ride from start to finish.
Characters who were just bad people
I liked Finn at the beginning of this book, I really did. Unfortunately, I soon realized that both she and Gena were genuinely bad people. They did so many things that turned me off of their characters that they ended up driving me away from the plot as well. Gena was mean to fellow members of her fandom while still admitting that she was just as bad as they were. Finn was selfish and unfair to both Gena and her boyfriend. In the end, the only character I really liked was Finn’s boyfriend Charlie who was lied to and cheated on throughout most of the book.
Accurate portrayal of fandoms
One thing that the authors of this book did really well was how accurately they represented fandom culture. Gena is a fandom writer and Finn is a fanartist, both of whom use different websites to post about the same show. I really loved the different voices the characters used when blogging about their fandom because it was very reminiscent of many of the online communities I have been a part of. The websites they used were also clearly based off of real world sites where fandom communities are active. Even when I was alienated from the characters because of how they acted, their actions were still consistent a lot of negative fandom behavior that exists online.
An ending that changed my mind
Just like everything else in this book, the ending was odd. I thought I was going to be giving this book one star because I was sure there was no way it could wrap up in a fulfilling way, but it surprised me. I didn’t enjoy the majority of the book because the plot was supported by two characters that I really didn’t like. The ending, however, was Charlie’s moment. He turned this book around for me and, while I still didn’t love it, I left feeling much better about the story than I had throughout the middle.
The bottom line
This isn’t a book for everyone. It certainly wasn’t a book for me. When I finished it, I honestly wasn’t sure how I felt about it because of how many weird twists it had taken. That being said, I am positive there is an audience for this book that will absolutely love it. If you have a background in fandom culture and are interested in unique book formats (as the story is told entirely in blog posts, email, and texts) then it might be worth trying.
Why Gena/Finn?
Reading the summary for this book did not prepare me for the story at all. I picked it up on a whim because I enjoy reading about fandom culture, but this book was a wild ride from start to finish.
Characters who were just bad people
I liked Finn at the beginning of this book, I really did. Unfortunately, I soon realized that both she and Gena were genuinely bad people. They did so many things that turned me off of their characters that they ended up driving me away from the plot as well. Gena was mean to fellow members of her fandom while still admitting that she was just as bad as they were. Finn was selfish and unfair to both Gena and her boyfriend. In the end, the only character I really liked was Finn’s boyfriend Charlie who was lied to and cheated on throughout most of the book.
Accurate portrayal of fandoms
One thing that the authors of this book did really well was how accurately they represented fandom culture. Gena is a fandom writer and Finn is a fanartist, both of whom use different websites to post about the same show. I really loved the different voices the characters used when blogging about their fandom because it was very reminiscent of many of the online communities I have been a part of. The websites they used were also clearly based off of real world sites where fandom communities are active. Even when I was alienated from the characters because of how they acted, their actions were still consistent a lot of negative fandom behavior that exists online.
An ending that changed my mind
Just like everything else in this book, the ending was odd. I thought I was going to be giving this book one star because I was sure there was no way it could wrap up in a fulfilling way, but it surprised me. I didn’t enjoy the majority of the book because the plot was supported by two characters that I really didn’t like. The ending, however, was Charlie’s moment. He turned this book around for me and, while I still didn’t love it, I left feeling much better about the story than I had throughout the middle.
The bottom line
This isn’t a book for everyone. It certainly wasn’t a book for me. When I finished it, I honestly wasn’t sure how I felt about it because of how many weird twists it had taken. That being said, I am positive there is an audience for this book that will absolutely love it. If you have a background in fandom culture and are interested in unique book formats (as the story is told entirely in blog posts, email, and texts) then it might be worth trying.