Book Review Thoughts: Kill the Boy Band by Goldy Moldavsky

Book: Kill the Boy Band by Goldy Moldavsky
Genre: YA Contemporary
Rating:★★★☆☆

Ah this book. It's going to be a very mixed review!

We'd seen it everywhere it seemed and finally one day we gave in and bought it. The curiosity of this title was too much. And once I started reading it  I was instantly laughing. The feelings and passion of being in a boy band fandom were nailed completely. I wanted to get a highlighter out and mark some things.

Like this:

It's understandable fangirls get a bad rap all the time. They say we're weird, historical, obsessed, certifiable. But those people don't understand. Just because I love something a lot doesn't mean I'm crazy. And I did love (insert favorite boy band here) a lot. 

Or this:

Being a fan girl was just fun.... I know it doesn't sound like much but those few seconds of dizzy excitement were worth it just for how alive they made you feel....tingly and jittery and crazed... in the best way. A natural high, truly.... It was butterflies of the best kind. 

And this:

They didn't understand that a new gif of (insert favorite boy here) grinning at you could be the difference between a crap day and a beautiful one. They didn't get the friendship that formed, the community of people who shared in your same joy. Maybe it was obsession, but it was also happiness, an escape from the suckiness of everyday life. And when you find something that makes you happy and giddy and excited every day, us fangirls know a truth that everyone else seemed to have forgotten, you hold on to that joy tenaciously, for as long as you can. Because it's rare to get exited about anything these days. Ask your parents.(Or insert all your critical people here.)

That last one is my favorite. Truly. Pretty much exactly what I feel about the subject.

But back to the review....

Okay, so once that initial explanation was over and the story actually got going, everything pretty much went south. These crazy fangirls end up kidnapping one of the boys from their favorite band. And they are nasty to him... and he's nasty to them. Omo! The things they say to each other! And one of the girls who loves him most pretty much assaults him. Like it's just ick. And then they leave for a bit because they get his key card and go ransack the boys' room. Which is also disgusting.  And when they come back, this boy is DEAD! And so now they can't figure out how THAT happened. And so they drag him back to his room and let his buddies deal with it! And then they (the boys) all get in trouble. And they are al awful too. Like... stupid, dirty, obnoxious sort of awful.

And by that time I was like... can I finish this book already! Ugh. It was terrible, in both content and language. Like f-words and other curse words constantly. And lots of sex talk and abuse talk and I don't know. Just ugh. And not one redeeming character. The boys were all disgusting, which I think I said already, (expect one who seemed a fraction better than the others) and the girls were all equal disgusting (including the narrator who only seemed to have a glimmer of niceness.)

And so I wanted it to end, but still I couldn't look away.

And now I yearn for a similar book only with not quite the awful characters and perhaps not quite the awful content. Know what I mean? I'd love a similar book with some swoon and romance. Some cool guys and cool fangirls. Some funny and silly stuff. I want THAT boy band book!!!

Sigh.

Bottom Line: In the end, I rated it as high as I did because of the awesome quotes about being part of a fandom and because it hooked me and made me turn pages even though I was moaning all throughout.

Other Reviews:

the novel imagines just what would happen if "crazy fangirls" were to meet their idols and find out they were not as magical as they appeared. From The Electrical Book Cafe and More

I find all of the characters grossly offensive and problematic on pretty much every level. If the author was aiming for satire, she missed. From The Englishist

A really charming book that had me at times smiling, rooting for these girls and sometimes really hating the boy band at times or what fandom really means and the lengths that people/fans go to. From Books of Love

People will always make fun of girls who love boy bands. It’s an unfortunate fact. This is the book that will make anyone smart fear and respect teenage girls, what they love, and what they will do to you if you push them to their breaking point. From The YA Kitten