The Brightsiders, by Jen Wilde, follows Emmy King on her journey to put her life back together after her reputation is torn to shreds. Emmy is a drummer in the hit band “The Brightsiders,” and after a night partying at a club, she winds up in the hospital, and her girlfriend winds up in jail. Fortunately, Emmy has her band and her friends to support her as she finds her way back to herself. The strength of this novel stems from the characters. As much as the book had to do with celebrity, it also touched on identity and the bravery required to live in the world without putting on a front. The main characters were Emmy and her bandmates, Alfie and Ryan, along with Emmy’s best friend Chloe. Characters from Wilde’s other novel, Queens of Geek, had cameos, which, SQUEAL!! Queens of Geek is one of the best fandom novels I've read, and all of it was so incredibly sweet. Back to The Brightsiders: The diversity and representation in this book was amazing. What I appreciated the most was that it felt natural, rather than having token characters inserted. Emmy is bisexual, Alfie is pansexual and genderqueer, Ryan is bisexual and Korean-American, and Chloe is genderqueer and black. They were all outspoken and unapologetically themselves, which allowed Emmy herself to heal and grow into her own identity.
I think the most important issues addressed in The Brightsiders have to be alcohol abuse and toxic relationships, both familial and romantic. There aren’t many Young Adult books which focus on these topics, but they are issues faced by many teens. Wilde did a great job of not only building these aspects of Emmy’s life, but also offering hope to real teens in the form of Emmy’s journey. Emmy had friends to take care of her and help her when she was down, but she also had a drive within her that only she learned. She was always genuinely willing to become a better person, and how to better herself instead of placing blame. I also liked that she learned how to face facts and make the hard choice, because not every problem can be solved with compromise. The Brightsiders also offers a new take on the lives of celebrities, but that led to the plot feeling plastic. A lot of Emmy’s life was affected by how others, especially the media, would perceive her, and most of the drama stemmed from her appearances and run-ins with paparazzi. I feel that the emphasis given to these interactions was disproportionate to the amount of times they occur. I would much rather read scenes focused on the band, or other character arcs other than Emmy’s. Lastly, the romance. As Emmy finds her way, she grows closer to Alfie as well. Their dynamic was absolutely swoon-worthy. They were kind and supportive of each other, especially Alfie. He gave Emmy the courage to stand up to the negativity in her life, without diminishing her own accomplishments. I would give The Brightsiders four stars, and encourage readers to pick it up. It offers a refreshing dose of diversity and positivity, as well as an adorable romance!
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The BaronessHey, I'm Shreya! I love to read, write, travel, and drink tea. Disclosure: I am an affiliate of bookshop.org and I will earn a small commission if you click the above link and make a purchase.
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