| Title | : | Going Off Script |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 304 |
| Publication | : | First published May 21, 2019 |
Seventeen-year-old Bex is thrilled when she gets an internship on her favorite tv show, Silver Falls. Unfortunately, the internship isn't quite what she expected... instead of sitting in a crowded writer's room volleying ideas back and forth, Production Interns are stuck picking up the coffee.
Determined to prove her worth as a writer, Bex drafts her own script and shares it with the head writer―who promptly reworks it and passes it off as his own! Bex is understandably furious, yet...maybe this is just how the industry works? But when they rewrite her proudly lesbian character as straight, that's the last straw! It's time for Bex and her crush to fight back.
Jen Wilde's newest novel is both a fun, diverse love story and a very relevant, modern take on the portrayal of LGBT characters in media.
Going Off Script Reviews
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This was a great read. I loved the main character, a relatable Useless Lesbian™. I loved her romance and her relationship with her cousin. This is partly a coming out story, not the full story.
The whole straight-washing part is actually something that showed up much later so I'm confused why it was in the summary. I do like how it went though.
I will say one gripe I had was that the antagonist sort of character was a little too cartoonish but not the worst thing in the world.
Super cute and fun. Really enjoyed it. -
I don't think I've ever smiled this much in my life. everyone say thank you jen wilde
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♡ ❤ ♡ ❤ ♡ ❤ ♡ ❤ ♡ ❤ ♡ ❤ ♡ ❤ ♡
#WeAreLyla -
"Sometimes you need to fight to be heard, especially when you're the only woman in a room full of men."
Going Off Script by Jen Wilde is a young-adult contemporary novel that follows the story of Bex Phillips, a lesbian 18-year-old who travels down to LA after she is given an internship on her favorite TV show, Silver Falls, where she hopes to catch a glimpse of her dream world where wants to be a writer. Along the way, she happens to meet a fellow lesbian in the industry, Shrupty Padwal, and sparks just happen to fly. Unfortunately, though Bex is exploring first love and in the land of dreams, she has to learn to navigate the politics of this industry and deal with straight-washing from cis straight white men in power.
Y'all...I don't even where to begin with this novel. It means everything and more to me. (If you're over 21, take a shot every time I say that in a review.)
Regardless, it is true.
Jen Wilde is one of my favorite authors of all-time, and she continues to wow me with every novel she releases, and Going Off Script is no exception.
First of all, this novel is just a damn good novel. It is well-written, intriguing, and a very quick read (in the best way possible).
Wilde has this tendency of including these very media-centric themes in her work, and I just love that. First, she explores YouTube and movies with Queens of Geek, then, music and bands with The Brightsiders, and now, television and YouTube once more with Going Off Script.
These plotlines just interest me so much - maybe because of my interest in media and entertainment (hi i have a youtube channel lol) - but I just think that they're so fitting with the world we live in today and they're such unique explorations that I rarely get to read about in the majority of the books I read.
I also really love Wilde's habit of allowing her previous characters to make cameos in her books, though a few characters make a bit more than a cameo in this one - Charlie and Alyssa from QOG and Will and Ryan (and Emmy and Chloe) from TB. Whereas these books aren't connected plot-wise and they can be read on their own, for those of us who do reads all of them, it's just a nice addition that enhances the reading experience. (Also, I highly recommend that you do read all of them.)
But now...as we all know is a necessity in my reviews, let's get into the ~ deep ~ stuff.
Going Off Script features a lesbian main character who falls for an Indian lesbian character, and the two fight against homophobes and people in power which is just...so meaningful y'all.
There are so many things this novel got right, and that just made my lil' queer brown heart so happy.
First, I want to talk about Shrupty Padwal, the love interest. Shrupty is a badass Indian lesbian YouTuber who makes beauty-related videos until she finds her talent for acting after meeting Bex, and she decides to explore that for a bit."I guess I'm just nervous. I feel a lot of responsibility to get this character right, you know? It's not every day that a gay Indian girl gets to play a gay Indian girl...I want to make sure I do it justice."
"Do you know how many times this town has tried to change me? When I started my YouTube channel, people said I should focus more on my beauty tutorials and tone down my political talk. I said no. When my videos started going viral, people said I should change my name to something that makes white people more comfortable. I said no...I'm so tired of people trying to erase who I am."
I legitimately cannot tell you if I want to be Shrupty or if I want to date Shrupty, but I can tell you that I love her with my whole entire heart. I don't know if there are words to fully express how I feel about her character, but let's just say...it means a whole fucking lot.
Then, there's Bex, our leading woman*.
*"...I'm still firmly in the questioning category when it comes to my gender identity. And, ugh, that whole scenario is exhausting to think about."
(relatable content Bex)
Bex is a character who really comes into her own over the course of this novel. She goes from a closeted lil' queer girl to an out-and-proud badass (not that being closeted makes you less badass, but being out-and-proud gave Bex the confidence to be herself) who fights back against bigots with too much power.
I really loved seeing the progression of her bond with her cousin, Parker, as the two are literal icons, and I loved seeing her relationship with her best friend, Gabby, and her bond with her mom. I loved how all these important and vital relationships weren't kicked to the back burner in the process of exploring her relationship with Shrupty, rather, all of the relationships - familial, platonic, and romantic - flourished throughout the course of the novel.
But...I also did love the relationship between Bex and Shrupty.The moment I see her smile, I light up like Times Square on New Year's Eve.
I would die,,,for my two lesbian moms,,,whose chemistry makes the queer world go-round.
No, but, seriously, the relationship is just SO GOOD, but it truly is something you have explore for yourself by reading this novel.
I also want to give a shout-out to a few other parts of this novel:
First of all, the use of the word lesbian.Damn these cryptic lesbian linguistics.
"Remember why we did all this - to give queer teens the badass lesbian werewolf romance they've never seen."
Oftentimes, I feel like the word 'lesbian' is avoided in exchange of 'gay' or 'queer' - and for some people, those other labels are right and that's valid - but so is lesbian as a label. And it is often not used because idk sexism and fetishization and whatnot, so to see it on the page just...meant so much to me. To know that these two characters are lesbians, that it isn't something that's not explicitly stated on the page, just makes me very, very happy.
I also want to acknowledge the seamless inclusion of using meds."You're still on Ritalin, yeah?"
I nod. "And Lexapro now, too."
He raises his hand to the air. "Same, girl, same."
Whereas this isn't fully delved into throughout the novel, Bex's reasons for using Ritalin are discussed, her dealings with anxiety are mentioned, and the meds are brought up casually throughout the novel, which is just so important in fighting to destigmatize medication.
And finally, I want to discuss one last aspect of this novel - Bex coming from a poor family and feeling ashamed. This truly was an exquisitely explored arc of the novel, and it was handled in the most beautiful manner possible."I was embarrassed. I was ashamed of who I am and where I come from, but not anymore."
This novel is just beautiful in every which way, and I am thankful and so grateful to have it in life. I highly, highly recommend you pick it up.
disclaimer: i received an arc in exchange for an honest review, this in no way impacted my opinion. -
Just what I've come to expect from Jen Wilde: fluffy, queer, and totally enthralling. I read this almost entirely in a day, and I finished it frantically reading while walking home from the bus stop, unable to put it down. It also has some overlapping side characters from Queens of Geek and The Brightsiders. There are so many geeky references, and so much love for fandom--especially queer fandom. There's also anxiety rep from the main character and talk of growing up poor. Two of the side characters (including the love interest) are queer women of colour (Alyssa is Black and Shrupty is Indian-American). Is the villain a bit mustache-twirling? Sure. Is the happy ending a little more cotton candy than is realistic? Probably. But that's the point! This is an amazing, escapist, revenge-against-the-heteropatriarchy-media read. It's the perfect book for when you want a queer read that's fun, fast-paced, and heartwarming.
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update, dec 3o 2020: this was just as delightful the second time around and I smiled so damn hard the whole time
Anyways this was perfection go read it.
In all seriousness though, this book blew me away. I will recognize that it objectively had some flaws - there were definitely parts that could have been developed a lot more.
But fuck I loved this book.
Going Off Script is a love letter to queerness. It so perfectly sums up so many of my feelings and experiences (as well as so many things that I personally haven't experienced, that are so important too). Reading it felt like a warm hug.
It didn't gloss over the difficulties, but that's what I loved. It shows the difficulties, it shows the hardships. And it says fuck it, you deserve better than this.
Bex and Shrupty (and the rest of the gang) refuse to be silenced. They refuse to stand for the same old bullshit. So they stand up and they do something. And reading that? That made me feel pretty fucking empowered.
This book is a love letter to queerness, and a big 'fuck you' to the allocishet white men who think they can get away with anything, and most of all it's a book about the power that queer girls - that anyone - can have if they stand up and fight.
Read this book y'all. It's pretty fucking amazing. -
Hate to judge a book by its cover but...
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“This place isn't sunshine and palm trees. It's a mirage that looks like paradise from a distance, but when you get here it's just a dirty, shallow lake with a painted backdrop. Clever lighting and counterfeit smiles draw you in and then chew you up and leave you on the cutting room floor like you're nothing.”
this was cute!. I picked it up because I adored Jen Wilde's
Queens of Geek and wanted to give more of her books a chance. While I didn't love this as much as QoG, it was fun and sweet and a nice easy end of the year read.
Going off Script follows Bex Phillips, who is just starting her brand new internship at her favourite TV show. Bex wants to be a writer and this opportunity in LA seems perfect for her. But things go wrong then the showrunner steals one of her scripts, and then straight washes the lesbian characters she wrote within it. What follows is Bex struggle to get recognition for her work, and to get the f/f couple she wrote for the show made canon.
This is a really fandom-y read which I like. I always like books that involve internet fandoms and stuff in some way. I thought the focus on representation in the media and the dissection of how the film and television industry sidelines marginalised voices was interesting and well-done for the short length of this book. I also really loved Bex relationship with her cousin, as well as the f/f relationship between her and her Indian coworker Shrupty. They were very sweet and cute and I liked watching their romance develop.
The villain was a little cartoonish, and the resolution to the problem a little too simple, but I liked the process of getting there and I understand the point of the villain. I also thought some of the dialogue was a bit stilted, people don't exactly talk like that in real life and it pulled me out the story.
But my complaints are minor and overall I had a positive experience reading this. While this book didn't do anything that makes me think it'll stick with me forever, I still had fun reading it. It was short and sweet and easy and made me happy. I definitely need to read more of Jen Wilde's books -
Given that Queens of Geek and The Brightsiders were five and four stars, respectively, and the former a favorite, I truly thought that if anyone could make me not hate a "serious topic fandom book", it would Jen Wilde.
But.
Nope nope nope.
Content/trigger warnings for sexism, misogyny, anxiety, ADHD, mentions of medication, mentions of past bullying, mentions of poverty, mentions of parental abandonment, coming out, cheating, queerphobic language, queerphobia, mentions of past homophobia, alcohol, underage drinking, predatory men, mentions of vomit, mentions of past racism,
Rep: Bex (MC) is gay with ADHD and anxiety and questioning her gender*. Shrupty (LI) is gay and Indian. Parker (SC) is gay. Alyssa (SC) is queer and Black. Will (SC) is gay.
*Bex says "I'm still firmly in the questioning category when it comes to my gender identity" and then it's never explored or even brought up again. So, it's not an active part of the story, it's just mentioned that her gender identity label is "questioning".
I'm going to start with the two and a half positives I have.
One being the only two times the book made me laugh. When Bex writes "I'm gay" on pancakes and gives them to Parker in an attempt to come out to him, and he reads it and is like "I am gay! yay! gaycakes!" that was super adorable. And when Shrupty's dad comes downstairs when they're gathering to film their teaser video and he's all shy like "um...hello strangers in my basement" he kind of won me over with that one line.
Two being the one excerpt that I liked enough to mark down. When Bex tells Shrupty about being poor and she's like, "that's okay, money isn't important" and Bex says, "See, you say that, but it is. Money matters a lot, especially when you don't have it. People love to talk about poverty like it's romantic or grounding or character building. But it's stressful. It's traumatic. It's, like, ninety percent of why I'm so anxious all the time." and whew true!!!!!! People who say "money isn't important/everything" are people who have it. Money is everything to people who don't have it. It could literally change their lives. The dismissive mindset that money isn't important or helpful comes from privilege.
And the half being how unapologetically queer it is. I'm counting this as a half because it's such a basic, given part of a Jen Wilde book at this point.
Now, the main negative event.
This feels like it's written by a bitter queer fan with a fantasy of hauling their teenage self into a writers room and taking over with their fanfiction writing experience and personal anger about their one specific favorite queer character/ship being screwed over, instead of being an actual well thought out commentary on queerbaiting, straightwashing, representation, etc. It takes a serious issue that very much matters to a lot of people and makes it shallow and cringeworthy by putting it through the eyes of a naive, teen fangirl.
It would've been better from the POV of an older, queer writer or showrunner (*cough* Jane *cough*) fucking shit up and calling shit out from within her own writers room. Teens can definitely have articulate, important discussions, but in my experience, books about important topics like queerbaiting and representation through the POV of a teenage fangirl makes the importance of the message a bit watered down and shallow. Need I remind anyone of the hot fucking mess that is the book Ship It by Britta Lundin? That shit made a mockery out of these topics, and this book doesn't do it justice, either.
A very big part of why this take on this topic doesn't work is because it's so specific to these characters. This isn't a book about queer people fighting against Hollywood's queerbaiting and straightwashing. This book is about one queer girl fighting to keep the queer character she wrote played by her girlfriend on her favorite show. Her and her like three friends, who are queer actors on the show, team up to create social media buzz about the queerbaiting and straightwashing and expose the showrunner for being a one dimensional bad guy. When they get what they want (the showrunner fired, the queer character and ship back, the one decent female writer becoming showrunner, and Bex being offered an actual job) the fight is over. They celebrate their win and Bex says it's her happy ending. The book ends.
There is literally zero mention of real life examples of Bury Your Gays, straightwashing, queerbaiting, cast/writers mocking queer fans for thinking their characters could be queer, etc. There is no mention of how when a single instance of a campaign for queer rep is successful it doesn't end there. There is not one single mention of these characters saying or thinking about how they're going to keep doing this kind of advocacy for queer rep. There is no fucking acknowledgement anywhere of how just because they won this one single specific battle, that they got one single person fired and one single character and ship, doesn't mean they changed anything on a greater scale, doesn't mean the problem is gone, doesn't mean the fight is over.
But what can you really expect from an author who makes their main queer character a Clexa stan? The Clexa fandom made all these campaigns about how queer rep is important and minorities aren't disposable and to not Bury Your Gays, but they only cared about Lexa. They never mentioned any other queer characters or characters that represent any minorities. They never even mentioned the shitty treatment of minorities on their own fucking show, outside of Lexa. Their own fandom was racist towards the male lead and biphobic towards the female lead. A lesbian from another show was killed off around the same time and they didn't rally over her. Their "movement" died down when they didn't get what they wanted. And this book ends with these characters "winning" by getting what they personally wanted and not even sparing a thought about how the fight doesn't end, and didn't even begin, with them and their character/ship.
Now, these are some more negatives.
I can't stand the main character. Bex is so childish and naive that I can't even root for her. Everything she did and thought annoyed me. She had so many childish, naive expectations of people and situations and was so shocked and upset when faced with the reality. She 100% reads several years younger than she actually is, which is 18. She's supposed to be this awkward, clumsy relatable fangirl geek, but she's just so cringeworthy. And some of the "teen speak" feels like an adult plucked out how teens in fandoms talk online and figured that's how they all talk in real life. An example of Bex being super cringe is when Shrupty perfectly destroys Archer for being a gross douche who won't take no for an answer, Bex yells at him to get some ice for that burn as he's walking away. Like, please shut up.
Fiction within fiction. One of the many things I hate. Fandom books do not need excerpts from fanfiction, TV show scripts, and books. They really do not need several pages of the characters acting out scenes from the show as their characters, like the full audition scene the love interest had in this book. Not necessary. 0/10 would not recommend.
I'm starting to get annoyed with people use the term queer, but then write things like "with every [queerphobic] word he says, I deflate a little more. It's just another reminder that oh, right, I'm different" because the word queer historically is specifically about embracing and taking pride in that difference. Not being desperate for non-queer approval to the point of assimilating to that culture and society and forgetting how we're different in the first place. Queer isn't a cute polished little umbrella term we use because the mainstream approves of it. It's raw and angry and political and radical and a defiant celebration of everything that is different about us, everything people reject about us. Queer people don't forget we're different, we embrace it. That line just really rubbed me the wrong and reminds me of the people who think queer is simply another word for "LGBT".
Other dislikes
"Antisocial" doesn't mean what y'all think it means. Bex projecting her own internalized hatred and shame of being poor onto literally everyone around her even after her cousin called her out for doing it to him. The cliche "character A tells character B something important but character B is asleep". Insta fucking love. "Big dick energy". The constant "we have the whole fandom behind us this isn't over" mentality is ridiculous and naive, because you won't get anywhere if the people who are actually in charge don't give a fuck. The use of "mansplaining" in a situation where literally no mansplaining is happening. The relationship conflict is super ridiculous and could have been avoided with, you guessed it, communication! -
CW: homophobic comments (challenged)
I was actually very excited to read this book before it’s release but I somehow lost sight of it among all other new releases. When I was browsing my list of books to be read (which actually aren’t on my Goodreads tbr), I realized I had completely forgotten about this one and immediately decided to pick it up. And I’m so happy that I did.
I really loved the author’s The Brightsiders last year, so I was pretty sure I was gonna enjoy this book too. Imagine my surprise when I found this to be even more amazing. The pacing is quick and the writing so easy to get through that I literally flew through this book in just a couple of hours. I thought the author did a great job describing the awe that an aspiring artist might feel after arriving at Hollywood and all the scenes related to shooting and show running felt very authentic. The story is full of fun and heartwarming situations, the beginnings of first love and beautiful friendships while also tackling some very serious issues - I felt that the author did a brilliant job of perfectly balancing the fluff and social commentary. The book is also unapologetically queer af but I also expected nothing different from the author.
Bex is a great character to follow. She has anxiety and always overthinks everything, but she also has big dreams and works hard through her panicky feelings to achieve what she wants. From being embarrassed about her poverty and scared about coming out, to someone who stands up for herself and her community and owns her identity proudly, Bex has the best character development.
Shrupty is her love interest and I can’t describe the happiness I felt reading about a queer Indian girl on page. She is from a wealthy family and understands her privilege, but has made a mark for herself as a YouTube star and wants to be an actor. She is uber confident and never lets anyone get away with any offensive talk and I was completely in awe of her. I mean I have read many female characters like her but it’s just nice seeing a desi girl being shown that way.
I thought the development of their relationship was beautiful. The little flirtations, being unsure if the other girl likes you, getting to know each other and all the silly moments between them were a joy to read about and I had a smile on my face all the time. They are adorable together and I just had this feeling that they would be a badass power couple in the future.
The ensemble cast is amazing too. Parker is Bex’s cousin but they are as close as siblings and I loved their bond. Parker might call her out when she does something wrong but he is so supportive of her and it’s always nice to have someone who has your back. The actors on the series that Bex is working on, Will and Alyssa are wonderful friends too. Jane is an EP and the only woman in the production team, so I liked that she took Bex under her wing. It’s always lovely to see women is a good position mentor young women. There were other cameos from the cast of The Brightsiders and Queens of Geek and that’s always a lot of fun.
I obviously can’t not talk about the many important issues the author managed to talk about in such a fun and entertaining story. The one thing that really resonated with me was the importance of representation on the screen - how important it is to be diverse in the cast of characters, diversity is not a trend and it is just to ensure that what we see on screen or the cast and crew we hire should reflect the real world, and specifically the joy or watching queer actors play queer characters on screen. The author also manages to showcase the positive power of social media and fandom in the present day, and how they can be used to call out wrongdoings and hold people accountable, particularly those who are in a position of power.
The sexism and homophobia in the entertainment industry is also depicted very realistically and it was actually painful to watch people be openly dismissive and smug in their power, because they have always gotten away with bigotry before. We’ve only heard about instances like women having to compromise to be able to work, or their credit being stolen, but reading about how blatantly it happens was awful. And I think the author put this message across perfectly through the cast of characters that if we want change to happen, we all should stand up for ourselves or be allies to those who are fighting against bigotry and discrimination. As long as we tolerate it, nothing will change and people will get away with kinds of wrongdoing. And I think the best part of this book was that these people faced consequences for their actions - it might not always happen irl but hopefully the future will be better.
Finally, I have to say that if you’ve read and enjoyed Queens of Geek or The Brightsiders before, you are going to love this book. If you enjoy books which are entertaining while also tackling very important issues, then this is perfect for you. And if you happen to be a fan of books with a badass ensemble queer cast who are living their best life, then I promise that this has been written just for you. Going Off-Script is fun and fluffy and important and I really recommend it to everyone. -
I received a copy from the publisher for the blog tour, this is no way affects my opinion
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
Original review posted on my blog :
Word Wonders
CW: Anxiety, harrassment, homophobia, queerbaiting.
I have such an amazing history with Jen Wilde’s books. Queens of Geek was one of my favourite reads of 2017 (was it 2017? I think so.) and I read The Brightsiders earlier this year which also was a book I adored. And although I did have a couple qualms with Going off-script, I enjoyed it a lot and it just cemented the idea that this author writes just my kinds of stories. Stories that deal with important issues but still manage to be cute and light and fun and give me all the warm fuzzy feelings.
The writing is the first (and only) part I couldn’t connect with and I’m not sure what it’s due to because as I’ve previously stated, I thoroughly enjoy Jen Wilde’s books and part of that is the writing. But here it felt a bit cliché with a couple scenes and sentences that have been done time and time again, and although I usually don’t mind them but in this case, there were quite a few of them. This might also be, and probably is, a case of “it’s me not you” since it’s not a complaint I’ve seen anyone else make so far.
The thing I love most about Jen Wilde’s books is how wonderfully queer they are, and this one is no exception. Going off Script is basically queer culture bundled up in a book, everything from its characters and setting to the references screamed unapologetically queer and I lived for it. I also love how the author sets her books in the same universe and since all of them happen in the entertainment industry, all her characters meet and the books kind of bleed into each other to make one giant story, but the great part is that you don’t need to read one to read the others, they’re fully fleshed out stories all on their own. We got to see Alyssa and Charlie from Queens of Geeks as well as Will and Ryan from The Brightsiders and we also met new characters.
Most important of all is Bex, our lesbian main character. She’s anxious and (maybe?) has ADHD and moves to LA to follow her dreams of becoming a screenwriter at the beginning of the book. She’s shy, awkward and a bit of a pushover but as the novel progresses, she grows into herself and grows comfortable with herself, who she is, who she wants to be and where she comes from which is something she struggles with for a while. I loved seeing her “bloom” and grow into this still anxious but a lot more confident and badass person who wants to make the film industry a lot more inclusive and less shady and white straight male dominated.
There’s also a mention of her questioning her gender and I loved how casually that was put into the story and how she was comfortable with the questioning label and was in no rush to figure it out. As that’s not something we see a lot in fiction but that happens quite a lot in real life. And as an anxious person myself, I loved seeing her kind of navigate life in a very unfamiliar setting, find her footing, have doubts, consider qutting and keep pushing through.
Then we have Shrupty, her lesbian Indian love interest who’s a youtuber trying to pave her way as an actor and she was such a fun character to get to know. She was confident but also dorky, sweet and thoughtful. And I lowkey screamed at the fact that their relationship is one of my favourite tropes: Awkward shy queer meets confident bubbly queer, the latter flirting and teasing while the first is absolutely flustered and losing their wits. A+ content, and very entertaining. They had me giggling well into the night.
There were so many other characters I absolutely adored. The whole friends group was amazing, like I said, they’re all queer and make up this little family that filled my heart with so much joy but special mention to Parker who’s Bex’s cousin and basically her brother. They grew up together under the same roof and shared everything. He was there for her to support her in her decisions but also call her out and pt her in her place when she needed it most. so I liked how it’s not a sibling relationship in the most literal sense of the term but still had all the dynamics that make it one, if it makes sense.
All in all, this book was such a good balance of cute and important, with characters who shared heartfelt moments while dismantling a flawed system and taking down a showrunner who cared about nothing and no one but himself and went to extreme lengths to oppress the people working under him. Like steal scripts. And queerbait. And threaten. And lie. And bribe. And… you get it. And I loved seeing him get his ass handed to him. -
4.5 stars
This book was SUPER CUTE and yet SO IMPORTANT. It deals with so many important subjects and I’ll try to list them all on here later on! I’m keep my .5 because my baby Alfie wasn’t mentioned, but JEN WILDE YOU HAVE MY HEART FOREVER. -
![laurel [the suspected bibliophile]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1645808644i/7494844._UX200_CR0,6,200,200_.jpg)
Bex is psyched that she's finally getting out of her dead-end Washington state hometown and moving to LA as an intern for her favorite show Silver Falls. But instead of sitting in the writer's room and helping to pitch ideas, she's picking up coffees and is basically shunted aside. Bex stays silent when the misogynistic showrunner steals her idea, but when he tries to straight-wash her queer character in order to mitigate another actor's homophobic rant, Bex can't stay silent.
What an exciting read!
It's a story that's about the straight-washing of media culture and how that shit just isn't going to fly in 2019—people want queer storylines, and they need representation. Mixed into #DontKillYourGays are themes of sexism, inequality and double standards within the Hollywood industry.
I also liked that Bex's background played a key part in her insecurities, as she slowly begins to realize that there is nothing to be ashamed of for how you grew up, and there's no need to reinvent yourself to make shit happen. Be you and shine like the star you are.
Additionally, we've got some ADHD and anxiety rep and a character who is gay but not entirely sure exactly what her labels are, but she's figuring them out as she goes. Bex grew really quickly, from shy and insecure intern into someone who began to realize that you have to fight for what you need—and that some fights mean risking your entire future employment possibilities in order to what what is right.
I felt like her relationship with Shrupty went from zero to sixty really quickly, and aside from one mention from Shrupty when she accused Bex (who is literally the lowest of lowest interns) about hiring her onto the show to get into her pants, the fact that Bex was fighting for her girlfriend (who played a character she created) to stay in the show, was a little weird and probably should have been mentioned a bit more in the story? Bex and Shrupty had chemistry, but their relationship seemed superficial, and I felt like it was Shrupty using Bex to get her big break on the show (that wasn't the case but I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop).
Anywho, there are some not-so-subtle jabs at popular paranormal TV shows that feature two prominent male characters and a revolving door of women who serve only to boost the male characters' development and plotlines. If you're thinking, wow, what a supernaturally odd thing to say, then perhaps you need to read this book—because aside from these criticisms, it's clear that much love is shown back to the show and its fans.
So, reasons to read this:
1. Sapphic relationship between a girl with ADHD and anxiety and an Indian-American girl
2. #DontKillYourGays
3. Kickass queer secondary characters
4. The funniest dad in the planet
5. Commentary on sexism, double standards and homophobia in Hollywood
6. The impact of social media
7. The importance of diversity in all aspects of media—from the board room, to the writing room, to the camera crew and to the talent
8. The poverty roller coaster
Reasons not to read this:
Honestly I can't think of any unless you're homophobic?
I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review. -
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Video Review ♦
3.5 stars. Jen Wilde is slowly but surely becoming my favourite Contemporary author. I can count on her books to be super inclusive and talk about issues of marginalized people with a good sprinkle of fame, fandom and pop culture. And Going Off Script is no exception.“If you don't want me when I was an insecure, closeted nerd girl, you don't get me at my badass, out-and-proud nerd girl.”
While I know that many will find the novel too fast moving, I have kinda come to expect that from Wilde's novels and so it was not an issue for me at all. Time just works different in Jen Wilde's novels and you have to suspend your disbelief sometimes. But if you can overlook that flaw, this novel gets a lot more enjoyable.
We have a super diverse cast of characters. The main character, Bex, is gay, grew up poor and her family still struggles financially. She mentions that she is questioning her gender identity briefly and she also takes different meds and while I think it's never specified, based on those I think she has ADHD. Her love interest, Shrupty, is Indian and gay. There are several other queer side-characters and characters of colour!
Bex's struggles to come out even though she is so sure of her sexuality and has people around her that would absolutely support her were so realistic and relatable and something I haven't read like that before. Coming out always feels scary, even when you are in a safe environment!“Because I am Lyla! And Shrupty is Lyla. Alyssa is Lyla and thousands of Silver Falls fans are Lyla. By doing this, you are telling them that they don't matter. That they can be erased and no one will care. Well, I care.”
All the characters are absolutely wonderful and lovable and have great relationships between them. Bex had a lot of really amazing people around her, from Jane, one of the writers of Silver Falls, who is the one who really takes care of her and basically her confidant, to her cousin Parker, who she lives with while in LA and really reminds her of her roots.
The romance between Bex and Shrupty was probably my favourite part and also probably my favourite romance in any of the three novels I have read by Jen Wilde. They are always really swoonworthy but this one was particularly beautifully written. The chemistry between Shrupty and Bex and how much positive energy they both had was so wonderful to see. Even though, as mentioned before, they fall for each other quite fast, I believed every second of it. Their physical chemistry is absolutely fantastic too and they had some pretty amazing make-out scenes.“This place isn't sunshine and palm trees. It's a mirage that looks like paradise from a distance, but when you get here it's just a dirty, shallow lake with a painted backdrop. Clever lighting and counterfeit smiles draw you in and then chew you up and leave you on the cutting room floor like you're nothing.”
One of my issues was that the drama was caused by the character being conveniently stupid, which is one of my biggest pet peeves in books. I didn't know at all what the main conflict was going be because I hadn't read the synopsis (I was sold as soon as I knew this book was Jen Wilde and queer) but when Bex did the most stupid thing I could imagine, I immediately knew where the story was gonna go.
Now I think that while I didn't like the cause for the drama, I thought that the conflict itself was handled well. It caused a whole uproar of things and opened a very important discussion of being a marginalized person in Hollywood.
In general this book had so many important messages packed into it. It talked about homophobia, racism, misoginy and all of that through the lens of working in Hollywood in today's times. It showed that there's people who act like they're allys but are not at all behind the scenes or don't understand what it actually means to be an ally.
Sometimes those messages were very in your face but I personally don't mind that at all. And as a self-proclaimed SJW, I would've handled a lot of the things in a very similar way, so if some things might seem exagarrated to certain readers, it is a life that a lot of people live.“In a world with no consequences, I'd let my fury flip the whole damn table. But the only people who get to live in a world without consequences are men like those sitting in this room. That stops now.”
Another thing I loved was Bex really appreciating where she came from and how much her mother has done for her to be where she is at now. Bex looks at LA like the perfect city, where dreams come true and everyone is accepted but the quickly realizes that that is not how things work.
She tries to hide her upbringing but talking to Parker, who she shared a room with growing up and who is super proud of his roots, and seeing LA as it really is, makes her understand that it is so important to not be ashamed of how you grew up and that you don't need to hide that part from people. If they don't accept you and where you come from, they're not your people!
Overall I really enjoyed this book. It is probably my least favourite Jen Wilde but that means nothing considering how much I loved both Queens of Geek and The Brightsiders. And it was so fun to see some of the characters from her two previous books show up in this one. Jen Wilde has created this amazing universe of famous queer people and I really hope she continues to write stories set in this universe.
I'd highly recommend this for fans of Jen Wilde's other novels, GEEKERELLA/THE PRINCESS AND THE FANGIRL by Ashley Poston and EVERYTHING LEADS TO YOU by Nina LaCour and generally everyone that loves queer Contemporaries with a good portion of social justice warriors!
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I received an ARC through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review! -
Fuera de guión ha sido el libro con el que he leído por primera vez a su autora, Jen Wilde, y os puedo asegurar que no va a ser el último que caiga de aquí en adelante de lo mucho que me ha encantado. Ya había leído cosas maravillosas de la autora por bookstagram con otro de los libros que también podemos encontrar en España, Reinas Geek, y, aún así, ha sabido cumplir y superar con creces las expectativas que tenía puestas sobre ella.
Para mí, el libro tiene dos facetas a analizar. La primera, es aquello que se ve a simple vista, su trama más superficial pero que, sin embargo, ha sabido funcionar sin ningún tipo de problemas y es lo que ha conseguido que, nada más abrir el libro, estuviese completamente enganchada a sus páginas. A través de nuestra protagonista, Bex, vamos a vivir una experiencia que cualquier amante de series o películas quiere vivir al menos una vez en su vida, como es la de poder formar parte del equipo creativo de una de tus series preferidas. ¡Imaginad estar al lado de actores como Dylan O'Brien en el set de Teen Wolf, o junto a actrices como Elizabeth Olsen en el rodaje de Wandavision!
Creo que el estilo del libro funciona muy bien al componerse de capítulos cortos que no se paran demasiado en los detalles, creando un escenario muy guay y que anda perfectamente con las explicaciones justas. El argumento del libro y su ritmo es bastante fluído y rápido, teniendo escenas que quizás no son tan emocionantes o épicas como podría darnos cualquier otro libro pero, aún así, yo he estado muy unida a Bex y me lo he pasado genial con ella mientras fangirleaba, iba cumpliendo sus sueños y conocía a gente nueva, creando situaciones divertidas, dulces y muy entretenidas que me enamoraban cada vez más.
Visto así, quizás Fuera de guión sí parte de una trama básica, pero creedme cuando os digo que de básica no tiene nada y que esconde, en realidad, mucho más de lo que se ve de primeras. Y es aquí donde está su segunda faceta.
Aunque la atmósfera esté disfrazada de claquetas, cámaras grabando, guiones y actores y actrices ensayando, Fuera de guión tiene un lado mucho más profundo que ha sido lo que realmente le ha dado la magia y potencia con la que este libro llega arrasando a las filas de la editorial Kakao, y es, además, por lo que realmente creo que este libro debería de leerlo todo el mundo, independientemente de si te va el tema de las series y su mundo o no.
Creo que la autora ha sabido muy bien exponer, sin perder fuerza, la esencia de toda la historia, planteando una trama cotidiana para hablar de diferentes temas como la aceptación de una misma, reflejando en Bex la salida de nuestra zona de confort ante nuevas situaciones llenas de miedos e inseguridades, una chica con la que es fácil identificarse y a la que me he sentido muy apegada, que ha sabido evolucionar y, lo que es más importante, valorar quién es y de dónde viene; la lucha por la representación e inclusión de diferentes colectivos en distintos medios, concienciando de que aún queda mucho trabajo que hacer, cosas que cambiar en la sociedad, y poniéndonos en la piel de esas personas que han tenido que pasar, de manera injusta y solo por tener un color de piel diferente o una orientación distinta, por situaciones muy complicadas que, para otra gente, no son así; incluso Jen Wilde va también un paso más allá e intenta exponer la cara oscura del mundo cinematográfico que a veces aparece, ese abuso de poder que mucha gente tiene, mayormente hombres blancos y cis que deciden actuar solo para su propio beneficio, chantajeando, amenazando e intimidando, algo que hemos visto desde hace tiempo a nuestro alrededor y que, incluso, ha creado diferentes movimientos sociales.
Lo único que quizás he echado en falta dentro de Fuera de guión es un mayor desarrollo de la mayoría de los personajes, ya que algunos se me han quedado algo rezagados y no he llegado a conocer bien sus historias y vidas. Aunque he sentido una camaradería muy guay y un amor entre ellos, teniendo relaciones de amistad muy adorables que también ha tenido su propio papel protagonista, me he quedado con ganas de sentir a los personajes mejor. Además, el romance, aunque me ha parecido muy dulce, sano y bonito, también me ha dado la sensación de que sale de la nada y que no ha tenido la lentitud necesaria como para saborearlo como se merece.
Por todo lo demás, Fuera de guión es un libro ameno, fresco y entretenido que te absorberá completamente y que dejará mensajes muy necesarios de fuerza y lucha con los que pondrás a Jen Wilde a la lista de autoras que tienes que seguir muy de cerca. -
[Second read, for class, February 2020]:
Jen Wilde has proven herself adept at writing heartfelt queer YA romances with strong messages about diverse representation and the power of fandom, and Going Off Script is no exception.
When Bex Phillips leaves her “suffocating” hometown for Los Angeles to intern at her favorite television show, “Silver Falls” (think “Teen Wolf”), she’s excited to come out as gay and to take a step towards her showrunner dreams, but neither goes according to plan. The showrunner is sexist and cruel, and when Bex writes an episode to prove herself, he passes her script off as his own. Bex knows who she is and who she wants to be, yet Wilde deftly depicts the difficulties of coming out, even to a “queer as hell” family member or best friend. Bex’s struggles with anxiety and reconciling her poor background with Hollywood’s extravagance will also strike a chord with many readers.
The showrunner villain embodies a range of issues within the television industry, and, although he can be almost cartoonishly evil, and certain plot points slightly improbable, readers will relish his comeuppance and the conclusion to Bex’s character arc.
Fannish readers who can suspend their disbelief, and fans of Fangirl, Ship It, Leah on the Offbeat, & The Summer of Jordi Perez will love this sweet and inspiring fast-paced read.
[First read, August 2019]
Wow, I loved this.
It’s always hard to get it right in stories where a teen takes on super big powerful people, especially in a setting like the entertainment world, because often you’re cringing and thinking “that would never happen!” And sure, this is a fantasy of comeuppance against a terrible straight white man in power by a bunch of queers, many of them teenagers, but all of it happens in a way where you’re like, sure, that *could* happen. It’s a vision of people, and of fandom, that’s hopeful, but feels like it really sees into the heart of what fandom (and some really determined young people) are capable of. It doesn’t have to all be exactly realistic to feel *real*, and so, so satisfying. (And, listen, I am never going to complain about a queer YA book wrapping up too happily, especially if it’s been stressful or rough or intense in the middle. Give me all the cotton candy fluffy happy endings!! There is never too much of that, I say). -
➸ Trigger warnings for .
▷ Representation: Bex (mc) is a lesbian, questioning her gender, and has ADHD & anxiety; Shrupty (li) is Indian and a lesbian; Parker (sc) is gay; Will (sc) is gay; Dante (sc) is Black & gay; Alyssa (sc) is Black & queer; other bipoc & queer scs.
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Ya es el segundo libro que leo de Jen Wilde y ¡me ha gustado mucho!
Es alucinante la forma que tiene de enganchar al lector, porque ha sido de esas veces en las que antes de que te des cuenta, ya llevas la mitad de la novela y no tienes pensado parar de leer hasta que la acabes.
Si bien la trama es bastante previsible, no le ha quitado emoción: se trata de una novela reivindicativa que pone de manifiesto los entresijos de la industria televisiva, el queerbating, y la intolerancia. Muy, muy entretenida y necesaria para la importancia de la representación. -
8,5/10
Dreams, queers and happy feels. 😊 -
3'75⭐
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En primer lugar, es asombrosa la capacidad de esta autora para escribir historias que se leen en un suspiro. Tiene un estilo ágil, fresco y natural, complementado con una buena traducción, que hace que el lector pase las páginas sin apenas darse cuenta.
Me ha hecho gracia descubrir la pequeña conexión con el otro libro de la autora que he leído, Reinas Geek, y por lo que parece también la hay con otro de sus libros, The Brightsiders, que sinceramente, espero leer en un futuro, porque tengo claro que quiero leer todo lo que escriba esta mujer. Creo que sin lugar a dudas puedo confiar en ella cuando busque una historia tierna con el mensaje adecuado.💜
Respecto a la historia en sí, me ha gustado un montón la ambientación Hollywoodiense y todo el tema de la serie en la que trabaja Bex, al más puro estilo Teen Wolf. A raíz de eso, la autora aprovecha para explorar todo el tema de las dinámicas de poder en el mundo del espectáculo. Hace unos años adquirió mucha fuerza el movimiento #MeToo, y aunque el libro no toca ese tema en concreto, sigue un poco la estela al poner de manifiesto que existe mucha gente que se cree intocable. Normalmente, hombres blancos cisheterosexuales que cuentan con el total apoyo de otros hombres blancos cisheterosexuales por el simple hecho de serlo.
Pero no solo se explora eso, sino que a través de varios personajes, la historia aboga por una mayor inclusividad en el mundo televisivo sobre todo respecto a personajes (y actores o actrices) LGTB+. Aunque también hay una actriz/youtuber india, lo cual me parece un puntazo.
Y al margen de la inclusividad en televisión, también vamos a ver parte del proceso de Bex para contarles a su familia y amigos que es lesbiana y para salir del armario. Me encanta cómo se lo toman la familia y las amistades de Bex.
Ambos temas me parecen muy importantes y estoy 100% de acuerdo con el mensaje reivindicativo que transmite la autora al respecto. Pero es que además de tratar estos temas, lo hace todo con mucha naturalidad y sin que el libro sea pesado o "duro". Al contrario, el libro se puede devorar en poco tiempo, gracias a también a que tiene capítulos cortos.
Es cierto que sí me he sentido un pelín más desconectada de la prota y su relación romántica de lo que me habría gustado, pero nunca se puede acertar al 100%. Aun así, me ha parecido un personaje bastante realista, solo que uno de sus miedo o vergüenzas me parece un poco tontería, pero claro, yo porque lo veo desde fuera, y así es fácil hablar. Es altamente probable que una persona real en su situación se sintiera así también, porque no se puede ser totalmente razonable todo el tiempo. Y lo importante es que al final, Bex evoluciona muy satisfactoriamente a este respecto.
Por otro lado, me ha faltado profundizar un poco más en ella para conocerla mejor, que explicaran más el tema de por qué toma la medicación que toma, por ejemplo, porque para mí era un tema desconocido. Está bien normalizar y desestigmatizar, pero al lector también hay que darle algunos detalles para que no se pierda.
Pero en líneas generales, ya os digo que es una historia que te deja con una sensación cálida y que puedo recomendar sin el menor asomo de duda. Dadle una oportunidad. -
3.5/5 stars. this was such a cute, light read !!! perfect for pride month♡
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I was very apprehensive to start this novel, because I love Queens of Geek and The Brightsiders with all my heart, and I guess I was really afraid this wouldn't live up to my super high expectations. But of course I needn't haven worried, because Jen Wilde totally did it again.
This book is just so queer, and I loved every minute of reading it. It was amazing to see neurodiversity represented as well: Bex has anxiety and she takes Ritalin, which, combined with the descriptions of her functioning, makes me assume she has ADHD as well.
There were also gender feels in here, which I was pleased to see. This wasn't very explicit or at the forefront at all, but I did find it really relatable.
Rep: lesbian gender questioning MC with ADHD and anxiety, gay side characters, Indian lesbian side character, black gay side character, black queer side character, black non-binary side character
CWs: anxiety, sexism, homophobia, queerbaiting, mention of vomit -
Real rating: 4,5 stars.
Jen Wilde's books make me happy, smile, want to stand up and fight. I adore the characters with all my heart, how diverse and amazing the cast is, the romance had me melting and the tv setting and ahhhhh. I loved this so much okay.
Read my full
review of Going Off-Script on the blog.
Thank you to MacMillan International/Swoon Reads for sending me an ARC of this book. This did not, in any way, influenced my thoughts and rating.
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ARGH I JUST LOVE JEN WILDE SO MUCH!! I love all her characters and stories and its just SUCH A FREAKING JOY TO READ!! <3 I NEED MORE NOW
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¡¡ME HA ENCANTADO!!
Reconozco que este es uno de esos libros que me han venido en el momento perfecto para leerlo. Ya en el primer capítulo, pensé que me estaba hablando a mí. Como juntaletras que soy, la escritura era una especie de sueño que estaba al fondo de mi mente que no me permitía decir en voz alta por miedo a que no ocurriese. Si no lo sueñas y no pasa, no es tanta decepción. Sin embargo, hace poco, me dije que la escritura era algo que sí quería perseguir. Y entonces viene Fuera de Guión que habla precisamente de eso, de los sueños que tenemos, de alzar la voz, de no dejar que nos pisoteen.
Es un libro que me ha hecho click en muchos aspectos: que no nos callarán, que no podemos dejar que los de siempre nos pisoteen y nos roben nuestra representación (aquí he dicho nuestra y, pese a no pertenecer al colectivo LGTBI+, considero que es nuestra because derechos humanos).
Además, la historia de Bex con Silver Falls (que yo estaba pensando en Teen Wolf a tope) me ha encantado y estaba deseando verla en su salsa, en aquel sitio donde pudiese florecer. Oh y la historia con Shrupty me ha encantado de principio a fin.
Súper recomendable AUNQUE es verdad que te tiene que pillar en el momento adecuado, sino, es posible que pase desapercibido.
PD: Quiero agradecer a Kakao Books el envío del ejemplar y a mí misma por haberlo leído ahora. Sé que si lo hubiese leído hace un par de meses, no habría tenido el mismo impacto. -
Aunque la trama sea bastante previsible, eso no le ha quitado emoción a la historia: pone de manifiesto la intolerancia y la injusticia que existe en el mundo, en este caso concreto en Hollywood, y cómo los poderosos y privilegiados siempre tienen las de ganar; sin embargo, también muestra la necesidad de luchar, de seguir adelante, y de enfrentarse a quien sea para defender los ideales y la justicia, pues no es solo una novela entretenida, sino que también reivindica el feminismo y la representación de los personajes LGBT+ en las pantallas de televisión y cine (y, en general, en todas partes), muestra los entresijos de esta industria y denuncia el ya tan conocido queerbating.
Reseña completa:
http://fiebrelectora.blogspot.com/202... -
"Why is it that when assholes act like assholes, everyone else just has to ignore it? It doesn't make him any less of an asshole. It just gives him the power to take it up a notch."
Malcolm needs to be chopped up into bloody little bits.
I got caught up emotionally in this book. Even weepy. It's highly relatable, though I've never dreamed of writing for tv or working in Hollywood--I much prefer writing novels and short stories. -
EVERYONE GO READ THIS!!!!!
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la idea es guay pero está escrito como un hilo de twitter 😔😔😔😔
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I have a soft spot for young adult books, so of course I liked this lovely story. I liked it very much. And especially I loved Bex, the wonderful main character.
