readingwithwrin
Written on Aug 16, 2020
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.
