Monday, May 16, 2016

Review: Gena/Finn by Hannah Moskowitz & Kat Helgeson

Gena/Finn
By Hannah Moskowitz & Kat Helgeson
Publisher:
Chronicle Books
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
Publication Date: May 17, 2016

To Sum It Up: Genevieve “Gena” Goldman and Stephanie “Finn” Bartlett’s shared love for a TV show brings them together online. They form an instant rapport that quickly develops into friendship both online and in real life. All of the time Finn spends texting, emailing, and chatting online with Gena starts taking a toll on Finn's relationship with her steady boyfriend, Charlie, who isn’t aware of how deep Finn’s devotion to her fandom runs. When Gena desperately needs a friend by her side, though, Finn can’t turn away, even if it means not having a future with Charlie.

Review: I don’t remember the last time I read a book in a day, and a contemporary to boot. The narrative format of Gena/Finn is quite unique; the story is told through blog posts (with comments!), fanfics, texts, emails, chats, and even good old-fashioned handwritten journal entries. I’d never read a novel structured like this; I’ve read an epistolary novel or two, but Gena/Finn includes just about every form of digital communication. As a blogger, my interest was definitely piqued when I opened the book to a blog post, and once I started reading, I couldn’t stop.

The novel’s format is a winner, and perhaps because the blog posts and email/text exchanges aren’t all that long, the book is a very compulsive read. I confess that I’m usually a little skeptical of books that go out on a limb with the narrative structure because I’m afraid they’re going to end up being a gimmick that overshadows everything else. There is no such issue with Gena/Finn, and I’m really impressed with the creativity that went into telling this story in a rather unconventional fashion.

Gena is a boarding school student who’s about to graduate and attend a prestigious university. Finn is a college graduate who followed her boyfriend to California and is working jobs that help pay the bills but which don’t utilize her degree in art history. What Gena and Finn share is a hardcore love for a TV series called Up Below. Both post online about it, and that’s where they meet. They click immediately, united by their passion for their fandom. I completely understood the instant connection; it’s the same thrill I feel every time another book blogger says, “Hey! I LOVED that book, too!” There’s something very comforting in knowing that there’s another person out there in the world who loves the same thing, whether it’s a book, a TV series, a movie, etc., on the same level that you do, especially when your family and friends greet you with quizzical looks whenever you fangirl over Book X or Movie Y. Yet again.

Gena/Finn features lots of hilarious snark, which I very much enjoyed. The book takes on a heavier tone later on, but the shift doesn’t feel abrupt, and the turn of the plot underlines just how strong Gena and Finn’s friendship has become. This is a cleverly written novel that grabbed my attention straightaway and didn’t let go. It was also a very relatable book; truly the greatest thing about blogging has been the friendships that have formed over the past few years. There’s quite a bit of resonance to be found within the pages of this book for anyone who’s part of an online community, as well as a poignant story told in a very unique way.

All in All: This book was a super fast read, and an enjoyable one. My inner nerd especially loved all of the details that went into the book’s formatting, like the vertical scroll bar graphics on the edges of each page that accurately marked your progress in the book. Clever!

8 comments:

  1. I think it's the format that made this extra good for you. I read a romance formatted in email correspondences, at first I thought it'll be boring, then I found myself breezing through the story.

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    1. There's definitely something about the format that makes the book compulsively readable. Maybe because you're reading in bite-sized pieces and it doesn't feel like you're reading pages and pages, and before you know it, you've read the whole book, lol.

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  2. I saw this on Bloglovin and had to click since I just added this book to my TBR. My second visit to your blog today lol. Anyway glad this was good- I'm definitely intrigued by the format. Told through blog posts and other forms of digital communication- what a great idea! Looking forward to this one!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by again, lol! I hope you enjoy this as much as I did; I'm eager to check out your thoughts on it! :D

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  3. Oh wow this sounds like an awesome read! And a contemporary I could get into - imagine that! I love the idea of blog post formating, especially since we're all bloggers who developed lovely friendships that way :) The only other epistolary novel I read was Illuminae but that was definitely a winner for me so now I want to read more books with that structure! Thanks for bringing this one to my attention Lee and glad you enjoyed it so much! xxxx

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    1. This book did hit home for me in a way; watching the friendship develop between the MCs was absolutely relatable. :D I also loved how devoted they were to their TV show; it definitely reminded me of how devoted we book bloggers are to our favorite characters. ♥

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  4. I remember really enjoying getting to see Kat from Lux Chronicles be a book blogger and the companionship I felt with her just for having that in common. I bet with the way this one is set up and how their friendship evolved, this would definitely hit home for the majority of us! Excellent review :D Thank you so much for sharing, I hadn't seen this one before!

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    1. I was thrilled to find out that Katy was a book blogger, too, and I really liked how her blogging was mentioned quite a bit. And you're right- Gena/Finn definitely hit home, which was a huge part of what made it an engrossing read!

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