(She thanks a few people in the acknowledgements who I imagine had something to do with this portrayal, too, so shoutout to them.)

Cis writers can and absolutely should write trans characters, but not stories about being trans, and I felt Oseman balanced that one really well.

Both of these felt like a respectful way for a cis, non-Muslim author to approach the subject, and showed that representation can be done without being appropriative. Similarly, Angel is Muslim, but her story isn’t about being Muslim, even if it’s a major part of her life. Even though it was an important part of Jimmy’s life, Oseman didn’t dwell on it or fetishize it, despite also making a point not to understate how it affected his experiences of fame. I liked that it had trans representation but it wasn’t a story about being trans. Jimmy’s fame meant that it played out on a larger stage than just personal drama, which made the stakes feel higher. (A surprise, since I loved Radio Silence if your opinion on those two books is the reverse of mine, I don’t know whether this will be a good book for you or a bad one.) Arguably it had more plot - it was certainly on a larger scale. This also for me felt a lot closer to Radio Silence than to Solitaire in terms of tone, which is good, because I really wasn’t a fan of the latter. It felt more respectful than when people write about fandom from outside it, since they tend only to show the cringe and obsession rather than the real and genuine feelings. Although she’s said on Twitter that she’s never met one of her celebrity heroes, and certainly not in the way that happens in this book, her portrayal of fandom is great. Oseman is young, and active in online fan communities, which means she writes teenagers in a way that feels true, and that’s what I like most about her work. Like Radio Silence, this had the advantage of feeling authentic.

I was born this way alice oseman