I really couldn't get into this book, unfortunately.

I felt like the book lacked much depth, and its most interesting sections take place on Instagram.

The story follows an obsessive woman, cheating on her boyfriend with "the man she wants to be with," who in addition to a wife and several other unimportant affairs is entwined with "the woman she is obsessed with," which extends mostly to following her on Instagram.

There wasn't much changing over the course of this book. characters remained without growth.

I didn't hate this, and it had really promising elements, but it disappointed me, since I was hoping for so much more.

*“I stalk a woman on the internet who is sleeping with the same man as I am. The unnamed narrator in I’m a Fan is obsessed; obsessed with the married man she is sleeping with and with one of his other lovers who is an influencer.”*

There were some commentary gems in this book about cultural appropriation by influencers, very easy stalking through social media, power and privilege; but they were sandwiched in between “diary entries” of affairs and unhinged adventures so at times, the messaging came across diluted. Compared to other books about millennials struggling, I do like the focus on systemic issues rather than personal ones. Unique structure as well — though I don’t think I’m a fan of it. Overall, I’m excited for Sheena Patel’s next book!

Thank you Penguin Random House for a copy of I’m a Fan!

Obsession, Relationships, and Social Media

I’m a Fan follows the unnamed narrator, who becomes deeply ensnared in an affair with a married, promiscuous man. Her life spirals into an obsessive fixation on another woman, also involved with the same man. This narrative weaves through the dark alleys of social media stalking and reflects the complexities of modern relationships and unreciprocated love.

Overall, I’m a Fan by Sheena Patel is a bold and unsettling debut that offers a powerful critique of modern relationships and societal norms. It is a must-read for those interested in psychological fiction and contemporary critiques of social media and obsession.

Too much cheating… too many politics….social media stalking… toxic characters with little to no growth… repetitive, repetitive, repetitive…this book was neither captivating nor inspiring.

Not sure if it’s the mood I’m in or what but I unfortunately was NOT a fan. The main character was just as toxic as her obsession and pining for an awful awful man. She was also just as bad a person, cheating on her own boyfriend and obsessing over some other woman-I just could not relate nor sympathize.l with any of the characters.

I, unfortunately, was not a fan.

ARC received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I'm sorry but I'm NOT a fan. Lots of words to say so little. The lack of proper sentence punctuation and grammar plus the missing chapter definition drove me crazy. I just could not keep reading this book. It was dnf for me.

Thanks for the opportunity.

Thought third time starting this book would be the charm… but I was wrong.

This one is a single speaker who is in a ‘relationship’ with a man who is married and dating others. She has been obsessed with him and his current ‘girlfriend’ and plans her whole life around that.

Though this was an easy read, I did not find it an enjoyable one. Personally I also thought that the ending would have been more. But it just kind of ended in my opinion. I might have been very hyped up for this one but it just wasn’t for me.

I do give it a 2/5.

Overall, I was not a fan.

Unfortunately, I am not a fan of this one. I struggled with picking this one up and staying engaged and ended up skimming it just to get through it.

I DNF this book. I struggled to slog through it; to be honest the characters were a little insufferable. The main character is essentially using social media to stalk a woman who is having an affair with the man she's having an affair with. The "Man I want to be with" seems to have no redeemable qualities, he is just some random man who is cheating on his wife with several women. It's hard to empathize with the obsession that the main character feels, since the objects of her stalking just seem so one dimensional.

I ended up DNF this book. I tried picking it up a few times but just couldn't get into it.

Thank you netgallry for the earc in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a Fan by Sheena Patel. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC of this one.
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I read this a couple of months ago, and I haven't quite made up my mind about how I felt about it.
The novel is compulsively readable social critique centred on a late-twenties British woman in a love triangle? square? star? with her boyfriend, the "man she wants to be with" his mistress (an influencer who is the "woman she is obsessed with"), and his wife. The book is written in short chapters that read like self-aware diary-entries chronicling the toxic asymetrical affair and her obsessive stalking of her paramour's other girlfriend.
However, I found myself at the end of the novel feeling like the cultural commentary on relational power dynamics wasn't quite sharp enough for me to get over my feeling of "girl, just leave him."
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#imafan #netgalley #recommendedread

This book had a gripping first line that is still stuck with me.I loved the first 100 pages of the book. I was OBSESSED with how unhinged the main character was and continued to be. I loved the poetic nature of the writing and the author's ability to portray obsession and desire and keep that sentiment through out. Closer to the end of the novel, I became a little tired by the main character's obsession with this man and how she literally destroyed her life for a guy who would barely pay attention to her. But then again, maybe that's the whole point of the book? How far are we willing to go to realize our desires and obsessions?

Looking forward to reading more by this author.

A very unique read. Written in a sort of diary format, it is chaotic yet relatable, fast-paced, but causes you to ponder relevant issues of our time.

I loved how this touched on social media, influencer culture, toxic relationships, obsession, consumption. It was a very thought-provoking and compelling book.

A stunning debut from Patel. The prose was engaging; I was entranced and enthralled. I fell deep into this story and felt the insanity running through me. I very much look forward to what Patel does next and I hope I'm lucky enough to get an ARC of that as well. Congrats on a wonderful debut, and I believe it can only go up from here!

sadly I was not a fan of this book and barely finished it. I'm sure it's a good book but meant for a different reader.

I'm not a fan. I'm all for a good obsessive story but this one felt icky. The main character has no positive bone in their body. The story is so negative, so dark, and so malicious with nothing much to say... all for a men??? Not for me.

I was confused for the first third of the book, mostly because of its different style of writing. The way the author refers to the characters is odd. I can't say I don't like it, but it took some getting used to. How can I describe this book? I think it's a blend of contemporary fiction with some coming-of-age vibes, but don't quote me on that.
While it's a very fast read, the subject matter and its delivery were just not that appealing to me. The synopsis made me want to read this book so bad, yet it disappointed me big time. This is one of my biggest flops of the year, unfortunately.

I read about half of this book before I DNF'd. I just couldn't get into it, I tried a few different times and all 3 times I didn't get further than halfway through before giving up. The writing style reminded me of blog posts which I'm not a huge fan of. Maybe its because social media is so in our faces these days and I know so many people that obsess over others online and then feel bad about themselves because they're not in the same situation. Maybe I just need to read it at a different time/ when I'm in a different frame of mind.

I felt so disturbed by this book (in a good way), because it comments on real behaviours. People I know are obsessed with celebrities and feel like they know them. Social media makes it seem like we see a celebrity's real life, even though we are only really getting a curated glimpse. But it goes beyond that in that everyday people can become idolized through the lens of their social media posts. Anyways, great commentary on a fascinating social phenomenon.

“I’m a Fan” is an interestingly written book in the form of an unknown narrator writing in blog format. It makes some impactful points on society, however at times I found myself wanting to put rush through and get to the point the novel was trying to make.

It’s a quick read and I think there’s definitely readers out there that will enjoy it more than I have. It’s not my typical read and I thought it was unique in its writing style.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada.

I just did not enjoy this book.

First person story from an unnamed narrator as she tells us about the man she wants to be with and the woman she is obsessed with. Both she and the man she wants to be with with are giant walking red flags. She’s in a relationship, he’s married and they are having an affair. Her with him and him with half the female population. He rubs all his conquests in her face. One of these conquests is the woman she’s obsessed with who is privileged and white with tons of social media followers. While there are some very powerful takes on misogyny, power, race, wealth etc there was not a single redeeming quality in any of the characters I just couldn’t appreciate this book.

It is a quick read if you can stop yourself from putting it down though. It’s not very many pages and the chapters are short.