Review: Kill The Boy Band

by - 9:10 PM

Kill the Boy Band

Kill the Boy Band

by Goldy Moldavsky
My rating: 5 of 5 stars ✰✰✰✰✰
From debut author Goldy Moldavsky, the story of four superfan friends whose devotion to their favorite boy band has darkly comical and murderous results.
Okay, so just know from the start that it wasn't supposed to go like this. All we wanted was to get near The Ruperts, our favorite boy band.
We didn't mean to kidnap one of the guys. It kind of, sort of happened that way. But now he's tied up in our hotel room. And the worst part of all, it's Rupert P. All four members of The Ruperts might have the same first name, but they couldn't be more different. And Rupert P. is the biggest flop out of the whole group.
We didn't mean to hold hostage a member of The Ruperts, I swear. At least, I didn't. We are fans. Okay, superfans who spend all of our free time tweeting about the boys and updating our fan tumblrs. But so what, that's what you do when you love a group so much it hurts.
How did it get this far? Who knows. I mean midterms are coming up. I really do not have time to go to hell.

The Flaws

Yes, it has its flaws. For one, some parts are confusing. We don't ever learn the MC's actual name, do we? Also, the ending is unsatisfying in a satisfying way. So that's not really a flaw, because the character of this book is just, well, - *sighs dreamily* - NOT the type to get a happy ending.

The Relatability

It totally highlights the importance of fangirling! A book like this is pretty rare to find in the publishing world. It's cynical and dark in all the right places! The sheer brilliance just amazes me, and I think you can tell that I am in total AWE of this book. The brilliance is not the part that's rare, however. I think KTBB was poking fun at certain parts of society in a very thought-provoking way!

A Summary

Basically, the Ruperts are a boy band aka 1D that formed through a competition thing (fuzzy details, man!) where they got grouped together through the sheer fact that there were four Ruperts competing that day, and they could all kinda sing (or at least perform or do something). I had a lot of yelling out and being like, "THAT'S GENIUS!" over the course of reading this (a couple hours spread out over 2 days).

You know, just look at my reading progress from Goodreads! It's quite interesting! Also, I really love how the plot just thickens and gets darker and darker and the MC (do we ever find out her real name?) goes through a lot of questioning her character. Out of the four girls, she's probably the goody-goody, stuck in a shell daydreamer. She is an undeniably strong person, but just from the synopsis, you can tell that the ensuing chaos is going to throw her already fangirl life (fangirls live life on the edge - that's what makes fangirling beautiful) out of whack.

The joy you find as a teen, however frivolous and dumb, is pure, and meaningful. It doesn’t matter that it might ferment and taste different when you’re older. That’s the whole point of being a teenager—not worrying about the future.
Other people may have seen fangirls as crazy teenage girls obsessed with a fad, but they couldn’t understand the small but important joy you can get from indulging in these fandoms. They didn’t understand that a new gif of Rupert K. grinning at you could be the difference between a crap day and a beautiful one. They didn’t get the friendships 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 seems to have forgotten: You hold on to that joy tenaciously, for as long as you can. Because it’s rare to get excited about anything these days. Ask your parents.

These words will always be dear to my heart. There are a LOT more that I can completely relate to, but I can't overload you with all the good quotes can I?

Another total plus: THE HUMOR.

How fabulous is the humor? VERY FABULOUS. The whole plot just keeps twisting and turning and going places that get darker and darker... sometimes I was just like, "She did WHAT?!" and kind of made a really odd face like -


and just had to go on reading! I honestly could not stop. As a fangirl, I just had to know!

Characters

I loved the characters. Apple is ME! See that screenshot of my reading progress up there? Basically, the scene where they actually kidnapped Rupert P. (is this a spoiler? idk - the synopsis tells you!) involved Apple sighting him, then instinctively (where she got this instinct, I don't know and I frankly don't want to) goes over at full speed and then like tackles him or something. It was HILARIOUS, because then she just casually turns up back at the hotel room and is like, "Girls, I found one." HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Apple is introduced as the rich one of their little foursome of fangirls, then you see that she's kind of heavy, and Asian. Man, I relate (kind of kidding, but GO AWAY INSECURITIES).

Onto the actual characters! They're all kind of bubbles - distant, and you don't get to know them too well, even the MC. I daresay especially the MC. I keep highlighting this, but I DON'T EVEN KNOW HER NAME! Names are an important part of identity, you know. Oh well. I get to keep on calling her MC! The story is told in first person, but it definitely reminds me of 3rd person because you are literally only in MC's head and are experiencing only her experiences. I see how this could be interpreted as more like 1st person, but usually, 1st person stories still divulge a lot of the going-ons in the background. This one doesn't, and is very detached (I honestly cannot find the words to describe it better). So it's actually NOT that much like 3rd person, but it's weird. READ THE BOOK. It's fabulously brilliant in how the author figured this style of writing out and realized this style of writing totally fits! All this character development that is not really much character development is on purpose, because this story is a story that isn't meant for you to get attached to. I think it's really just a fun, hilarious story that some will love (like me!), some will be like meh, and some will think it is stupid and a horrible excuse of a book. You'll see what I mean by bubble characters if you read the book; they're all very real yet kind of depicted through a muted shade - MC's eyes. Her thoughts are vague, yet clearly communicated (does that make sense?) as well, but that's all good. It's realistic, and that's what I love! A total band fangirl - depicted in all her realism and ferocity and inner fears and rambunctiousness and trysts through life!

Other

This book also touches on some topics of depression and hallucination. These situations are dark (and funny at the same time), but if you can imagine it, it's just very stressful and could involve jail for assault and kidnapping! (show spoiler) Obviously, when something drastic happens, people start blaming each other - even close friends! Well, "close" friends that turn out to be not so close.... People turn on each other and MC starts doubting herself - it gets dark, I told you! But it's light-hearted at many times, too!

All in all, this was a very satisfying read for me. It's a light (in the beginning), darkly hilarious, and overall kind of cynically SILLY read! I genuinely hope everyone that reads this enjoys KTBB, too! It is really a book that spans a wide range of topics that I felt were justly depicted, and if you like my blog (*crosses fingers* *crosses fingers again* *CROSSES FINGERS SOME MORE*) and you like me as a person (see latter parentheses), check this out! Be a good reader pumpkin!



View all my reviews

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7 comments

  1. I just discovered your blog and I love it! All the books you read are FABULOUS!

    Rose :3
    http://itslookingabitmitty.blogspot.com.au

    ReplyDelete
  2. You have a really pretty blog, dear! And the review is brilliant and truly insightful. Looking forward to reading your other reviews

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. *GASP* THANK YOU SO MUCH! That's the first time anyone's ever liked my reviews outwardly! SQUEEEE! I'm working on another one right now, actually! :)

      Delete
  3. Love this review! I'm SUPER excited to read this book, it's been on my list for a while but I just requested it from the library. It looks like a whole lot of fun and I'm excited to read it!
    -Jon from Bookish Antics

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm so glad you liked this book because I've been dying to read it! (I'm a sucker for music-themed reads and this one sounded really good from the synopsis.)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm glad you enjoyed this book so much! It's definitely been on my radar this past year, but I'm definitely adding it to my TBR pile now! :)

    ReplyDelete

HI. BE YOUNG. BE DOPE. BE PROUD. LIKE AN AMERICAN.
(unless you don't want to. or if you're not american. or young. or dope.)

Monday, March 14, 2016

Review: Kill The Boy Band

Kill the Boy Band

Kill the Boy Band

by Goldy Moldavsky
My rating: 5 of 5 stars ✰✰✰✰✰
From debut author Goldy Moldavsky, the story of four superfan friends whose devotion to their favorite boy band has darkly comical and murderous results.
Okay, so just know from the start that it wasn't supposed to go like this. All we wanted was to get near The Ruperts, our favorite boy band.
We didn't mean to kidnap one of the guys. It kind of, sort of happened that way. But now he's tied up in our hotel room. And the worst part of all, it's Rupert P. All four members of The Ruperts might have the same first name, but they couldn't be more different. And Rupert P. is the biggest flop out of the whole group.
We didn't mean to hold hostage a member of The Ruperts, I swear. At least, I didn't. We are fans. Okay, superfans who spend all of our free time tweeting about the boys and updating our fan tumblrs. But so what, that's what you do when you love a group so much it hurts.
How did it get this far? Who knows. I mean midterms are coming up. I really do not have time to go to hell.

The Flaws

Yes, it has its flaws. For one, some parts are confusing. We don't ever learn the MC's actual name, do we? Also, the ending is unsatisfying in a satisfying way. So that's not really a flaw, because the character of this book is just, well, - *sighs dreamily* - NOT the type to get a happy ending.

The Relatability

It totally highlights the importance of fangirling! A book like this is pretty rare to find in the publishing world. It's cynical and dark in all the right places! The sheer brilliance just amazes me, and I think you can tell that I am in total AWE of this book. The brilliance is not the part that's rare, however. I think KTBB was poking fun at certain parts of society in a very thought-provoking way!

A Summary

Basically, the Ruperts are a boy band aka 1D that formed through a competition thing (fuzzy details, man!) where they got grouped together through the sheer fact that there were four Ruperts competing that day, and they could all kinda sing (or at least perform or do something). I had a lot of yelling out and being like, "THAT'S GENIUS!" over the course of reading this (a couple hours spread out over 2 days).

You know, just look at my reading progress from Goodreads! It's quite interesting! Also, I really love how the plot just thickens and gets darker and darker and the MC (do we ever find out her real name?) goes through a lot of questioning her character. Out of the four girls, she's probably the goody-goody, stuck in a shell daydreamer. She is an undeniably strong person, but just from the synopsis, you can tell that the ensuing chaos is going to throw her already fangirl life (fangirls live life on the edge - that's what makes fangirling beautiful) out of whack.

The joy you find as a teen, however frivolous and dumb, is pure, and meaningful. It doesn’t matter that it might ferment and taste different when you’re older. That’s the whole point of being a teenager—not worrying about the future.
Other people may have seen fangirls as crazy teenage girls obsessed with a fad, but they couldn’t understand the small but important joy you can get from indulging in these fandoms. They didn’t understand that a new gif of Rupert K. grinning at you could be the difference between a crap day and a beautiful one. They didn’t get the friendships 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 seems to have forgotten: You hold on to that joy tenaciously, for as long as you can. Because it’s rare to get excited about anything these days. Ask your parents.

These words will always be dear to my heart. There are a LOT more that I can completely relate to, but I can't overload you with all the good quotes can I?

Another total plus: THE HUMOR.

How fabulous is the humor? VERY FABULOUS. The whole plot just keeps twisting and turning and going places that get darker and darker... sometimes I was just like, "She did WHAT?!" and kind of made a really odd face like -


and just had to go on reading! I honestly could not stop. As a fangirl, I just had to know!

Characters

I loved the characters. Apple is ME! See that screenshot of my reading progress up there? Basically, the scene where they actually kidnapped Rupert P. (is this a spoiler? idk - the synopsis tells you!) involved Apple sighting him, then instinctively (where she got this instinct, I don't know and I frankly don't want to) goes over at full speed and then like tackles him or something. It was HILARIOUS, because then she just casually turns up back at the hotel room and is like, "Girls, I found one." HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Apple is introduced as the rich one of their little foursome of fangirls, then you see that she's kind of heavy, and Asian. Man, I relate (kind of kidding, but GO AWAY INSECURITIES).

Onto the actual characters! They're all kind of bubbles - distant, and you don't get to know them too well, even the MC. I daresay especially the MC. I keep highlighting this, but I DON'T EVEN KNOW HER NAME! Names are an important part of identity, you know. Oh well. I get to keep on calling her MC! The story is told in first person, but it definitely reminds me of 3rd person because you are literally only in MC's head and are experiencing only her experiences. I see how this could be interpreted as more like 1st person, but usually, 1st person stories still divulge a lot of the going-ons in the background. This one doesn't, and is very detached (I honestly cannot find the words to describe it better). So it's actually NOT that much like 3rd person, but it's weird. READ THE BOOK. It's fabulously brilliant in how the author figured this style of writing out and realized this style of writing totally fits! All this character development that is not really much character development is on purpose, because this story is a story that isn't meant for you to get attached to. I think it's really just a fun, hilarious story that some will love (like me!), some will be like meh, and some will think it is stupid and a horrible excuse of a book. You'll see what I mean by bubble characters if you read the book; they're all very real yet kind of depicted through a muted shade - MC's eyes. Her thoughts are vague, yet clearly communicated (does that make sense?) as well, but that's all good. It's realistic, and that's what I love! A total band fangirl - depicted in all her realism and ferocity and inner fears and rambunctiousness and trysts through life!

Other

This book also touches on some topics of depression and hallucination. These situations are dark (and funny at the same time), but if you can imagine it, it's just very stressful and could involve jail for assault and kidnapping! (show spoiler) Obviously, when something drastic happens, people start blaming each other - even close friends! Well, "close" friends that turn out to be not so close.... People turn on each other and MC starts doubting herself - it gets dark, I told you! But it's light-hearted at many times, too!

All in all, this was a very satisfying read for me. It's a light (in the beginning), darkly hilarious, and overall kind of cynically SILLY read! I genuinely hope everyone that reads this enjoys KTBB, too! It is really a book that spans a wide range of topics that I felt were justly depicted, and if you like my blog (*crosses fingers* *crosses fingers again* *CROSSES FINGERS SOME MORE*) and you like me as a person (see latter parentheses), check this out! Be a good reader pumpkin!



View all my reviews

7 comments:

  1. I just discovered your blog and I love it! All the books you read are FABULOUS!

    Rose :3
    http://itslookingabitmitty.blogspot.com.au

    ReplyDelete
  2. You have a really pretty blog, dear! And the review is brilliant and truly insightful. Looking forward to reading your other reviews

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. *GASP* THANK YOU SO MUCH! That's the first time anyone's ever liked my reviews outwardly! SQUEEEE! I'm working on another one right now, actually! :)

      Delete
  3. Love this review! I'm SUPER excited to read this book, it's been on my list for a while but I just requested it from the library. It looks like a whole lot of fun and I'm excited to read it!
    -Jon from Bookish Antics

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm so glad you liked this book because I've been dying to read it! (I'm a sucker for music-themed reads and this one sounded really good from the synopsis.)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm glad you enjoyed this book so much! It's definitely been on my radar this past year, but I'm definitely adding it to my TBR pile now! :)

    ReplyDelete

HI. BE YOUNG. BE DOPE. BE PROUD. LIKE AN AMERICAN.
(unless you don't want to. or if you're not american. or young. or dope.)