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    The Brightsiders
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    The Brightsiders
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    The Brightsiders
    Ebook327 pages4 hours

    The Brightsiders

    By Jen Wilde

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    A teen rockstar has to navigate family, love, coming out, and life in the spotlight after being labeled the latest celebrity trainwreck in Jen Wilde's quirky and utterly relatable novel.

    As a rock star drummer in the hit band The Brightsiders, Emmy King’s life should be perfect. But there’s nothing the paparazzi love more than watching a celebrity crash and burn. When a night of partying lands Emmy in hospital, she’s branded the latest tabloid train wreck.

    Luckily, Emmy has her friends and bandmates, including the super-swoonworthy Alfie, to help her pick up the pieces of her life. She knows hooking up with a band member is exactly the kind of trouble she should be avoiding, and yet Emmy and Alfie Just. Keep. Kissing.

    Will the inevitable fallout turn her into a clickbait scandal (again)? Or will she find the strength to stand on her own?

    Jen Wilde, author of Queens of Geek, which Seventeen called, “the geeky, queer book of our dreams” is back with a brand new cast of highly diverse and relatable characters for her fans to fall in love with.

    Praise for Queens of Geek:

    "The book deals head on with issues of mental health, body shaming, sexuality, and internet celebrity, handling them with a delicate and skillful touch." —Teen Vogue

    "This fun book about fierce friendships gives voice to a group of diverse female characters who are so defined by so much more than just their mental health and sexuality." —Bustle

    "This celebration of geek culture and fandom promotes diversity and being true to oneself." —School Library Journal

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Publishers
    Release dateMay 22, 2018
    ISBN9781250189721
    Unavailable
    The Brightsiders
    Author

    Jen Wilde

    Jen Wilde (she/they) is the queer, disabled author of QUEENS OF GEEK, THE BRIGHTSIDERS and GOING OFF SCRIPT. They write unapologetically queer stories about unlikely heroes, awkward romantics and chosen families. Jen’s books have been praised in Teen Vogue, Buzzfeed, Autostraddle, Vulture and Bustle. Their debut, QUEENS OF GEEK, made the 2018 Rainbow Book List and the Amelia Bloomer List. Originally from Melbourne, Australia, Jen lives in Brooklyn, NY, with her wife, where she collects books, candles and foster cats. When she isn’t writing, Jen spends her time shouting about queer books on TikTok. Connect with her online or visit her website.

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    Reviews for The Brightsiders

    4/5

    34 ratings5 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Oh. My. God.That was maybe the cutest book I have ever read. Was I just complaining about how there are no books about bi characters?Nah, I don't think that was me because I here I am on my, like, sixth book where a bisexual character is ringing in the lead. And I am so very here for all of it. The Brightsiders is not just about sexuality (though that plays a huge part, as does gender identity) but it is about relationships, how screwed up they can be, regardless of gender or orientation. Basically, the story makes it clear, in no uncertain terms, that being queer is not a get-out-of-drama free card which is kind of a breath of fresh air when it comes to the usually squeaky clean gay-kid romances on the shelves, right now. (No, offense, I totally love you, Simon! And Dante! And Monty!). One of the elements that removes drama-free from this equation is the fact that the tens in question are in a rock band that is paparazzi clickbait, combined with an absolutely unstable ex-girlfriend, actively alcoholic, narcissistic parents, and a little of that addictive gene passed down to our dear, darling, lead singer, Emmy. The entire thing is just a Social Worker's dream caseload. but I digress. This is the second book I've read, recently, where I wanted to hurl something at the paparazzi. Honestly, y'all, it's not your life. Chill. It makes me so angry. Some people say, Oh, that's what they get for being famous". Uh, we reward creativity in our culture with harassment and stalking? I'm so not ok with that. Anyway, whoooo, that was a tangent. I'm back, now. I loved, loved, loved, all of the elements of this book and wanted to hug all three of the band members tight throughout the entire story. They were adorable and endearing and just so perfectly flawed. The very best kind. 

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      This was fabulous. It wasn't perfect--some of the scenes dragged a bit--but I loved it. A bunch of queer rockers finding their way in the world together.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      I didn't do five stars because I wasnt super interested in the overlaying plot of this book (fame and music in the age of social media) but i did enjoy the interpersonal plotlines of the characters. I also love that this book is out there; a funny yet emotional story about queer teens/young adults figuring out their lives and ultimately flourishing!

      There was quite a bit of relationship and familial abuse. I think the author handles this well but it was still a bit upsetting to read.
    • 4/5
      teen fiction (humor/romance with LGBTQIAP interest).
      Another winner from Jen Wilde, with the main cast being almost exclusively queer (bisexual, pansexual, gender queer, etc.) as well as, incidentally, ethnically diverse, and much more clever and interesting than your usual teen fiction protagonists (even though they are millennials who are constantly on snapchat and taking selfies for Insta, they are not annoyingly so--I have my doubts as to whether this particular age set would know quite so much about 80s/90s pop culture, but it's not impossible).

      I cried a couple times from the incredible support from the fans and the queer community, in direct contrast to the unsupportive comments that sometimes also come from the queer community (in this book). The book thoughtfully touches on other topics: slut-shaming, consent, and the psychological gaslighting that happens in abusive relationships.

      parental note: contains irresponsible drinking (and driving), which the main characters almost immediately regret, and sexual situations (mostly kissing/making out but refers to 2nd base and eventually but not explicitly further bases).
    • 4/5
      Bubbly-bright, hectic, and heartfelt as a power ballad, Jen Wilde's sophomore novel wears its heart on its sleeve just like protagonist Emmy. In line with Queens of Geek, The Brightsiders features characters of color, a multiplicity of gender and sexual identities, and characters at different stages of their own journeys. The intersections of Emmy's life--romantic, family, and career--are intense but sympathetically drawn, and feel true to the turmoil of late teenagehood, compounded by fame and the thrill ride of figuring yourself out. A great read for music enthusiasts, geeks, readers looking for themselves, and anyone who's experienced the tug-of-war between what their world expects and who they are.