I'm your biggest fan: an "All of This Is True" review

YA fandom is an interesting place. I haven’t been as involved as others, but I can vividly recall the drama that exploded in the community in the past year: the call-out culture, Harper’s marketing decisions for Carve the Mark, the purge of The Black Witch, and the Victoria Aveyard blog post backlash. Those are only a few examples, but they’ve lingered in the corners of my mind due to one reason. A lot of this stuff happened without anyone knowing the author in real life. Maybe people just wanted to let out their anger and not worry about the consequences. Writers have feelings just like the rest of us, and if we don’t view and treat their work critically and with respect, let’s just say there will be major consequences (I am testament to this; I was friends with an author and wrote a very snap judgment review of one of her books, so now we are no longer friends). But what’s the real definition of right and wrong when it comes to this kind of intimate situation? That’s what All of This Is True tries to answer. Lygia Day Peñaflor’s second novel is an addicting page-turner that explores morality, the obsessiveness found in fan culture, and how far one is willing to go to create the perfect story. Although lacking in rich characterization and a concise thematic statement, Peñaflor makes up for it with the portrait of four teens colliding with a college graduate author. Told through interviews, texts, journal entries, and a book within the book, AoTIT is never dull and thrills even after the last page has turned.

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Author Fatima Ro has just released her newest novel, The Absolution of Brady Stevenson. It’s a story about a high school junior seeking forgiveness for something he was involved in back at his old school’s wrestling team. It’s also about the three girls that befriend him and take him to a book signing featuring their favorite author. They plan to befriend her and see where everything goes, as long as they can take a break from the lavish parties they’ve been known for. Ironically, the latter part is where All of This Is True begins. Through Nelson Anthony’s interviews for Naked Truth TV, loyal fan Miri Tan and rich girl Penny Panzarella share their takes. Miri believes all that happened and what was published about her and her friends in Ro’s novel isn’t damaging, no matter if Jonah, the guy, ended up in the hospital. Penny, however, disagrees, saying although she wanted to be more than the shallow person everyone thought she was, she believes what the crew did for Fatima amounted to an infringement of privacy. Journal entries from Soleil, sold to a popular magazine, show her devotion and blossoming love with Jonah, pushed on by Fatima, seeking her approval and pointers when she uncovers the darkness of his past. Revelations are revealed bit by bit as the girls’ friendship with the novelist grows and she herself becomes attached to Jonah. What does his reserved nature hide? Could he be the potential subject of her next book? As you can see, things get complicated fairly quickly. Although some may consider becoming best friends with a published author ludicrous, it’s fascinating to see it played directly as a fantasy here. It’s the kind of illicit thriller that leaves constant “what if?” questions bouncing in your head. Peñaflor does a nice job keeping the reader on their toes throughout, always revealing pieces of new info through Miri’s defiant dedication, Soleil’s past optimism, Penny’s bewilderment, and Brady’s shrinking isolation that could very well parallel Jonah’s (and probably does). This way, the shocking secrets that are dropped later on are much more effective. I also loved how scary the obsession got on both sides. It really calls into question how devoted some fans can be, how they can feel the rights to the characters created by someone else even if they don’t, how they can wait in line for hours and still want more, how they can only love another person when they start seeming like someone famous. It’s creepy to think about, but it’s nailed perfectly here. Whether it’s through the girls or Fatima’s novel looking exactly like the lives of the kids, I couldn’t look away. However, there were some problems with AoTIT. I feel like the characterizations for everyone felt very surface-level, so the writing picked up a lot of the sensationalist happenings of the plot. Additionally, some of the writing at the beginning felt awkward, like it was attempting to sound like teen lingo but somewhat missed the mark. Also, I feel like the book’s thematic arc shifted by the end. Although its ending discussions on whether someone’s character can change from bad things they’ve done are good, I wanted it to tie back into the fan culture discussion instead of creating a new topic. I was a little disappointed that it didn’t. Regardless, if you’re looking for a salacious beach read this summer, All of This Is True checks all the boxes. It might not have the most captivating characters or a clear theme, but it’ll keep you hooked.