Fan Club

by Erin Mayer

In this raucous psychological thriller, a millennial office worker finds relief from her crippling ennui in the embrace of a cliquey fan club, until she discovers the group of women is bound together by something darker than devotion.

Day after day our narrator, a gloomy millennial, searches for meaning beyond her vacuous job at a women's lifestyle website—entering text into a computer system while she watches their beauty editor unwrap box after box of perfectly packaged bits of happiness. Then, one night at a dive bar, she hears a message in the newest single by child-actor-turned-international-pop-star Adriana Argento, and she is struck. Soon she loses herself to the online fandom, a community whose members feverishly track Adriana's every move.

When a colleague notices the extent of her obsession, she’s invited to join an enigmatic group of adult Adriana superfans who call themselves the Ivies and worship her music in witchy, candlelit listening parties. As the narrator becomes more entrenched in the group, she gets closer to uncovering the sinister secrets that bind them together—while simultaneously losing her grip on reality.

With caustic wit and hypnotic writing, this unsparingly critical thrill ride through millennial life examines all that is wrong in our celebrity-obsessed internet age, and how easy it is to lose yourself in it.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Audiobook, Contemporary, Adult

320 pages, Paperback

First published October 26, 2021

Reviews

[Emma Lord · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book absolutely FLOORED me. It's going to live in my bones until the day I die. This story is such a deep, thorough, often grim and fucking spectacular examination of so many things I struggle to find words to describe; the strange hopelessness of working millennials just trying to play by the rules they inherited, the addictive allure of fandom, the intensity and desperation of bonds we make in our twenties when we feel like our most formed and least formed selves. Erin's prose is uniquely devastating. I can't possibly count the number of times she described specific feelings or phenomenons in this book that I could spend my whole life trying to put into words, but she did in a way that felt like a sneaky knife between the ribs. This story yanked me by the collar from page one and pulled me all the way down. It's going to be a staple of the genre, I just know it in my heart, and I can't wait for it to come out so I can scream about it in good company. Read! This! Book!! But just do it knowing that there are very few out there that will live up to the wild expectations that this one sets. Can't wait for more Erin Mayer books to be out in the world so I can go on a rollercoaster like this all over again.

[Carrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fan Club by Erin Mayer is a thriller novel. This story is for the millennial generation with the main character being of that generation dealing with the drone of day to day life. With little hope of her own happiness our narrator becomes obsessed with a celebrity, Adriana, and finds herself caught up in a fan club dedicated to her new obsession.

Now as my two stars rating suggests I wasn’t exactly a fan of Fan Club by Erin Mayer which I wondered if perhaps was because I was older than the generation involved in the story and just didn’t get it so to speak. What I got out of this one was the depressing drone of the day to day life and not much thrill in the thriller side of the obsession. I’ve seen some glowing reviews on this one so I’d say give it a go for yourself but I had a hard time pushing to finish the book and not pick up something else instead.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/

[Kelly (and the Book Boar) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The most efficient way to lose yourself is to idolize somebody else.

Fan Club turned out to be an exception to just about every “rule” I have when it comes to books.

1. I hate face covers, but immediately fell in love with this one.
2. I was denied an ARC (which happens frequently, I’m not butthurt), but rather than waiting to see what my friends thought I asked the library to purchase a copy pronto months before its scheduled publication date.
3. I 100% knew what the climax was going to be nearly from page 1, but I gave zero shits and never wanted to put it down.
4. And more stuff that I’ll get to in a second.

So yeah, I went against my own grain . . . .



I’m going to be honest and say that I wasn’t sure if this was going to end up being a 1 Star or a 5 Star nearly the entire time I was reading it. The premise here is that an underemployed millennial finds friends and fellowship with a gaggle of other gals due to their shared superfan status of America’s biggest pop princess. The inspiration behind the superstar was crystal clear – and even included her former fiancé . . . .



I spent a whoooooooole lotta time debating whether this was actually a fanfic or . . . .



But eventually it became clear that Erin Mayer did what Community did best and “took everything and shoved it up its own ass.” I’m glad I was finally smart enough to get it instead of ruining my own good time with my stupidity. I also really dug the writing, which, once again, was not my usual cup of tea. You know that meme about vegans????



That’s how I feel about authors who have MFAs. While this particular author doesn’t have a full bio on her Goodreads page, I would be very surprised if she didn’t have a degree to brag about. Usually that pretentious sort of elaborate, purple, word vomit is an instant turn off, but Mayer somehow pulled me in.

Then there was the fandom itself. My brain kept telling me it was so farfetched . . . Until Taylor Swift released her 10 minute “All Too Well” re-recording and video and yep, if she ever dated Jake Gyllenhaal again this most definitely could happen. And all I have to say about that is . . . .



This won’t be for everyone, but it is getting 4.5 Stars from me.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Do you ever finish a book and wonder what in the hell you just read? And not in a good way? That’s what happened with me here. My whole experience with this book was bizarre, on the one hand I listened to it in a day so there was definitely something compulsive about it but on the other hand it wasn’t exactly an enjoyable experience. I really liked the premise and found the whole idea of being obsessed with a celebrity fascinating but something in the execution was lacking. The whole thing felt disjointed, I was missing a solid connection to the plot and the characters, the narrator is never named so I dont think that helped. I will say that had I read instead of listened to this I don’t think I would’ve finished so audio is the way to go but overall this was a miss for me.

[Amanda McHugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Mira's lineup, and this book caught my eye immediately. That pink cover is absolutely stunning the synopsis was right up my alley. I was thrilled to be approved and quickly dove in.

When a millennial editor at an internet news site discovers a group of women obsessed with the same pop icon that she is, her mundane life takes a turn to the dark side. Adriana Argento is more than a musician; she is their reason for living, the breath of their existence, and as her new album approaches its release date, the Ivies take their celebrity worship to the next level.

I went into this book with very little idea of what to expect and I'm so glad I did.

This book is an experience.

To start, Mayer nails the narrative voice. So often we see millennial culture portrayed as glamorous, Insta-worthy. And while there are people in her circle who embody these archetypes, our narrator is far from the carefree avocado-toting influencers she encounters. She has a roommate, a budget, a thankless job she readily admits is pointless. She clings to her old friendship until Meghan thrusts herself into her life, introducing her to the Ivies and forcing her to embrace the guilty pleasure that is one, Adrian Argento's music.

The execution of the friendships really reminded me of some of my favorite toxic girl groups. The Craft, The Furies, Mean Girls--all those elements of competition and fear of exclusion are there, except in this instance, we also get this delicious commentary on the obsessive and dangerous nature of celebrity worship. Instead of a god and church, we get a cult-like attachment to a celebrity. The ritualistic behavior, the picking apart of every morsel of gossip, pap photo, and social media update is portrayed as both normal and aggressive, both sides of the coin, and the line between healthy interest and extreme obsession is blurred and stretched. I loved Mayer's exploration, even though there were several moments I visibly cringed at the events. You're supposed to feel uncomfortable, and in that discomfort, you question your own level of reliance on pop icons.

Overall, Fan Club is an unsettling, insightful, smart exploration of pop culture and millennial identity. Out in October, this one will leave its mark.

Thank you to Mira and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for honest review consideration.

[Tori · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to this book but ended up let down. First and foremost this book is NOT a thriller. That is not a deal breaker for me at all as I will read most any genre, but there was nothing truly exciting or suspenseful. It was very obvious who was crazy from the start, and I’m not saying it’s obvious in that snotty way some readers say “oh I saw that coming” when it’s a twist 99% of people didn’t expect. There just was no twist. It was very straightforward that the fan club was off their collective rocker.

At first I thought the main character’s millennial anxiety and general ennui was somewhat relatable. I was reminded of the book Sweetbitter because of how disjointed the stream of consciousness thoughts were, kind of like a fever dream. But eventually the writing just ended up pretentious in an angsty way. It’s like the author used a broody teenager’s 2002 Live Journal blog posts to come up with the most convoluted, dramatic metaphors and adjectives for every single thought the MC had. It was like she consulted a thesaurus made specifically for Lydia Deetz cosplayers for every single sentence. All the dramatic descriptions of the mundane got to be really exhausting after a while. I felt like I was listening to someone with a charmed life telling me all about their experiences with slam poetry as an outlet for their “issues.”

I also was kind of annoyed by the descriptions of drinking and drugs. It definitely seemed like the author had never partaken. The descriptions of what one sip of wine or one Xanax pill could do instantaneously were nonsensical. The main character was immature and had a bad attitude/superiority complex despite her massive insecurities so I never really rooted for her.

Additionally, it was so painfully obvious that Adriana Argento and Nolan Lynch were based on Ariana Grande and Mac Miller. Considering Mac Miller died of an overdose, it was pretty tacky that the Nolan character was fresh out of rehab. Adriana may have had blond hair, but all the mentions of the high ponytails and whistle tones and former Disney channel stardom took you out of the story and you only saw Ariana Grande.

As far as the fan club itself, there was no buildup at all for the main character to get sucked in to her Adriana obsession so quickly. It just came out of nowhere and she was a die-hard after hearing one song.

The pacing was totally off, with some chapters being 3 times as long as others, and the chapter jumped days at a time and switched perspectives from the main character to Adriana without any flow that made sense. Then the ending is left open-ended for you to guess what happens. I can’t say that this is one I would recommend.

[Mackenzie - PhDiva Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has taken me over a month to review but not in a bad way. It made a huge impact, I’m honestly still thinking about it. The writing and narrative style is not similar to anything I’ve read, and I often felt like I was in a fever dream while reading it, but I also couldn’t put it down. Unique, twisted, and thought-provoking!

At it's core, I thought this book is an interesting commentary on not just fan culture, but how many of us seek to find a sense of belonging and identity through engagement with others. And while it is nothing new, this book excellently portrays the stark contrast between what is on social media and someone’s true life and self.

Narrated largely by a nameless young millennial office worker (though I’d argue depending on what year this is deemed to take place, she might actually be gen z due to her age), the book opens with the soul crushing monotony and of our narrator’s job at a women’s lifestyle website. She arrives at work, spends her day reformatting, prepping, testing, and launching content designed by the other more important writers and editors at her office. She barely speaks to anyone out loud all day—that is the office culture.

Her main joy during the day (if you can even call it that) is her four scheduled coffee breaks where she makes a hazelnut Keurig coffee, fills her cat mug, and takes it to the restroom to stand in the pink handicap stall for 15 minutes and looks at a piece of graffiti while she searches for some sense of purpose in her life.

She has a best friend but frankly they seem to have nothing in common other than growing up together. Her friend is in publishing and has seen career and relationship success, but she doesn’t feel like a real person. Similar to the celebrity our narrator will soon become obsessed with, her best friend feels like a shell of who she actually is—carefully crafted like an Instagram page to project a certain life she aspires to have.

Sometimes after work our narrator goes out with the other low-ranking team members who perform her same role. One night she has too much to drink and makes out with one of her coworkers who is married and keeps a photo of his wife at his desk. A song playing over the speaker soon pulls her out of the moment, and she flees the bar to go home.

The song is by Adrianna Argento, a young, beautiful pop star in a famous couple with another celebrity. Our narrator slowly becomes obsessed with Adrianna’s music, listening to it most of the day and night while she continues to push through the monotony of her life. While initially embarrassed to let anyone know she is a fan of Adrianna, she soon meets a new co-worker who gets it, and invites her to get together with a group of friends and fellow Adrianna fans.

This is when the book really takes off. I don’t want to say too much, other than that from the moment the narrator joins the fan group, she feels a strong desire to be accepted, while also seeming to understand that something is off about the other women. For starters, they have a very cultlike feel to the group, and there is a clear leader. They also seem to love Adrianna but are simultaneously hyper critical of much of what she does.

For instance, our narrator became a fan of Adrianna because of the song she heard on the dance floor that night. But she soon learns this group of fans hates all of Adrianna’s new music. The group is obsessed with Adrianna, but they also feel entitled to have her life and career go the way they want it to. They seem to adore her and hate her at the same time. Their behavior often implies that they like the idea of Adrianna more than the person and the artist.

As things get weirder with the fan club, the author also starts pulling bits of Adrianna’s story into the narrative, narrated by Adrianna herself. These were perhaps the most compelling chapters, as the contrast between who Adrianna really is and what the fan club thinks she is becomes more apparent.

I won’t say where the book heads because I think part of the fun is going along for the ride. The book becomes increasingly disorienting as you read it, and this is in part because the author has so masterfully set the tone early of a mind-numbing nameless person drifting through life with almost no connection to the physical world surrounding her.

I have to say that the ending is so deeply compelling and shocking. I have spent weeks thinking back on the book itself and reflecting on the message it sends to the reader.
If you are looking for something new and different, this is it!

[Carlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Find this review and others at Carlene Inspired and Bookstagram.

Oof, do I have thoughts about this book!

A millennial editor with little hopes to ever meet her dreams, not that she has any, discovers the world of celebrity obsession when she hears the magical voice of one Adriana Argento. Our nameless, faceless narrator is anything, but the usual insta-filtered women you might think of. She's stuck in a nowhere job, she lives in a dream world of pretending it might be better while doing nothing, at least until Adriana. A love of music turns into something as important as air, what starts as just a scrolling of feeds and listening to interviews turns into The Ivies. The mean girls, the new Heathers, the women who accept her adult-age and love of the bubblegum pop princess. The Ivies aren't just a fan club though, they are something more, something much more.

With unexpected intensity and tabloid-esque fervor, Erin Mayer takes readers onto a journey into celebrity obsession. Fan Club reads like the cacophonous sounds of a night club at 1 AM; blurry with alcohol, messy with streaked eyeliner, and lusty like the kisses of strangers. It's an all-consuming read, it's accurate and creepy and the kind of thriller, with a tinge of cult-like love, that just cannot be predicted. I loved the deep dive into millennial fandoms, the desire to be loved and to love in return. I liked that our narrator wasn't this dream of success kind of girl, that she was struggling and trying to hang on, all while slipping into this dreamy world made up of Adriana music and pink clouds. I can relate to Mayer's critical view of flawed women making poor choices in an attempt to fit in anywhere.

With lengthy descriptions, thoughts that border on hallucinations, and inserted chapters from the perspective of Adriana herself, Fan Club borders on too much. I'd be lying if I said that didn't work for me, it takes you down a road just as twisted as the yellow bricks Dorothy walked, but I can see how it also won't work for everyone. It's a thriller that is a little bit adult fiction and a little bit literary fiction. Mayer uses words that your average reader won't know, see the use of cacophonous above. I loved that though, this was my cup of tea, however I did not love that Adriana is a spitting image of Ariana Grande. I am a fangirl of hers, she does no wrong, but it cheapened the experience of Fan Club. It's impossible not to picture her, despite the constant references to Adriana's bleached blonde hair, and in turn it makes all those around Adriana blend in with those in Ariana's past and present. I could have done with a unique singer, a mish mash of several personalities and styles, but alas, Ariana or rather, Adriana, is who we get and I ended up just listening to her music the entire time I read.

What starts as a slow, day-to-day subway ride to a boring job turns into a fever dream, a truly disturbing set of events that somehow are both believable and unbelievable all at once. On any given page you will ask yourself is this real or is our narrator losing it? It is somehow both and it is addictive like sugar. I recommend this one, I think it's the kind of book you'll love or you'll hate and I love a good polarizing read.

ARC provided.

Lines I highlighted:

"The algorithms have erased choice."
"This is how the most dangerous nights start, giddy and loose."
"It disturbs me, how regularly I slide in and out of my own life."
"Obsession, as defined by me, is the itch under my skin, the unrelenting shiver ticking up my vertebrae, then back down when I'm waiting in line to buy lunch or ringing Veronica's doorbell or opening a mysterious package."
"He wants girls to be innocent or else they can choke."

[Kori Potenzone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always been a fan of trying out new authors. Doesn't everyone deserve to have the light shined on them after completing their first novel? Erin Mayer, is going to be a household name after this one! I absolutely loved the cover . Yes, I am totally one of those "judge a book by the cover" , people.

This novel read like a tabloid, filled with juicy gossip and some well developed characters, this book is nothing short of ADDICTING! I could not stop reading! I picked this book out because the cover but I walked away with a lot more than that. This is a made for tv novel, and I am sure Netflix is going to gobble this one up.

This needs to be added to everyone's pre-order pile! Do not miss this one!

[Oriana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this one up because of a tweet, and I have no regrets. It's a pretty fun, super readable, very modern story about millennial drudgery and celebrity obsession. The characters were largely believable and the plot moved fast, but ultimately I felt that the intensity of the fan club's devotion was never really that well explained. There's a central thing they do at all their meetings -- which I guess was the thing that bound them all together in their mutual obsession? -- that never made any kind of sense to me at all. But eh, still a fun, low-stakes read, which is sometimes all you really want.

[Silvia C. · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.45 stars
Seems like this was not the book for me.
I think I would have enjoyed it more if it were a novella with just the main plot point, as the rest of the book about the boring workplace and the several celebrity life slices were very boring for me, and in the end they seemed to not contribute much to the story. Unfortunately I found myself skimming and skipping pages in the second half.
It could be just me, as I really don't like to read about fictional famous people's lives, so do take it with a grain of salt and check out the other reviews.

Thank you to the author and the publisher for ARC.
All thoughts expressed are my own.

[Casey · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is not a thriller or even really psychological. This is just Ariana Grande fan fiction without anything interesting happening. I love fiction that analyzes fandom, but this is just lacking any self-awareness. Every detail of Adriana (yep) is ripped from Ariana with the slightest tweak. Our narrator is pathetic and self-martyring, but there are also a few scenes with Adriana's perspective that don't fit the first person narration at all. Interesting things only happen off the page. Majorly disappointed in this one.

[Kimberly Belle · Rating 5 out of 5]

An underemployed millennial finds friends and fellowship with a group of women harboring a cult-like obsession with America’s biggest pop princess. Whip smart and darkly comedic, a creepy deep dive into millennial ennui and superfandom in the modern era. One of my Top 5 New Releases for October ’21.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I almost gave this book 3 stars. I was right there, even though it felt a bit disjointed, and was unbelievable much of the time. It was fascinating to see into the minds of the rabid fan cult. To see deep into the people who become so obsessed with a famous person, that they think they OWN that person. Erin Mayer mentioned more than a few times that these types of people want to crawl into the skin of their idol. Make their life their own. That they feel they have full power over that person's life. Truth be told, since I entered the world of KPop fandoms I understand how this can manifest. It's not hard to cross the line from fan, to obsessed.

Despite how slow this felt at times, and how much I wanted to shake some sense into our unnamed narrator, I carried on. I guess I kind of understood where she was coming from. To have nothing, to belong to nothing, and then to suddenly find meaning and belonging is a feeling that is too easy to sink deeply into without much thought. Even when she discovered that the people she was spending time with were terrible, she kept choosing them over and over. It's sad, but it's not beyond the realm of reality. I will saw though, it was so very frustrating. If that's what Mayer was going for, then it worked well.

The ending killed it for me though. All that time invested, and then the ending was just so lackluster. I almost rated this three stars, but I couldn't forgive that ending.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think you should read it ;)

[Chandra Claypool (WhereTheReaderGrows) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Have you ever just been OBSESSED with a celebrity? Like tracking them online everywhere, listening to their music over and over again, etc... and then find a group that is equally as obsessed (if not more) and you just end up spiraling out of control? Yeah, me neither but our unnamed protagonist is excessively nuts.. and while I do enjoy crazy, this one just didn't quite work for me. Maybe if the celebrity in question wasn't who I think she was? *shrug*

Mayer does a good job showcasing how celebrity obsession is a real thing - and it truly is unbelievably crazy. Remember reading about celebrity deaths at the hands of their stalker/#1 fan? Yeah - I'm not sure if the perks would outweigh always being watched. For me, this started quite slow... and yet I understood where the main character was headed - daily trudging of life at a desk just to get home, shove some food down the throat, watch a little tv, avoid the roommate and then wake up to do it all over again. How mundane. But once you find yourself involved with some absolutely insane women... well, life sure isn't boring anymore but you may regret your decision making.

Unfortunately the ending kinda killed the whole shebang for me. I have a love/hate relationship with these kinds of endings and this one clearly fell on the latter side. If they adapted it would I watch it? Absolutely - I think this particular kind of read would resonate better for me on screen.

[Alix · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fan Club is a book that highlights the obsession we have with celebrities. How we spend all our time following them on social media. How they consume our lives and we lose ourselves in the fandom. I definitely related to that aspect of the book since I am quite obsessed with Lana Del Rey lol. The celebrity in this book, Adriana Argento, is clearly a stand-in for Ariana Grande. The main character, a millennial who is unhappy at her job but doesn’t know what she wants to do with her life, slowly becomes obsessed with Adriana Argento and gets involved with a cult-like fan club. I really liked the message of this book, but it got too crazy and far-fetched for me in the end. I also wouldn’t classify this book as a psychological thriller as it was labeled on my ARC, but rather it’s more in the vein of contemporary fiction. Overall, an interesting book but the ending was a bit of a let-down for me.

[Carrie Shields · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted so much to love this book...a great cover, a tantalizing blurb, and a fascinating premise...but it just didn't work.

I hated the fact that the protagonist was unnamed. I guess it was supposed to represent she could be anyone stuck in a tedious, dead-end job just waiting for something exciting to happen. We are indeed a culture obsessed with all things celebrity, so when our unnamed narrator becomes obsessed with pop star Adriana Argento (I'm assuming she is loosely based on Ariana Grande?) A co-worker notices her obsession and invites her to an adult fan group, and this is where things should have really taken off.

Unfortunately, the action never picked up, and the plot was pretty dull and tedious, just like the narrator's day-to-day life. I was hoping for a salacious, juicy, tabloid-like read, and this one was pretty disappointing. Nevertheless, I thank the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC.

[sydney · Rating 1 out of 5]

i dont think the author realizes that writing an entire book about a VERY REAL person under a very flimsy fake name, narrating her inner thoughts and feelings and assuming things about her life is just as creepy and obsessive as all the characters in this book

[Tessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The dangers of not stanning Loona. The leads in this book are the equivalent of Larries, but they’re on every drug known to man and there is no gay subplot or undertones

[Nicole Wuthering Vines · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am certainly a sucker for celebrity gossip so I was immediately intrigued by this plot and premise!

While it’s a thrilling idea to dive into our obsessive society and the social media stalking, this one just missed the mark for me. The scary part is I feel like Mayer did nail the aspect that this type of culture and cults really do exist in real life. I think with this being labeled as a psychological thriller, I was just looking to be a little more thrilled.

Here’s the ultimate question - how far is too far?

[Savanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very well written and made me uncomfortable at times. We follow our protagonist as she’s navigating her way through her boring life and her new friends who are obsessed with a pop star.

The author did an amazing job putting a spotlight on people’s obsession with celebrities and how it can turn dark real quick. There was so parts throughout the story that was slow and lost on attention but overall, I still wanted to find out what happened at the end. Also, the pop star in this story seemed a lot like Ariana Grande so there’s that.

Overall, I enjoyed my time reading this book. It will definitely keep you hooked until the very end.

Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to review this book!

[Therese · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is written like a fever dream and you end up feeling just as unhinged as the main character while reading.

The topic of celebrity and obsession is really compelling and not something I’ve read before. It delves deep into the idolization of celebrities and that feeling like we know them despite only seeing their Instagram posts.

My problem with this book is that the celebrity character Adriana is Ariana Grande. It got to the point where I would stop reading to compare the real life of Ariana to the fake life of Adriana and they were practically identical down to the smallest details. It was a bit too much.

Ultimately, this book is a wild ride. I was left a bit stupefied by the end. If celebrity fandom culture is intriguing to you, I’d recommend it.

I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Bridget · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an unexpected, thrilling ride. Really lays bare the mundanity of millennial work life, the strangeness of being a young woman, the intensity of female friendships, and the all-consuming, eat-you-alive experience of fandom. So pleased I had a chance to devour this early, and can’t wait to see more out of Mayer.

[Anisha · Rating 1 out of 5]

The premise of this book seemed intriguing but oh my god. It dragged. The narrator has no inflections so it sounds like you're listening to a lecture. There is literally no story line. I listened to this for 4 hours and now am officially DNF'ing this one. Ugh. Sorry :(

[Agnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun, trippy, intense ride. Such vivid and relatable imagery, captures the corporate millennial and super fan experience perfectly. Can't wait to see what's next from Erin.

[Gina · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was impressively awful.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Today I have a cracking debut novel for you, written by former Bustle editor Erin Mayer. Fan Club is a sharp, witty commentary on stan culture, how we view fame, and the risks we take in order to find some kind of meaningful relationship.

The term "stan" comes from the song of the same name released by Eminem in 2000. It's written from the POV of a man (named Stan) so deeply obsessed with Eminem that he writes letters to him detailing his descent into anger and rage when Eminem doesn't reply. His actions get increasingly more dangerous as he begs for his idol's attention. The term entered the Oxford English dictionary in June of 2018, listed as "an overzealous or obsessive fan, esp. of a particular celebrity."

In this book, our main character isn't named. Which seems fitting, as she feels like she doesn't really exist in any great sense of the word. She uses the term "every-father" in the opening paragraph of the book - she herself is the "every-office-worker". She's anybody, she's nobody, she's everybody. She works at a job she hates, editing articles she doesn't care about for a website she doesn't read, lives with a roommate she doesn't really know, and doesn't have many friends. She craves love, intimacy, friendship, excitement, and she has all but given up - until she finds Adriana Argento.

Adriana is a pop princess, loved the world over, who is on the brink of releasing her first album after a hiatus due to a tragedy at one of her shows. If this all sounds a bit familiar - you too, may believe God is a Woman. Adriana becomes more and more important to our main character, and as so often happens, the fans find each other and our gal becomes deeply involved with a very intense branch of the Adriana fandom, to the detriment of her and the people around her. But it's exciting.

This really didn't go the way I thought it would, but I found it to be a really engaging read. The whole world of standoms and fandoms is equally terrifying and intriguing to me - I find it a little sad sometimes and one of the lines in the book really summed that up for me:

"The most efficient way to lose yourself is to idolise somebody else"

It's scary to me how much access people have to celebrities now. Of course as long as there have been celebrities, there have been stans - but I feel like with advances in technology and the ways we use social media, celebrities have gone from being untouchable to being dangerously reachable. Stan Twitter honestly scares the bejaysus out of me, but I've no doubt had I been born ten years later that I'd have absolutely been bang smack in the middle of it. I can see the allure - finding your tribe is one of the hardest things on this earth to do, and many people go through life without ever finding that kind of comraderie or a group of people with whom they can truly be themselves. Fandoms seem like ready-made families, ready and waiting to accept you with open arms - until you step out of line.

I ate this book up in one sitting - I was gutted when it ended, because I could easily have read another hundred pages. It takes celebs, fans, cults, social media, jaded millennials, capitalism, and spins it into a cautionary tale about living vs existing in a world full of online obsession. As a species, we've never been more connected - so why aren't we more connected?

I didn't adore the ending, but I really enjoyed the journey there.

Thank you to Justine at Harper Collins for having me on the Blog Tour, I really appreciate it.

You can read the first chapter on my Blog Tour spot at www.behindgreeneyes.com

[Jamele (BookswithJams) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the subject sounded great and was right up my alley, however as it got going it was not really for me, it didn't hold my interest, and I was expecting more of a thriller type story I think. What I did like was the social media obsessed culture aspect, as creepy as it was in here it was a bit chilling to know this probably was not too far from reality. Overall though this did not work for me like I thought it would.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the digital copy to review.

[Sophie V. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5