The Brightsiders

by Jen Wilde

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 and her girlfriend in jail, 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. 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?

• ISBN10: 125030914X
• ISBN13: 9781250309143
• Publish Date: 1 June 2019 (first published 22 May 2018)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 10 January 2023
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Square Fish
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 320
• Language: English

Reviews

[readingwithwrin]

warning: abusive parents, alcohol abuse, abusive relationship

Emmy is a drummer and is also a songwriter and singer for a very popular up and coming band that reached sudden stardom very fast. With this sudden fame though comes a whole lot of new problems from both adjusting to her new life and also dealing with parents who gaslighted her every opportunity they could for different reasons each time.
Her fellow band members and some of the friends they've made along the way are a central part of this story and I loved all the backstories we got to learn about them. Each person was truly an individual that was learning and growing and changing and I really appreciate that that was shown.

Overall I did enjoy The Brightsiders. It is unapologetically queer and it shows all the different sides of being queer and how it is misunderstood by so many people. It was also interesting to see all of the cultural references happening in this book and how the band used social media to connect with their fans and make the music they were making truly for the fans, and about the fans, while also showing little pieces of their own personal lives at the same time.
Parts of this book especially when they would go out clubbing reminded me of the show the Hills because of all the drama surrounding it and how the media and 'friends' treated them. I do like that it showed how fake people can be and to show to stick to your gut and not change just to fit in.
Another part of this story I enjoyed was how we saw Emma grow and start to understand that she didn't deserve to be treated a certain way by her parents and her significant other. She deserved more and to get that she had to make some tough choices that weren't always easy but she did have a great support system that helped her out along the way.
This was a solid fun read for me and I'm interested to read more by Wilde in the future.

[katie]

Actual rating 4.5 stars because this book was just too allo for me

[Joséphine]

Initial thoughts: The best part about The Brightsiders is the incredibly diverse cast of friends who love and accept one another. Even as Emmy spirals out of control, her friends and cousin care and watch out for her. The toxic relationships Emmy has with her parents and her girlfriend can come off as rather dramatic and over the top. Nonetheless, given the sensitivity with which The Brightsiders addressed the gaslighting, I think there was a good balance all around.

That being said, I wasn't a huge fan of how Emmy's motivations were very much underpinned by attraction and sex. I'm not the most comfortable with that level of detail, especially in YA fiction, but that's just a personal preference. Some readers, I'm sure, will welcome that there are no holds barred in this book.

[Sam@WLABB]

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.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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