The Brightsiders by Jen Wilde was interesting enough while I was reading but ultimately mostly forgettable and I skim read most of it. I do want to give this book another try when I'm not in a reading slump though.

I gave this one a chance but had trouble getting into it at first, so I featured an excerpt on my blog for the tour. This one has important representation in it for the LGBTQ+ community, so I hope to give it another try in the future.

This was so much fun! Wilde does an amazing job of bringing you into the world she's built. Definitely recommend!

I honestly was not a fan of this book. The premise was promising, but for some reason it just didn't interest me as I continued reading. The author did do a great job with character development, though, although I found them to be frustrating at times.

Overall, it was a very fast paced story and perfect to read if you’re in a reading slump or want something light. It was very diverse, and the romance was really adorable.

If you love queer books this is for you! I absolutely loved that finally there is another queer book to enjoy as they are few and far in between but fortunately becoming more common. A fantastic beach read!

I really liked this one. The representation made me happy. The angst kept me reading. I ab-so-lutely HATED her parents. What jerks! I loved Alfie, Emmie, Ryan, and the gang. Jessie---->>> GO AWAY! I think the book was equal parts happy, sad, frustrating, and realistic. I highly recommend.

The Brightsiders follows our main character Emmy, just as her life as a rockstar is starting to hit the rocks. It all starts when a night of underage drinking and Emmy's girlfriend driving and causing an accident, which lands Emmy not only in the hospital, but all over the media. She's branded as a bad influence to teens and on the downward slope of her early celebrity career.

Through the novel we follow Emmy as she comes to terms with a toxic relationship, Battles alcoholism, declares her sexuality, and eventually falls for her best friend, and fellow band mate Alfie. I have to admit I was beyond impressed and proud of the LGBTQ+ representation in this book. Jen Wilde gave us Bisexual, Gay, Gender Queer, Non Binary, Lesbian, and all in such an amazing fashion. The writing I feel was super respectful of each person, and seeing the proper pronouns used every time was excellent.

Probably the only issue that I have with this book is the convenience of the terrible parents. When Emmy moves back in with just months before her 18th birthday we're introduced to what kind of people they truly are, and while I do believe the characters that they were made to be would do such things in the book, I just feel that when these events happened, they were too conveniently timed and didn't so much as belong in the story.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The love story was beyond adorable, and quiet the roller coaster. I do have to say, I was worried for Emmy and Alfie there for a little, but the ending was pretty nice. If you're looking for another book with great LGBTQ+ representation I would definitely suggest picking up The Brightsiders by Jen Wilde

This book is amazing!

There is great representation of a variety of genders and orientations in this book. Some characters are bi, others are gay or non/binary. I believe this is the first book I’ve read with a non-binary character who prefers the pronoun “they.” At first, it was a little confusing when I read “they” referring to a single person. I thought I had missed another person entering the scene. But I got used it pretty quickly, and I loved the diversity.

Another important aspect of this book is the paparazzi culture. We see one side of the story in the photos, but we don’t know what is actually happening in the celebrities’ lives. Emmy looked like she was falling apart, but that was influenced by the tabloids’ opinions. Not everything is what it seems in the magazines.

I love the characters. I wish I could join their group of friends. They had so much fun, and it made me so jealous! And I totally loved Emmy and Alfie! They were definitely my favourite characters!

If you haven’t read Queens of Geek, you should read it before The Brightsiders. It isn’t a sequel, but the characters from Queens of Geek made a couple of appearances in this book, and it would spoil the ending of that book because you would see where they ended up.

I just loved this book and I’m going to recommend it to everyone!

I absolutely loved the diverse characters this book had. We get to read about

Emmy: a bisexual girl

Chloe: a non binary femme who is black and bisexual

Albie: pansexual and genderqueer

Ryan: the Korean cutie

and many more that I’m itching to disclose but that would mean spoilers which I’m strictly against!

I like how the book talks about family relationships and how your parents are not always your best role models. We explore Emmy’s toxic relationships with her family, friends and lovers and how she fails to see that they’re mentally abusing her. I feel this is a very important topic since we’re quick to catch on to any kind of physical abuse but when it comes to mental and emotional illnesses and abuse it’s very difficult to see through the mist. It’s important to realize when a relationship turns toxic and to cut off all ties at that very moment.

I also loved the band ‘Brightsiders’ and everything they stood for and the beautiful songs with lyrics that seep through your soul. We get a glimpse into the struggles that a rising celebrity teenager may face. It’s interesting to see Emmy go through all the tough times but still rise with the help of her ever supportive friends.

Overall this was a short and fun read, a book you definitely want to devour while lazing under the summer sun.

I’m giving it a rating of 3.5/5

Absolutely love the diversity of this cast—there may not be a cishet person in the bunch, and the world really could use that right now imo. I wish there'd been more of the banter that featured in <i>Queens of Geek</i>; <i>The Brightsiders</i> runs more to the dramatic side of famous-people contemporary novels. Though that's obviously less my thing than flufftastic, bantery romance, I think Wilde did a great job with the coverage of toxic relationships (both romantic and not) and the mental health rep. The ship's pretty cute, though, again, some banter would have brought the whole thing home more for me than the sappy lyrics.

A solid follow-up from Wilde. Oh, and, if you're curious, there are cameos from <i>Queens of Geek</i>.

This was a solid book with a diverse cast. I loved all the queer kids and different genders we got to see in this book. It tackled a lot of touch issues like alcoholism and emotional abuse. It showed a teen trying to grapple with being a star and figuring out who she was. It didn’t blow me away, but the love story was cute and there was some good character development. Some of the drama felt forced and I was annoyed by Em’s actions a lot. But otherwise, it was okay.

I actually really enjoyed this. The writing isn't the most polished or natural but the characters make up for the by far. Once I picked it up, I really didn't want to put it down. Emmy basically starts the book as a trainwreck and we get to watch her put herself and her image back together with the support of her friends and chosen family. Her parents are awful so she's surrounded herself by those who have chosen to love her and who have been by her side for years. That's the part I loved the most, how deeply and unconditionally this entire group of people loved each other. The other great part of the book is the diversity. If Jen Wilde does anything right, it's creating a cast of characters who are diverse and proud and strong. She has characters from all across the spectrum but they also aren't just there to represent an identity. They are fully developed characters with stories of their own, so much more than their pronouns or identity or sexual preference. And that's refreshing right now when there seems to be so much pressure for authors to "check boxes".
This book also has romance and drama and music and friendships and travel and family problems and all kinds of exciting events that keep the story moving along quite quickly. I read the whole thing in a day, really enjoyed it, and definitely recommend it to readers of YA books who are also searching for either romance books, stories with musicians, or diverse reads.

It's not you it's me. I should have paid more attention before requesting this book, but even still. While I can see others really enjoying this, I never really connected.

<u><strong>Why You Should read The Brightsiders</strong></u>

Like I said I adored Jen Wilde's first book Queens of Geek (another must read if you love fandom!), so I was incredibly excited to get my hands on the Brightsiders and see if I would end up loving it as well. Gladly <strong>The Brightsiders was a book that really drew me in and was totally different from my experience with Queens of Geek</strong>. Both books are different from each other (so you cannot compare my love for them), but they also have fundamental similarities: fandom culture, amazing friendships, the best romances and absolutely great representation! <strong>Now on with my list meant to convince you to buy this book right now</strong>!

<u><strong>The Characters</strong></u>

<strong>Emmy</strong> ❤️ Emmy's our protagonist and oh did I want to protect her. She's currently having a very rough time due to the pressures of fame and her alcohol addiction. Things start turning difficult when she is <strong>branded 'Hollywood's latest train wreck' and desperately tries to restore her reputation</strong> and try to fix what she has done so she can continue to be in the band. I really felt for her, because Emmy has had a really rough time lately and is barely recovering, not only from losing herself to partying and drinking too much alcohol but also the entire downsides that come with being famous and always being in the spotlight. She's also trying so hard to please everyone, which I related to a lot. Emmy is literally too good for this world, she loves people deeply and adores her friends. The problem is that people like to use her because of that. Emmy is caught up in several abusive relationships, with her parents and her girlfriend and her journey is about cutting those ties as well as finding herself and coping with her past mistakes.

<strong>Alfie </strong>🧡 How do I even describe Alfie? He's just as caring as Ryan when it comes to Emmy and has been her friend for ages. Whenever she needed something he was here and alongside with Ryan they made it big with their band. However, Alfie is also struggling with that, he has anxiety attacks before the shows and has been trying to cope with them, something he initially kept a secret. Nevertheless, <strong>he goes out there and plays for their fans, as they mean everything to him</strong>. He's also a generally humorous and easy to talk to person - like with the rest of the cast of characters you cannot help but love Alfie! He's also genderqueer and proud to support the community - Alfie is very dedicated to his fan base and his band. Plus in the end he does something so sickly sweet and romantic ... how can you not like him???

<strong>Ryan</strong> 💛 He's the third band mate and like Alfie an absolute sweetheart. Even though the story focuses on Emmy and Alfie a lot, Ryan is a great character and very supportive of his friends. He loved the band, he loves his friend and he's generally just a very good, decent guy. <strong>You cannot help but immediately love how concerned he is for Emmy and how he - much like Alfie - wants to protect her</strong> from the toxic environment at her parent's house. We're also getting to see Ryan coming to terms with his sexuality when he meets someone new and get an insight in his background story, as he's a first generation Korean-American guy. There's not much more to say other than that Ryan is a huge cinnamon roll.

<strong>Chloe</strong> 💚 Chloe is absolutely amazing, they slaaay so much!! I cannot even express how much I enjoyed seeing their relationship with Emmy, honestly I would love to have a friend like Chloe anytime. They are a <strong>black nonbinary femme vlogger and Emmy's best friend who always supports her</strong>. I appreciated Chloe so much, because they are concerned for Emmy's well-being and help her realize that she is in more than one abusive relationship. Chloe themselves is an abuse survivor, as their mother never accepted them and constantly emotionally abused them. Therefore, Chloe is hellbent on helping their friend and super tough - you don't want to get on their bad side.

<strong>There are QUEENS OF GEEK CAMEOS </strong>💙 Look if you don't know I adored Jen Wilde's first book and I had NO idea that the characters would make an appearance in The Brightsiders, so you can imagine how shocked (and happy) I was when they appeared! We see a lot more of <strong>Alyssa and Charlie</strong> in the book though (they are sooo adorable omg!), as they are friends with Emmy and her crew, which makes a lot of sense! But we also see<strong> Taylor and Jamie</strong> shortly - this filled my heart with joy, because I love them so much and I'm happy that all my favorites from Queens of Geek are doing well!

<u><strong>The Relationships</strong></u>

<strong>Emmy & Alfie</strong> 💜 I normally don't like the Childhood Friends to Lovers Trope, because it never works for me and tends to be used in Love Triangles a lot, BUT Emmy and Alfie totally rocked that Trope! I adored their friendship and loved to see how it turned into love. Now their relationship is far from easy. Emmy has had a rough time and is recovering, but she also begins to care for Alfie differently than she has before. He is her best friend and has always been there for her through it all. He is her sanctuary, but now she feels herself very attracted to him romantically. Alfie himself seems interested and when they both go on a vacation things start to get steamy between them. <strong>There are lots of kisses and mutual pinning. Emmy and Alfie love teasing each other and explore their feelings in secrets.</strong> That's where the main problem arises: they think this is all 'just fun' and will end when they get back to their normal lives. It's supposed to be friends with benefits, but then Emmy starts ending up feeling so much more for Alfie. Being in love with him could destroy their friendships + the band, so it gets complicated really quickly, specially as she does not know about Alfie's feelings. Spoiler alert: there is a happy ending!

<strong>The band members</strong> ❤️ Of course Emmy, Alfie and Ryan have a very close relationship as well, as they started out making music and now have made it big. They always look out for each other and have become a big found family (including Chloe and Emmy's cousin). <strong>I loved how The Brightsiders showed friendships and found family, it was heartwarming to see how much the three cared about each other</strong>, they held onto one another and always had each other's back. It's the kind of relationship everyone aspires to have - their connection as a band is strong and sincere. Of course their friendship is also put to a test when Emmy and Alfie develop feelings for each other and things become all kinds of complicated!

<u><strong>The Themes</strong></u>
<strong>Fandom & Music</strong> 💛 Of course this book is full of nerds and fan culture which I absolutely love! I can always relate well to characters that are nerds and fans like myself, it just makes a contemporary so much more fun to read, even though I might not get all the references! However, the <strong>focus here is definitely on music and bands</strong> unlike in Queens of Geek where we focused more on conventions. I did like seeing something different, even though I have never been really into going to concerts like everyone else.  It was great to see The Brightsiders' fans though, because they meant a lot to Emmy and her band. She loves performing and the fact that the band is made up by entirely queer members means that they are in touch a lot with the LGBTQ community and have a lot of fans who look up to them. To some fans they are idols, what they say and do has a huge impact on them.

<strong>The pressure of fame & alcoholism</strong> 💚 I already mentioned this when talking about Emmy, as The Brightsiders deals a lot with the downsides of fame and alcoholism. I loved that this was discussed, as I have not seen this often in YA. I personally don't drink at all, so I couldn't 100% relate to Emmy's struggles, but I LOVED that she later called out two guys trying to pressure her into drinking and calling her a 'bore' when she didn't want to. I was all here for that! <strong>I also liked seeing the impacts on fame on the band, because they are teenagers after all and a lot of pressure can have devastating effects.</strong> Emmy struggled a lot with not sliding down the endless pattern of party and alcohol, especially as her parents have a history with drinking. She does not want to become like them and decides to cut it short. There are ups and downs with that, so that's another thing that was totally realistic! Apart from alcoholism, we see Emmy struggle with the media, who hounds her, speculates and is digging around in her private life: she is in the spotlight so nothing stays hidden for long.

<strong>A lot of great representation</strong> 💙 Like I mentioned when I talked about the characters, we have a super diverse cast of characters that really talks about the prejudices and discrimination they still face. Emmy talks a lot about biphobia and shuts it down e.g. how people objectify her, try to brand her a 'bad bisexual' and - since she is in the public a lot - like to accuse her of "trying to be trendy". It was fantastic to also see nonbinary characters that play a big role and a lot of  intersectionality as well - e.g. Chloe is nonbinary femme, black and likes girls. We also see Ryan questioning is sexuality when he starts having feelings for a boy and I LOVE how supportive Emmy is. She tells him that it's completely okay to take his time and figure out what label fits him the best. Overall there is a lot of representation and I'm so happy about that! The <strong>representation for anxiety and bisexuality is ownvoices</strong>, but I cannot speak on how accurate anything else is.

<strong>Abusive Relationships</strong> 💔 I had no idea that this was going to be a theme going in and it took me by surprise. I liked that Jen Wilde explored this topic as it's very important to talk about. <strong>Emmy is surrounded by a lot of toxic people who emotionally abuse and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaslighting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gaslight</a> her, which is heartbreaking to see</strong>. She's manipulated by them and being very kind and loyal Emmy has a hard time cutting off those people and getting out of the circle of abuse. Her parents have never really cared for her and always guilt and shame her for everything she does. <strong>Emmy tries so hard to please them, hoping she will be enough, hoping they will change, but they don't.</strong> Her parents don't like her fame, but they try everything to use it to their advantage no matter how that hurts Emmy. They are truly terrible and toxic. Then there's Emmy's girlfriend Jessie, who is also gas lighting her and manipulating her. Jessie is more interested in Emmy's status and money than anything else and always makes her feel insecure, when things don't go her way. She has Emmy under her thump and makes her agree to everything, as well as pay for all her expenses. She's jealous, mean and does not care about Emmy as a person at all. She even laughs at her parent's abuse. Not only is she abusive, Jessie has driven under the influence of alcohol several times and that's something so irresponsible it always makes me angry. <strong>With the help of Chloe she realizes that she is manipulated and abused and tries to get out of this toxic environment</strong>. That of course is never easy.

<strong>IN CONCLUSION:</strong> <i>The Brightsiders</i> is an <strong>incredible book about the downfall of fame, complicated relationships and the value of found family</strong>. You will find yourself rooting for the main character Emmy and her story coping with emotional abuse, spinning out of control and trying to figure out how she can make things right again. Not only her but also her friends and biggest supporters grew on me and made this story very emotional and dear to me, I needed to see how the story ended, because I was so invested!

I really love fame-based books. I’ve never wanted to be famous – sure, I want to be a beloved author, but most authors still have basic anonymity in their everyday life, so I’ve never been someone who wanted to be a famous actor or musician who gets recognized regularly. Maybe I just like reading about them because it gives me a chance to see all the drama and excitement that I’m happily missing out on.

Jen Wilde’s debut was a pretty good book with some nice diversity. I didn’t love it, but I enjoyed it. I think that’s the same way I feel about her second book – it’s even more diverse and has even more things I like, but I still never had that moment where I fell in love with it. I did appreciate the fact that basically every main character and important secondary character is queer, whether it comes to gender or sexuality. Books seem to be getting more diverse, but just having two or three queer characters can make a title diverse – this one goes beyond that. The protagonist, the drummer in the band, is bi and comes out in this book, and there are lots of other characters who are gay and bi. There are also cameos from the main characters of Queens of Geek, including the famous queer couple from that book.

There’s a lot of drama in this book, though, and I think that sometimes left me a little overwhelmed. I just wanted some nice band shenanigans, but then we’d get over-the-top romantic and family drama instead. Not a bad thing, but not what I really wanted.

I’m definitely excited to see what else Jen Wilde writes next. Hopefully third time’s the charm and it’ll be the book that pushes past “like” and becomes “love.”

So first let me start off my review by saying that I never read Queens of Geek (cue the gasps). I know, I know, I definitely need to read it, but lately (especially will my complete backup of ARCs) it just doesn’t seem like I’ve had the time!

Anyways, the book starts off when Emmy and her bandmate get drunk at a party in London. Her (drunk) girlfriend Jessie offers to drive her back home, but before they can get very far Emmy falls out of the car (from the need to throw up) and lands herself in the hospital. (Reasons why you should never get in a car with an intoxicated person, kids!)

But when she finally comes to, she learns that she (and all her bandmates) have been labeled as the latest Hollywood celebrity trainwreck. And now she has to figure out a way to save her reputation. Not to mention her (possible) feelings for one of her fellow bandmates.

First of all, when I read the synopsis for this book, I knew that diversity was going to be a fairly big part of part of it. But boy, was I surprised by how well Jen accomplished this! Nearly all of Emmy’s bandmates are unique in some way or another, but the best part of it was that the diversity felt natural. I’ve read some books, like The Beauty That Remains, where it feels, well, kind of forced. But the way Jen weaved it into the story was so innate that at some parts I almost forgot that this was supposed to be a diverse book and just thought it was a typical YA contemporary!

The only thing I really have to take off points for is relatability. I mean, I knew that this wasn’t supposed to be hroughout the entire novel, it felt like a lot of #richkid problems. In the beginning of the book, Emmy literally complains about how she paid off her parents’ mortgage and showered them with gifts to win their love (which if you ask me, is totally the wrong way to go about getting their affections!). I mean at least for me, coming from a middle-class family, I found it slightly challenging to relate to these upper-class struggles. But I will say, though, that for what it’s worth, it did feel like a pretty realistic portrayal of what it would be like to be a member of a world-famous band; I guess I’m just having trouble because I’ve never experienced that!

Overall, I would give this book three-and-a-half stars. I wasn’t overly crazy about it, but I still think it was a very cute and original story, and I can’t wait until I have time to jump into the world of Queens of Geek! (and according to some people, possibly even other Brightsiders characters????)

The glitter, the purple lipstick, and the purple, blue, and pink hair on the cover was the reason I added this to my TBR. I didn't need any other explanation than that. I just knew that with a cover like that, I was going to love what was on the inside. And sure enough, it was exactly what I needed right then.

Emmy is a train wreck. Well that's at least what the tabloids say. But after the latest episode with her girlfriend Jessie, it looks like the tabloids were telling the truth. But Emmy doesn't want them to be correct, so she and her fellow band mates get together to help make the spotlight better for her. But then she "falls" onto Alfie's lips and instead of trying to stay out of trouble, they just. can't. Is this latest scandal going to help or hurt them even more?

The number one thing I loved about this book was the representation. THIS is the power of Own Voices y'all. There is all types of representation and none of it was harmful or anything. Speaking from the anxiety and (once upon a time) questioning part of me, there is no amount of research that can teach you to be as relateable as this book.

However, I wasn't a fan of the characters. Well any of them besides Chloe, Emmy, and Alfie. Everyone else I wanted to punch in the face. As a character driven reader, reading a book filled with so many characters that I really didn't like was a bit hard for me. Especially since its a contemporary romance. I was expecting a happy romance full of swooning, but with the sad home life and her trouble with relationships, there was hardly any happy in this. I wanted nothing more than to reach in and squeeze Emmy and tell her she was worth it, she mattered. I hated that people were doing that to her, mostly because at one point in my life, that was me. But her's was on such a bigger scale because she was famous. A position I NEVER wish to be in. Too. Much. Pressure.

And lastly, since we're talking about the characters, let's talk about the love interest. I'm so glad Wilde didn't make us wait until the end to give us some swoony moments. I loved the teasing and flirting here and there between them. Those moments were so sweet and they made the story for me. I was super excited when things finally started going good for them. And then I was so sad when it got to that one point that always comes in contemporary romances.

I added this to my TBR on a whim because I liked the cover, and I am so happy that the inside was just as beautiful. Definitely something that makes me want to read more like it.

I was expecting this book to be a lot more fun, but it's full of way too much drama to get there. Don't get me wrong, there were fun moments shared between this very awesome friends group, but wow! So much drama.

Things I really liked:
• I loved the friends as family thing, because some people didn't win the family lottery, and it's nice to see these kinds of "families" acknowledged.
• Mental health was addressed and treated in a great way. Pro therapy. Pro medication. No shame.
• It's great that a book like this exists for all those queer or questioning kids out there. It's also very eye opening and informative for someone, who is not part of community, because there was a lot of focus on gender. Learned a lot there.
• Emmy grew a lot, and was successful in her quest for reclaiming her life, because it was her idea and not someone else's.
• I loved the romance. It was sweet, adorable, and really beautiful.

This was my first time reading a book by Jen Wilde, but she might be familiar to YA readers if you have read Queens of Geek. I have that book, but I just haven't gotten around to reading it yet. Her latest installment, The Brightsiders is actually already available for sale, but life got in the way for me and I wasn't able to finish this advanced reader copy until now. I have to admit that I have some complicated feelings about this book, and I really struggled with how I should rate this one.

On the one hand I think this book does something that a lot of YA books need to strive for, and that's have a diverse group of characters. Our main character Emmy is a bisexual female, Alfie is genderqueer and pansexual, Chole is a black non-binary person that uses they/them pronouns, and Ryan is an Korean-American also in the queer community. There are also some other side characters that are also queer. It was great to read about people not like me, because I really want to read from different perspectives that don't mirror my own. The diversity in this book never felt like it was forced. The way Wilde writes all these different characters made it feel so natural. They were just living their lives being themselves, and that's exactly how it should be. It also was a different experience for me to read about a non-binary person, it took some getting used in the writing, but I think that is just because it's not something I'm familiar with or have read in a book before.

I did find myself not being able to put this book down because I just wanted to find out what was going to happen next. For me that is an indication that I am really enjoying a book. For me, books don't always get a higher rating because the writing or plot is particular amazing, sometimes if I just have a good experience with a book and really latch onto the characters I give it a higher rating. This is why I'm conflicted, because I did really enjoy it a lot, but I have some issues with the plot that makes me reconsider what type of rating I should give it.

Here's my issue with the plot...is there one? It seems like a lot of the plot just hinged on drama with Emmy and her god-awful gaslighting parents, and her ex-girlfriend. It just felt like not much else was going on. It felt like some of the plot points were just way too dramatic and it was unrealistic. I even found myself rolling my eyes at some of it, because most of this book is just really about a famous girl getting chased my the paparazzi all the time, and it wasn't all that interesting. But I also have to keep in mind that Emmy is young, and she still is a teenager. Everything is so dramatic when you are 17. I also expected this book to be more about the music since they are in fact a band, but it felt like it focused less on the band making music and more on Emmy's dating life and the downsides of being famous. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, I think I just wanted something a little more out of this one.

Do you recommend this one? ABSOLUTELY! If you are seeking a diverse read, and are okay with reading about someone cutting off contact with emotionally abusive people, I say go for it. It has a happy ending, so I think you will be satisfied when you finish it.

*I received a free egalley copy of this book in exchange for my honest review